The Young Lady Only Wants to Cultivate Immortality Chapter 114

A’Ling, bored from waiting by the corner of the wall, heard the sounds of music and flutes coming from behind the courtyard wall. She idly picked up a few pebbles and began playing with them, tapping them against the ground in rhythm with the music.

She wondered what business Mother had here. Mother had seemed so anxious a few days ago, but today she had been lingering here for so long. A’Ling worried that the pursuers behind them might realize they had been tricked and turn back.

It would be troublesome if they were caught, A’Ling sighed inwardly. Although she was only ten years old, she knew that life was precious and once lost, it was gone forever.

After playing with the pebbles for a while, A’Ling dusted off her hands and peered towards the alley entrance again. Mother still hadn’t returned.

Perhaps there’s something very important, A’Ling consoled herself. Come to think of it, ever since they arrived here, Mother seemed a bit tense and anxious, yet also happy and sad. Her emotions were so complicated that even a child couldn’t fully understand them.

A’Ling didn’t dwell on things she couldn’t understand. As long as Mother didn’t abandon her, that was all that mattered.

She continued to play with the small pebbles on the ground, tossing one high into the air, quickly picking up another from the ground, catching the first one, and then tossing both pebbles together to pick up another from the ground.

This was a game Mother had taught her, saying it was taught to her by her former master. Mother’s master had indeed taught her many things.

It was a shame that person was dead. When A’Ling was younger, she had once asked if she could be taught new tricks when her master was still alive.

Thinking of Mother’s helpless expression when she heard this question, A’Ling licked her lips and grinned, laughing to herself.

Distracted for a moment, she missed catching a tossed pebble. A dirty pebble accidentally fell onto A’Ling’s skirt.

This emerald green dress embroidered with small flowers was the first time she had worn it today. A’Ling quickly brushed off the dust and glanced behind her. She wasn’t leaning against the wall, and her skirt was tucked neatly at her knees. She let out a soft sigh of relief.

Mother had bought her this new dress, and she couldn’t get it dirty. She carefully rolled up her sleeves a little higher.

To wear the dress for a few more years, it was indeed a bit too big. Thinking of this, A’Ling’s hand paused slightly as she rolled up her sleeves.

Mother had said that the place they were going to this time, they would live there for a long time, and that they wouldn’t be able to buy clothes or shoes there.

Although she had told Mother she wasn’t afraid of going to the place Mother called the Demon Realm, the name itself didn’t sound like a good place. She was actually a little worried.

Oh well, there’s nothing to worry about. Mother is here, after all.

A’Ling unconsciously hummed along to the music behind her. She and Mother had traveled a lot, but she had never heard such beautiful music.

She glanced back over her right shoulder at the high courtyard wall, at the green glazed tiles shimmering in the sun. She had heard passers-by say that it was the birthday of the owner’s daughter today, which was why it was so lively.

A’Ling’s mood brightened. In fact, it was her birthday today too, but she had never celebrated it before. After learning about this custom in the mortal realm, she hadn’t mentioned it to Mother.

Mother probably knew. Although the dress wasn’t explicitly called a birthday gift, A’Ling considered it to be one.

Their circumstances made it impossible to have a celebration like this family behind them. But A’Ling felt that she was very happy now.

With new clothes and this beautiful, melodious music, she considered the sounds of drums, flutes, and music to be blessings for her birthday.

A’Ling hummed the tune cheerfully, carefully tossing the pebbles in her hand. This time, she played more carefully, making sure not to drop pebbles on her dress again.

She caught a tossed pebble and was about to quickly pick up another from the ground when suddenly, something seemed to fall into her neck. The foreign object made her involuntarily shrink her neck.

A rustling sound also came from above her head.

A’Ling looked to her left, towards the wall connecting to the small courtyard of the large mansion on the right. A little girl, with the same double-bun hairstyle as hers, suddenly appeared on the wall.

She was clearly surprised too, that someone was squatting outside the wall. Although it was backlit, A’Ling could feel the other person’s wide, shocked eyes.

A’Ling recovered faster, immediately stood up, and reached out to help the person who was carefully falling.

This high wall was still too high for the two of them. Although A’Ling tried her best and the child who jumped down was also careful, they still lost their footing and fell together.

