Chapter 6: A Warm Encounter

That person also seemed to think the proposition was somewhat absurd—letting someone both blind and feverish follow them.

But they still said, “Can you walk?”

Su Yutao thought for a moment, then nodded.

Even if she couldn’t, she had to.

That person helped her up, letting her lean against them.

Thin.

But steady.

Their voice whispered by her ear, “Walk slowly. No hurry.”

Su Yutao followed, step by step.

After a few minutes, that person stopped.

“We’re here. Lean against the wall and wait for me. I’ll go in and buy medicine, be right back.”

Su Yutao was guided to the wall and leaned against it.

She heard footsteps enter a door, then voices—that person talking to a shop assistant, asking about fever medicine, whether they had cooling patches, how much it cost.

After a while, footsteps emerged again.

“Got it. Let’s go.”

A hand took her arm again.

Su Yutao followed.

A few steps in, that person suddenly asked, “Are you hungry?”

Su Yutao froze.

She was hungry.

Starving.

But she didn’t know how to answer.

That person didn’t seem to need an answer—Su Yutao’s stomach growled.

Loudly.

That person laughed.

A gentle, warm laugh.

“Looks like you’re hungry. There’s a bun shop up ahead, just opened, steaming hot. How about I take you to get something to eat?”

Su Yutao didn’t move.

She didn’t know if she could trust this person.

Just last night, someone had been killed in front of her.

Today, someone was being kind.

She couldn’t tell which was real.

But this person had just bought her medicine.

They didn’t mind that she was dirty and smelly.

They walked slowly, always waiting for her.

That person spoke again, “Don’t be afraid. I’m not a bad person. I just… seeing you alone here, I couldn’t bear it.”

Su Yutao was silent for a long time.

Then she nodded.

That person laughed.

A light, warm sound.

“Then let’s go.”

They helped Su Yutao forward, step by step.

After a short distance, a wave of hot air hit her.

Steaming, carrying the scent of flour, meat, and the aroma of cooking.

Su Yutao was helped to sit down on something hard—probably a stool, or maybe a step.

The voice said, “Boss, two meat buns. And a bowl of hot soy milk.”

A distant voice replied, “Coming right up!”

Su Yutao sat there, not knowing where to look.

She could only listen.

Listen to the sounds around her—people talking, pots and pans clinking, the puff of a steamer lid opening, steam escaping.

Then a bowl was placed in front of her.

“Drink some hot soy milk first. Warm your stomach.”

Su Yutao reached out to feel for it.

The bowl was gently pushed to her hand.

She picked it up, lowered her head, and took a sip.

Hot.

So hot it numbed her tongue.

But warm.

From her mouth all the way to her stomach, to her bones.

Su Yutao held the bowl of soy milk, and her eyes suddenly stung.

She blinked, but nothing came out.

Yet this body seemed capable of expression after all—her eyes stung, her nose ached, her throat tightened.

That person didn’t say anything.

Just gently patted her back.

Once, twice.

Very light.

Very warm.

When Su Yutao calmed down, that person handed her a bun.

“Eat.”

Su Yutao took a bite.

Meat filling.

Hot.

Greasy.

So fragrant her whole body trembled.

She ate quickly, not caring about the heat or her manners.

That person sat quietly beside her, keeping her company.

When she finished one, they handed her the second.

“Eat slowly. There’s more.”

Su Yutao took it and was about to bite—

That person suddenly asked, “By the way, what’s your name?”

Su Yutao froze.

She opened her mouth, then closed it.

Then she reached out, took that person’s hand, and opened their palm.

In their palm, she wrote character by character.

Slowly.

First stroke—Su.

That person looked at their palm and softly read, “Su?”

Su Yutao nodded, and continued writing.

Yu.

“Yu?”

Then again.

Tao.

“Tao.”

That person connected the three characters, softly saying, “Su—Yu—tao. Su Yutao.”

A moment of silence.

Then a gentle, warm laugh. “It’s beautiful.”

Su Yutao’s hand still rested in that person’s palm, forgotten to pull back.

That person didn’t withdraw either.

They just let it stay.

After a while, that person said, “My name is Lin Qingxue. Qing from clear water, Xue from snowflake.”

Then a voice called out not far away, clear and loud.

“Xiao Xue! Xiao Xue! Hurry up!”

Su Yutao felt the person beside her move.

The voice drew closer, carrying obvious urgency.

“What are you still doing here? I’ve been waiting for you up ahead!”

Footsteps stopped beside them.

Then the new voice said, “Come on, come on, we’re going to be late! First period is Old Wang’s class, you know how strict he is—”

Mid-sentence, the voice suddenly stopped.

Su Yutao felt a gaze fall on her.

The new voice lowered, curious. “Hey, who’s that little beggar next to you?”

Su Yutao’s hand holding the bun stiffened.

“Look at her clothes, all patched up… squatting here eating a bun.”

The new voice paused, then added, “Oh, she’s actually cute. Dirty, but a pretty face. Xiao Xue, being kind again?”

The gentle voice—Lin Qingxue—said softly, “She has a fever. I bought her medicine.”

“Fever? What are you going to do? Take her to the hospital?”

“She doesn’t want to go.”

“Then you can’t just take her home, right? Your place isn’t a shelter.”

A moment of silence.

Lin Qingxue’s voice was still gentle, but with a hint of insistence. “I haven’t decided yet, but she’s really pitiful. I can’t just leave her here.”

The new voice sighed. “Fine, fine, I know you have a good heart. But we really don’t have time. If we don’t go now, we’ll both be late. Let’s go, and you can think on the way, okay?”

Su Yutao felt Lin Qingxue stand up.

That gentle voice said by her ear, “I have to go to school first. You… wait for me here, okay? I’ll be back at noon. Really. Wait for me.”

Then came the rustling sound of rummaging through a bag.

Something was pressed into Su Yutao’s hands.

“This is the medicine. There are instructions, but I don’t know if you can see them… I’ll have my classmate explain how to take it later. I left in such a hurry I forgot to ask.”

The new voice chimed in, “Let me see—fever reducer, one pill each time, twice a day. Got it?”

Su Yutao nodded.

Then the new voice said, “Alright, let’s go, let’s go!”

Footsteps ran off.

After a few steps, the new voice drifted back, “Oh, by the way, my name is Shen Nian! Nian as in ‘miss you’! See you later, little beggar!”

The two sets of footsteps faded away entirely.

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