Chapter 59 Little Douzi Gets a Reward

When Qin Mu arrived at the back wall, he had deliberately wedged the courtyard gate shut with a wooden stick. Hearing someone push the door open now, he was certain it must be Madame Qin returning.

A sudden wave of panic seized him, and he hurriedly whispered to Little Douzi, "My mother cannot come, and you don't need to come every day either. Once every five days, do you understand? Five days!"

As he spoke, he even waved his small palm frantically in front of Little Douzi's face.

Qin Mu was worried that if Little Douzi came every day, someone might discover it, leading the Tang family and Madame Liu to find his mother.

If that happened, not only would his mother's whereabouts be exposed, but she would also be driven out of the capital, and he would truly never be able to see his mother again.

Or perhaps she would end up like Yuanyang, who had been tied up and sold... A chill crept straight to his heart at the very thought.

During this period, Qin Mu slowly began to recall the details of when he had been strangled.

Although he had been terrified to his core back then, he still knew that when his mother's rope had been looped around his neck, it hadn't hurt.

When had it started to hurt, then?

It was after his mother had suddenly collapsed to the ground...

It was not hard to imagine that the murderer who had strangled him and framed his mother was none other than someone within the Tang family!

Regardless of who had actually carried out the deed, it was inextricably linked to Madame Liu and Tang the Second!

It was just that he was still too young now, and his mother was a fragile woman who understood nothing, unable even to return to the Tang household. To exact revenge, he would have to wait until he grew up.

"Little Douzi, did you commit that to memory?"

Qin Mu glared fiercely, completely forgetting that he was merely a six-year-old child, speaking entirely in the tone of an adult.

Fortunately, the person opposite him was also a child and found nothing amiss.

Little Douzi's mouth twitched. He had wanted to say that Mother An had also mentioned it was inconvenient for her to visit the West City and had arranged to meet once every five days, telling him to report any needs he might have; he hadn't expected the young master to blurt out these words first.

Recalling how the young master had forbidden him to speak just moments ago, he simply nodded.

"Hurry up, go back! Come again at this exact time in five days!" Before he could finish speaking, Qin Mu vanished behind the top of the wall.

Upon returning to Pear Blossom Lane, Little Douzi immediately repeated every single word of Qin Mu's inquiry without missing a beat.

An Chunfeng had initially found it amusing, but as she listened, the smile faded from her face.

Rather than asking where she was living or how she was eating and dressing, the little fellow was intensely preoccupied with whether she had become a concubine and if she was sharing a courtyard with a man.

What? Did he expect me to genuinely observe mourning rites for that scoundrel of a father of his!

The little thing had deep-rooted feudal notions; she would definitely have to reform him later!

Hearing the young master ask if Madame An was living with a man, Little Linzi nearby naturally understood the implication and instantly blushed scarlet.

As a servant, his proper place was naturally in the gatehouse, keeping watch over the master's gates and courtyard.

And furthermore... he couldn't help glaring fiercely at Little Douzi: how was it that someone who usually talked so much failed to make it clear to the young master that Madame An was not anyone's kept mistress?

Nor had he delivered Madame An's question about what the young master might need.

Little Douzi was baffled by the glare, utterly unaware of which part of his instructions he had botched. The young master hadn't allowed him to open his mouth, permitting only nods and shakes of the head.

Yet his elder brother had told him to obey the young master, which he had done—so how had he ended up in the wrong?

Hmph! It was all his brother's fault; he would never listen again next time!

After a few moments of lingering gloom, An Chunfeng cheered up again. After all, he was merely a six-year-old child; why was she lowering herself to bicker with him?

Compared to the hateful remarks the little wretch had hurled at her when she left, at least these words now stemmed from concern.

Since the little wretch wasn't around, she could choose to hear whatever pleased her.

For instance, the remark telling her to eat and sleep well was exceptionally good!

After comforting herself this way, An Chunfeng's mood brightened once more.

Securing the agreement to meet the little fellow every five days was entirely due to Little Douzi's hard work over the past dozen days or so, and An Chunfeng decided she must reward him handsomely.

Food and money were a must, and she would also offer him a gift of his own choosing.

"Madame An, are you really taking me to a tavern, and buying things on the street as well?" Little Douzi's eyes widened in joyous surprise as he sought confirmation repeatedly.

