The Innocent Heart - Chapter 4

Guan Yueyao led Huo Qubing on a circuit around the dilapidated manor. Seeing that the light was about to completely fade, Huo Qubing announced, “I must go back, or my family will make a great fuss searching for me again, which is very annoying.” He said this as he walked back toward the section of broken wall.

Guan Yueyao, still in her typical slouching manner, followed lazily behind Huo Qubing.

“You don’t need to see me off; I know the way,” Huo Qubing turned back to look at Guan Yueyao, his face betraying a hint of reluctance to leave.

“Who’s seeing you off? I need to go out and buy something to eat; I’m starving,” Guan Yueyao said, looking at the young boy with surprise.

No sooner had she spoken than the boy’s face flushed red, showing a degree of embarrassment. He quickly turned around, leaving only the words, “I will come find you again tomorrow,” before his figure flashed, nimbly leaping over the broken wall.

Guan Yueyao shook her head. These past two days, thanks to her newly acquired wealthy subordinate named Huo Qubing, her finances had improved. Beyond simply satisfying her hunger, she even had spare money to buy some necessities to improve her living conditions.

Not having eaten meat for a long time, Guan Yueyao ignored everything else. After leaving the courtyard where she lodged, she headed straight for a food stall on the main street. On the streets of Chang’an, there were stalls that specialized in cooking mutton, dog meat, and other meats.

Guan Yueyao found a mutton stall and sat down. The owner was a kind-faced old man who did not drive away the shabbily dressed young beggar who sat down in front of his stall.

“We have steamed mutton, roasted mutton, mutton soup, and mixed giblet soup here. May I ask what you would like, young guest?”

Whether here or in the Japan where she once lived, Guan Yueyao was accustomed to receiving cold shoulders. To be treated with such kindness suddenly left her at a loss for words.

“I… I want one jin (half a kilogram) of roasted mutton, and also a bowl of mutton soup,” she stammered slightly, softening her tone somewhat unnaturally and speaking politely.

She felt a little anxious, clutching the money pouch Huo Qubing had left her tightly in her hand. If this kind-looking old man questioned whether she could afford the meal, she would be able to produce the money.

She just didn’t know… if the money in the pouch would be enough to pay for this one meal. Guan Yueyao thought, her expression inevitably growing tense.

She considered simply eating the meal, and if she couldn’t pay, so be it—it wasn’t the first time she had dined and dashed. Yet, looking at the bent figure of the old man, whose hair and beard were completely white, she felt inexplicably guilty.

“Old man, do you think this money is enough for the meal? If not, then forget it…” Finally, Guan Yueyao called out to the stall owner, who was walking toward the stove. She opened her hand, pouring out dozens of Banliang coins from the pouch, and extended them toward the owner.

“That’s plenty, plenty, put it away for now,” the old man waved his hand, still wearing his gentle, kind expression, and turned to busy himself. Soon, waves of tempting meaty aroma drifted into Guan Yueyao’s nostrils, causing many passersby to stop and look.

As the sky was darkening, the streets of Chang’an were full of rushing pedestrians.

Because a curfew was enforced, people occasionally stopped at the stall to take some mutton away, but only Guan Yueyao was seated to eat, making the stall appear rather deserted.

After a short while, the stall owner returned, carrying a steaming hot plate of roasted mutton and a bowl of mutton soup. The meaty smell produced by the roasting made Guan Yueyao swallow her saliva. She reached out, grabbed a skewer of mutton, and put it into her mouth.

“Poor child, you haven’t had meat in a long time, have you?” The stall owner, probably having finished his busy day and closed up shop, was not in a hurry to leave. He wiped his hands and sat down across from Guan Yueyao, watching her devour the meal with eyes full of pity, gulping down the bowl of mutton soup in a whirlwind manner.

“Eat slowly, eat slowly, be careful not to choke. There is still some mutton soup left; I will bring you another serving.” The stall owner sighed, picked up the ceramic bowl, and stood up again.

It had been a long time since Guan Yueyao had enjoyed a hearty meal like this. She patted her satisfied stomach and, removing the money pouch she had carefully preserved, asked in a rare moment of good manners:

“Old man, how much does this meal cost?”

To her surprise, the stall owner shook his head and pushed away the hand she was preparing to pay with: “This meal is not worth much; consider it a treat from this old man. It is just that…” the stall owner paused slightly, as if carefully choosing his words.

“Alas, you are still young, and you have hands and feet. Why not find an honest way to make a living and support yourself? Though you have obtained money from others now, which can provide food and warmth for a day or two, what about tomorrow? Ill-gotten gains will eventually be spent. This old man sees kindness in your face; you should not willingly degrade yourself by committing such petty thefts and trickery.”

It turned out that the kind-faced old man had mistakenly assumed that the money in Guan Yueyao’s hand was stolen, which prompted his intention to advise her toward virtue.

Under normal circumstances, if Guan Yueyao had received such a lecture, she would have long since flipped the table and stormed off.

But today, she couldn’t explain why, but the old man’s tone, which was full of genuine concern and a touch of heartache, reminded her of her maternal grandfather and grandmother whom she had not seen for a long time.

Guan Yueyao actually managed to be patient and explained to the old man: “Old man, you misunderstood. This money pouch was not stolen; it was given to me willingly by a child after I won a fight.”

A child speaks without much deliberation, and her explanation, though given quickly, only seemed to make the situation worse.

