Chapter 63: Tuo Tuo Has It Rough

Xi Jue and Dou Ming went home to eat. When Qiu Sheng saw that Tuo Tuo had not come back, he asked in surprise, “Where’s Tuo Tuo? Didn’t you go up the mountain together? Why didn’t he come back?”

Dou Ming answered, “He’s earning money.”

“You just left Tuo Tuo, a little child, on the mountain?” When Xiu Niang heard Dou Ming’s words, she was so anxious that she came out of the kitchen holding the rice ladle. “He’s a five-year-old child. What money can he earn on the mountain?”

Xiu Niang was about to go out and look for him, but when she saw Tuo Tuo’s own father, stepmother, and brothers sitting there without the slightest reaction, honestly waiting for dinner, she could not help snapping, “Why aren’t you worried? What if Tuo Tuo gets lost on the mountain? Yunling Mountain is so big. If he gets lost, you won’t even be able to find him.”

Xiu Niang anxiously looked toward Xi Jue. Huaniang was his stepmother, so never mind her, but this was Tuo Tuo’s own father.

“Tuo Tuo won’t get lost. He’s been up the mountain plenty of times and knows the way,” Hua Qi comforted Xiu Niang. “Come eat. I’m starving.”

“Your family really is more careless one after another.” Xiu Niang was the only one anxiously fretting. “Even if he knows the mountain paths, you still can’t leave a little child alone on the mountain.”

“Recently, there have been people in town stealing children. What if they steal from us? Our Tuo Tuo is so good-looking, fair and chubby. Wearing that red bellyband, he looks just like a little child from a New Year painting. Who wouldn’t like him?”

Xiu Niang’s words hit the point exactly, and Hua Qi secretly felt pleased. But aloud she said, “Who would go up the mountain to steal children? Besides, why would they steal Tuo Tuo? Tuo Tuo does nothing except eat, sleep, and play. Who would want to steal him? What would they steal him for?”

Listen to that. This was what a stepmother said. At a critical moment, she did not care about the child and would not even say anything good about him.

Xiu Niang rolled her eyes and had no intention of paying Hua Qi any attention. She continued speaking to Xi Jue. “Xi Jue, hurry and go look for him on the mountain.”

Xi Jue took out the two taels of silver and twenty wen he had earned from Ma Daming that morning and handed them to Hua Qi. “Today, we met three outsiders on the mountain. First, they bought two rabbits, then they had us lead them out of town. I thought they walked too slowly, so Dou Ming and I came back first. We let Tuo Tuo guide them.”

He quickly added, “Tuo Tuo was the one who wanted to earn money.” This was something Tuo Tuo and Hua Qi, those two demons, had discussed between themselves. It had nothing to do with him.

Xiu Niang knew that Tuo Tuo had recently wanted to earn money to buy red cloth. Every day, he stared at Qiu Sheng, waiting for him to make a loom. He wanted to weave red cloth to make clothes for Yun Shan, and weave cloth to sell for money. Wasn’t Tuo Tuo wanting to earn money all because of what Huaniang had said? Otherwise, how would a little child understand earning money or not earning money?

Xiu Niang looked at Hua Qi reproachfully. “It’s all because of you. Next time, stop always complaining that Tuo Tuo doesn’t earn money. He’s so little. Just what do you expect him to earn?”

Hua Qi thought, You human, you don’t understand. How can a hundred-year-old ginseng spirit eat for free?

“Outsiders?” Qiu Sheng keenly caught the word in Xi Jue’s explanation. “What were outsiders doing in the mountain?”

Dou Ming said, “They said they were outsiders and didn’t know the road, so they ended up walking into the mountain.”

Qiu Sheng frowned. “That isn’t right. Even if outsiders don’t know the road, they can’t just randomly burrow into the mountains.” “Buying two rabbits and asking people to guide them—how could that be worth two taels of silver? Outsiders aren’t stupid. Something is wrong here.”

Hua Qi pretended to be startled. Holding Yun Shan, she suddenly stood up, her eyes widening slightly as she feigned anxiety. “Now that you say that, it really isn’t right. They can’t be trying to steal Tuo Tuo, can they? Do you think Tuo Tuo could be worth two taels of silver?”

“He can, he can, I suppose.” After answering, Xiu Niang felt something was off. Weren’t they supposed to be worried about Tuo Tuo’s safety right now? Why were they considering whether Tuo Tuo was worth money? “Oh my, why are we talking about that? Those outsiders are definitely suspicious. Hurry and go bring Tuo Tuo back!”