The person on top quickly got up and pulled A’Ling, who was on the ground, up. “Thank you.”

A’Ling vigorously patted the dust off herself and grinned, “Don’t worry, you’re so light, you won’t crush me.”

When she was holding the person just now, she had noticed that the child had no flesh on her at all. Now that she was standing steadily, she could clearly see how thin the person was.

She had the same double-bun hairstyle, neatly done. Her face looked more than a circle smaller than A’Ling’s, with no flesh at all, making her eyes particularly prominent, black and bright, and making her pale face appear even more so.

A’Ling thought she was whiter than the freshly plastered white wall. Did this person never go outside?

Also, the brand-new white dress she was wearing was even stranger. It was so wide it seemed to be draped over her. A’Ling didn’t know whether to say that the floor-length dress didn’t fit her, or that she couldn’t fill out the dress at all.

The person in front of her looked too much like a child who had stolen an adult’s clothes.

Huo Qingqian was not used to talking to people, especially strangers she met for the first time. After A’Ling finished her sentence, which might have been a joke, she didn’t know how to respond.

She looked at the child in front of her, her face dirty, her hair disheveled as if it had been quickly tied up, and her green dress tied with knots at the ankles to prevent it from dragging on the ground.

Huo Qingqian felt that the person in front of her was like a child who had stolen an adult’s clothes.

The same thought circulated in both their minds, but neither of them voiced what might hurt the other.

A’Ling tilted her head, looked at the high wall beside them, and then looked at the person in front of her with suspicion. Could this child be here to steal something?

A’Ling felt she had guessed correctly. The clothes she was wearing were probably stolen too. Although A’Ling didn’t understand the quality of fabrics, she could tell good things at a glance, like the outfit the person in front of her was wearing.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but she didn’t know what to say.

Mother said that stealing is bad…

Seeing that the person in front of her had stopped talking, and not knowing what else to say, Huo Qingqian simply walked past her and went to the corner where A’Ling had been squatting, piled with bamboo poles. She sat down on a bamboo pole thicker than both her arms combined, hugging her knees.

It was too noisy inside, and she wanted some peace.

A’Ling watched as the person sat in the place she had just been sitting, and after thinking for a moment, she sat down too.

She disliked being alone. Now, even though the extra person was a “thief,” she was still a person. More people could always make her happier.

After settling down, A’Ling kicked the pebbles by her feet towards the person beside her, then offered her hand and patted her arm, opening her palm to show her the pebbles.

“Do you want to play?”

Huo Qingqian raised her head from her knees, looked at the pebbles in A’Ling’s hand, and tilted her head curiously at the smiling person. Playing with pebbles…

What’s so fun about that?

Moreover, she just wanted to find a quiet place to calm her restless heart, which was inexplicably troubled.

She shook her head and continued to bury her face in her knees.

The sounds of music, laughter, and congratulations from the courtyard behind her made her feel extremely agitated.

After being rejected, A’Ling retracted her hand sheepishly. She could tell the person in front of her was in a bad mood.

Fine, I’ll just play by myself. A’Ling tossed the pebbles again, continuing to hum the same tune as the one from the courtyard, her mood even better than before.

A’Ling was like this. When she was unhappiest, it was when she was alone.

Being alone usually meant either Mother was luring away pursuers, or they had to do manual labor for their livelihood.

The former made her afraid, and the latter made her feel distressed.

Thinking of this, A’Ling tossed a pebble high into the air and glanced towards the alley entrance. Why isn’t Mother back yet?

Distracted, she missed catching the pebble, and it fell onto Huo Qingqian’s bent neck.

“Sorry, sorry, sorry.”

A’Ling quickly reached out to rub Huo Qingqian’s neck where the pebble had hit, but she had forgotten that her hands were dirty from playing with pebbles, and she had rubbed a black mark on Huo Qingqian’s neck.

When her hand was caught, A’Ling grinned awkwardly.

With an apologetic and coaxing expression, A’Ling offered her other hand, holding two pebbles. She curved her eyebrows and asked, “Want to play together?”

After a moment of speechlessness, Huo Qingqian frowned. She didn’t understand why A’Ling was smiling, nor why she was asking the same question after she had just refused.

