Hong Xiaoduo specifically asked Tian Shu to accompany her for a walk. The other slightly older children assumed that she had something to tell her older brother. Although Xiao Yaoguang was a little envious, she remembered that her second brother had said that he was going to fry meatballs this afternoon, so she wasn't too disappointed.
However, Quan Jinghuai and Feiyan knew that she must have something very important to say to Tian Shu.
Yang's residence was large compared to ordinary people's houses, but it was incomparable to the houses she had visited in the capital.
There's a small garden in the courtyard, but it's not used for growing flowers and plants; it's for growing vegetables. Even though this place isn't directly north, it's still not the right time to grow any vegetables or fruits at this time of year.
However, Hong Xiaoduo did not wander here to admire any scenery.
“Tian Shu, I remember you once said that you could tell whose bamboo slips the seven of you wore were, right? Can you help me see which of these three slips belong to whom?” Hong Xiaoduo stopped, took out the three bamboo slips, and asked.
Although Tian Shu didn't understand why she cared so much about this thing, she still picked it up and looked at it carefully, pointing out that "this piece is from Kaiyang, this piece is from Tianquan, and this piece is from Tianxuan."
"Are you sure?" Since Tian Shu was reliable, Hong Xiaoduo still asked.
Tian Shu nodded and said, "It can't be wrong. We were also curious about why that villain gave each of us one of these in those years, so we always looked at it and thought about it."
Yes, that villain wouldn't have done it for no reason; he gave them all a bamboo stick to carry out!
"Alright, I understand. You go back first, and don't tell them what just happened," Hong Xiaoduo instructed.
Tian Shu nodded, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "Can't we tell Master and Sister Fei Yan either?"
“They shouldn’t ask you,” Hong Xiaoduo replied confidently.
This time, Tian Shu immediately went back to the kitchen. The day after tomorrow is New Year's Eve, and Tian Xuan is going to make some food. She has already prepared some braised meat.
After Tian Shu left, Hong Xiaoduo stood alone in the garden. Actually, when the old man told her the secrets of the three bamboo tablets in the space today, and one of the tablets had the character Wei on it, she thought of Kaiyang.
As it turns out, after confirming with Tian Shu, the bamboo plaque was indeed from Kaiyang.
If that's the case, then Tianquan might be surnamed Gong, and Tianxuan might be surnamed Ye?
It's possible that none of the seven children were picked up by that evil man on the roadside. The accidental death of his wife and children twisted his mind, making him unable to bear seeing other families reunited and happy. So, he stole other people's children.
Given his resentment towards the government, he wouldn't steal children from ordinary people's homes. So far, only Kaiyang has found a home and his identity has been confirmed, but Hong Xiaoduo feels that the identities of the other six children are very likely not ordinary either.
Thinking of this, Hong Xiaoduo gritted her teeth. This villain was truly evil, utterly immoral, and utterly depraved.
Thinking back to when she used a stone to knock down the villain, she was worried that she might have killed him, caused a death, or gotten into trouble. But now, Hong Xiaoduo felt that killing that bastard like that was too easy on him.
However, now that the secret on the bamboo plaque has been confirmed and their surnames are known, the natural next step is to help them find their families and return them to their homes.
Could this be the mission that led me to this dynasty?
If that's the case, one of the seven children has already returned to his family, leaving six. So, this task doesn't seem too difficult to complete.
Aping is an exception; Hong Xiaoduo always felt that he lied about his origins and background. Regardless, he knew about his own past.
Now that I know the seven children are very likely not orphans and can return to their families, it should be a happy thing. So why don't I feel the excitement and thrill I expected?
After careful consideration, Hong Xiaoduo made a decision: she would start looking for Tianquan and Tianxuan's families after the New Year.
After finding one of their family members and confirming his suspicions, he then told Brother Quan.
As for the children, she felt it was best not to tell them, lest they have expectations and then be disappointed and saddened later.
Having made her decision, Hong Xiaoduo strolled back, listening to the chattering sounds coming from the kitchen. She stopped to calm herself down, then went in with a smile.
"Oh my, are you making meatballs?" Hong Xiaoduo walked over and asked with a smile.
"Mother, there are also vegetarian meatballs with shredded radish," Yao Guang eagerly told her.
When Tian Shu saw her come in, he glanced at her and then lowered his head to continue shredding the radish.
"Mom, look at the bean sprouts I've grown. They'll be ready to eat in a couple of days." Tianxuan happily called Hong Xiaoduo to the other side of the kitchen and pointed to two wooden boxes covered with cotton pads.
Because he had just been mixing meatballs and his hands were oily, he didn't reach out to lift the cotton pad. Hong Xiaoduo lifted it herself and saw, sure enough, plump soybean sprouts with tender green mung bean sprouts on top.
"That's great, with Tianxuan around, we'll be in for a treat from now on." Hong Xiaoduo said as she carefully covered the cotton pad again.
Tianxuan, who had just received praise, pursed her lips and went back to preparing meatballs.
This time, the other children didn't squeeze in to vie for the praise.
Hong Xiaoduo sat down next to Quan Jinghuai: "Brother Quan, do you know of any places that sell information when you travel around the martial arts world?"
Upon hearing this, Quan Jinghuai was taken aback: "You want to find out information?"
Hong Xiaoduo nodded. He didn't ask her what information she wanted to find out, so she didn't need to lie in response.
In the martial arts novels and period dramas I've read before, there were always those all-knowing figures in the martial arts world, like the "know-it-all." That's why I tried asking Quan Jinghuai.
“Yes, but the nearest one is about 500 miles away. Are you in a hurry? Should I go there?” Quan Jinghuai knew she wouldn’t ask this for no reason.
Hong Xiaoduo shook her head: "There's no rush. The New Year's Eve is just around the corner. Let's celebrate the New Year properly."
Knowing only the children's surnames doesn't make it easy to find their families. Even among those who aren't ordinary people, there are quite a few officials with the same surname.
Instead of aimlessly asking around, it's better to just buy information.
As they were talking, they smelled the aroma of oil and looked over to see that Tianxuan had started frying meatballs.
Several children huddled around the stove, watching eagerly as the meatballs in the pot gradually turned golden brown. Tianxuan, worried that the hot oil would splatter and burn them, shooed them away a bit.
Watching the children surrounding Tianxuan, waiting to eat meatballs, while Feiyan and Yuheng sat quietly embroidering on the other side, Hong Xiaoduo felt that life was good as it was, and she really didn't want any changes. She hadn't quite gotten used to being sent back to Kaiyang yet…
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
