Ruhuahua buried her head in her meal, eating quietly and diligently. She made almost no sound, chewing slowly and methodically, every gesture revealing a sense of discipline and reserve that made her seem exactly like the young noblewomen of the clans in the Imperial City.
Wei Ling, lounging to one side, glanced over inadvertently. Just as he was about to say something, a loud voice shouted from outside, "Young General Wei!"
Wei Ling straightened up instinctively.
Hearing the commotion, Ruhuahua looked up, following Wei Ling’s lead.
"It’s nothing. You keep eating," Wei Ling said as he stood up. "I’m going out to take a look."
Ruhuahua nodded.
As it turned out, once Wei Ling left, he didn't return for a very long time.
After Ruhuahua finished her meal, she tidied up the bowls and plates, not daring to touch anything else, and sat obediently in the tent, hugging her knees and waiting.
When lunch time arrived, the moment the tent flap stirred, Ruhuahua’s eyes widened as she jumped up, her gaze darting expectantly toward the entrance. To her profound disappointment, it was merely an unfamiliar young soldier who ducked inside.
Ruhuahua opened her mouth, but for a moment, no words came out.
The soldier didn’t try to engage her. He simply took the empty food container, set down fresh rations, and said, "I’ll come back to collect this tonight."
With that, without waiting for Ruhuahua to respond, he picked up the remaining food containers from the morning and left.
Ruhuahua blinked. She inhaled the rich aroma drifting from the fresh food, yet she stubbornly refused to touch it, choosing instead to sit by and guard the container.
When Zhongli Ting had left that morning, he had told her to eat, but he hadn't said anything about skipping lunch. He had mentioned he would be back late, so Ruhuahua waited with a stubborn resolve—waiting until her stomach began to protest, then waiting as the sun set, and finally until the sky turned black, yet still, Zhongli Ting did not return.
Suddenly, the thick felt at the tent entrance stirred with a rustling sound. Ruhuahua looked up abruptly, only to see the same soldier from earlier, once again carrying a food container.
Ruhuahua opened her mouth and offered a dry, faltering greeting. "P-please, do you know where Brother has gone?"
The soldier gave a dismissive answer: "The Young General's whereabouts are a military secret. I am not at liberty to say." He then moved to swap the containers. The weight of the old one caused him to pause; he opened it, glanced inside, and frowned slightly. "You didn't eat?"
"I'm sorry," Ruhuahua said, looking up, her voice soft and measured. "I intended to wait for Brother to eat together..."
The soldier looked at her. "Our Young General has no patience for those who waste food."
"I can finish these," Ruhuahua said, standing up immediately. "Please, take the new ones and give them to someone else."
The soldier looked at her for a long moment before finally relenting. "I’ll go have someone warm these up."
The leftovers seemed quite delicious once reheated. Ruhuahua finished every bit of the warmed food, washed herself with water she had fetched, and sat back down by the table to wait.
The spring air was biting. As deep night approached, the chill seeped through her clothes and into her bones. Ruhuahua pulled her thin jacket tighter around herself and, feeling weary, rested her head on the desk and yawned.
It was already dark; why hadn't Brother returned yet?
Drowsiness took hold. Ruhuahua drifted into a haze, falling asleep at the table without realizing it. She wasn't jolted awake until the temperature plummeted in the middle of the night, leaving her hands and feet ice-cold and her body trembling with a deep chill.
Ruhuahua stood up, dazed. She couldn't tell what time it was. She looked toward the bed opposite hers, still empty, and felt a flicker of confusion in her eyes.
Brother still hadn't come back...
After standing there blankly for a moment, Ruhuahua blew out the oil lamp, took off her boots, climbed into her own bed, and tucked herself deep into the covers.
She didn't want to get sick; she didn't want to be a burden.
She slept without dreams, and thankfully, tucked in the warmth of her blankets, she didn't wake up shivering again. She slept soundly until dawn. For some reason, however, she woke with a dull ache in her temples, which only began to fade after she washed her face with hot water.
Day had broken, and Brother still had not returned.
After dressing, Ruhuahua carefully lifted a corner of the felt flap. Before she could catch a glimpse outside, she bumped into the soldier arriving with the food.
Ruhuahua hurriedly took a step back, her neck flushing red at being caught snooping.
"Going to the latrine?"
Hearing this, Ruhuahua’s face turned even redder. She quickly denied it. "No..."
The soldier set down the food container, his face cold and tinged with hostility. "Then don't wander around the camp. Haven't you caused the Young General enough trouble already?"
Ruhuahua nodded weakly and sat down obediently to wait.
A long while later, it finally sank in.
Had she really been a burden to Brother?
With an uneasy heart, Ruhuahua waited through the day until deep into the night, only dragging herself back to bed once the sky had turned pitch black.
Some time later, in the dead of night, the young girl was awakened by a rustling sound.
She sat up, clutched her bedding, and widened her eyes.
*A rat?*
The next moment, she saw a faint glimmer of light filtering past the edge of the folding screen. A long, distorted shadow was cast upon it, hunched over as if searching for something.
Ruhuahua stepped out of bed softly, her bare feet silent on the animal-hide rug, and circled to the side of the screen. "Brother..."
"HOLY SHIT!!!" Wei Ling spun around, jolted so hard that the tinderbox in his hand shook violently.
He nearly jumped out of his skin.
"You scared the life out of me! Don't you make a sound when you walk?" Wei Ling clutched his chest, catching his breath as he realized who it was. "You nearly gave me a heart attack."
"I'm sorry," Ruhuahua said sincerely. "I didn't know Brother Wei had a heart condition and was easily frightened."
"...I don't have a heart condition." He paused, then cleared his throat. "Besides..."
Ruhuahua looked up.
"Listen, Hua'er," Wei Ling said seriously. "Don't tell anyone about this, okay? It’s not that I’m afraid, it’s just—it was a surprise! It’s not that I’m easily frightened, it was just... it was quite sudden. Anyway, you must not tell anyone!"
"Oh," Ruhuahua rubbed her eyes and whispered, "Brother Wei..."
*Was she really that scary?*
Wei Ling, silenced by her tone, turned to light the oil lamp in the tent. "Did I wake you with all my noise? My apologies, my apologies. It’s still early; go back to sleep. I’m leaving right now."
Ruhuahua tugged at the hem of her clothes and asked carefully, "Brother Wei, do you know where Brother has gone?"
As the tent brightened, Wei Ling saw the bloodshot lines in the girl's eyes. He sighed. "He’s a grown man; you don't need to worry about him. Now, go to sleep."
Ruhuahua remembered what she had heard earlier. No matter how she asked the soldier, he wouldn't tell her anything, so she could only ask Wei Ling: "Brother Wei, have I been a burden to Brother?"
"Hmm?" Wei Ling paused, looking at her. Meeting her dark eyes, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt. "Haha, who told you that? That's not true at all."
Ruhuahua sniffled. "Brother Wei, I said it before..." she emphasized earnestly, "I’m not a fool. Please don’t try to coddle me."
"..." *Since when were kids so hard to fool?*