Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

"But...but..." The boy hesitated, took the tattered basket off his shoulder, and hugged it to his chest, seemingly a little ashamed to show it off.

At the bottom of the basket were only a few inconspicuous withered branches and grass roots, most of them dry and blackened, curled up, with only a few broken places barely showing traces of yellowish-green. Against the backdrop of the white snow, they looked particularly shabby and pitiful.

"This... I'm afraid it's not worth much at all." The boy's voice lowered, and his head drooped even further. "The benefactor has already helped us so much, and this young man's sachet... is enough to exchange for a lot of money. We... we..."

"Alright, alright! My brother says he wants to buy it, just sell it to him!"

A clear, somewhat matter-of-fact voice interrupted.

Hu Hai nimbly darted between the two men without saying a word, grabbed the strap of the basket, and pulled it into his arms without further ado.

The boy was startled by his sudden act of taking the money and instinctively let go.

Hu Hai successfully snatched the basket into his arms, holding it tightly, and proudly waved it at the two dumbfounded children.

He glanced down at the few shabby, withered twigs at the bottom of the basket, wrinkled his little nose, and pouted slightly in disdain. But then he puffed out his little chest and announced, "These are it, we'll buy them! Hmm... this... I'll give you a hundred... um, a thousand..."

He clearly had no concept of money, and the more he talked, the more incoherent he became. His dark, round eyes darted around, and he eventually gave up on the complicated calculations.

"I'll just buy the basket too!"

He loudly announced his verdict, then, carrying the tattered basket that was a bit too big for him, he turned around and ran back to Fusu's side, proudly presenting it to his elder brother like a treasure, his tone cheerful:

"Brother! I've brought everything for you! Just give him the money!"

"Okay, thank you, Huhai." Fusu found his younger brother's enthusiastic yet domineering manner somewhat amusing. He bent down, gently rubbed his head, and took the light basket from his back.

He temporarily placed the basket on the snow at his feet, straightened up, and habitually reached into his sleeve pocket to take out his money pouch—but suddenly stopped.

The sleeve pocket was empty; the familiar weight did not come.

Oh no! Fusu's heart skipped a beat.

I changed into casual clothes before leaving the house, but I forgot to change my purse along with it!

Although he maintained a calm expression, the tips of his ears involuntarily became slightly hot. It was rare for Fusu, who was always thoughtful and prudent in his actions, to make such a lapse, especially in front of his younger brother and outsiders. A sense of embarrassment crept into his heart.

Fortunately, this slight pause did not last long.

Zhou Wenqing, who had been keeping an eye on the commotion, glanced at Fu Su's instantly stiff fingertips and slightly reddened ear tips, and immediately understood. A smile flashed in his eyes.

They're just kids after all!

He took out his money pouch—he had only brought a small amount with him, intending to buy some snacks for the children after leaving the city, but now it was just right, so he wouldn't have to worry about the two children being coveted.

Zhou Wenqing beckoned to Hu Hai, who was eagerly waiting for his elder brother to "pay the bill."

"Hu Hai, come here, your brother's money bag is with me."

Upon being summoned, Hu Hai immediately hopped over eagerly.

Zhou Wenqing handed him the money bag and said gently, "Go, pay for your brother's money."

"Okay!" Hu Hai responded loudly, took the money bag, turned around and ran to the boy with his short legs. Without saying a word, he stuffed the cloth bag, which still had Zhou Wenqing's body temperature, into the boy's arms.

"Here you go! You have to pay for what you buy; Mr. Zhou just taught me that a few days ago!"

Hu Hai's face was serious, even with a hint of pride that said, "I know the rules very well." But then he lowered his voice and added in a slightly threatening tone.

"Take it now, but don't say I stole it from you, or else... or I'll get a spanking and I'll be angry!"

After saying that, he deliberately glared at her, trying to make himself seem more convincing, which made people laugh.

The boy was completely bewildered by Hu Hai's actions. Suddenly, a money bag was stuffed into his arms. Feeling the heavy weight of the hard object inside, he shuddered violently as if he had been burned and instinctively tried to push the money bag back.

"No...this is too much! My esteemed guest, a few blades of grass are not worth much..."

