The Legend of Chu Qiao - V1C3

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Prologue 1- Major Chu Qiao Prologue 2- Time's up! Prologue 3- The red dot on the GPS vanished 1- Royal Hunting 2- Zhuge, Wei, Mu, Jue, Che, Yan. 3- Fifth Brother 4- Without a Tinge of Regret 5- Bloody Heart 6- Bastards 7- Snakes 8- We Should All Know Our Place 9- Do You Know Who I Am? 10- Thank You, Sisters! 11- My name is 'None' 12- The Lantern Festival 13- Liar! 14- Everything Happens for a Reason 15- To escape, or not to escape?

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Chapter 3

Fifth Brother

Even with her body wounds hurting badly, Chu Qiao still forced herself to stand up and run laps around the small firewood room, occasionally stopping to massage her skin with her hands in case she froze to death in this dilapidated hut.

It was yín shí[1], the coldest time of the night. A window around a person's height was suddenly pushed open. Then, a small head popped into view. Chu Qiao was stunned. She looked up and saw bright eyes carefully watching the room. When he saw Chu Qiao, a look of happiness flashed across his face. He put his index finger to his lips, signaling her to stay quiet. Then he quickly jumped into the shack.

The boy quickly ran to her, opened his arms, and pulled Chu Qiao into them. He choked her a little while hugging her: "Yue Er, don't be scared; Fifth brother is here."

The boy was skinny and not very old either. He looked to be around eight or nine years old. He wore gray field clothes that didn't fit him well, making him seem even skinnier. His stature wasn't fully grown, and he was only half a head taller than Chu Qiao. Still, his facial features and expressions showed he had endured many hardships. He held the child tightly and patted her back, repeatedly saying, "Don't be scared; the fifth brother is here."

Unknowingly, Chu Qiao's eyes filled with tears. Beads of tears rolled uncontrollably down her face, soaking his rough clothes. She didn't know whether it was her body's natural reaction or genuine emotion, but this fragile yet warm hug was too precious on this strange, foreign, and cold night.

The bright, clear moonlight shone through the slightly opened window onto the children's small bodies. The only warmth came from the hearts inside the cold four walls. The boy's tiny body was like a rugged mountain. Even if he shuddered in fear on this freezing night, he still hugged his sister tightly, holding her close in his arms.

"Yue Er, are you hungry?" The boy released her from his hug and gently wiped away the tears on Chu Qiao's face with his dirt-stained fingers. He smiled happily and said, "Guess what brother brought you?"

The boy pulled out a small cloth bag from his back and sat on the floor, carefully opening it. The smell of the food quickly filled the air. He looked up to see Chu Qiao still standing, looking confused. Raising his eyebrows, he said, "Sit down."

It was a rough porcelain bowl. The blue and white patterns on the side had faded from use, and there were a few tiny holes at the rim. It was filled to the brim with rice and vegetables stacked on top. There wasn't much oil, but the smell was just as good. The boy grabbed a pair of chopsticks and pressed them into Chu Qiao's hands, rushing to say, "Quick, eat."

Chu Qiao lowered her head and shoved a mouthful of rice into her mouth. All she tasted was saltiness from her tears. Her throat was tight, but she kept eating like a robot, occasionally sobbing.

The boy stared directly at Chu Qiao. Every time she opened her mouth, he would copy her, as if he were showing her how to eat. When she swallowed her food, he would grin from ear to ear, making his eyes narrow into slits.

As her chopsticks moved around in the bowl, they poked into something. She lifted it out and found a piece of warm braised pork.

That meat was about the size of a thumb and slightly burnt on the side. It was half fatty, half lean, but so tempting on a dark, cold night like this.

A noise suddenly rumbled. Chu Qiao lifted her head from the bowl, looked at the boy, and saw him awkwardly rubbing his stomach. Deliberately acting nonchalant, he said, "I just finished dinner; I'm not hungry."

Chu Qiao handed over the chopsticks and said, "You have it."

The boy shook his head instantly. "Our dinner today was delicious. Fourth Young Master[2] allowed. There were many dishes: braised fish, sweet-and-sour ribs, vinegar-fried pork, and steamed duck. I ate so much that I might have thrown up. I don't think I can eat any more. I ate so much that I may have thrown up. I don't think I can have any more food."

Chu Qiao stubbornly raised her chopsticks and said, "I don't like to eat fatty pork."

The boy stayed dazed for a moment, looked at Chu Qiao, then turned his gaze to the piece of braised pork. He unknowingly swallowed his saliva. After a moment, he finally reached for the chopsticks she offered and carefully bit off the fatty part of the meat. He then passed the lean pork back to Chu Qiao. Laughing happily, showing his white teeth, he said, "Yue Er, now you can eat."

A rush of emotions overwhelmed her, and she quickly lowered her head. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she managed to hold them back.

After a moment, she slowly lifted her head and smiled at the boy. She opened her mouth and quickly devoured that piece of meat, munching and grinning at the same time.

"Yue Er, is it delicious?" His eyes sparkled like stars in the galaxy.

Chu Qiao nodded fiercely. She was choked up but said, "It's delicious. The most delicious thing I've tasted is this piece of meat."

