Chapter Twenty: Erdog

seeing him."That's good." Fu Zimo reached out and pulled her into his arms. "How have you been these past few days outside the mansion""Well, good." There's no place like home.Fu Zi Mo's hand brushed...For unfamiliar environments, the boy did not show any fear at all. Perhaps life had already been miserable enough that nothing could frighten him anymore.

For some reason, Qin Luoyan felt a tightness in her chest. Although the child was covered in mud from head to toe, she still gently lifted her hand and softly embraced him in her arms.

For a fleeting moment, surprise flickered across the boy's cold eyes.

"Brother, I've found you." Qin Luoyan hugged her head, stroking his hair and gently patted his back. "No matter how much hardship you've endured before, it doesn't matter, sister will take care of you from now on."

The boy blankly lifted his head, staring intently at her, as if trying to discern her plot from her face. Then, he pushed her away, as if wanting to get rid of her.

"Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you." Qin Luoyan gently grasped his hand and led him into the station. "Let's go take a bath first, then I'll get you new clothes."

The boy was still full of vigilance. From his face, Qin Luo could see his unquestioning disdain, he didn't even hide his coldness towards her.

There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world. He wouldn't believe that a stranger would be kind to him without a purpose.

The boy wriggled free from her grasp and stared straight at her.

"Sigh..." Qin Luoyan let out a breath, stubbornness welling up as she grasped his hand again, this time with more force.

This time, the boy didn't struggle again. But Qin Luoyan knew that he wasn't struggling because he accepted her kindness, but because he recognized the situation before him. Here, he didn't want to anger anyone and get another beating, so he was being very careful.

The room arranged for Qin Luoyan was in the corner of the inn's backyard. It wasn't large, with two clean beds inside. Between the beds sat a small round table, and next to it was a bathtub filled with hot water. The steam was hazy and warm, radiating throughout the space. Just looking at it on this winter day would make one feel much warmer.

The boy stood at the door, too shy to go in. But a gust of winter wind blew through, making him shiver uncontrollably. He was only wearing a patched-up tunic.

Qin Luoyan forced herself to raise a brilliant smile, pulled him into the house, and then shut the door against the biting wind outside. "Come on, let me wash you up."

The boy stepped back in fright, leaning against the doorframe. He lowered his head and unconsciously poked at his hand. The dried mud crumbled away with a touch, leaving behind dust. His eyes grew even dimmer, and he buried his head lower still.

"It's nothing, it will be clean in a while." Qin Luo'yan pretended not to see the awkward scene, pushed him to the edge of the wooden tub, and reached out to take off his clothes.

"No..." the boy rasped out, clutching at his collar, but his eyes were resolute.

Qin Luoyan saw his earnest expression and couldn't help but smile, "Alright, I won't look. I'll turn away. You listen to me, take your clothes off and get into the bathtub yourself, or else, I'll have to do it myself."

The boy's face flushed red, then he nodded in agreement. But the moment Qin Luoyan turned away, the flush on his face disappeared completely, replaced by his usual cold expression.

Qin Luoyan didn't know that before this, there had been several kind-hearted young ladies who wanted to save him. However, they were just women. In this patriarchal society, they had no status. In the end, when their families and men got angry, they would still be driven out of the house.

Every time he was driven back to the village, his uncle would torture him in even crueler ways. The villagers would say, "Look, this is the mongrel of barbarians! No wealthy family would take him back. They say that barbarian bastards bring misfortune to those families..."

He had heard all sorts of things, and he had seen his share of kind-hearted young ladies who tried too hard to appear good. But this one, how long could she last

Qin Luo'yan heard a sound like water behind her, and after a while she turned around. She saw the boy sitting obediently in the bathtub, and she couldn't help but be overjoyed. She picked up the white cloth next to him and started wiping his body.

But a six-year-old child, his body was almost covered in scars, new and old overlapping each other, Qin Luo Yan couldn't help but think of those social news she had seen before. In the news, many children were beaten to pieces by their stepmothers, some even lost their lives directly.

"Sigh..." Qin Luoyan couldn't help but sigh again, this child was only about as tall as her waist, she really didn't understand how those people could do such a thing.

The little boy's gaze fell on the white cloth in her hand. The moment it touched his body, it was stained with dirt, but she held onto it tightly, showing no sign of disgust whatsoever.

This was something that had never happened to those kind and well-bred young ladies before. Though they wanted to help him, they all just gave him some silver or told their servants to let him live secretly in the mansion. None of them had ever done this, directly embraced him and directly cleaned his body.

"Do you have a name" Qin Luoyan twisted the white cloth and continued to wipe his hair.

The little boy came to his senses, fell silent for a moment, and then uttered two words, "Erdog."

"Uh..." Qin Luoyan was stunned, suddenly hearing these two words. She came back to her senses and wanted to laugh, but the smile stopped abruptly at the corner of her mouth. This child had been hated and abused by everyone since childhood. Even his name was given with such a mocking intention. A lump formed in her heart, and she suddenly lost the feeling of amusement.

She dried the boy's hair and saw that the water in the bucket had gone cold, so she quickly said, "Get up and put on your clothes. It's easy to catch a cold if you soak in cold water for too long. By the way, if you're willing, I can give you a new name. Start a new life with a fresh start"

The boy stared at her in astonishment, he even forgot to be shy when she pulled him up to change his clothes. He just kept looking at her, without saying a word.

Qin Luo'yan quickly took the clothes from the side and helped him change. "This was sent by the stationmaster, he said it was his son's old clothes, you can wear this for now, when my elder sister becomes successful and rich, I will definitely buy you lots and lots of new clothes and many, many toys!"

She laughed, fastening his belt. Her laughter was dazzling, so much so that for a moment the boy stared, unable to look away.

"I need to think of a good name for you," Qin Luoyan pulled him, who was dressed, to the bedside and placed him on the bed. After carefully covering him with a brocade quilt, she sat on the edge of the bed, tilting her head in thought.

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(？: b/23/23838/)go, I saw you in the imperial garden. You even praised my eyes for being very lively, don't you remember"When speaking, Qin Xiner kept blinking frantically, as if trying to make Fu Ziheng remember her...