But before he could finish speaking, his younger sister, whom he had been holding tightly in his arms, suddenly coughed softly.

She tried her best to suppress it, afraid of causing trouble for her brother, but she still couldn't help it. Her thin body trembled slightly with each cough, and she timidly looked up at her brother, her eyes filled with unease.

All the words of rejection from the brother caught in his throat the moment he met his sister's eyes.

His lips trembled, his eyes quickly reddened, and a thick layer of moisture enveloped him, blurring his vision.

"Thank you, sir! Thank you, benefactor! Thank you... Waaah... Thank you..."

The boy could no longer hold on; tears streamed down his face. His legs buckled, and he grabbed his sister, about to kneel heavily in the snow once more.

"No kneeling allowed!"

Zhou Wenqing gave a low shout, took a few steps forward, and steadily supported the boy's drooping arm with one hand, while gently pressing down on the little girl's thin shoulder, who was subconsciously trying to follow her brother's movements, with the other hand.

"I already said, there's no need to kneel anymore. This money is for your basket and herbs. It's a fair trade, and both parties are willing. Stop crying, child. Take the things and go back to take care of your grandfather."

"That's right, that's right!" Little Hu Hai, who had been startled by his teacher's sudden shout, quickly chimed in, trying to imitate Zhou Wenqing's serious tone, but his attempt only sounded more childish.

"You have to listen to Mr. Zhou; only good children get rewards!"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the clothes Mr. Zhou had given the two children, the sachet Lang Wen had given them, and the money pouch his elder brother had given them…

Huh? It seems like... he's the only one missing!

The thought, like a small hook, suddenly popped into his strange thought process. Hu Hai pursed his lips, and his little hand involuntarily reached into his clothes to feel around. Inside was a small bag that he could carry snacks with him. His fingertips touched the outline of a dried apricot inside.

He squeezed the bag, a fleeting feeling of reluctance crossing his mind, but he gritted his teeth and simply pulled out the entire bag of snacks, stuffing it into the girl's arms.

"Take them, you can have them all, I don't want them anymore!"

The girl seemed a little lost. She held the bag blankly, looked up at Hu Hai timidly with her dirty little face, hesitated for a moment, and then murmured in a weak voice, "Thank you... thank you, big brother."

Thanks?

Hu Hai was taken aback.

Throughout his life, he had received countless respectful flattery and fearful greetings, but it seemed to be the first time someone had said "thank you" to him.

The lingering reluctance in his heart was instantly overwhelmed by excitement. He tried hard to suppress the corners of his mouth that wanted to turn up, and his head unconsciously tilted up a little. He quickly wiped away a suspicious trace of water from the corner of his mouth with his small hand.

"You're welcome! I'm already tired of this, what's the big deal? You can take it!"

"Hu Hai was also a good child."

Zhou Wenqing patted Hu Hai's head with satisfaction. It seemed that the beating he had endured for so many days had not been in vain. This stubborn rock had finally been chipped open with a crack that let in some light.

He felt moved, but didn't show it on his face. He just looked gently at Hu Hai's awkward but bright eyes, which couldn't hide the sparkle after doing a good deed.

He then turned to the brother and sister and said gently, "The snow is heavy and the wind is strong. It's too dangerous for you two to go home alone. Which neighborhood do you live in? I'll have someone give you a ride."

Upon hearing this, the boy shook his head hastily, his face, blue with cold, filled with anxiety.

"No, no need to trouble you, sir! We know the way ourselves! Grandpa's cough is bad, we can't wait, I need to get the money to go to town for medicine first... The pharmacy owner said that those particularly skilled doctors might leave at any time, several have already left, we need to hurry!"

Zhou Wenqing immediately understood, nodded in agreement, and turned to Li Yi.

"Ah Yi, go to the carriage and get a pair of shoes for these two children. Then arrange for two reliable people to escort them to fetch a doctor and then take them home safely. If there is any shortage along the way, handle it accordingly."

"Yes, sir." Li Yi solemnly responded, immediately pointing out two capable guards and whispering a few words of instruction.

"Thank you... thank you for your kindness! Thank you, young masters! We... we're leaving!" His voice choked with emotion. He didn't say anything more, holding his sister's hand tightly, and followed the two guards, turning back every step of the way, before disappearing back into the vast snowstorm.

