“Told you not to play with that skateboard all day, now you’ve fallen and ended up in the hospital!”
“Come on, old lady, cut her some slack, sweetie, focus on getting better, you can play with the skateboard once you’re healed!”
“Hey, you old coot, still spoiling her, huh…”
Watching the warm family scene unfold on the next bed, Xu Fei couldn’t help but chuckle softly.
After laughing, Lanhua’s expression seemed to shift, growing heavy as if something had crossed her mind.
“Lanhua, aside from your master, do you not remember any other family?”
Xu Fei, picking up on it, asked gently.
“Yeah… yes, Senior, ever since I can remember, it’s just been Master by my side, as for others, there are one or two blurry fragments, but they flash by so quick, I don’t even know if they’re real or not.”
Hearing this, Xu Fei felt a twinge of surprise, it seemed Lanhua might still have some faint memories of her past.
“Then, Lanhua, can you try to recall those blurry bits, any specific details stand out?”
At Xu Fei’s prompting, Lanhua began to earnestly dredge up those vague, distant scraps in her mind.
“I remember… a big mountain… a village… maybe an elephant… and then…”
At first, Lanhua’s reaction was steady, but soon she started clutching her head in pain.
Xu Fei quickly told her to stop.
“Alright, Lanhua, rest here for now, I…”
Before he could finish, Lanhua cut in.
“Senior, can you not leave? I’ve trained with Master, my body’s fine, look, I’m already better…”
As she spoke, Lanhua tried to get up, as if to prove it to Xu Fei.
“Okay, okay, I get it, I know, how about this, I’ll handle your discharge first?”
“And then?”
“Then I’ll take you home!”
Soon, Xu Fei sorted the discharge papers and brought Lanhua back to his villa.
“Lanhua! Lanhua, you’re okay, Lanhua… that’s great…”
The little girl who’d tipped her off earlier saw Lanhua safe, jumping up in excitement, the two hugging tight.
“Um… Senior, Xiaotong was actually trafficked here as child labor too, can you help find her parents…?”
Lanhua asked tentatively, and lucky for her, Xu Fei wasn’t fazed, patting his chest confidently.
“No problem, leave it to me!”
He then called Bai Zhan, and after the girls said their goodbyes, Bai Zhan sent someone to pick up Xiaotong.
“Why’re you staring at me like that? Got flowers on my face or something?”
Xu Fei plopped down in the living room, Lanhua perched timidly in a corner, his sister Bai Feng back too, lounging elegantly on the sofa, while Lin Qingxue glared at him, cheeks puffed out.
“No explanation planned?”
“I… what’s there to explain? You know the whole story already, come on! Can’t you show a bit of big-sister grace?”
Xu Fei huffed, but Lin Qingxue just snorted and tossed out, “Hmph! Since you put it that way, I’ll let it slide this time!”
Then she dragged Bai Feng off to their room, leaving Xu Fei and Lanhua blinking at each other in the living room.