An Chunfeng nodded. She decided to keep Little Douzi by her side for a while to get a feel for what it was like to raise a child.

Since Qin Mu and Little Douzi were of a similar age, their preferences should be largely the same.

That way, when interacting with Qin Mu later on, she—a lone martial artist who had never raised a child or a pet—would not feel completely awkward and unnatural, thereby risking exposure.

Unlike Little Linzi, who had been meticulously trained by the slave agency, Little Douzi was an irrepressible social butterfly, utterly devoid of fear. Although his older brother had grabbed his ears and lectured him on propriety and obedience before departure, he had forgotten it all the moment he stepped out the door, reverting entirely to his roguish nature.

He ran far ahead of An Chunfeng, periodically peering into the half-open courtyard gates of others.

Then he would sprint back to tell An Chunfeng what he had seen, circling around her front, back, left, and right.

Overflowing with energy, he resembled nothing so much as a little dog bounding joyfully around its master.

Just by looking at him, one could understand the meaning of unadulterated, carefree bliss!

Yet this little dog completely wilted the moment he reached the tavern.

Gazing at the wide-open doors of the establishment, Little Douzi rubbed his nose vigorously, peering inside with outstretched neck and hesitating to enter.

"Little Douzi, go on in! Eat whatever you want!" An Chunfeng stood motionless, curious to see what this social butterfly intended to do.

The waiter standing by the entrance to solicit customers recognized Madame An as a regular patron who ordered daily food boxes, so he did not drive away the cowering little ragamuffin.

After hesitating for a moment, Little Douzi turned to An Chunfeng and stammered, "Madame An, could you help me pack the food to go instead? I want to take it back for Second Brother and Sister Xue to eat too!"

"Very well!"

An Chunfeng smiled and nodded, turning to the waiter at the door. "Brother Zhang, pack up five of your large steamed buns, one roasted chicken, and a pound of dried pork jerky to take away!"

The waiter responded in a singing tone, "Please take a seat inside first, Madame; I'll have the kitchen pack everything up for you right away!"

An Chunfeng led Little Douzi into the tavern and found a table near the entrance to wait.

Little Douzi perched cautiously on the edge of the stool, twisting his trouser sash with both hands while his bright eyes fixed intently on the direction of the back kitchen.

Every time An Chunfeng had named an item earlier, he had swallowed hard, and upon hearing the words "roasted chicken" and "pork jerky," he lost all restraint as saliva began to trickle down the corner of his mouth.

An Chunfeng poked him on the head. "Hey! Snap out of it—your drool!"

Little Douzi hurriedly sucked back his saliva and said with a slurred tongue, "So much delicious food! It must cost a fortune! You're so generous, Madame An! With all this meat, I don't need to go shopping on the street, and I don't want any money either. From now on—from now on, whenever you have an errand, I'll do it for you!"

He wasn't greedy; having abandoned the idea of going shopping, he只想 hurriedly bring the fragrant roasted chicken and meat jerky back.

An Chunfeng nodded inwardly. Through these few observations, she concluded that both Little Douzi and Little Linzi possessed genuinely innocent hearts and could be relied upon extensively in the future.

When the roasted chicken, pork jerky, and steamed buns were packed, they filled a large basket, causing Little Douzi's eyes to crinkle into slits and his mouth to stretch from ear to ear.

Bringing items back into a crowded, bustling courtyard required a certain degree of finesse.

Little Douzi fumbled around his waist for a moment, magically pulling a dirty cloth bag out from under his armpit, before stripping off his own outer garment to wrap the roasted chicken, pork jerky, and buns securely inside before stuffing them into the sack.

He even deliberately rubbed the mouth of the bag against the ground, smearing it with dust to make it look thoroughly grimy.

Knowing the boy was clever was one thing, but she hadn't expected him to be this resourceful, even refusing her offer to accompany him on the grounds that crowds made people easy targets.

Amused and exasperated in equal measure, An Chunfeng humored him and waited until Little Douzi was well ahead before making her own way back to Pear Blossom Lane.

To her surprise, the moment she stepped into the lane, she spotted several neighbors peering into the courtyard while whispering among themselves.

Catching sight of An Chunfeng, a woman immediately called out, "Madame An, hurry inside! Someone is picking on your little Linzi!"