Tianxuan said that several guards came over early in the morning to play with them, asking all sorts of questions about where they were from, what their elders did, and whether they were visiting relatives or what.
Because their eldest brother, Tian Shu, would frequently remind and instruct them, they would simply smile and remain silent when faced with these questions.
In other words, Xiao Yaoguang did respond, but all she said was, "I don't know."
After hearing this, Hong Xiaoduo thought of the scene at that time and couldn't help but burst out laughing. Xiao Yaoguang wasn't lying, because the guards didn't know the answers to the questions they asked.
In other words, a group of grown men spent the whole morning trying to soothe the child, without getting any reliable information.
Seeing the children looking up at her, waiting for her to give them some instructions, she said, "It's okay, they're not bad people. They're just trying to get information out of us because they're curious. They don't mean any harm."
Also, when you eat lunch together, you don't need to worry about whether you can hold your chopsticks properly, whether your table manners are good, or whether they will laugh at you. Just eat whatever you want until you're full.
That old man was a good man and a good official. He took good care of us. We should just remember their kindness.
You must also remember that if you encounter someone who truly needs help in the future, and you have the ability to do so, then lend a helping hand. But be mindful and never blindly do good deeds; always act within your means.
"Mother, we understand." Tian Shu took the lead in responding, and the other six nodded in agreement.
Since the inn was in the middle of nowhere and there weren't many shops to browse, Hong Xiaoduo led them back to the small dormitory to rest.
With nothing else to do, I decided to continue telling the children the story of Journey to the West.
"Young lady, they said you'd be having lunch with Lord Wei, and the kitchen has sent the food over there." The postmaster noticed it was almost lunchtime and none of the adults and seven children had gone over, so he came to see what was going on.
As it turned out, standing at the door, I could hear her telling stories to the children.
The story was very interesting. At his age, even hearing just a whiff of it halfway through would make him want to keep listening, but he didn't forget his business and kindly reminded him.
"Okay, thank you, Uncle." Hong Xiaoduo said loudly from inside the house.
Then they took the children to Lord Wei's place, and on the way they met the guards who came looking for them.
Hong Xiaoduo assumed that the guards would also be eating together, since she had seen several large round tables set up in a main hall. Unexpectedly, lunch was arranged in a small hall with only one table.
"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting." Hong Xiaoduo said apologetically to Lord Wei, looking at the several dishes already laid out on the table.
It wasn't that she lacked a sense of time; one reason was that she was too engrossed in telling stories to the children, and the other was that she wasn't yet very skilled at judging time in ancient times. At that moment, she thought of a watch.
Even if the old man at the science museum could give her a watch, she could keep it in her spatial dimension, but she really wouldn't dare wear it outside.
Who knows if she can ever return to the modern world? If she can't, when archaeologists dig up her tomb and see this watch, they'll be completely baffled!
"It's alright, it's alright. I just arrived too. Please have a seat," Lord Wei invited.
A large round table and nine chairs, two of which had thick cushions.
"You two little ones, sit here, or you won't be able to reach the food," Lord Wei called to Kaiyang and Yaoguang, and they sat down on the chairs with thick cushions.
Hong Xiaoduo smiled and stepped forward, carrying Xiao Yaoguang to a chair where she sat down.
After Tian Shu sat down, he looked at the old man, then at Hong Xiaoduo, and his little face unconsciously tightened up.
"Come, come, eat while it's hot. This dish looks good and tastes pretty good." Seeing that no one was touching their chopsticks, Lord Wei quickly picked up his own chopsticks and urged them to eat.
The children all looked at Hong Xiaoduo, and when she nodded, they picked up their chopsticks.
Having already eaten with Lord Wei the day before, I wasn't as reserved this time. Plus, the old man was approachable and had no airs of officialdom, so the atmosphere at the dinner table was quite pleasant.
The old man sat next to Kaiyang, and Hong Xiaoduo sat next to Yaoguang. Seeing her removing fish bones from Yaoguang, he also took another pair of chopsticks to pick up fish meat for Kaiyang, carefully picking out the fish bones.
"Does the old man really like children?" Hong Xiaoduo didn't follow the rule of not talking while eating.
Lord Wei nodded, then got up and picked up the stewed pork ribs that were farther away from the two children, placing them in the bowls in front of them.
Tian Shu tightened his grip on the chopsticks.
"Well, to be honest, young lady, my family has very few descendants, only one son in three generations. But my only grandson passed away a few years ago... Ah, let's not talk about that, let's eat." A hint of sadness flashed across Old Man Wei's face.
Hong Xiaoduo finally understood why he was so close to these children.
I wanted to say "please accept my condolences," but that seems inappropriate, so it's better to say nothing at all.
Tianquan and Tianji, who were closest to Tianshu, couldn't help but steal a glance at their older brother as he crunched on the cartilage in his mouth. They thought, "Isn't there meat? Why not just skip the crunchy cartilage? The sound it's making is a bit strange."
"Young lady, you've really scared my guards half to death," Lord Wei said with a smile, taking a sip of his wine.
Hong Xiaoduo was puzzled. Why was she so scared? Was it just because she was using a whip? It couldn't be that exaggerated!
"The children say you are their mother, their real mother," Lord Wei said with a smile, looking at the group of children.
Oh, that scared me!
Hong Xiaoduo laughed too: "Judging from the old man's tone, he doesn't believe it?"
Lord Wei looked at her and shook his head: "They are all so simple-minded that they actually suspected you had disguised yourself."
Upon hearing this, Hong Xiaoduo laughed so hard her shoulders shook, pinching her cheeks and saying, "So they didn't say that I have so many kids and that it's shameless of me to disguise myself as a young girl and act young?"
Old Wei smiled and shook his head: "It's not that bad. I know it's inappropriate to ask questions when we've just met, but I still want to ask, who are they to you?"
Hong Xiaoduo thought about it and decided that it wouldn't hurt to tell the old man the truth.
“I picked them up on the street; they are all homeless orphans.” Hong Xiaoduo said, then, noticing the strange look on the children’s faces, she quickly added, “They call me ‘Mom,’ and we are family now.”
Sure enough, after saying that, the children started eating again with focus.
When Lord Wei heard this, he understood what was going on. Then, considering why the children had shaved their heads, he understood everything.
How could homeless orphans picked up on the street, children left unattended, not be infested with lice and nits?
Then, looking at Hong Xiaoduo beside him, he said with a solemn expression of respect: "Young lady, you are so righteous and kind, I admire you. But, they shouldn't have any travel permits, right?"
As soon as the question was asked, all the little ones eating looked up at Hong Xiaoduo...
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