Chapter 25: Uncle Dong

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As night fell, in a courtyard not far from the county office, everything looked utterly ordinary from the outside. Yet only those who had entered knew what was so special about this little residence.

The interior was worlds apart from its unassuming exterior.

All the furniture was made of rosewood. The curios displayed on the antique shelves were either gold or jade, while the landscape paintings hanging on the walls were priceless masterpieces.

“Dong Yuefan, you really intend to make them travel permits?” Mu Zitao still could not believe it as he watched the man change into a suit of black night clothes.

Dong Yuefan lowered his eyes to inspect his brand-new outfit and found himself quite pleased with it. He replied dismissively, “Yes. If you consider me a friend, stop trying to dissuade me. I know exactly what I’m doing. Wait here—I’ll be back shortly.”

“Can you be more rational? You don’t know the slightest thing about them, yet you dare forge travel permits for them. Have you been kicked in the head by a donkey? You’ve been here for three years now. Shouldn’t you have become a little more steady by this point? Why are you still so reckless? Do you have any idea what the consequences will be if this is exposed?” Seeing that his good friend would not listen no matter what he said, Mu Zitao grew anxious.

Dong Yuefan looked at him. “Do you think she’s a villain or a spy from another country? Or that those seven little bald boys are going to murder and set fires?” He walked over and patted his friend on the shoulder. “All right, I know you’re worried about me and mean well.

“She didn’t tell me who she was, but that doesn’t mean she distrusts me. If she truly didn’t trust me, she wouldn’t have told me this evening that she had no travel permits.

“Besides, aren’t you rather special toward her yourself? Otherwise, you wouldn’t have gone to that steamed-bun shop this afternoon either.

“And really, you can’t blame her for what happened this afternoon. That was because you—”

Before he could finish, he was interrupted.

“You brat, shut your mouth.”

Watching his good friend storm out with a flushed, furious face, Dong Yuefan made a face at his back. “Hmph. This will be enough to hold over you for the rest of your life.”

After muttering that, he pulled the black cloth at his neck up over his face until only his eyes were visible, then leaped out through the rear window.

At the Fortune Comes Inn, Hong Xiaoduo slid the door bolt into place. Looking at the little bald boys lying neatly on the communal bed, she tucked in their blankets and could not resist stroking one of their little bare heads.

“Mother, do we have to get up very early tomorrow morning?” Tianquan asked softly.

At his age, this was the first time he had ever slept in a room protected from the wind, the first time he had slept on a proper bed, the first time he had lain on a soft mattress with a clean blanket over him. It was so comfortable that he feared he might sleep past the time to rise.

At his question, the other six boys turned to look at Hong Xiaoduo as well.

“We don’t have to get up early for work, and we don’t have to hurry along the road. Sleep peacefully. Wake up whenever you wake up,” Hong Xiaoduo immediately reassured them.

The children were not the only ones who had failed to get a sound, comfortable night’s sleep these past few days. She had not slept well either. Although they had encountered some minor troubles and unpleasantness in this town, they had not truly suffered any losses.

On the contrary, they had met several kind people: the husband and wife who ran the clothing shop, the innkeeper’s family, Constable Jin, who had not listened to others and made things difficult for her, and Big Brother Dong.

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She had enjoyed a comfortable bath, changed into new clothes, eaten her fill, and even gone to a teahouse to listen to storytelling, drink tea, and eat pastries.

All things considered, her luck today had been quite good.

There was even hope that the matter of the travel permits could be resolved. That would mean one of their greatest problems had finally been solved.

Hong Xiaoduo took off her boots and lay down on her own bed. The instant she settled in, Yaoguang, sleeping beside her, had already drifted off.

She had originally intended to go to bed early and sleep peacefully, but how could she possibly fall asleep?

She was actually a little envious of the seven little bald boys. At the teahouse that evening, when they heard her ask Big Brother Dong about whether the government office took in beggars and displaced people, his answer had frightened them so badly that their little faces had gone pale.

