Chapter 56 Xiaoqiu
In the darkness, Suning couldn't see clearly what was hiding in the shadows. He casually pulled out the bolt from the door, held it in his hand, and cautiously took two small steps forward.
"Who's there?"
“Woof woof woof~”
I tightened my grip on the bolt, listening to Little Circle calling out with all her might, I felt helpless and could only choose to ignore it: one call was yes, two was a rejection, three meant someone was coming, four... four would mean we would have to reach a consensus next time.
When I got closer, I realized it was a child huddled in the corner?
"Come back, little circle!"
"Woof~"
When Little Circle saw its owner coming out, it obediently ran to her, but it still made growling sounds towards the corner from time to time.
The clouds were thick tonight and the moon was completely blocked. The child's face was blurry and she could only vaguely see the pair of eyes staring at her.
This situation and this scene make people feel their scalp tingling and an inexplicable chill in their hearts.
She is an atheist, but... that doesn't stop her from being scared.
So as to why such a young child didn't go home and stay here, Suning didn't feel the slightest curiosity, all he wanted was to leave quickly!
"Little Circle, let's go home!"
"Woof~" As if sensing that something was wrong with its owner, Little Circle did not object this time.
Just like that, the man and the dog turned around immediately without any hesitation or pause.
The pitiful child was waiting for her to ask, secretly building up his emotions and finally condensing his tears. The squatting child was completely dumbfounded: This... seems like something is wrong?
The people I usually meet either ignore me or yell at me and send me away, but in the end I just can’t bear to ask and thus feel kind.
I've never seen this kind of reaction.
Seeing that she was about to close the door, the child got up and walked out of the corner without having time to figure out what was going on, "Sister...Sister..."
"Bang!"
She responded with the sound of the door slamming shut.
It was a completely conditioned reflex and a subconscious reaction. Only after closing the door did I realize belatedly that I seemed to have misunderstood something.
No, it’s a real child?
Taking out a flashlight from the space, Suning opened the door again, and the light from the flashlight shone on the child who seemed to be stunned.
His hair was sparse and tied into two crooked buns. He was wearing a pair of short-sleeved T-shirt and shorts made from an adult's jacket. His exposed face, neck and hands were all black and dirty.
"elder sister…"
"Why don't you go home and squat in the corner of someone else's house at night? Do you know that this will scare people?"
"Ah, huh?"
The child was stunned at first, but then a light bulb went off in his eyes and he suddenly realized: So those who were yelling at him were just scared by her?
No wonder she would be ignored when she occasionally came out during the day, but was mostly scolded at night and sometimes even beaten up as soon as she started crying to show her sympathy. So that's how it is!
But...even if she knew this, she could only come out when her mother was asleep.
The expression on his thin, pointed face was quite rich. Su Ning smiled and said, "Tell me, what's the matter with you?"
"Sister...I'm hungry..."
When she met those eyes, she didn't know why she couldn't say the words she had already mastered. She picked her fingernails and chose to say the simplest and most honest words.
She had bad luck last night. The fat uncle she met was very fierce and she didn't get anything from him. She has been hungry for two days now.
"Sister, can you give me a little..."
"Come in."
Xiaoqiu was still a little confused when she walked into the yard.
I don’t know why, but the person who left without hesitation, closed the door and looked difficult to approach and talk to suddenly opened the door and let her into the yard?
It was not until a big bowl full of food was placed in front of me that my nose started to feel sore and tears started to fall.
"Did you see this? My sister just had a dinner party and these are the leftovers. Eat them."
"I, I saw it..." and smelled it too.
It was because of the smell of meat that I was so greedy that I couldn't move anymore and chose the corner to squat tonight.
Xiao Qiu sniffed and a bright smile appeared on her face. "These are great, thank you, sister! But..."
"Um?"
"Just can I take it home and eat it?"
Xiaoqiu picked at her fingernails, looked at the delicious food on the table, even a few big pieces of meat, and swallowed hard.
I raised my head cautiously and looked at her, "Sister, I want to take it home and eat it with my mother, is that okay?"
