Chapter 12: Not Allowed to Eat

Although the children were young, having traveled far and wide with that villain, they had seen dead bodies with all sorts of causes of death.

For them, while death was certainly terrifying, they didn't know what it felt like; however, they were all too familiar with the feeling of hunger.

Even though going hungry was a frequent occurrence and they were long accustomed to it, death seemed far away, while hunger tormented them every single moment.

Now, there was something to fill their bellies, yet Mother said they couldn't eat it!

"Listen to Mother, we won't eat these," Tianshu said, as if he had made a great resolution.

"Big Brother, talk to Mother again. Didn't we wash these? We washed them several times, didn't we?" Tianji whispered, wanting to try one more time. The food was cooked and ready to eat; it was such a pity to throw it away.

Tianshu looked at his younger brother and shook his head. "Mother wouldn't harm us. Dump it. No, don't keep the jar either."

Hearing their eldest brother's words, the other younger ones said nothing more, watching as the second brother went over and dumped the contents of the jar onto the ground.

Tianshu thought for a moment, then personally covered the beans and corn kernels with dirt. He even smashed the already chipped jar and buried it.

Turning around, he saw Tianji looking down at the ground, troubled. It was a makeshift pocket he had fashioned by tying the cuffs of his trousers, filled with the grain dug out from the rat hole. "Big Brother, can I still keep these trousers?"

"Better not. You aren't naked right now, and if some kind soul gives us more clothes later, you can pick first." Tianshu figured that since he had discarded his jar, Tianji shouldn't keep those trousers either.

After saying this, Tianshu stole a glance at Hong Xiaoduo, who was not far away.

"But, but..." Tianji was still reluctant to part with the grain, and even more so with the trousers. Winter was coming soon, and an extra pair of trousers could help keep out the cold.

"But what? Do you want Mother, or do you want the trousers?" Tianshu whispered a warning, making sure the sound wouldn't reach Mother, yet fearing she might notice his brother's reluctance to obey.

Tianxuan, who had been keeping an eye on them, sensed something and hurried over to ask what was wrong. Tianshu explained.

"Are you stupid? Do you not trust Mother? Or do you not trust Big Brother? Let me warn you, if you make Mother unhappy, forget about calling her Mother—even if you called her your ancestor, she probably wouldn't care about us anymore.

Besides, would Mother forbid us from eating these for no reason? Since she said so, she must have her reasons. Furthermore, we just had a wonderful, filling meal of meat yesterday; are you still worried about having nothing to eat in the future?" Although Tianxuan was a year younger than Tianshu, he was like a little adult, capable of analyzing things.

Reminded and lectured by his second brother, Tianji realized he was in the wrong and quickly called his two brothers to help him dig a hole to bury the trousers along with the grain inside.

They didn't originally need to bury them, but Tianshu reminded him that he was afraid the villagers might pick them up and eat them.

While the three brothers were talking, Hong Xiaoduo had already raised her hand and struck down a sparrow. Kaiyang and Yaoguang clapped their hands happily, scrambling to pick it up.

Perhaps because of what the old man had said the previous night, Hong Xiaoduo, who had started late, was no longer in such a rush to flee with the children.

With their short legs, if that villain really had been fine and chased after them, they would have been caught long ago.

Hong Xiaoduo realized belatedly that if the villain were fine and had chased them, she should be able to handle him, so why run?

If she had accidentally killed the villain, and the magistrate issued a warrant, would running even be useful?

Therefore, she strolled along with the children, hunting sparrows.

It wasn't about trouble or not; she needed to eat too. Besides, the children had ultimately been obedient and hadn't eaten those beans and corn kernels.

Thinking back to what she had planned yesterday—buying a horse-drawn cart or a donkey cart—what happened? She hadn't even opened her mouth before they were driven away.

All of this was the handiwork of those beggars nicknamed "Old Cat," who had implicated her and the children.

Hong Xiaoduo kept this grudge in her heart. She wouldn't go out of her way to hunt those scoundrels down, but if she ran into them, it would be their bad luck.

Although the farmland near the village had long been harvested and stored, there were many birds circling for food. People said that "a sparrow may be small, but it has all the vital organs." Hong Xiaoduo felt this was just a metaphor for something small in size or scale but complete in content; their intelligence was truly worrying.

Look, they clearly saw someone attacking them with stones, and saw their companions fall and kick their legs, yet after being startled and flying away, they would circle high in the sky for a while, only to fly back in flocks. It wasn't like they were coming back to avenge their companions; they were just plain stupid.

The little ones were busy picking up small stones for her and scrambling to collect the birds she knocked down. The children were happy, and Hong Xiaoduo found herself getting more and more skilled, her speed increasing.

By the time she rested and turned back, there was already a pile of birds on the ground. The eldest, Tianshu, and the second, Tianxuan, were busy plucking and cleaning them.

By the time they finished roasting and eating, it was already afternoon.

Hong Xiaoduo was the "Mother." When she said it was time to go, the group set off again, with Yaoguang still on her back.

Just like that, they hunted wild rabbits and pheasants if there was a forest along the way, or sparrows if there wasn't, and rested in places like ruined temples that could block the wind at night.

The children's courage grew slightly, and laughter gradually returned.

The only thing Hong Xiaoduo found hard to accept was that she had lice on her. She had heard of these things but had never seen them. She had Yuheng help her look for a long time, and they found one in her collar, but she still felt itchy all over.

However, there were no conditions for a bath, nor were there any spare clothes, so she could only endure the discomfort. Little Yaoguang, seeing her itching, would first show her her little hands to tell her they were washed clean, and before Hong Xiaoduo could understand what the little one meant, she was already using her tiny hands to scratch the itch for her.

Finally, at noon on the fourth day, they arrived at a place called Mopan Town.

There was a notice board at the entrance of the town. Hong Xiaoduo deliberately looked at it; the posted official documents were about collecting autumn grain taxes and the like, and she didn't see any portraits of criminals.

*Whew*, she breathed a sigh of relief and led the children inside.

Standing on the town street, many passersby stared curiously at this group of one adult and seven children.

There were also beggars leaning on crutches, glaring at them with unkind eyes, the implication being: "This is my territory, get lost."

However, Hong Xiaoduo glared back even more fiercely than him. The beggar instantly understood that this fierce-looking young woman was the leader controlling those seven little beggars. The beggar was unwilling, but he didn't dare to clash with her.

He wasn't afraid of this young woman who looked harmless; based on his years of experience wandering and begging, there was likely someone behind her.

The sensible beggar walked away along the edge of the road, but Hong Xiaoduo stood there, motionless. What should she do first? Find an inn? No, she should find a clothing store first, buy clothes, then go to an inn to bathe and change, and then find an eatery to have a proper meal.

Yes, that's what she would do.

Hong Xiaoduo had just lifted her foot to walk forward and turned her head to tell the children to stay close and not get separated, but at a glance, it seemed someone was missing.

One, two, three... she counted, including the little one on her back, and indeed, one was missing. The sixth, Kaiyang, was gone.

She hadn't intended to keep these seven children forever, but losing one now was absolutely not acceptable...