respectively

A few days later, one evening, Aunt Martha's plump figure appeared once again at the door of the shed, her face full of smiles.

"It's done! It's done!" she exclaimed before even entering the door, squeezing into the cramped shed and affectionately patting Darius's arm. "I told you those two were kind-hearted! The Rona family is overjoyed! Upon hearing about Alice's situation, Rona's wife burst into tears, saying it must be fate's arrangement, that the gods had sent another daughter who needed their love to their side!"

Draven leaned against the corner of the wall, not even glancing at Martha, playing with a knife in his hand, stabbing it into the ground like a dart, then pulling it out and repeating the process.

Seeing that no one spoke and the atmosphere became a little awkward, Martha forced a smile, then reached into her basket and took out a small bundle. She carefully opened it and handed it to Quiretta: "Look, this is what they sent. A new set of clothes, specially made for Alice. The material is so fine, it's fine cotton, and it's embroidered with little flowers. Tsk tsk, the stitching, the fabric—what child in the slums could afford something like this?"

Quilette hesitantly took the package, her fingers gently tracing the white dress. The fabric was indeed soft and delicate, with exquisite little yellow flowers embroidered on the collar and cuffs, a stark contrast to the rough linen or patched old clothes worn by the slum children. The dress exuded a faint scent of soap, clearly having been carefully starched.

“Rona said he’ll pick up the child on his way back from the market the day after tomorrow at noon.” Aunt Martha lowered her voice, afraid that the people in the shed next door would hear. “They also prepared five silver coins, saying it was for the child’s ‘nutrition fee,’ to thank you for raising her so well. They’ll bring them with them when they pick her up.”

"Five silver coins?" Draven finally couldn't hold back any longer. He gripped the knife and stabbed it into the hole, standing up from the corner. His voice was sharp with anger. "Do they really think they're buying a child?!"

"Are you trying to kill yourself by shouting like that?!" Martha was startled by his reaction, looking frantically at the walls of the shed. She stomped her foot, her finger almost poking Draven's nose: "How can you be so insensible? Don't flaunt your wealth!!"

“This money is a token of the Rona family’s goodwill! It’s the way of a respectable family! Besides,” she turned to Darius, deciding not to talk to his dim-witted brother, “Darius, you two have it tough too. This money can help a lot. Buy some grain while things aren’t too expensive yet, enough to feed you for several months.” As she spoke, she occasionally gestured with her chin towards Quiretta, who was sitting on a small stool next to her.

Five silver coins. This was equivalent to Darius's earnings over several months of hard work at the docks, or even more. In the city of Besilico, where prices were soaring, this was a fortune that could change his life.

Darius stared silently at the exquisite little dress that seemed so out of place in the shack, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the rough seams of his own trousers.

"The day after tomorrow at noon, is that right?" he finally asked, his voice a little hoarse.

Martha nodded quickly, her wrinkles crinkling into a smile: "Yes, yes, Rona was probably heading back from the market around noon and happened to be passing by. He said he wouldn't come in to bother us and would just wait outside. Such a respectable family, so considerate!"

Draven kicked the wooden barrel in the corner, sending it tumbling and crashing into the stove with a thud. "What's the rush? Are they afraid we'll back out?"

"Why did you kick the bucket?! What did the bucket do to you?! You broke a perfectly good bucket, are you going to fix it or buy a new one?!" Aunt Martha, hands on her hips, reprimanded her without any politeness. "Besides, how can you talk like that? They meant well! They want the child to settle down as soon as possible. It's better for the child if she goes there sooner and adapts to her new home. Don't you want Alice to adapt quickly and live a good life?"

That night, the atmosphere in the shack was oppressive and suffocating.

Quilette silently helped Alice try on the new dress. The dress was a little too big, making Alice look even smaller. But she loved the little flowers embroidered on the dress, tracing the outline of the petals with her fingers over and over again.

"Does it look good, Sister Kui?" Alice stood on the bed, spinning around, her skirt fluttering, her face beaming with an innocent smile.

Quilette forced a smile, fighting back tears: "Beautiful, Alice is the most beautiful."

Darius silently packed Alice's meager belongings—two patched but clean clothes, a straw toy dog, and a bag of colorful pebbles she had collected. With each item he placed into the tattered little cloth bag, his movements grew heavier.

