Chapter 47 The Old Man

Even out of curiosity, there is no need to keep staring like that!

"They must be envious of our carefree life," Hong Xiaoduo remarked. At this distance, the expressions on their faces could be seen quite clearly. Everyone looked upright and righteous, nothing like villains!

She was merely traveling with a group of children; it was hardly reason for the other party to feel any guarded caution.

Besides, the terrain here was flat with an open view, hardly an ideal spot for an ambush.

Hong Xiaoduo turned her head away and picked up another sesame flatbread to eat. The weather was starting to turn cool, and certain foods bought to eat on the road were no longer very suitable.

As for steamed buns and meat pies, not only did they taste terrible when cold, but they could also easily upset one's stomach if not handled right.

Tianquan had said that was easily solved—they could just gather firewood and warm them over a fire as before.

Firewood to roast some dry rations could be found anywhere with a casual sweep. However, late autumn also brought rain; what about rainy days?

Indeed, what about rainy days? This dynasty lacked weather forecasts. At most, seeing dark clouds might suggest a high chance of precipitation, but her abilities ended right there.

No, this matter was a priority and must be remembered. Next time she established a connection with the old man at the science museum, she would make him figure out a way to build her a weather-forecasting device.

If she added another donkey cart, she wouldn't even need to worry about who would drive it; she could just tie the reins directly to the original donkey cart.

Another tent had to be added as well—one for resting, and one for heating dry rations and boiling water.

The old man got down from the carriage and walked towards Hong Xiaoduo and the others, with his guards following closely behind.

"What are you all doing? Didn't you see it's just a young woman and a few children? I am not the one sitting on the dragon chair, is such exaggeration necessary?" The old man realized, turning around with a displeased look.

Upon hearing this, the accompanying guards broke out in cold sweat. They thought to themselves that ever since leaving the capital, the master had been sullen and rarely spoke all the way. Yet the moment he opened his mouth, it was this terrifying.

"What, are my words no longer effective?" The old man's gaze was firm and sharp, an unignorable majesty radiating from him. The guards exchanged glances and respectfully retreated to their original positions.

The old man lifted his feet and continued walking forward. The distance grew closer, and he saw a few of the children already turning to look at him with eyes full of wariness.

He walked over by himself, and these children were already nervous. If those guards were allowed to follow, who knew how frightened these children might become.

"Children, don't be afraid. I am not a bad person. The reason I came over is simply because I saw your atmosphere was so nice and thought I would join in the fun. May I?" The old man finished speaking and looked at Hong Xiaoduo.

She was the oldest here, so the decision-making power should lie with her, right?

"Of course you can. We are resting here and eating some food for lunch. If the elder doesn't mind, you can join us," Hong Xiaoduo said, smiling at the old man.

The old man looked spirited and vigorous. His face was etched with the marks of time—a kind of wisdom and poise tempered by the passage of years. One could tell at a glance that he was a very upright and good old man.

The fact that he hadn't let the guards follow him just now was probably out of fear of frightening the little ones. Hong Xiaoduo had no reason to refuse such a person.

Hearing her agreement, the children sitting around quickly made space. The old man took off his boots, stepped forward, and sat down cross-legged.

"Grandfather, have a flatbread," Kaiyang said, pushing the bowl holding the flatbreads closer to the old man.

"Grandfather, eat, it's so delicious," Yaoguang urged when she saw the old man hadn't moved.

The other children also pushed the food closest to them towards the old man.

"Alright, then I won't be polite," the old man replied with a smile, reaching out to take a flatbread and taking a bite under the watchful eyes of the circle of children.

The crust, brushed with oil and sugar and sprinkled with sesame seeds, was crispy, flaky, and fragrant. The filling inside—made of finely chopped dried vegetables and translucent pieces of fat meat rendered tender by baking—was savory and rich with a hint of mild spice. "Oh? It really is very delicious," the old man said to Yaoguang after just one bite.

"Right? I didn't lie to Grandfather, did I?" Yaoguang was overjoyed.

The old man nodded repeatedly and said, "No, you didn't." Then, looking at Kaiyang, he added, "This is the most delicious flatbread this old man has ever eaten in his life."

Listening to this, Hong Xiaoduo wanted to laugh as she looked at the old man. He was surprisingly good at coaxing children.

Such flatbreads existed in modern times as well. She had eaten them in a town called Meicheng in Jiande City near Hangzhou. They were truly delicious, and she could eat several in one sitting.

After arriving here, although she had only eaten them three times, bought in three different places, she felt that both in appearance and taste, they were largely similar and much the same.

Thinking of this, Hong Xiaoduo couldn't help but chuckle softly. She still remembered Meicheng Town, yet she couldn't recall where her home was or anything about her family.

"Young woman, do not laugh. Everything this old man said is the truth," the old man explained, seeing her smile.

Hong Xiaoduo hurriedly waved her hand. "The elder has misunderstood. I was just thinking of something else just now, and I had no intention of laughing at you."

The old man nodded with a smile and finished the flatbread in his hand. A child beside him handed over a piece of dried meat.

These little kids were truly enthusiastic, the old man thought to himself.

"Grandfather, I washed my hands, they're clean." The one handing the meat was Tianquan. Seeing the old man looking at the meat without taking it, he hurriedly explained.

The old man burst into a wide smile and quickly took the meat. "Grandfather wasn't worried that your hands weren't clean; I just didn't expect that upon our very first meeting, you would treat me so well."

"Right, this old man has a doubt. Why are all these children hairless? Is there some custom or belief in your place? Or what is it?" The old man couldn't resist asking out of curiosity.

"This? It's just that they all had lice and nits in their hair before, so I shaved all their heads to save trouble," Hong Xiaoduo replied.

Since they were just passing acquaintances, there was no need to explain in such meticulous detail.

So that was how it was. Upon hearing this, the old man came to a sudden realization, but in his heart, he began to ponder. Although these children looked a bit thin, judging by their mental state and the clothes they wore, their conditions couldn't be considered poor. Even if they accidentally got lice or nits, they could have patiently searched through and removed them; there was no need to shave all their heads. It was too exaggerated, wasn't it?

Furthermore, according to the *Classic of Filial Piety*, "Our bodies—to every hair and skin—are received by us from our parents, and must not be injured." This meant that the body, limbs, hair, and skin were given by parents and could not be lightly harmed or destroyed; this was the beginning of filial piety.

Only those who had seen through the vanity of the mortal world and become monastics would shave their heads.

Moreover, from the young woman's brief remarks, he had caught a key phrase: 'she' had shaved all their heads to save trouble. This implied that she was the one who made decisions and was in charge. Could it be that she had no elders above her?

Advanced in age, he considered himself to have lived for decades without ever doing a single rash thing. Yet now, he was acting like a gossiping old woman in a lane, wanting to pry into the exact relationship between this young woman and the seven children...