Chapter 623: Chapter 623: Master Is Actually the Most Gentle
Qin Feng saw Uncle Qi’s expression and knew he misunderstood.
He quickly explained, "It’s the girl who just saved me, but she doesn’t recognize me and even knows martial arts. I’m truly baffled. Is it possible for two people in this world to look exactly the same, even having the same age and voice?"
Uncle Qi was also taken aback. Could that fierce woman be the sister the boss had been searching for a long time?
"Boss, are you sure you didn’t mistake her? I remember the girl is only twenty-two this year. How could she be the mother of four such big children?"
No matter how Uncle Qi thought, he couldn’t connect the brave woman from today with the gentle and resilient kind girl his boss had described.
They were often on the road, either buying or selling goods, encountering all sorts of people. The killing intent from that woman didn’t seem like something a gentle, kind girl could possess.
Qin Feng said irritably, "She must have been tricked into marrying that scoundrel as a concubine. I got a chance to look closely just now, and she indeed seems to be in her early twenties."
Uncle Qi asked, "Did the boss see any birthmarks on the girl? Can it match?
"Ah... this..." Qin Feng awkwardly touched his nose. Although they were siblings, the girl who looked exactly like Ah Yao looked at him like a stranger, so he couldn’t just invade her space and check her clothes.
But Uncle Qi’s words did remind him. Ah Yao had a crescent-shaped scar on her left forearm, a result of climbing fruit trees carelessly as a child and ignoring proper medication. It left a pale, crescent scar.
They were originally a small family business, and their uncles were also merchants. Four years ago, disaster struck the Northwest, and to survive, the family planned to migrate south.
The disaster turned out to be far worse than expected. Halfway through, all their assets and servants were robbed and slaughtered. Things got progressively worse, and family members, starting from the eldest, perished along the way one by one.
In the end, only a broken cart was left, with his weak sister pushing it while he lay there barely alive, waiting for King Yan to come for his soul...
Ah Wang’s cooking was unrivaled; no one in the family dared to claim second place.
The day was full of ups and downs, thrilling and suspenseful. With the villains finally dealt with, Qin Yao’s empty stomach couldn’t wait any longer.
Four big and four small, everyone was present, perfectly filling up a square table.
At Qin Yao’s command, everyone picked up their chopsticks and silently began to eat.
With limited ingredients, Ah Wang had only made a pot of wild vegetable soup and a stir-fried dish of dried mushrooms and chicken. Fortunately, he found the rice jar and steamed a large pot of mixed grain rice, more than enough!
Oh, and the chicken was the one Gouwa said they would kill to honor their benefactor—the only live hen in the entire village kept as bait.
Sadly, after being cared for by these villains, it stopped laying eggs. Otherwise, there might even have been a dish of scrambled eggs with chives tonight.
Suddenly, Liu Ji, who was eating diligently, thought of something, stopped his chopsticks, and slowly turned his head to the dim corner of the hall.
Gouwa and his brother tried hard to shrink together, trying to minimize their presence.
Unfortunately, they were still discovered by that man.
Amid the silence, the brothers’ stomachs let out a loud growl, successfully attracting the attention of everyone at the table.
Qin Yao hissed, almost forgetting there were two little ones.
The Da Lang brothers and sisters didn’t dare to speak a word; though they felt pity, they just buried their heads in their food in silence, fearful that Mother might remember something.
Liu Ji coughed lightly to cover his embarrassment, withdrew his gaze, picked up his chopsticks, and continued eating the mixed grain rice—it was truly awful. He missed the white rice from home!
Yin Le, conscience-stricken, tentatively asked Qin Yao, "Master, they are also accomplices. Should we hand them over to the convoy for the guards to detain?"
Focused entirely on his food, uninterested in the conversation, Ah Wang suddenly put down his bowl and corrected matter-of-factly:
"The entire village was harmed, and their families are missing. They had to become bait for kidnappers to survive, but they are victims too."
Qin Yao nodded, "You’re right." But she glanced at her bitten hand and could not help feeling like a fool.
Ah Wang had been following them the whole time, and seeing Qin Yao’s small action, he felt a strange sense of delight.
Who would have thought such a capable person would also have moments where they couldn’t lead the team properly?
Of course, he didn’t dare show it, getting up to the kitchen in the courtyard, finding two bowls, washing them clean, and filling them with mixed grain rice to place before the two brothers before returning to his meal.
The two children were obviously starving. Without regard for poison, they grabbed the bowls and buried their heads in them, using their mouths and hands, afraid someone might take them. They turned their backs to the wall, swallowing large bites.
Watching this, Qin Yao deeply frowned, giving Yin Le a look.
Yin Le had been feeling guilty and immediately took the opportunity to resolve it, bringing over a half-filled jug of water for the Gouwa brothers.
After contemplating a bit, he couldn’t help but remind them gently, "Eat slowly, drink some water, so you don’t choke."
He stood there for a moment, making sure they weren’t choking before finally returning to the table to continue eating.
Once their bellies were full, drowsiness set in.
Yin Le and Ah Wang tidied up two rooms, found two somewhat clean quilts, and made beds, with men and women each having a room to make do for the night.
Given the limited conditions, the children quickly washed their faces and climbed into bed. The night was deep, and as soon as they lay down, they started yawning one after another.
Yin Le couldn’t bear letting the Gouwa brothers freeze, so he brought over a quilt to the corner. The brothers immediately climbed onto it, wrapped themselves up, only leaving Gouwa’s thin little face covered in dried blood visible.
"I’m sorry." It was as soft as a mosquito buzz, and Qin Yao, busy sorting knives and sticks in the center of the hall, almost didn’t hear it.
Realizing his own voice was too soft, Gouwa mustered up the courage to say a bit louder, "Madam, I’m sorry!"
He was about to bang his head on the ground when Qin Yao sternly stopped him, scaring him to a halt, but in the end, he didn’t continue.
"Yin Le, bring a basin of water for them to wash their faces and put some medicine on that kid." Qin Yao commanded coldly.
Yin Le glanced at the pair of brothers, who were already scared stiff by their master, offering some consolation; they’d get used to it over time.
After all, the master was the gentlest!
The entire Wildcat Village didn’t truly quiet down until the middle of the night.
In the early morning, Uncle Qi knocked on the door, and Ah Wang immediately got up, following Qin Yao’s instructions from the previous night, tethering a horse to go to An County Government with him to report the case.
The men shared a room to sleep in, and though Ah Wang moved quietly, Liu Ji, who typically woke up around this time to study, couldn’t resist his body’s clock and woke up with wide-open eyes, unable to sleep anymore.
Well, might as well get up.
Liu Ji quickly got dressed, stepping over the three sons sleeping messily on the floor, sneaking out into the courtyard, drifting towards the village entrance’s camp.
Before going to bed last night, the shrew had grabbed him by the collar and said, "You have half a day. I want to know everything about this man!"
And ’this man’ she referred to was Qin Feng.
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