Only after hearing Big Brother Dong say that he would help them obtain travel permits, and that she would continue taking care of them, did they gradually recover. And now, look at how sweetly they were sleeping.

As for her, she could only wonder when the old man from the Science and Technology Museum would contact her again.

If he did, how long would they be able to speak? She hoped it would not end like last time, with the connection cutting off after only a few words.

There were so many things she wanted to ask. For example, what was the purpose of going to such lengths to send her here? And although she had lost her memory, that did not mean she could be completely heartless. At the very least, she had to ask about her family, didn’t she?

She had vanished without warning. Her family must be worried sick. They had probably already reported her missing.

These were the two things she most urgently wanted to know. Which one should she ask about first?

She tossed and turned until the middle of the night, when her eyelids finally grew heavy and sleep began to overtake her. But even then, she failed to get a truly peaceful night’s rest.

First, Tianji woke from a nightmare. Hong Xiao’an went over and comforted him for quite some time before the children finally fell asleep again.

Just before dawn, Yuheng woke crying and shouting, “Don’t sell me!” Hong Xiaoduo gathered him into her arms and soothed him for a long while.

Though she had barely rested all night, Hong Xiaoduo felt not the slightest resentment toward the children. She merely cursed the wicked person who had abused them dozens of times in her heart.

By full daylight, the children had all risen. The older ones helped the younger ones dress and wash, moving with great care and walking on tiptoe for fear of waking Hong Xiaoduo.

In truth, she was not asleep at all. She had merely closed her eyes in exhaustion and was resting.

They were not leaving early because they had to wait for news from Big Brother Dong.

But they could not rise too late either. The children still had to eat breakfast.

When Hong Xiaoduo got up, she discovered that the bedding on all seven children’s beds had been folded into neat squares.

As soon as they saw her rise, the children crowded around to greet her and offer their respects. They fetched water for her to wash her face and handed her a cotton towel.

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Being waited on by a group of such young children made Hong Xiaoduo extremely uncomfortable. She did not want to become accustomed to it either. After patiently explaining the matter to them again and again, she finally managed to convince them.

But the moment she let out a sigh of relief and turned around, Tianxuan had already carried away the water she had used to wash and poured it out.

So much for all that explaining!

She had just tied her hair into a ponytail and was preparing to take the children out for breakfast when the innkeeper came over and told her that Master Dong was waiting at the entrance.

He had come so early? Had he obtained the travel permits?

Hong Xiaoduo hurried to the entrance and saw Dong Yuefan standing there with his hands behind his back, smiling.

“Good morning, Big Brother Dong.” Hong Xiaoduo greeted him first, then glanced at the children behind her.

“Good morning, Uncle Dong.” The children bowed in unison.

Uncle?

Dong Yuefan was completely stunned. Was he simply too ignorant, despite being a county secretary? Wasn’t “uncle” a title normally used only by nieces and nephews?

“Ahem. Big Brother Dong, you may not know this, but they call me Mother. So when they heard me call you Big Brother Dong, they interpreted it for themselves as…” Hong Xiaoduo explained helplessly.

Dong Yuefan was even more bewildered. Why did they call her Mother?

“Are you heading out for breakfast?” he asked.

Hong Xiaoduo nodded. “Have you eaten, Big Brother Dong? If not, why don’t you join us? It’s my treat.”

Dong Yuefan hurriedly replied, “I haven’t eaten. I came to invite all of you to breakfast. Come on, this isn’t the place to talk.” As he spoke, he gave her a meaningful wink.

At once, Hong Xiaoduo understood. The matter of the travel permits had most likely been settled.

The finest and most famous restaurant in town was the Worthy Gathering Tower.

Instead of sitting in the main hall downstairs, they went up to a private room on the second floor. Dong Yuefan motioned for them to enter first, then walked outside the room next door and pushed open the door. Leaning halfway inside, he lowered his voice and asked, “What do you mean, you’re really not coming over? There are plenty of us here—it’s lively…”