Chapter 25: Uncle Dong

Chapter 25: Uncle Dong

Night fell. In a courtyard not far from the county magistrate's office, the exterior looked quite ordinary, but only those who had entered knew how special this small courtyard truly was.

That was, the scene inside was worlds apart from how it appeared on the outside.

The furniture was all made of red sandalwood; the trinkets displayed on the curio shelves were either gold or jade, and the landscape paintings hanging on the walls were priceless masterpieces.

"Dong Yuefan, do you really intend to make travel permits for them?" Looking at the man who had changed into night-traveling clothes, Mu Zitao still found it hard to believe.

Looking down at his own brand-new outfit, Dong Yuefan felt quite satisfied and replied nonchalantly, "Yeah. If you're my brother, stop trying to persuade me. I know what I'm doing. Just wait, I'll be back soon."

"Can you be a bit more rational? You don't even know their background, yet you dare to make fake travel permits for them. Has your brain been kicked by a donkey? You've been in this place for three years; shouldn't your temperament be more steady by now? Why are you still being so irrational? Do you know what the consequences will be if you're exposed?" Seeing that his good friend was being stubborn, Mu Zitao grew anxious.

Hearing this, Dong Yuefan looked at his good brother. "Then you think she's an evil person, a spy from another country? Or do you think those seven little baldies are going to commit arson and murder?" At this, he walked over to his friend and patted his shoulder. "Alright, I know you're doing this for my own good and that you're worried about me. The fact that she didn't tell me her identity isn't because she doesn't trust me. If she didn't trust me, she wouldn't have told me this evening that she didn't have a travel permit. Besides, aren't you actually quite special toward her? Otherwise, you wouldn't have gone to that bun shop this afternoon. Moreover, you can't blame her for your embarrassment this afternoon; that was your own..." Before he could finish, he was interrupted.

"You brat, shut up!"

Watching his friend walk out with a flushed, angry face, Dong Yuefan made a face at his retreating back. "Hmph, this matter is enough for me to hold this over you for the rest of your life."

After muttering to himself, he pulled the black cloth up over his face, leaving only his eyes visible, and jumped out through the back window.

At the Fuyunlai Inn, Hong Xiaoduo, who had already bolted the door, looked at the little baldies lying neatly in the communal dormitory. While tucking them in, she couldn't resist giving one of their heads a quick pat.

"Mother, do we need to wake up very early tomorrow morning?" Tianquan asked softly.

In all his life, this was the first time he had slept in a room without drafts, the first time sleeping in a bunk, the first time with a soft mattress beneath him and a clean quilt over him. It was so comfortable that he was afraid he might oversleep.

As he asked, the other six also looked toward Hong Xiaoduo.

"We don't need to wake up early for work, nor do we need to rush on the road. Sleep peacefully. Wake up whenever you feel like it," Hong Xiaoduo responded immediately.

For the past few days, not just the children, but even she hadn't had a restful sleep. Although she had encountered some small troubles and unpleasantness in this town, she hadn't suffered any real losses.

On the contrary, she had met kind people, such as the owners of the clothing shop, the family running the inn, the kind Constable Jin who didn't listen to rumors to make things difficult for her, and that Brother Dong.

She had enjoyed a comfortable bath, changed into new clothes, eaten her fill, and even gone to the teahouse to listen to storytelling and eat pastries.

All things considered, her luck today had been quite good.

The fact that there was hope to resolve the issue of the travel permits meant that her biggest problem was being solved.

Hong Xiaoduo took off her boots and lay down on her bunk. Yao Guang, who was sleeping right next to her, had already fallen asleep after a short while.

She had originally thought about going to bed early to get a good night's rest, but how could she sleep?

She felt a bit envious of the seven little baldies. When she had asked Brother Dong at the teahouse this evening about the government's adoption of beggars and refugees, their little faces had turned pale with fright at what he said.

