“That’s not for you to decide.” Zhongli Shi tapped the table. Even the little girl looked up at her. Knowing the girl couldn’t hear, Zhongli Shi didn’t bother lowering her voice as she warned Luo Chaoxue. “Don’t do anything weird. I don’t want to find out my friend has become a kidnapper. Once she’s full, take her to the station.”
She still looked uneasy. “Forget it. I’m not busy anyway; I’ll go with you.”
“Not necessary.” Luo Chaoxue laughed helplessly. “Am I really that unreliable in your eyes? I’ll get her to the station safely and wait with her until her family arrives. Though… if they don’t show up, I wouldn’t mind taking her home with me…”
“Shut up!” Zhongli Shi rolled her eyes. “You’re out of control. Forget it, I’m calling Sister Dali. I can’t handle you on my own.”
“I’m joking…” Luo Chaoxue began.
The little girl tugged on her arm and pointed toward the restroom.
“You need to go?” Luo Chaoxue asked.
The girl nodded.
Luo Chaoxue took her hand. “I’ll go with you.”
The girl shook her head and walked toward the restroom alone. Both Zhongli Shi and Luo Chaoxue watched her go. Zhongli Shi suddenly frowned. “Don’t you think the way she walks is a bit strange?”
“Yeah,” Luo Chaoxue agreed. “I suspect that in addition to being deaf, she might have a leg disability.”
“No.” Zhongli Shi rubbed her chin. “It’s only her right leg that seems to hurt. It doesn’t look like a disability. It looks more like… her bottom hurts.”
Hearing this ridiculous theory, Luo Chaoxue was speechless. “Her bottom? If it hurt that much, could she have sat there for so long?”
“This kid has endurance,” Zhongli Shi noted.
“Zhongli Shi!” Luo Chaoxue used her full name, rubbing her temples. “She’s seven or eight. If she were in pain, she would have cried. She almost cried just because her fork fell. Your theories are baseless.”
Zhongli Shi scoffed. “How do you know she’s eight? Maybe she’s fourteen? Or twenty? Maybe she just looks like a kid.”
“…”
While they bickered, the girl didn’t come out. Worried, Luo Chaoxue went to check on her. There was only one restroom in the shop. She knocked, but there was no answer.
“I’m coming in,” Luo Chaoxue said. When she tried the door, it wouldn’t budge. “Little girl? Is your stomach upset? Do you need more time?”
Still no answer.
Luo Chaoxue knocked again. This time, the door opened. The girl looked at her with wide, round eyes. Her hands were wet and covered in soap suds. She pointed to her hands, indicating she was washing them.
“Oh. Sorry.” Luo Chaoxue used sign language. I thought something happened.
The girl stared at her for a long time before signing back: You know sign language?
A little.
I’m fine. Thank you.
The girl turned back to finish washing her hands, quiet and obedient. Luo Chaoxue waited for her, dried her hands, and led her back to the corner.
But as the girl went to sit down, there was a loud thump. She slipped off the chair and fell. Zhongli Shi, who had been on her phone, jumped in surprise and immediately knelt to rub the girl’s knees, asking if she was hurt.
The girl’s lip trembled as if she wanted to cry, but she held it back.
Zhongli Shi tried to lift the girl’s pant leg to check for injuries, but the girl immediately grabbed her hand to stop her. Both women knelt before her, looking concerned.
Luo Chaoxue signaled: We just want to see if you’re hurt.
The girl’s eyes were full of wariness. Seizing a moment when the girl wasn’t looking, Zhongli Shi managed to pull up the pant leg. There were no bruises on the calf, only a slight redness from the fall.
Zhongli Shi rubbed the spot and let the fabric down. Luo Chaoxue glanced at her; having known Zhongli Shi for years, she knew her friend was trying to confirm her suspicion of abuse.
Zhongli Shi met her gaze, seeing the “you’re being ridiculous” look in Luo Chaoxue’s eyes. Shrugging, she picked the girl up to put her back on the chair. Her elbow accidentally brushed against the girl’s backside, and the child immediately winced in pain.
Without warning, Zhongli Shi reached for the girl’s waistband. Luo Chaoxue moved fast, pinning her hand down. “What are you doing?”
“She definitely has an injury on her bottom,” Zhongli Shi insisted.
“You can’t just strip a child in public!”
The girl, still in Zhongli Shi’s arms, looked back and forth between them before reaching out to Luo Chaoxue. Since she was tall and no longer a light toddler, Zhongli Shi’s arms were already aching, so she gladly handed her over.
Zhongli Shi asked, “Kid, does someone hit you at home?”
The girl lowered her head and remained silent.
Zhongli Shi poked the spot that had hurt her again, making the girl wince. Luo Chaoxue slapped her arm. “Stop it! Don’t bully the kid.”
“I’m trying to help her.”
“By poking her wounds? You’re unbelievable.”
“What else am I supposed to do? Take her to a room and take her pants off?”
“…”
After a moment, Luo Chaoxue said quietly, “Zhongli Shi, you really are a creep.”
Zhongli Shi ignored her and asked the girl, “Are you a runaway?”
Luo Chaoxue translated into sign language. The girl stopped responding entirely, sitting on the chair with her head hanging despondently.
“See? You upset her,” Luo Chaoxue said.
“This kid is borderline autistic,” Zhongli Shi argued. “I didn’t do it. You’re the one who translated; she wouldn’t be upset if you hadn’t signed it.”
“…”
“How do you still know sign language anyway?” Zhongli Shi grinned. “You wrote one book and suddenly you’re an expert. If you write a protagonist who builds airplanes next time, are you going to build a plane?”
“No. I can’t handle that level of difficulty.”
“So what are you writing next?”
Luo Chaoxue thought for a moment and shook her head. “I haven’t decided.”
“Ah,” Zhongli Shi sighed. “Who would have thought the famous Snowy Mountain would be— mmmph!”
Luo Chaoxue slammed her hand over Zhongli Shi’s mouth, threatening her with a fierce glare. “You better watch it, or I’ll—”
Before she could finish, the shop door swung open. The decorative bead curtain rattled loudly as a group of people rushed in, followed by two police officers. A squad car was parked right outside.
Zhongli Shi froze, looking at Luo Chaoxue. What’s happening? Did I break the law?
