Chapter 4

Tang Ning sat in the corner of the wall, finished eating his portion, and then held the two wooden spoons together, cupping them in his hands as he quickly walked towards the temple. The weather was already cold, and if the porridge cooled down, it would be even worse, especially since his body was already sick.

He lowered his head and tightly held the wooden spoons.

"Bold!" A voice scolded from beside him, and then a powerful force struck him, sending his body flying out and landing hard on the ground with a thud. The wooden spoons rolled away, and the porridge spilled all over the ground.

Tang Ning hurriedly crawled over, gathering the spilled porridge with his hands, scooping it bit by bit back into the wooden spoons.

"Insolent!" Another loud voice shouted, and Tang Ning's body sank as a foot stepped on his back.

"Captain Wang, what is it?" Another voice sounded.

"Sir, there is a little beggar blocking the way."

Tang Ning secretly raised his head and saw a large red sedan chair blocking the path. Inside, a person lifted the curtain and was looking at him. The person was in his thirties or forties, with a dignified and refined demeanor.

The person waved at him: "Come over!"

The man on his back lifted his foot, and Tang Ning got up, holding the wooden spoons and walking over with his head lowered. He was very anxious and a bit afraid, unsure of what to do.

"Where are you from?" The person asked.

"I am from Tang Liu Village in Anning County," Tang Ning replied softly.

"From Anning County, why are you here? Are your parents still alive?"

"My parents were killed by others, and I came here with some people. They said there would be food here."

"Ah!" The person sighed: "People are displaced, and children are suffering; this is a failure of governance. Captain Wang, find a place to settle this child!"

"Sir, this..." The man beside him looked troubled.

"I am responsible for the education of the people. I usually teach them to be benevolent and righteous. Now, if a person is in poverty and cannot make a living, how can I ignore them?" The person seemed quite dissatisfied with the man's attitude.

"Yes, sir."

"Make sure this is done properly." The person finished speaking, pulled the curtain down, and the sedan chair slowly moved away.

After the sedan chair was far away, the man walked up to Tang Ning: "Boy, you're lucky, follow me!"

"I have a sister. Can she come too?"

The man frowned, impatiently shouted: "If I tell you to go, just go. What are you rambling about? Do you think we're here to take care of beggars?"

"Then, forget it, I won't go." Tang Ning was scared by his shout and said softly.

He couldn't leave Liu Ruhán alone; she was his only family.

"Hey!" The man was surprised: "I didn't expect you to have such loyalty. Fine, if one, then both."

"Thank you, thank you." Tang Ning was overjoyed and said repeatedly.

"Enough! Why are you thanking me? If you want to thank someone, thank Sir Shen. I'm just following orders. If it were up to me, I wouldn't bother with this."

The two came to the temple, and Tang Ning walked to Liu Ruhán, gently pushing her. Liu Ruhán slowly opened her eyes, and at that moment, she looked very weak and listless.

"Ruhán, let's go!" Tang Ning said softly.

Liu Ruhán nodded.

Tang Ning crouched in front of her, placing her hands on his shoulders, and carried her out. As he stepped over the threshold, he looked back at the people there.

They were all disheveled and ragged, some lying there weakly like Liu Ruhán, some huddled in a corner shivering, and some moaning softly.

He also looked at the woman, who was tightly hugging her child and murmuring something.

At that moment, Tang Ning felt a complex mix of emotions: relief, pity, confusion, and even a bit of reluctance. Then he walked out the door.

Outside, it was a different, vibrant world. From then on, he embarked on a completely different path, and this scene became an indelible memory in his life, often coming to mind when he was confused and lost.

Tang Ning carried Liu Ruhán and followed the man to a courtyard.

"Xiaocui, Xiaocui." The man called out loudly as he pushed the door open.

"Coming, sir." A little maid hurried over.

The little maid looked a bit older than Tang Ning, about twelve or thirteen years old.

The man turned and looked at Tang Ning: "Come in, why are you standing at the door, afraid that others can't see you?"

"You deadbeat, you haven't been here for so many days, and now you come and make a fuss. Are you trying to die?" A woman with a good figure walked up, swaying her waist, her voice soft and sweet. She glanced at Tang Ning: "Who are these two?"

The man approached, smiling: "Aren't I here now?"

The woman was not convinced: "I asked you who these two are?"

"Little beggars from the street. Sir Shen found them and insisted I find a place for them. Isn't this just asking for trouble? There are so many people, how can you take care of them all? I had no choice but to bring them here for one night, and I'll send them away tomorrow."

"You good-for-nothing Wang Dehu!" The woman was immediately unhappy and started to make a scene: "You bring beggars to my place, why don't you take them to your own home? I see through you, you heartless man. Have I ever had a good day with you? Now you're bringing beggars to my place, I can't take it anymore." She started to cry and make a fuss.

"No, no, just for one night, they'll leave tomorrow morning." The man panicked and quickly explained.

"Then I ask you, have you told your wife about us? What did you promise me? You said it would be at most three months, and now it's been half a year. You're a grown man, and you can't even make a decision. I really made a mistake with you."

"Right away, right away, I'll tell her. Don't worry, at most one month, I promise it will be done."

"What, another month? I tell you, Wang Dehu, I'll give you seven more days. If you don't tell her in seven days, I'll go to her myself."

