Yu Hang County, Wutong Street.
“Hoo hoo…”
Xiao Lian leaned her hands on her knees, her rosy little mouth panting heavily.
She turned her head to glance at Daming beside her; Daming still looked as silly and dazed as ever, having run for a long time without even panting.
“How come you’re not even panting?”
A clear, melodious voice came from Xiao Lian’s mouth, and her nimble eyes showed surprise.
Daming froze, staring blankly at Xiao Lian.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, he felt for his chest with his right hand.
Touching the fan in his embrace, a smile appeared on Daming’s silly, dazed face.
The item was still there; Father would surely be very happy to see it.
Thinking of this, Daming tilted his head and looked around, confusion appearing in his eyes.
What was this place? It felt as if he had been here before.
Where was Father?
Daming opened his mouth, wanting to call for Father, but no sound came out.
“Don’t shout. Your Mute Acupoints have been pressed; it’ll take at least another hour or so to unseal them.”
Xiao Lian patted her chest, taking a breath as she spoke.
After she finished, she muttered to herself, “No, why am I telling you all this…?”
“You don’t understand anyway.”
After observing Daming, Xiao Lian confirmed that he was just a strong simpleton.
Xiao Lian looked up and surveyed her surroundings, recognizing that she was now on Wutong Street, and two streets away was the North City.
“Fool, do you still remember where your home is?” Xiao Lian withdrew her gaze, her nimble eyes once again looking at Daming.
As soon as she turned her head, she saw a young man dressed in coarse cloth, his face filled with excitement, running over and embracing Daming.
“Daming!”
Hearing the familiar voice, Chen Daming turned his head in surprise, and the moment he saw Chen Ye, he froze.
Then, his eyes reddened, and tears streamed down his face.
Daming wailed, hugging Chen Ye’s leg, crying incessantly.
Seeing Daming like this, a strange feeling arose in Chen Ye’s heart.
There was some relief, some emotion, and also some heartache.
“Wait, Daming, why can’t you cry out loud?”
Chen Ye noticed something was wrong; Daming was wailing, but there was no sound at all.
Seeing this, Chen Ye was a little flustered. He pried open Daming’s mouth to check his tongue and throat.
“His Mute Acupoints have been pressed; it will take at least another hour or so for him to recover.”
A clear, melodious voice came from the side.
Only then did Chen Ye notice a child standing beside him.
The child was even taller than Daming, wearing a somewhat faded blue dress that had been washed many times, and her face was covered in mud, making her original appearance unrecognizable.
But from her voice, it could be heard that this was a girl.
“Oh, so his Mute Acupoints were pressed.”
Chen Ye breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing the young girl’s explanation.
Having just witnessed the Wind and Rain Pavilion’s bronze-token assassins fighting the government Constables, he had already accepted the existence of martial arts and Schools in this world.
Since there were martial arts, then things like Acupoints naturally existed too.
Chen Ye looked at the young girl with the muddy face and asked, “Who are you?”
Xiao Lian’s eyes drooped slightly, a hint of vigilance flashing in them.
“My name is Xiao Lian, and I’m a child who lives nearby.”
Chen Ye nodded at this explanation and did not ask further.
How would a child living nearby know that Daming’s Mute Acupoints had been pressed?
And why was her face smeared like this?
Chen Ye no longer paid attention to Xiao Lian. He bent down and squatted in front of Daming.
“Daming, how did you get out?”
“Is there anywhere on your body that hurts?”
“Tell the director.”
Daming understood this sentence and shook his head.
Chen Ye checked him uneasily and found that his arms and legs were fine, but as soon as he touched Daming’s shoulder, he shivered.
“Don’t move, the director will take a look.”
A serious expression appeared on Chen Ye’s face. He pulled open Daming’s collar and saw a bruise on his shoulder.
“Hiss!”
Seeing the bruise, Chen Ye’s face showed anger.
At this moment, Chen Ye felt as if his own child had been bullied.
“Let’s go, Daming, the director will go back and apply medicine for you first!”
Chen Ye made a mental note against the Wind and Rain Pavilion. Once he drew some powerful entries, he would definitely meet that person called the Pavilion Master.
Human traffickers must die.
Chen Ye pulled Daming, but Daming stayed put, not moving an inch.
“What’s wrong, Daming?” Chen Ye didn’t understand why Daming wouldn’t go.
Daming, with teary eyes, turned to look at Xiao Lian, staring at her, then looked at Chen Ye again.