Hearing Hua Qi’s words, Qiu Sheng kept an extra thought in mind. Either the outsiders had a problem, or Xi Jue had a problem. No one was foolish enough to spend two taels of silver on two rabbits. Then where had these two taels of silver come from? Could Xi Jue have sold Tuo Tuo?

Xi Jue had always been a man of few words. He looked honest and steady, and he had hunting skills. Earning two taels of silver was easy for him. He probably would not sell his own son for two taels of silver. Also, why was Huaniang anxious when she heard that Tuo Tuo might have been stolen, but Xi Jue was not anxious at all? Was this still his real father?

Xiu Niang walked over to Xi Jue and urged him, “Xi Jue, hurry and take Dou Ming and Qiu Sheng up the mountain to look. Bring Tuo Tuo back quickly.”

“Can we eat first?” After listening to them talk back and forth, Dou Ming finally could not hold back. It was mealtime, but they were not eating. Why care about Tuo Tuo?

Xiu Niang looked helplessly toward Dou Ming. He really was a child. His little brother might have been abducted, yet he was not worried at all and was still thinking about food.

Xiao Cong sat quietly beside Dou Ming, also showing no sign of worry at all.

Xiu Niang thought that, in this family, it seemed only Huaniang, this stepmother, was a little normal and still knew to worry about Tuo Tuo. As for the rest—his own father and brothers—none of them cared about Tuo Tuo.

“Then let’s eat first. Xi Jue, Dou Ming, you two eat quickly.” Hua Qi had finished her act. With anxiety still in her face and hands, she put Yun Shan into the cradle nearby and said to Xiao Cong beside her, “Xiao Cong, hurry and serve the food. After eating, everyone will follow along up the mountain to look.”

Xiao Cong obediently took the rice ladle from Xiu Niang’s hand, ran into the kitchen, filled several bowls of rice porridge, and brought them to the table.

Qiu Sheng sighed softly. Eating was the right thing to do. They still had to go up the mountain later. He quickly picked up some pickled vegetables and put them into his bowl. “Eat quickly. Once we finish eating, we’ll hurry up the mountain.”

Tuo Tuo was dragged by Ma Daming into the ruined temple and shoved hard to the ground. After being pinched and beaten all the way, and having his mouth covered by Hei Pi, Tuo Tuo shouted in grievance, “Why do you keep hitting me?”

Seeing that the bad people had come back, the children tied up in the ruined temple trembled and huddled together.

Ma Daming said viciously, “I hit you because I want to hit you. Why are you asking why? Why do you have so many things to say?” He shoved Tuo Tuo, who had just stood up, back to the ground. “I’m telling you, behave yourself. Otherwise, you’ll suffer for it.”

Ma Daming turned to look at Hei Pi. “Hurry and tie him up.”

Hei Pi searched everywhere in the ruined temple for rope. After looking around and finding nothing, he scratched his head and sidled up to Ma Daming, whispering, “Big Brother, there’s no rope left.”

“If there’s no rope, don’t you know how to think of something?” Ma Daming slapped him and said angrily, “Use your brain. I don’t care what you find. Hurry and tie him up. Once Liu Wu comes, we’ll leave. We’ll have this boy guide the way.”

The madwoman sat down and pounded her own calves. These last two days had really been torment. But the moment she thought of the thirty taels of silver they were about to get, she could not help feeling happy.

Looking at Tuo Tuo sitting on the ground, she said, “Why waste so much effort? Untie that red bellyband he’s wearing and use it as rope. Tie this fat boy up with it. Such a big child, wearing a red bellyband all day without any shame. I really don’t know what the adults in his family are thinking.”

Tuo Tuo shouted in dissatisfaction, “Why? All the children here can wear clothes, so why are you only taking off my red bellyband? That isn’t fair.” He had just swept his eyes around the room and quickly counted. There were exactly fifteen children.

“Oh my. You’re shouting about fairness here?” The madwoman was amused by him. “Who’s going to give you fairness? You’re not a little girl. So what if we take off your clothes? You wear a dudou all day without shame, yet now you’re ashamed when we take your clothes off? Hei Pi, stop listening to his nonsense. Hurry and tie him up. Tear the red bellyband in half. Use one half to tie him, and the other half to stuff his mouth!”

