Chapter 45
This Old Servant Has Been Waiting For a Long Time
Xiao Niba felt very sad. This Sister Ying was truly a very, very good person to them. She didn’t look down on him or his friends, bought them fragrant steamed buns, and even when he had thrown mud at her before, she hadn’t gotten angry and had gently patted his head instead. She was such a great person! So, someone this good absolutely couldn’t be captured by the people from the cave!
Before this, Xiao Niba had seen other sisters who were captured. He only saw them once, and then never again. He understood very well what that meant—those sisters were probably gone for good.
Ying Jiuque gently patted Xiao Niba’s back, signaling him not to worry.
“It’s alright, I’m safe. About the Carefree Cave… the Carefree Cave had many of its people captured today. Many of those who traffic children and young women were caught. Right now, they don’t have the mind to come after me.”
“Wha… what?”
Xiao Niba seemed unable to comprehend these words. What did he mean, many from the Carefree Cave were captured? Wasn’t the government always powerless against the Carefree Cave? Otherwise, the people above ground wouldn’t be so afraid of the Carefree Cave’s influence.
But Ying Jiuque’s eyes were gentle and sincere; it didn’t seem like she was lying. It took Xiao Niba a little while to believe this fact, then he suddenly turned to look at his equally bewildered friends.
They exchanged several glances, digesting this information. Once they did, an astonishing light suddenly burst forth in their eyes.
Did this mean they wouldn’t have to live in that smelly, damp, and sticky cave anymore? That they could walk openly on the streets? That they could earn a living with their own hands without worrying that everything they gained would be snatched away by the older beggars and their leaders?
Could they… could they also live under the sunlight, just like children from ordinary families?
The news was so sudden that they hardly dared to believe it. But this big sister had no reason to lie to them. So, was the commotion they heard earlier related to the Carefree Cave?
After briefly explaining the current situation, Jiuque successfully persuaded Xiao Niba and the other children and brought them back to her residence.
On the way, Xiao Niba remained tense. But before he could even spot any ambush, those fierce-looking guards rushed forward and firmly subdued the lurking ruffians who were watching for an opportunity.
The sound of fists hitting flesh made Xiao Niba puff up his cheeks. Did these guard brothers have some deep-seated grudge against the ambushing traffickers? They were beating them so hard that several bones must have broken.
Actually, they were holding back. If they weren’t worried about scaring the County Lady Ying, they would have wanted to end the scoundrels’ lives right there. To them, Ying Jiuque, who could wield such a powerful weapon, was practically no different from a celestial being. In the thirteen years since the founding of the Great Jing Dynasty, the common people hadn’t had it easy, with all sorts of natural disasters and man-made troubles emerging one after another. There were even rumors that the Emperor’s ascension to the throne was illegitimate, which had provoked heaven’s wrath. Now, with such a living immortal present, didn’t that prove their Emperor was indeed in accord with the Mandate of Heaven, having overthrown the tyrannical previous regime and established the new dynasty?
In any case, this was just a minor episode. Jiuque didn’t even dismount from her horse and directly brought everyone back to her home. To be honest, she had only lived in this residence for a few days. The maids and servants inside were all arranged by Emperor Jingtai. Trusting the Emperor, Jiuque hadn’t made any changes to their positions.
Some might feel uncomfortable being so exposed under the Emperor’s surveillance, but Jiuque found it particularly convenient, as she wasn’t doing anything shady anyway.
She had everyone give Xiao Niba and the others a thorough wash, dress them in clean clothes, and set out a table of easily digestible, delicious food. Then, she explained to the blushing Xiao Niba.
“Sorry about this, I don’t have clothes for children your age here at home. These are a bit too big. I’ll take you to get new clothes made tomorrow.”
Xiao Niba blinked, somewhat at a loss. He was used to receiving malice from others; such pure kindness made him feel disoriented.
He hurriedly assured Jiuque.
“Sister, Lady Ying, please don’t worry, I’ll start working right now. I’m very useful, and they are all very hardworking too. We won’t eat without working! We…”
“Alright.”
Jiuque didn’t spout nonsense like ‘you don’t need to work’. She knew that saying that would only make Xiao Niba and the others feel more uneasy. They were accustomed to having to give in order to receive. If they were truly kept idle, it would ruin them.
Moreover, they already had physical disabilities. If they were really made to do nothing, it would only make Xiao Niba and the others more acutely aware of their differences from others. She wanted them to live like normal people, able to support themselves through their labor. No one had an easy life in these times, and it was even harder for these children. So they had to put in double the effort to receive a relatively fair return.
“Be prepared, there’s still a lot for you to learn in the future, and I won’t allow anyone to quit halfway from exhaustion. Don’t be fooled by my appearance, I’m a strict teacher. Those who don’t listen will get their palms caned by me.”
Xiao Niba couldn’t help but laugh. He wanted to say, ‘How do you cane my palms when I don’t have hands?’, but as he laughed, he felt like crying. Lady Ying truly treated them as people, not like stray dogs that could be kicked at will on the roadside.
These children, who had previously drifted through the world like duckweed with nothing to rely on, finally had a place to settle.
“Alright, you eat first. I need to go to the palace. His Majesty has business with me.”
Seeing the guards behind her anxiously pacing in circles for some time, Jiuque could only pause her conversation with the children for now. As she prepared to leave, she said, with a tone as casual as if she were just going out to buy something, something that left the children dumbfounded.
Wha, what?
Lady Ying is going to the palace? And to see whom? The Emperor?! The biggest official in the whole land?
Xiao Niba felt short of breath and took a long time to recover. By then, Lady Ying had already left. He looked down at the light meat porridge set before him, then looked up at the guard uncles left behind to protect them. He rubbed his face and started eating with single-minded concentration.
Just as Lady Ying said, they must use their侥幸-surviving bodies to do many, many things for her, to repay her kindness for saving their lives and taking them in. So he needed to eat and sleep well, to become stronger and capable of doing more.
Jiuque had originally thought that since it was so late, the Emperor would have already retired for the night. Perhaps she would just go to the palace gates, the guards wouldn’t let her in, and she could return home. Unexpectedly, as soon as she arrived at the palace entrance, she encountered a figure pacing anxiously on the spot.
Chief Eunuch Jiufu, who had finally seen the person he was waiting for, practically sprinted over, his attitude unbelievably respectful.
“County Lady, this old servant has been waiting for a long time. You have finally arrived!”
