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Ah Da and Xin’er left the county town.
As they walked, Xin’er looked around curiously. When she got hungry, she’d eat something—this was her first time leaving this place.
Along the way, she heard scattered groups of people talking about the capital city, saying how big and prosperous it was. Xin’er was intrigued and decided to head toward the capital as well, trailing behind those who were going in that direction.
There were some shady-looking people on the road, but when they saw the wolf walking beside Xin’er, they only dared to follow from a distance. They thought, If there’s a chance, we’ll snatch that girl. Look at her, holding buns—she must have a lot of tasty things.
As noon approached and the heat intensified, people along the road began to sit down and rest. Xin’er found a spot under a tree and sat down too.
Among the dozen or so people she’d been following, a woman said,
“Did you notice that girl who’s been tagging along? She has a wolf with her.”
“Let’s leave her alone for now and see what she’s up to.”
At that moment, the woman’s son spoke up,
“Ma, what are you afraid of? Just look at her—she’s obviously on her own, without any family.”
The group sat in a circle, discussing something, occasionally sneaking glances at Xin’er.
Watching her eat a meat bun made their mouths water with hunger. Some even had to swallow hard to keep from drooling—especially the kids, who cried wanting to eat buns too.
But when they saw the wolf curled up beside her, no one dared to make a move.
Once Xin’er had eaten her fill, she lay down and used Ah Da’s belly as a pillow for a nap.
Passersby looked on curiously. Some even tried to sneak over and rummage through her bundle for food.
But just as one of them reached out, Ah Da opened his eyes.
His blood-red gaze sent chills down the man’s spine. He recoiled instantly and bolted.
Ah Da, seeing the man flee, didn’t bother chasing him and laid his head back down to sleep.
Because of the noon heat, everyone stayed put after lunch.
When Xin’er woke up, it was already past two in the afternoon. Ah Da had been awake for a while but didn’t want to disturb her, so he simply lay there, watching people pack up.
Xin’er didn’t have much to pack. Her bundle was mostly a cover—to not attract suspicion. Inside were just some clothes. All her food and real supplies were in her space.
She used her bundle as cover to take out two apples from her storage.
She gave one to Ah Da, and the two of them sat munching noisily, watching the others.
Ah Da lay there with his front legs neatly together, the apple placed on top. He crunched bite by bite just like Xin’er.
The sound of their crunching drew the attention of the group. They turned to look at Xin’er, watching her eat the apple. Some even swallowed audibly, and a few kids started drooling.
A little boy, about four or five years old, stared at Xin’er’s apple and ran to his mother.
“Mom! I want an apple too! Go take hers and give it to me!”
“She’s just a useless girl! Why should she get to eat apples? Go take it!”
The grandmother, seeing her precious grandson crying, quickly rushed over.
“What’s wrong, my dear grandson?”
When she saw Xin’er eating an apple, she gulped and stepped forward a few paces.
But when she saw the wolf, she didn’t dare get too close. So she called out loudly,
“Little girl, why don’t you give grandma one of your apples?”
“Look at me, I’m old. Show me a little pity. If you have extra, give me one more. My grandson is hungry too.”
Xin’er took a big bite of her apple and muttered,
Don’t try to get close to me—I don’t have a grandma.
Why should I give you apples? These are mine. Shameless.
Seeing her apple almost finished, the little boy grew impatient. He stormed over and shouted,
“Stinky brat! Give me your apple, or I’ll have my dad beat you up!”
The old lady realized that being nice wasn’t working and switched to threats.
“Little girl, don’t be ungrateful. If you give us the apples, we’ll let you travel with us.”
The woman from earlier, noticing Xin’er’s bundle, her eyes gleamed and she strolled over with a warm smile.
“Little girl, let me introduce myself. My husband’s family name is Wang—you can call me Auntie Wang. These are all my family members.”
Wang Shi walked over to her son and whispered,
“Listen, son. Be good. I’ll sweet-talk this little girl, and when the time comes, everything she has will be yours.”
Her son’s eyes lit up. He stopped talking and just stared at Xin’er’s bundle.