Zhou Wenqing stood silently watching them for a long time, and the three children quietly surrounded him. Even the most lively Hu Hai was unusually quiet.

"Sir," Fusu gently tugged at his sleeve, looked up, and his clear eyes reflected worry, "You've been standing here for a long time. The snow is getting heavy. Let's go over there to take shelter."

Zhou Wenqing snapped out of his daze, looked down at the children's rosy, concerned faces, and the heavy feeling in his heart seemed to dissipate a little.

Li Yi had already prepared a sheltered spot beside the carriage, rekindled the charcoal fire in the red clay stove, and the water in the copper kettle began to gurgle again, with the aroma of tea wafting through the air.

Zhou Wenqing did not sit down immediately. He walked to the carriage, took out a spare fur coat from inside, and handed it to Li Yi.

"Put these on. I told you to get your shoes from the carriage, why didn't you get yourself some clothes?"

"Sir, I'm perfectly fine, I'm really not cold," Li Yi said, declining the offer.

"Can't I even tell you I'm cold?"

Zhou Wenqing said irritably, and then shoved the fur coat into his hands without saying another word.

"Stop arguing, consider this compensation." He turned around and casually added as he walked back, "They're all black, which suits you perfectly."

How can that be the same?! Li Yi held the warm, finely crafted noble fur coat in his arms, his lips twitching slightly.

The robe he was wearing was just an ordinary dark-colored guard's outer robe, but this one... could probably buy more than ten of them!

He opened his mouth, but seeing the gentleman's back already comfortably seated back in the wicker chair, he could only swallow his words.

Zhou Wenqing had already sat back in the cushioned rattan chair, picked up the bubbling copper kettle, and the rising steam blurred his handsome profile. He poured himself and his three children a cup of hot tea.

"Come over here, have some hot drinks to warm yourselves up and ward off the cold."

Fusu and Azhu held the warm ceramic cups, carefully blew on them, and then sipped the water in small sips.

Hu Hai, however, couldn't stay still. His mind was already back in the snow. Seeing that the white steam had stopped rising from the rim of his cup, he gulped it down in one big gulp.

"Hiss—ha! It's hot!"

The heat rolled over his tongue, and he jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, hissing and gasping for air as he desperately fanned his mouth with his little hands, tears welling up in his eyes from the heat.

"Slow down, what's the rush?" Zhou Wenqing helplessly pulled the naughty child over. "Here's something cool, rinse your mouth."

Hu Hai took a big gulp, finally recovering. Looking at the increasingly heavy snow outside, he immediately forgot his pain and gazed longingly at Zhou Wenqing:

"Mr. Zhou, the snow is getting heavier again! I only played for a little while, and I haven't had enough fun yet! I haven't built a snowman!"

"Hey, hey, hey, you look like a snowman." Zhou Wenqing was amused by his anxious and pitiful appearance, and reached out with a slightly annoyed hand to wipe the messy water stains from the corner of his mouth with the cool corner of her sleeve.

"Go on, go on, let the guards help you change your clothes, go play, but be careful not to go too far, and don't trample on the ridges."

"Yay!" Hu Hai instantly perked up, cheered, and turned to grab some men. "Brother Langwen, quick! Let's build a snowman together, a big one!"

"Hey, I haven't finished my tea yet! Wait... hey!"

Ah Zhu only had time to exclaim in surprise before Hu Hai snatched the teacup, which was still half full, from his hand and slammed it down on the small wooden table next to him. Hu Hai then pulled him into the dense, swirling snow.

The two small figures were instantly swallowed by the swirling snowflakes, with only the faint sound of Hu Hai's excited commands: "The snow's thicker here! Roll this quickly!" He A Zhu responded with a hint of helplessness: "Slow down... Oops, it's scattered again!"

After watching for a while, Zhou Wenqing saw that they were indeed not going far, and with Azhu watching over them, they were also keeping to themselves. So he turned around and waved to Li Yi.

"Ah Yi, don't just stand there, come sit down and have a cup of hot tea to warm yourself up."

He paused, lightly touching the warm rim of the cup with his fingertip. "Perfect timing, I also have something to ask you."