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

The two were not walking in sync.

The water in the bucket sloshed around, spilling quite a bit and wetting Xu Qing's trouser legs.

In the dead of winter, wet trouser legs clung to the calves, feeling like they were wrapped in a layer of iron.

Xu Qing gritted her teeth and remained silent.

In Jiang Yue's eyes, his strength was only slightly better than nothing.

Most of the weight was actually on Jiang Yue's side.

Jiang Yue glanced at him sideways.

The kid's face turned bright red, and the veins on his forehead bulged out, but he still wouldn't let go.

She didn't complain of being tired.

They just stubbornly held on there.

"Alright, alright, let go."

Jiang Yue couldn't stand it any longer, so she suddenly pulled the bucket towards herself.

Xu Qing's hand slipped, and she almost lost her balance, falling to the ground with a thud.

The bucket hit the ground with a dull thud.

Fortunately, not much water was spilled.

Jiang Yue carried the bucket to the edge of the large vat and poured it in with a splash.

"What a weakling."

Jiang Yue clapped her hands and gave Xu Qing a disdainful look.

"Eat more food from now on. You're so skinny, I'm ashamed to take you out."

Xu Qing sat on the ground, panting.

Looking at Jiang Yue's arrogant demeanor, he surprisingly didn't feel angry.

In a place like an orphanage, if someone dislikes you for being too thin, it means they consider you one of their own.

Only someone who doesn't want you to live would steal your food.

After pouring the water, Jiang Yue left.

She's the leader of the kids here, and she's always very busy.

She's heard that the new guys in the front yard are causing trouble again, so she has to go and keep things quiet.

Before leaving, she pointed to a pile of rotten wood in the corner of the yard.

"Those all need to be chopped up; they'll be used to power the boiler tonight."

"After you finish your work, wait here and don't wander off."

Xu Qing nodded.

Jiang Yue left in a hurry, like a general rushing to war.

Xu Qing was the only one left in the courtyard.

And that pile of rotten wood covered in moss.

Xu Qing picked up the rusty axe next to him.

The axe was heavy.

For a little boy like him, even lifting it up was difficult.

But he didn't slack off.

He raised the axe and clumsily chopped at the wood.

a bit.

Two times.

Wood chips flew everywhere.

Some of it splashed onto his face, leaving a white mark.

He didn't wipe it either.

They just mechanically repeated the actions.

Time passed little by little.

The sun moved from the east to its zenith, then began to slant westward.

At noon, the sound of bells could be heard in the distance.

Dang dang dang.

That's the signal to start dinner.

Excited shouts came from the front yard. Even a bad boy like Erlei ran as fast as he could when he heard it was time to eat.

The footsteps thundered like a herd of wild boars passing by.

Xu Qing stopped what she was doing.

My stomach made a series of gurgling sounds.

It was very loud.

It felt like a hand was squeezing his stomach, and the pain made him break out in a cold sweat.

But he didn't move.

Jiang Yue told him to wait there.

Moreover, he dared not go to that so-called cafeteria.

Everyone who passed by stared at him with the kind of look you'd give an alien.

The fear was even stronger than the hunger.

So he chose not to go.

He thought Jiang Yue would bring him food.

Or someone might remember that there's a newcomer who hasn't eaten yet.

But he was wrong.

In the orphanage, no one remembers a mute person.

The mealtime passed quickly.

The noise subsided.

The courtyard returned to a deathly silence.

Xu Qing raised the axe again.

But he had no strength left.

Her wrists were as flexible as noodles.

The axe struck the wood, leaving not even a mark, but instead causing numbness in the tiger's mouth.

He just kept chopping.

I've been waiting.

I waited from noon until the afternoon.

I waited from afternoon until dusk.

The sun has completely set.

The cold wind started blowing again.

He blew a loud whistle through the pile of chopped firewood.

Xu Qing finally couldn't hold on any longer.

He threw down the axe and slid down the wall to sit down.

