Chapter 14

Beggars gathered around, unwilling to disperse, so soldiers came out with sticks and struck them directly; the beggars then scattered in all directions.

The child hidden among the beggars ran with the adults, his face filled with the terror of being abandoned.

In the city they could still survive, but in the wild, they would have to compete with people for survival resources—and with beasts too.

Pan Yun stood quietly among the crowd, watching for a long time; only after the crowd dispersed and the beggars had run far away did she turn and walk westward.

A small beggar, about three or four years old, lay sprawled on the ground—he was the one left behind; after being knocked down repeatedly, he hadn't gotten up, but fortunately no one had stepped on him.

Otherwise, that tiny frame would have been crushed under a single step.

Pan Yun walked past him without glancing aside, heading from outside the city to the north; she didn't know if it would take a full day, but she'd have to turn back and ask someone for directions to Datong.

She couldn't enter the city, couldn't rent a cart or hitch a ride at the carriage yard; relying solely on her two legs, she had no idea how long it would take to reach Datong, so she still needed a way to get into a city—ideally, a forged travel permit… no, she was too young, a permit would draw too much attention—a forged household registration would be better…

She thought of many things, but when she caught sight of him grabbing a handful of dirt and shoving it into his mouth, she couldn't help but stop.

She paused only an instant before turning back, grabbing the child lying on the ground, brushing the dirt off his hands, lifting his ragged clothes with a look of disgust to wipe the dirt and pebbles from his mouth, then picking him up and walking off.

The child kicked and struggled briefly, but likely too hungry to have strength—he soon went still.

Carrying him far away, once the people by the city gate were out of sight, she set him down, took a steamed bun from her paper bag, and gave it to him.

The child froze for a moment, then snatched it quickly and bit into it.

Pan Yun sat on the grass beside him watching him eat; the black cat mewed in her arms, "Why are you giving him a bun?"

【Because I'm kind.】 Pan Yun watched the child, waited until he finished the bun without choking, then stood and walked away.

The child froze, then quickly grabbed her sleeve.

Pan Yun turned to look at him and said, "I can't take you with me. Go beg in a larger village or town—luckily, you might find a kind family to take you in; then you'll have a home."

The child pointed at the city wall: "I know how to get inside."

The child spoke clearly, nothing like a three- or four-year-old.

Pan Yun looked down at him, met his large eyes, paused a moment, then asked, "How?"

Pan Xiaohei chuckled in her mind: 【Walk through the city gate.】

Unexpectedly, the child led them along the city wall; gradually, bushes and weeds separated them from the wall, moving them farther and farther away from it…

Just as Pan Yun was about to lose patience, the child stopped, compared a few nearby trees, chose two, and dove headfirst into the grass.

Pan Yun: …

The child crawled through with his body, pressing the weeds beneath him, vanishing into the grass.

"Here!" came the child's happy voice.

Pan Yun crawled in and saw a hole at the base of the wall—not large, just enough for a thin person to squeeze through.

Above and to either side were weeds and vines; Pan Yun couldn't stand upright, so she simply placed the black cat on her shoulder and crawled through.

Pan Xiaohei: "Meow, it's a dog hole."

Pan Yun ignored it, examined the hole's edges closely, and shook her head: "No, this was dug by humans."

The child, seeing her follow, scrambled inside quickly and sat there: "It's warm here."

Pan Yun crawled in after him; once he saw she'd followed, he hurried deeper, leading her out the other side.

This side was also overgrown with weeds; a stack of straw blocked the exit. She struggled to push it aside and crawled out, finding herself in a wasteland covered entirely in wild grass; not far away were fields, and farther still, scattered houses and vegetable plots.

Pan Yun glanced back at the hole hidden behind the straw stack, covered it again, then took the child's hand and walked off.

"How did you know there was a hole there?"

"Bad people brought me here. I hid, and they couldn't find me."

His words were jumbled; Pan Yun barely understood. She pulled the child a little farther away, crouched down, and faced him.

Her gaze traveled from his eyes to his forehead, his features, his entire face shape.

She wasn't skilled at physiognomy, but she knew the basics; before, the child had been too filthy, his hair a tangled bird's nest, obscuring his features.

Now, she pushed his hair back, revealing his forehead, then wiped his face with a handkerchief, uncovering delicate features.

The black cat lifted its neck, took one look, and mewed: "Good face."

Pan Yun murmured: "Truly a good face—even I, a half-baked amateur, can see it."

Someone with such a good face wasn't born to become a beggar.

Her fingertip traced his eyebrows and eyes; pity—he seemed destined for an early death, noble birth but short life.

Pan Yun pulled his hair back down, scooped up more dirt, and smeared it across his face; the once-clear-featured child became filthy again. The child accepted it well—he'd been covered in grime by older brothers and sisters when he'd lived among the beggars.