She had always been confined to a small courtyard at home. Apart from the servants who brought food, she rarely saw anyone else, let alone a child like this.

She didn’t understand their thoughts and didn’t know how to interact with them.

Thinking of this, Huo Qingqian felt a faint pain in her heart. She only found out this morning that today was her birthday.

An elder she had never seen before suddenly arrived at their home. After testing her, the elder said she was some kind of “Pure Immortal Physique.”

She didn’t know what this “Pure Immortal Physique” represented. She only knew that after the elder finished speaking, her family’s attitude towards her changed.

In just half a day, she not only knew her birthday but also had this grand birthday banquet. She heard that all prominent families in the town had been invited.

Everyone seemed to be looking at her, yet also not looking at her.

At least she hadn’t heard them wish her a happy birthday; everyone was talking about her limitless future and how she would bring honor to the Huo family.

Even her father, who never paid her much attention, praised her with a smile.

Huo Qingqian couldn’t understand all of this that had suddenly happened. She couldn’t understand why everyone’s smiles directed at her made her so uncomfortable. She was very annoyed.

When her father asked her what she wanted, she said she wanted the courtyard next to the Huo family mansion, where she could be alone.

However, after moving her belongings to this courtyard today, she didn’t feel any less agitated. She could still hear the music, the praise of her exceptional talent, and the pronouncements of the Huo family’s future prosperity. All these voices were like hammers pounding on her head.

She wanted to escape, not just to this small courtyard separated by a wall, but to escape much further.

But she didn’t know where she could go. After climbing over the wall just now, she realized she didn’t know where she could go.

Huo Qingqian looked at the child in front of her, her large eyes flashing with hope. Perhaps this person could take her away.

A’Ling didn’t know what was wrong with the person in front of her. She held her hand, looking at her but not speaking, her dark eyes growing brighter.

But her appearance was quite beautiful. It was like a dirty little dog she had once lost a bone to and stubbornly wanted to follow her.

It was a shame that she was still on the run and couldn’t take any other lives with her.

“Are you a beggar?”

A’Ling hadn’t expected that just as she thought the thin person like a mud monkey had a bit of beauty, she heard such an unpleasant remark.

Huo Qingqian thought that for a child like her, perhaps there was no other way to support herself besides begging. She looked at the child in front of her.

She remembered hearing the servants talk about how there were more and more stray, dirty children on the roads. They called these homeless children little beggars.

She guessed that this dirty child who liked playing with pebbles was also a little beggar.

She thought, perhaps, she could wander with her. But she knew nothing about what beggars needed to pay attention to, or how to get people to give them food.

A’Ling glared at Huo Qingqian irritably, pulled her hand back, and said unhappily, “Which eye of yours saw me as a beggar?!”

Huo Qingqian had never seen a beggar before. She had only heard about them from some servants. Looking at the child in front of her, who was wearing ill-fitting clothes, with messy hair and dirty hands, crouching alone in the corner, she assumed she was a beggar.

Had she misunderstood? Huo Qingqian looked apologetic and said, “I’m sorry,” then deflated.

A’Ling wasn’t truly angry. This child probably thought she was a beggar because she was one herself and had mistaken her for one.

“I have my mother. She’s nearby. She let me play here for a while. What about you? Why are you here?”

Since the other party had spoken first, A’Ling wouldn’t let her fall silent again. She moved closer, wanting to chat with her.

But after asking this question, A’Ling remembered her climbing out of the courtyard wall just now. How could I forget she was stealing something just now?

Fearing that the question might embarrass her, A’Ling changed her question, “Where is your mother?”

Mother?

Huo Qingqian tilted her head slightly, looked back at the high courtyard wall. She did have a mother, who was likely getting dressed up and doing her hair in front of the mirror to entertain the congratulatory guests.

She was probably very busy, too busy to even wish her a happy birthday.

She had also seen Mother celebrate Huo Changsheng’s birthday before. On that day, she was always exceptionally affectionate.

On that day, she would wake up early to go to the kitchen and personally make a bowl of longevity noodles. The servants said that this was one of the only two days a year she would cook, the other being Father’s birthday.

She would also make a full set of clothes, shoes, socks, and even a hat for Huo Changsheng to wear on his birthday, never delegating any of it.

