As Rein hurried to his front door, he saw his thinly clad neighbor, a young girl named Anna, holding a small basket and waiting in the slightly chilly autumn wind.
When she heard footsteps and looked up to see Rein returning, her face lit up with a sweet dimpled smile, and she approached him saying,
“Rein, this is a pie I made from the wild blueberries and hazelnuts you gave me last time. I wanted to give it to you earlier, but Bo He told me you had gone for child servant training and only came back Saturday nights.”
Looking at the small basket the girl handed over, a soft spot in Rein’s heart was touched!
This girl, whose fate was so bleak, always kept gratitude and kindness in her heart.
He had merely let Bo He give her some wild fruits he had found, yet she thought about how to repay him.
It was late autumn now, the evening breeze was cool after dark, and the thinly dressed girl had been waiting for him at the door all this time.
Looking at the neatly arranged five slices of pie in the basket, Rein didn’t even know what to say for a moment.
After a long while, Rein stammered out,
“You’ve given them all to me, what about you?”
“I’ve kept a few slices, which is enough for me!” The girl saw Rein accept the basket, smiled again, and cheerily turned to leave.
Rein stared blankly at the girl, realizing he had even forgotten to say thank you.
When Rein entered the house, Bo He saw the small blue basket in Rein’s hands and gleefully asked, “Brother, is this for me?”
Rein smiled and patted his little sister on the head, “This was made by your Sister Anna.”
“Ah? Sister Anna made it? No wonder she hasn’t been playing with me lately, she said she was helping Aunt Mary.”
“Helping?”
“Yes! Hardly anyone in the town wants to employ Sister Anna, but occasionally Aunt Mary lets Sister Anna help out. Sister Anna is very poor, and making pies requires flour, which is expensive. Sister Anna can only afford to buy flour by helping out.”
Bo He, with her innocent big eyes, looked at Rein and clearly narrated.
Rein looked at the pies in the basket and fell silent!
After dinner with the family, Rein went back to his room early and lay down to rest.
But he tossed and turned, unable to sleep!
Suddenly, Rein thought he heard faint cries and the sound of something heavy falling next door.
“Anna’s house?”
Rein’s pupils dilated, immediately thinking of the recent child disappearance cases in the town?
Could it be that the criminals had targeted Anna?
Suddenly, a rush of blood surged to his head.
At once, Rein jumped out of bed like a carp, looked around, grabbed a carpenter’s hammer from the utility room, and dashed out as nimbly as a cat.
As he approached Anna’s front door, the rustling voices, which had been unclear at first, were now increasingly clear:
“This girl has a fierce temper. After you’re done, boss, let me have a taste! There’s just her in this house, don’t worry, we’re going to have a lovely night, hehe!”
“Damn, it’s been a while since we had someone this tender! This is going to be enjoyable.”
“Not to mention, Scarface, you’ve picked a nice spot! Aside from being a bit skinny, the girl is pretty,” another voice known as the boss spoke up.
“After we’re done, we can even sell her to the Brotherhood of the Wilderness; they’ve recently raised their prices, so we can make good money.”
“Boss, you can count on me! I was pushing a cart all over the south side of Flashgold Town just a couple of days ago.”
“Whimper…” It seemed like the sound of Anna, her mouth covered, crying.
Ordinary people might not hear clearly from this distance, but Rein, whose physical condition had greatly improved recently, heard everything loud and clear.
“Crack!”
“Crash!”
The noise grew louder, and occasionally the sound of ceramic pots falling and shattering could be heard.
“Hiss!”
The sound of linen tearing rang out.
Rein stood at Anna’s doorstep, feeling uneasy. He wanted to rush in to save her, but there were at least two thugs in Anna’s room. If he acted rashly and failed, it could likely cost both him and Anna their lives.
The cold night wind blew, gradually calming Rein down!
Call the Night Watchman now?
It would make too much noise, and there wasn’t enough time!
Besides, if the Night Watchman cornered them, the thugs might even kill Anna outright.
Ask his father for help?
Remembering his father’s aged face and stooped figure, Rein shook his head, erasing the thought from his mind.
Rein looked again at the carpentry hammer in his hand, sharp on one end and round on the other, used by his father to repair old furniture at home. Although it was somewhat old, it was well-preserved.
Rein turned the sharp end upward, hiding the hammer in his somewhat loose sleeve, and stepped forward to knock on the door:
“Knock, knock, knock”
“Anna, are you home?”
The room suddenly went quiet, and very faint voices could be heard. If Rein hadn’t had exceptionally sharp hearing, he wouldn’t have been able to make them out at all.
“Boss, I’ll go check. It sounds like a kid. Should I just grab him?”
“Scarface, get rid of him quickly. We’ve got to enjoy ourselves tonight; don’t make too much noise!”
“Damn, this little girl might look thin, but she’s pretty strong!”
…..
Dull footsteps sounded in the room as if the person inside first peered through the crack of the door to check the outside, confirming that it was just a young kid outside, then “creak,” the door was opened.
What caught Rein’s eye was an unfamiliar face, without any scars, and he didn’t know why the man was nicknamed Scarface.
The curved yellow hair and the man’s large, strong build gave Rein a vague sense of oppression.
The man’s hand was still on the hilt of his sword at his waist, his expression alert.
“Kid, what do you want?” The man’s fierce gaze took a closer look at the small, thin kid in front of him, and after confirming that he posed no threat, he relaxed somewhat and asked.
“You… who are you? I… I’m here to see Anna. Isn’t this Anna’s house?” Rein feigned a cringing demeanor, his expression terrified.
“I’m Anna’s uncle, Anna and her aunt already left Flashgold Town; this house belongs to me now. You don’t need to come here anymore.” Scarface forced a smile, carelessly concocted a lie, akin to a creepy uncle deceiving a child.
“How… How could Anna just leave so suddenly? She didn’t even say goodbye to us.” Rein muttered under his breath, his fists clenched, seemingly unwilling to accept that a budding romance was over before it had even begun.
If it had been another time, Scarface might have teased the kid in front of him, but now, he was too busy with more pressing matters to chat idly with a kid.
“Alright, move along now!”
Digging into his groin, Scarface impatiently waved his hand, signaling for Rein to leave quickly.
“Um… okay, but, Mr. Anna’s uncle, could you please pass a small gift to Anna for me?”
“Hmm? Okay, give it here.” Scarface paused but didn’t think too much and reached out his hand.
All he wanted now was to quickly get rid of this annoying kid.
The small hammer slid from Rein’s sleeve into his palm and was immediately gripped tightly.
Meanwhile, Rein continued to speak calmly, “I’ve prepared for Anna…”
Just as Scarface was about to hear what Rein had prepared, bending slightly forward to take what was in Rein’s hand, he suddenly couldn’t see the kid’s hands clearly—they were a blur.
Suddenly, Scarface felt a pang of fear, his scalp tingling.
A strong gust hit face-on, the pressure blowing Scarface’s curly yellow hair wildly about.
A black spot appeared in Scarface’s vision, and suddenly it enlarged, turning out to be the sharp end of the small hammer.