Chapter 63 What Are You Doing

The children in the carriage all stared with guarded expressions at the old man standing by the doorway. Hearing his words, they once again cast nervous glances at Yaoguang, who was held tightly in Hong Xiaoduo’s arms.

Little sister was the most gluttonous of them all; she must not be swayed by sweet temptations!

"I'm not going! Pretty dresses and delicious food—Mother will buy them for me. If she doesn't, it doesn't matter; it's not like I must have them. Grandfather, since you don't have any children at home, go back and have grandmother make you one! You're a high-ranking official, it's not like you can't afford to raise one. It's useless for you to like me. I... I wet the bed, every single day!" Yaoguang said, anxious and terrified. Her little arms wrapped tightly around Hong Xiaoduo’s neck as she glared at the benevolent-looking figure by the door and shouted.

Her voice was somewhat cracked with agitation.

As the youngest child, shouting what she considered to be the harshest words possible—had he not been mindful of Wei Junpei’s advanced age, Hong Xiaoduo almost couldn't hold back her laughter.

Wei Junpei’s old face darkened. Tell him to go back and have children with his elderly wife!

"My lord, the hour is late, let us set off," urged the captain of the guards, Yin Qingyun, who truly could neither bear to listen nor watch any longer, stepping forward quickly.

Although Yaoguang was small, her voice was by no means quiet. It was hard for all the guards present not to hear.

They wanted to laugh, but felt it inappropriate, while at the same time deeply sympathizing with their elderly master. The master was an upright official, fearing no imperial wrath when offering blunt remonstrance to those above, and never cowering in the face of threats and intimidation from treacherous ministers. Yet now, he was being rebuked by a four-year-old little girl to the point of being completely helpless and speechless.

Wei Junpei sighed and looked at Hong Xiaoduo, "It is my fault for forcing the issue. In that case, let us part ways here, and perhaps we shall meet again if fate allows."

"Wishing you a safe and smooth journey, Lord. Tianshu, let's move out." Hong Xiaoduo was never one for flowery pleasantries.

Seeing Wei Junpei step aside, Tianshu tapped the donkey lightly with his whip, and the cart began to move.

Watching the old man's lonely figure, Tianshu also felt a twinge of sympathy. He never expected that besides being a foodie, the little sister’s sharp tongue could be so savage at a crucial moment!

As the donkey cart drifted further and further out of sight, Wei Junpei’s heart still could not calm down. That young woman and those children had given him a profound lesson.

Originally, he had grown disheartened by the emperor's incompetence and inability to distinguish loyalty from treachery, and disappointed by the corrupt officials in the imperial court who disregarded the common people and broke the law for personal gain. Feeling that his persistence over the years was utterly laughable, he had grown disillusioned and conceived the notion of resigning from his post.

Yet, looking at these children who had never studied formal texts, who had suffered hardship at a young age yet could hold fast to their original principles in the face of wealth and luxury—knowing clearly what they desired most—whether they would regret today's choice when they grew up, Wei Junpei felt at that moment that he was inferior to them.

In a flash, Wei Junpei felt the world before his eyes open up completely. With his hands clasped behind his back, he lifted his chin, stood tall, and turned around, saying, "Turn the carriage around, return to the capital."

Was he an official for the sake of wealth and luxury? No, it was for the common people and the peace of the nation. Everything he did was not for the sake of the one sitting on the dragon throne.

How could he falter and wish to give up simply because his heart had grown cold?

Resigning and retiring into seclusion was easy, but after resigning, could he truly turn a blind eye to the affairs of the world? Absolutely not!

So why escape? He would return to the capital, return to his post. Though he might not change everything, as long as he stood guard there steadfastly, at least those corrupt officials would not have an easy time!

The guards, who had previously been worried about how their master would handle things and how to comfort him, now listened to the tone of his voice and observed his demeanor, instantly feeling a wave of relief. The master was fine; on the contrary, the master at this moment was once again his former self.

Inside the moving donkey cart, Hong Xiaoduo patted the little arm around her neck, "Yaoguang, if you don't let go, I'm going to suffocate."

