Yanyin walked slowly toward him and grasped the cold iron bars that separated them. She remained quiet for a long moment as tears began forming in her young eyes, and finally she broke out in a heartbroken cry, "How much longer, Uncle Zhenhao?"
"Hmm. Would you kill me if I said just a little longer?" he asked with an awkward frown.
"I would," Yanyin said, managing to chuckle through her tearful session as she wiped her wet face with her sleeve. "It's been five months and seventeen days!"
"Wow, has it truly been that long? I won't lie to you, I was actually able to guess it might be around that time, given how much your hair has turned completely white and how many deep wrinkles you've developed on your face. You've truly transformed into an aged woman during my absence, Yanyin."
Yanyin chuckled again despite her tears. "Shut up, Uncle! You're terrible!"
"Alright, alright. Jokes aside, have you been practicing like I taught you?"
"I have. Every single day without fail. I can do fifty pushups now!" she announced proudly.
"Heavens above! That's forty-nine more than I could have possibly done at your tender age!" he exclaimed with exaggerated amazement.
Yanyin laughed genuinely. "I don't think I believe you about that."
"Well, you absolutely should believe me. How's everyone back at the village? Tell me everything."
"All good! Uncle Kang always makes sure my tummy is never empty. My days are completely full of delicious meals and tasty snacks. Aunt Mingzhu takes me to the city occasionally. We eat sweet candies together, watch funny stage plays, and once in a while, we even go on exciting hunting trips too!"
"She's spoiling you real good, I see. That's wonderful. Tell me more stories about what you've been up to since the last time we met."
"Why? So you could keep me distracted for the whole hour and avoid telling me when you'll actually be released from this place?" she challenged him.
"Haha, you've not just been getting stronger, but also considerably smarter. Good for you. You're a remarkably bright child, Yanyin. You're my lucky charm!"
"Your flattering compliments won't make me forget about your absence, Uncle Zhenhao. I… I miss you," she said, her voice breaking.
Zhenhao let out a long breath, struggling mightily to suppress his own tears from falling.
"How about this? If I'm not out of here by the time your next visit arrives in two weeks, you can break me out of this prison yourself. How does that sound?" he offered.
"Mhm," grunted the prison official from behind, raising an eyebrow at this exchange.
Yanyin leaned closer and whispered, "I don't like Aunt Hua at all."
Zhenhao whispered back, "Me neither. But don't mind her. It'll be our little secret promise."
"Okay," said Yanyin as she looked down with profound disappointment, realizing that her uncle had once again crafted a false hope to keep her spirits occupied. After a few quiet moments passed, she suddenly remembered something exciting. "You know, I actually caught a fish twice my size three days ago!"
"You did?! That's absolutely incredible!" he responded with enthusiasm.
And so began her long, animated list of village gossip and daily adventures. Before she could even complete half of her stories, the allotted time was up. The prison official didn't believe in wasting even a single moment. She took hold of Yanyin in a split second and blindfolded her despite her desperate pleading for just a few more precious minutes. As she was forcibly escorted out, Zhenhao spoke loudly so his voice would carry, "I'll be out soon! Don't worry about me! And don't forget to practice everyday!"
Yanyin could hear the heavy doors closing behind her with a resounding thud and was now being escorted back upwards toward the surface. She absolutely hated this part of every visit. Walking downward was always filled with anticipation and excitement, knowing she would get to meet her beloved uncle. But walking upwards meant returning to her empty, lonely hut. Sure enough, she had kind people who cared for her wellbeing, but nobody could ever truly replace Uncle Zhenhao in her heart.
As she kept walking blindly through the corridors, she held her necklace tightly and kept praying under her breath once again. As they were approximately halfway through their ascent, a sudden loud noise erupted from one of the nearby cells, startling Yanyin badly. As she screamed in fear and threw her hands up while tightly holding the necklace, it broke free from around her neck and slipped away from her grasp, clattering somewhere on the stone floor.
"Hey! Quit screaming!" barked the official as she continued walking briskly, holding her thin arm in a tight grip.
Yanyin refused to move another step, though. "My necklace!" she screamed desperately. "My necklace fell down somewhere! I want my necklace back! Please help me find it!!"
The official looked visibly annoyed by this disruption to her routine. But Yanyin was merely a child after all, so she decided reluctantly to help. "Fine. I'll search for your necklace. Stay right here and don't move a single muscle."
Yanyin obediently complied and stood there shivering with fear in the darkness.
One of the prisoners from the cell directly beside her shuffled closer to the bars and whispered urgently, "Hey! Kid! Little girl!"
Yanyin got startled again and clenched her small fists defensively. "Huh? Who is it? Who's there?"
"It's okay! I won't hurt you at all," said the man in a softer tone. "I'm Xie Yuanjun. Don't let the roughness of my voice scare you. I actually look very friendly and approachable. I even have a pot-sized belly that bounces in a funny way when I run. Haha!"
Yanyin couldn't help but chuckle at the image.
"So, what's your name, young lady?" asked Yuanjun with genuine curiosity.
"I'm… Yanyin. Bai Yanyin," she answered hesitantly.
"Nice to meet you, Yanyin. I've noticed you coming in here occasionally over these past months. Do you come here to visit someone special?"
"Yes. My uncle," she confirmed.
"Is that so? You know, I don't have any nieces of my own, but I do have a daughter. She's about your age, actually."
"Oh! Does she like fishing?" Yanyin asked with sudden interest.
"Hmm, I don't really know about that. But she does love hunting very much."
"No way! I love hunting too! Does she happen to live in Greenleaf Crossing?"
"No, but she lives in a nearby village not too far from yours. If you want, I can help arrange for you to meet up with her. The two of you could become great friends!"
"Okay! That sounds wonderful!"
"Yes, but first, you must help me escape from this terrible place. Can you do that for me, Yanyin?"
"I… I don't know if I can…" she said uncertainly.
"Of course you can! You're a capable girl! And then we can even help get your dear uncle out as well!"
"It's okay, my uncle will be out in the next two weeks," Yanyin said, though she looked down and added with a lower, doubtful voice, "though, that's exactly what he keeps saying every single time we meet."
"What?" Yuanjun started chuckling, and the chuckling slowly transformed into cruel laughter. "HAHA! Girl, you actually think your uncle can get out of this place?! Every single prisoner here is sentenced for life and marked for execution! They're going to kill your uncle in a public spectacle!!"