Later, when they heard Brother Dong say he would help them solve the travel permit issue and that she would continue to take them with her, they finally regained their composure. Look how sweetly they were sleeping now.

But as for her, she was wondering when she would be able to contact the old man from the Science Museum again.

If they did connect, how long would the communication last? She hoped it wouldn't be like last time, where the connection was cut off after only a few words.

There was too much she wanted to ask. For instance, what exactly was his purpose in going to such lengths to send her here? Also, just because she had amnesia didn't mean she could be heartless; she at least needed to know the situation regarding her family.

Since she had suddenly disappeared, her family must be worried and anxious. They had probably reported her missing by now, right?

And of these two things she desperately wanted to know, which one would be more appropriate to ask first?

She drifted into a state of wandering thoughts until midnight, when her eyelids finally grew heavy with sleep. However, she still couldn't get a peaceful night's rest. First, Tianji woke up from a nightmare, and it took quite a while for Hong Xiaoduo to soothe him before the children fell back asleep.

As dawn approached, Yuheng woke up crying and screaming, "Don't sell me!" Hong Xiaoduo held him in her arms and coaxed him for a long time.

Despite having not rested at all throughout the night, Hong Xiaoduo felt no resentment toward the children; she only cursed that evil person who had mistreated them dozens of times in her heart.

When day broke, the children all got up. The older ones looked after the younger ones, helping them dress and wash, all with extreme care, walking on tiptoe for fear of waking Hong Xiaoduo.

In truth, she wasn't really sleeping; she was merely resting with her eyes closed in exhaustion.

They weren't rushing to hit the road early because they were waiting for news from Brother Dong today.

However, she couldn't sleep too late; the children needed breakfast.

After Hong Xiaoduo got up, she discovered that the bedding on the seven children's bunks had been folded neatly.

Seeing that she was up, the children swarmed her to offer their greetings, then helped her fetch water for washing and handed her a face towel.

Being served by a group of young children made Hong Xiaoduo very uncomfortable, and she had no desire to get used to it. After much reasoning and persuasion, she finally managed to talk them out of it.

Just as she breathed a sigh of relief and turned around, Tianxuan had already taken the water she had used and carried it out to pour it away.

Well, all that talking was for nothing!

She had just tied her hair into a ponytail, preparing to take the children to breakfast, when the innkeeper came over and said that Secretary Dong was waiting at the door.

He came so early? Is the travel permit ready?

Hong Xiaoduo hurried to the door and saw Dong Yuefan standing there with his hands behind his back, a smile on his face.

"Good morning, Brother Dong," Hong Xiaoduo greeted him first, then looked back at the children.

"Good morning, Uncle Dong!" The children bowed in unison to greet him.

Huh? Uncle?

Dong Yuefan was completely stunned. Was it because his level as a secretary was too low and his experience too shallow? Wasn't the title "Uncle" something only used by nephews and nieces?

"Ahem, Brother Dong, there's something you don't know. They call me 'Mother,' so when they heard me call you 'Brother Dong,' they just interpreted it themselves," Hong Xiaoduo explained somewhat helplessly.

Dong Yuefan was even more confused. How did they end up calling him "Uncle"?

"Are you all going to have breakfast now?" he asked.

Hong Xiaoduo nodded. "Have you eaten, Brother Dong? If not, let's eat together. It's my treat."

Dong Yuefan quickly said, "I haven't eaten yet. I came specifically to invite you all to eat together. Let's go; this isn't the place for talking." As he spoke, he even gave her a wink.

As soon as he said this, Hong Xiaoduo understood immediately—the matter of the travel permits was most likely settled.

At the most famous and best restaurant in town—Juxian Restaurant.

Instead of sitting in the main hall downstairs, they went up to a private room on the second floor. Dong Yuefan motioned for them to go in first, while he went to the adjacent private room, pushed the door open slightly, leaned his upper body in, and whispered, "Hey, aren't you coming over? It's quite lively over here..."

(End of Chapter)