Stealing Your Heart

Lin Xinyan lifted her head and the little girl came into sight. She wore a red cotton jacket and her face was pink with cold.

“Aunt, what are you doing sitting here?”

Lin Xinyan looked at the little girl and then at the surroundings. There were no adults in sight. Her gaze returned to the little girl. “I don’t feel happy, so I am here. Why are you here and where are your folks?”

“My mother is there.” She pointed to the skewers stall not far away.

Lin Xinyan looked in the direction she was pointing. There was a barbecue stall by the roadside. A woman was there, wearing seasoned-looking cotton-padded clothes and an apron, helping guests with kebabs.

“I’m here to help my mother.” The little girl looked well-behaved. Lin Xinyan stroked her hair, saying, “You are a good girl.”

Perhaps, being a mother herself, she let her guard down around the little girl.

“Do you want to eat skewered meat? I’ll ask my mother to sell you at a lower price.”

Lin Xinyan didn’t like this type of food. Nonetheless, she took out some cash and gave it to the little girl, “I don’t want to eat but I’m giving you some money to buy food you like.”

The little girl blinked, seeing so much money. She did not dare to accept it. “Aunt, why are you giving me money?”

She looked at the little girl and through her, she saw herself in the past. When she was in country A with Zhuang Zijin, life was hard. Just like her, she stayed up late at night, braving the cold wind just to make some money to buy food.

So the little girl aroused her compassion.

“When I see you, I remember how it was when I was a little girl like you with my mother.”

The little girl blinked and asked, “Aunt, you sold kebabs too when you were little?”

Lin Xinyan shook her head, “No, but I was working for someone, helping to skewer and barbecue meat.”

The little girl smiled, showing a row of small white teeth. She took the money from Lin Xinyan and said, “I’ll get the kebabs for you.”

ran towards the barbecue stall. As Lin Xinyan watched her departing figure,

thought, after going through hard times, things

and get sis-in-law back in here,” Su Zhan could not bear it any longer. In this cold wintry night, sitting out

did

him as

deeply? How could

me, why did that little girl just

once did Zong Jinghao’s gaze leave the

a thought. He said, “It’s just a child. She’s curious seeing sis-in-law sitting there all alone for so long so she ran over to chat

and gave Su Zhan a

Speaking mid-sentence, he understood what Zong Jinghao meant.

Zhan said because he

Xinyan gave the money to the

little girl must have jolted her memory

half an hour, the little girl came running back to Lin Xinyan with some skewers in her

sitting in the cold for some hours. Indeed, she wanted to take a bite. So she took them, picked a

Xinyan said, smiling,

arm, “You gave me so much money; my mother wants to

mother, don’t

the money back to you.” Speaking, the little girl took out from her pocket the money Lin Xinyan had given

given it to you. I will not take it back. Your mother can use this money to buy you a new cotton coat. It will be very warm so when you come

I accept it, you need to accept my

girl was persistent. Lin Xinyan could not decline so she agreed. At this time of the night, presumably, He Ruize would not show

was still busy. Seeing the little girl bringing Lin

the skewers in her hand and replied, “Money for the

cost so much. You are so kind. No wonder that man likes you so much. He insisted that my daughter bring

puzzled and so she