Draven sat by the door all night, his back to the house, staring silently at the perpetually gray night sky of the slums. His fists were clenched tightly, his knuckles white from the strain.

The second day passed slowly in agony. Everyone was doing their own thing, but no one was really paying attention. Quileta pricked her hand several times while mending clothes; Darius almost cut himself while sharpening his dagger; even Alice seemed to sense the unusual atmosphere and was much quieter than usual, only clinging to Lark's neck and humming a tuneless lullaby softly.

Draven was nowhere to be seen until late at night when he returned covered in dew and exhausted, and went straight to sleep, or rather, pretended to sleep.

Finally, it was noon on the third day. The scorching sun beat down on the slum, and the air was filled with the sour stench of garbage and sewage.

A bullock cart slowly came to a stop in the open space outside the shed. A strong yellow ox pulled the cart, and behind it, a two-wheeled wooden plank covered with hay. Two middle-aged men and women sat at the front of the cart, while the empty space at the back held a few leftover fruits, vegetables, and eggs from the recent market, as well as some daily necessities, oil, and salt purchased from the city. Rona jumped off the cart; he was dressed in faded but clean coarse cloth clothes, a gentle smile on his face.

“Brother Darius,” Rona greeted politely, his gaze quickly falling on Alice, who was being carried out by Quileta—the little girl wore that new white dress, her slender legs dangling gracefully. Rona stared intently, his eyes visibly reddening, his lips trembling, his throat bobbing, his voice becoming somewhat suppressed and hoarse: “This…this is Alice, isn’t it? She looks so beautiful in that dress…just like our Suva when she was little…”

Alice looked at the stranger curiously and whispered to Quiretta, "Quietta, who is he?"

Rona wiped his eyes, stepped forward, bent down to meet Alice's gaze, and forced a kind smile. He pulled a paper packet from his pocket, inside which were several pieces of amber-colored honey candy. The sweet aroma immediately caught Alice's attention: "I'm Uncle Rona, and I'll be your new father from now on. Here, have some candy, it's very sweet."

Alice's eyes lit up. She carefully took a piece and put it in her mouth, the sweet taste making her squint. She took another piece and offered it to Quiretta, Darius, and Draven, who had just come out. Her little face was filled with the joy of sharing: "Quietta, have some! Darius, have some! Draven, have some!"

But none of them reached out to take it. Quileta turned her head away, Darius pursed his lips, and Draven stared intently at Ronaldo with a fierce look in his eyes.

Alice's smile slowly faded, her hand holding the candy froze in mid-air, her large eyes filled with helplessness and confusion, not understanding why no one was eating such a delicious treat. She looked at Quiretta with her red eyes, hoping that Quiretta, who usually patiently explained things to her, would tell her the answer. Quiretta hugged her tenderly, unsure how to respond, and could only gently pat her body to comfort her.

Rona gently took the candy from Alice's hand, wrapped it in oil paper, and patted it into Quiretta's hand, saying, "It's a child's gift, take it."

Quilette felt the bag of sugar was so hot that she could barely hold it.

Rona pulled another money pouch from his pocket, which jingled with the crisp sound of silver coins clinking. He grabbed Darius's hand and stuffed the pouch into his palm: "Here are the five silver coins we agreed on. Thanks to you all for taking such good care of Alice, we will definitely not mistreat the child when it's our turn to take care of her. I, Rona, keep my word."

Darius looked at the money pouch in his hand, pursed his lips tightly, and finally gripped it tightly.

At this moment, Rona's wife, who had been silently following behind him, timidly stepped forward. She looked much older than Rona, with red and swollen eyes, and she carried a basket covered with a cloth.

“These…these are eggs for you.” Her voice was barely audible, like a mosquito’s hum, as she shoved the basket into Quiretta’s hands, her fingertips icy and trembling violently. “From now on, every market day, you can come to our stall at the market and get…a pound of fresh eggs…”

“It’s getting late, we need to hurry back to the village. If we leave any later, it will be dark by the time we get there.” Rona’s tone remained gentle. “We’ll take the child with us, don’t worry.”

“Winnie.” He looked at his wife, then slightly raised his hands in the direction of Quiletta, gesturing for her to take her. The woman hesitated before stepping forward, her hands trembling as she reached out to take Alice.

