Chapter 8: The Younger Ones Are Easier to Deceive

Outside the carriage, after a brief pause, someone responded, “Master, I believe she must come from a wealthy family, though for some unknown reason she ran away from home.”

At this, Fu Gang paused for a moment, then added, “I think she’s probably a concubine’s child. A legitimate daughter wouldn’t have been brought up like this.”

After being reprimanded by the master, he was careful not to speak recklessly, fearing he might say the wrong thing and provoke the master’s anger again. Less speech meant fewer mistakes.

Besides, having lost his upper front teeth, speaking felt awkward, but that wasn’t the main issue. What truly troubled him was the suffocation, the grievance, the frustration—and yet, he was powerless to do anything about it.

Resentment was useless; he didn’t even have the chance to sneak back and punish that young woman himself.

From now on, not only should he speak less, but unless the master explicitly ordered someone to do something, he would try his best not to be as proactive as before.

Had he known this trip would turn out like this, he would have preferred to stay behind in the mansion, training under the instructor, even if it was dull—that would have been better than this!

“Fan Wu?” Someone inside the carriage asked after hearing this, but there was no response. Instead, they turned to another and said, “Why have you suddenly gone silent?”

“Master, I am too dull to see anything,” Fan Wu replied.

Hearing that, the person inside the carriage snorted lightly, “Just now, it looked like you were chatting quite happily with that young woman. When she left, you seemed so reluctant and worried.”

“In my view, Master himself is the one truly interested in her,” Fan Wu retorted effortlessly.

Fu Gang listened to their exchange and glanced at his expressionless companion beside the horse, feeling even more miserable.

They were both subordinates, yet the master was so lenient with this young man? But treated him with such disregard!

What was so exceptional about this fellow? He wasn’t the best at martial arts among those close to the master, nor had he been by the master’s side the longest, nor was he the most skilled strategist advising the master.

Why was the master so special to him? Why did he always bring him along wherever he went?

Then again, reflecting on Fan Wu’s words, it wasn’t entirely without reason.

Wasn’t this journey urgent? The master had been rushing all along, only resting briefly to avoid overworking the horses. Earlier, when Fu Gang’s negotiation with that young woman over buying wild game went badly and caused a dispute, it delayed their progress, yet the master didn’t react, as if he were just tired and sleeping inside the carriage.

It was only when Fu Gang was ambushed by that young woman and got angry, threatening to strike her, that the master finally intervened.

They bought the wild game but didn’t even say to prepare a fire and cook it; instead, they just pressed on with the journey. What was the point of buying it then? Just to look at it in the carriage?

The more Fu Gang thought about it, the more convinced he was that Fan Wu had a point. He couldn’t help but admire Fan Wu—one had to stay close to the master to guess his thoughts so well.

But the master interested in that young woman? That couldn’t be. The master preferred refined, noble ladies.

If the master nodded, those dignified daughters of illustrious families would fight tooth and nail to be near him.

“Master, if you truly are interested in that young woman, I could investigate her background?” Fu Gang suddenly felt enlightened and blurted out without restraint, forgetting just a moment ago he had resolved to keep his head down and work quietly.

Before anyone inside the carriage could respond, Fan Wu frowned and was about to speak.

“You? You can’t even handle the simple matter of buying wild game properly, and you want to investigate her? Do you think losing your front teeth hasn’t affected you?” someone inside the carriage said with a helpless sigh.

How could someone so foolish be under their command?

Fu Gang, scorned mercilessly by the master, wanted to slap himself hard, chastising his own reckless tongue and lack of learning!

It was over—after this matter was settled and they returned to the mansion, he probably wouldn’t have another chance to travel with the master in his life, destined only to watch the gates at home.

Fan Wu felt no sympathy for his companion but glanced back at the carriage with a hint of regret and shook his head slightly.

It was clear the master was interested in that young woman, probably for the same reasons as himself—finding her special, intriguing. But while Fan Wu had no other intentions, the master? That was uncertain.

The master and his retinue said no more and continued pressing forward.

Meanwhile, Hong Xiaoduo, who had just received one hundred taels of silver, weighed the small sack in her hand—it was about seven or eight pounds.

“Mother, when we reach the town, we should exchange some of this into smaller coins to keep on hand,” the eldest boy hesitated slightly, cautiously reminding her.

Hong Xiaoduo tilted her head and looked at him, understanding his concern. Carrying a single large ingot for small purchases was inconvenient, and it might attract thieves’ attention.

“Makes sense, but now's not the time to talk about that. Have you all eaten your fill? Once full, we must keep running—not stopping. See? The sun hasn’t set yet, so we can’t rest. Understand?” she asked.

Holding the hundred taels, Hong Xiaoduo felt suddenly steadier, more rational—not as irritable as before, and able to speak calmly with the children.

All seven nodded together, “Mother, understood.”

Regarding the title “Mother,” Hong Xiaoduo realized no matter how much she reasoned gently or scolded sternly, the children wouldn’t change what they called her.

Well, she decided to simply block out the word.

After they all ate their fill, the children’s voices grew louder. Without her needing to remind them, they covered the still-burning embers of the charcoal with earth.

Then, the older children led the younger ones; the eldest boy carried the youngest child. They all obediently followed behind Hong Xiaoduo, continuing their journey.

The better behaved they were, the more uneasy she felt. Especially noticing their tattered clothes were manageable for now, but their footwear—none of the shoes were intact.

Some had toes peeking out; others had soles nearly worn through. Earlier that morning, during their rest, Hong Xiaoduo checked. Though their shoes were all broken, their feet were wrapped tightly in scraps of cloth; otherwise, their feet would have been raw by now.

Remembering the rider who said there would be a village ahead, she thought that once there, they could ask how much it would cost to buy a cart—horse-drawn, ox cart, or donkey cart would do.

After traveling for about an hour, Hong Xiaoduo called for a rest.

The children thought they misheard and looked up toward the sun.

Hong Xiaoduo pretended not to notice, sitting on a fallen tree trunk by the roadside.

The boys and girls went to opposite sides of the road to relieve themselves. The youngest girl stayed by Hong Xiaoduo’s side.

“Mother, are you hungry? Here, eat this,” the little girl said as she handed her something wrapped in tree leaves.

Hong Xiaoduo took it curiously; it was still warm. She unwrapped it and recognized it—it was the first bird they had hunted in the woods.

They had prepared and roasted it, and even gave it to the smallest child.

“I’m full, not hungry. You keep it for when you’re hungry. By the way, can you tell me—who came up with the idea for you all to call me ‘Mother’?” she asked, glancing around since the other children hadn’t returned.

She had her suspicions but wasn’t certain.

She thought maybe a very small child started crying out first, and the others followed.

Another possibility was that the eldest boy had the idea.

The little girl looked at Hong Xiaoduo silently, her small lips pressed tightly together, a little nervous.

“Tell me, it’s okay. I just want to know who was so clever to think of calling me ‘Mother’,” Hong Xiaoduo coaxed with a smile.

She dared not scare such a small child; what would she do if the child cried?

“It was Big Brother. He’s very clever,” the little girl finally blurted out, betraying her brother.

Just then, some children were already returning. “Did he say why? He could have called me ‘Sister’ too,” Hong Xiaoduo quickly pressed on with her questions…