Upon seeing Hong Xiaoduo approaching, before Madam Hua could even speak, her maid, Ruan Niang, hurriedly went to greet her: "Young lady, please sit down. My mistress has asked them about your dietary preferences, and the food will be served in a moment."
Upon hearing this, Hong Xiaoduo looked around at the seven children and then smiled at Madam Hua, saying, "You've gone to so much trouble for Madam."
Hua gently put Yao Guang down from her arms, stood up and knelt down in front of Hong Xiaoduo. Although no one expected her to do this, Hong Xiaoduo was the closest to her. Before the other woman's knees hit the ground, she subconsciously reached out and supported her arm, helping her up.
However, the other party still struggled to continue kneeling. Helpless, Hong Xiaoduo had no choice but to use her trump card: "Madam, if you insist on doing this, I will not let you see Kaiyang."
Surprisingly, this kind of threat was most effective on the Hua family. They immediately stood up straight and looked at Hong Xiaoduo cautiously, afraid that they would be driven away by her at any moment.
“Young Lady Hong, I... I don’t mean anything by it. I just want to ask where you are going and if you would allow me to travel with you. We can manage on our own and will definitely not trouble or burden you, is that alright?” Madam Hua pleaded with Hong Xiaoduo.
Looking at the pitiful woman in front of her, Hong Xiaoduo didn't know anything about her family background, but as the daughter-in-law of Minister Wei, her family must not be an ordinary household.
Her husband also seemed to be some kind of official, and his rank wasn't low, but she hadn't paid attention to what rank he was. The last time Minister Wei wanted to adopt Kaiyang, he mentioned it to Hong Xiaoduo, but she hadn't noticed.
Such a noble lady, yet she so carefully and humbly begged for help, simply because she wanted to see a child every day.
“Alright, if you’re not afraid of hard work, then come along.” Hong Xiaoduo agreed without even thinking.
Hua was overjoyed to hear that Hong Xiaoduo had agreed to accompany him.
The servants and guards who had been very worried were now filled with mixed feelings of joy and worry. They were happy that Hong Xiaoduo had agreed to the lady's request and agreed to travel together, so that the lady could see the child every day.
The worry is that we can't just follow them around forever. This group of people travels all over the world, going everywhere. Does that mean the lady will just stay out there and never come back home?
The longer we spend with that child, the more difficult it will be for the lady to bear if we forcibly take her away later.
Sitting at another table, Quan Jinghuai frowned slightly, looking at Hong Xiaoduo thoughtfully.
Feiyan and the seven children had a much simpler idea: traveling together, more people means more fun and excitement.
In particular, the other party is a kind and easy-going person. Although he has a mental illness, he is a thousand times better than a mentally sound bad person.
As they were talking, a servant from the Hua family brought in a man dressed as a waiter, carrying a large food box. Ruan Niang stepped forward and helped place the food inside on the table in front of Hong Xiaoduo.
There was fish, shrimp, crystal dumplings, braised pig's trotters, two vegetarian dishes, and a beef soup. The staple food was steamed buns.
Hong Xiaoduo looked at the six dishes and soup in front of her and turned to call the others to come and eat some more, but they all smiled and shook their heads, saying that they were already full.
She picked up her chopsticks and started eating. The food tasted quite good, but even with her good appetite, she couldn't possibly finish it all.
She was full after eating only about a fifth of the food and was thinking about how to save the rest for dinner when her maid saw that she had finished eating and put down her chopsticks. She quickly cleaned up the mess and took the leftovers away.
"It was given to beggars," the guard beside her quickly explained when he saw Hong Xiaoduo's puzzled expression.
"So that's how it is," Hong Xiaoduo nodded. Turning her head, she saw Hua looking at her with a hesitant expression. Remembering what Fei Yan had told her before, she said, "Let's go for a stroll and go shopping."
When everyone got up and walked out, Hua Shi didn't walk with Kai Yang, but instead walked to Hong Xiaoduo's side.
"Young lady, may I buy them some new clothes?" Hua asked in a low voice, mustering her courage.
"Of course, that's fine, but it will be too much of a hassle for you, Madam. But please don't buy anything too expensive, or you'll spoil them and I won't be able to afford to raise them later," Hong Xiaoduo replied with a smile.
Having received Hong Xiaoduo's approval, Hua nodded happily, turned around, took Kaiyang's hand with one hand, and reached out to Yaoguang with the other.
Yao Guang originally wanted to hold Hong Xiaoduo's hand, but seeing Hua Shi's outstretched hand, she couldn't bear to refuse. She put her little hand in Hua Shi's hand and let her lead her forward. Her mother said that this lady was very pitiful.
"I think it won't be long before we don't have to wander around anymore?" Quan Jinghuai said as he walked over to Hong Xiaoduo.
Hong Xiaoduo was a little confused and turned to look.
"Why don't we find a suitable place and open a charity? I know you feel sorry for her, but this isn't really helping her, is it?" Quan Jinghuai reminded him with some concern.
Hong Xiaoduo watched as Hua Shi, who was leading the way with her two children, excitedly looked around for a clothing shop. Her servants, guards, and maids were all in front of her, and at this distance, they couldn't hear her.
“Brother Quan, I understand what you mean. However, this matter is rather special. We can’t say that we are completely unrelated to this lady; we do have some connection with her.”
Hong Xiaoduo then briefly explained Hua's identity and how she met Minister Wei last year to Quan Jinghuai.
"You know about Nie Qing's matter in Tongling City. Lord Wei handled that matter very diligently," Hong Xiaoduo added.
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