Era: After foreseeing the future, I changed my fate using spatial abilities.

Chapter 56 Xiaoqiu
In the pitch black, Su Ning couldn't see what was hiding in the shadows. He casually pulled out the bolt from behind the door, held it in his hand, and cautiously took two small steps forward.

"Who's there?"

"Wow woof woof~"

He tightened his grip on the door latch, feeling utterly helpless as the little circle tried its best to call out, and could only choose to ignore it: one call meant good, two calls meant rejection, three calls meant someone was coming, four calls... four calls meant they would have to reach a consensus next time.

Upon closer inspection, I realized it was a child huddled in the corner.

"Come back, Little Circle!"

"Woof~"

When the little circle saw its owner come out, it obediently ran to her, but it still occasionally growled at the corner of the wall.

Tonight, the thick clouds completely obscured the moon, making the child's face blurry; only the eyes staring intently at her could be vaguely seen.

This scene was enough to send chills down one's spine and send a sudden, inexplicable coldness down one's spine.

She's an atheist, but... that doesn't stop her from being scared.

So, Su Ning had no curiosity whatsoever about why such a young child wasn't home and was squatting here; her only thought was to leave as quickly as possible!

"Let's go, little circle, home!"

"Woof~" Seemingly sensing that something was wrong with its owner, the little circle did not object this time.

The man and the dog immediately turned around without the slightest hesitation or pause.

The pitiful child, who was waiting for her to ask a question and had finally managed to gather her emotions and fill her eyes with tears, was completely dumbfounded: This... seems to be something wrong?

People I usually encounter either ignore me or scold me and chase me away. In the end, I just can't bear to ask them anything and so I take pity on them.

I've never seen this kind of reaction before.

Seeing that she was about to close the door, the child, without thinking, quickly got up and walked out of the corner, calling out, "Sister... Sister..."

"boom!"

The only response was the sound of her slamming the door shut.

It was a completely conditioned reflex, an unconscious reaction. Only after closing the door did I belatedly realize that I seemed to have misunderstood something.

No, it's not a baby, it's a real child?
Taking a flashlight from his spatial storage, Suning opened the door again, the light shining on the seemingly stunned child.

Her hair was sparse and tied into two crooked little buns. She was wearing a short-sleeved shirt and shorts made from patchwork of an adult's jacket. Her face, neck, and little hands were all black and dirty.

"elder sister…"

"Why are you squatting in someone else's corner late at night instead of going home? You know you're going to scare people, right?"

"Huh?"

At first, the child was stunned by what she said, but then a flash of inspiration struck her and she realized: So all those who were scolding and yelling at her were scared by her?
No wonder she was ignored at most when she went out during the day, but at night she was mostly scolded, and sometimes she would be beaten as soon as she started to cry. So that's why!

Even knowing this, she could only come out when her mother was asleep.

Her thin, pointed face had quite a few expressions. Su Ning smiled and said, "So, what's the matter that you called me over?"

"Sister...I'm hungry..."

Meeting those eyes, for some reason, she couldn't utter a single word of the words she had so well-practiced. She picked at her fingernails and chose to say the simplest and most honest thing.

She had bad luck last night; the fat uncle she encountered was so fierce that she didn't get anything from him. She's been hungry for two whole days now.

"Sister, could you give me just a little bit..."

"come in."

As Xiao Qiu walked into the courtyard, she was still somewhat dazed and confused.

I don't know why, but this person who had previously left without hesitation, closed the door, and seemed unapproachable and difficult to talk to, suddenly opened the door again and let her into the yard?

When a large bowl full of food was placed in front of her, her nose tingled and tears streamed down her face.

"You see? My sister just had guests over, and this is all the leftovers. Eat up."

"I, I saw it..." and I smelled it too.

It was the aroma of the meat that made me so hungry that I couldn't move and chose this corner to squat in tonight.

Xiao Qiu sniffed, then a bright smile bloomed on her face. "This is very, very good. Thank you, sister! But..."

"Ok?"

"But can I take it home to eat?"

Xiao Qiu picked at her fingernails, staring at the fragrant food on the table, even swallowing hard at the sight of several large pieces of meat. She cautiously looked up at her sister, "Sister, I want to take this home and eat it with my mom, is that okay?"

