Let Me Tell You a Secret

"What if... she's already dead...?" Zhang Zhaocai suddenly turned pale, his lips trembling, tears streaming down his face. His eyes glazed over as he shook his head desperately, "No, my mother must still be alive. She can't be dead! That night before bed, she said she'd dig up some sweet potatoes from the field to roast for me. But the next morning, she was gone. She said she'd roast sweet potatoes for me, so she definitely will come back! My mother isn't dead, she can't be. Maybe bandits took her somewhere, and I'll rescue her! Boo hoo hoo..."

Zhang Zhaocai spoke while crouching down, hugging his knees and crying bitterly.

Lingdang, encountering such a situation for the first time, felt a bit at a loss. She sighed and crouched down, patting Zhang Zhaocai's back gently: "If you find your mother, what would you want to say to her?"

"I..." Zhang Zhaocai looked up in a daze, his face streaked with tears, resembling a blotchy cat face, which looked somewhat comical. He thought seriously for a moment and murmured, "I want to tell my mother that I miss her, and I'm sorry. I was immature before, always siding with my father to bully her. When she comes back, I won't bully her anymore. If my father hits her, I'll protect her... As long as she comes home, I'll be a good son, work hard, and take care of her... I also want her not to quarrel with the villagers or take advantage of them anymore, and get along well with everyone... Sister Lingdang, I miss my mother so much, really miss her. Do you think she misses me? She misses me, so why doesn't she come home...?"

The more Zhang Zhaocai spoke, the sadder he became. All the grievances and mistreatment he had suffered these days poured out as longing for his mother in front of Lingdang.

Listening to Zhang Zhaocai's words, Lingdang felt very uncomfortable inside. But some things were already set in stone and could not be changed. And Zhang Zhaocai would never know the truth behind Mrs. Tang's disappearance in his lifetime.

"Alright, stop crying. Maybe your mother will come back one day." Lingdang sighed. She really wasn't good at comforting children, so she broke her rule and lied this time to soothe the poor kid.

"Really!? My mother will really come back!?" Zhang Zhaocai's eyes instantly brightened, full of hope.

"Maybe!" Lingdang clapped her hands and stood up. "I'll tell you a secret, but don't tell anyone else."

"What secret?" Zhang Zhaocai looked up at Lingdang.

"My master and the others like to eat fresh ingredients, so any ingredients left unused after a day get thrown away. They toss them into the ditch behind our house. Although these ingredients aren't very fresh, they aren't spoiled either and can still be eaten. In the past, most of it was eaten by wild animals from the nearby mountains. But if you don't eat it at home, I can save those leftovers for you." Lingdang walked a few steps nearby and pointed to a bush, "From now on, I'll put the extra food in a jar and hide it in this bush. You can come and eat it whenever you want."

Zhang Zhaocai listened, hardly believing it: "Can I really eat that?"

Lingdang nodded: "If no one eats it, it just gets thrown out anyway and eaten by wild animals. Since you don't eat much at home, you can have it. It's better than wasting it."

Zhang Zhaocai's eyes reddened again. Feeling awkward and at a loss for words, it was embarrassing to receive "handouts" from a girl he liked, but he really had no choice. At home, he barely got anything to eat, and if it continued, he'd starve. So he put aside pride and focused on survival.

"Sigh, no need to thank me..." Lingdang shook her head and turned towards the banquet area.

Zhang Zhaocai, oh Zhang Zhaocai, the matter of your mother passed through my hands. Though I wasn't forced to do it, if you lost your mother, then I'll make sure you have food in place of her."