Chapter 12: Refugee Father and Son
The next day.
The golden crow rose in the east as usual.
All the mechanisms were dismantled to prevent accidental activation.
In the courtyard.
Xu Chuan and Xu Mingwei, Father and son, practiced Small Dragon Elephant Skill together.
“Bang, bang, bang~”
The sounds of their sparring constantly rang out, waking Bai Jing.
She walked out, wrapped in her clothes, and yawned, “Husband, Shitou, when did you two get up?”
Xu Chuan chuckled, “It’s still early, wife, you can go back to sleep for a while.”
“I’m not lazy by nature. Since you two are up, I should be too. Do you have any clean clothes? I’ll go wash them first.”
“Yes, they’re in the usual spot.”
Bai Jing nodded, went back to put on her clothes, and carried a wooden basin to the nearby pond.
“Father, will Mother find out?” Xu Mingwei looked at Xu Chuan with some worry.
Xu Chuan smiled, “Although I handled it simply, it’s not foolproof. But it’s okay if she finds out. Your Mother is sensible, and besides, don’t you have your Father here?”
“Mm.” Xu Mingwei responded, then shouted, “Father, be careful! Watch my Fire Dragon Tail Whip!”
He lunged with his left leg, inhaling as he lifted his right knee, and exhaling as his calf swept horizontally like a fiery whip.
This was it.
A tail sweep of immense power to incinerate evil, feet treading the position of fire to refine true flames.
They sparred for two or three quarters of an hour, sweating profusely, but their expressions showed no signs of fatigue.
One possessed Heavenly Strength, excelling in muscles, bones, and strength.
The other possessed Dragon-Tiger Vigor, excelling in long-lasting Qi and blood.
“Puff~”
Xu Mingwei’s body suddenly emitted an unusual phenomenon. The next moment, he joyfully said, “Father, I’ve opened another acupoint.”
“Youth is truly good.” Xu Chuan stopped, “You can practice a few more times, then rest.”
“Mm.”
Xu Mingwei was young and full of vitality. In less than two years, he would surpass him.
However, Xu Chuan not only had Dragon-Tiger Vigor but also Heavenly Dao Rewards Diligence.
Accumulation for a breakthrough.
Others would slow down as they progressed, needing the aid of Qi and blood medicinal ingredients to open acupoints.
But even without the aid of Qi and blood medicinal ingredients, Xu Chuan’s speed would not be slow; on the contrary, it would be even faster.
Days passed one by one.
In recent days, more and more refugees appeared.
Some flocked to Qingjiang County city, while others simply stayed in Dongxi Village, begging for food.
Chen Ergou’s Family rented thirty acres of farmland, which, along with the previous twenty acres, was used to grow the melons and vegetables specified by Xu Chuan.
All the Qingyu fruit trees on the thirty acres of mountain forest were also removed and replaced with other fruit trees.
This was a lot of work, so they also hired more than a dozen refugees as temporary workers.
“Mother, there are refugees at the door.” Xu Mingyuan’s voice rang out.
Behind him, Xu Mingxuan showed half his head, looking somewhat timidly at the ragged man outside the door.
The man was holding a scrawny three or four-year-old boy, whose eyes were lifeless.
Bai Jing walked out, glanced at them, and said to Xu Mingyuan, “A Yuan, go get them some water and some dry food.”
“Yes, Mother.”
“Thank you, Lady Bodhisattva!”
The man knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly, his head hitting the ground with thuds, pulling the small boy beside him along.
“No, no, please get up quickly. The child is here; you’ll scare him like this.”
“Yes, yes, yes.”
The man responded repeatedly, no longer kowtowing.
Soon, Xu Mingyuan came out with food and dry rations.
After receiving them, the man ate heartily, not forgetting to make the small boy eat as well.
Xu Mingxuan suddenly thought of something and ran back into the house, bringing out refined pastries.
These were snacks Xu Chuan had made for him in his spare time, sweet and soft.
“Here, this is for you. Father made it for me; it’s so delicious.”
Xu Mingxuan handed the pastry to the small boy.
The small boy took it blankly, glanced at the dirty man, and only started eating after seeing him nod.
After one bite, his cloudy eyes immediately lit up.
Xu Chuan had taught him to share. Xu Mingxuan hadn’t felt much about it before, but this time, after doing it, he felt exceptionally happy.
Bai Jing stroked Xu Mingxuan’s head with satisfaction.
Under Xu Chuan’s guidance, every child was outstanding, envied by countless commoners in Dongxi Village.
Seeing the man finish a large pancake, Bai Jing asked, “Are you also refugees?”
“Yes, we came from Xishan County. There was a once-in-a-century flood there. Many people were swept away by the flood, their houses were destroyed, and their farmlands were submerged.
We had no home, so we could only leave our hometown and come south.”
“How pitiful. What are your plans for the future?”
“None.” The man sighed, “On the way here, my eldest daughter starved to death. Her mother saved her dry rations for us and also starved to death.”
He thought of something and quickly knelt down, kowtowing again, pleading, “Please, Lady Bodhisattva, have mercy and take in my son and me. We are willing to be servants, only asking for a bite to eat.”
“Even if not, at least pity this child.”
“He doesn’t eat much food.”
Xu Mingxuan tugged at Bai Jing’s sleeve and said sympathetically, “Mother, they are so pitiful.”
Xu Mingyuan watched silently, not speaking.
It was useless for them to say anything about taking them in. If Father didn’t speak, Mother couldn’t make the decision either.
Moreover, they heard there were hundreds of thousands of refugees this time; how could they possibly help them all?
Bai Jing was a bit troubled and hesitated for a long time before saying, “Then you two can wait at the door for now. I am a woman and cannot make the decision. I must wait for my husband to return and let him decide.”
“Yes, yes, yes, we are willing to wait. Even if it doesn’t work out, it’s fine.”
At noon.
When Xu Chuan and Xu Mingwei returned home, they saw the refugee Father and son at the door and asked in surprise, “Who are you?”
Bai Jing walked over and briefly explained to Xu Chuan.
Xu Chuan pondered for a moment, “This matter, let’s discuss it tomorrow. However, you two can stay on the empty land next to my house for now. This afternoon, I’ll have my son bring you a simple tent.”
“We will also give you some food.”
“Even if we don’t keep you, we will give you some dry rations and water to help you on your way.”
“Thank you, Master, thank you, Master.”
The Xu Family, having reached its current scale, should indeed gradually develop. Hiring retainers and guards is naturally necessary.
But he wouldn’t take just anyone.
The next day.
After Xu Chuan woke up, he began to use his Daily Divination fate talent.
Today’s divination: Auspicious
You have taken in the Li Father and son, who were once a prominent Family in Xishan County. Both have martial arts talent. The Father’s talent is ordinary, but his son’s talent is good, with potential to reach Innate.
“Prominent Family?”
“That scrawny little boy actually has Innate potential?”
“No wonder it’s auspicious. If I take them in, it will be of great help to the Xu Family’s future.”
“But if they were a prominent Family, how did they fall to such a state? Most refugees are ordinary commoners, unless it was a revenge killing.”
Xu Chuan lay in bed, pondering for a long time.
Xishan County is thousands of miles away from here. Those who managed to survive and reach here probably have some Luck on them.
“Since it’s auspicious, there probably won’t be any trouble behind it.”
“Influence spanning across several counties, only some large families in the county cities could probably achieve that.”