A ragged cub at the beginning

Tang Xu's first reaction was that the fire prevention was discovered. She was a little panicked, but her voice was calm: "Why go to the county government office?"

Perhaps because he was satisfied with the portrait he had drawn here last time, the yamen runner had a good attitude and even patiently explained to her: "Zhu Tou's case is under trial, and you need to go to the county government office to leave a testimony."

Tang Xu nodded, feeling relieved. "Okay, when are we going?"

"There are a few more witnesses to be notified. Please wait at the town gate in the afternoon. There will be a carriage to take you all there." After saying this, he left.

If we go in the afternoon, we will have to postpone the orders. Tang Xu had a headache. She closed the shop and went home before the next customer arrived. Dong Wanwan had already gone to the stall. Yu Xiaotao was there today, sitting under the eaves sewing small clothes, with a baby cradle next to her. Tang Ling leaned against the door with her arms folded, and the children stood in a row under the eaves, doing horse stance.

The first thing she saw was Tang Xu, and she gave him a questioning look.

Yu Xiaotao is here just in time, so there is no need to bother with Tang Ling. Receiving Tang Ling's gaze, she walked in and said, "I have something to do. I have to go to the county town this afternoon and I don't know when I can come back. Sister Xiaotao, can you help me and call someone from Xiaoping Lane?"

"Okay, you tell me, I'll go now." Yu Xiaotao stood up and rocked the baby's cradle, who was sleeping soundly. It was safer to leave her here than at home, because she saw Tang Ling protecting Zhao Yunniang behind him yesterday.

This cradle was brought here by Zhao Sanping. Now, not only Yu Xiaotao, but even Zhao Sanping is worried. Yu Xiaotao doesn't know what he is thinking. He didn't sleep all night. Today, he helped to bring the things here and then went back. There seemed to be a quarrel in the Zhao family yard, but it was not clear.

Tang Xu told her the address and said, "Then let my sister help you look after the child. I still have to go back to the shop." After saying that, she slipped away.

Tang Ling just opened her mouth, and the person ran away. She looked down at the skinny child, who looked even more fragile, unable to even sit up. Of course, it was impossible for him to practice martial arts, another little waste. She turned her eyes away and looked at Qiyue, who was shaking like a sieve.

Yu Xiaotao was not familiar with this cold girl and felt a little scared. She just said hello, picked up her umbrella and left.

Qiyue gritted his teeth, feeling like his hands and feet were not his own. But he had to persist! He couldn't embarrass his mother! He must be dumped by his aunt today!

Zhao Yunniang performed the best, and this girl showed perseverance that was different from all her friends.

Du Jiarui pursed his lips and wanted to cry. Did his legs disappear? He couldn't feel his legs. He secretly glanced at the incense in front of him. There were still a lot of incense. He couldn't stand. As soon as he breathed a sigh of relief, he fell down instantly.

Fang Zijun closed his eyes and muttered something. Tang Ling listened carefully and his face turned black.

What was he reading? "Auntie is so sweet, shake her head high. Auntie is so beautiful, shake her head high..."

Almost no children could last for a stick of incense, and they all collapsed to the ground. Tang Ling picked them up one by one with a look of disgust and patted their legs to relax their muscles, and then let them hold their legs after they were resurrected. She kicked and swung them one by one out of boredom, listening to their excited screams, and for some reason she couldn't help laughing.

"Wow..." An An was awakened by the cry, and burst into tears with her eyes closed and mouth open. Zhao Yunniang hurried over to pat her sister, and Tang Ling leaned over to take a look. He picked up the little thing impatiently, and An An became quiet after being picked up. She opened her big black eyes, and her delicate little hands touched Tang Ling's cheek, grinning.

Tang Ling was stunned. The soft touch actually softened her heart.

Qi Qing followed Yu Xiaotao soon after. She wrapped her neck with a handkerchief, so the injury was not visible.

"Thank you for your hard work, Sister Xiaotao." Tang Xu said.

"It's not hard. I'll go back first." Yu Xiaotao said and left quickly.

Tang Xu knew that she was worried about An An, which was normal, after all, she had just experienced the fear of almost losing someone. She looked at Qi Qing, "I have something to do today, so I called you here in advance? I wonder if you are willing to go to work early today."

Qi Qing glanced around the shop and nodded.

"Okay, I have to go to the county town this afternoon. I have made an appointment with a few guests this afternoon. You will be waiting in the shop at that time. If they come, you can discuss with them to change the time and tell them that you will only charge half the price. If they don't want to, just return the money to them. Five cents per person is compensation. The money is in this drawer." As she spoke, she took out a booklet from under the counter. "This is the reservation booklet. It is full tomorrow and empty the day after tomorrow."

Qi Qing took note of it carefully and took the booklet to see how the record was written.

The next guest who had made a reservation arrived. Tang Xu asked her to take her time to look around and led the guest behind the screen.

