Chapter 1: Picking Up a Little Girl

Chapter 1: Picking Up a Little Girl

The wind howled fiercely, sweeping through the dilapidated village at the foot of the desolate mountain.

This year of famine seems determined to cut off all paths to survival!

In the midst of swirling sand and dust, Wei Pozi, the wife of Old Yu, carried something wrapped in a tattered mat under her arm and struggled to push open the door of their house.

Old Yu hurriedly braced his shoulder against the wooden door, which creaked loudly in the strong wind, and with great effort managed to secure the latch. Turning around, he saw his wife unfolding the tattered mat on the bed—revealing a dirty little girl.

The little girl was timid, quickly sitting up, unsure where to put her hands and feet.

Old Yu drew a sharp breath. "Where did this little girl come from?"

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Wei Pozi, somewhat irritated yet conflicted, said, "I found her at the bottom of the mountain, on the rocky beach. In these hard times, someone must have abandoned her. She looked like she had floated down from upstream on River Mao, her clothes torn by the rocks. She was lying there, pitifully, on the dry reef—what a tragedy!"

Outside, the wind roared, causing the dim candlelight inside to flicker violently.

Bathed in the wavering light, Old Yu examined the small child on the bed.

The little girl appeared to be about three or four years old, thin and frail, with a face marred by scrapes from the rocks. Despite her injuries, her features were still endearing; her ragged clothes and uncertain demeanor evoked sympathy.

Old Yu couldn't help but ask, "Child, what's your name? How old are you? Where is your home?"

The little girl's round almond eyes quickly welled up with tears.

She couldn't remember anything, only a vague memory of being pushed off a boat into the water...

Sniffling, she tried to hold back her sobs and whispered, "Grandpa, I only remember my name is Xingxing, and I'm three years old..."

She gently tapped her head.

What should she do? She still couldn't remember.

With a sob, she continued, "Grandpa, Xingxing can't remember anything else. It seems someone pushed me off a boat into the water..."

Despite her young age, she spoke clearly and coherently, her soft voice even more pitiful as she tried to hold back her tears.

Wei Pozi's frown deepened.

Old Yu sighed. "She must have hit her head when she fell into the water!... Sigh, what kind of world is this? Lao Zheng said he saw a dead child last month in the wild forest halfway up the mountain, half-eaten by wolves... With the famine, many families are abandoning their children. But isn't that just sending them to their deaths?"

Xingxing sniffled, trying hard not to cry.

So, Xingxing was unwanted now.

She thought to herself that she shouldn't cry, remembering someone telling her crying would annoy people.

She mustn't cry, mustn't cry... sniffle, sniffle.

Wei Pozi stared at the dirty child on the bed, struggling to hold back her sobs, her hands and feet not knowing where to go. Her frown deepened.

Suddenly, the little girl's stomach growled loudly, so loud that it could be heard over the howling wind outside.

All three heard it clearly.

The little girl's dirty face turned bright red!

She hugged her flat belly, her head almost touching it!

Wei Pozi frowned, then turned to open a cabinet and took out the last half of a cornbread. Though it pained her, she coldly handed it to the dirty child, her tone harsh. "Eat!"

The little girl looked at Wei Pozi with teary eyes, her face red, and whispered, "Thank you, Grandma."

Wei Pozi turned away without a word.

Old Yu chuckled softly, sitting on the edge of the bed, watching the little girl eat the cornbread in small bites.

"Compared to our sons, this little girl eats so delicately!" Old Yu couldn't help but praise her, then sighed, "But what will we do with her? She has no family and has forgotten everything."

A child this small left outside would likely meet the same fate as the one Lao Zheng found, probably ending up in the jaws of wolves.

Old Yu sighed deeply. He wanted to take care of her, but the famine made life difficult. The little food they had saved over the past few years was running out, and after the drought and this night's storm, who knew how much of their crops would survive.

Getting enough food for the rest of the year would be tough!

Wei Pozi didn't respond, watching the little girl nibble at the cornbread.

After a while, she slowly pulled out a cloth bundle from her chest and placed it on the table.

It was a slightly weak vine plant.