Huo Qingqian looked at the clothes she was wearing. These were hastily made by the servants at her mother’s command because honored guests were coming to test her constitution.

She sighed softly. She and Huo Changsheng were always different. She had seen Mother affectionately hug Huo Changsheng on his birthday, saying, “Happy birthday, my child. May you be healthy.”

Huo Qingqian’s heart suddenly ached sharply, as if it had been cut by scissors, bleeding profusely, hurting severely.

Did Mother have any blessings for her?

Huo Qingqian gave a bitter smile. Today, everyone said she had an extraordinary constitution. Perhaps, in the future, Mother would look at her more?

A’Ling saw that the person remained silent and seemed even more sorrowful. Oh no, I might have asked something I shouldn’t have.

This person probably doesn’t have a mother…

That’s really too pitiful…

A’Ling felt a pang of sadness in her heart. She vigorously patted the dust off her hands, ignoring that it was the first day she was wearing the new dress. She rubbed her hands on her body, and seeing that she was mostly clean, she took out a glass jar from the cloth bag slung across her body.

She carefully held the jar in her hands and swayed it in front of Huo Qingqian.

Huo Qingqian didn’t understand what A’Ling was doing. Looking at the transparent glass jar in front of her, she saw a colorful, unidentifiable lump inside and raised her eyebrows.

Seeing Huo Qingqian’s focused expression, A’Ling felt a bit lighter, and a smile appeared on her face. She knew that no child could resist a sugar figurine.

Well, even though the sugar figurine had melted and its cute appearance was no longer visible, it didn’t affect its sweetness.

A’Ling hadn’t expected that her sealed jar would be undesirable to others. To outsiders, like Huo Qingqian at this moment, it was just a sticky, somewhat dirty lump of something.

A’Ling licked her lips, swallowed hard, and carefully unscrewed the jar. A scent of honey sugar wafted out, making A’Ling unconsciously lick her lips again.

After smelling the scent of sugar, Huo Qingqian guessed what A’Ling was holding. She wasn’t particularly interested in the sugar, but the child beside her, who was inhaling deeply with a smile, made her unconsciously curve her lips.

Her happiness seemed so simple. Even this somewhat dirty-looking sugar could make her smile like this, as if it were some rare treasure.

A’Ling didn’t notice Huo Qingqian looking at her. She was engrossed, as if performing a monumental task. She carefully estimated the position, then pinched a corner of the sugar figurine and pulled out a long, stringy piece of sugar.

It was about the size of a thumbnail.

“Here, for you.”

A’Ling, suppressing her heartache, handed the pulled sugar piece to Huo Qingqian.

Huo Qingqian was lost in thought watching A’Ling’s smile when a sticky, dirty piece of sugar was unexpectedly stuffed into her palm. She was speechless for a long time.

A’Ling saw the person take the sugar and act as if she were stunned, not moving at all. She smiled, thinking that she didn’t need to be so touched.

“Eat it, it’s very sweet.”

As she spoke, she licked the fingers that had just pulled the sugar, sucking away the remaining sweetness, and then carefully screwed the lid of the glass jar shut and put it back into her cloth bag.

After putting away her things, A’Ling looked up. Huo Qingqian was still frozen in place, not moving. She thought, This person is quite principled.

Mother had also told her many principles of conduct, which she heard were told to her by her master.

For example, one must not steal, rob, kill, set fires, or take others’ things without permission, and so on.

She remembered one time when they were fleeing from pursuers, they ran into a group of people. Even though they apologized immediately, the other party was relentless and wouldn’t let them go.

They even grabbed A’Ling’s hair, pulling her hair and wanting to see her cry.

A’Ling naturally wouldn’t cry, which only enraged the other party further. It was on that occasion that she saw her mother abandon many of her principles and take action to deal with those people.

It was also on that occasion that A’Ling learned how powerful her mother was.

Later, she asked Mother why, since she was so powerful, didn’t she just rob? Then they wouldn’t be starving.

Mother told her that one must have principles, not steal or rob, and not take what doesn’t belong to them.

In short, there were many “don’ts.” Mother always treated them as her unshakeable tenets.

