Chapter 115 Buying Clothes for the Little Girl

When the little girl saw him come out, she timidly peeked out half her head and asked in a low voice, "That room... is it really for Xiaozhi to stay in?"

He Yuzhu deliberately put on a stern face and teased her, "What, you don't like this place? This is the most decent single room in this courtyard."

The little girl quickly waved her hands, eager to explain, "No, no, this place is a million times better than the seaside cave where Xiaozhi used to live!"

He Yuzhu smiled and nodded: "I'm glad you're satisfied. You stay here quietly and don't wander off."

"I'll go return the borrowed bicycle right away, and while I'm at it, I'll get you a new set of bedding and some hot food."

Upon hearing the words "new bedding," the little girl's previously dull eyes instantly lit up, sparkling with a light as bright as the stars in the night sky.

During the last cold winter, she barely managed to withstand the biting cold by spreading a thick layer of dry grass in a cave by the sea.

She barely survived that ordeal, nearly freezing to death in that cold cave.

But then, upon hearing that He Yuzhu was going to leave her alone in the empty house, the little girl panicked instantly, just like a frightened deer.

She was terrified that her only savior would be gone forever and never come back to find her.

The little girl frantically stretched out her dirty little hands and gripped He Yuzhu's clothes tightly, using all her strength, refusing to let go even an inch.

With a sob in her voice, she pleaded, "Sir, please take Xiaozhi with you! Xiaozhi is very obedient and will never cause you any trouble!"

Seeing her flustered appearance, He Yuzhu couldn't help but laugh and advised, "If you're going to listen to me, just stay home. This is my home. Do you think I'd run away with the house?"

The little girl blinked her wet eyes and asked softly, "Master, are you all alone in this huge house?"

He Yuzhu sighed softly and said, "In this small corner of Tianjin, I am indeed all alone, without any relatives or friends."

Hearing this, the little girl's eyes reddened again. She tugged at his sleeve and whispered, "Then...then you must come back soon, Master. I'm so scared being alone in this empty house."

He Yuzhu paused for a moment, then called out softly, "Xiao Zhi?"

The little girl explained in a soft voice, "This is Xiaozhi's nickname. Grandpa, you can call me that from now on."

He Yuzhu smiled and said, "Alright, Xiao Zhi, you don't need to call me grandpa anymore. At my age, I might not even be qualified to be your grandfather."

"My name is He Yuzhu. From now on, you can call me Brother Zhu. It sounds more friendly that way."

Upon hearing this, the little girl immediately grinned, her eyes crinkling into two playful crescent moons, and whispered, "Okay, Grandpa... Brother Zhu!"

He Yuzhu patted her head and instructed, "Be a good girl and wait at home. I'll be right back after I finish my business."

He added, "By the way, now that you're here, make sure you're clean and tidy. Nobody will arrest you here, so relax and don't be afraid."

The little girl lowered her head and replied in a voice barely audible, "Oh! Xiaozhi understands!"

He Yuzhu reminded him again, "I'm leaving now. Remember to bolt the door from the inside and don't open it for strangers easily, understand?"

The little girl nodded vigorously and replied crisply, "Okay, Brother Zhu!"

After giving his instructions, He Yuzhu didn't linger any longer. He pushed the heavy bicycle and strode out of the courtyard gate.

He deliberately went to a quiet, deserted alley, looked around to make sure no one was there, and then put the bicycle into his personal mysterious space.

Immediately afterwards, he strode off and headed straight for the clothing store on the side of the street.

Although his space was cluttered with a lot of good things, he just lacked clothes suitable for a young girl.

When he robbed those poor folks back then, he didn't touch the clothing shops in the city at all, since the clothes hanging in the shops were all poor folks' clothes, and they wouldn't be of much use to him.

Since he didn't have the girl's exact measurements, He Yuzhu could only rely on his intuition and gesture to the shopkeeper to estimate her height and weight.

He figured that he couldn't possibly get a perfect fit just by gesturing, so he picked out two slightly oversized shirts and planned to pay and leave as soon as possible.

Seeing this, the shopkeeper quickly and kindly reminded him, "Sir, are you picking out clothes for your sister at home? Buying just this outer garment won't do."

"Shouldn't you also pick up a few of your personal items that you wear close to your body?"

He Yuzhu was stunned for a moment, not reacting immediately, and asked, "Inside?"

The shopkeeper smiled and explained, "It's just small, intimate items like bellybands and underpants; a young girl can't do without these."

He Yuzhu was somewhat surprised and asked, "This... your store even sells these kinds of intimate items?"

The shopkeeper nodded eagerly, his face beaming as he enthusiastically promoted his products: "Yes, yes, yes! Not only do we have these, but we also have shoes for young girls, all ready-made!"