Qi Qing knew it after watching for a while, and she looked at the person who was painting quietly. Miss Tang was particularly beautiful when she was serious, and she looked confident and confident that she could do it well. She was also generous and kind, and she could open a shop with her children. She was really capable. If only she could be like her and not have to rely on others to live, Qi Qing was full of envy.

The morning passed quickly, and the rain stopped. Tang Xu took Qi Qing to the shop, taught her how to close and open the shop, and then took her back to eat.

Yu Xiaotao had already prepared the meal and greeted Qiyue and Yunniang with a smile. For some reason, Tang Ling did not go back to his room to eat alone, but sat in the seat of honor with a blank expression.

The two children were chattering while eating. I don’t know why they were so happy. Everything could make them laugh.

Tang Ling felt that these things were not interesting, but when he saw how happy they were, he felt a very strange sense of relaxation and pleasure in his heart.

When Tang Xu saw this scene, she suddenly realized that this place was already her home. The word "home" filled her chest with satisfaction. She looked at Qiyue, who had already returned to her normal size, and Tang Ling, who, though disdainful, would carefully push back the bowls that the children had squeezed to the table, and a gentle smile appeared on her face unconsciously.

"Boss?" Qi Qing looked at the boss who was standing still and called out in confusion.

"Oh, let's go and have dinner!" Tang Xu said, and shouted to the living room: "I'm back!"

The children turned around in surprise, put down their bowls and chopsticks, surrounded her, and told her interesting things that happened in the morning. Tang Xu stroked their heads one by one, responding from time to time.

Yu Xiaotao smiled and reminded, "Come and sit down first, let your Aunt Xu eat."

Zhao Yunniang took July back to the table, and the two children looked at Tang Xu eagerly.

Tang Xu waved his hand, took Qi Qing to the kitchen to serve the meal, and ate with the children happily.

Qi Qing, who was originally a little reserved, gradually relaxed amid the children's laughter.

Tang Xu thought that although this place was not far from Xiaoping Lane, it was inconvenient to run back and forth, so he asked Qi Qing if he was willing to move here.

Tang Xu was not only Qi Qing's boss, but also her lifesaver. This request was not excessive, so she would certainly agree. She was even a little happy in her heart. She thought Tang Xu was amazing, and she wanted to learn from her. Wouldn't it be more convenient if she moved to the Tang family? Even if she only learned the basics, it would be a good deal for her.

After dinner, Tang Xu went to the town gate alone. It was called the town gate, but there was only a stone archway with the town name written on it: Yihe Town.

She seemed to have arrived too early. There was no carriage here, only a few people sitting under the archway. She looked around and found a tea stall to sit down. Just when she was doing nothing, she saw Du Yun, who also saw her and walked straight over.

"Mr. Du! Why are you here?" Tang Xu greeted him happily.

"I came specially to see you." Du Yun sat down opposite her, picked up the teapot with his slender fingers and poured himself a cup of tea. "I picked up Jiarui at noon. I heard that you were going to the county town alone in the afternoon. I was a little worried. I took a leave in the afternoon and went with you."

Tang Xu blinked. Huh? What does this mean? Is it what she thought? Given their relationship, he shouldn't have to accompany her to the county town, right? Was she overthinking it?

Du Yun realized that he had been too blunt, and just recalled the conversation with his mother that day. He did not explain, but quietly took a sip of tea. It was just pure bitterness, without a trace of sweetness, and he put it down with a frown.

Tang Xu's CPU was almost burned out by Du Yun's words. He thought about it for a long time but was still unsure. The two were speechless for a while.

After waiting for a while, the yamen runner came over with a carriage. Du Yun and Tang Xu walked forward, and the people who were sitting around the memorial archway stood up one after another. Tang Xu realized that the people she thought were beggars were actually victims. They were all pale and thin, with lifeless eyes, like victims who had fled from a disaster.

She pursed her lips, feeling a little uncomfortable.

Du Yun saw that she was upset and said, "They are all people who lost their children and had nowhere to turn to for help, and were also punished by the Zhu family."

His tone was too calm, Tang Xu couldn't help but look at him. His expression was calm, but for some reason there was sadness and self-blame in his eyes. Tang Xu couldn't understand it and thought he had seen it wrong.

The bailiff beckoned the woman to get on the carriage, while the man walked behind it, and no one objected.

Du Yun stood beside the shaft of the cart and stretched out his arm, "Help me up."

Tang Xu embarrassedly pressed his shoulder for leverage, and the feeling under her hand was not just protruding shoulder bones as she imagined, but covered with a thin layer of muscle. She suddenly felt a little hot in her ears, and quickly propped herself up and climbed into the car.

Although it was called a horse-drawn carriage, it was actually very simple. There were only thin wooden boards around it, no curtains on the windows, and the seats were also hard wooden boards. Three other middle-aged women got on the carriage, and they looked a little dazed, as if they couldn't believe it.

Tang Xu looked at them and felt distressed. He turned his head to look at Du Yun outside the window. Although he felt relieved to have someone familiar with him, he felt a little embarrassed to let him walk, so he said, "Mr. Du, why don't you go back? It's so tiring to walk there."