But there were exceptions. For example, if A’Ling was really hungry and they had no money, she would steal some food for her.

But when A’Ling ate, she would kneel and cry to her now non-existent master, confessing her mistake, which also made A’Ling feel very bad.

After that, A’Ling’s ability to endure hunger and thirst improved, and she followed her mother in observing her “don’ts.”

Looking at Huo Qingqian, who was not moving, A’Ling guessed that perhaps she also had many “don’ts.” She smiled, took her hand, and put the sugar into her mouth.

Under her surprised and shocked gaze, she grinned, “This is for you. Consider it compensation for accidentally touching you with my pebbles. Eat it.”

“Don’t worry, my mother bought this for me, it’s not stolen.”

She explained this, worried that Huo Qingqian might care about the origin of the item.

After speaking, she watched Huo Qingqian slowly purse her lips, and A’Ling smiled even more happily.

“How is it? I told you it’s very sweet.”

As she said this, A’Ling licked her fingers again, which still had a slight sweetness.

Huo Qingqian bit open the sugar in her mouth. It was indeed very sweet. Miraculously, she didn’t find it dirty, only a sweet taste spreading throughout her mouth, which made her heart feel much more comfortable.

“Thank you.” Holding the sugar, she gave A’Ling a similarly sweet smile.

A’Ling thought this person looked quite beautiful when smiling. “You should eat more. You’re too thin, like a monkey.”

As she said this, A’Ling suddenly remembered a question, “By the way, how old are you?”

Huo Qingqian’s heart skipped a beat, and she thought of all this troublesome business again. But this had nothing to do with the child in front of her. She tried to maintain her smile and replied, “Ten years old.”

After saying this, she paused and asked back, “What about you?”

A’Ling’s eyes curved into crescent moons, “I’m older than you. You should call me sister.”

Huo Qingqian hesitated, looking at the person in front of her, who was shorter and very childish. She strongly doubted her words. She asked again, “How old are you?”

A’Ling smiled and held up ten fingers, “Ten years old.”

Huo Qingqian’s lips twitched. They were both ten years old, so why did this person think she was older?

She asked, “When is your birthday?”

A’Ling was not silly. She retorted, “What about you? When is your birthday?”

Huo Qingqian’s brow furrowed slightly. Amidst the suddenly bright music from behind them, she said forlornly, “Today.”

A’Ling almost exclaimed in surprise. Today was truly a good day, with so many people having birthdays.

The owner’s daughter in the large mansion behind them had a birthday today, and she also had a birthday today. And this “thief” she had coincidentally met also had a birthday today.

And they had all gathered here. It was truly fate.

Huo Qingqian looked at A’Ling’s surprised gaze, somewhat confused. “What’s wrong? What day is yours?”

A’Ling’s eyes rolled. She immediately hid her surprise and said with a cunning smile, “Heh heh, yesterday. You have to call me sister.”

Huo Qingqian’s forehead twitched. She clearly didn’t believe this person’s words, and naturally couldn’t call her sister.

A’Ling, however, seemed to be waiting for that word. She looked at Huo Qingqian and smiled, then spoke about the sugar figurine, “Consider it a birthday gift for you. I was reluctant to eat that sugar figurine. Don’t you have to call me sister for that?”

Apart from Mother, A’Ling had no other relatives. She wondered if she should abduct the person in front of her. She thought that if she could call her sister sweetly and follow her, she would definitely protect her well.

Just as Huo Qingqian was struggling with whether to call her sister because she had eaten her food, her stomach growled.

Huo Qingqian’s face instantly flushed red.

A’Ling would not mock anyone who was hungry, because she was often hungry herself and knew how difficult it was to endure.

Perhaps to alleviate the other person’s embarrassment, or perhaps it was just a coincidence, A’Ling’s stomach also growled.

Huo Qingqian looked at her with a red face, wondering, Is this also a coincidence?

A’Ling felt no shame. She let Huo Qingqian examine her.

She sniffed the air. When she was hungry, her sense of smell was particularly sensitive. She looked up at the courtyard wall behind them, assessed it, and then turned to ask Huo Qingqian.

“How did you climb over such a high wall?”

“There’s a water vat in the corner inside.”

A’Ling’s eyes lit up. This was good.

