Before nightfall, the father and daughter drove their cart back to the main street and found an inn to rest in, as close to the city gate as possible.
The inn was a bit smaller and not as nice as the one they stayed at previously, but it was adequate. They ordered food and asked the staff to bring it to their room, resolving their hunger.
After eating, Hua Jin didn’t forget to let the puppies, who had been cooped up in bamboo baskets all day, run around, drink so water, eat, and relieve themselves.
The more Hua Jin looked at the puppies, the more she liked them.
They had stayed in the basket almost the entire day, only being let out around noon until they reached the inn at night, and surprisingly none of these puppies had any accidents in the basket, which was quite impressive for puppies just over a month old. They were simply so well-behaved.
When she let them out, Hua Jin held each one tightly for a mont and gave them nas.
The largest one was completely black, very strong and shiny, simply nad Blackie. The second largest was a mix of gray and yellow, with more gray, and Hua Jin lazily called it Grey Two based on its color.
The third was a dirt-yellow one with a bit of black fur mixed in, and it was the loudest, nad Yellow Three.
The fourth was also purely black but had a lightning-shaped tuft of white fur on its head, so it was aptly nad Lightning.
The fifth and smallest one was also black, with a tuft of white fur on its tail, simply nad White Tail.
Listening to his daughter’s serious naming convention, Hua Chengtian held back a laugh, surprised that his smart daughter was just as bad at naming things as he was.
It’s just fine; these nas were easy to rember and unlikely to create confusion.
Thus, each little fellow had its own na, and Hua Jin played with them for a while before putting them back in the basket to wash up and rest.
As for the morning incident, she had already put it behind her and fell asleep imdiately after washing up.
However, Hua Chengtian in the outer room couldn’t fall asleep for a long ti, still struck with fear, worried that the morning’s events might leave a shadow in his daughter’s mind, given her young age. He stayed alert, prepared to rush in at the slightest sign of sothing being wrong from the inner room.
He only felt at ease when he heard her even breathing.
He was proud of his daughter; she had inherited his bravery, falling asleep so quickly ant she had no psychological shadow.
This was his daughter.
He dared to say that no other child could handle the sa situation as well as she did.
Not only did she react promptly, but she even managed to fight back against the bad people.
Fortunately, his child was excellent enough, otherwise, Hua Chengtian couldn’t bear to contemplate the consequences.
He realized he hadn’t been cautious enough, letting bad people find opportunities, and promised himself never to let his child out of his sight again.
Eventually, Hua Chengtian didn’t know when he fell asleep, only waking up to the watchman’s calls to find out it was almost dawn, hastily waking his daughter.
After washing up, the father and daughter had breakfast and packed so more food for the journey back ho.
This ti, everything went smoothly until they exited the city gates, and both Hua Jin and Hua Chengtian simultaneously let out a sigh of relief.
Finally, nothing went wrong.
Then they continued their journey, only pausing for a bit past noon to let the dog Da Huang rest, eat, and drink, afterward continuing on their way.
The journey went smoothly, and Hua Chengtian even drove the ox cart at the speed of a horse cart, finally entering Shanggu Town’s boundary before dusk.
Returning to familiar territory, both Hua Jin and Hua Chengtian felt that even their breaths were relaxed and easy.
Finally, they were nearing ho.
Their hearts leapt forward, not stopping until they ran straight toward ho.
Hua Village.
Usually, at this ti, the elderly lady of the Hua family and her daughter-in-law would be in the kitchen preparing dinner, so that the grandchildren would have a full stomach upon returning from school, giving them more energy to study.
But at this mont, the two of them sat by their front door, anxiously gazing in the direction of the village road, their eyes filled with worry.
By their calculations, the son and granddaughter should have returned ho by last night at the latest, but they waited through the night without signs of the two. The old man and lady of the Hua family had virtually stayed awake all night.
It was the sa for Mrs. Qi; when she went out in the morning, her face was pale. If it weren’t for the fact that her sons were going to the academy early in the morning, she wouldn’t have had the energy to prepare als for them.
Old Hua, being a man, could bear more in his heart, and after the children left, he comforted his wife and daughter-in-law.
"Don’t worry. Didn’t Chengtian say when he left that they might co back a few days late? After all, exchanging such a large amount of silver needs to be done cautiously. They probably stayed a day longer. Don’t worry; both of them are smart and clever, nothing will happen to them."
In truth, Old Hua wasn’t entirely sure. Although his son was cautious and wouldn’t convert too much silver at once at the bank, who could guarantee that no ill-willed people might do anything hurtful?
Old Hua wasn’t too worried about his granddaughter. She had places to hide if needed, but he was concerned that his son’s stubbornness might lead to conflict with bad people. Although his son’s martial skills weren’t bad, it’s hard to fight four opponents single-handedly.
He was worried inside, but he couldn’t say that in front of his wife and daughter-in-law.
He thought about waiting two more days, and if they hadn’t returned by then, he’d go to the city to find them.
Maybe the father and daughter would return during the day, he comforted himself.
Anyway, Old Hua’s comforting words did make the two won feel better, and they found his reasoning sound.
The son (the children’s father) did ntion this when he left, so they decided to wait a bit longer.
Even so, by noon, none of them had any appetite and decided to skip lunch.
By afternoon, their longing to see the returning figures only increased, leaving them with no concentration to do any chores, rely sitting by the door waiting, failing to even notice the setting sun.
They only snapped back to reality when they saw the three children returning from school, as well as Old Hua, who, after not finding his son and granddaughter at the village entrance, saw his grandson instead. Then the won hurried back to prepare dinner.
When Hua Yunao and his brother left in the morning, they sensed that sothing was different in the household’s atmosphere.
The little fourth brother thought little of it, but eldest brother Hua and second brother quickly realized that their grandparents and mother were worrying about their father and little sister.
They were worried too, it had been several days and the duo should be back by now.
To avoid adding more anxiety to their mother and grandmother, the two brothers resolved not to ask about it.
Upon returning and seeing their mother and grandmother’s expressions, they understood their father and little sister hadn’t returned, exchanging a concerned glance with each other.
But it was the carefree little fourth brother who rushed into the yard, as usual, asking her mother, "Mom, your most precious son is hungry, have dad and sister co back yet?"
Reviews
All reviews (0)