RPAGF Chapter 155 Placement
Chapter 155 Placement
After Lin Qingchuan carried the black-clad boy, whose injuries had been treated, back into the carriage, he had his daughter sit inside to watch over him, fearing that the boy might become stubborn and run out the window.
Even if a young child, covered in injuries, manages to escape temporarily, without a place to stay or a registered identity, he will inevitably be sold again sooner or later.
He sat outside the carriage door, drove the carriage to the back door of Wanhe Restaurant, went into the ice cellar to retrieve frozen raw pig's trotters, and loaded them onto the carriage.
It was also because Manager Su had previously instructed the managers and staff of Wanhe Restaurant, and because the father and daughter had been sending braised pig's trotters to Wanhe Restaurant for more than half a year, which had helped Wanhe Restaurant stand out among the many restaurants in the county, that he could easily enter and leave the ice cellar, and none of the restaurant's managers and staff gossiped about it.
After finishing his work, he breathed a sigh of relief and instructed his daughter, "Tang'er, he is injured. Let's get home as soon as possible so he can take his medicine. Dad will try to drive the carriage steadily. If you feel any bumps in the back, call out. If anything happens, tell Dad immediately."
"Got it, Dad."
Lin Xiaotang understood that her father was worried that the bumpy carriage would make the boy suffer more, and he was also worried that the medicine applied to the boy's body would take effect and become harmful to her after he recovered. After all, they had bought it on a whim and didn't know what kind of temperament he had. What if he repaid kindness with enmity?
The boy in black lay in the carriage, his eyes half-closed as if he were asleep.
But his body was tense. Although he had been treated and bandaged, his wounds still burned with pain, as if countless ants and insects were gnawing at him at the same time. It was hard to tell whether the father and daughter were too kind-hearted or really wanted to bargain for a cheap price, which was why they insisted on buying him.
In short, they were willing to spend money to treat their injuries and go home with them temporarily, which was much better than that ruthless old woman Chen.
The carriage jolted along, and he kept his lips tightly pressed together, not uttering a sound the entire way.
Lin Xiaotang sized up the boy in the carriage. His hair was messy, and his face was covered in ash and blood, making it difficult to see his features clearly. He was much taller than her and looked older than Xue Hanxing. He should be about the same age as Gu Minghuai, whom she had met twice. Despite such severe physical injuries, he hadn't uttered a single groan since she and her father met him. His will was as firm as if he had joined the army.
If he's not a bad person and genuinely helps with the household chores, then in a year or two, when she's able to move the family to the county and open a braised pig's trotters shop, she can give him a contract of indenture and let him go if he wants to leave.
Despite the prevailing circumstances, she still found it hard to accept holding a contract of servitude for life; she preferred an employer-employee relationship.
After a bumpy and swaying journey, they finally arrived in Qinghe Town before noon and went home.
Lin Xiaotang helped her father get the boy in black off the carriage and carried him back to the courtyard.
Upon hearing the sound of horses' hooves, Liu immediately led her youngest daughter out of the house to meet them in the courtyard. She saw her husband and daughter return with a wounded child, dressed in black clothes torn in many places by whips, with white bandages underneath still oozing blood. Liu was so frightened that her face turned pale and her stomach suddenly churned.
Xiaoyu saw that the person her father was carrying had blood on him, and she was so scared that she quickly shrank behind her mother and didn't dare to peek out.
Once Liu felt a little better, she immediately asked, "Father, what happened? Where did you find this child? Why does she have so many wounds and so much blood?"
Lin Qingchuan carried the boy into the house, explaining as he went, "I bought it from the boy's shop. I'll explain after I put him down. Hmm... there are only two rooms with beds. The small room is used to store miscellaneous items, so there aren't any extra beds. Where should we put him for now?"
Seeing the boy covered in blood, Liu cursed inwardly who was so cruel as to beat the child like this. She felt a pang of pity, but there were only two beds in the house, and it was difficult to arrange them in time.
"His father, first set aside a mattress in the woodshed so he has a place to lie down. At night, the woodshed is used to braise pig's trotters, and the stove is hot and cozy. When you go back to the village to watch the fields with Shuisheng, cut some wood and bamboo to make a small bed as soon as possible and bring it back. Then pack up the things in the small house and put them under the stable in the yard so he can move in."
They are all born of parents, and even if they are servants bought, they should not be allowed to live in bad conditions. Besides, there is already a spare room in the house.
Lin Qingchuan nodded, feeling that his wife's arrangement was very reasonable.
"Alright, we'll do as Fengniang says."
Lin Xiaotang deftly took out a mattress, which she and her sister would use to switch. She also took an old quilt cover that her mother had taken down before the New Year. She went into the kitchen, swept a corner with a broom, and felt that it would be a bit dirty to lay the mattress directly on the floor. So she pulled out the mat from her and Xiaoyu's bed and laid it in the corner of the kitchen wall. After tidying up the mattress, she put the old back side on top before letting her father put her down.
The girl's tattered clothes were covered in blood, which soiled the bedding. It was inconvenient to take them apart and wash them, partly because taking them apart would leave no extra bedding, and partly because her mother was pregnant and she didn't want her mother to go through so much trouble.
After settling the person in, Lin Xiaotang told her father, "Father, you go ahead and do your work. I'll boil water and prepare the medicine. Let him lie down for now."
Lin Qingchuan glanced at the boy, nodded, and went out of the house to unload the pig's trotters and unharness the horse, leading it into the shed.
Seeing that the boy was motionless, Lin Xiaotang sighed and said, "This is my home. You will live with us from now on. When you get better, you can help with whatever chores you can, like my father did today, driving the carriage back and forth between the county and the town. It's not difficult. You should rest. I'll go and make your medicine."
The boy remained motionless and silent.
Lin Xiaotang didn't expect him to change his attitude immediately and be grateful to her and her father. She secretly wondered what the boy's identity was before he was sold. He didn't seem like an ignorant country bumpkin.
However, children who have been raised by local officials in the county are more likely to be knowledgeable, bolder, and less afraid of people than those from rural mountain villages.
She went out of the kitchen, took the medicine she had bought from the clinic from the carriage, and took it to the kitchen to decoct it. At the same time, she also boiled a pot of water.
Hot water is better than medicine. She found a wooden basin, mixed hot water, took out a handkerchief made of two scraps of cloth, walked to the boy's side, squatted down, soaked the handkerchief, and prepared to wipe the boy's face.
She reached out and brushed aside the boy's disheveled hair that covered his face, revealing a blood-stained and ashen-faced boy.
Unexpectedly, the boy suddenly showed an expression, and his wary eyes met hers unexpectedly.
Lin Xiaotang's lips twitched. She just wanted to help him wipe his face. Had she broken any laws?
She said gently, "Don't be afraid, I just want to help you wipe your face and hands. If you can, then do it yourself." With that, she reached out and handed it to her.
The boy raised his arm to catch it, but the slightest movement aggravated his wound, causing him to lose his breath and almost groan out loud.
Judging from his appearance, one could tell that he couldn't take care of himself for the time being. Granny Chen said he was a stubborn mule. If he were able to move, he wouldn't have let his father carry him up and down the carriage to the clinic.
"See? Let me help you clean yourself. My dad is a big man, he's not very careful. My mom is pregnant, so it's not convenient for her to squat down and clean you. You can do it yourself when you're all better."