My stomach has stopped rumbling.

Instead, there was a persistent, sharp, colicky pain.

The pain made him want to vomit bile.

But there was nothing in his stomach; he couldn't even spit out saliva.

He curled up in a ball, his hands pressed tightly against his stomach.

His forehead rested on his knees.

Cold sweat trickled down my temples, quickly drying in the cold wind, leaving me feeling sticky.

It was getting darker and darker.

That familiar sense of fear began to fester in the darkness once more.

Just when Xu Qing thought she might starve to death here quietly.

A series of hurried footsteps approached.

The footsteps were heavy.

Plop plop.

That was the sound of cloth shoes stepping on hard mud.

"Hello!"

A loud shout exploded overhead.

Xu Qing raised her head with difficulty.

The dim yellow light shining through the distant window illuminated the scene.

He saw Jiang Yue standing in front of him with her hands on her hips.

Jiang Yue looked a bit disheveled.

His hair was a mess, like a bird's nest, his face was covered in clumps of black mud, and his sleeve was torn open.

It seems today's "festival-building" activities are quite intense.

"Are you an idiot?"

Jiang Yue started cursing as soon as she arrived.

She looked down at Xu Qing, who was curled up in a ball, and felt a surge of anger.

"You're really not going to move an inch by waiting here?"

"Are you deaf? Didn't you hear the mealtime bell?"

"I didn't see you all afternoon, I thought you'd been carried off by a weasel!"

Xu Qing didn't say anything.

He was too weak to speak.

He just stared at Jiang Yue, his eyes somewhat unfocused.

Jiang Yue cursed a couple of times, then realized something was wrong.

Why isn't this kid reacting at all?

Even when they don't speak, they'll shrink back and look like a frightened deer.

You look like you're about to die today.

Jiang Yue squatted down.

She reached out and pushed Xu Qing.

"Hey, are you alive?"

Xu Qing was pushed and swayed, falling headfirst onto the pile of firewood.

He loosened his grip on his stomach a little.

Jiang Yue noticed his expression.

Pale white.

His lips had turned purple.

"Oh my god..."

Jiang Yue was startled.

She quickly reached out to touch Xu Qing's forehead.

I was covered in cold sweat.

It's cold.

"What's wrong with you?"

Jiang Yue's voice no longer carried that fierce edge; instead, it carried a hint of panic.

"Where does it hurt?"

"That bastard Erlei came to beat you up again?"

Xu Qing shook his head.

The movement was very slight.

He pointed to his stomach.

He then pointed to his mouth.

Jiang Yue was taken aback.

She stared at Xu Qing for a long time before she realized what was happening.

"Are you... hungry?"

Xu Qing nodded.

Jiang Yue suddenly stood up and spun around twice in anger.

"Why didn't you call out if you were hungry?"

"Don't you have a mouth?"

"Oh no, you really are mute."

"Can't you use gestures?"

"Even if you can't gesture, you still know to grab it from the cafeteria!"

Jiang Yue was so angry she almost laughed.

She had spent so many years in the orphanage, and she had seen people fight tooth and nail over food, and she had seen people hide under the bed for a steamed bun.

I've never seen anyone starve to death without making a sound.

That's so "wooden".

"Do you think your body is too rigid, and you want to starve yourself to death to show who you're trying to impress?"

Jiang Yue pointed at Xu Qing's nose and cursed.

Xu Qing lowered her eyes.

He couldn't explain it either.

What are you trying to explain?

Saying you're afraid of seeing people?

Saying you don't want to trouble others?

Did you say you thought you would come back?

Jiang Yue got tired of scolding.

She sighed as she watched Xu Qing, who looked like she was about to meet her great-grandmother in the cold wind.

"Useless."

"If I left you outside, you'd be eaten by wild dogs in less than three days."

Jiang Yue muttered to herself as she reached into her patched-up trouser pocket.

She searched inside for a long time.

It's like digging out some rare treasure.

At last.