"Silly girl." The boy reached out and patted her head. With a hint of sadness, he said, "How old are you to say things like 'in my life'? We don't need to talk about the future; focus on being young. We’ve tasted many fancy foods, but you’re still too young to remember any of it. But don't worry—one day, the fifth brother will make sure you eat well, wear nice clothes, and enjoy delicacies from around the world—braised pork, ginseng, abalone, bird's nest, shark fin, and clams. Whatever you want, you’ll get it. Until then, no one will think about bullying us. Yue Er, do you believe me?"

Chu Qiao nodded and kept shoveling rice into her mouth. Even though it wasn't very tasty, the warmth it provided was immense.

"Yue Er, don't be scared." As he said this, the boy took off his jacket and placed it over Chu Qiao's shoulders. In a warm tone, he clearly emphasized his words: "Fifth brother will protect you and will be here with you. Don't be afraid."

As the moonlight shone brightly, it streamed through the gaps into the firewood hut, dazzling white. Like frost under the moonlight, the children's slight bodies lay close together, seemingly small but warm.

Flames of light flooded the area from afar, as woodwind instruments played to their hearts' content, and the aroma of meat and drinks filled the air. The endless night city of Zhen Huang finally reached the climax of tonight's banquet. Under the brilliant lights, no one remembered the little girl who had survived the onslaught in the arena. The cold air billowed, causing the flag with the flame symbol of the Xia Empire to whistle in the wind.

The boy was gone when she woke up the next day. On the floor, he left a message in tidy handwriting: The fifth brother will come back tonight. There are buns under the firewood.

Chu Qiao cleared away the dried twigs and saw two slightly yellowish buns wrapped in oil paper. She held them tightly and appeared calm, but her gaze began to warm.

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Three days passed without anyone questioning her condition. The boy continued to visit her daily, bringing food and accompanying her, then left the next day silently. On the third day, the door to the hut banged open. Zhu Shun[3] looked down at Zhu Qiao, who had remained alive after three days in the firewood hut, furrowing his brows tighter and tighter. At last, he ordered his men to release her.

When she exited the hut, Chu Qiao paused at the door. Pressing her lips together, she took one last look at the rundown shack and turned with resolve.

As she walked forward, the shack seemed increasingly dilapidated. A large group of kids could be seen hiding behind the trees, quietly watching her. When she reached the yard and the men were leaving, the group of kids rushed toward her, pulling her into their arms.

"Little sixth, you are back!"

"Sixth sister, I thought you were never coming back."

"Sister Yue Er... wu wu[4]"

The children suddenly started chattering all at once. Some wailed loudly, which made Chu Qiao a little nervous. She stood frozen, surrounded by the children, enduring their snot and tears.

"Alright, alright, stop crying."

A male voice was heard, turning the heads of all the children, causing them to cry out, "Fifth brother!"

A boy ran in from outside, hugging a cloth bag. He dropped its contents onto the floor in two steps—a bag full of melon seeds. Upon seeing it, the children cheered and let go of Chu Qiao in unison, running to the seeds.

"Don't snatch them. This is enough for everyone," the boy said maturely. He continued, "Yue Er just escaped death and was severely wounded. Don't disturb her. Everyone has to help her complete her job for the next few days."

The children nodded. A girl with two ponytails and pale, soft features raised her head. She smiled and said, "Don't worry, the fifth brother, we will help the sixth sister."

The boy continued, "Xiao Qi, has your injury recovered? Why are you out of bed?"

"Fifth brother, it has healed already." The child smiled as he rolled up his sleeves, revealing black and blue scars from a whip. Some areas still exposed his flesh and had not healed yet. Xiao Qi said happily, "The medicine you gave me worked well. It was painless once I put it on. Xiao Ba was kicked in the waist by the horse while feeding them; I need to help her."

"Lin Xi, come in. I have things to say to you." A young girl suddenly scuttled forward, holding the boy's hand.

He turned and looked at Chu Qiao. He said, "Yue Er, the wind is quite strong outside. Come inside, too."

In the small, dilapidated house was a large bed-stove with more than ten blankets neatly folded on top. A boy named Lin Xi chirped, "Sister Zhi Xiang, you were looking for me?"

Zhi Xiang looked around eleven years old, a little older. She crouched down and opened the bed-stove from below, revealing its pitch-black interior, then pulled out a small box. She said, "In five days, it will be the anniversary of our parents' and relatives' deaths. The incense and joss paper you wanted us to prepare secretly are here."

Lin Xi nodded cautiously, "Don't let the manager know about this."

"Yes, don't worry. No one will come over to us. But for you, when taking care of the Fourth Young Master, you must be careful. The day before yesterday, I heard from Si Tao from the laundry room that the Third Young Master.[5] Had already killed two reading partners in his room. Even though the Fourth Young Master is not like him, his weird character is unpredictable. When the Master is not around, Young Master Huai pays no attention to what is happening within the household. They are becoming increasingly ill-disciplined. The Old Master has already killed more than twenty young female slaves. The ones that were sold to the Du family, together with us all, have perished. I'm worried that this fate would befall us as well."

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[1] 寅时 (yín shí) | 3 am to 5 am
[2] Fourth Young Master is Zhuge Yue
[3] Zhu Shun is Butler Zhu from the Zhuge household
[4] Chinese onomatopoeia for crying
[5] Third Young Master is Zhuge Huai