Chapter 321 - Chapter 321: Could It Be That He Could Make Things Appear From Thin Air?
Chapter 321: Could It Be That He Could Make Things Appear From Thin Air?
Translator: Henyee Translations | Editor: Henyee Translations
After a loud bang, the golden lotus on the wall disappeared.
In its place was a square entrance.
“Is there a secret passage here?” Ji Zhao subconsciously looked at Shen Yao beside her and asked curiously.
“Ah Tao, stand guard here. I’ll go in and take a look.” Shen Yao looked up at her and said in a low voice.
“But…” Ji Zhao wanted to accompany him in to take a look.
“Be good.” Shen Yao glanced at her, and Ji Zhao nodded obediently. “Then if you feel that something is wrong, run out quickly?”
“Mm.”
Shen Yao bent over and walked into the square entrance. It was pitch-black in front of him.
He held onto the wall and walked down step by step. Finally, he saw a flash of light not far away.
To his surprise, he saw a pair of clear, confused eyes and the half-eaten candied hawthorn in that person’s hand.
As time passed bit by bit, Ji Zhao, who was guarding outside, became more and more nervous.
Just as she was pacing around anxiously, she finally heard movement.
“Shen Yao, are you alright?” Ji Zhao hurriedly went forward, but he realized that there was a small tail behind Shen Yao.
“This is?” Ji Zhao looked at the disheveled child with half a candied hawthorn in his hand and frowned blankly. “He…”
“Zhaozhao, this child was locked in the secret room,” Shen Yao explained concisely. “He doesn’t seem to know how to speak.”
“Why docs he have my leftover candied hawthorn?” Ji Zhao’s gaze fell on the candied hawthorn in that person’s hand, and she became even more confused. “Did you give it to him?”
“No.” Shen Yao did not know whether to laugh or cry when he heard her question. “When
I entered the secret room, he was already holding this stick of candied hawthorn.”
“Isn’t that too strange?” Ji Zhao was even more puzzled. “Could it be that he knows how to take things from afar?”
“I don’t know.” Shen Yao shook his head and said, “Zhaozhao, shall we send him to the officials?”
“Might as well.”
For some reason, Ji Zhao felt that this child’s eyes were a little familiar.
“Shen Yao, let’s bring him home first. We have to change him into a clean set of clothes, right?”
“Might as well.”
At that moment, Zhao Lanhua was stewing pork rib soup with yams at home.
“Is the fire good?” Shen Dashan, who was sitting in front of the furnace, poked his head out and asked with a simple and honest smile.
“Perfect!” Zhao Lanhua praised happily.
When Shen Yao and Ji Zhao rushed back, a strong fragrance floated in the courtyard.
Gurgle gurgle.
“Are you hungry?” Ji Zhao heard a loud gurgling sound and subconsciously looked at the young boy who was tugging at the corner of her shirt.
“You’re back?” Hearing the commotion, Zhao Lanhua walked out of the kitchen with a smile. She took a closer look and thought that her eyes were playing tricks on her. “Third Brother, Ah Tao, did you pick up a little beggar?”
“Mother, he probably isn’t a beggar,” Ji Zhao explained seriously.
She and Shen Yao both felt that no one would go through so much trouble to lock a little beggar in a secret room.
When Zhao Lanhua found out about this child’s background, she only felt her heart ache.
“Honey, there’s hot water in the kitchen. Help this child take a good bath.” Zhao Lanhua thought for a moment and quickly instructed Shen Dashan. Then, she looked at Shen Yao and instructed seriously, “Third Brother, go to the government office and ask around. See if any family in the prefecture has lost a child in the past few years.”
“Ah Tao, go to the inn and ask Innkeeper Qian. Perhaps you can find out some useful information?”
“Okay!”
At dusk, the horizon in the distance was filled with colorful clouds.
The setting sun quietly hid behind the green mountain. The autumn wind suddenly rose, carrying the withered sycamore leaves in the low air and gently landing on the ground. After a while, it started to drizzle.
“He looks like a good-looking kid.” Zhao Lanhua scooped a bowl of pork rib soup and handed it to the nervous young boy. She praised him sincerely, “But he’s still too thin.”
“He’s really thin,” Shen Dashan could not help but say. “When I was bathing this child just now, I realized that he’s just skin and bones. I wonder whose family this child belongs to. It’s really too pitiful.”
“Third Brother and Ah Tao are not back yet. Perhaps they can find out some useful information?” Zhao Lanhua looked at the young boy again and advised, “Good child, the soup is getting cold. Hurry up and drink it.”
The young boy understood Zhao Lanhua’s words. He held the bowl of soup and gulped it down.
That speed was truly astonishing.
By the time Ji Zhao and Shen Yao rushed back, he had already drunk three big bowls of pork rib soup.
“How is it? Is there any news?” Zhao Lanhua asked anxiously.
Shen Yao shook his head. “I’ve already gone to the government office to ask around. No one has reported their disappearance in the past few years, and no one has lost their child.”
“Innkeeper Qian doesn’t know either. He said that he went to the wine cellar a few times before, but he didn’t see any children.” Ji Zhao shrugged helplessly and explained softly.
“Looks like we won’t be able to find this child’s family for a while.” Zhao Lanhua was also a little disappointed.
“Mother, don’t worry.” Shen Yao quickly comforted her. “We’ll cross the bridge when the time comes. Let’s cat first. Tomorrow morning, I’ll bring this child to the government office. If we still can’t find his family, we can only send him to Ci’an Hall in the prefectural city.”
The current emperor was benevolent. In order to take care of those vagrant beggars and old people who had nobody to rely on, he had set up Ci’an Halls in various provinces and counties of the Great Jing Empire. Therefore, Shen Yao thought that if they really could not find this child’s family, they could only send him to Ci’an Hall.
The family was discussing the child’s future, but no one noticed that another bowl of pork ribs soup appeared in front of him.
“Then this matter is decided for the time being.” Zhao Lanhua thought for a moment and quickly said, “You’ve been busy for so long. You’re hungry, right? Mother will cook noodles for you. There’s still a lot of pork rib soup left.”
“Mother, I’ll go with you.” Ji Zhao quickly got up and accompanied Zhao Lanhua to the kitchen.
A moment later, Zhao Lanhua stared at the empty earthen jar and frowned in confusion. “Mother, what’s wrong?”
“This is too strange.” Zhao Lanhua pointed at the empty earthen jar. Her tone was confused. “I remember that there’s still more than half of the pork rib soup left. Why is it all empty now?”
“Mother, could it be that you remembered wrongly?” Ji Zhao asked softly.
“No, definitely not!” Zhao Lanhua said confidently. “I made a jar of pork rib soup and only ladled a bowl for that child to drink-“
Ji Zhao looked up blankly and suddenly realized something. She hurriedly ran to the front hall.
As expected, the bowl in front of the young boy was filled with pork ribs soup.
“How many bowls of pork rib soup did you drink?” Ji Zhao walked in front of him and asked patiently..