The young maid couldn’t help but stole a glance every now and then at the two children following closely behind her hand-in-hand. Though, it was mainly her young miss who appeared to be dragging the taller boy along with an unmistakable streak of bullheadedness. It was evident that the young miss had been travelling with this boy for a long while, if not all this while, and she had even picked up some lowly habits from the streets. Though, the maid did not dare to ask and could only keep all her curiosity to herself. Her young miss was only a child no more than five, but it was still not her place to act out in any way that would appear even remotely disrespectful, especially as a simple third rank maid in the Lin Household.

Talu followed along awkwardly. He did not expect that Yun’er still had a family to go back to and was starting to feel out of place. Soon, he would be all alone again, wandering aimlessly through life until the day when he shall drown far beneath the earth just like all his loved ones before him. He snapped out of his thoughts when he felt a pull from her again.

“Talu gege, don’t even think about it,” her threatening face looked more like a pout. Then, she called to the maid leading ahead, “Ruyi jiejie.” (Note 1)

“Yes, my lady?” the maid answered, her heart skipped a beat. She still could not believe that her young miss would call her jiejie – such an honour and also burden to be addressed in such a high respect!

“How are my mother and father?” She held back the tears at the thought of her parents. It had been so long since she saw her parents. Have they forgotten their little Yun’er already?

Talu noticed the change in her expression and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

She patted her eyes dry with palm of her hand.

“They are well, just been worried about you, my lady,” the maid, Ruyi replied dutifully before continuing, “they will definitely be happy to see you again.”

Soon, they reached an inn. It just passed the dinner rush and so, there were not many tables occupied in the restaurant area. Ruyi led them up the long staircase off to the side from the dining area. Passing by many doors, she finally stopped at the end of the hallway and knocked carefully on the wooden door.

When the door opened, a much older woman’s face suddenly lit up when she saw the young girl behind the maid. “My Lady!” she cried joyfully. She turned around and announced to the sickly but elegant woman sitting by the table, “Madame, our lady is back!”

“Yun’er?” The sickly woman’s eyes finally sparked a hint of life at the news.

Couldn’t wait to see her mother again, Yun’er finally let go of Talu’s hand, ran to her mother’s side and gave the woman a big hug.

Talu bit down his lips and smiled, truly happy that she was finally reunited with her mother. However, a small tug of sadness was beginning to set in. He could only blame himself for getting too used to another person’s company so quickly.

Then, unexpectedly, she returned to pull him along through the door. “Mother,” she started, “Talu gege was the one who saved me.” She held his hand as tight as she could, as if scared that he would run away the moment she let go.

Yun’er’s mother smiled gently at the boy, “thank you for bringing Yun’er back to me.”

“Mother, can Talu gege stay with us?” she pleaded, wasting not a moment.

This time, the woman, puzzled at her daughter’s words, studied the boy more carefully this time. She realized that he must be an orphan from the way he dressed.

Embarrassed, he shook his head, “Madame, that is not necessary—”

“Of course,” she smiled even more warmly at him this time and took his dirty hand into her bigger but frail looking ones in a comforting manner.

She did not revolt from the way he looked and her words were filled with sincerity. In some ways, she was even reminding him of his own mother, the similar kind of gentle comforting aura about them. Though, his mother was a feisty woman, different from this frail-looking lady. He felt a pull at his throat and his face was burning up from a complex mix of emotions – shame, relieved, and gratefulness. He was feeling like a child that he was supposed to be again. He would have hugged the woman just like Yun’er had if he didn’t realize that would have been inappropriate.

“My dear, what –” a man walked in and paused in mid-sentence when he saw his dearest little girl by his wife’s side.

“Father!” Yun’er ran up to the man and hugged him, temporarily forgetting all the scrupulous formalities.

Talu’s body stiffened when he saw the man at the door. Almost immediately, he felt his hands going cold – no, frozen.

“Oh? Who is this young lad?” the man carried Yun’er in his arms and asked his wife.

A breath in caught Talu’s throat even though, rationally speaking, he should be relieved that this man did not recognize him or perhaps even saw him on that horrific night.  

The women, children, and the elderly screamed, cried and pleaded. However, the stabbing and raiding did not stop. The man in fiery red robe, a symbolic family colour, stood, now alone, in the center swinging his sword and throwing slashes at his enemies, fending them off from getting any closer to his family. However, at long last, his body started to fail him when he took in a dozen arrows and stabs. Though, it was difficult to tell if he was bleeding due to the colour of his robe.

Talu attempted to run toward his father but was held back by his mother.

She forced him to turn around and held his face in her shaking hands. “Stop!” she commanded him, “son, stay alive and avenge us!”

“No…” he shook his head.

She slapped him and shouted, “leave now!”

A loyal servant pulled him away from his mother.

His mother smiled at him one last time, trying her best to hold back the tears. After one last look, she picked up her sword from the ground and charged at the man who gave her husband that last vital stab through his heart region.

Talu could not forget blood spat coldly on that man’s face when he had quickly turned and pushed his sword ruthlessly through his mother’s head.

That man’s face was now cleaned, but still stained with bloody sins.

Note 1: Jiejie or Jie means older sister. It is a way to address either one’s older, or can also be used to address someone casually in the similar age group who is older.