Seeing Daming’s actions, Xiao Lian took a step back, her eyes vigilant.
She looked as if she might run at any moment.
Chen Ye thought for a moment and roughly understood what was going on.
Earlier, all the other children had left through the main gate; only Daming and this young girl in front of him had taken another path.
Coupled with the contradictions in the young girl’s appearance, Chen Ye could roughly guess what was happening.
This young girl, to prevent guards at the entrance, let the other children use the main gate, while she herself took Daming on another path.
This was enough to show her intelligence.
Furthermore, the vigilance in her eyes sparked a thought in Chen Ye’s mind.
It would be great if this child were an orphan.
He just happened to have a ‘Dexterous’ entry, which would be perfect for a girl.
After pondering for a moment, Chen Ye’s expression softened, and he kindly said, “I am the director of the Yuhang Nursery Home.”
“If you don’t have a place to go temporarily, you can come to my place.”
Xiao Lian’s eyes flashed with surprise when she heard Chen Ye’s words.
She had originally thought Chen Ye was Daming’s father, but she didn’t expect Chen Ye to be the director of the Yu Ying Hall.
Xiao Lian carefully observed Chen Ye’s and Daming’s facial features and eyes; indeed, they didn’t resemble each other.
After Chen Ye finished speaking, he no longer paid much attention to Xiao Lian.
For such a smart child, it would be best if she came, but it wouldn’t matter if she didn’t.
Perhaps she wasn’t an orphan after all.
Seeing Chen Ye pull Daming away after saying that, Xiao Lian hesitated for a moment, then called out in a clear voice, “How did you know he ran away?”
After saying this, Xiao Lian retreated a few more steps.
From Chen Ye’s recent words, she had thought of many things.
She didn’t want to think the worst of people, but she was by no means naive.
Xiao Lian had traveled all the way from Jianning Prefecture to Lin’an Prefecture, relying on her vigilance.
The actions of some Yu Ying Halls were no different from those of human traffickers.
They would take in children one moment and sell them off the next.
Hearing this, Chen Ye stopped in place, opened his mouth, and smiled wryly, “I saw a group of children run out earlier, but I didn’t see Daming, so I came to check nearby.”
After speaking, Chen Ye led Daming towards the Yu Ying Hall.
Xiao Lian stood in place, watching Chen Ye’s retreating figure, her eyes thoughtful.
…
Yuhang Nursery Home.
“Daming, come lie on the long bench; the director will put some medicine on you.”
A long bench was placed in the center of the small courtyard, and Chen Ye held a bottle of safflower oil he had just redeemed from the System Mall.
Daming lay blankly on the long bench, and as soon as he lay down, he shivered.
He quickly got up, pulled a pink round fan from his embrace, and handed it to Chen Ye.
Daming looked at Chen Ye, grinning, and opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
Chen Ye stared blankly at the round fan Daming handed him.
“Hey, where did you pick this up?”
Chen Ye recognized at a glance that this was a round fan held by the Young Misses of Yi Hong Courtyard, and his expression couldn’t help but become strange.
Daming opened his mouth foolishly, forming a silent word with his lips.
Chen Ye understood this mouth shape.
It was a silent word for “Father.”
“Alright, I’ll take it.”
Chen Ye tucked the round fan into his embrace, patting it twice as if it were a treasure.
Daming grinned foolishly.
“Alright, hurry up and lie down.”
Chen Ye said with a chiding smile.
Daming took off his upper garment and lay on the long bench, exposing his shoulder to Chen Ye.
Chen Ye looked at the long bruise on Daming’s shoulder skin, and his heart twitched.
“Which damn person was so ruthless?”
Chen Ye cursed, poured a little safflower oil onto his palm, quickly smeared it on Daming’s bruise, and began to rub it little by little.
Daming lay obediently on the long bench, not making a sound.
Outside the Yu Ying Hall gate, a small head peeked out.
She looked inside, attracted by the scene in the courtyard.
In the small courtyard with blue tiles and white walls, Daming was bare-chested, lying on the long bench, while Chen Ye carefully applied safflower oil to him.
Oily, reddish-brown liquid shone on Daming’s wheat-colored back.
Xiao Lian saw the warm scene before her, and a soft spot in her heart couldn’t help but be touched.
She retracted her small head, leaned against the Yu Ying Hall gate, and gazed blankly at the clear blue sky.
Mother, he shouldn’t be a bad person, right?
