The next morning, seeing Hong Xiaoduo yawning several times after getting up early, Quan Jinghuai and the others knew that she hadn't woken up properly.
I couldn't help but wonder, she didn't come back too late last night, did she?
Could it be that something's on her mind and she hasn't slept well? After all, Xiao Yaoguang's family hasn't been found yet.
"Let them go first, why are you up so early? Go back to sleep for a while," Tian Shu said softly as he stepped forward.
He thought that she was getting up so early probably because of him, the father of Tianji and Yuheng, and that she was too embarrassed to sleep until she naturally woke up.
After all, no matter whose house they go to first, they will have to travel with the other two families, starting from Baishi City, passing through Hongliu City, and then parting ways after arriving in Huazhou.
"It's okay, I can catch up on sleep in the car later." Looking at her eldest son who cared so much about her, Hong Xiaoduo refrained from reaching out to touch his head.
Normally, the younger children like her doing this, but the older one reacts strangely. She feels that he doesn't like the action, but he doesn't show any resistance; he just seems awkward.
Later, Quan Jinghuai told her that Tian Shu acted this way because of the child's inner conflict. He wanted to receive her recognition and reward, but he also felt that this action should be done to a child, and he did not consider himself a child anymore.
After that, Hong Xiaoduo became very careful. Although in her eyes, eleven-year-old Tian Shu was just a child, she still didn't want to ignore the child's feelings.
"Mother, Master, come quickly for breakfast!" Yao Guang called out as she ran out of the kitchen.
Upon hearing this, Hong Xiaoduo turned around and saw her second brother, Tianxuan, wearing an apron.
Sigh, this is supposed to be an exceptional son. He's already confirmed to be the son of a fourth-rank prefect. For him, the only change is a different surname.
Look, it's not like we don't have the money to eat out. Besides, we're about to set off. If we go out to eat, there are meat buns, meat pies, and noodles all over the streets. What can't we eat? It's so convenient!
But this kid, he's not like that. He's not afraid of trouble and still insists on doing it himself.
As Hong Xiaoduo walked, she thought to herself. As soon as she entered the room, she saw Princess Yun setting out the bowls and chopsticks, while General Gong's son, Tianquan, was adjusting the distance between the chairs as if he had obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Hong Xiaoduo suddenly realized a problem: she had indeed helped six of the seven children find homes. So far, apart from the sixth child, Kaiyang, who stayed in the Wei family, the other five had only changed their surnames. It seemed that nothing else had changed!
Before Hong Xiaoduo could think any further, Yao Guang came over, took her hand, led her to the table, and happily told her, "Mom, Second Brother unlocked the spicy soup you mentioned today! I just secretly tasted it, and it's so delicious!"
Xiao Yaoguang wasn't lying; Tianxuan's newly unlocked spicy soup was really delicious. With the beef-filled pan-fried buns, Hong Xiaoduo accidentally ate too much.
Half an hour later, a large convoy of carriages and horses left White Stone City. Hong Xiaoduo, who had originally planned to catch up on sleep in the carriage, followed the carriages and horses on foot to digest her food.
A military general should have the demeanor of a military general. Before parting, Tianquan's father only told him that if his elders insisted on changing his name after he returned to his hometown, Tianquan should ignore them and not argue with them.
Madam Dou merely teared up, and offered no special instructions to her son.
Because they knew that with the child by Hong Xiaoduo's and his master's side, there was nothing to worry about.
Watching the procession of carriages and horses disappear into the distance, Gong Wei turned around and handed a small package to Nie Qing, who was standing beside him.
Nie Qing was taken aback, wondering what General Gong meant.
"Young Lady Hong asked me to pass this on to you." After saying that, he led his wife and the generals who came to see him off to the newly established garrison.
Their lost son has been found, and the weight that has been on their hearts for years has finally been lifted. They have no more regrets, and now they can focus on protecting the new border.
Suppressing her curiosity, Nie Qing carried the small package back to the government office before opening it to read it.
At the top was a letter, below which were several books and a brocade pouch. He recognized this one; it was sewn for him by his younger sister, Xue'er, and he had personally given it to Hong Xiaoduo this morning as a way of thanking her for saving him.
Although the amount inside was not large, only six hundred taels of silver, including five hundred and fifty taels of silver notes and fifty taels of silver ingots, each containing ten taels.
But this was already his limit.
Nie Qing knew that she wasn't looking for too many benefactors. If she were that kind of person, she wouldn't have helped a complete stranger, especially one who was locked up in a jail cart.
When he asked her for help, he didn't promise her any reward. After she helped him without finding it troublesome, she never asked for anything in return.
The reason she didn't accept it was probably because she could tell that he, the prefect, wasn't wealthy!
Nie Qing smiled wryly and opened the brocade bag. Hmm, it seems like the weight hasn't decreased much, but there are more things inside.
After examining it carefully, he noticed that a ten-tael silver ingot was missing. He was stunned when he learned what the extra item was: six silver notes, each worth one thousand taels.
After calming herself down, Nie Qing hurriedly opened the letter in the package. Looking at the neat handwriting and concise content, Nie Qing's hands trembled uncontrollably.
The benefactor said in the letter that he did not help him in the first place in the hope of getting anything in return, and that the gift of gratitude was not limited to things or money.
Hearing that he was an honest, upright, and people-oriented official was already a very precious gift of gratitude to her.
The letter also mentioned that she had already checked the soil quality of the farmland in White Stone City and Red Willow City to determine what crops were suitable for planting. She also inquired about the types of trees, fruit trees, and medicinal herbs suitable for the barren hills in these two cities.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
