The capital city was a very, very far place to Mopan Town. As for Master Dong, who had been working in the yamen for three years, the people in the yamen could only guess that he was the son of some powerful man in the capital, but they did not know why he would come to this remote little place to work as a master.
The magistrate's mouth was as tight as if it were locked with several copper locks; not a single piece of inside information could be obtained.
From the magistrate's attitude towards Master Dong, everyone understood one thing: if even the magistrate is someone he has to be careful to read, then everyone should be careful not to provoke him.
Fortunately, apart from his bad temper, this Master Dong from the capital was someone you shouldn't provoke, and everyone lived in peace.
It all happened in the last few days. Some friends from the capital came to visit, and Master Dong was in an unusually good mood. When he came and went from the yamen, he not only smiled at them, but also gave them money to go to the tavern for drinks when they were not on duty that night.
However, Master Dong's friend was also young, and looked even more handsome and refined than Master Dong, more like the kind of man who should be a master.
Now, he's probably quite familiar with that young lady, isn't he?
There were plenty of pretty young women in Mopan Town, but this gentleman didn't notice them and didn't give them a second glance.
"Stop gossiping and get back to work," Chief Constable Jin said in a low voice, watching the man walk away.
Before long, Hong Xiaoduo, completely unaware that she had become an acquaintance of Master Dong, followed him to a small teahouse.
Master Dong seemed to be a regular here. As soon as he arrived at the door, the manager greeted him warmly and even carefully instructed the waiter to put the seven children at one table.
Hong Xiaoduo noticed that when they first entered the teahouse, Tian Shu whispered something to his younger siblings, and all seven of them nodded seriously.
When the waiter placed the fruits and snacks on the tea table in front of them, the seven children's eyes widened considerably.
“Tell them to eat whatever they want and not to be shy,” Master Dong said to Hong Xiaoduo, turning slightly to her side as he saw the seven bald boys sitting obediently without moving.
Hong Xiaoduo smiled and turned to the children: "Eat whatever you want on the table, it's okay."
Upon hearing her say that, Xiao Kaiyang and Yaoguang looked at Tian Shu first. Seeing that he also nodded, they reached out their little hands, took the butterfly pastry closest to them, and ate it in small bites.
The other children took their food one after another, but Tian Shu didn't take any. Instead, he poured himself a cup of tea and sat upright, looking at the storyteller in front of him.
Seeing how well-behaved, sensible, and careful the children were, Hong Xiaoduo felt a pang of heartache. The fruits and snacks they had never tasted before clearly made their eyes sparkle the moment they saw them.
In fact, even if they fought over food in a disorderly manner, she would not scold them, would not feel that she had lost face, and would not feel embarrassed or ashamed.
"How is it? If you don't like it, I'll have them bring another pot?" Dong Yuefan asked as she saw Hong Xiaoduo pick up her teacup, take a small sip, and put it back on the tea table.
Hong Xiaoduo laughed and said, "I'm not good at appreciating tea. As long as it's not bitter and can quench my thirst, that's fine. So, even if you give me the best tea, Brother Dong, it's like giving a cow a peony to chew on—a waste of good things."
Her words made Dong Yuefan laugh, and her impression of her improved even more.
There weren't many customers in the teahouse. The storyteller was an old man with gray hair and beard, and he told the story with great emotion, but Hong Xiaoduo was preoccupied and didn't listen at all.
Similarly, Dong Yuefan had no interest in listening to the story; she was simply too curious about the young lady sitting next to her and had too many questions to ask.
But he was also afraid of asking the wrong question and angering the person so they would ignore him. It was such a rare opportunity to meet someone interesting.
Seeing him hesitate several times before picking up his teacup again, Hong Xiaoduo couldn't help but laugh.
"I picked them up on the street, little beggars. They had bugs in their hair, so..." After thinking for a moment, he told the answer he had been curious about at the steamed bun stall.
"Ah? So that's how it is. Young lady, you have such a chivalrous heart. I admire you." Dong Yuefan was quite surprised to hear the truth.
Even his good friend Mu Zitao couldn't have guessed this!
"A chivalrous heart?" Hong Xiaoduo smiled bitterly.
Seeing her like this, Dong Yuefan sensed there was a story behind it and became even more curious: "What's wrong, Miss Hong? Is there something troubling you? If you don't have enough money, I do." If money can solve the problem, then it's not a big deal.
Hong Xiaoduo shook her head: "It's not about the money. If I don't have enough money, I can find a way to earn it. But I overlooked one problem. If they were still beggars, they wouldn't need a travel permit to go anywhere. But now that's the case, it won't work."
At this point, Hong Xiaoduo looked at the distance between the children and herself, making sure that even if she spoke softly, they could hear her. Therefore, there were some things she couldn't say here.
The main reason I agreed to come here to listen to stories and drink tea with this man was because when he introduced himself, he said he was a clerk in the yamen (government office).
In that case, could we talk to him about the possibility of arranging for these children? And what about the issue of not having a travel permit?
Although this Master Dong seems a bit unreliable in his actions, he is definitely not a bad person.
Therefore, she just directly revealed the child's identity and her own difficulties, hoping to hear some useful advice from him, who worked in the government office.
“That is indeed a problem. It’s fine for you to take them to some small places, but it won’t work in those big cities and prefectures. Unless you don’t go to the capital.” Dong Yuefan also became serious after hearing this.
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