"...Since you have nowhere to go, come with me!"
Ms. Hetian, being a mother, couldn’t bear to see children suffer, endure pain, or be wronged.
Seeing several little boys around the same age as her own Xiao Bao, all with eyes full of fear, their young faces filled with confusion and despair, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of heartache.
Alas, let it be an act of kindness and good deeds.
She didn’t ask for any return, only hoped that if her own son encountered danger, there would be a kind person to lend a helping hand.
"We will follow you! You saved us, you are our reborn parents!"
The leader was a boy of about seven or eight, the oldest among them, faintly taking on the role of an elder brother.
He represented everyone, saying: "We don’t want to go back to find our parents... they already sold us and we almost died."
There was not much resentment, just a calm statement of fact.
Seeing the children so numb, Ms. Hetian felt a surge of shame.
Because once, she almost became the kind of heartless parent who would abandon her own flesh and blood!
"We didn’t die because you saved us, so our lives are yours!"
Hearing Ms. Hetian express willingness to take them in, it was again this leader boy who spoke with utmost seriousness.
Ms. Hetian’s heart ached even more. She blinked hard, forcing back the tears.
If she hadn’t awakened in time, her Xiao Bao would have been worse off than this group of children.
And when he was in the Demon Cave, being wantonly abused, did he also feel this kind of despair, helplessness, until he became numb?
Can’t think about it, can’t continue thinking, Ms. Hetian dared not think more because she was already nearly out of breath.
Suppressing those terrible thoughts, Ms. Hetian pulled herself together, bought a carriage, and settled the children inside.
Because of these children, Ms. Hetian couldn’t use Qinggong as she did when she arrived.
However, driving the carriage wasn’t too slow either.
Along the way, Ms. Hetian encountered more children who had been sold or abandoned by their parents.
There were boys and girls, some were sick or injured. Each had their unfortunate circumstances, but they were generally all under ten years of age.
By the time Ms. Hetian returned to the cave, her carriage was already crowded with more than twenty children.
"...Mother?"
Seeing so many new companions suddenly, He Xiaobao was shocked.
But He Xiaobao, being kind-hearted, sensible, and with his mother’s newfound love, felt no jealousy or rejection upon seeing so many children.
"Xiao Bao, you’re too lonely on your own, so I found some brothers and sisters to accompany you!"
Ms. Hetian softly explained to He Xiaobao.
He Xiaobao was a bit excited, "Great! Although having just you is enough, having more companions is also wonderful!"
Seeing that He Xiaobao was genuinely happy, Ms. Hetian finally let go of her anxious heart.
Thus, besides having her biological son He Xiaobao, Ms. Hetian gained fifteen adopted daughters and twelve adopted sons.
The child soldiers, the first female general of the Dazhou Dynasty, the three great tiger generals... were now just a group of frightened, weak, and pitiful abandoned children.
They did not know that at this moment, their fate had been completely changed!
...
Ms. Hetian always thought that she was not a good mother.
At least before her awakening, she could definitely not be considered a qualified good mother.
After awakening, while raising He Xiaobao, Ms. Hetian also worried that she might not teach him well.
But ever since she had twenty-seven adopted sons and daughters, Ms. Hetian suddenly discovered that she seemed to be quite good at raising children.
Ms. Hetian did not specifically set up any courses or teach any skills to the children.
She just raised them like she did He Xiaobao, leading the group in hunting in the mountains and forests, gathering herbs, digging deep wells, and cultivating wasteland.
Every day, she took them mountain climbing, tree climbing, chasing prey, or cooperating to combat large wild beasts, packs of wolves, and such.
In just a few years, the oldest of these children had already become capable of taking charge themselves.
The outside world grew more chaotic; each time Ms. Hetian took the older children out to gather supplies and gain worldly experience, she always managed to bring back a few more orphans who had been abandoned or lost their parents.
She also saved a few weak scholars who were nearly killed by rebel people, or women and the elderly who had no other way out.
Ms. Hetian did not waste the "resources."
The scholars became teachers for the group of children, while the elderly and women helped with farming, cooking, and took charge of logistics.