He/Heroine And My Villainess

HE/HEROINE AND MY VILLAINESS

(THE CHILD IS FINE PART 2)

The morning came in high speed and everyone in the town are now awake but no one was out to sell their products. It turned out that the snow was so heavy the other night and all their stall got covered with snow as well as some part of the street, making everyone have a hard time to walk in the town in peace. 

The owner of the stall where the young Mary take shelter stride over to his place and found out that there is a child under her stand. He bend down and patted the young child shoulder to wake her up. 

Mary opened her eyes in snail motions, her body felt heavy and unwell, but she still force herself to sat up and look straight at the person who woke her up from her warm slumber. 

Because of the other people's interference with their residence, she hasn't eaten a proper meal and hasn't been able to drink much water. The snowstorm arrived unexpectedly, bringing the cold to her body, which was low on carbs, causing her body to become nutritionally deficient and fatigued.

"Young child, why are you out here sleeping? It's cold you should go back home. Where are your parents, hm?" the elder man ask. His voice was gentle and considerate. The young child stare at her for a second still buffering from her sleep and processing the words that the elder man ask to her.

When she had gathered her sense and self-back to her, she then gathered a words to say back to the elder man in front of her.

"My mother is here with me," she answer. The elder man look at her back and to her side but could not find anyone other than the young child. He give out a warm smile to the child and said. 

"Did you and your mother had a fight?"

"Child, you need to go back home and made yourself warm. Is not good for your health to be out in this cold you're still young," not minding the child answer to him. He touch the child head and caress it, feeling sentimental.

Mary look at the elder man with plain face, then avert her gaze to her stomach. She uncover the cloth that hugged her body and take out the vase that was hiding underneath her shirt. 

"I did not have a fight with my mother. My mother is in here," she said showing the vase to the elder man. The elder observe the vase that the young child was holding, then figured that the vase was for putting an ash of your loved one. 

He gasp and can't help but felt broken, knowing that the child was now homeless. The elder went to touch the young child face and said. 

"Are you hungry?" the young child eyes immediately light up with brightness like sun and nodded in desperate. The elder man could not help but chuckled upon receiving a cute respond to the young child in front of him. 

"Okay, wait for me here. I will be right back," the elder man immediately leave to go back home and take out a food for the young child. 

When he arrived back, he then saw that the child was sitting hugging the vase under the thick black cloth. The elder man approach her then bend down to give five steamed pork bun to the young child. 

"Here, you should eat well and gain warmth in your body," he said. The young child look at the man and saw him with a coil tea pot, two wood cup that are made from bamboo and wood lunch boxed. 

She look inside the wood lunch box, then saw the steamed pork buns. The young child got surprised and can't help but remembered her mother. Her mother always buy her favorite steamed pork buns every time she went back home from the town. 

'This must be the steamed pork buns her mother always buy,' the young Mary thought.

The young child reach her hand to take one warm steamed pork buns into her hands, then bring it to her mouth to eat. The five year old child take a one gentle bite, then out of the blue a saltiness spread in her lips. 

The elder man could not help but be shocked and felt ache inside his heart, upon seeing the child cried as it eat the warm steamed pork bun he give to her. He smiled, patted the young child head, and then said. 

"Eat slowly this are all for you, there's no need to rush," the young child nod and take a big bite as she sobs nonstop. The elder man sat down beside her and put down the teapot in front of them. He then pour himself some warmed tea in his cup and drink it. 

The environment around them is quiet, with only the sound of cold wind from the snow and the stomping feet of people passing through their area.

The elder man wears a thick simple designed cloth, a straw hat, hemp straw slipper, and straw jacket, which provide warmth inside your body and are appropriate for snow weather.

The five year old child continue eating and sipping some tea into her cup in quite. No one talk, until the young child finished eating. Her face was now filled of dried tears but she did not mind.

Burp

The young child suddenly burp loud, making the man flinch in surprised and laugh in delight. 

"Pft! HAHAHAHAHA, good for you. Are you full now?" he ask. The young child immediately nod with flush in her cheeks, feeling embarrassed. The elder man can't help but smile and felt warmed upon seeing the child embarrassed respond. He patted her head again and said. 

"Can I ask you something?" the young Mary stare at the man in front of her for a second then nod. 

"How old are you right now?" 

"I'm still five years old," Mary answer. The elder man nod and smiled at the young child. He then think of another question, to continue their conversation. 

He doesn't have much to do anyway because no one will come and visit their land for the time being because a path through their land is mostly covered in thick snow, implying that no extravagant costumers will visit their town for the time being. So it's fine to take a retired day and relax.

"My name is Yan what's yours?" the elder man ask. His voice was cheerful and filled of warmth. The young child glance at her for a second then look down at the vase, she looks like she was thinking of something. Then look back at Yan with a plain face. 

"My name is Mary," she answer. Yan showed a grateful smiled at her and said. 

"Mary… your name must be very precious let me guest the one who give your name is your mother am I right?" Yan speculate as he touch his chin with his right hand, caressing it as his expression showed of someone who is giving his words a deep thought. 

Mary look at him and shook her head as a no. Yan could not help but be disappointed upon not guessing it right. He look at the young child eyes and can't help but feel embarrassed that he release an awkward laugh. 

"Then can you tell me who give you a birth name?" Yan ask. Mary nod and quickly answer. 

"It was my father," 

"Oh, can I ask about your father?" Yan ask permission before he will deepen his conversation to the young child. But sadly the young Mary shook her head as a no again. 

Because of the other people making her brain busy the other day, she completely forgotten about her father. Her father probably inside the jail right now alone, but she does not care. 

She killed the person that the young Mary only loved into this world, so why should she care to the person who take that warmth away in her life? Even if he is her father the young child still could not help but felt a deep resentment and confusion towards him. 

Yan could not help but saw the young child frown and her eyebrows knitted to each other, like she was angry into something. Yan patted the young child shoulder making her awake from her anger state. Mary glance at Yan and deep sigh. 

"My father is dead," she said, making Yan felt more sentimental and broken over her. He can't help but see a reflection of himself in the young child in front of him. Yan also lost all her parents at the age of five and from then on, Yan then worked harder, earning money for himself, until he reached the age of adolescence and adulthood. He was then able to buy a house for himself and start a small business selling streamed pork buns. But he was unable to start his own family because he does not want to build his own family with no stable financial security.

He does not want his sons and daughter to go through what he has gone through. As a result, he has spent his entire life alone, up until now.

To be continued.