Tian Shu and the others finished eating but didn't leave; they just sat quietly to the side and waited.
Just as Yuheng finished eating and picked up her chopsticks, Hong Xiaoduo gave Tian Shu a look. The child immediately understood and went up to call Yuheng and Yaoguang back to their room to do arithmetic.
Hong Xiaoduo then repeated exactly what Yuheng had told her the previous night to Quan Jinghuai.
After the two innkeepers quickly cleared the table, seeing that the two men showed no sign of leaving, they brought them tea and dried fruit.
"Do you think what she saw might really be that bastard?" Quan Jinghuai asked after the waiter had walked away.
Hong Xiaoduo nodded and said, "Since he knows that bastard is still alive and has a dark and abnormal mentality, he most likely won't give up. If it were just a matter of looking somewhat similar, Yuheng wouldn't be this scared."
That guy from yesterday afternoon, no matter who he is, whether he's that bastard or not, we have to treat him as if he were him.
Quan Jinghuai pondered for a moment: "You already have a plan? Tell me about it."
"It's simple. In this kind of weather, we can just stay in this inn. We're in the open while he's in the dark. Instead of looking for him, we should just stay put and wait for him. Otherwise, if we get exhausted from his antics, the children will be in danger."
"Of course, these are just my thoughts. If you feel they're not safe, Brother Quan, we can discuss it further." Hong Xiaoduo didn't think that what she said was necessarily correct.
This is a matter that can only be resolved by ourselves; we cannot rely on the government.
It's not that all crows are black, or that there are no reliable government offices. However, if you report to the authorities on the grounds that you suspect evildoers are coming to retaliate, not to mention having to explain the background to the official, you might not even get the case accepted.
Even if they accept the offer, even if the officials are very responsible, what can they do?
Have the children describe what that bastard looks like, find an artist to draw his portrait, and then have the constables and yamen runners take the portrait and search the whole city for him.
Therefore, you still have to solve it yourself.
“Let’s do as you say. If the problem isn’t solved by the time the rain stops, we can deal with him on the road.” Quan Jinghuai had actually thought about it before, or he could pretend to leave to lure that bastard out.
However, just as Hong Xiaoduo said, that bastard was in the shadows, so to be on the safe side, he decided to stay by the disciples' side.
No matter how intelligent or hardworking the seven disciples were, Quan Jinghuai did not believe that they could defeat Hei Wuchang, whose martial arts had been crippled, after only a few months of training.
Furthermore, there are many talented and extraordinary people in this world, and the world is full of all kinds of things. No one can guarantee that someone whose martial arts have been crippled won't have some kind of extraordinary encounter or obtain some secret manual to restore their power.
Therefore, Quan Jinghuai was more concerned about the possibility of something going wrong than the possibility of something happening to his seven disciples.
Seeing that he agreed with her, Hong Xiaoduo discussed the details with him.
At night, the two of them took turns keeping watch.
At this point, Quan Jinghuai didn't say anything. "You're a woman, so leave this to me."
She is indeed a woman, but she is far more capable than I am.
Having finished discussing the important matters, the two invited the children downstairs to practice calligraphy.
"Shopkeeper, we can't go out shopping on rainy days, so we can teach the children to read and write here, is that alright?" Hong Xiaoduo asked with a smile the person behind the counter who was fiddling with an abacus.
Upon hearing this, Manager He immediately replied, "Of course you can. Do whatever you wish."
While they were talking, Tian Shu and the others came downstairs with their writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, found a good spot, and sat down to practice calligraphy quietly.
Upon seeing this, Manager He whispered to the waiter, "Go and prepare tea and snacks for the young masters and young ladies."
Hong Xiaoduo happened to hear this and quickly spoke up to stop them: "I appreciate the shopkeeper's kindness, but if we put out delicious food, they will be distracted. Let's not."
"Oh, oh, oh, it was my oversight. Please forgive me, young lady," Manager He said apologetically.
"I'm not an ungrateful person, what's there to blame?" After Hong Xiaoduo finished speaking, she noticed that Tianquan's posture while practicing calligraphy was not upright, so she quickly went over and tapped his back. Tianquan did not turn around to see who it was, and immediately straightened his back.
The rain outside was so heavy, accompanied by strong winds from time to time, that it was rare to see any pedestrians on the street.
Hong Xiaoduo strolled to the entrance of the inn and looked outside. Manager He sighed beside her, "With this kind of rain, Fengzhou City is not in much trouble, but the farmers on both sides of the downstream river are likely to suffer."
"It won't rain like this forever. In an hour and a half, it will turn into a light drizzle and stop by evening," Hong Xiaoduo told the shopkeeper, seeing his worried expression.
Upon hearing this, Manager He was about to say, "Young lady, please don't joke around," when he suddenly remembered that what she had said at noon had all come true.
"In that case, there shouldn't be any problem. Young lady, you see, your weather forecast is quite accurate," Manager He said with a sigh of relief.
Hong Xiaoduo looked at him and said, "Flooding may not be a problem, but farmers in the surrounding areas will still suffer losses because there is a possibility of hail."
Hail? Manager He remembered that she had said it would hail the day before.
If, as she says, it does hail, then the damage to farmers will be no better than that of a flood.
At this time of year, the crops in the fields are growing, and the wheat is almost heading.
Hey, legend has it that hail is the Heavenly Emperor punishing those who do evil. But why not just strike them dead with lightning? Why drag down the farmers who rely on the heavens for their livelihood and work so hard?
"If only those farmers knew it was going to hail," Manager He said, glancing at Hong Xiaoduo.
Hong Xiaoduo shook her head and smiled bitterly, "What can they do even if they know? Try to cover up and protect the crops? What can they use to cover them? Blankets? Frames and planks?"
If things go wrong, not much of the crops will be protected, but people might get injured by the hail.
Besides, do you think anyone would believe that?
After hearing her words, Manager He's face immediately fell. Yes, it's not that simple or easy.
Hong Xiaoduo's words annoyed the innkeeper, who then went to check on the children's calligraphy practice as if nothing had happened.
She has a bracelet that can predict the weather. If there is bad weather and she encounters someone on the road who looks relatively agreeable, she will remind them. Whether the person believes her or listens to her advice is beyond her control.
Otherwise, should we chase after them and patiently persuade them?
For example, now that she knows there will be thunderstorms, strong winds, and hail, should she go to the government officials and ask them to notify the people and farmers in an official capacity?
Would government officials believe something that ordinary passersby wouldn't?
Therefore, Hong Xiaoduo understood very well that she couldn't interfere in everything.
However, if the bracelet predicts something like an earthquake, tsunami, flood, or landslide that could endanger many lives, she will absolutely not stand idly by and do nothing; she will try her best to find ways to save lives.
That night, as agreed beforehand, Hong Xiaoduo slept and rested for the first half of the night, while Quan Jinghuai took the night watch.
In the middle of the night, Hong Xiaoduo woke up early, splashed some cold water on her face, and gently tapped the wall to let Quan Jinghuai know that she could rest...
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