After a winding journey, the flower that had been sent away returned to the place where she first woke up.
Zhongli Ting had not yet figured out where to place her. The camp was filled with male soldiers; he couldn’t leave a child in Chunfang, and the communal barracks were even less appropriate. He had no choice but to have a low cot set up in his own tent, screened off by a partition to settle her temporarily.
The next morning, as dawn broke through the darkness, the horizon began to lighten.
The moment the light filtered through the tent’s skylight and touched the bed, Ruhuahua opened her eyes. Without a trace of lingering sleepiness, she grabbed her clothes in the dim light and scrambled off the small cot in one fluid motion.
Once fully dressed, looking at an environment so different from that dark, cramped mud hut, Ruhuahua’s tense muscles gradually relaxed. The lessons learned in the small mountain village had been etched too deeply; even though she was now away from that place, her body still held the memory of it.
She bent down to put on her boots. Seeing no one in the tent, she lifted the thick felt flap and stepped outside.
Patrolling soldiers glanced at her with curiosity, and Ruhuahua gave them a shy smile.
She remembered correctly: there was a large water vat outside this tent, and every day, soldiers would come to fill it. The surface of the water hadn’t frozen over. Ruhuahua used the ladle floating on top to scoop some water into a copper basin. She breathed onto her frost-reddened palms, rubbed her small hands together, and then returned to the tent to grab a copper kettle. She filled it and placed it on the small brazier used for warmth in the center of the tent.
Having burned through the night, the coals in the brazier were dying out. Ruhuahua clumsily added more charcoal with the tongs and set the copper kettle back on top.
After smoothing her hair, Ruhuahua sat by the small brazier, resting her chin on her hands and watching the little copper kettle hum.
Just as the water began to bubble and send up white steam, the heavy felt flap at the entrance was lifted from the outside. The young gentleman, returning from his morning exercises, ducked inside.
Ruhuahua hurried to stand up. She added hot water to the cold basin, soaked a towel from the rack, wrung it out, and held it out eagerly. "Brother."
Zhongli Ting raised an eyebrow slightly. He took the steaming towel, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and washed his hands in the basin. Only after drying them did he turn back. "No need to curry favor with me, kid. I can do these things myself; just take care of yourself."
Ruhuahua neither nodded nor shook her head. She wrung her hands, watching as Zhongli Ting walked behind the partition, his shadowed movements suggesting he was undressing.
She didn’t understand the boundaries between men and women. She stared at the spot without blinking, gazing blankly.
The light from the skylight made the screen semi-transparent. The young man’s silhouette was tall and sturdy; the tightly knotted belt loosened as his nimble fingers worked…
"Close your eyes and turn around. Don't think you can take advantage of me just because you’re a child." The clear, youthful voice jolted her awake, and Ruhuahua hurriedly turned away.
Take advantage? What advantage did she take?
Ruhuahua was a bit bewildered, but she was obedient enough to keep her eyes shut and stay turned away.
Zhongli Ting quickly changed out of his sweat-drenched training gear into casual clothes, then walked out from behind the screen at a leisurely pace. "Why are you up so early? You could have slept a little longer."
At this hour, the sky wasn't even fully bright. That fellow Wei Ling was probably still fast asleep.
Ruhuahua turned back, opened her eyes to look at him, and said, word for word, earnestly: "It is Brother who is early."
Zhongli Ting really was too early; she didn't even know when he had gotten up and left.
Zhongli Ting chuckled. "Kid, how can you compare yourself to me?" He was already used to this morning "appetizer."
Afraid of being seen as a burden, Ruhuahua spoke urgently, "I’m not small. I can do many things."
Zhongli Ting raised a hand, measuring the height of the girl who barely reached his chest with great interest. "Kid, are you even ten years old this year?"
Ruhuahua shook her head.
It wasn't that she was saying "no." It was just that she really didn't remember how old she was.
She bit her lip in frustration and looked up at the vast height difference between herself and the person beside her. With a lack of confidence, she said, "I will grow tall. I’ll work hard to grow taller than Brother."
Zhongli Ting pressed a large hand onto her head. "Little one, do you know what this is called?"
Ruhuahua looked up at Zhongli Ting, puzzled.
Zhongli Ting said, enunciating each word, "It's called wishful thinking."
Ruhuahua whispered, "…But one must have dreams."
"Hmm, everyone is amazing if they have dreams," Zhongli Ting remarked, sparing no effort, "but the premise is that it isn't a delusion."
Ruhuahua, her dreams nipped in the bud, said, "..."
"Kid, Brother is going out for a while. Someone will bring breakfast shortly. Don’t wait for me, just eat it and leave it there. Someone will come to collect the food box later, you don’t need to wash it. If you’re scared, just stay in the tent and don't wander around. Brother will be back later."
Zhongli Ting had to handle the fallout from yesterday; admitting to it himself and being exposed were two very different outcomes.
After saying this, fearing the child hadn't remembered it all, he asked, "Did you get all that?"
Ruhuahua listened carefully, nodded vigorously, and looked at him with wide eyes. "I remembered!"
It was like raising a well-behaved cat—so easy and effortless.
Satisfied, Zhongli Ting nodded and left the tent.
Not long after he left, there was movement outside. Thinking it was the breakfast delivery, Ruhuahua stood up.
The felt was lifted, letting in a flash of light, and a handsome, heroic-looking youth walked in carrying a food box.
"Brother Wei!"
Wei Ling smiled and greeted her: "Little girl, did you sleep well yesterday?"
"Yes!" Ruhuahua nodded vigorously. It was warm and clean here, and no one bullied her.
Wei Ling held up the food box. "Hungry? Brother Wei brought you breakfast personally. This is a privilege others don't have."
The little girl said crisply: "Thank you, Brother Wei!"
"Don't mention it, I’m just entrusted by someone else," Wei Ling said, opening the stacked food box and setting it on the table. "Eat while it's hot. No need to save any for him."
Zhongli Ting had gone to the main tent without eating this morning. Wei Ling hadn't been able to stop him and had been temporarily entrusted to deliver the meal. The portion he held was the standard ration for Zhongli Ting.
Ruhuahua recalled that Zhongli Ting had given similar instructions when he left. "Did Brother not eat?"
Wei Ling picked up the chopsticks and handed them to Ruhuahua. A day had passed, and he was still annoyed by Zhongli Ting’s grandstanding act of heroism that had left him behind. Hearing her question, he replied coldly: "Don't worry about him. Some people treat personal heroism like a meal."
His words were heavy with metaphor; Ruhuahua didn't understand for a moment and just looked at him blankly.
Wei Ling waved his hand, sighing helplessly: "It's nothing. I'm not angry at you. Just eat your breakfast."