Ok?
Since there are adults at home, why let such a young girl go out to beg at night? Aren't you afraid that she will be dragged away and sold by bad people?
Sitting down beside her, I could see more clearly by the light from the eaves. The little girl was not only thin and dark-skinned, but also had old and new scars on her exposed body.

Su Ning's expression remained unchanged, but her words were even softer.

"Only your mother? Where is your mother?"

"Ah."

Xiao Qiu nodded vigorously. She had never met her father, nor did she have any grandparents.

However, her mother said that once she recovers, she will take her back to visit her grandparents.

But... when will Mom get better?

Thinking of this, a bright, longing light rose in her eyes, but it quickly dimmed again. "Mom is sick."

"where is your house?"

"At the back end of Nanxi Mountain Street."

Nanxi Mountain Back End Street?

She had indeed heard someone mention this place before, saying that the entire area was a wasteland, with dilapidated buildings that the city didn't know when they would be demolished and rebuilt.

Su Ning tapped the table with her fingertips, got up, went to the kitchen, and took out an oil paper bag from the cupboard.

He covered the bowl completely with an oil paper bag, picked it up, and then looked down at her. "Let's go, I'll take you home."

"Thank you! Thank you, sister!"

Knowing that she had agreed, Xiao Qiu thanked her repeatedly and wanted to hold her hand. But after noticing the stark contrast between their black and white outfits, she silently turned her back and unconsciously rubbed her hands against her clothes.

After locking the gate, holding a bowl in one hand and a flashlight in the other, Su Ning followed the two little ones along the river alley to Houwei Street.

……

Facing Lishui and backed by green mountains, the mountain that embraces the entire Nanmen Street is Nanxi Mountain.

The highest mountain in Nanxi is the highest peak in the ancient city. Its summit is often hidden in the clouds and mist, and the Yunwu tea, which is specially supplied to the market, is produced here.

Houwei Street is very close to the foot of Nanxi Mountain. Most of the houses on the street are missing parts. The lack of a roof and the presence of a plastic shed covered with either a transparent or red and blue checkered shed indicate that people still live inside.

As they passed by, Xiao Qiu briefly told her who she knew who lived there, even though the places were more like shacks than houses.

When they reached a house with a courtyard gate and a half-collapsed structure, she pointed and said with a smile in her eyes, "Sister Ningning, we're here. This is my home!"

"Xiao Qiu?"

"It's me, Brother Gu!"

Hearing the noise, a boy of about half a year came out from the low shack across the street. When he saw that the little girl next door had brought back a stranger, a hint of wariness and defensiveness rose in his eyes. "Come here."

"Ningning, wait for me! I'll be right there!"

Xiao Qiu felt relieved and strode towards the millet after seeing her nod in agreement.

The two whispered to each other for a while before returning to Su Ning's side under the boy's watchful gaze, leading the others to open the door and go home.

There wasn't much in the house, just a four-cornered table and two small stools. The only table was missing a leg and was propped up with a piece of wood.

The room was dark and cramped. The bed, made of planks, was covered with a thick layer of straw and rice straw, and the woman lying on it would cough violently every now and then.

The cough was heart-wrenching, as if it couldn't be held back any longer.

Xiao Qiu skillfully fumbled around and pulled out a chipped white porcelain cup from some corner. She carefully walked up to her and said, "Mom, have some water."

"Cough cough, cough cough~ Qiuqiu is back?"

"You're back, Mom! Drink up, then we can eat!"

Despite being quite ill, Zhang Qin forced herself to open her eyes. Seeing the person standing at the door with a flashlight, she patted her chest to ease the discomfort before asking in a hoarse voice, "Cough cough, who are you?"

"Mom, she's Sister Ningning, the kind sister who brings us dinner!"

Xiao Qiu answered excitedly, "Mom, Ningning also gave us meat, lots of meat!"

"Cough, thank... thank you cough~"

Carefully placing the bowl on the stool, Su Ning softly replied that it was nothing. Touching the surface of the oil paper bag, she breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that the food was still warm.

(End of this chapter)