Chapter 4: The Ungrateful Young Lady

Page (1/3)

From the moment she said that today everyone would get to eat meat and wouldn’t have to gnaw on bones, the children were in a state of disbelief. When they confirmed it was true, their joy and anticipation grew. But now, with a rider on horseback commanding that the roasted and uncollected wild game on the ground be sold to them, the time between was short, yet to the children, it felt like waking from a beautiful dream.

Dreams are beautiful but fleeting, and upon waking, one finds that the beauty was all an illusion.

Especially when disappointment follows expectation—it is truly hard to accept!

Although the man on horseback said he was selling them the game for silver, not giving it away or stealing it, the children just wanted to eat meat, even if only a small bite.

They all knew that the woman who had saved them yesterday, though well dressed, had no money. On the road, she had looked at a seller of baked cakes, patting herself all over and even turning her purse inside out, but found not a single copper coin.

No money to buy food, let alone lodging for the night.

This woman must need silver, right? Since someone was willing to pay for the wild game, surely she would agree to sell it?

“Make an offer,” the man on horseback urged impatiently when Hong Xiaoduo did not respond.

Though the carriage looked luxurious, accompanied by two guards, and the driver was well dressed, indicating that the passengers inside must be of some status, Hong Xiaoduo did not regard them highly. She remained seated on the throne of filial piety and said, “Sorry, we are hungry too and need food ourselves.”

What? She refused?

Not only the man on horseback but all seven children were quite surprised.

Her response not only surprised the rider but also irritated him slightly. They were politely offering silver to buy it, yet she showed no gratitude!

The children’s expressions reflected renewed hope to eat meat but also worry.

Though the other party had fewer people, they were adults. The two guards at the rider’s side each carried large swords, and the driver looked strong. What if they got angry and tried to seize the game?

No matter how formidable their mother was, could she fight all of them alone? And how many more people were inside the carriage?

The children exchanged glances, wondering if, in case of a fight, they should all rush together to hold someone down, or split into two groups to assist their mother.

They fully understood their capabilities and knew their help would be limited, but any help was better than none.

Page (2/3)

Hong Xiaoduo, however, paid little attention to the children’s expressions at this moment. She was studying the others. Their faces did not reveal villainy, and they had just offered silver to buy the game.

Perhaps their arrogance came from their status or wealth?

If they insisted on forcing a purchase and conflict arose, could she defeat the two guards?

She had only seen their swords drawn briefly. As for how skilled this heroine truly was in martial arts, she was unsure.

Earlier, when throwing stones at wild game in the woods, she had not missed once, but she dared not claim perfect accuracy.

Besides, she had just been resting on the throne and realized a problem: the strange old man had tricked her into this scenario. This was not the kind of storyline she had chosen. The plot had seriously derailed at the start.

But she was carrying a sword, so even if not a heroine, she must know some martial arts—or how else could she be so good at throwing stones?

The embarrassment was that she recalled her stone-throwing posture: a casual, ordinary throw. Skilled martial artists used hidden weapons with a flick of the wrist, graceful and pleasing to the eye.

So the most serious question arose: could she even wield a sword properly?

If a conflict broke out, would drawing the sword help? Could she use it? Perhaps it was better to gather some stones quickly before things escalated.

“Seeing you have so much game, you must be expert hunters. Why not just go back into the woods to hunt more?” The man on horseback said, clearly not expecting the young woman to refuse. He paused, then continued.

He noticed that after refusing, the young woman seemed distracted, perhaps regretting her words and feeling a bit scared.

His voice brought Hong Xiaoduo back to herself. She looked at the rider with some confusion. “What did you just say? I didn’t quite catch that. Could you say it again, please?”

“You?” The rider was annoyed. Seeing the young woman sitting on a rock so seriously, he felt helpless, like a scholar facing a soldier. He wondered which wealthy family’s daughter she was, and why she wasn’t confined indoors learning needlework but leading a group of little beggars outside.

Another man on horseback, who had been silent until now, watching coldly, suddenly could not help but laugh and said, “He said, seeing you have so much game, you must be expert hunters. Why not just go back into the woods to hunt more?”

“Fan Wu, if you don’t speak, no one will think you’re mute,” the first man snapped irritably.

Fan Wu shrugged at Hong Xiaoduo with a half-smile, not bothered by his companion’s scolding.

Hong Xiaoduo found herself amused.

Page (3/3)

“Huh, you little lady actually laughed? What’s so funny? I’ve repeated myself twice already. You heard it clearly. Hurry up and pack it up to bring over. The silver we give you won’t be short,” the man said, watching how well his companion got along with this obstinate young woman, growing increasingly displeased.

Next time he traveled far, he swore not to travel with this guy again! Usually so silent and reserved, but today he was speaking and nearly driving him mad!

Hong Xiaoduo pointed at him and asked Fan Wu, “Is he just embarrassed and angry? If I refuse again, will he attack me and these children?”

Fan Wu gave a half-smile, saying nothing. He thought to himself: this fellow may be reckless and rough, but he wouldn’t bully the weak. Yet if she continued like this, who knew if he might lose control.

“I’ll tell you clearly one more time, listen well. No matter how much silver you offer, you won’t get these roasted ones. We need to eat them ourselves. If you want what’s over there, you can buy those.

“There’s plenty of wild game in the woods. We are pretty good at hunting it, but I don’t want to do any more today—I’m tired.

“If you think this is unacceptable, then don’t bother offering silver. Just go hunt yourself. Honestly, by the time we’re done haggling, you might have caught a few already.

“So, do you want these or not?” Hong Xiaoduo said, pointing at the uncollected wild game nearby.

“You ungrateful wretch, don’t be too much,” the man on horseback growled, his face red with anger.

The master was sitting inside the carriage, silently watching. He must be furious that his men couldn’t handle such a trivial matter.

He looked at the pile of wild game on the ground. There was quite a lot—enough to feed their group. But if they only bought these, wouldn’t it prove that as a man, he couldn’t even deal with a young woman?

Moreover, the reason he wanted the roasting game was that they had been traveling a long distance and hadn’t eaten since morning. Getting the master some freshly roasted meat would prove his usefulness.

No, he couldn’t accept this. Thinking so, he blurted out, “Sir, I want those roasting now. At worst, I’ll leave one portion for you. As for those little rascals, they’re probably used to hunger. A bit more won’t hurt. They can prepare some of the uncollected ones for roasting.

“That’s settled then. This is my greatest concession. Don’t be ungrateful.”

He said this fiercely, his expression even more hostile as he stared at Hong Xiaoduo. Hmph, this should intimidate you now…