"Ah? Oh." Only then did Yaoguang loosen her grip, and she hurriedly began to gently pat and stroke Hong Xiaoduo’s chest with her small hand.

The children nearby couldn't help laughing out loud.

"You're still laughing? A little silly girl turning down a life of wealth and luxury—just make sure you don't regret it when you grow up," Hong Xiaoduo poked Kaiyang, who was smiling broadly beside her.

Kaiyang shook his head, "I don't want any life of wealth and luxury. It's already pretty good just like this."

Hong Xiaoduo looked at the little one in her arms and also tapped the tip of her nose, "You, you really are fearless, daring to say anything." She had almost scared that old official out of his wits on the spot!

To avoid being taken, she even knew how to slander herself and use bed-wetting as an excuse!

"Hehe." Yaoguang smiled foolishly and triumphantly. Her adorable appearance made Hong Xiaoduo unable to resist kissing her on the cheek, causing Yaoguang to smile even more happily.

The other children nearby were green with envy, but they couldn't possibly ask Mother to kiss them too!

The driver of the donkey cart had not stopped smiling since they set off.

It turned out that as long as they were unwilling and refused to nod, she would never forcefully give them away to others!

An hour and a half later, they arrived at a town called Fengling. Although it was also a town, this place looked much larger and more imposing than Mopan Town and Willow Tree Town they had visited previously.

While there were no massive city gates, guards were stationed to inspect travel passes.

Tianshu jumped down from the carriage shafts, pulled the reins, and walked inside. Following Hong Xiaoduo's instructions to find an inn first, they found that the communal sleeping quarters of the two inns on the main street were already fully occupied, forcing them to search toward the slightly quieter end of the street.

Hong Xiaoduo’s preference was for a room with two beds if communal quarters weren't available. That way, four people could share a room, and two rooms would be enough.

The reason for this arrangement wasn't to save money on a couple of extra rooms, but simply because the children were too young, and she wouldn't feel at ease if they were scattered too far apart.

Tianshu had a sweet tongue and inquired of an old woman running a street stall, eventually finding an inn tucked away in a back alley.

The back alley was rather quiet, resulting in much poorer business, but a small communal room happened to be vacant.

After securing the room, unloading the cart at the stable, and feeding the donkey, Hong Xiaoduo took the seven little ones out for a stroll, planning to look for a place to have dinner along the way.

This town had numerous shops and plenty of people, making it very lively.

During the ride in the carriage that day, one of the children had muttered about never having tasted dumplings, so Hong Xiaoduo had promised to find a place to eat them.

As they walked, she happened to spot a weapon shop by the roadside. Hong Xiaoduo thought about how she needed to buy a whip, though she wasn't quite sure if such an item counted as a weapon. Thinking she might as well go in and browse, perhaps she would find other suitable gear for herself.

Just as she was about to step inside, she noticed all the children looking at a peddler on the street. The peddler's carrying pole was bristling with rattles, little cloth tigers, and various other small toys.

"I'm going in to take a look. Keep an eye on them and don't wander off," Hong Xiaoduo thought for a moment and instructed Tianshu.

Tianshu nodded in agreement and watched her step into the weapon shop.

There were no customers inside the shop, only a clerk-like figure wiping down the weapons on the racks, alongside a plump man in his thirties who was either the owner or the manager.

"Young lady, what are you looking to buy? My shop has a very complete selection," the plump manager greeted her as he stepped forward, casting an appreciative and assessing glance at Hong Xiaoduo. He also noticed the sword at her waist. She didn't look like a martial artist, yet she carried an ancient sword from the previous dynasty.

If his eyes didn't deceive him, the patterns on the scabbard... this, this was the legendary Thunder-Fire Sword forged from ores melted in heavenly thunder fire!

"What do you think you're doing?" Seeing the plump manager staring unblinkingly at the sword at her waist in a daze and reaching out a hand toward it, Hong Xiaoduo stepped back, placed her hand firmly on the hilt, and demanded in a stern voice...