The weather was too cold, making it quite difficult to venture into the city. It took over an hour round trip.
In the following days, the three of them simply stayed holed up in the small building, conserving their energy.
Running the air conditioning consumed too much electricity, but not running it made it too cold.
Nie Ran took Lang Xiao outside to cut down a pine tree, then returned to burn it for warmth.
Ning Xin had stocked up on plenty of sweet potatoes during her previous trip to the supermarket, so they roasted them to eat now.
The aroma of roasted sweet potatoes filled the building all day long, along with… their continuous farting.
One morning, when Ning Xin got up and went to the bathroom, she felt like her repeated farting was about to break the toilet. She couldn’t help but make up her mind that she couldn’t be lazy today and had to go to the city.
As long as Lang Xiao had a cellphone, he could do anything.
Nie Ran also put down his woodworking book and readily agreed.
The three of them bundled up tightly and set out again.
Having learned from their last experience, they didn’t bring any food or water this time, going empty-handed.
Which one of these people was the one they were looking for?
As Ning Xin observed the passers-by, shopkeepers, and even the busy workers inside, each one seemed lifelike and no different from a real person.
But after learning about the origin of Purgatory, she could be certain that among the countless people, only one of them was real.
Perhaps it was the old lady walking ahead, or the customer buying buns nearby, or maybe it was the girl who had begged her for shelter that day.
He lurked among the crowd, silently observing them, his purpose unknown.
Was he afraid? Worried?
It might also be an ambush.
Thinking of this, Ning Xin couldn’t help but distance herself from the passers-by.
She both wanted to find him quickly and was worried about how to handle him once found.
Suddenly, Nie Ran stopped outside a shop, and she turned back to ask, “What’s wrong?”
He said nothing, but instead, he took her hand and walked into the shop.
As she looked up, she was stunned by the dazzling array of colours.
It was actually a jewellery store.
Three rectangular counters formed a “U” shape, with glass cases polished clean and bright.
Although the lighting wasn’t up to the standards of over a hundred years later, every piece of jewellery was exquisitely crafted and dazzling.
Nie Ran let go of her hand, looked down for a moment, and pointed to a pair of gold bracelets, saying, “Bring them out for a look.”
The shopkeeper cautiously brought them out and placed them on a beautiful velvet cloth, asking, “Is this a betrothal gift for this young lady? Oh my, miss, you’ve truly found yourself a good husband.”
Ning Xin’s face suddenly turned bright red, unable to deny it. She asked Nie Ran in a low voice, “What are you doing?”
He leisurely examined the pair of gold bracelets and said, “Don’t you think they’re beautiful?”
“It does look quite nice, but… what does that have to do with us?”
“Do you really intend to use it as an engagement gift?”
Ning Xin’s cheeks grew warmer.
Nie Ran lifted his chin. “Give it a try.”
The shop owner enthusiastically let her try on bracelets. Ning Xin declined, but her protests were in vain as he smeared snowflake cream on her left hand.
Though she said no with her mouth, there was a hidden anticipation in her heart.
After all, besides the plastic rings she received in candies as a child, she had never owned any jewellery.
The bracelet was large, her hands small, and it slipped on easily.
The golden bracelet, paired with her snowy wrist, did indeed look quite nice.
Nie Ran, however, frowned and shook his head. “No, it’s not good, too tacky.”
Especially the two golden phoenixes engraved on it, inconspicuous when placed alone, but when worn, they appeared particularly festive.
The shop owner noticed his reaction and introduced him to other styles.
Ning Xin gradually relaxed too, thinking since she was already here, she might as well try on more, starting to carefully examine the jewellery.
Lang Xiao initially looked as well, but quickly lost interest, truly not understanding the charm of these gold and stone objects.
“Can I try on that necklace?” Ning Xin pointed to the counter.
The shop owner brought out the necklace and also brought a large mirror. Just as he was about to put it on her, Nie Ran took it from him.
Ning Xin lifted her hair, untied her scarf, and revealed her neck.
Nie Ran’s fingertips brushed against her skin as he put on the necklace. The necklace was cold, making her inexplicably nervous.
“Done.”
His voice snapped her back to reality, and she looked at her reflection in the mirror.
She deliberately chose a simple and casual style, a small circle on a gold chain with some hollow patterns, shimmering with golden light when it swayed.
“Does it look good?” She turned to Nie Ran.
He stared at her snowy, delicate skin. “Looks good.”
