Judging from the other person's reaction, they were probably telling the people inside the carriage about the situation.
Hong Xiaoduo analyzed that the other party was probably also traveling a long distance, and at this time of day, they were likely planning to stop and rest, have something to eat for lunch, and then continue their journey.
However, fearing it might cause trouble, he sent someone to investigate the situation.
Hong Xiaoduo didn't care at all whether the other party would stop to rest here, as long as they didn't cause any trouble.
Quan Jinghuai, who had just mixed the bait, was about to return to the lake to continue fishing when he saw a horse-drawn carriage stop by the roadside, so he stood there and watched it.
As expected, the three carriages did not continue forward, and people got off from each of them, including men and women, young and old.
People getting off the bus stretched, stretched their legs, and some even patted their lower backs.
After looking around, their eyes fell on Hong Xiaoduo and the others, where they saw that there seemed to be a stove emitting steam.
"Sir, should I go and ask them for some hot water?" the attendant who had just glanced at the man asked the man who was nearly fifty years old.
“Let’s gather some firewood and light it ourselves. How can we drink water that we’ve begged from people whose background we don’t know?” Before the man in his fifties could speak, an old woman with gray hair said.
Upon hearing this, the attendant glanced at his master.
"Let's listen to the old lady. Let's gather some firewood, start a fire, boil some water, and heat up the food," the man in his fifties said.
The attendant agreed and called a companion to go and gather firewood.
"Father, I don't want to eat those cold buns and cold pancakes anymore, they're too awful," a boy of eleven or twelve whispered to the man beside him.
"Yan'er, why can't you handle such a little hardship? Just bear with it a little longer. Don't let your grandfather hear. He only brought you with him when he went to the capital to take up his post this time," the man warned in a low voice.
Upon hearing this, the boy could only nod.
The man felt heartbroken looking at his son's obviously haggard face.
Let alone my son, even I myself find it hard to swallow cold buns and pancakes, no matter how hot or baked they are.
Our whole family has never suffered such hardship or pain!
But there's no way around it; on such a long journey, there will inevitably be days when there are no restaurants to eat along the way.
But my father was promoted and was assigned to a post in the capital. Once he arrived in the capital, his life would definitely be better than before. Thinking about it this way, the little hardship he endured on the way seemed insignificant!
The servants we brought were busy starting a fire and boiling water, which we had drawn from a well in a town we passed through the day before yesterday.
However, the servants and attendants had no access to this water, but what could they do when their master's health was so precious?
For servants, any water from a roadside stream or lake will quench their thirst.
Originally, the two groups of people on both sides of the official road were getting along quite well without disturbing each other. However, just as the group coming from the opposite direction was eating cold buns that had been roasted over a fire and finding the meat pies hard to swallow, they smelled the aroma of meat wafting from not far away.
“Sir, we’re all just traveling, but look at them, they’re even cooking and preparing meals. Why can’t we do the same?” an older woman couldn’t help but complain.
The man addressed as "Master" looked at his wife speechlessly and said, "We're in a hurry to get somewhere, but they're not. How can that be the same? Didn't you see they've set up tents?"
I told you all to keep a low profile on this journey, just get to the capital safely. Why can't you remember? What are you complaining about? If you keep complaining, you might as well turn back later.”
“Father, Mother was just saying it casually; they didn’t mean to complain,” the young man quickly said.
Perhaps it was the aroma of meat from across the street that made the family feel even less able to swallow their food. They gritted their teeth and finished what they had, preferring to go hungry rather than eat any more.
The man in his fifties got up and saw that the horses were still grazing. Remembering his attendant's reminder that two of the horses pulling the cart were clearly exhausted, he told everyone to rest for a while before setting off again.
Standing around waiting was boring, so they walked towards the lake, followed by several family members.
When they passed by, Hong Xiaoduo and her friends were just about to start eating. On the long table where six children and three adults sat, there were only four dishes, but they included fish and meat, and they looked delicious.
The fragrance became clearer as you got closer.
The key point is that two of the four dishes were served in copper basins.
They were from an official family and had never tasted anything good, but seeing this, the whole family, young and old, silently swallowed their saliva.
The three adults and six children sat down to eat, naturally enjoying their own food. Tianxuan stood up to find duck legs for her younger siblings and picked them up for them.
This noon I stewed three wild ducks, which made six duck legs. Tianxuan didn't keep any for herself, but gave the sixth duck leg to Feiyan.
My master never eats duck legs, and my mother only likes to gnaw on duck necks and duck feet.
"Heavens! How can these martial arts practitioners be so cruel? They've hunted so many wild ducks and fish! It's so bloody!" The old woman exclaimed loudly, her voice exaggerated as she first noticed the plucked wild ducks and the large fish with their scales removed.
Hong Xiaoduo and the others heard it clearly, and the younger ones all looked at Hong Xiaoduo.
"Ignore them, eat our food, don't let irrelevant people affect our appetite," Hong Xiaoduo said with a smile to the younger children.
Just now, as this group of people walked past, Hong Xiaoduo could tell from their greedy eyes and jealous expressions that they were not easy to get along with. Therefore, even though she saw them eyeing the food on the table, she did not invite them to sit down and eat with her.
The man in his fifties was about to remind his mother not to do that, but he saw that she had clearly heard what his mother had just said, yet she was still eating with relish, seemingly not caring at all what she had heard.
Seeing that the other party had no reaction at all, the old woman felt a surge of anger. How could she, the mother of a high-ranking official of the third rank, be so disrespected?
No, my son is already a second-rank official.
Why should my mother, a second-rank official, eat cold buns and pancakes, while these people can eat big fish and meat?
Thinking this, the old woman lifted her foot and walked towards Hong Xiaoduo and the others. By the time her son, grandson, and the attendants who had come with her realized what was happening, it was too late to stop them, so they could only quickly follow.
"Hey, did you hear what I just said? How have the adults in your family taught you?" The old woman pointed at Hong Xiaoduo and the others and scolded them.
Hong Xiaoduo was gnawing on a duck's foot when she heard this. She frowned, put the duck's foot in the small dish in front of her, and looked up at the old woman.
"No, who are you? Are you out of your mind because you're old? I don't even know you, what's wrong with you acting like an old man?" Hong Xiaoduo retorted without any politeness.
"You?" The old woman was taken aback when this little girl dared to say such a thing to her, and she was momentarily speechless.
“Young lady, she is my mother. Even if she has spoken inappropriately, it is still inappropriate for you to be so rude and abusive.” The man in his fifties was also annoyed to hear someone being disrespectful to his mother in front of him.
“That’s right, do you know who my grandfather is?” the boy beside him chimed in…
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