When Tuo Tuo heard that, he immediately became unwilling. These people actually wanted to tear his red bellyband! He would not allow that. Red clothes were not as good-looking as his red bellyband. He loved his red bellyband the most.

Tuo Tuo immediately climbed up from the ground, hid behind a pillar in the ruined temple, poked out his big face, and said solemnly, “You’re not allowed to take off my red bellyband!”

Ma Daming was irritated. “Hei Pi, hurry and catch him. I’m going to cook the rabbits now. Before we leave, we’ll have a good meal too.”

Hei Pi tried to catch Tuo Tuo, and Tuo Tuo ran around the pillar with him inside the ruined temple.

Ma Daming plucked the rabbit fur and watched Hei Pi and the fat boy chase each other around the ruined temple for several circles. He could not help cursing loudly, “What is wrong with you? Did you not eat this morning? You clearly ate three steamed buns this morning. How can you fail to catch one little child?”

Hei Pi felt wronged after being scolded by him. When they were on the mountain, Big Brother had clearly had a hard time catching this child too. If he could not catch him, how did Big Brother have the nerve to scold him like this?

“Hurry and catch him,” the madwoman urged from the side too. “Liu Wu’s cart should be here very soon.”

Tuo Tuo wanted to go with them and wait for Xi Jue to come rescue him. Then they could save the children. Hearing the madwoman’s words, he immediately discussed terms with Hei Pi. “I’ll let you catch me, but you can’t tear my red bellyband. Use your clothes to tie me up.”

“Fine.” Hei Pi happily agreed at once and immediately took off his own clothes. In the end, he was reluctant to damage them and could not bear to tear them into two strips. Once they reached Li City and handed this child over, he could still get his clothes back.

The madwoman frowned as she looked at the fat boy obediently walking toward Hei Pi, thinking to herself that this child looked terribly clever, but he was still a child after all. He did not know danger and had actually delivered himself over to be tied up.

Hei Pi tied Tuo Tuo up tightly and shoved him into the group of children.

Tuo Tuo was also obedient. He spread his two legs apart and sat honestly at the very edge.

“Grrr—”

“Grrr—”

Two long sounds in a row made Tuo Tuo turn around and look behind him. The thin, weak child behind him blinked, his face full of unease.

Tuo Tuo asked him, “Are you hungry?”

The boy’s mouth was stuffed with cloth, so he could only nod at Tuo Tuo. They had already been hungry for two days and one night. The day before yesterday, these three people had disappeared somewhere and left them here without giving them a single bite to eat.

“They’re hungry.” Tuo Tuo turned his head and said to Ma Daming, “Go find some food. I’m hungry too.”

“Starve to death, then!” Ma Daming looked at Tuo Tuo with a headache and complained to Hei Pi, “Your sister-in-law told you to gag him. Why didn’t you gag him?”

“I can’t bear to ruin my clothes,” Hei Pi said. “These are new clothes made just last month. I can’t waste them like that.”

“You...” Ma Daming was so angry that he slapped Hei Pi again. “Are you stupid? Huh? There are so many children here wearing clothes. Don’t you know to tear someone else’s clothes? Huh? Why are you getting more and more brainless?”

Ma Daming knew this group of children could not starve to death. They had to make sure the children lived long enough to reach Li City. If they starved to death, they would not get the money. But right now, who dared risk going out to find food for them? Let them go hungry a little longer. Once they left town, they would get them something to eat.

With Ma Daming’s idea, Hei Pi casually chose a child, tore a large strip from his clothes, balled it up, and tried to stuff it into Tuo Tuo’s mouth.

Tuo Tuo turned his head away in resistance. “It stinks. These clothes stink. Change it.”

Hei Pi stopped and sniffed it himself. It really was a little stinky. The children here had been locked up for at least three days. The longest had been locked up for seven or eight days. The weather was hot now, and after seven or eight days without bathing or changing clothes, they were bound to smell sour.

He said awkwardly, “Just make do. Everyone smells.”

Ma Daming helplessly breathed roughly, trying hard to calm himself down. This was his own younger brother. His own younger brother. He tried hard to endure it, but Hei Pi and Tuo Tuo’s conversation kept sounding in his ears, and he felt more and more unable to endure.

He stormed forward angrily, shoved Hei Pi aside, snatched the cloth from his hand, and before Tuo Tuo could react, pried open his mouth and stuffed the cloth in.

