Lin Hao followed A-Xing to a spot under a bridge.
At this time of year, the riverbed was somewhat dried up. In the gap between the bridge arch and the riverbank, some tattered cotton batting was piled up, and a rough curtain made of haphazardly woven straw hung there.
A boy of five or six years old lay in that pile of black-yellow, tattered cotton, motionless.
Lin Hao took one look, and her heart tightened.
"Little Moon!" A-Xing ran over, touched the boy's face, and said softly, "Big brother is back."
The boy’s eyelids flickered, and he struggled to open his eyes: "Brother, I’m hungry..."
A-Xing wiped his eyes and pulled an object from his bosom. The handkerchief used to wrap it was so dirty its original color was unrecognizable, yet when Little Moon saw it, his eyes brightened.
"Eat quickly." A-Xing opened the handkerchief to reveal a rock-hard steamed bun.
The sickly boy suddenly found strength and reached out to grab the bun.
"You can't eat that," Lin Hao commanded.
Little Moon was clearly starving; he turned a deaf ear to Lin Hao’s words and stuffed the bun into his mouth.
A fair hand reached out and gently gripped the boy’s thin, weak wrist.
Little Moon froze, but he didn't cry; like a wary little beast, he gripped the bun even tighter.
"What are you doing!" A-Xing’s face darkened, his eyes surging with anger.
Lin Hao reached into the bag carried on Lin Xiaohua’s back, pulled out an oil-paper parcel, and handed it to A-Xing: "Open it."
A-Xing took it suspiciously and opened the parcel. Inside were pastries as soft and white as snow.
A-Xing’s hand trembled. With immense willpower, he suppressed the urge to shove the fragrant pastries into his own mouth and looked at Lin Hao with anticipation.
He wasn't stupid; if the other party brought out pastries at a time like this, it couldn't just be to tease him.
"Little Moon, put down the bun, and you can have a piece of pastry," Lin Hao said gently.
Before Little Moon could react, A-Xing snatched the rock-hard bun from his hand and shoved the pastry toward him.
Little Moon didn't even have time to speak; he grabbed the pastry and stuffed it into his mouth.
"Eat slowly, don't choke," Lin Hao cautioned, then looked at A-Xing, "You eat the rest."
A-Xing swallowed hard and shook his head.
Lin Hao understood his meaning; he wanted to save all the pastries for his younger brother.
"The pastries contain glutinous rice. Little Moon is sick, so he shouldn't eat too much."
A-Xing glanced at his brother, who was wolfing down the food, but still shook his head.
No matter how hard it was to digest, it was still better than a cold, hard bun.
Lin Hao glared at him: "I told you to eat, so eat. Only when you're full and have strength can you carry Little Moon to the medical clinic."
Seeing the surprise on A-Xing’s face, Lin Hao frowned: "Don't tell me you want me to carry him?"
"You’re going to take my brother to the clinic?" A-Xing still couldn't believe it.
Lin Hao lifted her chin: "Aren't all the money bags in your hands now?"
A-Xing’s face flushed, and he grabbed the pastries and began to eat ravenously.
Little Moon had already finished his and was looking at his brother with longing eyes.
Lin Hao patted his head: "After we see the doctor and get medicine, I’ll cook you some porridge. How about a bowl of soft, thick rice porridge with an egg, a pinch of salt, and some chopped greens?"
Little Moon swallowed his saliva and nodded vigorously.
Lin Hao felt a heavy weight in her heart, but she offered a gentle smile: "Once your stomach recovers, you can have meat porridge and chicken noodle soup."
Hearing this, A-Xing couldn't help but swallow his own saliva.
She wanted to take his brother to the doctor, and she wanted to cook him porridge and chicken soup—what, what was her motive?
A-Xing didn't believe there were people in this world who gave without expecting anything in return.
After his parents died of illness, his uncles and aunts couldn't wait to seize the house and drive him and his brother out.
If even family could be like that, why would a complete stranger be good to them?
Especially someone whose money he had just stolen.
"A-Xing."
The young girl’s voice pulled A-Xing back to reality.
"What are you still standing there for? Pick up Little Moon."
Even though A-Xing couldn't believe such a good thing was happening, he did as he was told.
The worst that could happen was that she would report him to the authorities to have him arrested, but he couldn't escape this girl’s grasp anyway; if she really wanted to report him, there was nothing he could do.
Little Moon was thin as a skeleton, and his brother lifted him up as if he were weightless.
Lin Hao watched this, feeling a bitter ache in her heart.
There were too many people in the world worse off than her, like the A-Xing brothers, who had to exhaust all their strength just to eat their fill and stay alive.
Seeing them made her realize that no matter how difficult the road ahead was, it was nothing.
A-Xing had said that this winter was too cold, and many beggars had frozen to death.
A thought stirred in Lin Hao’s heart: she wanted to do something to help more beggars like Little Moon survive.
"A-Xing, you know where the nearest medical clinic is, right?" Lin Hao wasn't familiar with this area.
"I know." A-Xing carried his brother and walked forward with his head down.
Of course he knew.
Ever since his brother fell ill, he had wandered outside the clinic countless times, imagining what it would be like to have the money to take his brother inside.
He was so worried and desperate that when he met this girl today, who looked defenseless and had bulging money bags, he couldn't help but reach out.
He never expected her to be a "female demon."
A-Xing’s footsteps faltered, and a faint sense of shame rose in his heart: if she had no other motives, then she was a kind-hearted female demon...
"What’s wrong?" Seeing A-Xing stop, Lin Hao asked.
A-Xing looked away: "Nothing. Look, that’s the clinic."
The clinic was very close to where the brothers had been staying.
As soon as A-Xing approached with Little Moon on his back, a clinic attendant blocked them: "Stay away, stay away. This isn't a place for beggars."
"I’m here to see a doctor!" A-Xing said angrily.
"A-Xing." The girl’s soft, light voice sounded, "Let’s go to another clinic."
A-Xing looked at Lin Hao.
Lin Hao explained calmly: "They drive people away without even asking; I don't believe the healers here have any benevolence."
A-Xing nodded and turned to leave.
Two people who were walking toward the clinic heard Lin Hao’s words, hesitated, and walked away as well.
A-Xing looked back at the attendant, who was stomping his feet in anger, and suddenly felt a sense of satisfaction.
The three of them hurried to another clinic and had Little Moon examined.
Little Moon didn't have any incurable disease; it was just the result of long-term malnutrition and exposure. When the weather turned cold, his body couldn't hold up, and without money for treatment, he never got better.
After getting the medicine, A-Xing carried Little Moon outside.
"You can't live under the bridge. Why don't you come home with me?"
A-Xing stopped abruptly, the suspicion in his eyes impossible to hide: "What exactly is your motive?"
Lin Hao really couldn't help it; she rolled her eyes: "Motive, motive... look at yourself, is there anything about you worth me coveting?"
Trying to repay a favor was actually quite difficult.
"Then why—"
"Can't it just be because I suddenly felt a surge of kindness?" Lin Hao pointed at Little Moon, "Do you have money to stay at an inn or rent a house? Are you going to keep living under the bridge with your brother? Wouldn't today’s medicine have been a waste?"
Faced with a barrage of questions, A-Xing had no choice but to nod, saying sullenly: "I’ll go with you."
As long as his brother could be well, he didn't care if he were sold.
Standing before the gates of the General’s Mansion, A-Xing stared blankly at Lin Hao.
This was her home?
A servant from the General’s Mansion ran to report to the Old Madam: "The Second Miss has brought two beggars home."
(End of chapter)