Chapter 61: Adopt One

Why were the children all looking at her? Because they remembered her careful instructions that this matter must not be mentioned to outsiders, as it would implicate the kind Uncle Yuefan and might even land him in a harsh prison.

"This problem has already been resolved. Those of us who travel the Jianghu must always have a few tricks up our sleeves, right? Otherwise, how could we dare to make a living out here?" Hong Xiaoduo replied with a smile.

Such an explanation was vague, but it already provided a hint to the other party: the problem had been solved, and someone traveling the Jianghu had certain methods. Lord Wei could understand and interpret these keywords however he pleased.

She did not feel that she was wrong to lie and deceive, especially knowing the man was a good person; she simply could not tell the truth.

It was not a matter of distrusting Lord Wei; this was no trivial affair, and it had nothing to do with trust or the lack of it.

Brother Dong had taken a risk to help her with this matter, and she could not sell him out simply in the name of trust. That was her bottom line as a human being.

Moreover, they were both intelligent people. Even if Lord Wei did not believe her, he would not press the matter further.

"Elder, I heard you are an official. Since I've said this, you won't have me arrested and interrogated, will you?" Hong Xiaoduo joked again.

Hearing this, Lord Wei laughed. "In your eyes, am I that pedantic and stubborn a person? Besides, they are innocent children, not evildoers."

"Of course not, otherwise you wouldn't have brought us to stay here." With that, Hong Xiaoduo saw Yaoguang chewing on a spare rib while staring intently at a plate of braised pork meatballs. She stood up, picked two of them with her chopsticks, and gave one each to Kaiyang and Yaoguang.

"If you can reach them, pick them up yourselves. If you can't reach, stand up to get them. Grandfather is afraid you'll feel constrained eating here, which is why he didn't keep anyone else in the room," Hong Xiaoduo said aloud when she saw the other children casting longing glances at the braised pork meatballs.

Hearing her words, the other children also stood up to reach for the meatballs. The braised pork meatballs were large and round, making them difficult to pick up, so they simply imitated her and speared one back with their chopsticks.

"Is the young lady planning to take them home?" Lord Wei thought to himself: Today, I won't put on the airs of a lofty official. If I want to ask, I'll ask. After all, there are no outsiders in this room.

Hong Xiaoduo shook her head. "Just like them, I don't have a home."

How could that be? This answer instantly weighed heavily on Lord Wei, who had been in a rather pleasant mood just moments before.

He looked at Hong Xiaoduo with a hint of an elder's pity. His guard had even mentioned that someone so young should be at home doing needlework and embroidery—who with a home would willingly wander outside alone?

"Then wandering outside all this time is hardly a long-term plan after all, especially since they are all so young, and you are a young lady yourself," Lord Wei said, somewhat troubled.

Hong Xiaoduo replied, "Elder, what you say makes sense, but for now, we'll just wander around like this. The world is vast, and there will always be a place for us to fit in."

Lord Wei nodded, inwardly deeply impressed that a girl of such tender years possessed such an open and relaxed state of mind!

He wanted to say something, hesitated, and ultimately kept it to himself, lifting his wine cup and draining it in one gulp.

During the first half of the meal, Lord Wei kept chatting with Hong Xiaoduo, but in the second half, he didn't speak much, only occasionally picking food for the two children beside him.

Hong Xiaoduo also began to eat with concentration; these dishes were truly more delicious than those at the Juxian Tower in Mopan Town.

Having eaten her fill, Hong Xiaoduo remembered she hadn't asked Lord Wei when he planned to set off. If he wasn't leaving today, she would have to take the children and set off first anyway.

Even though food and lodging at the post station were free, she couldn't just take advantage of it and freeload here indefinitely.

"It's not good to set off right after eating lunch. Why doesn't the young lady sit down and share a pot of tea with this old man?" Lord Wei spoke up first.

Hong Xiaoduo did not refuse. The time it took to drink a pot of tea wouldn't delay them much, so she nodded in agreement.

