Chapter 48
After all, he was so young, and they didn't even ask him who he was, where he came from, or where he was going!
What, at his age, is he really less capable than a young woman?
Suppressing his curiosity, the old man ate two more sesame cakes and then said he was full.
It wasn't that he was being polite; it was just that, given his appetite, eating all the snacks in front of him was barely enough to fill his stomach.
Seeing that the seven children and the adults had finished eating, the old man felt embarrassed to linger any longer. He got up, thanked them, and headed towards his carriage. It was such a short distance; before getting into his carriage, he glanced back and saw the children already packing up their belongings like ants carrying food, and loading them onto the donkey cart.
"Do you know why those children have no hair?" The old man asked, not in a hurry to get on the carriage, but standing with his hands behind his back, looking in the direction of the donkey cart.
The guards were quite surprised. How long had it been since their lord had spoken to them in such a tone?
What, you just had a meal with that young lady and a group of children, and your mood has improved since you came back?
"Your Excellency, I am ignorant and do not know."
"We don't know either." The attendants pondered for a moment but couldn't come up with a reasonable answer.
The old man smiled and said, "The reason is simple: because those children had lice in their hair, we shaved their heads."
"Oh? Is that so?"
"It can't be that bad, can it?"
"This is far too hasty."
Sensing the old man's good mood, the guards relaxed considerably. When they looked again at the young woman and children not far away, the wariness in their eyes had vanished.
"Relax a bit, everyone. Look at that young woman, barely over ten years old, leading a bunch of kids. How come she can be so carefree and relaxed on the road? And look at you all, being so vigilant and cautious the whole way. Sigh," the old man said, half-jokingly and half-seriously.
“Sir, things are not peaceful anywhere these days, and there are often robbers on this road. They were fine because the robbers saw that the donkey cart they were driving didn’t seem to offer any profit, so they didn’t do anything to them,” a guard said.
Even if the world is at peace, he dares not be careless. He thought to himself, "Sir, don't you have any idea how many people you have offended?"
While serving in the capital, even those with vengeful intentions dared not act under the emperor's nose. But now things are different. He has been dismissed from his post by the emperor, and those he offended in the past will not let this opportunity pass.
Otherwise, the capricious one on the dragon throne might reinstate the official one day, and their lives would be difficult again.
Upon hearing this, the old man smiled and shook his head: "You just said that things are not very peaceful in various places right now, so why would bandits who rob people on the road be selective about who they target?"
A donkey cart might not fetch much money, but it's better than nothing. Even if we don't sell it after we get it, but slaughter it and eat it ourselves, it's not a complete loss.
Furthermore, the bandits didn't just rob valuables; they would also kidnap women, especially young children.
"By the way, sir, that young lady does carry a sword at her waist, but from this distance, she doesn't seem to be a martial artist. Perhaps she carries the sword to scare people and bolster her courage."
"Perhaps this also deterred the bandits along the way?" a guard remarked.
The old man shook his head, disagreeing with his guess: "Do you think those who make a living by robbing people on the road are all born in the Year of the Rabbit?"
Just as the donkey cart was about to set off again, the old man suddenly remembered to open the cart door and look at a food box inside: "Someone, take this to them."
If they refuse to accept it, just say thank you for their hospitality; this is a return gift.
"Sir, if you've eaten their food, why don't we give you a few taels of silver? Everything here was prepared for you by the old lady herself."
"We've given them all to others. If you want some later, where am I supposed to find them for you? We can't even buy them!" the guard said anxiously.
"If you keep nagging, I'll deliver it myself." The old man was getting impatient.
I feel it's better for me to just ignore them, like before.
"My lord, how about we keep half...? Alright, I'll take it over right away." With that, he reluctantly reached out and picked up the food box, heading towards the donkey cart.
"Watch your expression. If you dare to show any displeasure or refuse to accept it, then you don't need to follow me anymore," the old man warned.
The guard paused slightly, then put on a smile and continued walking.
Tian Shu was already getting ready to catch the train when he saw someone coming and quickly spoke to Hong Xiaoduo in the carriage.
Hong Xiaoduo opened the car door and saw a smiling guard carrying a food box. However, the smile looked a bit unnatural, like someone who was unhappy and didn't want to smile, but had to force a smile for some reason.
"This is my master's hometown-style dried meat, along with dried fruit and pastries. My master ordered me to deliver it to you." After saying this, the guard handed the food box in his hand through the door.
Upon hearing this, Hong Xiaoduo looked at the food box and said, "Okay, please thank your master for me." After saying that, she took the food box from behind, but the other party did not let go, so Hong Xiaoduo looked up at the other party.
When the guard saw her looking over, he suddenly realized what was happening and quickly let go of her.
"Tian Shu, let's set off." After placing the food box in the empty space, Hong Xiaoduo reached out and closed the door, calling to Tian Shu.
Watching the donkey cart slowly move forward, the guard looked at his empty hands. "They just accepted it like that? Didn't they even bother with formalities? They didn't even heed the old man's instructions."
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