She grabbed Huo Qingqian and asked her to squat in the corner, intending to piggyback her up.

Huo Qingqian vaguely became a stepping stone, helping A’Ling climb into her own home.

Just as she worried that A’Ling might encounter danger, the person reappeared on the wall. She had to again act as a support, holding her legs as she pulled her down.

With their thin arms and legs, they naturally fell into a heap, just like when she had climbed out earlier.

This time, A’Ling got up first, pulled her up, and handed her the oil-paper packet in her hand.

A’Ling looked at the footprints she had left on Huo Qingqian’s clean white collar and felt very embarrassed. She handed the larger oil-paper packet in her hand to Huo Qingqian.

They sat back in the corner. A’Ling impatiently opened the oil-paper packet in her hand, which contained two fragrant, oily meat buns.

She picked one up and took a big bite. It was so delicious.

Feeling the mixture of dough and meat fragrance in her mouth, which was just right to comfort her mind and body, she looked at Huo Qingqian and saw that she was still in a daze. She reached out and opened the oil-paper packet for her. Her oil-paper packet contained four identical large meat buns. She picked up one and stuffed it into her mouth.

Worried that Huo Qingqian might refuse to eat due to some principle, after swallowing the food in her mouth, she said, “Eat it. We are children, we can’t earn money. Stealing a bun when we’re hungry shouldn’t make us bad kids.”

As she said this, A’Ling silently confessed to her mother’s master in her heart, hoping that she wouldn’t blame Mother for not teaching her well. She just couldn’t bear to see a child like Huo Qingqian starve.

Of course, she was also really hungry…

After eating half a bun to barely alleviate the hunger, she put the remaining buns back into the oil-paper packet and wrapped them up.

Huo Qingqian looked at her with confusion as she ate the bun, “Why aren’t you eating anymore?”

A’Ling shrugged and smiled sweetly, “I’ll eat it with Mother when we get back.”

If there was only one, Mother would definitely not eat it and would give it to her.

Huo Qingqian looked at the four buns in her oil-paper packet. A’Ling’s portion had only two.

She wanted to exchange their oil-paper packets.

A’Ling refused. She had Mother, and no matter what, she was better off than the child in front of her.

She changed the subject and smiled, “How is it? Am I good to you? Are you willing to call me sister now?”

Huo Qingqian’s bun-eating action paused. She looked up at A’Ling hesitantly, wondering why this person was so insistent on this matter.

Now she was sure that this person was definitely not older than her, otherwise, she wouldn’t be so persistent.

A’Ling looked at Huo Qingqian’s large eyes, which were starting to show a hint of accusation, and her mood greatly improved. Suddenly, she clapped her head as if she had just remembered something important.

“I forgot to ask, what’s your name?”

Huo Qingqian had prepared herself to call her “sister,” but she hadn’t expected A’Ling to suddenly ask this question. She also realized that she didn’t know the other person’s name.

Just as she was about to answer, she suddenly heard shouts from the courtyard behind them.

“Miss, Miss, where are you, Miss Qingqian?”

A’Ling turned her head in confusion. A voice had just sounded, and her heart suddenly jumped. She thought it was because the people inside had discovered the missing buns.

Judging by their calls, their young lady was missing?

Fortunately, she had only stolen buns. If their young lady was missing, no one would probably care about a few buns.

Sun Juhao, panicked, rushed out of the courtyard and searched the surrounding alleys. Today was the first day she had been assigned to Miss Qingqian’s courtyard. She had just been called over by the people in the main house and instructed that she was the only one taking care of the courtyard and could not be lazy or negligent.

Unexpectedly, when she returned to the courtyard, Miss Qingqian was nowhere to be found.

“Miss Qingqian, Miss Qingqian, where are you?”

A’Ling heard the calls behind her, tilted her head, and whispered to the person beside her, “She probably won’t notice a few missing buns. Her young lady is missing, she’ll be in trouble.”

Huo Qingqian looked at A’Ling in confusion. Why would Sun Juhao be in trouble if she went missing?

A’Ling saw her lack of understanding and explained, “You don’t know. These wealthy families have many ridiculous rules. If she loses her young lady, some heartless masters might even take her life.”

