Although the contact was brief, Hong Xiaoduo was confident that even if Lord Wei himself didn't have time to handle it, he would recommend another official to deal with the matter.
Back at the inn, he took Tian Shu's pen, thought for a moment, and then wrote a letter. The letter described the Nie Qing family's situation and added that he only knew one high-ranking official, so he had no choice but to trouble him.
Since it was her first time handling such a matter, Hong Xiaoduo wanted to be as thorough as possible. After writing the letter, she thought about it carefully again and came up with a more reliable idea.
The next morning, after breakfast, they drove three carts directly to the Beggars' Sect's courtyard.
The newly purchased carriage entered through the side gate, and Hong Xiaoduo followed it in.
Having finished packing, the Shen mother and daughter thanked Uncle Zhou and looked at Hong Xiaoduo, waiting for her to give them some instructions.
Zhou Bo was very curious. This young woman claimed to know an official in the capital, but he didn't know what official position he held or what their relationship was. However, he didn't dare to ask.
Hong Xiaoduo then took out a letter and handed it to Madam Shen: "When you get to the capital, take this letter to Minister Wei Junpei of the Ministry of Personnel. He will help you if he sees it."
Oh, and one more thing.
Hong Xiaoduo turned around and beckoned Tian Shu over. She took the food box from his hand and handed it to Xue'er. Then she looked at Shen Shi and said, "They say it's easier to see the King of Hell than to deal with his underlings."
Lord Wei is a good official, but I can't guarantee the character of the gatekeepers.
If they make things difficult for you later, just give them this food box.
Shen nodded repeatedly, carefully remembering Hong Xiaoduo's words.
Standing to the side, Uncle Zhou was extremely shocked. He had been guessing what rank the official she was talking about was, but he never expected it to be Minister Wei, who was a second-rank official in the current court!
Moreover, this young lady was very thoughtful, even considering the possibility of her subordinates making things difficult for her.
This food box bears the mark of the Wei family and is not meant for servants. With the blessing of this food box, the gatekeeper dared not make things difficult for them.
"Chief Zhou, we'll take our leave now." Having said everything that needed to be said, Hong Xiaoduo said goodbye to the chief and walked out.
The Shen mother and daughter quickly boarded the carriage, which was then driven out of the courtyard by someone arranged by Uncle Zhou.
The three vehicles drove out of Tongling City and split up at a fork in the road outside the city.
Hong Xiaoduo looked out the window at the carriage heading in another direction and thought to herself that this was all she could do to help. She hoped that the Shen mother and daughter would have a safe journey and arrive in the capital soon, meet Lord Wei, clear Nie Qing's name, and reunite the family as soon as possible.
"Oh, what a coincidence! We meet again. May I ask where you're headed, young lady?" A horse caught up, and the young man on horseback greeted Hong Xiaoduo in the carriage with a smile.
What a coincidence? Hong Xiaoduo looked at the person on horseback: "A coincidence? I have a feeling you're following us on purpose."
The man on horseback chuckled upon hearing this: "You're absolutely right, young lady. I did follow you on purpose. I don't have anywhere else to go for the time being, so I thought it would be alright if we traveled together?"
“We’re going to Dawuguan. If you want to come along, you can.” After saying that, Hong Xiaoduo lowered the curtain of the car window.
Because this person helped me last night, things went so smoothly. Plus, now that it's broad daylight, I can see his face more clearly, and he doesn't seem like a wicked person.
Most importantly, he has a chivalrous air about him, a sword at his waist, and is willing to follow me and the children. This is a good opportunity to ask him about kung fu.
Furthermore, she didn't think this person could stay with her for long.
Seeing that she did not object, the rider on horseback followed beside the carriage with a smile on his face.
"By the way, since we're traveling together, could you please tell me your name? I don't mean to pry into your privacy, but wouldn't it be more convenient to have a form of address?" a voice asked from inside the carriage.
"My surname is Quan, and my given name is Jinghuai," the man on horseback replied without hesitation.
Hong Xiaoduo smiled inside the carriage: "My surname is Hong, and my given name is Xiaoduo."
After a brief introduction, one inside the carriage and the other outside, they didn't speak again.
A horse-drawn carriage and a donkey cart, with a rider on horseback beside them—it doesn't look out of place at all; in fact, it looks quite harmonious.
In the evening, they stopped to camp by the roadside. Even Quan Jinghuai, who was often away from home, was somewhat surprised to see the seven children skillfully and smoothly gathering firewood, starting a fire, setting up tents, and baking food.
He took the braised meat he had bought when he left the city and added the dry rations to it.
The children had overheard his conversation with Hong Xiaoduo. Now, Tianquan helped to add a stool to the long table that had been set up, indicating that Quan Jinghuai should sit down.
"Thank you. Call me brother." Quan Jinghuai said to Tianquan.
Tianquan looked at Hong Xiaoduo, and Quan Jinghuai thought that Hong Xiaoduo's approval was necessary for such a matter, so he smiled and looked at her as well.
"Are you sure you want them to call you brother?" Hong Xiaoduo asked with a half-smile.
Quan Jinghuai hesitated for a moment, then thought that there was nothing wrong with letting the children call him "brother"! So he nodded.
So Hong Xiaoduo nodded to Tianquan.
"Brother," Tianquan called out, and Yaoguang and the others also came over and called him brother.
"Your lanterns seem unusually bright." Quan Jinghuai noticed this and asked as darkness fell quickly in early winter.
Hong Xiaoduo smiled and said, "Well, maybe the candles we bought last time were better."
While we were talking, the soup was ready, and the grilled food was also ready to eat.
Tianxuan first served a bowl of soup to the guest, and then continued to serve soup to Hong Xiaoduo.
Quan Jinghuai brought over the hot soup, blew on it, and took a sip. It was a simple bone broth, but it was quite delicious. After a few sips, he felt warm all over.
"Mother, have some soup," Tianxuan called out as she served Hong Xiaoduo the soup.
Cough, cough, cough, which made Quan Jinghuai, who was drinking soup, choke. What? Mother?
Looking at Hong Xiaoduo again, I saw her with a big smile on her face.
Quan Jinghuai finally understood why, when he asked Tianquan to call him brother earlier, she had said something like, "Are you sure you want them to call you brother?"
As soon as Quan Jinghuai stopped coughing, he immediately asked, "Why would he call you 'mother'?"
“Brother, it’s not him calling us Mother, it’s us all calling us Mother,” Yao Guang emphasized, looking up.
Quan Jinghuai found this even more unbelievable: "How can you, an unmarried young woman, become a mother?"
"How did you determine that I am an unmarried young lady?" Hong Xiaoduo was actually quite puzzled, as he had mentioned it once last night.
Could it be because I styled my hair in a high ponytail? Married women all wear their hair in a traditional Chinese bun.
“I’ve been traveling the world for many years, so I can tell at a glance whether you’re a married woman or an unmarried young lady,” Quan Jinghuai replied, but he didn’t mention that there are actually significant differences in the way married women walk compared to unmarried young ladies.
However, that explanation was not easy to say aloud.
Regardless of the reasons why these children call her "Mom," she can no longer be their older brother...
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