Chapter 670: Why Won't That Kid Stop?

Everyone's faces changed.

Lu Qi said unhurriedly, "Don't panic, I already expected they'd come."

"We all have travel permits; let's just keep eating calmly, they won't find anything, and they'll leave soon."

Everyone nodded.

The next moment, the door was pushed open.

Seven or eight officials marched in.

The leader was a dark-faced man with a knife at his waist; he swept his gaze over everyone's faces, then said sternly, "Don't move! By order of the Regent King, we're searching for suspects!"

The officials spread out inside the room; some went to the window and poked their heads out to look down, others went behind the screen to peek inside.

Xiao Er lifted his wine cup and took a slow sip.

Lu Qi's face was slightly flushed, as if he were already a little drunk.

Chen Hao lowered his eyes, holding his chopsticks, motionless.

Xiao Ran lowered his head and picked a piece of fish meat into Tuan Tuan's bowl.

Tuan Tuan sat obediently, continuing to eat, her big eyes blinking at the several officials.

The dark-faced man stepped to the table, extended his hand, and said, "You're not locals, are you? Hand over your travel permits!"

Xiao Er set down his wine cup, pulled out his travel permit from his bosom, and handed it over.

The others also produced theirs.

Lu Qi unhurriedly took out his permit from his bosom and placed it on the table.

The dark-faced man examined them one by one.

"Guo Wang," he read aloud, looking at Xiao Er, "You're from Shanxi?"

Xiao Er nodded: "I trade in furs."

The dark-faced man sized him up from head to toe, then lowered his eyes to the description on the permit: "Tall and stout, dark complexion… Hmm, that matches."

He returned the permit to Xiao Er, then scrutinized Chen Hao closely:

He looked at the permit: "Zhao Mingyuan, fair skin, gaunt, long face," then glanced at Chen Hao and said, "Your face isn't that long either."

Chen Hao chuckled: "My ancestors are from the south; my father had a long face."

The dark-faced man didn't press further, returned the permit to him, then picked up Xiao Ran's.

"Liu An," he stared at Xiao Ran's face for a moment, "Your looks suggest you're from the south."

Xiao Ran picked up a snack, stuffed it into his mouth, and mumbled, "My mother is from the south."

The dark-faced man frowned, looked again at the description on the permit, and finally set it down.

His gaze fell on Tuan Tuan's face: "Whose child is this?"

Tuan Tuan's little mouth had already begun to turn down.

She was very sleepy.

She had set out before dawn, been busy most of the day, and by mealtime she was already sleepy.

These people are really annoying, constantly looking and asking—what's there to see?

"Uncle," her voice soft, "have you finished looking yet?"

The dark-faced man didn't answer, but continued: "Who is this child with you? Why isn't she on the travel permit?"

Lu Qi pointed to his own permit on the table: "Sir, haven't you missed one yet to check?"

The dark-faced man picked up the permit, opened it: "Qian Guang, together with his nephew Dog Leftover, age five."

He looked at Tuan Tuan and asked Lu Qi, "Is this your nephew Dog Leftover?"

"Dog, Dog Leftover? Tuan Tuan?"

Nobody had expected this; in an instant everyone straightened their faces, desperately holding back laughter, without showing it.

Tuan Tuan instantly bristled, her little fists clenching.

"Who? Dog Leftover? Me?"

"Who gave me this name? It's awful!"

The dark-faced man fixed his stare on Lu Qi: "Shandong? Your build really looks like a Shandong man."

"He's your nephew? How is he so scrawny? He doesn't look like it."

Everyone's hearts tightened.

Before Lu Qi could speak, Tuan Tuan shouted again, her voice noticeably louder: "Uncle, have you finished asking? I'm so sleepy, so sleepy!"

The dark-faced man still ignored her, only looking at Lu Qi: "Where are his parents? Who gave him the name Dog Leftover?"

"You still dare to ask!"

Tuan Tuan's little face scrunched tight: "I'm not called Dog Leftover! I'm Tuan Tuan!"

The dark-faced big man fired questions like a string of cannonballs: "Which brother's child is he? How did all of you at this table come together…"

"Still asking? Are you done or not? And you still ignore me?"

