Chapter 17: Ambush at the Relay Inn

Brother, are you okay?

Su Dongpo feels nothing about it.

But whatever the child says is right, right?

Soon, Su Dongpo changed his stance.

Su Dongpo's story is simple and straightforward.

Is this person unkind to him?

Write a poem to scold him!

Then, he was demoted, wrote a letter to his younger brother, lao lao.

That person has a disagreement with him?

Write a poem to scold him!

Then, he was demoted, wrote a letter to his younger brother, lao lao.

……

Sui Sui, half‑asleep, thought……

Uncle Dongpo's younger brother must be very nice and cute, and wouldn't spray urine at him.

As for that, less self‑inflicted internal conflict……

Sui Sui didn't really understand.

But the seed has already been planted in the heart; the system is looking forward to it, and it will grow into a towering tree.

The next day, Sui Sui's condition improved a lot.

However, a light rain started early, and the air was wet and soggy everywhere; they couldn't go out to play.

The two kids, after breakfast, curled up inside, watching the rain curtain outside, sighing here and there.

"We can't release river lanterns on a day like this, can we?"

"It's okay, brother."

"If people hold umbrellas, they can actually release them; it's just the river lanterns that can't stand it."

"We can just watch the rain, brother."

……

Doctor Liu Dafu was flipping through a medical text not far away, occasionally glancing at the medicine on the stove, and listening to the children's innocent chatter; he thought that living like this seemed fine.

Then, in the evening, Zhan Yuan returned with injuries.

His body covered in bright red made the two children turn pale with fright.

Di Jiao swiftly led the two children back inside, and Di Yu quickly fetched the medicine box.

Qing Shan and the others quickly boiled water; everyone cooperated, and in no time they had treated Zhan Yuan's wounds.

Doctor Liu Dafu asked in a low voice, how the situation was.

In response, Zhan Yuan shook his head; matters concerning the anti‑bandit campaign were not convenient to discuss.

Seeing this, Doctor Liu Dafu asked no further.

Zhan Yuan quickly sent someone out, and before leaving repeatedly reminded, "Make sure to watch over the two children; that group of people must be mad, they can do anything now!"

Nowadays, the realm of Great Summer, though not absolutely peaceful and prosperous, is indeed quite smooth.

Therefore, the mountain bandits in this part of Qingzhou aren't merely forced to survive; they claim the land as their own.

These people originally formed from a group of desperados, then recruited many freeloaders.

As more gathered, others copied them, and eventually they became a hard‑to‑eradicate tumor in the Qingzhou area.

Prince Qing has recently been recuperating in Jing Cheng; His Majesty happened to be troubled by this matter, so he simply sent him over to clean up, to avoid future trouble.

Prince Qing is a killing god who has fought on battlefields for years; toward these lawless mountain bandits, he has never been lenient.

Now, as they are about to be wiped out, they have started to go mad!

Zhan Yuan's reminder was also obvious.

Fearing that the bandits, driven desperate, would set their sights on the relay inn.

Doctor Liu Dafu solemnly nodded.

After Zhan Yuan left, Doctor Liu Dafu first inspected the area around the relay inn; finding nothing unusual, he then sprinkled some anti‑mosquito and insect medicine.

It was to keep those people from coming, yet allow poisonous snakes and insects in.

Then, he carefully reminded all the staff of the relay inn, telling everyone to manage their own areas, focus on their tasks, and watch over the two children.

After all the matters were handled, Doctor Liu Dafu's heart still beat anxiously.

He had an ominous premonition, yet didn't know what else to prepare.

Restless and uneasy, after pondering, Doctor Liu Dafu simply stayed together with the two children.

He thought: It's fine that they're here; his recent resentment finally has somewhere to vent!

During the first half of the night, the wind was calm and the sea smooth.

Doctor Liu Dafu's heart steadied a bit, and his body grew drowsy as well.

Sui Sui's bedtime story for tonight……

The turn was empty; no one came.

Although a bit disappointed, Sui Sui still obediently went to sleep.

Thinking of the daytime, the system in her consciousness had shown her those magnificent rain‑drenched landscape pictures, Sui Sui fell into a sweet dream.

In the dream there was rain, yet the grass was tender green, the flowers were brilliant, the air was moist with a fresh scent, feeling very pleasant.

In the dream she climbed a particularly large wild fruit tree, about to pluck the fruit, when the system repeatedly called "Sui Sui" and woke her.

【Sui Sui, Sui Sui……】

Outside, a fight had broken out, but these two children were still sleeping here like little piglets.

At this moment, if someone slipped into the house, they would just bundle them up and take them away!

Doctor Liu had the two children sleep inside the house so he could better look after them.

Sui Sui slept on the bed, Feng Xuanrui slept on the couch.

Woken by the system's shout, hearing the fighting outside, Sui Sui's little face turned deathly pale from fright.

【Sui Sui, don't be scared, quickly wake your brother up, you two hide!】

Sui Sui also knew the danger of the situation.

So she hastily jumped off the bed, not even bothering that she was only wearing a single layer, ran to the couch, and shook Feng Xuanrui awake.

Feng Xuanrui woke up, but his consciousness was still hazy.

As the fighting drew nearer, Sui Sui's face turned even paler, but she lowered her voice as much as possible: "Brother, we have to run!"

Feng Xuanrui was also startled by the fighting, giving a sudden jolt.

Then he fully woke up.

He roughly wiped his face, Feng Xuanrui swiftly got out of bed, not even bothering to put on his shoes, and prepared to take Sui Sui to hide under the bed first.

But the house is only this big; hiding under the bed would be too obvious.

Should we go out the door?

No, that's the frontline battlefield!

If they went, they'd not only add chaos, but might even get themselves killed outright.

Feng Xuanrui tried to calm himself, but he was still a child; facing such a scene, he would also panic.

Sui Sui clutched Feng Xuanrui's clothes in fear, but at this moment she actually looked forward to the pit that Uncle XiaoQi had mentioned.

A pit that could hold four hundred thousand little kids—hiding her and her brother two people in it should be hard to spot, right?

The system is also anxious!

【How about you jump out the window? Over there there's no movement.】

Sui Sui actually didn't dare, but at this point there obviously wasn't a better option.

If Doctor Liu and the others couldn't hold out, and someone slipped in through a gap and rushed in, then it would be over!

Sui Sui pulled on Feng Xuanrui's sleeve, pointed at the window, and said: "Brother, how about we escape that way? First we hide!"

Feng Xuanrui didn't hesitate, taking Sui Sui and heading over.

The window was a bit high; Feng Xuanrui's leg hadn't healed yet, so climbing over took some effort.

When it came to Sui Sui, she couldn't climb up this window at all.

Feng Xuanrui pulled from outside, while Sui Sui strained to climb from inside.

The two children struggled for a while, and finally managed to crawl out.

Outside the window, everything was pitch black.

When humans face the unknown and darkness, their fear doubles.

After the two little kids scrambled out, they huddled beneath the window, shivering.

【Sui Sui, let Brother close the window.】