Chapter 6: Found a Little Kid

Luo Qi Qi stepped out of the space, and the sky had already darkened.

She almost forgot; she couldn’t let anyone see her current appearance.

Quickly, she took out her makeup tools from the space, and in just a few moments, Luo Qi Qi returned to her original, slightly weak and pale state.

When she opened the door, she saw Luo Shitou standing at the entrance, looking longingly outside.

It was already this late, and yet her father still hadn’t returned. Luo Shitou was very worried.

Originally, the plan was to leave with the people from the old house in the morning.

However, ever since Luo Qi Qi had been rescued from the river a few days ago, she had been faint and dizzy, and it was only getting worse. If they left now, it would definitely cost her life.

The others also advised her father, Luo Lao, to bring Luo Qi Qi along. They should take their chances on the road.

Although Luo Lao was usually honest and simple, once he made a decision, not even ten oxen could pull him back.

The others could only shake their heads and continue to gather their families to flee.

Luo Lao had instructed Luo Shitou to stay at home and take care of Luo Qi Qi while he hurried to the next village to see Old Liu.

No one knew if Old Liu had already left with his family, so Luo Lao had to take a gamble.

On the road, there were a few groups of people fleeing eastward, most of whom looked unfamiliar. They were probably people who had come from the west, passing through this area.

When they saw him heading in the opposite direction, they looked at him with confusion, but no one asked anything.

After all, it was a year of famine, and the enemy’s army had arrived.

Just surviving was difficult enough.

Who had the energy to worry about others?

It was better to conserve energy and hurry on their way.

Old Liu’s house was in chaos, with things scattered everywhere.

Luo Lao struggled to find some herbs that were still in decent condition among the pile of clutter.

In the nearby villages, the villagers would usually go to Old Liu to treat their illnesses, whether big or small.

After all, the town was far away and expensive, so most people couldn’t afford it.

At Old Liu’s place, people could exchange goods for treatment, which made it a more suitable option for those with limited resources.

Of course, there were some who didn’t want to trade goods and would just have to suffer.

When Luo Qi Qi fell into the river, the elderly Luo woman didn’t even plan on offering anything to exchange for medicine.

It was only later when Liu’s wife, from the neighboring house, couldn’t bear to watch anymore that she had her husband go to the town and tell Luo Lao.

That’s when Luo Qi Qi was saved.

The herbs that Luo Lao had found, he didn’t recognize. They looked similar to those he had picked up a few days ago, so he planned to bring them back.

Due to the injury to his leg earlier, it had taken a lot of time on his trip, and now the sun was already slanting westward.

The situation was getting worse, and with the chaos in the streets, leaving the siblings alone at home was becoming more dangerous. The more Luo Lao thought about it, the more anxious he became.

On the way back, his pace quickened.

The two villages were separated by a patch of forest.

Just as Luo Lao was getting close, he heard faint sounds of crying, the kind of sound that resembled a child.

Luo Lao shook his head. “Where could there be a child? I must have misheard.” The sky was almost dark, and there wasn’t a single person in sight.

He hesitated for a moment, then continued on his way. He needed to get back quickly.

If he was late by even one more hour, it would make the situation even more dangerous for his unconscious daughter and little Shitou at home.

Just as Luo Lao was about to pass through the forest, he heard the sound again. This time, it was much louder.

Luo Lao was now certain there was indeed a child.

Following the sound, he saw a little girl, about five or six years old.

She was dressed in fine clothing, clearly not something a poor village like this could afford.

Luo Lao spoke up.

“Little girl, did you get separated from your family?”

Xu Yunxuan lifted her head and looked at him without saying a word.

Luo Lao assumed she simply couldn’t speak.

“What a sin, to be abandoned by your family at such a young age.”

Luo Lao bent down and picked up Xu Yunxuan.

At first, Xu Yunxuan was reluctant to be picked up by this stranger, who was dressed in ragged clothes.

“Fine, I’ll go with him for now. It looks like I won’t be able to go back anytime soon.”

It was all that little fatty from next door’s fault. If it weren’t for him, how would she have ended up in this strange place?

Now she was stuck here, unable to return…

Because of his injured leg and the burden of carrying the child, Luo Lao’s pace was even slower.

With each staggered step, Xu Yunxuan accidentally drifted off to sleep.

“Father!”

From a distance, Luo Shitou shouted.

When he got closer and saw his father carrying a little girl, he was about to ask, but then he heard his father say, “Let’s go inside and talk.”

When Luo Shitou heard his voice, Luo Qi Qi also opened the door and came out.

Seeing that her father was carrying a little girl who seemed about the same age as Luo Shitou, Luo Qi Qi looked at them with confusion.

Luo Lao, seeing his daughter come out, quickly moved past her, still holding the little girl.

“Qi Qi, how do you feel? Is your head still dizzy?”

He completely ignored the few people in the yard.

Seeing her father’s concern, Luo Qi Qi felt warmth in her heart.

“I’m fine now, Father. I feel much better.”

“Perhaps we should pack up and leave early. It’s no longer safe here.” Luo Qi Qi expressed her concern.

“I was just about to say that. Let’s go inside and talk,” Luo Lao said.

He then grabbed Luo Shitou, who was standing by, and urged his daughter to come inside.

Once inside, Luo Lao immediately closed the door.

“When I was coming back, I saw that the western side of Luo River was bright as day. The Tatars must have already arrived. It’s good that they haven’t continued coming this way, but we need to leave before nightfall.”

“Shitou, Qi Qi, hurry up and pack. We need to move quickly. Take only the essential things, and pack light for the journey.”

“Oh, and this little girl is someone I found on the way. Her parents were cruel to abandon her.”

“She’ll be coming with us from now on.”

Luo Shitou looked at the little girl in his father’s arms with curiosity.

Realizing the urgency, he didn’t have time to ask questions. Without a word, he turned around and started packing.

Luo Qi Qi stood aside, not moving.

Once Luo Lao finished speaking, he placed the little girl on the bed where Luo Qi Qi usually slept.

The girl must have been crying for a long time and was completely exhausted. She didn’t wake up during the journey.

Luo Qi Qi stood behind her father and spoke.

“Father, bringing another child might make it inconvenient for the journey.”

Luo Lao sighed. “I know, but when you come across a situation like this, you can’t just ignore it. We’ll see if we can find a family to adopt her as we go forward.”

Seeing that her father had made up his mind, Luo Qi Qi didn’t argue further.

Besides, with the space she had, she could at least ensure everyone didn’t go hungry. She’d think of a way to handle it later.

“Father, there’s one more thing…”

Luo Qi Qi thought for a moment and told him about the situation at home, including what had happened earlier. Once she finished, she stood quietly by, waiting for Luo Lao’s response.

Luo Lao paused, then patted his daughter’s shoulder.

“You did well.”

“As for Luo Lao San, since he did such an inhumane thing today, we no longer need to consider him family. Let’s take care of him and those two.”

Upon hearing her father’s words, Luo Qi Qi let out a breath of relief. This father of hers wasn’t sentimental and knew how to make decisions clearly.

She had already planned to take care of those people in the afternoon, but still, it was better to wait for her father to return before acting.

Her performance that day had already been quite surprising, so she didn’t want to make things even more shocking.