Juju took too long to return, so they started placing food on the table without her.
Old Man Jian, she had seen him many times before in passing but he seemed young for his old age. His peppery brown hair was tied back with a headband. His eyes were closed and he seemed to be contemplating amidst the noisy chattering of children as he stroked the facial hair growing from his chin.
All of a sudden, the children began to shush each other.
They moved their gazes towards the side hall, their expressions attentive. As Qing Anna was setting the last plate onto the table, they all began to talk at once.
"Brother Pen is back!"
"Welcome back!"
"You're just in time for dinner!"
"Brother Meng you promised to bring me back a pearl!"
Their gazes were directed behind her. She stepped to the side as she turned around only to bump into someone.
She didn't sense anyone there so she jolted forward with a start.
"Sorr-
He was already smiling at her (^-^), his eyes were closed. He said nothing but his expression read "It's okay." Strange, she felt like she met him before even though this is the first time their meeting.
"Sorry."
She joined sides with Juju and Jia who finally appeared. Only to do a double-take. They were nicely dressed today. Juju who was usually very cute with her round baby face and petite frame, wore heels and golden dangling chrysanthemum earrings, with a golden orange dress with ginkgo pattern embroidery while Jia who was already quite beautiful and intimidating with her long oval face looked softer wearing pink lipstick, her hair was tied up into one, which made her face look even longer, she was also wearing silver flower earrings and a pink dress with a purple sash.
In Anna's opinion, Jia looked better when she wore her hair down, but she still looked unusually good.
Who are you? She had wanted to ask Jia but refrained from doing so. None of the girls sat until the returnees took their seats. Normally they'd sit wherever.
Jia wedged herself in between two of the Returnees, one was in red and another a dark green. This earned her a competitive glare from Juju who sat on the other side of the returnee in dark green.
Blinking at the two with confusion, she sat next to Little Min. As introductions were passed around, Jia noticed how far away she was.
"Sister Qing, you should sit up here with the older kids," Jia suggested.
Qing Anna looked to Little Min who smiled politely as if to say he didn't mind.
"But Big Ming is also."
"He never leaves Little Min's side. He's a lost cause." Yun He, the bespectacled person who she saw on her first day was among the group of returnees as well as Mo Yang, the other boy she had met, who she learned was the biological grandchild of Mo Jian.
Qing Anna was a bit reluctant. If Big Min could get away with it why couldn't she?
Old Man Jian lifted his gaze to stare at her with his disturbing hawk-like gaze.
Why did the order of things suddenly change now that everyone was all here to eat?
There was an empty seat next to Ah Rong and Ji Hong, who was sitting next to his red-haired look-alike whom she assumed to be Ji Zha, and sat there.
"Ji Hong! scoot over!" Jia was glaring daggers at her younger cousin from across the table.
"It's fine, It's fine!" Qing Anna was insistent.
The energy everyone was giving off today was charged with something really weird, she almost felt compelled to leave the dining hall and hole herself up in the girls' room.
There were only three girls out of the entire group, and they were all old, it would make sense they'd catch feelings for the older boys but...
"Jia, who is this person?" Ji Zha who had been squinting at her from the side had finally looked away only to ask his sister.
"Ah, she's someone I found in the forest." A lad with black hair, sitting next to Yun He and the person in red. He was the amiable looking fellow she had bumped into earlier. (^ . ^)
"So it was you?!" Anna stood to bow. "I'm indebted to you, words can't express how grateful I am." It was insincere. She didn't exactly feel grateful when she opened her eyes. Only lost.
The amiable looking lad smiled and made a waving gesture as if to say it was no biggy.
"She's the reason you were late?" Ji Zha looked annoyed recalling the event.
"Mhm."
Ji Zha sighed and opened his mouth as if to complain.
"Enough of that. Eat." Mo Jian instructed everyone.
Even though the food tasted good, Anna had a hard time swallowing, Jia and Juju kept piling food onto Brother Pen's(the young lad dressed in dark green clothes) bowl.
And she felt like she was being stared at even though every time she looked around no one was looking at her.
"I've never had this before. It's good." Mo Yang said before attempting to stuff a slice of meat pie into his mouth.
"Don't take such a huge chunk, you inconsiderate buffoon!" Mo Jian just so happened to be reaching towards the plate afterward and became irritable when he saw it was almost done.
"Ah, the meat pies were Sister Qing's idea." Little Min spoke up.
She was happy he gave her credit but at the same time now the attention had shifted back to her.
"I was getting tired of the same old recipes." Mo Yang glanced in Anna's direction. "Thanks new girl!"
"Even so, saying that, isn't it rude towards those on Kitchen duty?" Qing Anna muttered in hopes of them shifting their gazes.
"Ah!" Mo Yang looked in Little Min's direction. "I didn't mean it like that!"
"It's okay Brother Yang," Little Min said smiling before looking to Big Ming with a serious expression while whispering. "Ming remind me to spit in his food next time."
Big Ming nodded. (- _ -)
"Wait a second! You can't! Little Min, I brought you back souvenirs and everything. Don't you know you're number one in my heart!"
"Hmph! You'd have to show me the things and then we'll talk." Little Min said. It would seem that Big Min and Qing Anna weren't the only ones who favored him.
Just like that the awkward atmosphere had lifted a bit.
Qing Anna relaxed and ate her meal in silence.
Once dinner was over, the returnees went off somewhere with Mo Jian.
"The food was good tonight."
"It was. Good work everyone."
The younger kids assisted in helping Anna wash the dishes while Juju left to flirt. Anna couldn't help feeling bitter about it. When she used to attend school, she hated girls that abandoned their duties to flirt with their boyfriends the most.
So even though she didn't have many personal conversations with Juju the animosity she felt towards her had been lit.
Little Min and Big Ming also left to pressure Mo Yang.
Anna went outside to fetch water from the well, her thoughts drifted as she filled up her bucket.
Today was fun. What was her sister doing right now? Not a day went by that she didn't wonder about her. She hasn't been having any of those strange dreams so she should be safe right? Though what if, just what, if by her death she was no longer connected to Song Lina? What if her sister got into danger and she wouldn't be able to help? She hadn't had any dreams recently...
She had consoled herself thinking that her sister would be fine without her. But now that she was alive again she longed to see her sister once more. Strange. She hated how clingy she could be.
"Sister Qing."
Ah Rong came out to find her.
"What are you doing standing there?" (* o *) Ah Rong saw the pail was full and found her behavior naturally odd.
"The moon is so pretty... I got distracted."
Even though the moon wasn't anywhere in sight tonight. It was an obvious lie. The boy didn't call her out on it. Ah Rong lifted up the full pail with ease.
"Let's go back."
"Ah, I can carry that!"
She chased after him but his little legs were swift and in the end, she never got it back from him.
She washed the dishes with the kiddies feeling somewhat guilty and slightly inferior. She got outrun by a little boy holding her bucket and he only reached the height of her knees. Haiz.
All her life she had felt useless and now in this world too. With housework she was good. But she wondered how she would survive in the long run. It was a deep concern of hers that wafted to the surface every now and then, each and every time plunging her into a state of depression.
On her way upstairs to the girls' room, Jia met her in the halls.
"Ah, there you are. Grandfather would like to talk to you." Jia's expression was oddly calm for someone who had been so eager to flirt earlier. Shouldn't she be giddier? Did she perhaps lose to Juju in winning the affections of Sir Pen?
"To me?" Qing Anna didn't think anything of it at the time.