Entertainment: A song that brought his deceased wife back to life.

The sky was just beginning to lighten.

The first ray of sunlight, filtering through the window cracks, brought little warmth; instead, it illuminated the dust particles floating in the air.

Xu Qing woke up.

But he didn't move.

His eyes were fixed on the moldy ceiling above him, where a water stain looked like a menacing monster.

My right hand feels a little numb.

He turned his head and found that his hand was tightly gripping the sleeve of the person next to him.

The cuffs were originally military green, but now they're worn white and covered in dust from yesterday.

These are Jiang Yue's sleeves.

The tomboy who sang an extremely awful tune last night, pulling him back from his nightmare.

Xu Qing stared at the hand, momentarily stunned.

He wanted to let go.

But his fingers were as stiff as rusty hinges, completely unresponsive.

"Um……"

The "pillow" next to it moved.

Jiang Yue turned over.

She was a very restless sleeper; one of her legs went right over Xu Qing's stomach, making a sound like she was about to take off.

"Don't make a sound..."

Jiang Yue muttered something, without even lifting her eyelids, and slapped Xu Qing on the forehead with her backhand.

They probably mistook Xu Qing for an alarm clock or some kind of mosquito that disturbs their sleep.

Xu Qing did not dodge.

He felt that the hand was very rough, and the palm was warm.

The slap wasn't hard.

On the contrary, it made his sense of disorientation from when he first woke up dissipate quite a bit.

Jiang Yue finally woke up.

She sat up abruptly, her short hair a mess, looking around in a daze.

Then she lowered her head.

She saw Xu Qing's hand still gripping her sleeve.

And then there were Xu Qing's eyes, still holding a hint of panic.

"Relax."

Jiang Yue yawned, her voice hoarse as if she had swallowed a handful of sand.

"You've twisted your sister Jiang's sleeve so badly it's deformed."

Xu Qing quickly let go.

He shrank into the corner, like a cat caught doing something wrong.

Jiang Yue ignored his little scheme.

She jumped straight off the bed with a wide, sweeping motion, her cloth shoes creaking on the floor.

"stand up!"

Jiang Yue turned around and yelled.

The voice was full of energy, which startled Xu Qing, who was still huddled under the covers.

Xu Qing quickly got up.

He was still wearing the same clothes as yesterday, wrinkled and covered in mud, with that lingering burnt smell.

"Come with me."

Jiang Yue didn't wait for him and turned to walk out.

Xu Qing quickly followed.

But he has short legs and was injured last night, so he walks with a limp.

Jiang Yue walked very fast, her legs moving like wheels of fire.

After walking a few steps, she felt no movement behind her.

Looking back.

The little mute boy was leaning against the wall, gritting his teeth as he moved backward, his forehead covered in cold sweat.

The two were about ten meters apart.

Jiang Yue frowned.

"What a hassle."

She complained, but her steps slowed down.

He even pretended to squat down to tie the shoelaces that weren't even loose, and deliberately dawdled for a full minute.

Only when Xu Qing moved closer did she stand up, snort, and continue walking.

This time it's much slower.

It's like walking a puppy that has just learned to walk.

The washroom is at the end of the corridor.

It was called a washroom, but it was really just a row of dusty cement pools with several rusty faucets attached to them.

There aren't many people here yet.

Jiang Yue picked up a chipped enamel basin and turned on the tap.

wow-

That was bone-chilling groundwater.

In the dead of winter, the water temperature is probably close to zero degrees Celsius.

Jiang Yue didn't fuss over the details. She filled a basin halfway with water and took out a bar of soap that was as hard as a rock from her pocket.

"come over."

Jiang Yue slammed the basin onto the cement platform.

Xu Qing walked over.

He looked at the basin of water steaming cold and instinctively resisted it.

it's too cold.

His body is so weak right now, it's like a sheet of paper; if you splash water on him, it'll probably freeze.

"What? I have to treat you?"

Jiang Yue raised an eyebrow.

Without wasting words, she got right to it.

He grabbed Xu Qing by the back of the neck and shoved his face into the basin of water.

puff.

Xu Qing felt as if the whole world had turned into ice.

The cold water rushed into his nose and mouth, making every pore on his body scream.

He struggled desperately.

But Jiang Yue's grip was so strong that she held him down and wouldn't let go.

"Wash it clean!"

"Wash that gloomy look off your face!"

Several seconds passed before Jiang Yue finally let go.

Xu Qing suddenly raised her head, panting heavily, water droplets dripping down her face.

cold.

It's so damn cold.

But that dazed feeling he had was gone.

My mind is clearer than ever before.

Jiang Yue held the broken bar of soap in her hand and rubbed it haphazardly on his face a couple of times.

The movements were so rough, it was like brushing shoes.

"Don't move!"

"This is sulfur soap, it's antibacterial."

"Look at your dirty face, anyone who didn't know better would think you crawled out of a coal pile."

Xu Qing dared not move.

I let the pungent smell of sulfur fill my nose.

After washing her face, Jiang Yue threw a towel whose original color was no longer discernible onto his face.

"Wipe it off."

"I'll have to wash like this every morning from now on."

"If you want to survive in this hospital, don't get sick."

Xu Qing took a towel and wiped her face haphazardly.

Although my face was burning with pain and turned bright red from the cold water.

But looking at Jiang Yue's nonchalant face, he suddenly felt less afraid.

This person is fierce.

But he doesn't seem to have any bad intentions.

After washing up, Jiang Yue led him to the backyard.

That's where you hang clothes to dry.