Huo Qingqian was astonished. If she ran away, would someone lose their life?

A’Ling saw her clueless appearance and thought that she was a beggar and had no mother. She probably hadn’t been told these things by anyone.

In fact, no one had told her either. She had learned everything by herself. When they were fleeing in the mortal realm, they encountered many things.

She told Huo Qingqian about some of the incidents of bullying servants they had encountered. She said that it was because she had seen these things that she worried Mother might encounter such families when she went out to do business.

Fortunately, after witnessing Mother’s prowess, she worried less.

After hearing all this, Huo Qingqian lowered her head thoughtfully, clutching the oil-paper packet in her hand.

She couldn’t leave with the little beggar beside her anymore…

A’Ling heard the shouts approaching the alley. She patted Huo Qingqian gently, “Wait for me here for a moment. I’ll go and take a look.”

She walked to the alley entrance and saw a woman about to enter the alley.

A’Ling wanted Huo Qingqian to hide the buns, but when she turned to look, the alley was empty.

Where did the child go? A’Ling returned to her original position, but the person was gone.

She wanted to call out a few times, but she realized it was bad; she still didn’t know the other person’s name.

Sun Juhao entered the alley and saw a child’s figure, her heart filled with joy. After running a few steps closer, she saw it was a strange child and looked disappointed.

But seeing such a young child squatting in the corner, she felt pity. She took a piece of silver from her money pouch and gave it to A’Ling.

She also asked her, “Child, have you seen a little girl who is taller than you and wearing a white dress?”

A’Ling heard this and became alert. No wonder the child had run away. It turned out she had stolen this family’s dress and been discovered.

She shook her head, “No, besides me, there are no other children here.”

She wasn’t lying. There was only her, a child, here now.

A’Ling said this and returned the silver to the person in front of her. She wasn’t a beggar.

Seeing that the person didn’t accept money, Sun Juhao looked at her carefully. Although the child’s face was dirty, her clothes were new. She must have misunderstood; this was not a little beggar.

She didn’t have the time to dwell on these matters now. If she couldn’t find her young lady, she would be in big trouble.

Just then, she heard a familiar servant’s voice from within the high courtyard wall, “Grandma Sun, where are you? Miss Qingqian is calling for you.”

Upon hearing this, Sun Juhao’s previously distressed face lit up with a smile. That’s great! Miss is looking for me. Miss is not lost!

She hurried towards the Huo family.

Seeing her leave, A’Ling also breathed a sigh of relief and called out into the empty alley, “It’s okay, she’s gone. You can come out now.”

Unfortunately, after calling out several times, she still didn’t see the child.

A’Ling felt a little disappointed. This stinky kid ate my sugar and buns, and didn’t even call me sister, then ran away!

Just as she was feeling a little unhappy, Mother returned to find her with a joyful expression.

Jin Siliu had waited for a long time. Just now, she had finally seen the Huo family’s young lady, her own young master. She saw her being embraced by the Huo couple and handing out money to people on the street.

This family treated her very well, and even prepared such a lively birthday banquet for her. The neighbors were all praising the Huo family for their kindness towards their juniors.

She left with a smile. She was about to go to the Demon Realm and happened to pass through Longyin Town. She thought she would be relieved if she saw her young master living well.

Her bright smile froze on her face only when she saw A’Ling in the alley. A palpitation surged into her heart, and she covered her trembling chest.

She had almost forgotten. All of this should have belonged to A’Ling…

Jin Siliu paused, hesitant to take another step forward.

A’Ling heard footsteps and turned her head. Seeing that it was Mother, she jumped up from the ground and ran quickly towards her. The corners of her tied-up skirt fluttered as she ran enthusiastically.

“Mother, Mother, you’re back! That’s great! It’s still warm. Are you hungry? Look at what I have!”

A’Ling opened the oil-paper packet in her hand in front of Jin Siliu as if presenting a treasure.

A whole bun and a half-eaten bun were revealed in the air, still emitting a fragrance.

Jin Siliu’s eyes glistened. Seeing A’Ling urging her to eat the bun, her heart ached even more.

The birthday banquet today should have been hers. She heard at the Huo family’s doorstep that many of the precious ingredients for this banquet were never seen in the town before.

