The streets weren't bustling, but that didn't stop Hong Xiaoduo and her friends from shopping.
"Mother, do you think the fathers of my eldest brother and the other two brothers will agree to let them continue to live with us?" Yao Guang asked, turning her head as she carried a string of trinkets.
"Well, I think their fathers might agree to change only their surnames, not their given names. But it's a bit uncertain whether they'll stay with us."
The situation of the three of them is different from that of your second and fourth brothers. Your second brother is an important elder in the family, and he has met most of the family members.
As for your fourth brother, although he only saw our father and mother, didn't I already promise to take him back to our hometown to see our elders?
But your eldest brother, third brother, and fifth sister's families have traveled a long way to come, and only your father came. Their families must be waiting for them at home.
Even though they've confirmed it's their child, they can't see him/her. How heartbroken they must be.
Especially for their mothers, knowing they've found their children but not being able to see them is too cruel.
Therefore, their fathers will probably discuss it and decide to take them back to see their families first, and then contact us. If they come with us, we will arrange for someone to send them off.
Moreover, I think that even if your eldest brother, third brother, and fifth sister really want to come with us, they probably can't bring themselves to refuse to go home with their respective fathers, because they also want to see their mother.
So, it's likely that just a few of us will be accompanying your fourth brother back to his hometown." Hong Xiaoduo used Yao Guang's words as a prelude to give them a heads-up.
After hearing her words, although Yao Guang, Tian Quan, and Tian Xuan were reluctant to part with the three, they also knew that Hong Xiaoduo's words made sense.
Seeing that it was getting late, Hong Xiaoduo led them directly back to the courtyard. The people in the courtyard told them that Tian Shu's family had come to say hello, saying that they wouldn't be back for dinner, but that Tian Shu and his family would be back to stay that night.
"Tianxuan, why don't we skip making dinner? Let's call Tianquan's parents and eat out on the street," Hong Xiaoduo suggested.
Tianxuan disagreed, saying that when she bought the ingredients for lunch, she had already bought the ingredients for dinner as well.
"Okay, okay, if you're not afraid of getting tired, you can do it. Anyway, I'm not going to help. I need to rest after shopping all afternoon." Hong Xiaoduo said nonchalantly as she lay down on the recliner.
Feiyan smiled and went into the room to find a thin blanket, which she covered herself with before going to boil water to make tea for Hong Xiaoduo and Quan Jinghuai.
At this moment, a female soldier from Dou Suyi's side arrived and told them that the official appointed by the imperial court to govern Baishi City had arrived, and that the general and his wife would be hosting a banquet in the government office to welcome him, and would not be coming here for dinner.
Upon hearing this, Tianxuan realized that she would have to cook for fewer people tonight.
Having gotten used to serving large portions, it feels a bit strange to suddenly be serving smaller portions.
“That’s good now. Your father and mother can finally stop being so busy and just manage military affairs.” Hong Xiaoduo said to Tianquan, who was drawing water from the well.
Tianquan brought the water into the kitchen, then came out and walked to Hong Xiaoduo's side, saying with some concern, "That depends on what kind of person this official is."
"Please don't send a corrupt official; that would only do more harm than good to Father."
“You silly child, that’s true, but don’t you think about it? With your father’s temperament, if it were a corrupt official, would he tolerate him running amok here?” Hong Xiaoduo said.
Tianquan nodded upon hearing this and said, "That's true."
Hong Xiaoduo thought for a moment, then suddenly sat up and said, "I'll go take a look and help your father assess the situation. If he feels the person is unsuitable, we should ask the emperor to replace him with a better one as soon as possible."
"The border soldiers finally captured this city, but if it's not properly managed, the people inside won't live a good life and won't taste the benefits. They won't be loyal citizens of Fengliang, nor will they be of one mind with the Gong family's army. Sooner or later, chaos will ensue."
After saying that, he got up and walked out.
Quan Jinghuai, sitting to the side, sipped his tea as if nothing was amiss. It was only because no one else heard this that they were saying she was extremely arrogant, and that they should tell the emperor to replace her with a better person as soon as possible.
The one on the dragon throne is your subordinate!
When Hong Xiaoduo arrived at the government office, the guards greeted her. She didn't go in directly, but gestured for them to go in and announce her arrival.
Actually, even if she walked straight in, the guards wouldn't stop her, and Gong Wei wouldn't be angry after she went in. However, being unconventional depends on the occasion.
The guard who went in to announce the arrival came out quickly, along with Dou Suyi.
"How is it?" Dou Suyi didn't rush to welcome her inside, but asked anxiously.
She had also lost a child, so she knew the pain that came with it, which is why she cared so much about this matter.
Actually, she thought that even if only one of the five families who came found their child, it would be a good thing.
Hong Xiaoduo quickly told her the results, and when she learned that the children from the three families had been confirmed, Dou Suyi burst into tears of joy.
"I'm so sorry, Miss Hong, I just couldn't hold back my tears," Dou Suyi said softly, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe away her tears.
“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. You are a mother yourself, and you have experienced the same thing as them. So, I can really understand how you feel right now. You are happy that they have found their child,” Hong Xiaoduo said, gently patting Dou Suyi’s arm.
Dou Suyi nodded, put away her handkerchief, took a deep breath, and went inside with Hong Xiaoduo.
“Miss Hong, this is Prefect Nie Qing, who has come to take up his post. Lord Nie. Lord Nie, this is Hong Xiao…” Gong Wei noticed that his wife seemed to have been crying, but he didn’t dare to ask what happened at the moment. He could only pretend not to see it and introduce Hong Xiao to her.
"It's you?" Gong Wei was interrupted by the person beside him before he could finish speaking.
"Oh, what a coincidence!" Hong Xiaoduo exclaimed with delight after seeing the other person's face clearly.
"What, you two know each other?" Gong Wei asked, noticing the tone and expressions on the two men's faces.
"General, you don't know this, but I know this Miss Hong better than just. She is my benefactor. If it weren't for her righteous help back then, I might still be in prison, or perhaps I would have died in prison."
"I never expected to have the honor of seeing my benefactor again," Nie Qing immediately explained.
Huh? There's such a thing?
No, Miss Hong is a remarkable woman who punishes evil and promotes good. She travels around with those seven children and has done countless acts of helping the weak and punishing the strong. She even saved Prefect Nie. What's impossible about her?
"Lord Nie, Prefect Nie? You've risen through the ranks quite quickly," Hong Xiaoduo teased with a smile.
The last time I heard news of Nie Qing, he was still a minor county magistrate of the seventh rank, a nobody.
In less than two years, he became the prefect.
"Young Lady Hong, I didn't get my official position through any crooked means," Nie Qing quickly explained, genuinely afraid of being misunderstood.
Seeing his tense and serious expression as he explained, Hong Xiaoduo immediately realized that he had taken her joke seriously...
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