Lord Wei led her to the study in his guest quarters and ordered a pot of tea to be brewed.

The guard muttered inwardly: Didn't Lord say we would set off right after lunch? Why are we drinking tea now?

"Take them out to walk off their meal," Lord Wei instructed the guard promptly when he saw several children following them in.

Tianshu didn't want to leave. Hong Xiaoduo looked at Lord Wei, guessing that he must have something to say to her that was inconvenient for the children to hear.

"Go and check if we left anything behind," Hong Xiaoduo said to Tianshu.

Once she spoke up, Tianshu had no choice but to comply and walk out.

Outside the door, Tianshu walked a few steps toward the stables, glanced back to make sure no one was paying attention to him, and turned in a different direction.

Inside the room, Hong Xiaoduo wanted to pick up the teapot to pour tea for the other man. Although she was the guest, he was an elder.

Unexpectedly, Lord Wei was quicker than her; he lifted the pot first and poured her a cup of tea.

They had each finished a cup of tea, yet he still hadn't said a word.

"Elder, if you have something to say, please feel free to speak," Hong Xiaoduo said very directly.

She sensed that what the other man wanted to say might be related to the seven children, otherwise he wouldn't have had the guard take them out to walk off their meal.

However, she couldn't be sure of his exact intentions.

"I haven't introduced myself yet. My surname is Wei, given name Junpei, style name Yaxuan, and I hold the post of Minister of the Ministry of Personnel in the current imperial court." Saying this, Wei Junpei paused and looked at the person sitting across from him.

Hong Xiaoduo nodded, waiting for him to continue.

Wei Junpei was taken aback. The reason he had stopped was precisely to avoid startling the child, wanting to give her some time to digest the information.

Yet she appeared completely calm. Was it that she didn't know how high the rank of a Minister was, or did she already know people in positions just as high?

"Do you understand my official rank?" Wei Junpei asked.

Hong Xiaoduo thought to herself: Is the old gentleman going to test my knowledge of history? "I know a little bit, not very detailed."

"Oh, then tell me about it." Wei Junpei was eager to hear what this homeless young girl could possibly say.

Hong Xiaoduo thought seriously for a moment: "The imperial court has six ministries, namely the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Punishments, the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Revenue, and, oh right, there is also the Ministry of Works. The Minister of Personnel is the official responsible for the selection, evaluation, and management of officials, right?"

Hearing this, Wei Junpei nodded approvingly. "You know my identity, and yet you..." He wanted to say: Aren't you nervous? Aren't you afraid? You must know that ordinary commoners would feel nervous and frightened even upon meeting a ninth-rank sesame-seed county magistrate.

Yet, looking at her before him now, with her expression of waiting for the rest of the story, there was not the slightest trace of nervousness or fear.

Seeing him trail off halfway and look at her with that expression, Hong Xiaoduo thought for a moment and tentatively asked, "Should I stand up and pay my respects to you? Should I kowtow?"

Ah? Hearing her ask this, Wei Junpei realized that his stammering had caused a misunderstanding. He waved his hands repeatedly and said, "No, don't, there's no need for that. It's just that this old man thought that once I revealed my identity, you might distance yourself from me."

Hong Xiaoduo smiled. "Not at all. I don't know how others react in your presence, but in my eyes, you are simply a kind and benevolent elder. So, whatever you wanted to say after dismissing them, just say it. Watching you struggle not to beat around the bush must be quite uncomfortable."

Wei Junpei smiled and shook his head. "Very well, then this old man will keep it brief. Earlier during the meal, I mentioned that my family line is thin. My son had a child only in his thirties, and after the accident, my daughter-in-law wept day and night until her health broke down, let alone having another child. Today, upon learning the backgrounds of those seven children, this old man thought of discussing something with you: adopting one of them. Rest assured, this old man will never treat the child poorly; I will treat him just like my own biological grandson. Looking at the child named Kaiyang, he is about the same age as my poor grandson, and his brows and eyes even bear some resemblance to my son. My daughter-in-law shouldn't be resistant to adopting him. What do you think...?"