She then asked Lang Xiao, who closed his eyes and flattered her.
Ning Xin felt pleased to hear their comments, almost wanting to buy it right away, but then she suddenly noticed a problem.
She had money, but not the currency of this world.
What currency did they use in the Republic of China era, silver dollars?
Reluctantly returning the necklace to the shop owner, she pulled Nie Ran aside, wanting to ask him if there was any solution.
Unexpectedly, he said, “If you don’t have money, then don’t buy it.”
“…Then why did you bother having me try it on for so long?”
His proactive demeanour seemed as if he was about to kneel down and propose right away.
Nie Ran raised his right eyebrow. “Did I say I was going to buy it for you?”
“You… forget it!”
Ning Xin rolled her eyes dramatically and pulled Lang Xiao out of the shop.
Nie Ran hurriedly chased after them, about to speak, but the three of them fixed their gazes on a spot at the street corner.
There lay a figure, not uncommon in this world.
Last time they were here, they saw many beggars lying at street corners, after all, it was a chaotic time.
But this person looked familiar today. Ning Xin approached, and upon closer inspection, indeed, it was that girl.
A few days of absence had made her even paler, her whole body thinning into a narrow strip.
Her clothes were more torn, her injuries seemed worse, as if she was barely holding on.
“Sister…”
She lifted her eyelids and saw Ning Xin, a glimmer of joy in her eyes.
“Thank goodness, I can still see you one last time.”
Ning Xin asked in surprise, “What happened to you?”
“They found me again, sister. Am I going to die?”
She was as weak as a withered blade of grass, devoid of any vitality.
Even as an illusion, she truly evoked pity.
Ning Xin hesitated, looking towards Nie Ran, who suddenly walked over and hoisted the girl onto his shoulder.
“Let’s go, back home.”
Can’t chase her away, can’t kill her.
He wanted to see how this fellow planned to stir up trouble right under his nose.
Ning Xin and Lang Xiao walked behind, their view blocked by their bodies.
Suddenly, the girl cupped Nie Ran’s face and planted a kiss on him.
“Don’t be mean to me, okay? We…”
Before she could finish her sentence, she was thrown to the ground.
Nie Ran calmly said, “Sorry, slipped.”
Ning Xin startled, quickly checked, and seeing no serious injuries, couldn’t help but say, “Be more careful.”
“I’m used to being clumsy. You do it.”
Lang Xiao, chosen by him, looked surprised and sluggishly walked over.
Just as he was about to bend down to pick her up, he smelled a strange scent from her body and backed away.
“I can’t do it.”
Ning Xin was speechless. “You two eat more than anyone else normally, but when it’s crucial, you’re useless.”
She intended to handle it herself, but Nie Ran hoisted the girl up again.
“This kind of tough work, let me do it.”
He said as he walked forward, issuing a warning in a volume only they could hear.
“Behave yourself.”
Back at the asylum, Ning Xin brought blankets, a medical kit, chocolates, and had Lang Xiao boil a pot of hot water.
The girl wrapped herself in a blanket, drank hot water, ate chocolates, her big eyes looking around.
Ning Xin applied medicine to her bruised legs, then frowned after a while.
“This might not be enough. The wounds are too dirty, they might get infected. You should take a bath.”
“Okay.”
She pushed back the blanket, ready to climb down from the sofa.
Ning Xin said, “I’ll help you.”
She suddenly stiffened in place, looking somewhat unwilling.
Ning Xin was puzzled. “Is there a problem? I’ve bathed other children before, very skilled at it, you can trust me.”
The girl looked to be around six or seven, not much different from the children in the orphanage.
The girl shook her head. “No, it’s just that my legs hurt too much, I can’t move.”
“Your legs hurt? Let me see, hope it’s not a fracture.”
Ning Xin rolled up her makeshift pants, examined for a while, but couldn’t figure out anything, so she said, “Then let’s wait until your legs feel better before you take a bath.”
“Okay.”
The girl climbed back into the blanket, sitting obediently.
“Oh, by the way, what’s your name?”
“My dad calls me Lai Fu, others call me Stinky Girl.”
Ning Xin chuckled, “So, what would you like us to call you?”
“Call…”
She looked up at the circular ceiling light, her eyes brightening.
“Call me Yue Yue, okay? I really like the moon, I always look at it before bed every night.”
“Alright, Yue Yue it is. You sit here, I’ll go cook.”
