They walked out of the alley. Tianyu glanced back, making sure the three men were still unconscious. He let out a sigh.
As they exited the narrow alley and returned to the bustling marketplace, the sounds resumed: merchants shouting, buyers haggling, and street musicians playing. As if that dark place had never existed.
When they reached the market gate, Long Ruyin was already waiting with two large bags in her hands. When she saw Tianyu appear, the worried expression on her face turned into joy. But when she noticed the little girl beside Tianyu, she hurried over to them.
"Tianyu! Where have you been? I was about to search the entire market for you. And… who is this?"
Long Tianyu gently placed his hand on Na'er's head, as if trying to calm her down, then looked at his mother.
"Well, Mom, I was just shopping like usual. But when I was about to head here, I passed through an alley. In that alley, I overheard something disgusting said by some adults. Curious, I went in to check. There, I saw three men surrounding a little girl who looked terrified… it seemed like they were about to do something terrible to her," Tianyu said, his eyes still holding a trace of anger.
Long Ruyin tensed up, gripping her shopping bags tightly. "Oh my goodness… You're not hurt, are you?"
Tianyu shook his head. "No, I'm fine. I took them down before they could do anything."
Na'er looked down, her voice barely a whisper. "Big Brother Tianyu saved me…"
Long Ruyin looked at the little girl with gentle concern, a flicker of sympathy in her eyes. She crouched down and smiled warmly. "Na'er, is it? You're such a cute little girl. You're safe now, and we won't let anyone hurt you again."
Na'er only nodded slightly, then slowly tugged at Tianyu's sleeve, as if she didn't want to be far from him.
Long Ruyin stood up and looked at Tianyu. "We can't just leave her alone. For now… she'll come with us, alright?"
Tianyu nodded firmly. "That's what I was thinking too."
Long Ruyin gave a soft smile. "Alright then, let's go home. We'll talk about this more there. And we need to get Na'er cleaned up."
The walk home wasn't too far. Along the way, Na'er stayed close to Tianyu, never once letting go of his sleeve. Tianyu kept talking to her, trying to help her forget what had happened in the alley.
When they arrived home, Long Ruyin quickly opened the door and ushered them in.
"Na'er, you can sit here for a bit. I'll prepare some warm water for you, and Tianyu will get you some clean clothes," Long Ruyin said gently.
Tianyu went straight to his room and retrieved some smaller clothes from his younger days, neatly kept in the closet. Meanwhile, Long Ruyin prepared a basin of warm water and a clean towel.
Na'er sat quietly on the chair, her big eyes scanning the room.
"Na'er," Tianyu called as he handed her the clothes. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up. Mom already prepared warm water."
Na'er took the clothes carefully, as if afraid to damage them. "Thank you…"
After washing up and changing clothes, Na'er looked much more refreshed.
Her silver hair was now clean and neatly flowing. Her small face had a bit more color, and a hint of calm appeared in her eyes.
Long Ruyin served warm food on the table. Vegetable soup, rice, and some pieces of meat.
While they were eating, Long Ruyin casually asked Na'er, "By the way, Na'er… where did you live before? Do you know where your home is, sweetie?"
It was a simple question. But instantly, Na'er's small hand holding the chopsticks stopped moving. Her face slowly lost its color. She looked down, her eyes wide and blank, as if searching for an answer deep in her mind… but finding nothing.
"I... I don't know\..." she finally whispered, her voice barely audible.
Tianyu stopped eating and turned to look. Long Ruyin also gazed at Na'er gently, full of empathy. She slowly put down her chopsticks and moved closer to the little girl.
"It's okay, Na'er. You don't have to force yourself to remember," said Long Ruyin, gently stroking Na'er's hair. "Maybe one day your memories will come back."
Na'er nodded slowly. "I just... remember that my name is Na'er. Other than that... nothing else."
Tianyu watched Na'er, who looked confused about her own memories. His heart felt heavy seeing her like this. He wanted to do something to make her feel better.
With a bit of hesitation, he scooted his chair closer to Na'er. "If you want... you can be my little sister, Na'er," he said, looking at her face.
Na'er froze and slowly turned. "Little sister...?"
"Yeah! Be my little sister! I've always wanted one, but Mom never wanted to have another kid..." he said, rolling his eyes toward his mother.
Long Ruyin almost choked on her drink. "Tianyu...!" she exclaimed.
"Since I don't have a sibling, and you don't have a family… starting now, we can be a family." He gave a wide smile, trying to sound convincing like a boy who had just come up with a brilliant idea. "I promise I'll protect you! Like a real big brother!"
Na'er looked confused for a moment, as if she hadn't fully understood what Tianyu had just offered.
"Big brother…?" she whispered in a trembling voice.
Tianyu smiled even wider and nodded enthusiastically. "Yep! From now on, you're my little sister!"
Long Ruyin, who had been watching the scene, just smiled warmly, her heart filled with a tender emotion seeing the two children. "Looks like I just gained another child today," she murmured softly, patting Tianyu's head.
"That's right!" Tianyu answered excitedly, still hugging Na'er. "Now I have a little sister!"
Na'er finally released the hug, her eyes still a bit teary, but now with a small, genuine smile. The emptiness inside her began to fill, as if she had found something long lost—a place to call home.
"Thank you… Big Brother Tianyu."
After dinner ended and the table was cleared, the house grew quiet. The sky outside had darkened, and the night breeze drifted in through the window.
Long Ruyin looked at the two children now sitting in the living room. She smiled, though a trace of concern lingered on her face. "Tianyu… the guest room is still full of old things. I haven't had the time to clean it out. So tonight… it looks like you'll have to share your room, okay?"
Tianyu simply nodded. "That's fine, Mom. My bed's big enough."
Na'er turned to Tianyu hesitantly. "I… I'm not being a bother, am I?"
Tianyu shook his head slowly as he looked at her. "No, not at all. You're my little sister now, remember? Sleeping together is no problem."
Long Ruyin leaned down and gently patted Na'er's head again. "Well then, you two go ahead and sleep. I'll finish cleaning up here."
The night passed, and Tianyu brought Na'er into his fairly tidy room. Inside was just one large bed, a wardrobe, and an old sword lying beside the bed.
Na'er stood awkwardly at the edge of the room, looking at the bed.
"Come on, Mom will be mad if we're still awake this late," Tianyu said, patting the side of the mattress next to him.
Na'er nodded quietly and slowly climbed onto the bed.
She looked at him for a moment, then lay down carefully. She turned her back to Tianyu, but not long after, she rolled over and gently pulled his arm toward her, hugging it like a doll.
Tianyu was startled for a moment, then smiled softly and let her hold him.
In the silence of that night, the sound of their heartbeats slowly became calming. For Na'er, that warm embrace was the safest thing she had felt for as long as she could remember.
That night, for the first time in what felt like forever, Na'er fell asleep peacefully.
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