Recognizing who they were, Ruhuahua suddenly straightened up, hastily wiped the water stains from her hands onto her clothes, and ignoring the wince of pain when she accidentally brushed against a wound, she instead ran quickly over to open the wooden gate for the two of them.
"Brother!"
"Not bad, you still haven't forgotten your brother after all this time." Zhongli Ting curved his lips in a smile.
"Hey, kid, what about me? Such a big living person standing right here," Wei Ling protested.
Ruhuahua immediately called out sweetly, "Brother Wei!"
Wei Ling was thoroughly pleased. "Such a good girl, Brother brought you some candy."
Ruhuahua pushed the gate open, and the two walked in one after the other.
It had just been the New Year recently. Zhongli Ting had returned to the palace before the New Year and spent the holiday in the capital, and upon returning after the New Year, he was busy solidifying the training that had grown lax during the holiday. Thus, it was after a lapse of nearly three months that Zhongli Ting finally carved out some time to come and check on her.
Because today was a day off, Wei Ling had nothing to do in the military camp either, and on a whim, he had accompanied Zhongli Ting.
Visiting someone's home empty-handed didn't look right, so before coming, the two had stopped by the town market and bought some meat and seasonal vegetables, as well as some small snacks like candies and preserved fruits for a child.
Once inside, the two men put down the things they were carrying and finally had the time to look at her properly.
At this single look, both of them froze in place.
Wei Ling asked in some astonishment, "Little girl, who hit you?"
Zhongli Ting didn't speak; he first observed her from head to toe.
It was just the beginning of spring, and there was still a lingering cold spell with drastic temperature fluctuations, yet the little girl wore only a somewhat thin, coarse cloth dress. Because it didn't fit, the garment hung loosely on her, looking unkempt and rather dirty. Looking at the little girl's face, a bright red palm print was faintly discernible. The corners of her mouth were somewhat chapped and bleeding, whether from a blow or simply the bitter cold, was hard to tell.
Perhaps because the little girl was so fair, that palm print looked shocking to the eye.
Zhongli Ting's expression suddenly darkened. He muttered a low curse under his breath and walked straight toward the main room.
The moment he took a step, his robe was grabbed.
Zhongli Ting lowered his gaze, looked at the tiny, frost-chapped scars on her hand, frowned, and remained silent for a moment.
Ruhuahua raised her head, her deep, clear eyes fixed on Zhongli Ting, looking puzzled. "Where is Brother going?"
She had quite a bit of strength, but if Zhongli Ting insisted on walking away, Ruhuahua's little arms and legs couldn't possibly stop him.
Wei Ling seemed to have guessed something. He hurriedly grabbed Zhongli Ting's arm and said urgently, "Brother, Brother! Don't get worked up just yet; let's at least get the story straight first."
Zhongli Ting turned back, his gaze carrying a sharpness he hadn't expected, hinting at the prelude to an approaching storm.
Ruhuahua was so startled by the side that she shivered and instinctively pulled back her hand.
Wei Ling called out, "Brother!"
Zhongli Ting took a deep breath, slowly pulled back his stride, and glanced at the red mark on the little girl's face. Refraining from directly probing her wound, he asked tactfully, "Huahua, how do they treat you?"
Ruhuahua looked up, her slender, upturned eyelashes fluttering: "Aunt and Uncle? They aren't home very often."
Zhongli Ting asked in a gentle voice, "Is that so? Then what does Huahua do around here?"
"I can do lots of things!" Ruhuahua pointed at the well. "I was just drawing water, but I finally got it up, and when Brother startled me, it dropped back down." As she spoke, she gave her head a slight, vexed knock with her fist and muttered unconsciously, "The bucket is so heavy..."
The grievance leaking through her words was heartbreaking.
Wei Ling chimed in from the side, "How old are you even, drawing water? Aren't you afraid of falling into the well?"
Zhongli Ting continued to ask, "By yourself? What are you drawing water for?"
"To wash clothes, of course."
The two looked over in that direction and only then noticed a large wooden basin placed not far from the well. Several garments were soaking inside, and next to it was a mountain of unwashed clothes piled high.
Wei Ling gasped, "So many?"
Zhongli Ting frowned, "You wash all these clothes by yourself?"
Having spent so many years mingling with soldiers in the military camp, he understood the principle that children of poor families had to mature early. He wasn't some pampered young master who had never lifted a finger, but a whole family wouldn't even have this many clothes. Just how long had these been accumulating? If it were him, he probably couldn't stand it, let alone a child this young washing them all alone in freezing weather, without even boiling hot water.
"Uncle and Aunt's clothes, and the clothes from the neighbor's aunt's house," Ruhuahua tilted her head and explained earnestly, "The neighbor's aunt gives money to Uncle and Aunt. I can earn money now, Brother."
Wei Ling muttered numbly, "Our Huahua is so sensible..."
Any trace of a smile on Zhongli Ting's face was now entirely gone. He took a heavy breath, his chest rising and falling as he struggled to suppress the impulse to flare up.
This little child swallowed all her grievances and bitterness herself, digesting all her unhappiness and sorrow alone, without leaking a single word of complaint. Her sensibleness was enough to break one's heart.
The modest family he had deliberately sought out back then—while not wealthy, they at least shouldn't have lacked food and warmth; moreover, he had even paid a considerable sum of silver. Were these people just treating the child as a money-making tool?
He was furious at this family for acting so heartlessly, and equally furious at himself for not conducting a more thorough investigation back then.
Wei Ling couldn't help asking, "Kid, how did you get that on your face?"
Ruhuahua instinctively touched her cheek, the dull ache making her frown.
"Did someone hit you?" Zhongli Ting asked.
Ruhuahua bit her lip with some embarrassment, covering her cheek with her fingers, and only after Wei Ling's repeated questioning did she answer in a low voice, "......Aunt."
The anger Zhongli Ting had just suppressed flared up again. "Does she hit you often?"
"No," Ruhuahua shook her head, saying softly, "I'm bad at chores and always make Aunt angry."
As she spoke, she raised her head again and said earnestly, "But I can already do a lot of things now. I can learn, I'm not stupid at all!"
Though she still made mistakes occasionally, she could work hard to change.
Zhongli Ting hummed, "Huahua is wonderful."
Amidst the silence, Ruhuahua's stomach suddenly let out a growl, sounding exceptionally loud at a time like this.
Ruhuahua paid it no mind, however. She pressed her stomach and turned back toward the well. "Brother, you guys sit down first. I can't talk with you anymore; it's getting late. If I don't finish washing the clothes by nightfall, Aunt will scold me."
Zhongli Ting asked casually, "You haven't eaten lunch yet?"
"Huh?" Ruhuahua turned back in bewilderment. "I burnt the rice in the pot this morning, and Aunt was very angry, so she punished me by not letting me eat."
"What about lunch?"
"There's no lunch," the little girl said earnestly. "Aunt and the others don't come back at noon."
Wei Ling couldn't help complaining, "Are they trying to starve you to death with just one meal a day?"
Although it was a bit of an exaggeration, it certainly made sense. A little girl this size was still growing; could she really withstand being put through the wringer like this?