A’Ling should have been living in luxury and receiving meticulous care. Instead, she followed her, enduring hardship and constant travel, and now she was so happy just for a meat bun.

She suddenly felt a lump in her throat, as if a ball of cotton was blocking it.

A’Ling saw her expression suddenly turn sorrowful and thought she had encountered some trouble. She picked up a bun and stuffed it into her hand. “Mother, eat a bun first.”

No matter what the trouble was, she should eat first.

Seeing that Jin Siliu was holding the bun without moving, A’Ling stood on tiptoe and desperately tried to stuff it into Jin Siliu’s mouth. “Mother, this bun is delicious.”

Jin Siliu couldn’t refuse. She took a bite from her hand and pushed it away. “Mother isn’t hungry. You eat it.”

Hearing this, A’Ling put the bun back into the oil-paper packet, licked the oil from her hand, and smiled, “I’m not hungry either. Look, I even have half of it left and can’t finish it. Since Mother isn’t hungry either, I’ll put it away and eat it on the road.”

As she spoke, she folded the oil-paper packet and put it into her embrace. She looked up at Jin Siliu and smiled brightly, “Mother, are you finished with your business? Are we leaving for the Demon Realm?”

Jin Siliu hesitated, looking at the innocent smiling face in front of her. She didn’t know why their relationship had developed to this point.

Now, every time she heard A’Ling call her “Mother,” she felt both happy and pained.

She was not A’Ling’s mother…

Today, she had also seen Madam Lin, who looked very similar to A’Ling. If it weren’t for her, the child receiving blessings by Madam Lin’s side today should have been A’Ling.

Jin Siliu clutched her chest, which was aching from bursts of pain. But what could she do? She also wanted to be A’Ling’s mother.

“What’s wrong, Mother? Are you feeling unwell anywhere?” A’Ling nervously grabbed Jin Siliu’s hand. She felt that Mother was very strange today.

Why was she looking at her with such complex eyes? Her eyes were also getting redder.

Jin Siliu looked at the high courtyard wall beside them. Seeing the brilliant glazed tiles, she thought of the sunless place, the Demon Realm, that she was taking A’Ling to, and her heart felt even more heavy.

She asked A’Ling, “Do you want to stay here?”

A’Ling was very confused by this sudden question, “Does Mother want to stay here? We’re not going to the Demon Realm anymore?”

Jin Siliu shook her head and said, “No, you stay here, and I’ll go to the Demon Realm alone.”

A’Ling didn’t know what had happened, but upon hearing this, a wave of panic surged through her. She took half a step forward and hugged Jin Siliu tightly. “No, wherever Mother goes, I go!”

The alley was empty. The music from the Huo family mansion suddenly picked up tempo, drifting into the alley and reaching Jin Siliu’s ears.

Inside, the banquet should have started. Jin Siliu heard all sorts of congratulatory voices emanating from there.

Jin Siliu endured the guilt in her heart, crouched down, picked up A’Ling, and strode out of the alley, walking away without looking back.

A’Ling said she wanted to go with her, and she also wanted to be with A’Ling.

Knowing that her young master was living well in the Huo family, she felt relieved. Since it was already a mistake, this mistake might as well continue.

A’Ling was happy that Mother was holding her. She tightly wrapped her arms around her neck.

Mother hadn’t held her like this for a long time. It was mainly because she was older now, and it was a bit troublesome for Mother to hold her.

She loved Mother’s embrace very much. Although A’Ling didn’t want Mother to be tired, the unease she felt just now made her afraid to let go, fearing Mother would abandon her.

A’Ling thought, Let’s walk for a while longer. When Mother gets tired, I’ll walk myself.

“Mother, today I met a little beggar. She was so pitiful. She didn’t have a mother.”

“I shared a piece of my sugar figurine with her, and she said it was very sweet.”

“It’s a shame I don’t know her name. Coincidentally, today is also her birthday.”

“Next time I meet her, I must make her call me sister. She owes me that.”

A’Ling pressed her face into Jin Siliu’s neck and chattered about the child she met today. As she spoke, drowsiness washed over her.

Before falling into a deep sleep, A’Ling wondered if she would ever have the chance to see this little beggar again.

She still didn’t know her name.