"It's okay." Du Yun waved his hand.

"Hey, Master Du, are you going too?" The bailiff asked with surprise when he saw him.

Du Yun explained: "This is my neighbor, and she is also the teacher who taught my nephew to read. I will go with her."

"So that's the case. Mr. Du, if you don't mind, why don't you ride on the same carriage with me?" The yamen runner smiled and said, "My last name is Du, Du Youling."

"Then I'd be honored to refuse." Du Yun bowed to express his gratitude, then jumped lightly and sat on the shaft of the carriage.

Contrary to Tang Xu's expectation, Du Yun was very talkative. He could respond to whatever Du Youling said and he could make sense of everything. Du Youling's admiration for him almost overflowed from his tone.

Tang Xu laughed secretly and leaned against the car window looking outside.

"Will the Zhu father and son die?" asked a disheveled woman in the car, with timid disbelief in her voice.

Tang Xu turned around to look at her. She hunched her shoulders and lowered her brows, looking submissive.

"She must die!" This one was the most different among them. Her hair was neatly combed and her clothes were patched and washed white. When she spoke, her eyes were full of hatred.

"What if he died? Can my child come back?" the last one said, expressionless and numb. She didn't look at anyone as she spoke, only staring at the car in front of her. "My child can't come back. The child's father's leg was broken. What if Zhu Tou died?"

As soon as these words came out, the woman who spoke first immediately covered her face and started crying.

The second woman looked at the numb one and said fiercely, "It's because the child can't come back that they want him dead! They should be cut into pieces! I want to go to the county to see how their heads are chopped off! I heard that the heads of enemies can be taken away, I will smash them into pieces and throw them into the mountains to feed the dogs! Let his body be incomplete! He will never be reborn!"

Tang Xu was stunned for a moment, but he seemed to understand. The child was raised by the mother's flesh and blood, and she carefully took care of him and watched him grow up. Losing a child is more than just a heart-wrenching pain. I'm afraid no one can empathize with it except the mother who has experienced it personally.

She had only been with Qiyue for a few months, but just thinking about how she felt when Qiyue disappeared that day, her heart felt like it was being tightly grasped by someone, and she felt suffocated. What about the biological parents of these children who would never come back?

The car fell silent again, with only the occasional uncontrollable sobbing sound of the woman.

The county seat was not too far from the small town, but it took more than an hour to walk there as we had to take care of the people walking.

When she arrived at the city gate, Tang Xu was a little disappointed. Although the county town had proper city walls and gates, they were very different from the towering ones she had seen in TV dramas before.

The county government looked like an ordinary house from the outside. The two stone lions at the gate were majestic, and two yamen runners with knives hanging from their backs stood guard. The legendary drum for appealing for justice was under the eaves of the gate. Du Youling took out a token, and several people filed in.

After passing through the ceremonial gate, there is an open space. There is a small stone archway inside. The main hall has only three walls and a roof, but no door. At a glance, you can see a bright mirror hanging high in the middle, and below it should be the table and chairs for the county magistrate to hold court.

There are two rows of weapon racks a little further outside, with red sticks on them. They were called punishment sticks in ancient times, right?

On both sides of the main hall there are east and west classrooms, which should be the resting places for the yamen runners.

Du Youling led them around to the other side, which seemed to be an office area. Several people lined up, waiting to be summoned in for questioning.

Du Yun had no official business and could not come in, so he stood outside the county government office waiting.

Tang Xu was the first one. The clerk asked her where she first met Zhu Tou, who was there, and what happened. The questions were very detailed. The person who asked the questions spoke softly, as if chatting. It made people unintentionally relieve their nervousness, and Tang Xu answered one by one. The clerk took notes, and he wrote very quickly, which surprised Tang Xu. Can brush calligraphy be written so fast? She might not be able to catch up with hard pen calligraphy, let alone so neatly.

The other party did not embarrass her. Although the questions were trivial, they were not misleading. Tang Xu finished quickly and was allowed to go home. Because there were so many victims, Du Youling returned to Yihe Town to take over the next batch after sending them here, so they had to go back by themselves.

When she came out, Du Yun came forward to look at her and asked with concern, "Is everything going well?"

This look made Tang Xu's cheeks hot. She lowered her head and said, "Well, how do we get back?"

These eyes are a bit foul! Coupled with this voice! Tang Xu felt that he was shamefully moved! It seems not shameful, he is good-looking, has a nice voice, is cultured and cares about people. Unfortunately, he is not my boyfriend.

"Let's rent a carriage. Do you want to go for a walk?" Du Yun saw her lowering her head and couldn't help asking, "But where do you feel uncomfortable?"

"No," Tang Xu turned around quickly, "Let's go shopping and bring some local specialties to the children."

"Specialties?" Du Yun was puzzled, but seeing that she had already left, he hurried to catch up. How far was the county town from Yihe Town? What specialties were worth bringing back?