He Yuzhu thought for a moment and said, "Okay, let's not rush to buy shoes this time. Also, please get two sets of underwear in the size we just mentioned. Please hurry up."

The shopkeeper quickly replied, "Alright, please sit for a moment, I'll pack it up perfectly for you, and I won't delay your business at all!"

Before he finished speaking, the shopkeeper swiftly brought out the items, one of which was a bright red bodice embroidered with lifelike carp, which was very exquisite.

The other pink bib is embroidered with lotus buds that are about to bloom, and it looks gentle and beautiful.

As for the underwear, it was made of the simplest white cotton cloth, which was soft and comfortable.

After paying the bill, He Yuzhu carried a heavy little cloth bundle and walked out of the bustling clothing store.

When he reached a deserted street corner, he took out a portable earthenware pot from his storage space and carried it steadily in his hand.

Then, he turned and went into another street, into a fragrant donkey meat sandwich shop, and bought ten freshly baked, steaming hot donkey meat sandwiches.

Then, he asked the shopkeeper to fill a whole jar with steaming hot donkey offal soup, which he carried carefully, afraid of spilling it.

As he approached the alleyway leading to his own courtyard, he found himself carrying a brand-new quilt and a soft pillow, both prepared for the little girl.

When he arrived at the gate, his hands were full of bags and packages, so he couldn't push the door open. He could only gently kick the dilapidated door with his toes.

Perhaps the commotion outside the door was too sudden, because the little girl inside was so frightened that she didn't dare to breathe. She stood there for a long time, not daring to answer.

Helpless, He Yuzhu could only raise his voice and shout, "It's me, open the door!"

"Squeak...bang!" The courtyard gate was pulled open a crack, and the little girl's head peeked out.

The little girl had just called out "Brother Zhu" in her clear voice when she saw He Yuzhu carrying a lot of colorful items in his hands. She quickly stepped forward to help carry some of the load.

He Yuzhu quickly stopped her, saying, "Alright, you don't need to help. Just close the door tightly and don't let any outsiders in."

As he spoke, he lifted his leg and walked into the yard.

The little girl quickly replied, "Oh, okay, okay!" Her movements were swift and efficient, without any hesitation.

As soon as He Yuzhu entered the courtyard, she deftly bolted the gate, as if afraid that someone might break in and take away the peace she had finally gained.

He Yuzhu carefully placed the steaming earthenware pot and the oil paper package containing the donkey meat sandwich on the octagonal table in the main room.

Then, he carried the bedding and pillows into the side room and carefully spread the brand-new cotton quilts flat on the hard wooden bed.

As he finished making the bed and turned around, he caught a glimpse of the little girl timidly clinging to the door frame, hiding in the shadows and peeking into the room.

The little girl's face was finally clean, but her dark skin was still very noticeable.

It's likely that these marks were left from her years of wandering and enduring wind and sun.

After all, the skin on her delicate neck was much whiter than that on her face, but her messy long hair was like wild grass, without any neat shape.

However, upon closer inspection, one will find that this girl has delicate eyebrows and eyes, and pretty features; she is truly a beauty in the making.

But the sight of those eyebrows and eyes made He Yuzhu's heart skip a beat, and his expression instantly became somewhat dazed and lost in thought.

He muttered to himself, "Shen Juxian? Could it be such a coincidence that these two things are connected?"

He shook his head vigorously, forcing himself to wake up from this inexplicable daze.

"Forget it, even someone like Wang Qiuping can stroll around the courtyard house, so what's a little strangeness compared to that!"

When the little girl saw He Yuzhu staring at her blankly, she thought there was still something dirty on her face that she hadn't washed off.

She stretched out her dark, black hand and vigorously rubbed her face twice, then asked softly, "Brother Zhu, what's wrong? Is there still something dirty on Xiaozhi's face that she hasn't washed off?"

He Yuzhu snapped out of her daze and quickly said, "It's okay, no need to wipe it anymore, it's already very clean, it's fine."

He pointed to the small cloth bundle on the edge of the bed and said, "Look, that bundle contains the new clothes I bought for you. Go in and try them on to see if they fit."

"If it doesn't fit, I'll take it back to the store to exchange it for you, don't worry."

The little girl covered her mouth in disbelief, her voice trembling slightly: "There are...there are new clothes!"

He Yuzhu laughed and joked, "Of course. From now on, if you follow me around and go out dressed like this in such shabby clothes, wouldn't you be making a fool of my brother Zhuzi's face?"

The little girl nodded vigorously and whispered, "Mmm!"

Upon hearing this, she shyly looked down at her dirty and tattered clothes and worn-out cloth shoes with her toes sticking out, and her cheeks flushed red.