Ning Xin felt as if she had returned to the final days at the orphanage. She was the older child, helping the staff take care of the younger ones.
Doing laundry, cooking, sweeping, mopping—all of it was done by themselves. They even cleared a piece of land under the guidance of the headmaster and planted a vegetable garden. Eating the vegetables they grew always gave them a sense of accomplishment.
As soon as she left, Yue Yue wanted to jump off the sofa, but felt someone’s gaze on her. She looked up to see Nie Ran standing on the stairs, looking at her coldly.
She tilted her head and smiled innocently, like a little sister seeking comfort from her older brother.
Nie Ran remained unmoved, his gaze sharp as needles.
Yue Yue could only sit back in her place, playing with the chocolate wrappers out of boredom.
With a new injured person in the house today, Ning Xin specially made a pot of fragrant and thick porridge, along with a few stir-fried dishes, making it the most sumptuous meal they’ve had in days.
Lang Xiao, after adapting during this time, could almost eat like a normal person again. He especially loved meat, and his hand reached out for the stir-fried waxed meat in the middle as soon as he saw it.
Ning Xin tapped his hand with a chopstick.
“What’s that? We have guests at home, use chopsticks.”
Lang Xiao pouted, rubbing his hand and sitting on the chair.
Nie Ran also came down, and Ning Xin looked at Yue Yue.
“Where do you want to sit and eat? Can you manage by yourself? I’ll feed you.”
Yue Yue sat up with the support of the sofa. “No need to trouble, sister, I can manage.”
Ning Xin was afraid she might fall, so she hurried over to help her.
“Be careful, if you need any help, just let me know, no need to be polite.”
Yue Yue suddenly stopped moving, tears welling up as she leaned against Ning Xin’s arm.
“Sister, you’re such a good person. How can I ever repay your kindness?”
“Don’t worry about that, just focus on getting better.”
Ning Xin helped her to sit at the table, served her food, picked dishes for her, and even blew on the soup, taking care of her meticulously.
Despite looking pitiful, Yue Yue was quite talkative. With just a few words, she could make Ning Xin burst into laughter, creating a harmonious atmosphere like sisters.
After dinner, Ning Xin helped Yue Yue upstairs, saying she would find her some warm clothes to wear.
Lang Xiao and Nie Ran stayed behind to clean up the dishes, Lang Xiao’s mouth pouting the whole time.
“I don’t like this person.”
Nie said, “Do you know how I felt at the beginning?”
“…”
After washing the dishes and closing the doors and windows, Lang Xiao stayed in the living room to watch TV, while Nie Ran went upstairs.
Just as he reached the second floor, he heard laughter coming from Ning Xin’s room. He stopped at the door, hesitating whether to knock or not.
Before he could decide, the door opened.
Ning Xin came out, holding Yue Yue’s dirty clothes.
“Done washing the dishes? There’s nothing else to do, you should go to bed.”
Nie glanced at the half-open door. “Where is she sleeping tonight?”
“In my room. There are two beds in total. I can’t have a big man like you sleeping with me.”
Nie Ran’s expression soured. “Looks like you really consider her a sister.”
“Is that not good? I’ve always wanted a sister. Oh dear, these clothes are really torn. I’ll go find some needles and thread to mend them.”
While Ning Xin spoke, she discreetly tugged at his sleeve, silently pointing towards the front door.
Nie Ran understood and nodded, heading towards his room.
Ning Xin went downstairs, found some needles and thread, and placed them on the coffee table along with the clothes. She then quietly slipped out the door.
She walked towards a tree behind the back door, and Nie Ran leaped down from the second-floor window, landing as gracefully as a cat.
They stood behind the tree, and just as Ning Xin was about to speak, he glanced at the moonlight above and suddenly grasped her shoulder.
“Late at night, just the two of us, is this your answer?”
His expression was casual, as if he was just chatting, but Ning Xin’s mind was filled with romantic scenes, almost forgetting the purpose of their meeting. She hastily pushed him.
“Don’t be ridiculous, I have something to tell you.”
Nie Ran closed his eyes and leaned down.
She took a deep breath, stood on tiptoe, and impulsively kissed him, then asked irritably, “Is that enough now?”
He didn’t reply, gently capturing her lips and slowly savouring for a few minutes before offering his suggestion.
“Maybe you shouldn’t use so much garlic in your cooking from now on.”
Ning Xin: “…”
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