The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Yixing got up early.

After getting up, he called out for Ansari without thinking. When no one answered, he remembered that Ansari had left in the middle of the night.

“Ugh, does this mean I’ll have to make breakfast myself from now on?” he grumbled as he climbed out of bed. There was a little girl to look after, too. He couldn’t exactly expect food to fall from the sky.

Yixing got out of bed and kicked aside the box lying by his feet. The room was a mess. Neither he nor Ansari was the sort who liked cleaning, so of course no one ever tidied up.

Ignoring the clutter underfoot, he made his way to the kitchen. Yixing picked up the ingredients and tilted his head. “It’s my first time, but… cooking can’t be that hard, right?”

In another room of the little house, Awei’er suddenly woke from her sleep, as if she’d just seen her mother slap her hard across the face.

Cold sweat covered her body, probably left behind by that nightmare. She slowly sat up and realized she was lying on a bed covered in linen, with no bugs crawling out of it.

She hadn’t washed up the night before, so she was still filthy, and her clothes were tattered. She looked like a little beggar.

In a way, that wasn’t wrong. The girl named Awei’er had lived like a beggar for a long time. Everything changed after her mother got hooked on that stuff. Her father tried to stop her, but her crazed mother killed him… Awei’er was forced to move. Her mother sold off their belongings day after day, then spent all her time lying on the bed at home, blissfully smoking that drug and doing nothing else. When she got hungry, she might eat a little something, but that was all.

She’d cried and begged her once kind and gentle mother to go back to the way she was, but all she got in return was indifference.

Those memories surfaced, leaving her even more confused about where she was. But as they came back to her, she suddenly remembered: a person terrifying beyond measure… had taken her.

She’d seen it with her own eyes. That person had beheaded Leng Qianfeng, the man who’d bullied her mother. Blood had even sprayed onto her.

Just thinking of that chilling killing intent made her shrink her neck and freeze in place. That person had slaughtered the fearsome Leng Qianfeng as easily as killing a chicken. They probably wouldn’t think twice about taking her life, either…

“Creeeak…” Outside the tightly shut door, someone’s footsteps made the wooden floorboards groan. It only made her more afraid. She prayed… prayed that she’d be allowed to live. Even though pain had followed her through life like a winter that never seemed to end… she still wanted to live.

A while later, a scorched, burnt smell drifted in from outside, as if something had been ruined in the pan. Still, no one came to call her.

Awei’er gathered her courage and gently pushed the door open. She saw a man with his back to her, standing in the kitchen and glaring at the pan in his hands in a panic, desperately trying to save the meat he’d burned.

Maybe the door had made too much noise. Yixing, who’d been wrestling with breakfast, suddenly turned around, and his eyes met Awei’er’s.

Awei’er was so frightened that she sank to the floor and trembled as she shuffled backward. Her lips quivered, but fear left her unable to say a word.

Yixing looked at the little girl and sighed. He lifted the pan off the stove. Making breakfast was a lot harder than he’d expected. Ansari had really had a tough time all these years.

He tilted the pan so Awei’er could see the burnt meat, then scratched his head. “Um… I don’t know how to cook. Do you?”

A few minutes later, the little room filled with the crackle of frying oil and the smell of food. A little girl was skillfully cooking the meat in the pan.

She looked about fourteen or fifteen, in the bright bloom of youth. But she was filthy, and apart from her hands—which had just been washed and showed the softness of her skin—the rest of her bore the signs of hardships no one her age should have had to endure.

Awei’er nervously cooked while watching Yixing out of the corner of her eye. She was afraid he might suddenly kill her. But since he’d told her to cook, she figured she’d be safe until the food was ready. And if she could make herself useful to him… maybe she’d survive. As long as she stayed alive, she’d find a chance to escape!

Lost in thought, Awei’er let her attention wander for a moment—and realized Yixing had disappeared.

She jumped, nearly throwing the pan, but managed to keep herself under control. After carefully plating the breakfast, she crept out of the kitchen and was surprised to see Yixing heating water.

“Um… sir, breakfast is ready. May I ask what you’re doing?” Awei’er tucked her hair behind her ear and asked, both fearful and respectful.

Yixing didn’t turn around. He just scratched his head. “Well, I figured that since I can’t help with the cooking, I’d heat some water so you can take a proper bath later. You’re pretty dirty, after all.”

Awei’er froze. She hadn’t expected him to say that. She couldn’t help glancing at his face, and suddenly wondered if he was really as bad as she’d imagined.

“Oh, right. I haven’t asked your name yet. I’m Yixing. What’s yours?”

“A-Awei’er. My name is Awei’er.”

The hot water poured over her, and surprisingly, it made her feel so much better. Awei’er closed her eyes and sighed, tying up her red hair so she could wash herself.

She wrapped a towel around her face and scrubbed hard, as if she could grind all the unease in her heart to dust. Of course, it did nothing except leave her skin stinging. She thought Yixing seemed like a good person, but her past made it hard to trust her own judgment. More than one person had tricked her by pretending they wanted to help.

“Awei’er, I left some clothes by the door! Come out and eat when you’re done washing!” Yixing called from outside.

Hearing him, Awei’er hurriedly replied, “O-Okay, sir! I’ll be right out!”