Tuan Tuan "slap" threw her chopsticks to the ground.

"Slap!"

Immediately after, she lifted her hand and swept her small bowl to the floor, scattering rice grains and meat soup everywhere.

The dark-faced big man halted, and everyone's gaze turned to her.

Tuan Tuan's mouth puckered, and tears "whoosh" streamed down.

"Waaah——!"

She cried earth-shatteringly, her little face flushed red, tears pouring down.

"Have you said enough! I want to eat! I want to sleep! Waah waah waah——!"

Xiao Ran stared dumbfounded, the meat he had just picked up fell onto the table.

Xiao Er hurriedly stood up to cheer her, Chen Hao fumbled handing a handkerchief, Lu Qi picked her up and gently patted her back.

"Don't cry, don't cry, uncle is here."

Tuan Tuan wouldn't listen at all, crying even harder, her little legs kicking wildly in the air: "No! Kick them out! I'm not full yet! Wah-wah-wah——!"

The black-faced man's brows knotted into a lump.

The soldiers looked at each other, their faces somewhat embarrassed, over a child, what's the point?

"Captain," a soldier came over and whispered, "we've already searched everywhere; why not go to the next place?"

The black-faced man glared at him.

Tuan Tuan cried even louder, tears streaming down her face: "You, you're all so big, yet you still, still bully me!"

"Not letting me eat, and, and not letting me sleep! Wah-wah-wah——!"

Lu Qi patted and coaxed, but was dazed by her crying.

Chen Hao held the handkerchief, not knowing where to wipe.

Xiao Er stood aside, at a loss.

Xiao Er stepped forward quickly, all smiles: "Sirs, that's how children are—if they're not full or rested they cry and fuss; why not let him rest a bit?"

"If you're not at ease, come back tomorrow to check?"

Tuan Tuan wailed: "You're bad people! Bad people who bully children!"

The whole house echoed with her piercing cries.

The black-faced man looked at Tuan Tuan crying as if she might faint, then at the travel permit in his hand, his head ached: "Alright, alright!"

He slapped the travel permit onto the table: "Xiao Er, any other private rooms occupied? Lead the way!"

Xiao Er hurriedly pointed outside: "Downstairs there are two more rooms, sirs, please."

The black-faced man's face grew darker; he just wanted to escape the deafening crying, he stepped out, and the soldiers hurriedly followed.

A soldier walked while covering his ears: "This kid's crying is deadly!"

The black-faced man shouted back: "Shut up! Hurry up and go!"

Xiao Er turned back, gave Tuan Tuan a thumbs-up, and closed the door.

Footsteps gradually faded away.

Tuan Tuan wiped her face, poked her little head out from Lu Qi's embrace, tears still on her face, she grinned: "They're gone!"

Everyone: "……"

Only then did Xiao Ran recover from her crying: "Tuan Tuan, you almost scared me to death."

Lu Qi laughed while wiping Tuan Tuan's face clean: "Miss, that trick of yours is absolutely brilliant!"

Chen Hao exclaimed: "Tuan Tuan, how can your tears come and go just like that?"

Xiao Er held his forehead: "Miss, are you recalling all the sorrows of your lifetime?"

Only then did Tuan Tuan remember, her little mouth pouted again, this time her tears truly spilled out.

She hiccuped: "I, I am not called Dog Scraps!"

"Hahahaha……"

This time everyone really couldn't hold back, bursting into laughter.

Lu Qi laughed and said: "Exactly! How could our miss be called Dog Scraps! That's just their nonsense!"

"Wah——" Tuan Tuan cried even more aggrieved.

The soldiers downstairs on patrol heard it, their heads instantly swelled, wondering when this child would ever stop?

Everyone again in a chaotic flurry surrounded her, trying to soothe.

Chen Hao stood up, walked to the window to look down; not long after, the soldiers left.

He walked back to the table and sat down: "They're gone."

Tuan Tuan finally stopped crying, burrowing into Xiao Er's embrace.

Xiao Er looked at Xiao Ran: "Ninth Prince, how did you come to Jingcheng?"

Xiao Ran replied: "I followed Xiao Ningchen in through a secret passage."