The Violent Little Rascal: The Tale of a Fallen Girl (Part 2)

  The midnight moon, like a jade plate tainted with evil air, spills down a sheet of pale silver light, covering this vast and desolate forest.

  Autumn wind blows, leaves gently sway, rustling softly.

  Deep in the woods, two figures wrapped in tattered and worn-out clothes slowly emerged.

  The old man in front walked silently, his eyes dull but determined. He led a girl wrapped in an old black woolen coat not far behind him, taking advantage of the night to hurry out of the forest.

  The girl lowered her face, making it impossible to see her expression, and silently followed behind the old man.

  Walking out of the woods, through a deserted fitness park, and over the park fence, two figures exuding an aura of poverty gradually merged into the bustling streets.

  At this moment, the girl tightened her coat, tied up her hair, quickened her pace to catch up with the old man's figure, closely followed behind him, and then nervously looked around, as if afraid that the stray cats passing by would cast a contemptuous or disgusted glance at her.

  The old man, however, walked with ease, as if this vast and colorful street was his own territory.

  Familiar with the road, the old man led the girl through a dimly lit vegetable market and into a small alley.

  Walking out of the alley, it suddenly became a street that was out of place in this city. The road was paved with patchy and cracked asphalt, and along the way, there were more than ten shop doors, all of which had simple old-fashioned decorations and old, blurry signboards.

  At this time, the old man turned around and said to the girl: "Little girl, when you go to someone's home, help more, don't make trouble for them."

  The girl nodded slightly, her eyes still downcast, suddenly raised, wanting to speak but hesitating, with a few shades of hesitation and anxiety on her small face.

  She gazed at the old man's hunched and impoverished back, thinking in her heart, why did this vagrant want to help her?

  But she knew that asking like this was impolite and would inevitably lead to awkwardness. So, she buried the question that had left her perplexed deep in her heart.

  At this moment, the old man suddenly stopped in his tracks, half-turned around, raised his head and gazed up at a relatively new sign not far away.

  The girl also lifted her head and looked around - Sha County snacks.

  Yes, a small restaurant serving breakfast and convenience food.

  It seemed that they were about to face an unusually difficult war, the old man sighed and led the girl into the passageway between the small building of the restaurant and the residential building next door.

  Standing in front of the small gate, the old man turned his head again, and his aged and turbid eyes showed a reluctance to part with a sense of desolation. He took a deep breath and instructed: "In a while, you'd better not speak, ah, if someone asks, just say you're here looking for work, got it?"

  The girl nodded slightly, and when she lifted her face, she pursed her lips tightly, as if suppressing something. Only in her eyes, a grateful tear glimmered.

  The old man looked at her deeply, turned around, raised his rough and dark right hand, and gently knocked twice on the cold aluminum alloy door in front of him.

  After a long silence, a woman's gentle yet tense cry suddenly came from inside the door - "Who?"

  Old Yang leaned in close to the door crack and called out in a low voice: "Yang Quan."

  "Oh, it's Old Man Yang..."

  Accompanied by a sigh of relief, gentle and slow footsteps came from the door, gradually getting closer.

  However, the footsteps suddenly disappeared, and the woman inside the door asked, "It's so late, is there something going on?"

  Old Yang looked down and said, "What's there to be afraid of? I can still eat you, can't I?"

  With a creak, the door opened a small gap, and a girl hid behind it, cautiously peeking outside.

  A moment later, the girl inside the door let out a sigh of relief and slowly opened the door. The dim light spilled out from the doorway, illuminating the scene. A woman in her early twenties stood with her hands clasped behind her back, forcing a warm smile onto her face as she gazed calmly at Old Yang standing outside the door.

  At this time, Luo Li, who had been hiding by the wall, walked to the door with a timid expression, her face slightly lowered.

  The woman looked at Luo Li and asked: "Who is this girl?"

  Old Yang smiled and said: "My daughter."

  "Hehe..."

  The woman forced a polite smile, and naturally wouldn't take Old Yang's introduction seriously. If Old Yang really had a daughter, how could she be as down on her luck as him? That would be too far-fetched. Moreover, to her, the over-50-year-old Old Yang was just a vagrant who knew how to brag and cheat little girls, and there wasn't much of a relationship between them.

  To be honest, if it weren't for politeness, she really didn't want to bother with this slovenly vagrant.

  Old Yang scratched the back of his head and pushed Luo Li, saying: "Go say hello to your sister."

  Luoli took a step forward, nervously lifted her face and whispered: "Sister..."

  The woman's mouth twitched and she gave a dry smile, seemingly very resistant and uncomfortable in her heart.

  Old Yang hesitated for a moment, his eyes cast downward, and said in a embarrassed tone: "Leng sister, this time I've come to find you, it's because I want to entrust my daughter to you. She can help with some chores, and she doesn't eat much... generally speaking, she won't be able to finish her food, heh heh, that is..."

  The woman with her hands behind her back had a look of difficulty in her eyes, but still smiled and nodded after considering Luo Li, saying: "Let's put it here for now, when things settle down, I'll think of a way to find her a decent job, what do you think?"

