Chapter 17: The One Who Suddenly Appeared

A-Kuan stood rooted to the spot, watching the onlookers point at him with mocking expressions, then shifted his gaze to the woman and the seven children following the innkeeper.

"She really is suspicious," he muttered to himself.

"If you don't get out of here, you brat, do you want me to drag you back and lock you up? Isn't it good enough that the townspeople are living in peace? Why must you insist on stirring up trouble? As for whether that young lady is suspicious, do you think I’ve been a constable for all these years just to eat for free? Can’t I tell?" The head constable, seeing that A-Kuan still showed no signs of giving up, grew suddenly furious.

Another constable, who had been silent until now, stepped forward and kicked A-Kuan. "Are you going to get lost or not?"

Having been kicked and scolded, A-Kuan dared not talk back, let alone fight. He only dared to act tough at home against his mother and stepfather; when outside, he bullied those weaker than him. But these were constables—they could easily slap a trumped-up charge on him and toss him into the yamen’s cell for a few days to starve. Even if they later said the investigation was cleared and let him go, he wouldn't dare scream about being wronged.

Meanwhile, Hong Xiaoduo and her group had already arrived at the Fortune Inn with the owner, Wan Quan.

"This is the place. You’ll be staying in the communal room. How about sixty coins for the night? Fifty coins?" Wan Quan asked, gesturing inside.

The price for the communal room was usually calculated per person, and he typically charged fifteen coins each. But seeing that Hong Xiaoduo was accompanied by such pitiful children, he didn't have the heart to overcharge her. It was empty anyway, so earning a few extra coins was good enough.

Hong Xiaoduo didn't know much about the local prices, but she felt the owner wasn't gouging her, so she nodded immediately.

"Shopkeeper, let me propose a deal. How about this: I’ll pay one hundred coins total. Could you provide two wooden bath tubs and trouble yourself to boil a few pots of hot water? Could you also find an auntie or uncle who doesn't mind the filth to help me bathe them?" Hong Xiaoduo asked with a smile.

Otherwise, the children were so caked in dirt that if she let them bathe themselves, she feared they wouldn't get clean. If she had to do it all herself, the workload was too great—she was exhausted!

"That’s doable, Miss. Don't you worry, I’ll arrange it. I guarantee these kids will come out squeaky clean." Wan Quan hadn't expected the young lady to be so generous. Fifty extra coins—why wouldn't he agree? A little dirt didn't matter; they were just children.

"Miss, if you’d like to bathe yourself, the single room next to the communal room is vacant. You can use that one first. That tub was made by a carpenter just last month and hasn't been used yet." Wan Quan had a very good impression of this kind-hearted woman. If he didn't have a large family to support, with grandchildren to send to school and houses to build for their future marriages, he might have even done this as a charity and charged nothing at all.

"Listen up, everyone. Take your new clothes and wait for the shopkeeper to find someone to help you bathe. Then, all of you change into your clean clothes, and after that, I’ll take you to get some food. Do you understand?" Hong Xiaoduo instructed the children beside her.

"We hear you, Mother," the children replied in unison, overjoyed at the prospect of a bath and new clothes.

"Mother?" Wan Quan thought he had misheard.

Hong Xiaoduo gave a dry laugh. "Heh, they’re just young and don't know any better, calling out nonsense. Please don't take it to heart."

"Oh, I see." Wan Quan realized what was happening, shook his head, and smiled. "It’s a good thing no one would believe it even if they did call out, or it might affect your future prospects for a good marriage."

Just then, two women stepped out from the inn—one was the wife of the clothing store owner, and the other was much older.

"Oh, Auntie?" Hong Xiaoduo greeted her warmly. The woman introduced the older lady, explaining that this was the kind-hearted young woman.

"You’ve arrived! Wan Quan found you? I was worried he wouldn't," the elderly woman said with a kind smile.

Wan Quan quickly stepped forward. "Mother, I found them as soon as I left. That store clerk who got fired went out to cause trouble for this young lady, but luckily, Jin Hu and the others weren't foolish; they didn't believe him and even asked me to bring them here to stay."

Upon hearing this, the older woman and the shopkeeper's wife laughed and said the clerk deserved it. Hong Xiaoduo understood the situation from their conversation and thanked the shopkeeper's wife once more.

After seeing the women off, Wan Quan told his mother about the request to bathe the children. His mother volunteered to handle the two little girls, while the other five boys would be bathed by Old Uncle Tong, the inn’s handyman, provided he was given a bit of coin for wine.

"Young lady, what about the clothes they take off later?" the mother asked.

"Please, just throw them away for me. Also, if their hair is too matted to comb, please just cut it," Hong Xiaoduo said, then realized she should ask the children first if they were willing to have their hair cut.

Because she was afraid the children might be resistant, she wanted to ask their opinion. But the children nodded obediently, indicating their willingness. Their mother was doing this for their own good, so they would listen to her. Besides, Tianshu had secretly warned them earlier to avoid calling her "Mother" in public as much as possible.

The group of eight split into three parties and went to bathe.

Hot water was quickly brought to Hong Xiaoduo’s single room. The tub was indeed new, and the cotton towels provided were also fresh. She slid the bolt on the door and began to undress.

As she sank into the warm water, her exhaustion melted away—it was divine. However, there was no shampoo or shower gel, only a piece of ugly soap-bean cake that didn't smell very pleasant.

*That damn old geezer,* she grumbled to herself. *He didn't arrange anything properly. I’m lucky today; otherwise, if I’d been thrown in jail for not having a travel permit, I would have just sat out my time in that cell and seen what use it was for you to lure me here.*

Hong Xiaoduo sat with her eyes closed, grumbling indignantly, when suddenly a voice called her name: "Hong Xiaoduo?"

She opened her eyes immediately, let out a sharp cry, and covered her chest. Before her, in the empty room, a projection appeared on the wall—the old museum curator she had just been cursing was visible inside. He was so close and the projection so clear that Hong Xiaoduo could even see the hairs in the old man's nostrils.

"Calm down! I swear I can only see the bathtub and your head, nothing else!" the old man declared from the projection.

"Calm down your head! Why are you popping up all of a sudden without giving me a heads-up?" Hong Xiaoduo looked down at herself, confirming the old man hadn't lied. Still, anyone would have been terrified by that in that moment.

"Ahem, sorry. I’m still figuring out how to connect with you. The system isn't quite perfected yet; it just happened accidentally," the old man in the projection said, sounding both apologetic and barely able to hide his excitement.

"You have the nerve to say that? Do you have any idea how much this broken system of yours has screwed me over? There's absolutely nothing here!" Hong Xiaoduo protested without holding back.

"For instance?" the old man immediately pushed up his glasses and asked.