"Shopkeeper, I'd like to ask, do you know which kinds of snacks the constables in the yamen like to eat?" Hong Xiaoduo turned around and asked the person still standing at the door.
Upon hearing this, the pastry shop owner glanced across the street, thought for a moment, and said, "Although they've only come to buy a few times occasionally, they generally only buy those kinds of things. And you, young lady?"
"Then I'll trouble you, shopkeeper, to weigh out one pound of each item," Hong Xiaoduo said immediately.
The shopkeeper immediately turned around to weigh the goods, and as for why this young lady wanted to sell to the constables of the yamen, that was something that only bored women and old ladies would be curious about.
But he didn't take the opportunity to weigh out more snacks.
The pastries were quickly wrapped up, and Hong Xiaoduo promptly paid the money, carrying the six bags of pastries as she walked diagonally across the street.
She wasn't sure if the constables were looking for her and her seven children. In any case, if they really wanted to find them, they couldn't run far now, and hiding wouldn't help.
I decided to bite the bullet and come over to find out what was going on.
If it really is because of that villain's affair, I hope to leave a good impression on Constable Jin and not make things difficult for those seven bald boys.
Before she even got close, a constable saw her and spoke to his superior. Constable Jin turned around and saw the person walking towards him.
Seeing the constable's reaction when he saw her, Hong Xiaoduo's previously anxious heart calmed down by half. Looking at the puzzled look on Constable Jin's face as he turned to look at her, she breathed a sigh of relief and felt completely at ease.
The constables were asking about the people they were looking for, not her and her seven children.
"Officer, what a coincidence, we meet again." Hong Xiaoduo greeted him with a smile.
Officer Jin nodded, but did not respond.
However, after seeing the seven little bald heads behind her clearly, I couldn't help but take a few more glances.
"Are they those little beggars?" he blurted out, while also feeling a sense of relief. When he saw her fawning expression, he thought she still wanted to hand over the seven little beggars to him to take back to the yamen.
They're willing to buy them new clothes and keep them clean, so they probably don't not want them.
At that moment, the two people facing each other were unaware that they were both relieved.
"Yes, we were just showing them around when we saw you, officers. We were thinking how we could thank you for saving us from sleeping on the streets tonight, and then this happened."
"These snacks aren't anything valuable. They're just a token of our gratitude to the constables. It shouldn't be considered bribery, so please don't find them offensive and accept them." Hong Xiaoduo said, bowing slightly and offering the snacks with both hands.
Hmm? Not very old, but surprisingly good at handling things.
Jin, the constable, was somewhat surprised. He had intended to leave the snacks for the children, but then he saw that the seven little bald boys were carrying bags full of pastries.
He nodded to his subordinate beside him, and the constable reached out and took the snacks.
"Then I won't keep you busy with your duties, Constable. Farewell." Feeling at ease, Hong Xiaoduo clasped her hands in a fist salute.
Officer Jin nodded and watched her continue strolling forward with a string of pretty little bald heads.
"Boss, this young lady isn't very old, and she doesn't look very experienced. Is she out of her family to gain experience and make her way in the world? With her appearance, in this day and age, are you sure you can trust her?" The subordinate asked curiously, carrying a heavy bag of pastries that seemed quite generous.
Constable Jin withdrew his gaze: "That's not something we should worry about." He wasn't curious at all about who she was, as long as she didn't hand those seven children over to him to take back to the yamen.
At this moment, the seven children also sensed that their mother was in a good mood, so they were even happier, and they were dazzled by the items on the stalls on both sides.
When I followed that wicked man, I went to many places and walked through many streets like this, all of which were more prosperous than this place. But back then, all they thought about every day, every moment, was how to avoid going hungry and being beaten and scolded.
His eyes were mostly fixed on passersby, trying to figure out who to beg from, hoping to get a penny or two to appease the wicked.
Another thing to do is to keep an eye on the roadside food stalls for leftover food and soup. If you find any, you should wait for the right moment when the stall owners and staff are too busy to chase them away and then quickly pick them up.
"Oh? Young lady, what a coincidence that we've met again?" The person walking towards her greeted Hong Xiaoduo with a smile.
"You've changed your clothes so quickly?" Hong Xiaoduo looked the other person up and down and nodded with a smile in response.
"Young lady, please don't overthink it. My name is Dong Yuefan, and I am a clerk in the local government office. I am definitely not some lecherous man," Dong Yuefan quickly introduced himself.
He was worried about his good friend who had embarrassed himself for the first time, so he chased after him and prepared words of comfort and encouragement on the way. But when he got back, he was turned away and his good friend simply ignored him.
I quickly went back to change my clothes, thinking I'd go out for a stroll and try my luck to see if I could run into this interesting young lady again. As it turned out, I was really lucky.
I've been stuck in this tiny millstone town for over three years, and I'm almost dying of boredom. It's so rare to finally meet someone interesting.
Although she was a young woman, she acted with great poise and grace. Before even looking at her, he paid for the steamed buns and wontons. Although it wasn't much money in total, her manner of doing things suited his taste.
Upon hearing this, Hong Xiaoduo exclaimed, "What? A clerk in the yamen? Aren't clerks usually middle-aged men? How can one be so young?" She continued, "I can tell good people from bad people. Otherwise, why do you think I treated you to steamed buns earlier?"
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