She pulled out a dark, indistinct object.

It's about half the size of a palm.

Irregular shape.

It looks like a stone.

It was a dried sweet potato.

Authentic, traditionally sun-dried sweet potato chips.

This thing is a valuable commodity in the welfare home.

It is more precious than any chocolate currently on the market.

She won this from a bet she made with the kids from the next village last week.

She usually doesn't want to eat.

She would only take it out when she was so hungry at night that she couldn't stand it anymore and her stomach felt like it was on fire.

Hold it in your mouth for a while, waiting for that faint sweetness to seep out, then carefully put it away.

Now, this piece of dried sweet potato, which she cherishes as her lifeblood, lies in her calloused palm.

"Take it."

Jiang Yue shoved the dried sweet potato in front of Xu Qing, her tone curt.

Xu Qing stared at the dark object without moving.

He had never seen this thing before.

Or rather, his brain is currently unable to process any information other than "fire" and "pain".

"Take it! Do you really want me to shove it into your mouth?"

Seeing that he didn't react, Jiang Yue's temper flared up again.

She felt like she was being framed.

After fighting a hard battle outside, he still had to share his treasured rations with a blockhead when he got back.

If Er Lei and his gang saw this, her carefully cultivated "madwoman" persona would surely crumble.

Xu Qing remained in a daze, staring blankly into the void, not even moving her eyelashes.

His consciousness is fading.

Extreme hunger caused his body temperature to drop rapidly, and the scenery in front of him began to sway.

He even had the illusion that his mother was standing outside the firelight, holding a peeled orange and waving at him.

"What a hassle."

Jiang Yue cursed under her breath.

She crouched down and reached out her hand without saying a word.

Her fingers were a little rough and smelled of dirt as she pinched Xu Qing's chin.

Open your mouth.

Xu Qing instinctively tried to resist, but her chin was held in place by a tremendous force.

Before he could react, Jiang Yue used her other hand to forcefully stuff the hard, whetstone-like dried sweet potato into his mouth.

That was too much force.

The dried sweet potato hit Xu Qing's gums directly.

Xu Qing let out a muffled groan.

Tears welled up in her eyes.

It was physical pain, mixed with long-suppressed grievances, dripping down her thin cheeks.

"Why are you crying?"

Although Jiang Yue's tone was fierce, she loosened her grip slightly.

She patted Xu Qing on the back, the sound of which was like beating a drum.

"Chew it! Swallow it!"

"I risked my life to get this. If you dare spit it out, I'll beat you up!"

Jiang Yue raised her fist and waved it in front of him.

Xu Qing's mouth was stuffed full, so he couldn't speak at all.

The dried sweet potato was too hard.

He felt like he was gnawing on a piece of wood.

Saliva is slowly secreted.

The dried sweet potato slices absorbed moisture and began to soften little by little.

A flavor that had been sealed away for a long time suddenly emerged from the depths of his tongue.

It tastes sweet.

Although it had a slightly earthy smell and tasted a bit bitter from the wind, it was definitely sweet.

This taste traveled along his taste buds and directly impacted his cerebral cortex.

Xu Qing was stunned.

He couldn't remember the last time he had eaten something sweet.

It was probably the night before the fire.

Dad brought home a bag of the cheapest loose White Rabbit milk candy.

He listened to his mother tell that old, worn-out story while chewing on a milk candy under the lamplight.

That sweetness overlaps with the sweet potato chips we have now.

That's the taste of being alive.

Xu Qing began to chew with difficulty.

His gums were a little sore from the effort, but he didn't stop.

With each chew, the rich, sweet taste of the sweet potato intensifies.

He felt that the spasms in his stomach seemed to have lessened a little.

A faint warmth was sliding down my throat and slowly spreading throughout my body.

Jiang Yue sat next to him.

Looking at Xu Qing, who was tearfully eating dried sweet potatoes, she suddenly felt the pang of heartache disappear.

"How is it? Sweet, right?"