This child.
Looking down at her tearful eyes, Zhongli Ting couldn't help but chuckle.
He figured this must be what his old teacher used to call the "imprinting effect."
He stood before the stone monument at the village entrance, not rushing her. He simply looked down at Ruhuahua, gently wiping away her tears with his fingertips, and said unhurriedly, "Little one, trust me. It won't be long before you forget all about me."
He hadn't spent much time with the little girl—all told, they had only met a handful of times. He believed that in less than half a month, she probably wouldn't even remember what he looked like.
Looking up at the man before her, Ruhuahua said firmly, "No, I won't. I'll never forget you."
Zhongli Ting didn't take it to heart. He just smiled slightly and said casually, "At least you have a conscience." With that, he reached into his robe, pulled out a pouch of pine nut candies, and handed it to her. "Be good, alright?"
The little girl clutched the corner of his sleeve, still having so much she wanted to say: *I am good. I'll be very obedient. Please don't leave me behind.*
So many words, yet in the end they clumsily dissolved into a single phrase: "Brother..."
Zhongli Ting asked, "Is Huahua obedient?"
Ruhuahua nodded repeatedly. "I am."
"Good girl." Zhongli Ting rubbed her head, squatted down in front of her, unclasped his cloak, and draped it around her shoulders. His fingers deftly tied the cloak's strings at her neck. "It's windy outside. Be a good girl and go back with your... with your uncle and aunt. As long as you're good, I'll come visit whenever I have time."
"Really?" The dimness in Ruhuahua's eyes finally gave way to a faint glint of hope.
"Of course."
Zhongli Ting handed the couple a generous purse of silver and took care to give them a few instructions. "The child is young, but not so young that she doesn't understand things. She might not be able to change how she addresses you right away, so don't force her. Take it slow. She's a very good girl, so treat her well. Kindness begets kindness."
Pausing, he stepped closer and lowered his voice, "If one day you have a child of your own and no longer want her, contact me and I will take her back. Do not abandon her."
***
As soon as Zhongli Ting left, the woman reached out to take Ruhuahua's hand.
Facing the unfamiliar young couple, Ruhuahua shrank back slightly in fear.
"What's wrong?" the woman asked.
Ruhuahua was still afraid, but remembering that Brother had told her to be good so he would come visit her, she gathered her courage and held out her hand. "Auntie..."
The woman snatched her hand and muttered, "You'll have to call me Mother from now on."
Seemingly surprised by the soft, delicate touch, the young woman looked down and found herself staring directly into a pair of innocent, doe-like eyes as black as ink.
The little girl was dressed in an expensive red dress. Her features were delicate, her skin fine and smooth, and her every movement exuded an air of noble refinement—an elegance entirely absent among rural folk.
Looking back at herself—clad in worn, humble clothes, her face sallow, her fingers rough and covered in thick calluses—the woman found it hard not to feel ashamed.
*Mother?*
Ruhuahua opened her mouth, but for some reason, the word just wouldn't come out.
The woman didn't care much for this little girl who made her feel inferior and envious. She made no effort to match the child's pace, dragging her along stumbling for about the time it takes an incense stick to burn before they finally stopped.
Ruhuahua looked up curiously.
Before them stood a half-shabby farmhouse with a small fenced yard containing three or four thatched cottages. A shed was set up in an enclosed area, from which the faint clucking of chickens could be heard.
The man beside them stepped forward to open the wooden gate, and the woman pulled Ruhuahua straight into the courtyard.
The woman led her to the door of a small room on the right and said, "This will be your room from now on. Go on in, and don't go wandering around for no reason."
Before Ruhuahua could ask anything, the woman shoved her inside and slammed the door shut with a loud clack.
The small room was dim, with only a faint glimmer of light filtering through the paper-covered window on one side. A strange musty smell mixed with dust filled the air, and it was quite cold. Looking around, Ruhuahua noticed a thin crack split across the adobe wall on the west side, through which the chilly wind whistled indoors.
Ruhuahua stood dazed in the middle of the room. After a moment, she looked toward the inner wall and spotted a crude little bed made of bricks and wooden planks. A layer of dry straw was spread over it, topped with a dull gray quilt. Its original color was unidentifiable, but one look was enough to tell it was cold and stiff.
She leaned in and sniffed gently; the quilt carried an indescribable mildew scent.
*Strange.*
She tilted her head, blinking in confusion.
The bedding back at the military camp always had a subtle scent of soapberry, but the bedding here smelled weird.
*Is it dirty?*
*Dirty things need to be washed clean before they can be used.*
She wanted to go ask her aunt. Just as she pushed the door open, voices drifted over through the half-open wooden door of the adjoining room.
First came a man's voice, rough and unnaturally excited. "Stop fussing with the luggage! Where's the money pouch? Open it quick! That pouch was bulging—there must be a ton of silver in there!"
"Don't rush me, don't rush me," the woman's voice replied, accompanied by the clinking of coins.
"Fuck! So much silver!" The man's voice was giddy with joy. "Who knew a money-losing brat could be worth so much!"
"Keep your voice down!"
"I can't!" The man couldn't hide his excitement. "All this silver! I never thought that little girl would be worth so much. I thought she was just a useless burden nobody wanted—almost missed out."
The woman still had reservations. "Do you think those soldiers might come back looking for her later?"
"What are you afraid of? Didn't you hear the men who came asking around earlier? They picked this girl up on the road; nobody wanted her in the first place. Now that they've finally gotten rid of her, who would bother checking back? Besides, with the constant war at the border these days, who knows when they'll be deployed there to fight? They're all living day-to-day anyway."
The woman gradually put her mind at ease and began rummaging through the luggage again. "Hey, look at the clothes they brought for her. They're all brand new and made of fine fabric I've never even touched before..."
"Enough, enough, look at you acting like you've never seen anything nice," the man said impatiently. "We'll take these clothes to a pawnshop later. With that money, how many clothes couldn't you buy?"
Ruhuahua dazedly pushed open the door in front of her. "Auntie..."
"What are you doing here?" The woman glared at her with raised eyebrows.
"My..."
"Yours? Even you belong to us now! You eat our food, live under our roof—these little things don't even cover your room and board!" Displeased, the woman spat and hollered, "You ungrateful little wolf! Your wings haven't even grown in yet, and you're already turning against us?!"
The little girl stood where she was, her head slowly drooping. "I'm not..."
"What are you muttering over there?" the woman urged impatiently. "If you don't have business here, get out! Keep blabbering and you can forget about eating dinner tonight!"
The man stood aside with folded arms, watching the show.
Ruhuahua hurriedly ran out of the room.