Her reaction, like a startled rabbit’s, made Yixing laugh. He figured he ought to put Awei’er at ease, or they’d never be able to talk properly.

A while later, after bathing and changing into fresh clothes, Awei’er cautiously poked her head out like a stray dog, watching Yixing.

She had changed into fresh clothes, and the grime no longer dulled her appearance. The clothes belonged to Yixing and were much too big for her. Awei’er fidgeted, tugging at the long robe to cover herself, but it didn’t reach far enough to cover her legs. She was barefoot and had no pants on.

“Why aren’t you wearing pants?” Yixing looked over, puzzled.

“Um, the pants were too big. I couldn’t get them on…” she said, lowering her head. She held the robe over her legs with one hand, too embarrassed to look up.

“…I should’ve thought of that. Wait here. I’ll go out and buy you a pair.” Yixing slapped his forehead. He’d forgotten that his pants would be far too big for someone as petite as Awei’er.

“Come on, eat first. Afterward, I’ll go buy you some clothes that fit.” Yixing pointed to the breakfast on the table. Alongside the food Awei’er had made, there was also a plate of boiled cabbage. It might’ve been the only dish he could make without messing it up.

Awei’er was still hesitating, but when her stomach growled, she couldn’t resist the delicious smell and sat down.

She was really hungry. It had been a long time since she’d had a proper meal.

Even though she was hungry, she stayed on her guard, eating in tiny bites and keeping an eye on Yixing as she went, afraid some little thing she did might upset him.

But so far, he’d been kind and hadn’t done anything out of line. Awei’er found a little courage. She swallowed her food, hesitated for a moment, then carefully asked Yixing, “Um… may I ask when you’re going to let me go home?”

Yixing blinked and scratched his head. “If you want, I can buy you some clothes after breakfast, then take you home. But… do you really want to go back? I saw your home yesterday, and…”

“That’s my home… Please, sir,” Awei’er begged, as if she’d finally found a little hope.

“All right. If you’re that set on it.” Yixing nodded and agreed.

After getting his promise, Awei’er happily finished her meal, repeatedly saying she’d repay Yixing and thanking him for helping her the night before. Awei’er was a good cook, and Yixing hadn’t had such a delicious meal in a long time. Ansari’s cooking was edible, sure—but that was about the best you could say for it.

Yixing soon returned with clothes for Awei’er. In her new outfit, she looked like a flower in bloom. The joy of going home brought a smile to her face that made her seem so endearing, and Yixing couldn’t help feeling cheerful, too.

Yixing carried her on his back and sprinted the whole way. Before long, they’d retraced their route to the little farmhouse they’d visited earlier.

But before they arrived, Yixing suddenly stopped. A sense of foreboding had come over him.

“The smell of blood… and I can’t sense any signs of life.” Yixing let Awei’er down from his back and crouched, scanning their surroundings. “Someone’s trampled the grass here. Someone came by not long ago.”

Awei’er seemed to sense it, too. She ran forward, then her knees buckled and she dropped to the ground.

Yixing walked over and frowned. Before them lay a headless woman’s corpse. From her clothes, it was the woman they’d seen yesterday—the woman who was Awei’er’s mother.

A feeling beyond words filled Awei’er’s heart.

How strange. What was happening…? She found she couldn’t make a sound. She couldn’t even choke back a sob.

But tears had already blurred her vision.

Suddenly, her chest ached so badly. Memories rose from deep within her mind: her mother, once so kind, and her father, who’d doted on her.

“Happy birthday~” Her mother’s voice had once been so gentle.

“Happy birthday! Look—does this look like you?” Her father had handed her a gift: a portrait they’d asked a painter from the city to make.

She still remembered that day… Her mother had prepared a feast of dishes she’d made by hand, then stroked Awei’er’s face with her rough, wrinkled hand.

Tears fell to the ground. Awei’er stood silent, not crying. But the light had gone from her eyes.

Yixing took a deep breath and looked around. Besides the signs of the fight he’d left behind the night before, there were traces of someone rummaging through the place. Someone must’ve come after he left.

But that could wait. Right now, the most important thing… was Awei’er.

He gently helped her to her feet. When Yixing touched her, a little light gradually returned to Awei’er’s eyes. She took a deep breath, and tears rolled down her cheeks as she sobbed, “Mom… Mom’s dead!” She tried to keep her voice down, but her tears fell to the earth, and it was impossible to tell whether the sound she made came from pain or grief.

Yixing sighed and gently held her in his arms, letting her cry as much as she needed.

Her faint sniffles gradually turned into loud sobs. It was a long time before she finally quieted down and nestled silently in Yixing’s arms.

“So… shall we go back?” Yixing asked when the person in his arms had calmed down.

“Go back? Back where?” Awei’er’s voice was still weak.

“Home, of course,” Yixing answered as if it were obvious.

“Home?” Awei’er looked confused.

“If you don’t mind, you can think of my place as home,” Yixing said with a smile.

Suddenly, Awei’er’s throat tightened. She didn’t know how to answer, but… somewhere deep in her heart, something had begun to sprout.

How much sweetness does someone weighed down by pain need before life stops tasting bitter?

The answer: just a little.