"What's wrong?" Shen Yuan frowned, wanting to protect Tian Tian behind her, but saw that Xiao Ling only lifted Tian Tian's sleeve to take a look before putting the sleeve down again.
Shen Yuan asked, "Is Tian Tian the person you're looking for?"
Xiao Ling shook his head; he didn't see what he was looking for on Tian Tian's arm. But looking at Tian Tian's battered arm, his heart inexplicably clenched.
This little beggar must have suffered a lot; his arms under his sleeves were extremely thin, so thin that the skin was loosely wrapped around his bones, making it unbearable to look at.
Xiao Ling carefully lowered his sleeve back down, afraid of hurting Tian Tian. He bowed slightly to her as an apology.
Sweetie was very clever. After understanding Xiao Ling's meaning, she gave him a sweet smile.
"It's okay! Don't be sad, big brother. Even though Sweetie isn't the person you're looking for, big brother will definitely find the person he's looking for!"
Shen Yuan also noticed the injuries on Tian Tian's arm. She squatted down and asked, "How come you have so many injuries? How did you get them?"
“I’ve been beaten by shop owners, by wealthy people in the city, and even by beggars older than me… But all of these happened a few years ago. Now I’m smarter. I stay far away from them, and I run away whenever I see them.”
Sweetie casually hid her arms behind her back, tilted her head, and said with a smile, "Besides, these scars have long since healed and don't hurt anymore!"
How could it not hurt?
Looking at the forced smile on Tian Tian's face, Shen Yuan pulled her into his arms.
Those scars were shocking to see, and they clearly hurt terribly.
But for a little beggar like Tian Tian, who has no parents, no one cares when she bleeds or sheds tears, so she can only wipe away her blood and tears and pretend that nothing has happened.
Shen Yuan gently patted Tian Tian and said softly, "Tian Tian, this time it's all thanks to you for finding a way to deliver the antidote and cooking oil to your sister that I was able to get out of danger. You've helped your sister so much, how can I ever repay you?"
"Sweetie, don't expect anything in return. Sweetie knows that your sister is doing a good deed, and Sweetie wants to do good deeds like your sister. Doing good deeds doesn't need to be rewarded!"
Sweetie shook her head like a rattle-drum. The antidote and cooking oil had been prepared and given to her by Sister Yuan in advance. She was just a messenger, secretly hiding the things under the dog hole of Zuichunlou.
Sweetie felt that she had only done a very small favor, so she didn't want anything in return.
Hearing Tian Tian say this, Shen Yuan shook her head and said, "That's not right. Everything should be rewarded. If doing good deeds doesn't bring any reward, what's the point? I must reward you!"
"But Sweetie has already received her reward!"
Shen Yuan was taken aback for a moment, then asked, "What kind of reward?"
With her hands behind her back, Tian Tian said very seriously, "I'm so happy! I feel so happy after I finished doing this. Seeing how many children my sister saved are as big as me, and they can all go home to find their mothers, makes me super, super happy! This is the happiest thing for me this year!"
After hearing Tian Tian's words, Shen Yuan felt a little surprised, but she also felt that this was something she would say.
This little girl warmed her icy heart to the core.
She went to great lengths to save the children from Zuichunlou, but she had her own selfish motives. She wanted to bring down Aunt Zhao, deprive Chu Yuning of her support, and make Aunt Zhao a burden to Chu Yuning.
She does good deeds with her own motives; she wouldn't do good deeds that bring no benefit whatsoever.
But Tian Tian is different. She is very innocent. Even though she has seen the evil in the world and suffered a lot, she still has a pure and kind heart.
Such pure and kind-hearted people shouldn't be tormented by this world. Shen Yuan took Tian Tian's hand, "You're not a little beggar anymore, you're my little sister. My house will be finished soon, so come and live with me then!"
"No!"
Sweetie waved her hand, wanting to refuse, but Shen Yuan grabbed her hand: "I won't let you stay for free. You can help me clean and watch the pharmacy. Consider it a little helper I've hired. How about that?"
Hearing this, Tian Tian hesitated.
As winter approaches, the weather will only get colder day by day, and the snow will become thicker with each passing snowfall.
A little beggar like her is like a homeless stray cat or dog, easily frozen to death in the next snowstorm.
So when she heard that Shen Yuan was offering her a house, Tian Tian was tempted. She was willing to work hard without pay, as long as she had a small house to shelter her from the wind and rain.
However, she was also in a dilemma because she felt that she was too young. She was unsure what kind of work she could do or whether she could help Shen Yuan.
She didn't want to take advantage of anyone's kindness and become a useless burden.
Shen Yuan stood up, took off Xiao Ling's outer robe and wrapped it around Tian Tian. The robe was very large and stuffed with cotton. Wrapped around the seven or eight-year-old child, it was like a huge quilt.
Shen Yuan gently patted Tian Tian, "You can think about it first, and come to the pharmacy to find me when you've made up your mind."
Sweetie nodded obediently; she really hadn't decided yet.
After leaving the dilapidated shed, Shen Yuan stood under Xiao Ling's umbrella, and the two walked back.
Shen Yuan glanced at Xiao Ling's thin undergarment and asked awkwardly, "Aren't you cold?"
Xiao Ling gently exhaled a breath of mist, which drifted away into the wind and snow.
Silence speaks louder than words.
Shen Yuan knew that asking this question was pointless, so she said, "Let's walk faster, and we won't be cold if we go back sooner."
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