  Taking a deep breath, Old Yang pursed his lips, causing countless wrinkles to sink into his mouth. He turned his face away, making it impossible for anyone to see his expression, lowered his eyes, nodded slightly, and then half-turned around, saying, "Well, that's troublesome."

  Luo Li stared blankly at his departing figure, subconsciously wanting to chase after him. Old Yang suddenly stopped in his tracks and shouted: "Go back!"

  Luori was stunned, her dry lips trembled, and tears sparkled in her eyes.

  The woman remained silent, not disturbing the little girl in front of her, and bid a silent farewell to Old Yang. Until Old Yang's figure disappeared into the alley, the woman couldn't help but sigh, looking at Luo Li who was staring foolishly in that direction, and called out: "It's cold outside, come in first..."

  Luodi lowered his eyes, seemingly adjusting his mood, and after a moment, he raised his eyes and nodded to the woman with deep gratitude.

  As Luo Li walked into the house, she was shocked to discover that the woman had a long and sharp cake knife in her hands behind her back.

  It seemed that in front of another woman, there was no need for such vigilance. The woman smiled wryly and shrugged her shoulders, silently explaining something. Luo Li raised the corner of her mouth and nodded slightly, quietly following beside her.

  She led her through the dimly lit hall, directly to the bathroom, turned her head and smiled: "Take a bath first, change your clothes, whatever you want to say, let's talk about it tomorrow."

  Luoluo nodded obediently, and under the guidance of the gentle woman, she took off her dirty shoes and walked into the bathroom. Then, under the bright light, wrapped in a worn-out black coat that amplified her shabby appearance, she faced the clean and transparent objects in the bathroom with a lowered head, feeling embarrassed.

  The woman seemed to see through her mind and said softly: "Take off your coat..."

  Silent and motionless, Luo Li hesitated for a moment, slowly unbuttoning her coat, deeply lowering her head, and with a swift movement of her hands, the coat slid to the ground, revealing her pure white and delicate figure.

  Her gaze fell on the full and plump breasts, her face turned red with heat, she didn't dare to move, as if intimidated by the inscrutable gaze behind her.

  After a while, she seemed to have noticed something and carefully turned around, only to find that the door had been closed silently, and the woman seemed to be very thoughtful and left at that moment.

  "Hmm..."

  Luori let out a deep breath, pursed her lips, and suddenly lifted a smile, as if she felt relieved and grateful for her rebirth after the disaster.

  It was as if the desperate and hopeless thoughts had revived, her mind started working again, the previous tension, despair, humiliation, anxiety, helplessness, like a play, reappeared in front of her eyes - becoming a girl, falling into the sewer, stealing a quilt, being discovered by the owner, the harassment of the homeless people, Old Yang's rescue, until she arrived here.

  She was dazed and lost in thought, having a kind of illusion that it was all just a big dream, so much so that she stood still for a long time, unable to move.

  The door opened and a woman with several clothes in her arms stood at the entrance, then raised a smile and said, "What are you thinking about?"

  It seemed that some nerves were sensitive, Luo Li suddenly turned back, and then under the other's warm smile, relaxed his nerves, shyly raised the corner of his mouth, and sincerely said: "Thank you."

  After she finished speaking, she seemed to have some reservations and resistance in general, lowered her head, and fell into a dull and oppressive silence.

  The woman let out a helpless sigh, her eyes complex and full of knots, slowly walking into the bathroom, putting her clothes in the washing machine, then squatting down towards Luo Li.

  Just as the woman spread her legs, Luo Li let out a soft cry and hastily retreated, but suddenly slipped and fell to the ground with a thud, hitting the back of his head heavily against the wall.

  The woman's face showed a flustered expression, she quickly got up and tried to help her up, but Luo Li, who was deeply bowing her head, supported herself with both hands on the floor and struggled to stand up by herself. Then, she took a deep breath, slowly lifted her face, pursed her lips, and her mouth corners trembled as she squeezed out an apologetic and heart-wrenching smile, gritting her teeth, saying: "No, sorry, I...I'm just a bit...that..."

  Just like one person, same set of reactions.

  The girl lowered her head, opened her mouth and took a deep breath, raised her face, pursed her lips, and tears sparkled in her eyes as she forced out a smile that was equally heart-wrenching. Her voice trembled as she said: "Enough... enough... don't try to hold on anymore, cry if you want to, ah."

  Tears welled up in both eyes, and Lori's face was slightly lowered, her lower lip bitten tightly, her body trembling slightly, not a sound escaped.

  The next moment, she was gently wrapped in the warm arms of a woman, whose eyes were filled with pity and tenderness, softly comforting her.

  Her chest heaved, and she felt suffocated. Luo Li only felt that her breathing was particularly difficult, with a thick and irrepressible emotion blocking her chest, making the masculine side of her heart on the verge of collapse. In the end, the gentle comfort and warm embrace of the woman opened up her stubbornness.

  When it rains, it pours. She choked back two sobs and then let out a loud wail, her face scrunched up as she cried with abandon, thoroughly and completely.

  When the soul is wounded, making one feel suffocated, uncomfortable and wronged, a man who has grown accustomed to silently enduring, facing it alone, and stubbornly holding on, when he encounters someone he can be vulnerable with, then by all means, let him cry freely.