What are you doing with my whip?

After finishing her breakfast, Hong Xiaoduo asked Tianchu to guide her to find the post station manager.

"Did the young lady enjoy her breakfast?" the manager asked with a smile the moment he saw her.

"It was wonderful. The chef here is truly skilled; the steamed buns are fluffy and soft, the rice porridge is as smooth as silk and rich with fragrance, and those pickled side dishes are brightly colored, crisp, and appetizing," Hong Xiaoduo reviewed what she had eaten.

Her praise was entirely sincere because the food was genuinely delicious.

Hearing such compliments, the post manager beamed from ear to ear, knowing that her words came from the heart. "To be honest with the young lady, the cook at this post station is none other than my wife. In such a remote and desolate place, the wages are low, and skilled chefs are hard to retain. If she knows the young lady praised her like this, she will surely be thrilled. But tell me, what brings you to me?"

"Oh, I've come to pay for our lodging," Hong Xiaoduo stated her purpose.

Initially, she had considered whether she should help pay for the lodging of that official. After all, he had given her a food box yesterday and kindly invited them to travel together. Although they had encountered danger last night precisely because of traveling with them, that was out of a desire to look after others, and the old gentleman could not have foreseen the danger either.

People should part on good terms, but the moment she remembered there were about thirty people in their party, Hong Xiaoduo abandoned the idea.

It was not that she was petty or stingy; she simply dared not be generous.

Then, thinking that the other party was a government official who undoubtedly had more ample funds than she did, paying only for herself and the children was the least she could do. Not waiting for others to pay for them was enough; she couldn't expect to take advantage of them.

"Lodging?" The post manager was very surprised.

Hong Xiaoduo nodded. Could it be that Lord Wei had already ordered someone to settle the bill?

"Young lady, it's like this. This place is a post station, an official courier station," the manager said after a brief internal deliberation.

A post station? An official courier station? "Oh, I understand. That means the lodging fee will be more expensive than an ordinary inn, right? It's fine, how much is it?" Hong Xiaoduo thought to herself that no matter how expensive it was, it couldn't be exorbitant. Besides, this man didn't look like a scoundrel who would arbitrarily raise prices to fleece travelers.

Hearing this, the post manager sighed inwardly. *What on earth do you understand?!*

"The thing is, our post station doesn't charge for lodging, nor do we charge for meals. The young lady doesn't need to pay any room fee."

Ah? Really? Could there be such a wonderful thing?

No, no, there must be something wrong on her part.

After her brain raced at high speed for a few turns, Hong Xiaoduo asked tentatively, "Is this post station exclusively for entertaining officials and government runners?"

The post manager smiled and nodded. This young lady was quite clever; she figured out what was going on so quickly.

"But we aren't..."

"Ahem, Lord Wei, as long as you and the young lady are satisfied with your stay, that's what matters." Just as a courier station worker holding a broom walked past nearby, the manager immediately interrupted Hong Xiaoduo's words.

He had just praised her for being smart, so why did this little girl's mind turn sharp and dull so unpredictably?

Hong Xiaoduo, having been cut off, saw the manager glance at the departing worker and instantly caught on.

"Oh, oh, oh, I understand. Thank you very much," Hong Xiaoduo quickly expressed her gratitude.

This wasn't a matter of taking advantage of someone. If an official courier station was established exclusively for officials and couriers, it would not host ordinary commoners. If she hadn't come to inquire about the lodging fee just now, people might have assumed she was traveling with Lord Wei's party.

However, since she had already asked aloud, and the manager knew they weren't together yet continued to play dumb without reacting negatively, it was partly due to the man's kind nature, but primarily out of respect for Lord Wei.

Under such circumstances, if she still tried to act loftily and insisted on paying for the room, she would be completely ignorant of how to conduct herself.

If she made a fuss and other staff in the post station overheard, some malicious person might report the manager for abusing his public position for private favors.

Besides, that Lord Wei clearly looked like an upright official. The fact that he allowed her and the children to stay here could only mean he wasn't the kind of inflexible, old-fashioned pedant.

"Then would it be appropriate for us to wait until Lord Wei and his people leave before we set off?" Hong Xiaoduo walked a few steps, then turned back, stepped forward, and asked in a low voice.

The post manager understood her meaning immediately. "There's no need for that. If the young lady has an urgent journey to make, you may leave first. However, the ingredients purchased today are quite good. At noon, we should be having braised pork meatballs, soy-sauce braised pork ribs, and bamboo shoot stewed duck. Since the young lady also praised my wife's culinary skills, won't you stay for a meal before you leave?"

Hong Xiaoduo felt a bit embarrassed. "Wouldn't that be inappropriate?" Knowing that it was free and still staying for lunch felt a bit like freeloading.

The post manager was nearing fifty and had five grandsons. Usually, he envied people who had granddaughters, and watching Hong Xiaoduo's cute reaction made him even more fond of her.

Lord Wei was a famously incorruptible official. Bringing this young lady and her seven children to stay here was most likely out of a desire to assist and care for them, seeing as they were one adult and seven young ones.

Glancing around to ensure no one else was near, he said, "The young lady shouldn't overthink it. It's just a simple meal, not some rare delicacy from land and sea. It's no trouble at all."

"Alright then, I'll make sure to eat a lot at noon," Hong Xiaoduo said with a cheeky smile.

Since it was still early before noon, Hong Xiaoduo wondered if she should take Tianchu to thank Lord Wei. After asking a courier worker where Lord Wei was staying, she headed over, only to spot Lord Wei and several guards discussing something from a distance.

Remembering the events of the previous night, Hong Xiaoduo guessed that the official must be very busy. Thus, she changed direction and headed back toward their temporary quarters. When Tianchu said he wanted to check on the donkey, she went along with him.

Upon reaching the stable, both Hong Xiaoduo and Tianchu simultaneously stopped in their tracks and looked ahead.

More than a dozen guards were crowded around the carriage, though it wasn't clear what they were doing. Their attire identified them as Lord Wei's guards.

"Mom, what are those people doing crowded around our carriage?" Tianchu asked nervously in a low voice.

Hong Xiaoduo thought to herself, *You're asking me? Do I look like I know?*

She lifted her foot and walked over, and Tianchu hurriedly followed.

There were still things inside the carriage—their winter clothes for eight people, the tent tied to the back of the carriage, and forage for the donkey.

Even though Tianchu was young, he didn't think Lord Wei's guards would want to steal things from their cart.

That was why he couldn't figure out what they were up to.

"What are you all doing?" As she drew closer and realized no one had noticed her arrival, Hong Xiaoduo adopted a gentle, pleasant tone to ask.

If her tone were too stern, she feared they might think she suspected them of stealing.

The guards, who had been huddled together so intently that they hadn't noticed anyone approaching, were startled by her voice. They all turned around simultaneously and, upon realizing that the person before them was none other than the owner of the donkey cart, each wore the expression of someone caught red-handed doing something mischievous.

"Why are you holding my whip?" Tianchu's eyes were sharp, and the question slipped out before he could stop it.

That whip had been a gift from the carriage rental agency's boss. Fearing he might accidentally drop it in the grass and lose sight of it, he had deliberately cut a strip of rose-red cotton satin from Hengshu's scrap fabric bag, wrapped it around the handle of the whip, and tied another piece to the tip.

He had done this precisely so the striking color would make it easy to spot if it fell...