Um?
Since there are adults at home, why let such a little girl go out to beg at night? Aren’t you afraid that she will be dragged away and sold by bad guys?
Sitting down next to her, I took a closer look at her under the light from the eaves. Not only was the little girl dark and thin, but her exposed body also had a mixture of new and old scars.
There was no strange expression on Suning's face, but the words he spoke were a little softer.
"Only mom? What about your mom?"
"Um."
Xiao Qiu nodded vigorously. She had never seen her father, nor had she had grandparents.
But my mother said that she would take her back to see grandpa and grandma when she recovered.
But...when will mom's illness be cured?
Thinking of this, a bright light of desire appeared in her eyes, which just brightened up and then gradually dimmed, "Mom is sick."
"Where is your home?"
"It's on the back street of Nanxi Mountain."
Nanxishan Houwei Street?
She had actually heard someone mention this place before, saying that the entire area was a wasteland and the houses were all dangerous, and the city didn't know when they would be demolished and rebuilt.
Suning tapped the table with his fingertips, stood up, walked to the kitchen and took out an oil paper bag from the cupboard.
He covered the bowl with an oil paper bag and held it up, then looked down at her, "Let's go, I'll take you back."
"Thank you! Thank you, sister!"
Knowing that she had agreed, Xiao Qiu thanked her happily and repeatedly. He wanted to hold her hand, but after seeing the extreme black and white colors of the two people, he turned his back and rubbed his hands on his clothes unconsciously.
After locking the door, holding the bowl in one hand and the flashlight in the other, Suning followed the two kids along the riverside alley to Houwei Street.
…
Facing Lishui and with its back against green mountains, the mountain that surrounds the entire Nanmen Street is Nanxi Mountain.
The highest mountain in Nanxi is the highest mountain in the ancient city. The peak is hidden in the clouds all year round, and the specially supplied Yunwu tea is produced here.
Houwei Street is very close to the foot of Nanxi Mountain. Most of the houses on the street are "missing limbs", with no roofs and covered with layers of transparent or red and blue checkered plastic sheds, indicating that there are still people living inside.
Passing by a few of them, which were more like shacks than houses, Xiaoqiu simply told her who she knew inside.
Until they came to a house with a half-collapsed gate behind it, she pointed and said with a smile, "Sister Ningning, we're here, this is my home!"
"Xiao Qiu?"
"It's me, Brother Guzi!"
A teenager walked out of the low shack opposite the house after hearing the noise. Seeing that the little girl from the neighboring house actually brought back a strange face, he couldn't help but show a trace of vigilance and precaution in his eyes, "Come here."
"Sister Ningning, please wait for me. I will be quick!"
Only after seeing her nod in agreement did Xiaoqiu feel relieved and strode towards Guzi.
The two of them whispered to each other for a while, and then under the boy's gaze, they returned to Suning, opened the door and went home.
There was nothing in the house except a square table and two small stools. The table was missing a leg and was supported by a piece of wood.
The room was dark and cramped. The bed made of wooden boards was covered with a thick layer of straw mats and rice straw. The woman lying on it coughed violently every once in a while.
The cough was so heart-wrenching, as if he couldn't stand it anymore.
Xiao Qiu fumbled around very skillfully, and took out a cup with all the white porcelain peeling off from somewhere, and walked carefully to her, "Mom, drink some water."
"Ahem, ahem, ahem ~ Qiuqiu is back?"
"You're back, mom, drink quickly, then we can eat."
Zhang Qin, who was seriously ill, forced herself to open her eyes and saw the man with a flashlight standing at the door. She patted her chest hard to ease the discomfort and then asked in a hoarse voice, "Ahem, who are you?"
"Mom, she is Sister Ningning, the kind sister who brought us dinner!"
Xiao Qiu answered happily, "Mom, Sister Ningning also gave me some meat, big meat!"
"Ahem, thank you...thank you ahem~"
Carefully putting the bowl in his hand on the bench, Suning whispered that it was okay, touched the surface of the oil paper bag and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the food was still warm.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
