Ji Huan knew her current situation was hardly ideal for meddling in others' affairs. She had intended to ignore it, but after hesitating for just a moment, she turned and walked toward the earthen house.
'What if it's child abuse?'
The earthen house had no yard, so Ji Huan walked right up to the door. She raised her hand and knocked lightly on the wooden panel. "Anyone home?"
There was no reply from inside.
The voice she'd heard earlier, though faint, hadn't stopped. Ji Huan could now tell that it was definitely a child, but their voice was hoarse from crying out that they were hungry.
Ji Huan cast aside all thoughts of politeness and began to pound on the door.
Her hand began to ache, but still, no one responded.
It was then that she realized something was wrong.
The door wasn't locked from the outside, but bolted from within, which meant an adult had to be inside.
Someone was inside but not responding, letting a child starve to this point…
