Chapter 77: Bringing a group of younger brothers to Qingfeng Villa
The sound of a carriage could be heard in the distance. An Dou stood on tiptoe, wanting to see more, the nervous anticipation in his heart almost overflowing.
When they were almost at the same location as yesterday, Xia Yanjing stopped the carriage and prepared to walk there himself. He was afraid of scaring the children.
When Xia Yanjing saw the people, he was stunned. No one told him that there were so many people. There were at least fifty people, and most of them were children.
An Dou could no longer hide the joy on Xia Yanjing's face. Even if An Dou was mature, he was just a ten-year-old child at this moment.
"I'm here." Xia Yanjing said with a smile.
"Master, there are fifty-three of us here in total. Twenty of us want to go back to our hometown, and the remaining thirty-three want to go with you." An Dou said nervously. He did not tell Xia Yanjing how many people there were yesterday because he was afraid that Xia Yanjing would regret it after knowing it.
Xia Yanjing was glad that he brought enough money, otherwise it would be very embarrassing.
"Uncle Wu, Shitou, Ye Zi, bring the money and food here." Xia Yanjing said to the three people parked at the carriage in the distance.
Uncle Wu was holding a big cloth bag, followed by Shi Tou Ye Zi who was also carrying buns, and they quickly came to Xia Yanjing.
Shi Tou and Ye Zi gave everyone a meat bun. Fortunately, they bought a lot, but it was only enough for one person. They hadn't had a full meal in so many days, and when they saw the delicious meat buns, everyone started to eat them voraciously.
"Those who want to leave should line up. Adults will pay 3 taels of silver, and children will pay 2 taels of silver." Xia Yanjing gave a look, and Uncle Wu stepped forward and said loudly.
The twenty people were seen scrambling to get to the front. They didn't expect what An Dou said was true, and they were afraid that if they were late they would have no money left.
Soon, all twenty people received the silver. Xia Yanjing then looked at the remaining thirty people and said to them, "I'm sure you've all seen it. If you want to leave, it's still not too late. I'll give you one last chance."
Soon, six slightly older children emerged from the group of thirty people. They nervously stepped forward and said, "We want to leave too."
"Uncle Wu, give them some silver." Xia Yanjing said lightly.
"After you get the silver and leave, don't mention this to anyone. If anyone asks about the people left behind, just say they died while fleeing the famine. Do you understand?" Uncle Wu warned sternly.
"I understand." The people who received the money readily agreed. Such a great thing is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. They understand that they have to pay for things.
"Okay, you can leave now." Uncle Wu looked at the twenty-six people with a serious expression.
"Yes, yes, yes." The twenty-six people quickly left in groups. Now that they had money, they would probably be able to return to their hometown and start over soon. No one wanted to stay here any longer.
After confirming that the twenty-six people had left, Xia Yanjing looked at the twenty-seven people in front of him. His usual gentleness had vanished, and he said sullenly, "That was the last chance I gave you. Those who stayed, don't even think about leaving. As long as you don't betray your master, you'll have a way out. But if I discover that anyone has betrayed their master, don't blame me for being ruthless."
"Never betray." An Dou took the lead in shouting, and then the rest of the children followed suit and shouted loudly.
"Okay, then come with us." Xia Yanjing nodded with satisfaction.
Twenty-seven people followed closely behind. A group of people came to the carriages and looked at the three carriages in deep thought.
"Each carriage can seat nine people. Let's squeeze in first. Andou, you and I will ride in the same carriage." Xia Yanjing arranged.
"Yes, sir." An Dou was very excited when he heard Xia Yanjing's words. He felt like he was being reused.
Xia Yanjing finally sat with Shitou. It was too crowded inside, and the smell was quite strong. It wasn't that he disliked it, but he still knew how to choose among the options.
The carriage swayed slowly to the foot of Qingfeng Villa. The two of them had left a letter for Sheng Yuan last night. Fortunately, Qingfeng Villa was big enough to accommodate more people.
After arriving at the foot of the mountain, Xia Yanjing did not let them rush out of the carriage. After observing the surroundings and making sure that there was no one around, Xia Yanjing let the twenty-seven children get off the carriage.
"We have to walk a mountain road, follow me closely." Xia Yanjing reminded.
"Yes, sir." The children responded repeatedly.
The sun was high in the sky at this time. Although there were dense woods around, it still couldn't withstand the hot weather. Beads of sweat hung on everyone's forehead.
Some of the guys had not had enough to eat for a long time, and their health was not as good as men's, so they walked slower and slower.
Xia Yanjing was climbing while observing the children behind him. Seeing that his brothers had slowed down, Xia Yanjing stopped and said to the men behind him.
"Strong men, please help me, buddy. You will live together in the future, and I hope you can help each other. Can you do it?"
"Yes." Everyone responded positively.
After listening to Xia Yanjing's words, An Dou helped a boy up first, and soon the other men followed suit. Soon, with everyone's cooperation, all 27 children climbed up the mountain.
The guards at the door saw Xia Yanjing and quickly opened the door. One of them ran to inform, and Xia Yanjing brought a group of children to stop at the door of Qingfeng Villa to hold a mobilization meeting for entering.
"This is Qingfeng Villa. You will live here for a long time from now on. Once you enter this door, you are mine. There is no room for regret. I will give you one last chance. If you want to leave, leave now. Otherwise, you have to endure all the hardships and fatigue in the future. Do you understand?" Xia Yanjing looked around at the crowd. He did not see any retreat on their faces, only confusion about the future.
"Very good, then follow me in." Xia Yanjing nodded with satisfaction. Along the way, he didn't hear anyone complain. Even if they were tired, they gritted their teeth and kept up.
Wei Yang came out to greet him soon. Seeing Xia Yanjing, Wei Yang smiled and said, "Brother-in-law, come in and have a rest. Your elder brother wanted to come out to greet you, but it was too hot, so I didn't let him leave the room."
"Goff, wait a moment, I'll arrange something."
After Xia Yanjing finished speaking, he turned to look at Uncle Wu. "Uncle Wu, Shitou, Ye Zi, take them to settle down. Have each of them give themselves a new name, register them in the register, and record their height. We'll arrange for someone to buy some ready-made clothes later."
"Yes, sir." The three people said in unison.
"Brother, let's go." After making the arrangements, Xia Yanjing followed Wei Yang to find Sheng Yuan. They wanted to discuss how to settle these twenty-seven children.
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