As expected, the old man’s expression stiffened: “Young man, if that is the case, it is even more unacceptable. The ancient sages would rather die of thirst than drink from a stolen spring. How much worse is it to use strength to bully the weak and seize another person’s wealth?”

“Old man, this money of mine really is not ill-gotten gain. If you don’t believe me, tomorrow I will bring that child to you and let him tell you himself!”

At this point, a hint of impatience had risen in Guan Yueyao’s heart, and her tone gradually worsened. But seeing the look of sincere concern on the old man’s face, she managed to maintain her patience and explained again.

She sighed internally. Perhaps it was because she had committed so many bad deeds before that now, even the money she had “earned” through her own ability, was mistrusted by everyone.

Yet, she still did not want this kind old man to misunderstand her. Although she acted tough, she was, after all, only a fourteen- or fifteen-year-old youth, still yearning for the kindness and understanding of others.

“Alright, alright. Having hands and feet, and eating by one’s own ability and strength, that is the mark of a true man who stands tall between Heaven and Earth,” the old man said after hearing Guan Yueyao’s words. Presumably, he felt relieved. The look of worry on his face gradually disappeared, replaced by a smile.

As the night deepened, it was almost time to light the lamps, with only one hour remaining until the curfew. The streets of Chang’an only had scattered pedestrians, and the small mutton stall was completely out of business.

To thank the old man for the dinner, Guan Yueyao did not rush to leave after eating. Instead, she got up to help the old man clean up the stall. She worked quickly and efficiently, stacking the tables, chairs, and benches into a neat pile in just a few moments.

A little later, the old man extinguished the stove, collected the money he had earned today, and bid Guan Yueyao farewell with a smile.

“Thank you. Thanks to you, this old man was able to pack up the stall so early today. If you don’t mind, you can come back here tomorrow for mutton.”

That night, lying on her ‘bed’ of straw, Guan Yueyao recalled the old man’s parting words, her heart still warm. She thought that she was willing to be a good child in the old man’s presence, and it was not just for the few mouthfuls of mutton.

It was just… it had been a very, very long time since anyone had shown her such concern.

Tomorrow, when the child named Huo Qubing arrived, she definitely needed to bring him to the old man to clarify everything properly. Those coins in her hand were certainly not ill-gotten gains from an unjust source.

As Guan Yueyao was thinking, her eyelids grew heavy, and she was groggily about to fall into a dream. Suddenly, a rustling sound reached her ears.

What is that noise?! Guan Yueyao frowned. In truth, she prided herself on being fearless, but she had one weakness in this world:

She was afraid of mice.

In such a remote and dilapidated place, it seemed perfectly normal for mice to appear. Furthermore, on the broken small table beside her, lay the few pieces of mutton spine bones (yang xie zi) the old man had given her when they parted.

That item was a great delicacy in the modern age, but here, it was merely an unwanted scrap.

Guan Yueyao had intended to light a fire and heat it up in the broken pot in the courtyard for a delicious breakfast tomorrow. But she didn’t expect that before she could eat it, it had attracted the covetousness of rodents.

Tonight, the sky was covered with clouds obscuring the moon, and the visibility was poor. Guan Yueyao’s eyesight was still decent. As she strained to discern the direction of the noise, she could only barely make out a fuzzy mass moving toward the mutton spine bones.

The object was as large as a small dog and seemed rather clumsy in its movements. Guan Yueyao involuntarily shivered and got goosebumps at the thought that a rat the size of a small dog was not far from her.

However, seeing the shadow and the package of mutton bones getting closer and closer, she could not afford to think any longer! If she didn’t chase away that big rat, tomorrow’s breakfast would be ruined!

She gritted her teeth, grabbed a slender copper lamp stand that had fallen to the ground, and poked it toward the black shadow.

“Awooo! Awooo!” A few soft, puppy barks sounded the next second.

Not a rat?! Guan Yueyao was startled. She lunged forward, squatted down, and looked closely. Only then did she realize that it was indeed a puppy, not a rat the size of a small dog.

Frightened, the dog quickly flipped over, trying to get away from this tall, seemingly dangerous creature. Unfortunately, it was likely still very young, barely able to walk steadily, let alone evade a human deliberately trying to catch it.

Soon, Guan Yueyao successfully caught the “culprit” that had attempted to steal her breakfast.

Holding the small, furry creature in both hands, she brought it close to her eyes. The puppy was trembling and huddled into a ball in her grasp, continuously making whimpering, baby-like sounds.

Guan Yueyao was amused by the dog’s appearance. She rubbed its small head. It feels so comfortable… she thought, and ignoring the puppy’s struggles, she proceeded to pat and stroke it all over again.

The puppy’s unique baby fur was extremely soft and felt wonderfully pleasing to the touch. By now, Guan Yueyao had completely lost her sleepiness. She held the puppy in her arms, stroking it for a long time before finally letting it go, feeling satisfied.

The puppy, surprisingly, was not timid. Perhaps seeing that this person meant no harm, it did not leave after Guan Yueyao put it back on the ground. Instead, it wagged its tail and snuggled up to her, gently nibbling at the fingers she extended.

Suddenly, she wondered: Could it be that the dog is hungry?

Thinking this, Guan Yueyao hesitated for a moment. Still, she unwrapped the mutton spine bones that were bundled in lotus leaves, picked out the one with the most meat, and offered it to the puppy.

“Only eat this one piece. The rest is all mine,” Guan Yueyao placed the mutton spine bone on the ground in front of the puppy, earnestly cautioning it, as if it could understand.