Six or seven-year-old Chang Le squatted under the eaves of a closed supermarket. The chilly autumn rain was whipped around by the wind and seeped through his thin clothes to penetrate his skin.
She shivered from the cold and curled herself up even tighter against the wall.
She glanced at the sky, which was darkening even faster due to the rain, then turned her gaze back to the empty street, watching intently, not daring to miss a single second.
She was waiting for someone, waiting for the person who would take her home.
The sound of footsteps in the distance easily drowned out the sound of the autumn rain.
Chang Le jumped up happily like a little rabbit and looked over, her smile brighter than a sunflower: "Sister Ye!"
Over there, a girl of about eight or nine years old ran over, holding an umbrella and carrying a bulging waterproof cloth bag in her arms.
Chang Le jumped up and was about to rush into the rain, but Xiao Ye glared at him and said, "Don't get wet!"
Chang Le immediately shrank back.
Xiao Ye ran over, handed her the cloth bag, and sheltered her and the bag under the umbrella. She then raised her arm for her to link arms with, saying, "Let's go back."
Chang Le clung to her, pushing the umbrella that was tilting towards him toward her.
Two little girls huddled under an ugly blue checkered umbrella as they walked into the alleyways of the old neighborhood.
There were rumors about this street being demolished a year ago, but despite the widespread rumors and the official notice, construction has not actually started yet.
It is said that many long-time residents were dissatisfied with the demolition conditions and had a big argument with the town officials. Coincidentally, the group responsible for the construction was in poor financial condition, so the demolition of this old street has been delayed for a long time.
But many people have already moved away, and Chang Le was taken in by an old man and is now living temporarily in an empty old house.
Xiao Ye and Chang Le went inside, and Xiao Ye carefully put away the umbrella.
The old house was quite dilapidated, and the owners hadn't repaired it since moving to the city, but at least it provided shelter from the wind and rain.
The main furniture inside had been moved out, leaving only a folding, worn-out sofa, a small table, a cabinet, and a stool, which were Chang Le's only means of support.
Xiao Ye sat down next to her and said, "Open it and take a look, it's all for you."
Chang Le couldn't wait to open the cloth bag, which contained steaming hot baked buns and a plastic jar of honey filled with pickled vegetables.
Turning the page down, I found a neatly folded sweater. The light blue had faded to a grayish-blue, but it was very clean and had a faint smell of laundry soap.
At the bottom were two steel rods that had been removed from somewhere, their ends wrapped in soft, durable cloth by Xiaoye.
"Wow!" Chang Le picked it up as if he had found a treasure, and shook it a few times in his hand.
Xiao Ye patted her gently and said, "Lele, don't hurt yourself."
Chang Le immediately put them away: "I'll go hide them!"
"Go ahead," Xiao Yewen said quietly. "We'll have dinner together when you come back."
At the entrance of the old house, autumn rain drizzled. Two little girls sat side by side, munching on flatbreads filled with pickled vegetables, smiling at each other.
But soon, night fell, and Xiao Ye, carrying her cloth bag and umbrella, prepared to leave. She wanted to go home.
Chang Le's entire demeanor turned gray, like a dejected puppy tugging at her clothes, not wanting her to leave.
"Xiao Ye, isn't it better not to go home?"
Xiao Ye shook her head with difficulty: "No, I haven't tidied up my younger brother's room at home yet. They'll all be back after dinner tonight, and they'll get angry if they find I'm not home."
"They always make you do chores! They treat you terribly!"
As Chang Le spoke, he reached out and pulled at Xiao Ye's sleeve. Sure enough, he saw bruises under the long sleeve, some from pinching, some from bumping, some new and some old.
Chang Le, furious, raised his eyebrows and glared: "They hit you again! I'm going to get revenge for you!"
As she was saying this, she reached for her newly acquired weapon, but Xiao Ye stopped her:
"Don't do anything reckless! You can't even beat me, what revenge are you looking for? Besides, they... are my family."
"Is this how all families are?" Chang Le asked angrily, pointing at her arm. "Families like this are even worse than mine!"
"Xiao Ye, please don't leave, okay?" Chang Le hugged her and nuzzled her head against her.
"Be my older sister, and I'll take care of you!"
Xiao Ye was amused by her words: "You're even younger than me, how are you going to support me? I should be the one helping you."
"It's okay, Lele. They're just making me do more work; they wouldn't dare do anything to me."
"But..." Chang Le was still unwilling to let go.
The little girl didn't understand what it meant to favor boys over girls or to be biased, but she knew that her older sister, Xiaoye, who was very kind to her, was often beaten and had a hard time.
Sister Xiaoye is very sad and lonely, so she needs her as a friend.
Xiao Ye patted her head: "Okay, I'm really fine. I need to go back now, they should be back soon."
"Lele, promise me you'll live a good life."
"If you encounter any difficulties, be sure to come to me. Remember to be cheerful, okay?"
Chang Le raised her little head and solemnly promised, "Okay!!"
Goodbye, sister.
Carrying an umbrella and a cloth bag, Xiao Ye braved the autumn rain and plunged headlong into the darkness.
Xiao Ye ran downstairs and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that no light was coming out of the first-floor windows. They hadn't returned yet.
She took a deep breath, took out her keys, opened the door, and went inside.
I turned on the light, wrung out the umbrella as much as possible and put it in the toilet to drain, then put the cloth bag back in its original place, and then started tidying up the kitchen and living room.
After she finished tidying up, dried the umbrella, and put it back on the hook by the door, she heard a sound coming from the hallway. They were back.
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