Chapter 3 — An Y

5On a rainy summer night, the sound of rain falling from the eaves hit the gardenia flowers, turning into the first dew drops of the morning. An Ninh, with eyes as big and round as grape seeds, stared intently at the little sparrow pecking on the windowsill, curiously reaching out her hand to try to catch it. But she missed. Looking at her empty little hands, I burst out laughing. I reached out, plucked a fresh gardenia flower from the door frame, gently waved it, the water drops falling on the table like rain. I placed the flower on An Ninh's newly braided bun. Looking into the bronze mirror, her eyes suddenly lit up, her face beamed with joy. Next to her, Ms. Cui had finished cleaning the restaurant. "Cau Ms. Cui, give me a large bowl of wontons and a small bowl." "Okay, come here now!" Two bowls of hot wontons were placed on the table, green green onions floating on the surface of the water, the aroma following the suffocating smoke. A piece of wonton and a spoonful of broth, absolutely delicious. "Delicious! So delicious!" As soon as An Ninh tasted a piece, she clapped her hands, her eyes lit up, and immediately concluded. Judge Cui laughed loudly: "This girl's mouth is so sweet!" "Sister An Y, sister An Y, who is she?" Judge Thoi's little son, Tieu Ha, ran to sit down next to us and asked curiously. "This is sister An Y's sister, An Ninh." "Sister An Y, do you still have a sister?" Tieu Ha was surprised and was about to ask more, but was pulled away by her big brother, Cui Giang. Cui Giang turned to look at me, his white face was a bit embarrassed: "That kid is really rude, let's see how I handle him." I smiled gently: "It's okay, Tieu Ha is very active." After eating the wonton, I tried to pay but Ms. Cui kept refusing, so I had to accept not paying. Pulling An Ninh's hand, I put the basket on my back and carried her. Cui Giang suddenly called after him: "Wait." Cui Giang quickly ran back, gave the candy to An Ninh, smiled shyly: "Give it to my little sister An Ninh." An Ninh looked at me, after I nodded, she smiled and took it and said sweetly: "Thank you brother." "Where are you and she going?" "I'm going out of the city, to the mountain to pick apricots." "Let me go with you." "Don't you have to go to work today?" I teased. "This..." Cui Giang was confused. "Okay, let's go." I smiled lightly. "Then everyone be careful!" Cui Giang waved from afar.6When we arrived at Thanh Son Mountain, the sun was already high. Right in the season of green apricots, many people come to pick apricots, scattered everywhere. When An Ninh saw this scene for the first time, he was so happy that his arms and legs danced non-stop. The sad feelings from last night were now forgotten by her, and only bright green apricots remained in her eyes. I laughed, lifted her up high so she could pick an apricot herself. She happily kicked her feet when she picked the first fruit. I used my sleeve to wipe the apricot clean, smiled and asked, "Do you want to eat it?" An Ninh loudly replied that she did, then quickly stuffed the apricot into her mouth to see how it tasted. But the next moment, her face wrinkled because of the sour taste, her arms and legs waved about, not knowing what to do. I laughed loudly and quickly told her to spit it out. Sunlight passed through the foliage, creating streaks of light on the ground, and soon the sky turned the bright yellow of sunset. I carried a basket full of green apricots on my back, with one hand leading An Ninh who was skipping down the mountain. An Ninh held a branch of dogtail grass, she didn't know where she picked it from, her hand waved it constantly, looking very happy. "Are you happy today?" I asked her while telling the story at An Ninh's bedside. An Ninh happily nodded: "An Ninh is very happy!" After a long day of fun, An Ninh slept very soundly. After I finished putting her to sleep, I quietly left the room and went to the kitchen to soak the green apricots I had picked

okay today. We wash it, cut it into slices, put it in a jar and start soaking it. My hands were tired and I was about to rest a bit when I suddenly heard the sound of wind chimes coming from Security's room. "Someone must be coming." 7 I quickly pushed the door open and ran to An Ninh. The room door was ajar, a dark shadow stood quietly next to An Ninh's bed. When I approached, the black shadow was about to reach out to touch An Ninh's neck. "Stop!" I shouted in horror. The black shadow stopped for a moment, turned to look at me, half of its face was in darkness, but the other half was illuminated by the moonlight. Only then did I realize that it was Tong Hanh Van. The heart that was hanging in my chest finally fell, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Tong Hanh Van pulled a thin blanket to cover An Ninh, quietly observed her for a while then walked out. "Let's go outside and talk." I looked at An Ninh who was sleeping soundly and spoke softly to him. Tong Hanh Van obediently followed me out onto the field. The left half of his body was hidden in the darkness. He looked thinner than before, his whole body exuding a sharp, cruel look. "Why are you so mysterious, sir, it almost scared me to death." I said, trying to suppress my laughter. He lowered his eyes, his voice hoarse: "Sorry." Immediately after that, he changed his tone and asked: "Did An Ninh cause any trouble for you?" I replied: "An Ninh is very obedient and did not cause trouble for me." Hearing that, Tong Hanh Van seemed relieved and nodded slightly. My heart was full of hesitation, and finally I couldn't help but ask: "Dear Master, where have you been these past few days?" The yard became quiet in an instant, Tong Hanh Van remained silent. As soon as I asked the question, I realized my mistake. He didn't know what method he used to save himself and An Ninh from prison. Surely the price to pay was not small. We probably shouldn't ask about what he did. I clenched my sleeve and quickly corrected myself: "I mean, if the eldest son has no place to stay, he can come to me at any time." After finishing speaking, I only heard the chirping sound of insects. Tong Hanh Van gently moved his hands, remained silent for a long time before answering, his voice hoarse: "Okay." He said with a bit of bitterness and self-mockery: "The Song family was in trouble, the family fortune was destroyed, people were scattered, old friends now stay away from me like snakes and snakes. You are the first person who dares to help me without fear of danger or expecting anything in return. Your kindness to the Song family, Song Hanh Van, I will cherish forever." Take it to heart." I smiled softly: "Your Highness is harsh, the Song family's kindness to me is as deep as the ocean, I simply reciprocate." A few strange bird calls echoed in the yard, Tong Hanh Van frowned: "I have to go." He pulled out a ten tael banknote from his chest and stuffed it into my hand: "From now on I won't be able to visit often, please take this money, take good care of yourself and An Ninh." Before I could react, I saw him about to leave. When he stepped out of the darkness, the moonlight shone on the left side of his face, revealing a bright red scar, still bleeding, stretching from his temple to his chin, looking extremely scary. My eyes widened, my heart was shocked, I blurted out: "Wait!" Tong Hanh Van's steps stopped, I frantically ran into the house, rummaged in the cabinet, took out a bottle of medicinal herbs and put it in his hand. "Dear master, be careful in everything." Tong Hanh Van looked deeply at the bottle of medicine in his hand, carefully put it in his chest: "Okay." In an instant, he turned around, the hem of his shirt fluttered, creating a light hiss in the air. Like that rainy night, Tong Hanh Van quietly left. This time there was no rain to hide his traces, only the lingering scent of incense showed that he had been here.