The little girl, about eleven or twelve years old, stood there with a hint of shyness, looking somewhat lost and unsure of what to do.
When she noticed the young man in black robes looking at her, her clean and clear eyes held some unease. She tightly hugged the paper bag in her arms, and her head lowered even further.
"Don't be nervous, what's your name?"
Hearing the gentle voice, the little girl gathered a bit of courage and answered softly, "Qing Lin!"
"Alright, Qing Lin, look at him!" Xiao Bai pointed toward the burly man standing there, drenched in cold sweat.
Qing Lin lifted her head and looked in the direction he pointed. Upon seeing the big man, her body trembled, and she quickly lowered her head, not daring to look directly at him.
"Don't look down, lift your head!" The previously gentle voice suddenly became stern.
Qing Lin's heart trembled with fear. Reluctantly, she mustered the courage to raise her head, but as soon as she saw the man, she shut her eyes tightly again.
"Don't close your eyes, keep them open!" The voice was still serious.
Qing Lin was on the verge of tears. She didn't know what the person who saved her was trying to do. Struggling to suppress her fear, she reluctantly opened her eyes a little.
"Do you hate him?" Xiao Bai didn't care how much she opened her eyes, as long as she was looking.
Qing Lin shook her head slightly. She didn't dare to hate him. When her mother was alive, she had taught her to endure in the face of hardship so that she could survive here.
And that's exactly how she had been—letting them hit and curse her.
At first, she used to beg them, but now she didn't want to speak anymore because it seemed like the more she begged, the longer they would hit her.
"Do you want to kill him?"
This time, Xiao Bai's voice was soft, but Qing Lin's heart jolted. Killing someone—she had never thought about it.
Unable to stop herself, she glanced at the burly man. She saw the pleading look in his eyes, a look she was very familiar with, as she had once used the same look to gaze at those who hit her, and the onlookers.
But not one person ever stepped forward. She knew how hopeless that feeling was.
Biting her lip, Qing Lin didn't know what to feel. Did she hate him? Did she empathize with him?
She didn't know. She was only eleven years old, and no one had ever taught her what to do. All her mother taught her was to endure.
"Qing Lin doesn't know, but she doesn't want to kill anyone!"
For the first time in her life, the little girl shouted out her true feelings to someone other than her mother. She didn't know where she found the courage.
After shouting, she felt a little scared and nervously looked toward the young man in black.
"Good! Then we won't kill him!" Xiao Bai smiled and nodded at her.
Whether the man lived or died didn't matter. What was important to him was making this pitiful little girl stop being so fearful and anxious.
"Get lost!"
The burly man felt as if he had been struck in the chest by a heavy blow. He coughed up blood and was sent flying backward.
But he didn't care. Enduring the pain in his chest, he scrambled to his feet, kowtowing, and said, "Thank you, my lord! Thank you, my lord!" Then he stumbled away.
Xiao Bai looked around before walking toward the nearby stone steps, not minding the yellow sand on them, and sat down.
He waved at Qing Lin, motioning for her to come sit beside him.
Seeing this, Qing Lin understood that this young man in black was asking her to come over. After thinking for a moment, she realized that this was the first person in her life who had helped her when she was being beaten. Her fear gradually diminished, and she walked up to him.
"Come sit next to me. Why are you just standing there?"
Qing Lin had no choice but to sit on the stone step beside him. Xiao Bai turned to look at the little girl, whose clothes were a bit simple, her green dress patched up in several places, but the stitches were neat, showing that whoever had done the mending had put effort into it.
"What are you holding in your hands? You're still holding onto it even after being beaten?" Xiao Bai, noticing that she was still tightly clutching the paper bag, asked with some curiosity.
"Buns..." Qing Lin lowered her head and answered softly.
Xiao Bai looked at the sand and dust on the bag. Despite that, the little girl still held onto it tightly, showing how important the buns inside were to her.
He couldn't help but sigh in his heart. This girl was a hybrid of the Snake People and humans. Normally, Snake People and humans couldn't produce offspring, but there was a small chance of conceiving a child. Such children usually didn't survive past the age of two, but Qing Lin was an exception.
She was now eleven years old, which made her seen as a cursed and ominous being. Additionally, since the Snake People and humans were sworn enemies in this border region, Qing Lin bore the brunt of discrimination and hatred from both sides. In truth, she was just an innocent little girl.
"Can you treat me to a bun?" Xiao Bai asked with a smile.
When she didn't respond, he teased, "What? Are you reluctant to share?"
Hearing this, Qing Lin grew anxious, afraid he might misunderstand. She quickly shook her head timidly and said, "They're dirty..."
"It's okay. It doesn't matter if the outside is dirty, as long as the inside is clean," Xiao Bai replied meaningfully.
Qing Lin was a little confused, as if she understood but didn't quite get it. Still, seeing his insistence, she carefully opened the paper bag, picked out the cleanest-looking bun from the three, and handed it to him shyly.
She had no money left, otherwise, she would have bought fresh buns for this kind young man who had shown her kindness.
After handing the bun to Xiao Bai, Qing Lin noticed Hai Bo Dong nearby. She thought for a moment and then picked the one with the least dust from the remaining two and shyly handed it to him.
"Grandpa, do you want one?"
Hai Bo Dong looked at the girl, her face a mix of hope and timidity, and felt a bit helpless. He didn't know what Xiao Bai was up to and couldn't help but glance at him.
Xiao Bai seemed to ignore him, focused on cleaning the dust off the baozi, and silently thought to himself, A kind gesture has been handed to you. Let's see if you, old man, can accept it or not!
In the end, Hai Bo Dong took the bun from Qing Lin and sat down on the steps as well.
If it were just an ordinary little girl, he wouldn't have bothered accepting the bun. But since Xiao Bai clearly treated this little girl differently, he had no choice but to follow his lead.
The three of them sat on the stone steps by the side of the road, not caring about the looks of the people passing by, and started eating.
Xiao Bai and Hai Bo Dong paid no attention to the onlookers, while Qing Lin kept her head down, avoiding their eyes.
Today, she was happy. For the first time since her mother passed away, someone was willing to eat with her without disdain. Even though the buns were covered in sand, she felt they tasted especially good today.
Even though the two men had eaten her food for the next two days and she would go hungry for the next two days, she didn't mind.
Xiao Bai could sense that the girl beside him was livelier than before, and a faint smile appeared in his eyes.
"Let's go. You treated me to a bun, so I'll treat you to a meal. How about that?" Xiao Bai said to the little girl with a smile.
Qing Lin shook her head. She could sense that this young man was a good person, the kindest she had ever met. But she couldn't accept his offer.
Her buns were precious to her, but to this young man, they were something he wouldn't even glance at on a normal day. The fact that he wasn't disgusted by them was already more than enough for her. She didn't dare to ask for more.