Song Wei didn’t have much medicine at home, so she decided she’d ask for leave to go to the county town the next day. She’d send a letter to her brother, pick up a few things, and buy some medicine for Hei Dan. But for now, her clothes were way too big for Hei Dan, who looked like he was drowning in them, with the hem nearly reaching his calves.

After a moment’s thought, she took a piece of straw rope and tied it around his waist. “That’s all for now. Next time I go to the county town, I’ll buy some fabric and make you some clothes.”

Hei Dan’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You’re…going to make clothes for me?”

He could hardly believe his ears.

“Yep. Yesterday’s wild boar brought in a fair bit of money, and those walnuts you helped me collect added to it. So, it’s only fair I make you a set of clothes to thank hard-working little Hei Dan.”

Hei Dan immediately shook his head, stammering, “No need! I-I didn’t do much. The walnuts don’t even cost much.”

“If they’re worth something to me, that’s all that matters.” Song Wei would have liked to give him a haircut too, but lacking scissors and time, she simply tied back his overgrown bangs with a piece of string.

With his hair pulled back, Hei Dan’s features came into view—his eyes were large and clear, shining with a striking contrast against his tanned face. Despite his thinness, his features were delicate, hinting at a handsomeness that would emerge with better health.

Song Wei’s thought: “This kid needs to be properly fed and taken care of.”

Since he’d just had a bath, Song Wei didn’t let Hei Dan walk barefoot. She tucked him under her arm and carried him like a sack as she headed toward Li Juan’s room.

But they hadn’t gone far when Gao Le called out to her.

“Comrade Song, just a heads-up—after you and Hei Dan left yesterday, someone came looking for you two. They didn’t seem very friendly, so just be on your guard.”

Both Song Wei and Hei Dan had a good guess about who it might be. After all, she had beaten up Lin’s precious son yesterday, and it was unlikely that the Lin family would let that slide.

Hei Dan’s body instantly tensed, and fear flashed in his eyes. Song Wei nodded her thanks to Gao Le. “Got it, thank you, Comrade Gao.”

She continued toward Li Juan’s room, reassuring Hei Dan along the way, “Don’t worry, they’re no match for me.”

Hei Dan, feeling guilty, looked down. “I’m sorry, Sister Song. I’ve brought you trouble.”

“You’re just a kid—leave the worrying to the grown-ups.”

Once they arrived, they had breakfast with Li Juan: buns and cornmeal rolls paired with mushroom paste. Song Wei herself could polish off seven cornmeal rolls, tossing a few cherry tomatoes into her mouth like fruit.

Li Juan watched her eat with a mixture of shock and awe. Song Wei ate with such enjoyment that Li Juan’s own appetite had improved since they’d started eating together, but no one could keep up with such an appetite.

Li Juan finally sighed, “Song Wei, you have finished your food.”

Song Wei blinked. “Already?”

Hei Dan, sitting quietly with a cornmeal roll in his hands, froze mid-bite and looked up at her with worry, holding the half-eaten roll without taking another bite.

“I will ask for leave from the captain tomorrow to go get some things. My brother sent me a lot. By the way, I will go to the mountain to get some mushrooms this afternoon. Can you help me make some mushroom sauce? I will send it to my brother.”

Li Juan agreed readily, happy to help. Song Wei always gave her a good portion of whatever she brought back, and she still had a big jar of mushroom paste from Song Wei’s last haul.

After breakfast, everyone headed to the fields. Song Wei was paired with Gao Le again, but instead of heading directly to work, she took Hei Dan with her to find the captain first.

On their way, those who recognized Hei Dan stared, clearly surprised.

“Isn’t that Hei Dan with Comrade Song? When did they start sticking together?”

“That shirt he’s wearing—must be hers. He’s usually in rags. He looks like a new kid in that.”

Ignoring the gossiping villagers, Song Wei went straight to the captain. After observing him over the past few days, she found that this captain is relatively fair. Still, she knew that her recent confrontations, and now this incident with the Lin family, might cause trouble. If she wanted to live peacefully in Ping’an Village, she needed to make sure she didn’t alienate the captain. So she was here to give him a heads-up.

“Captain, I need to talk to you about something.”

Seeing her approach, the captain sighed, anticipating trouble. Song Wei looked delicate and frail, but in reality, she had stirred up more than her share of issues since arriving. She might look sickly, but she had a sharp tongue and a knack for framing things in her favor, so no one could fault her.

“What have you done now?” he asked.

With wide, innocent eyes, Song Wei protested, “Captain, how could you say that? I never go looking for trouble.”

The captain sighed, visibly unimpressed.

“And what’s Hei Dan doing here with you?”

“I actually wanted to talk to you about him,” Song Wei replied, holding Hei Dan closer. She explained how she’d found Hei Dan the day before, gathering pig fodder for Lin Youfu, and gently hinted at her conflicts with the Lin family.

The captain’s face darkened immediately. “That Lin family is too much!”

“Exactly!” Song Wei echoed, her tone indignant. “From what I gathered, this isn’t the first time. I’ve seen Hei Dan on the mountain before, carrying a heavy basket and gathering firewood on his own. Captain, he’s only five. Do you think he looks like a five-year-old child?”

Hei Dan, small and undernourished, looked frail enough to be mistaken for a three-year-old.

The captain took a drag of his pipe, frowning deeply. He genuinely felt bad for Hei Dan but replied, “It’s still a family matter, Song Wei. Not something we can intervene in easily.”

After all, Lin’s family, terrible as they were, were Hei Dan’s kin. Family obligations still carried weight here, and taking action could backfire, especially if they tried to take custody of Hei Dan. His family might simply take advantage of whoever took him in, exploiting them in every way.

“Captain,” Song Wei said, lowering her voice, “I heard that Hei Dan’s older brother is a soldier—someone who’s defending our country. If he finds out that while he’s away, his only family member has been abused, what do you think he’ll do? He might hold it against the village or, worse, go straight to the authorities or the Women’s Federation. That wouldn’t reflect well on Ping’an Village.”

The captain’s eyes widened as he processed her words. Song Wei was right: Hei Dan’s brother, Lin Zhen, was known for his fierce temper. Years ago, he’d even chased his uncle’s family with a knife and nearly burned their house down. Now that Hei Dan was his only family, if he returned to find him in this condition, things could get very messy.

The captain took a few more puffs of his pipe, his frown deepening. The more he thought about it, the more troubled he became.