Facing the question from Xiaoque, the old man just nodded and said in a matter-of-fact tone:
"That's right. Apart from Master Xuande, I don't know anyone else."
Xiaoque was completely confused now. He would never have thought that the children accompanying him might be adopted by Master Liu Bei.
You must know that he is the overlord who dominates the four counties. He has hundreds of thousands of troops and is a veritable king of princes. Even Prime Minister Cao can do nothing to him.
The old man could see the changes in Xiao Que's expression, and he couldn't help but laugh:
"Haha, little brother, don't be surprised. In fact, Duke Xuande has come to Changsha City a long time ago."
When Xiaoque heard this, he immediately asked:
"Where are the others?"
The old man shook his head and said:
"I don't know about this either. I have seen him from a distance. Mr. Xuande seems to have come here to play nearby. I have only seen him this once."
When Xiao Que heard this, he frowned slightly and asked:
"In this case, how can the children be in Duke Xuande's residence?"
The old man touched his beard and said slowly:
"Don't you know this? Duke Xuande newly acquired these four counties and was eager to regain the support of the people, so he took this step to adopt children."
"On the one hand, adopting children can win over the people and stabilize order. On the other hand, it can also cultivate talents and prepare for future conquests."
Hearing this, Xiao Que's face twitched a little, and he said with a strange expression:
"This 10-year-old child is preparing for future conquests?"
"I'm afraid it will take nearly ten years just to cultivate it, right?"
The old man shook his head and said with a smile:
"Haha, it won't take ten years, it will be almost six or seven years."
After saying that, he approached Xiaoque again and added mysteriously:
"A follower like this who has been trained since childhood is naturally loyal to Duke Xuande and will definitely serve him in the future."
"Besides, Xuande Gong has the ambition of the world and will definitely take action. During this period, it will take more than ten years to achieve anything. This period of time is enough for the children to grow up."
Xiao Que was stunned for a moment when he heard the words. He didn't expect that the old man knew a lot about this aspect. But when he heard the end, the corners of his mouth raised slightly and he said with a smile:
"The old man is right!"
At this time, Xiao Que felt quite excited because he felt that this seemed to be an opportunity.
After all, the fate of being raised by Duke Xuande was much better than that of a beggar, and he also hoped that his children could escape that humble fate.
Thinking of this, Xiao Que suddenly opened his mouth and smiled brightly, sweeping away the previous haze.
When the old man saw this scene, he nodded happily. He waved his hand and said:
"I'm tired, so I won't disturb you anymore. Little brother, just have a good chat with her..."
After saying that, the old man turned and left.
"Thank you, old man!"
Xiaoque bowed to the old man solemnly, and the old man smiled faintly, said nothing, and walked straight into the room to rest.
Watching the old man stagger away, Xiao Que turned to look at the little girl beside him, and found that the girl was lowering her head and saying nothing, and her black and white pupils were staring at the ground quietly, as if she was thinking about something.
Seeing this, Xiao Que sighed softly, stretched out his hands to hold the little girl's cold fingertips, and comforted her softly:
"Okay, okay, little sister, stop making random guesses. Those children must be safe and sound."
"Moreover, I believe that those children must have been adopted by Duke Xuande. When we meet again, they will have become righteous soldiers under Duke Xuande's tent, and they will no longer have to run around and endure all the hardships."
As he spoke, Xiao Que clenched his fists involuntarily, with a look of determination in his eyes.
The little girl raised her head, stared at Xiao Que expressionlessly, and slowly said:
"Brother, do you really hope that we won't be separated again in the future?"
When Xiao Que heard this, his heart beat violently, his cheeks were slightly red, and he was a little shy, but he soon returned to normal and said with a relaxed smile:
"Of course, we, brother and sister, have gone through ups and downs. As the saying goes, a friend in need is a friend indeed."
"Don't worry, if there is a chance, brother, I will definitely take you out of this hellish place."
After saying that, Xiao Que pulled the little girl to sit down and continued:
"Wait a minute, I'll get you some wheat cakes to fill your stomach."
After saying that, he turned and left, but the little girl who stayed behind remained silent.
Xiao Que was very fast. He quickly picked up the bamboo basket that he had thrown on the spot, opened the linen cloth, looked at the wheat cakes full of it, and couldn't help but smile.
"Fortunately, it wasn't picked up by others."
He thought to himself.
After that, Xiao Que took the bamboo basket and walked back.
His steps were steady, neither fast nor slow, and before long, he had returned to where he was before.
"Little sister, take it."
Xiao Que handed the wheat cake to the little girl. After the little girl took it, her soft lips moved, wanting to say something, but she swallowed the words again when she reached her lips.
In the end, she just took a small bite, handed the remaining wheat cake to Xiao Que, and said:
"Brother, give this to you. I'm full."
Xiaoque was a little confused and said:
"With just such a small bite, can you be full?"
She pursed her lips gently, shook her head, and said seriously:
"Brother, although my little sister is hungry, this wheat cake is what my brother earned with so much hard work. I can't enjoy it all to myself."
Hearing this, Xiao Que's nose couldn't help but feel sour. He forced a smile and said:
"Silly girl, brother, there are still a lot of wheat cakes here."
After saying that, Xiaoque pushed the bamboo basket filled with wheat cakes in front of the little girl, indicating that she could eat without skipping a meal.
"Wow, so many wheat cakes."
The little girl looked at the wheat cakes in the bamboo basket and exclaimed in surprise. She blinked with hesitation, then looked at Xiao Que and said:
"Brother, these wheat cakes, could it be..."
At this point, the little girl couldn't help but stop. She seemed a little unable to speak, but in the end, she still implicitly reminded:
"Brother, although we are poor, we cannot do such unconscionable things."
It's normal for her to have such a reaction. After all, in troubled times, human lives are like trivial matters. It is already a luxury for ordinary slaves to fill their stomachs, let alone have extra money to purchase so much food?
This made the little girl feel surprised but also a little worried.
When Xiao Que heard this, he couldn't help laughing, patted the little girl's head and said:
"What are you thinking about?"
Seeing that the little girl still looked confused, he continued to explain:
"Brother knows that you have been wandering around with me all these years and suffered a lot of suffering and torture. But now, brother, I have met a good master, and he treats me well."
"Look at these wheat cakes, which he gave to me. They are enough for us to eat for a long time."
Xiao Que said with a smile, and upon hearing these words, the little girl's eyes suddenly widened, and a look of shock appeared on her pretty cheeks.
"The Lord rewarded my brother with so much food? This...this...brother, we..."
Xiao Que touched the little girl's long black hair and said:
"Don't be so surprised. My lord is indeed friendly to others, and he is also very talented."
As he spoke, he took a deep breath and said with shining eyes:
"Don't worry, since brother has met a noble person, our future will definitely be prosperous!
After hearing this, the little girl took a deep breath and seemed to try hard to calm down the turmoil in her heart.