Pushing the door open, she saw a little girl sitting in front of the bed inside. Hearing the sound of Meng Ruyi pushing the door, a look of panic flashed across the girl's face for a split second, but the moment she saw Meng Ruyi's face, she suddenly relaxed.
"Did you come to find me?" Meng Ruyi asked in a gentle tone. She walked slowly towards the girl, pulled over a chair beside her, and sat down opposite her.
Sigh.
Looking at the girl's face, Meng Ruyi let out a heavy sigh in her heart and felt a surge of pity.
The girl was thin and small. Her timid look at Meng Ruyi was like that of a frightened little animal. There were several bruises visible on the parts of her neck and wrists that were exposed.
"Ms... Ms. Meng," the girl's eyes were no longer as numb as when Meng Ruyi first saw her, but there was still some timidity and hesitation in them. "Mr. Tang told me your name. Can I call you Sister Meng?"
"Sure," Meng Ruyi replied softly, then continued, "And what's your name?"
"Sister Meng, my name is Wang Xiaoru," Wang Xiaoru said to Meng Ruyi. Her voice was a bit louder than before.
"Xiaoru," Meng Ruyi said, pausing for a moment before continuing, "Let the past go. Would you like to work in the Tang family? It's in the mansion next door. The work is not too hard on a daily basis."
Wang Xiaoru knew that although Meng Ruyi said it was a job, in fact, it was a place for her to stay, a place to shelter from the wind and rain and have enough to eat and wear. For an orphan like her, this was already a very rare thing.
The Meng Ruyi in front of her looked gentle. The look in her eyes when she saw Wang Xiaoru was full of pity. There was no trace of the arrogance of a wealthy young lady. Instead, she was like a kind big sister.
Wang Xiaoru felt a lump in her throat, but she didn't answer. After a moment of calm, she hesitantly looked up and said, "Sister Meng, I'm just an orphan now. I would be grateful just to have something to eat."
"Can I just stay by your side?" Wang Xiaoru looked at Meng Ruyi with a determined look in her eyes. "I'm already eleven years old. I can do anything. As long as you ask me to do it, I will never back down."
Meng Ruyi was startled.
Eleven years old! She was so thin and small that she looked like an eight - or nine - year - old child. She was already eleven?
But the journey to the capital was full of dangers. Taking this child with her didn't seem like a good idea.
"Sorry," Meng Ruyi said.
As soon as Meng Ruyi said this, the light in Wang Xiaoru's eyes faded away bit by bit. Her expression was a bit forced. "Ms. Meng, there's no need to say such things. You saved my life. I just hope that you will have a smooth journey in the future. Then I will be at ease."
"I'm going to the capital on important business. It's dangerous, and it's really not appropriate to take you with me," Meng Ruyi said.
Looking at how sensible Wang Xiaoru was, Meng Ruyi sighed deeply in her heart and continued, "But if I finish my business, I will pass by here again on my way home. If you still want to, how about coming home with me then?"
Wang Xiaoru was stunned for a moment. Then she realized what Meng Ruyi meant. Her eyes suddenly filled with tears. She looked up at Meng Ruyi and said with a sob, "Yes... yes! As long as you're willing to take me, I certainly won't refuse."
As Wang Xiaoru said this, she wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with her sleeve. Looking up, she saw Meng Ruyi holding out a handkerchief to her with a gentle look on her face.
"Thank you, Ms. Meng," Wang Xiaoru took the handkerchief from Meng Ruyi. She was reluctant to use it. She just quickly wiped her face and then quickly put the handkerchief away.
"I'll wait for you here, Ms. Meng," Wang Xiaoru said. "Don't worry. I will surely live well."
Meng Ruyi nodded and reached out to touch her head.
...
The next few days were smooth. Nothing out of the ordinary happened. Even Song Huaizhi, who was usually extremely busy, had some free time and accompanied Meng Ruyi around the small town.
After two days of wandering around, they packed their things and set off on their journey again.
"How much longer until we get there?"
Sitting in the carriage, Meng Ruyi was jolted so much that her scalp went numb and her buttocks felt numb too. A look of discomfort appeared on her face.
"Not long," Song Huaizhi was riding a horse beside the carriage. Hearing Meng Ruyi's question, he continued, "It should be about three more days. We'll stop and rest for a while later."
Meng Ruyi sighed and said, "Okay."
It was so painful. Being cooped up in the carriage all day, Meng Ruyi's scalp would go numb just at the sight of the carriage.
The capital was just ahead. Meng Ruyi stared blankly at her hands and then shifted her gaze to the bullet comments.
[We're almost there. Finally, it's time to change the map! Will Yu Yu confront the female lead?]
[Finally, we're almost in the capital. I can't wait to see Yu Yu dominate!]
[Hehe, I want to see Yu Yu surrounded by a bunch of handsome men, and then Xiao Song gets jealous.]
[Yeah! Yu Yu should go to the academy first, right? Mr. Lin's academy. There are quite a few handsome men there, and many of them have good family backgrounds. I've already...]
Meng Ruyi: "..."
Help! What on earth are these people on the bullet comments thinking all day long? Is she the kind of person who is fickle - minded?
Meng Ruyi felt suffocated and looked away.
One more day passed. As the sun was setting, they stopped at a small inn.
"Not long now," Song Huaizhi dismounted his horse in front of Meng Ruyi. The golden afterglow cast a faint golden glow around him, making him look even more handsome and otherworldly. "We'll be there tomorrow. Then we'll go to the academy first and then take you around the capital."
Meng Ruyi loved excitement. She had been suffocated on the road these days. Hearing this, she naturally nodded like a chicken pecking rice, which made Song Huaizhi show a hint of a smile in his eyes.
Tang Xiyi, who was passing by, heard this and his steps paused slightly. He turned around and said to the two of them, "If Ms. Meng wants to go around the capital, it's best to take the token I gave you a few days ago. The Tang family has many shops. If you take this token, you can get a discount when buying things."
Meng Ruyi was tempted when she heard this. She said to Tang Xiyi, "Thank you, Mr. Tang."
Tang Xiyi nodded slightly at Meng Ruyi and then turned around and left.
Seeing the natural conversation between the two of them, Song Huaizhi's eyes darkened. He casually led his horse and walked beside Meng Ruyi, saying, "Are you very familiar with him?"
"Not really," Meng Ruyi said. Then she remembered that she had forgotten to tell Song Huaizhi about the incident when Tang Xiyi had tested her a few days ago. So she leaned closer and whispered a few words to explain.
After hearing this, Song Huaizhi's expression was calm. He said seriously to Meng Ruyi, "It seems that Tang Xiyi has a deep mind. Yu Yu, you'd better be careful and don't have too much contact with him."
Meng Ruyi nodded. For some reason, the bullet comments suddenly became excited.
[Hahaha, Xiao Song is jealous online!]
[Xiao Song looks calm on the surface, but in fact, his hand is clenched into a fist, right?]
Meng Ruyi looked down slightly and saw that the hand of Song Huaizhi that was close to her was indeed clenched into a fist.
Meng Ruyi: ???
It should be a coincidence, right?