「Early the next morning.」
As Xiao Mo stepped out of his room, he saw Jiang Xin walking out with a basin of water.
"Xiao Mo, it’s ti to wash up and eat."
Jiang Xin said upon seeing him.
She still looked just as dirty as she had the night before.
Xiao Mo had told her to take a bath and offered her so of his own clothes, which were at least clean, but she had refused.
Seeing how nervous she looked, Xiao Mo didn’t press the issue.
After they quickly washed up, Jiang Xin brought out breakfast from the kitchen.
The two of them sat in the courtyard, eating breakfast together.
Breakfast was just a simple porridge with plenty of coarse grains and mixed beans, served with a side of pickled vegetables. For two holess children, however, just having food to eat was a great blessing.
After breakfast, Jiang Xin cleared the table with practiced ease.
Watching Jiang Xin bustle about, Xiao Mo couldn’t help but think of the girl in the white dress.
’I wonder what Ruxue’s ending was in that story.’
Although it was just a fantasy, a work of fiction, Xiao Mo found he couldn’t quite let her go...
When Xiao Mo ca back to his senses, he found Jiang Xin sitting across from him, her crystal-clear eyes watching him with curiosity.
"Why are you staring at ?" Xiao Mo asked with a smile.
"What were you thinking about?" Jiang Xin asked, blinking.
"I was thinking about a girl."
Xiao Mo pushed the thoughts aside and didn’t elaborate.
"By the way, you said you used to live with Sister Ah Zi. What about your parents?"
Xiao Mo asked, curious about her past.
At his question, Jiang Xin lowered her head, her small hands twisting the hem of her skirt. "My mother abandoned . She didn’t want anymore."
"Huh?" Xiao Mo froze for a mont.
Jiang Xin wrung her small hands and slowly began to speak.
"When I was five, my mother and I were refugees. At first, she took very good care of , but as ti went on, I could feel her growing more and more impatient with .
"Then, one day I woke up to find so rations left beside my head, but my mother was gone. I never saw her again."
"So how did you et Sister Ah Zi after that?" Xiao Mo continued to ask.
"I wandered in the mountains for days. After I ran out of food, right when I thought I was going to starve, I t Sister Ah Zi."
Jiang Xin replied earnestly.
"After Sister Ah Zi heard my story, she took in. Besides , she had also taken in four other children.
"Sister Ah Zi taught us to read and write, how to grow vegetables and farm, and even how to hunt.
"She also knew a Sword Technique, and she was incredible at it.
"It’s just... I was too clumsy to ever learn it."
"You lived in the mountains the whole ti?" ’This Ah Zi must be a Sword Cultivator, or maybe a Female Knight,’ Xiao Mo thought.
"Mhmm." Jiang Xin nodded. "Sister Ah Zi said the world was too chaotic. We could only leave the mountain once we grew up and had the ability to protect ourselves. Normally, only the older children went down the mountain with her to sell animal hides and herbs and trade for supplies."
"Then did sothing happen to your Sister Ah Zi?"
Xiao Mo rubbed his chin.
Listening to Jiang Xin’s story, he thought, ’Her Sister Ah Zi sounds like a good person. It’s unlikely she would have just abandoned her.’
"I don’t know either."
Jiang Xin shook her head.
"One day, I went into the mountains to gather herbs, and when I returned, everyone was gone.
I waited for two days, then I searched and searched for them all over the mountain.
I ended up wandering farther and farther away, until finally my rations ran out. After starving for two days, I found my way here."
As she finished, Jiang Xin looked up at Xiao Mo. "Thank you for feeding ."
"It’s nothing. We’re both on our own, so we should look out for each other," Xiao Mo said, his tone half-joking. "But, Ah Xin, what if you keep searching, only to find out that your Sister Ah Zi really did abandon you?"
"That would be even better." A flash of joy crossed Jiang Xin’s eyes.
"Huh?" Xiao Mo looked at her in confusion.
Jiang Xin lowered her head and spoke softly. "I would be sad, of course, if Sister Ah Zi didn’t want anymore.
"But if that were the case, it would an that Sister Ah Zi and the others are safe.
"As long as they’re all right, it doesn’t matter if I was left behind."
As she spoke, her head drooped lower, her long eyelashes trembling. "Besides, I really am clumsy. I can’t do anything right. It’s only natural that Sister Ah Zi would abandon ... I’ve already caused her so much trouble..."
"..." Listening to her, Xiao Mo was at a loss for words.
’Last night, she called kind.’
’But really, she’s the one who’s truly kind.’
"Alright. Tomorrow, we’ll go into town and see if we can ask around for news about Sister Ah Zi. For today, though, you can co with to catch so fish."
Xiao Mo stood up.
"I have a bit of money, but I can’t use it just yet. For the next few days, we’ll have to rely on ourselves for food."
"Oh, okay! I’ll go with you."
Jiang Xin nodded eagerly and hurried to follow him.
The two of them went to a small stream in the mountains, rolled up their pant legs, and began to catch fish.
But catching fish was no easy task. Back then, fishing had always been Third Brother’s job. As the youngest, Xiao Mo was usually in charge of cooking and helping his older brothers.
Jiang Xin was just as inexperienced, as she too had been the youngest in her group, with duties similar to Xiao Mo’s.
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