The child knew the county seat far better than she did; he expertly led her left and right, quickly leaving the rural area behind and entering streets lined with shops and passersby.

But the child dared not go directly; he hid in an alley, peering around, then, when no one noticed, swiftly pulled Pan Yun across the street, moving through the shadows along alley walls.

Soon, he slipped into a narrow alley.

The alley was barely a meter wide—a passage between two walls, just enough for one person to pass.

But the narrow alley was piled with firewood, damp and cluttered; both households had small doors opening onto the alley, clearly using it as their own storage space.

Faint rustling came from the woodpile; the child slipped in like a snake, and then Pan Yun heard a muffled voice: "Qieqie?"

"It's me, it's me, Brother Xiao Hua—Big Zhu was chased away."

"You're back? Did you eat a bun? I smell bun."

Pan Yun cleared her throat softly; the voices in the woodpile vanished instantly. After a long pause, a tiny voice whispered: "Brother Xiao Hua, this is the sister who brought me back—she gave me a bun."

The bun gave the other child boundless energy; the woodpile was pushed aside, and a small head popped out—smaller than she was.

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He spotted the paper bag in Pan Yun's hand, slipped out like a snake, yanked the other child out too, and stood before her like an adult, bowing: "Thank you for bringing him back and giving him a bun. Good people receive good fortune; heaven will bless Young Lady with smooth success and lasting peace."

Pan Yun pulled out another bun and gave it to him: "Who taught you that blessing?"

He snatched the bun quickly but didn't eat it—instead, he tucked it into his chest: "The old beggar taught the big beggar, the big beggar taught the little beggar. When we receive kindness, we must pray for the benefactor."

Pan Yun's mood lifted; she took two more buns from the bag, gave one to each boy, took one for herself, and sat with them on a few logs, chatting.

"Why are you the only one here?"

The child, actually named Xiao Hua, said: "I'm the only one who ran back. The others are hiding somewhere—maybe they were driven out of the city too."

From Xiao Hua, she learned that a few days ago, government office Runners had notified these beggars to leave the county town and not return for at least a month.

But no one took it seriously.

Where else could they beg if they left the county town?

So no one left.

The government office Runners gave the notice several times; today, seeing they still hadn't gone, they summoned soldiers to drive all beggars visible on the streets out of the city, and even searched the usual haunts—the ruined temples and broken houses.

Xiao Hua was quick and agile; as soon as he sensed trouble, he slipped into this alley.

This alley is deep, and they never lived here before—only when chased and with no escape did they dart through the alleys and hide here.

There's plenty of firewood here; as long as they hid inside without making a sound, they could always escape. Over time, it became a refuge for the children, unknown even to the adult beggars.

Only because Pan Yun was the same age as them and generously shared buns with him did Xiao Hua tell her.

Pan Yun nodded and pointed at the child. "You call him Qie Qie?"

"He says his name is Qie Er."

The child beside them hurriedly said: "Qie'er! My name is Qie'er!"

"Yes, yes, yes, your name is Qie Qie," Xiao Hua nodded dismissively.

Though the sound was close, the child felt something was wrong and looked at Pan Yun with a hint of grievance.

Pan Yun, thoughtful, asked: "Do you know where he's from?"

"He escaped from a human trafficker," this wasn't a secret, Xiao Hua said. "Before the New Year, the authorities caught traffickers near a wall crack—he slipped away in the chaos."

"If he was kidnapped, why wasn't he taken to the authorities? Through them, he might find his parents."

Xiao Hua shook his head: "Old Man San took him there. He said it was no good—the authorities did have people looking for children, but they didn't seem like they wanted to take him home properly, so he brought him back."

He glanced at the child, then looked up at Pan Yun. "Young Lady, you're a good person. Will you take him? If you will, take him with you."

Pan Yun smiled and asked him: "What if I won't?"

Xiao Hua sighed. "If you won't, I'll take him. I've already found a new home. The Zhang family in Tongluo Alley has no son—they've always wanted to adopt me. I refused before, but now I can't survive, so I'm going to become their son."

He said: "If you won't take him, I'll take him as my younger brother. I'll split my food with him half and beg harder to Zhang Dad and Zhang Mom—they'll surely agree."

Pan Yun looked closely at him. If she truly brought the child there, the Zhang family might not want to adopt him anymore—after all, this child named Qie'er was better-looking and younger than Xiao Hua.

If the Zhang family wanted only one son, they'd surely choose the younger, better-looking one.

But she didn't say it aloud; instead, she smiled: "When he grows up, he'll be deeply grateful to you."

She turned to look at the clueless child. "I'll take him with me."

(End of Chapter)