Old Yu, who often ventured into the mountains, recognized it immediately. His eyes widened, and his voice rose. "Oh, wife, isn't this Heartburn Grass? Where did you get it?"

Heartburn Grass was a key ingredient in many healing medicines, especially effective for bruises and injuries, but it was rare and expensive. Even this slightly weaker plant could fetch four silver coins when dried and sold in the county pharmacy!

Four silver coins could buy ten bushels of coarse rice!

Mixed with some wild vegetables, it would feed the whole family for a month!

Old Yu was overjoyed!

Wei Pozi finally spoke, "When I picked up this little girl, she was lying between two rocks. When I lifted her, I saw this Heartburn Grass growing in the crevice. I think it might be a sign from heaven—this little girl is blessed."

Old Yu understood her implication and pondered silently.

After a long pause, Wei Pozi finally made up her mind and coldly addressed the dirty little girl. "Since your family doesn't want you anymore, you can stay here with us! As long as I have food, you'll have food too!"

"Ah?" The little girl raised her head in confusion, crumbs from the cornbread still on her lips, looking a bit silly.

It took her quite a while to react.

Was this grandma, who had saved her, saying she would take care of her?

Old Man Yu was both happy and worried, sighing, "I hope we can keep her alive."

Wei Pozi looked somewhat impatient. "She’s just a scrawny little girl; how much food could she eat? I’ll eat less, and that will be enough to feed her!"

Old Man Yu thought about it and nodded repeatedly, muttering, "You’re right. I’ll eat less too. Such a tiny child—we can’t just throw her out to die..."

The little girl still had tears in her eyes as she timidly glanced at Old Man Yu, then at Wei Pozi, who looked impatient but had poured her half a bowl of water. Wei Pozi sternly said, "Water is scarce during these hard times. Drink sparingly... don’t choke!"

She couldn’t hold back her tears any longer!

Though young, she knew gratitude.

The little girl swallowed the last bite of cornbread, slipped off the bed, and with tears in her eyes, bowed three times to Old Man Yu and Wei Pozi, trying hard not to cry as she called out, "Grandpa, Grandma!"

Old Man Yu exclaimed, "Oh!" and quickly helped the little girl up. "Good child! The ground is cold, and you’re so thin. What if you catch a chill?"

Though Wei Pozi didn’t say anything, her expression softened.

Just then, a bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating half of it.

Thunder roared, echoing through heaven and earth.

Both Old Man Yu and Wei Pozi were stunned.

A torrential rain came down suddenly, pouring down in sheets, pelting the roof tiles with intense force.

Old Man Yu was overjoyed and, without hesitation, grabbed a basin from inside and rushed out, shouting to the others in the courtyard, "It’s raining! Come out and collect water!"

In the heavy rain, not just Old Man Yu’s family, but almost everyone in the village ran out of their houses, frantically gathering all kinds of containers to catch the rainwater.

Although the sound of rain was loud, the villagers’ jubilant shouts from all directions drowned it out!

"It’s raining! It’s raining!"

Wei Pozi’s perpetually furrowed brows finally relaxed. She stood under the eaves, watching Old Man Yu and the family using every container they had to collect rainwater, smiling widely.

Suddenly, a pair of small hands reached out beside her, catching the rainwater dripping from the eaves.

The little hands scooped up the water and wiped it on her face, clearly trying to wash herself.

The little girl struggled to wash her face with the rainwater, soaking the front of her clothes.

Wei Pozi watched for a moment, then went back inside and returned with a handkerchief. She wet it with rainwater, pulled the little girl over, and vigorously wiped her face.

The little girl was obedient, not dodging or moving, allowing Wei Pozi to clean her face.

After wiping, the dirty little face disappeared, revealing a clean, rosy, and adorable face behind the handkerchief.

Round almond eyes, a straight nose, and chubby cheeks.

The scruffy little girl instantly transformed into a cute, slightly injured little dumpling.

The little dumpling tilted her head and softly called out, "Grandma?"

Wei Pozi’s heart trembled, a thought flashing through her mind—had they just decided to adopt Xingxing, and now the heavens sent rain to relieve the drought in the fields? Could this be Xingxing bringing good fortune?

Could this little girl be a lucky star?