Just then, Draven suddenly rushed over, pushed past the woman, and hugged Alice tightly.

Everyone was stunned. Darius tensed, thinking his brother would eventually be unable to accept it and start a scene.

As Draven's somewhat tanned hands touched Alice's pristine white dress, Rona frowned, his face darkening. "Child," he said, "I understand your feelings; it's normal to miss your sister. But I assure you, we will treat Alice as our own daughter and will never let her suffer the slightest injustice..."

But to everyone's surprise, Draven didn't make a fuss. He simply held Alice tightly, buried his face in her thin shoulder, and began to ramble on in a muffled voice, as if he wanted to say all his instructions at once:

"Alice...you've gone to your new home, be good...but if they make you do something you don't want to do, you have to yell, you have to shout...when your new mom and dad aren't around, don't let your feet touch the ground, remember? Sleep on the high bed too...you're not smart, you learn things slowly, that's okay, it's not your fault...you're very good, very obedient..."

He raised his head, his bloodshot eyes staring directly at Rona, then sweeping over the woman, his voice suddenly rising: "If one day you find her troublesome, difficult to raise! If you think she's a burden! Please send her back! We'll raise her! Don't beat her, don't scold her! And most importantly... don't let anyone bully her!!"

After finishing his long speech, Draven took a deep breath and surprisingly let go of her hand, carefully handing Alice to Rona's wife.

Darius's throat tightened, and a complex mix of emotions welled up in his eyes. He reached out and pulled his brother's shoulders close, drawing him closer. No words were spoken, but the gesture was filled with silent approval and an unspeakable heartache—well done, my brother. You've really...grown up.

Quilette could no longer hold back and covered her mouth, sobbing uncontrollably.

Rona's wife, who had been keeping her head down, seemed to have a taut string touched when she saw the sincere and reluctant emotions shown by these young people who had no blood relation to Alice. Her outstretched hand trembled violently, then she withdrew it, covered her face, and the tears she had been suppressing for so long finally burst forth, letting out a painful sob.

“I’m sorry… my wife… she just misses our Suva so much.” Rona’s face turned extremely pale, but he immediately tried to make amends for his wife, his tone filled with apology and sorrow.

“When she sees Alice, she…she can’t help it…she might not be able to accept another child taking her place for a while. But time will heal her, and she will love Alice as much as she loves Suva.” With that, he gently took Alice from Draven’s arms.

Aunt Martha quickly stepped in to smooth things over, patting Rona's wife on the back to comfort her, "Don't be sad, this is a good thing," while also telling Darius and the others, "Don't worry, the Rona family are good people."

Ronald bid farewell to the group, placed Alice on the oxcart, and helped his wife onto the cart. Just as he was about to drive away, several barks rang out, and Lark suddenly rushed out of the alley, nimbly leaping onto the oxcart. Alice excitedly hugged Lark's neck: "Lark! Where have you been?!"

Rona was startled, noticing Lak's paw prints on the white dress, and his face showed clear disgust and anger. He turned to Darius and the others, his tone already somewhat displeased: "That dog..."

Aunt Martha quickly explained, "Oh, this is Lark, the little dog who always helps pull the carriage and keeps Alice company. He's very intelligent!"

Rona frowned: "We won't need to use dogs to pull the cart in the village anymore. Alice's legs aren't good for going out." He then reached for the dog by the neck.

"Woof—Woof!" Lak bared his teeth and let out a low growl of warning, as if to bite the hand that was being offered to him.

Rona was so frightened that he quickly withdrew his hand, his face growing increasingly pale.

Aunt Martha winked at the group, signaling them to quickly drag the dog down. But Alice clung tightly to Lark's neck, shouting, "I'm not going anywhere if Lark doesn't go!"

The situation reached a stalemate. Rona glanced at the sky, then at the resolute Alice, and finally, like any father who dotes on his child, he sighed helplessly and gave in: "Alright, alright, let's bring this little guy along. We've got plenty of food at home anyway."

The crowd watched as the oxcart slowly started moving, gradually disappearing into the distance until it rounded the street corner. Alice's voice drifted on the wind: "Sister Kui, Little De, Big De, I'll bring you some delicious food tomorrow!"

"Woof! ~~~Woof—Woof!!"