Wen'er laughed, and she blinked as she said:

"Brother Er Mao, you have a really good nose. You can smell the smoke of war, but I can't smell a thing."

Er Mao's face turned a little red. Actually, he was just talking nonsense. How could he smell the smoke signals from so far away?

The unfinished, stylish move didn't seem to have achieved the desired result, and Er Mao was somewhat disheartened.

He sat down on the steps again, stuffing the cotton that was sticking out of his sleeves back in, and casually remarked:

"Wen'er, this ointment must be something valuable. Who gave it to you?"

Wen'er was chewing peanuts when she heard this and chuckled, "It's a young lady."

She was only halfway through her conversation when she saw Er Mao stuffing cotton into his mouth. Wen'er was taken aback, but quickly made a decision.

She shifted her position, sitting closer to Er Mao, and whispered:

"By the way, Brother Er Mao, the New Year is coming soon, I have a New Year's gift for you."

After she finished speaking, Er Mao tilted his head and looked at her.

Wen'er's clothes were picked up from the street, and the house she lived in was a thatched hut, dilapidated and small.

As for food, she often went hungry and had to find ways to get relief food every day.

If I hadn't become the boss and often brought my underlings along with her, given her physique, she probably wouldn't have gotten anything.

What could she possibly give? The poor little girl.

But Er Mao couldn't refuse her feelings.

Er Mao patted her head, smoothing down a small tuft of messy hair, and said with a smile:

"Let's make this clear first, I don't want anything valuable or food. I love cricket fighting, so if you can catch a cricket for me, that's fine."

The little girl stuck out her tongue and handed Er Mao a few peanuts: "Brother Er Mao, you've really put me through this. In the dead of winter, where would you find crickets? They're probably all sleeping in the ground."

Er Mao took one, shook his head and said, "Okay, then forget it. By the way, Wen'er, come to my house for dinner later."

Wen'er was taken aback and quickly shook her head.

"No, no, this won't do."

Er Mao opened his mouth, tossed the peanut into the air, and then caught it in one bite.

He stood up abruptly, grabbed Wen'er's hand, and pulled her up from the steps;

"Let's go, I've already talked to my parents."

Wen'er was at a loss. She tried to pull her hand away, but the little boy's hand was gripped so tightly that the temperature of his palm was almost scalding.

“Brother Er Mao, I...I…” she stammered.

Er Mao chuckled and pinched her cheek. "If you're willing, you can eat at my house tomorrow too, hehe."

The little girl just shook her head, "No, no, I can't be a burden to you."

She couldn't break free and looked like she was about to cry.

Seeing her like this, Er Mao panicked and hurriedly said:

“Wen’er, my father said that you can live with us from now on, so you won’t have to live a life of wandering anymore.”

“I’m not joking! I’ve told you so many times, and my dad only agreed today. He said that one more person just means one more food ration.”

"Anyway, the sun and moon are about to change..."

Er Mao got stuck again. He had only heard this phrase from Uncle Zhao a few days ago, and he was trying hard to remember it.

Wen'er, however, was already teary-eyed without realizing it.

Tears streamed from her reddened eyes, sliding down her thin, sallow cheeks and blurring her vision.

Er Mao finally remembered the second half of the sentence. While tenderly wiping the little girl's cheek, he said:

"The world is about to change, so supporting one more person won't be a problem."

"The signal fires have already appeared in Jinling, which means the Prince is almost here. Wen'er, do you understand?"

Wen'er, her eyes brimming with tears, began to sob.

How could she not understand the meaning of beacon fires?

My father, who once served under General Zhang Ran, a third-rank official, was killed in the Battle of Huichang.

Before my father sacrificed his life, he mentioned the words "smoke signals" in a letter he sent home.

Her mother, who came from a respectable family, had taught her the meaning of the words "smoke signals." When smoke signals rise, it means war, death, and slaughter.

My mother said that General Zhang Ran was a good general. The reason he died in the Battle of Huichang was not because he was killed by the enemy, but because he was killed by an internal traitor. My father, as General Zhang's personal guard, was also a hero.

The person who killed them was Kim Geon-in, the son of the current Prince Gyeong.

After her father died in battle, her mother kept talking about him. Then one day, she was taken away by a group of people. Her mother was very beautiful. After being taken to the embroidery garden, she disappeared without a trace.

If I hadn't been out playing with Er Mao at that time and avoided this calamity, I probably wouldn't be alive today.

The last time I heard the words "smoke signals" was when my father died in battle, when my mother's face turned pale, and when my family collapsed.

Today, the term "smoke signal" carries a different meaning.

Does the smoke of war represent war, death, and slaughter, but also... rebirth?

Wen'er wasn't sure; she was just a precocious little girl who had experienced the loss of her family.

But in any case, she nodded to Er Mao while crying.

"Why are you crying? Come on, come on, we're definitely going to cook something nice for you tonight. My uncle is coming over and brought pork." Er Mao wiped away the little girl's tears and gently comforted her.

Er Mao had no experience in comforting girls who were crying; in fact, he was most afraid of girls crying.

He had a headache; this was the second time he had cried in front of people today.

When Uncle Zhao came to our house today, Er Mao saw him wiping away tears while chatting with his father.

All these years of injustice have finally come to an end.

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