Several wires stretched haphazardly across the room, with all sorts of old clothes hanging from them, fluttering in the wind like flags of all nations.

A few people were squatting in the corner.

It's Er Lei's gang.

Er Lei had a bandage on his face, half of his face was swollen, and he was squatting there smoking.

When Er Lei saw Jiang Yue leading Xu Qing over, his face twitched.

That was hatred.

I'm also afraid.

His butt still hurts from yesterday's beating.

He glared fiercely at Xu Qing, his eyes looking like he wanted to devour him.

Xu Qing instinctively hid behind Jiang Yue.

Jiang Yue stopped in her tracks.

She didn't say anything, but just fiddled with the empty enamel basin in her hand.

Dang dang dang.

The knuckles tapped the bottom of the basin, producing a crisp sound.

She glanced at Er Lei sideways.

His eyes were indifferent.

It's like looking at a pile of dog poop on the side of the road.

Er Lei got annoyed by that look.

He tossed the cigarette butt aside, stomped it out, and slunk away with his two henchmen.

They didn't dare utter a single word.

Jiang Yue scoffed.

"Coward."

She turned to look at Xu Qing, who was hiding behind her.

"See that?"

"Don't hide if you encounter this kind of person in the future."

"The more you try to avoid him, the more aggressive he becomes."

"If you dare to rush up and bite him, he'll be afraid of you."

Xu Qing nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

He's still too scared to bite anyone.

But he remembered Jiang Yue's words.

Jiang Yue led him to a large water vat.

There was a washboard next to the water tank.

Xu Qing was still clutching the wet, blue rag tightly in her arms.

The cloth had been soaked in the urinal and then kept in his arms all night; the smell was absolutely amazing.

It smells sour and stinky.

Jiang Yue pointed to the cloth in his arms.

"Give it to me."

Xu Qing immediately took a step back, covered her chest with her hands, and shook her head desperately.

That was left by his mother.

No one can take it from us.

"Give me!"

Jiang Yue's eyes widened.

"It's all spoiled, can't you smell it?"

"Do you want to suffocate yourself, or do you want to fatten up the lice?"

Xu Qing still refused to give it to him.

That was his fate.

Jiang Yue was at her wit's end.

She sighed, squatted down, and aligned her gaze with Xu Qingping's.

This time her tone wasn't as harsh.

"I won't throw it away."

"I'm just giving you a wash."

"After you've washed it clean, you can hold it again."

"If you don't wash it, this cloth will fall apart in a couple of days, and then you won't even have anything to hold onto."

Xu Qing was stunned.

He looked into Jiang Yue's eyes.

His dirty shadow was reflected in those eyes.

There was no mockery.

There was no disdain.

There was only one kind of seriousness he was unfamiliar with.

Is it rotten?

Xu Qing looked down at the cloth in her arms.

indeed.

It was already a charred fragment, wet and dirty, with the edges starting to crumble.

He hesitated for a moment.

Then slowly, little by little, I loosened my grip.

Jiang Yue grabbed the piece of cloth.

They didn't complain about it being dirty.

Throw it directly into the wooden basin next to it, pour in laundry detergent, and start scrubbing.

She has a lot of strength.

The foam quickly turned black.

Xu Qing squatted to one side, his eyes fixed on the piece of cloth, afraid that Jiang Yue would rub it and ruin it.

Don't worry.

"I do have that skill."

Jiang Yue said as she rubbed.

"This fabric is nice, it's made of polyester."

"After washing it clean, I can sew you a pocket."

"Perfect for putting all the junk you've collected in there."

Xu Qing remained silent.

He just squatted there, watching Jiang Yue's hands, covered in chilblains, flutter in the foam.

Those were not beautiful hands.

His knuckles were thick, and the back of his hands was covered in cuts, some of which were oozing blood.

But those hands were washed very carefully.

They carefully avoided even the charred edge, without rubbing it too hard.

The place in Xu Qing's heart that had been frozen solid.

Suddenly a crack appeared.

A little light shone in.

Very faint.

But it's very warm.

Is this what trust is?

He didn't understand the word.

But he felt that if he were to hand this piece of cloth to this person...

It doesn't seem... that scary.

After washing the cloth, Jiang Yue wrung it dry and hung it on the wire furthest from the vent.

"Let it air out."

"It can be done tonight."

Jiang Yue patted the water off her hands.

"Time to get to work."

"Go fetch water."

The water taps at the welfare home often run out of water, so they have to fill the large vat when there is water.

Jiang Yue picked up a large iron bucket from the ground.

Those were old-fashioned galvanized iron drums, which would weigh about forty pounds when filled with water.

Although Jiang Yue is a tomboy, she is only eleven years old.

This bucket of water was a bit too much for her.

She filled the water container, took a deep breath, gritted her teeth, and lifted it up.

His body swayed slightly.

"It's really heavy."

Jiang Yue muttered something under her breath, and the veins on her neck bulged out.

She had just taken a step.

Suddenly a hand reached out from the side.

Those were Xu Qing's hands.

She was as thin as a hemp stalk, and her wrists still bore the red marks left by the rope from yesterday.

He grabbed the other side of the bucket handle.

Jiang Yue was taken aback.

She looked down at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing was also looking at her.

He doesn't speak.

She simply pursed her lips and used all her strength to lift herself up.

His face instantly turned bright red.

That little bit of effort is actually a drop in the ocean compared to the amount of water in this bucket.

It's even a bit of a nuisance.

Because the two are of different heights, it's actually harder to walk while being carried like this.

"cut."

Jiang Yue pursed her lips.

"Weakling."