"I promise, I promise, stop crying. I have some good news for you. Didn't you say the silk from Putian was good? I specially asked a friend to bring you four bolts, they should arrive in two days." The man coaxed the woman, supporting her to a side room.

Tang Ning stood there, head lowered, not daring to speak until the two left.

"Follow me!" The little maid named Xiaocui said, leading the two to a room on the east side: "You can stay here."

Xiaocui left, and Tang Ning quickly moved aside. After she left, he pushed the door open and went in. The room was simple, with a wooden bed, a cabinet, and a table.

Tang Ning put Liu Ruhán down, leaning her against the bed. He had carried her all the way, but fortunately, she was light, so it wasn't too tiring.

Liu Ruhán looked at him, moving her fingers slightly.

"I don't know where we're going either!" Tang Ning said, sitting beside her: "This morning, I went to..."

Liu Ruhán listened to his story and lowered her head, looking sad.

Footsteps sounded outside, and Xiaocui came in, holding a tray: "This is what Grandma gave you to eat. After you finish, I'll take you to take a bath and change clothes."

"Thank you." Tang Ning said, feeling like crying, as if he had really returned home. Since that day, the two had been bullied for months, and almost everyone treated them like rats in the street, either beating or scolding them.

"Don't think Grandma is always scolding, but she's actually a good person and treats us well." Xiaocui said: "Eat first, I'll come back later."

Tang Ning took the tray to the bed. It contained some pastries and fruits. He picked up a red pastry and gave it to Liu Ruhán, then took one for himself.

The pastries were soft and crispy, melting in the mouth. Not only since they had been wandering, but even at home, they had never eaten anything so delicious.

One, two, three, the tray of pastries was quickly finished by the two. Tang Ning burped, feeling very full, which hadn't happened in a long time.

"Ruhán, are you full?" Tang Ning asked, eating a fruit.

Liu Ruhán nodded, patting her stomach to indicate she was full.

"Are you done? Follow me, I'll take you to the place to heat water." Xiaocui came in with two sets of clothes, placing them on the table: "These are my old clothes. We don't have boys' clothes, so just wear them."

Tang Ning followed her to the woodshed.

Xiaocui pointed to a large wooden tub: "This is the tub for bathing. Move it to your room and bring it back when you're done. That's the boiler for heating water, and there's a fire starter beside it. Start the fire yourself. The well has water, so you can draw it yourself. Understand?"

Tang Ning nodded: "I understand."

"Don't wander around. I'll bring you lunch later."

After Xiaocui left, Tang Ning went to the well, where a rope bucket was placed. He threw the bucket into the well, drew a bucket of water, and carried it to the woodshed, pouring it into the boiler. It didn't seem enough, so he drew another bucket and poured it in.

He then used the fire starter to light the fire and heat the water. Once the water was hot, he extinguished the fire and moved the large wooden tub to the room.

"Ruhán, wait a bit, it'll be ready soon."

Tang Ning told Liu Ruhán and ran back to the woodshed, using a ladle to transfer the hot water from the boiler to a small wooden bucket, and carried it back to the room, pouring it into the large wooden tub.

He then went to the well to draw cold water, returning to the room and pouring it into the large wooden tub. He did this several times until the tub was full.

Tang Ning tested the water temperature with his hand, finding it just right: "Ruhán, you can go first!"

Liu Ruhán got off the bed and pointed outside. Her complexion was much better than in the morning, probably because she had eaten and regained some strength.

Tang Ning went out and closed the door, standing guard outside. After a while, the door opened, and Liu Ruhán stood inside.

She had changed into clean clothes, her black hair flowing over her shoulders, her eyes bright and her skin smooth, looking like a character from a play.

Tang Ning entered the room, and Liu Ruhán closed the door and locked it.

"Ruhán, I haven't washed yet! You wait outside for a bit!" Tang Ning said, seeing her lock the door.

Liu Ruhán walked to the bed and climbed on, turning her back to him.

"Ruhán, you still wait outside for a bit!" Tang Ning felt awkward. Although they had played together since childhood and had bathed together before, that was a long time ago. They were much older now.

Liu Ruhán ignored him.

Tang Ning had no choice but to quickly take off his clothes and get into the tub, glancing back several times to make sure she didn't turn around.

He soaked in the warm water, enjoying it for a while before getting out and putting on his clothes.

"Ruhán, I'm done." Tang Ning said after he was dressed.

Liu Ruhán turned around, got off the bed, and walked to his side, wiping his face with her sleeve to remove the remaining water.

Tang Ning used a ladle to transfer the water from the large tub to a small bucket, then poured it out. He did this several times until the large tub was almost empty.

He moved the large tub back to the woodshed, and by the time he finished, it was noon.

Xiaocui came with lunch, staring at Liu Ruhán as soon as she entered.

After they finished eating, Tang Ning let Liu Ruhán lie on the wooden bed to rest, while he wandered around the yard.

In the evening, Xiaocui brought them dinner and asked Tang Ning to get some bedding.

"Is she your sister?" Xiaocui asked as they walked.

"Sort of."

"She looks like a fox spirit, just like the ones in the books."

Tang Ning carried the old bedding back to the room, laid it on the bed, and the two lay down. This was the first time they had slept with bedding since leaving the village, and it felt very warm.

As soon as they lay down, Liu Ruhán snuggled into Tang Ning's arms, hugging him tightly. They had been hugging each other to sleep every night.

Tang Ning talked to her for a while, and soon they both fell into a deep sleep.