Turning back around, Ma Daming grabbed Hei Pi’s ear and said through gritted teeth, “Why the hell are you negotiating with him? Just stuff it in directly and be done with it. I think next time, you’d better not come out with us. I’ll build you a house back home. You can marry a wife and live an honest life.”

“Big Brother.” Hei Pi covered his ear and smiled ingratiatingly at Ma Daming. “I want to follow you and Sister-in-law to earn big money.”

“With that brain of yours, what big money are you going to earn?” Ma Daming lectured. “Do you know why I spent two taels of silver buying two rabbits? Do you think I, Ma Daming, am some fool? Wasn’t it because of what you said, saying we were outsiders?”

“The town is investigating strictly now. They’ll definitely check outsiders first. If that hunter goes to town to sell rabbits and mentions us, do you think the constables in this town are fools? They’ll definitely get suspicious. If this goes badly, your older brother’s life might even be handed over because of you.”

Ma Daming jabbed Hei Pi in the back of the head and said angrily, “Your older brother still wants to live a few more years. Once we go back this time, I’ll build you a house and have your sister-in-law find you a wife.”

He turned around, wanting to discuss finding a wife for Hei Pi with the madwoman. But when he looked back, he discovered that his wife was silently holding a rabbit and gnawing on it furiously.

Ma Daming let Hei Pi go and immediately strode back. “You damned woman. How could you eat without calling me? You only care about yourself. Do you still care about your man?”

The cloth in Tuo Tuo’s mouth was simply too stinky, too stinky. Tuo Tuo could not bear it. He secretly used magic power to push the cloth out of his mouth, and the moment he spat it out, he went “pah, pah, pah,” spitting three mouthfuls of saliva in a row.

Tuo Tuo had it rough in his heart. He truly regretted it. He never should have coveted that piece of red cloth and fallen for Hua Qi’s trick. That black-hearted snake really had a black heart, black from the outside all the way in. She was simply not a good demon.

Ma Daming was still angry, and the madwoman did not want to stay with him. She quickly tore off a rabbit leg, hurried to Tuo Tuo’s side, picked up the cloth on the ground, and tried to stuff it into Tuo Tuo’s mouth.

Tuo Tuo tightly shut his mouth and turned his head from side to side, refusing to let the madwoman succeed.

The madwoman bit the rabbit leg in her mouth, slapped Tuo Tuo hard across the face, lifted his face, and tried to pry open his mouth.

All along the way, this woman had been pinching his arms. Tuo Tuo’s arms were now covered in blue marks from being pinched. This vicious bad woman had even hit him and still wanted to stuff the stinking cloth into his mouth.

The anger in Tuo Tuo’s heart shot straight up to his head. He could not expose his identity, and he could not use magic power, but that did not mean he had to swallow this insult!

He suddenly sprang up and rammed his forehead hard into the madwoman’s forehead, shouting, “You’re still hitting me? Why are you only hitting me? There are so many children over here, so why don’t you hit them? You’re picking on me alone!”

The moment he said that, the boy nearest to him used all his strength to shrink back and squeeze away. He did not want to be dragged into this.

The madwoman was knocked dizzy by this sudden blow. The rabbit leg fell from her mouth. She clutched her forehead and sat on the ground, unable to recover for a long while.

Tuo Tuo leaned his body back and kicked the madwoman hard, muttering, “That’s for hitting me.”

“Hey.” Ma Daming quickly walked over, grabbed Tuo Tuo, and slapped him twice. “You brat, are you tired of living?”

Tuo Tuo spotted his chance and rammed his forehead hard into Ma Daming’s forehead.

“Is your brain made of stone?” Ma Daming clutched his forehead, threw Tuo Tuo onto the ground, and roared in anger, “Hei Pi, tie this boy up even tighter. Find a stick and tie his head to it. Let’s see how he rams people again!”

Tuo Tuo shouted, “Just you wait! You hit me, and I definitely won’t let you off.” Once he saved the children, he was definitely going to beat these people up properly.

“You little bastard, you’re pretty fierce.” Ma Daming kicked Tuo Tuo’s bare white bottom without the slightest politeness, then helped up the madwoman beside him.

This time, Hei Pi was not careless. He stripped the clothes off several boys, wrapped Tuo Tuo in several layers, and tied him firmly to a wooden stick, leaving only his eyes, nose, and mouth exposed.

Tuo Tuo immediately shouted, “Don’t stuff my mouth with stinking cloth!”

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