Liena looked at the girl with eyes full of wonder and disbelief.
The girl was wearing a faint white robe that lost its original color due to excessive washing and old age. It was muddy and specks of stains could have been seen everywhere. There were lots of stitch marks and at least, thirty small holes in her robe. Assumed that, it had repaired often. Moreover, it did not fit her size. It was very long. So to make it shorter, she uplifted half of it and made a tight knot taking two sides of the robe in her waist.
The dedicated little girl was hard at work in the store called The Bakery and Confectionery Shop, a store that specializes in pastries and sweets. Although the bakery was in an area where the rich commutes with luxurious restaurants nearby, it looked simple. It was very famous because it had nearly a hundred years of tradition and the food was tasty, so people loved to come by to buy bread and sweets.
The girl was sweeping the floor in the shop. She looked like she was around nine or ten years old. She was very exhausted from the tedious work. So whenever she was working, sweat drops dripped from her forehead. She had a pair of tiny hands, when she used the broom, her whole body would follow the exact movements. After sweeping, she starts mopping the floor, with a piece of plain old rag.
Although Liena was keeping a distance from the girl, she could clearly see her face from where she was standing. That optimistic face, which can win anyone's heart, how could she forget?
That girl was a carbon copy of her brother, similar to when Bengt was around seven or eight. Although Liena and Bengt were twins, there were some differences. Her brother's face shape was a little bit sharp, just like that girl, while Liena's face shape was round like a doll. He had a smiling face while hers was the exact opposite, gloomy and depressing.
"Arghhh!"
Liena smacked her head. She was really overthinking. They were twins, how could they look different!?
But Liena never regarded Bengt as her twin, this was because he wasn't like her. He was optimistic, friendly and cheerful while Liena was boring, plain and gloomy.
However, if the girl wore her brother's attire and stood beside him, Liena believed, even if it was her parents, they wouldn't be able to differentiate which one is the real Bengt!
Thinking, how their reaction would be like, Liena grinned from ear to ear like a pervert...
After sweeping and scrubbing the floor, the girl started to clean the tables and chairs. Liena looked at her with wide eyes.
'Just how much work has she done at this age!' , she wondered!
The shop owner looked at her very warmly. 'What a good child.'- he murmured as he sighed. She was a sincere child and would do extra work no matter how much he tried to stop her. He had never seen a nine or ten-year-old girl who mentally so matured and understandable
'The world was unfair and unjust! An orphaned nine-year-old girl lived in slums or roads, begged when no one gave her job - if she was not unfortunate enough then who was?' - he thought.
He really liked Nuwa because, at such a young age, she was already a hard-working and strong-willed girl. He always loathed beggars and freeloaders. Despite having abilities, they blamed God for being poor. It was a shameful profession for a human being. It was not god nor the world's fault, they chose poverty themselves.
At first, like everyone, he also thought she came to his shop to beg for money. So he felt revulsion.
But she proved him wrong when she asked for a job in exchange for loaves of bread. Later he learned from her that, she had begged for a week when she first arrived in this country. But that was because no one gave her job and she had no money to buy food.
Although she never asked anything aside from bread, he always gave her sweets. Sometimes he also offered her money. She was a poor girl but was not greedy. She never took his favor for granted. Nor did she misuse his kindness and generous heart which had a weak spot for her pitiful self. So she'd always returned him the extra pieces of stuff that he'd gift to her. She didn't want to owe anyone, even more so when she genuinely felt gratitude towards them, she was someone who was ten times nicer to whoever had been nice to her first.
That's why the shop owner always had to force her whenever he gifted her. As a result, Liena would always do extra works despite his constant nagging and prohibitions.
Suddenly, the shop owner had a premonition. He felt someone was peeping at his little part-timer. He thought it must be some pervert because sometimes ago, a pervert tried to molest her and sell her to a brothel.
So when he moved his head and was about to prepare to give that culprit a dirty glare, but he stopped and became rendered speechless!
"Why do I feel she looks like Nuwa?" he murmured. His eyes were about to pop out. But realizing she was an aristocrat, so he tilted his head disapprovingly.
Although the girl looked exactly like Nuwa, there was no way for them to be related. Because from just one look he could clearly say that the girl looked at Nuwa with the same disbelieving eyes just like he was staring at her. It was no wonder she was surprised just like him.
'Surely, the world was full of mystery' he nodded his head like a philosopher as he was satisfied with his explanation.
Liena observed her while she was standing in front of the shop. She forgot to use her vail when she left the restaurant. She was looking at the girl in the daze, with mouth wide open. Like the girl was her prey!
Suddenly she noticed, someone was giving her an odd look. So she hurriedly took the veil out of her sleeves and quickly covered her face. It was already improper to stroll around the city alone. Moreover, she was walking without covering her face.
"I am not myself today! Acting so strange! If people keep noticing me, soon I'll fall into danger. Who knows where there might be a treacherous man lurking around and dragging me down!"
She moved from the stall and sat on a nearby bench which was not too close or far from the shop and stared at the store. Some tourists were also there, so it was perfectly normal. No one doubted her.
The girl finally completed her task and went to the shop owner. The owner gave her a bright smile when saying,
"Nuwa, you know some time ago I saw a young rich girl, who looked so much like you that I mistook her as your twin. She was standing beside that shop and was staring at you. I think she was as shocked as like me."
Nuwa looked at the owner and said in a teasing voice,
"Mister, if I was really rich and had a twin sister, then how come I became your part-timer and begged in streets? Hehehe... I wonder!", she smiled after finishing her sentence.
She then sighed and said in a low voice which could not be heard by the owner,
"I don't care if someone looks like me. Just pray that person doesn't have the same luck as mine."
The shop owner understood her, as he hurriedly changed the topic. Then they started to converse like they usually did. Before she left, he gave her loaves of meat buns in a bamboo basket. Today he put two extra because she worked hard.
Nuwa's face was shining brightly. She was grateful for the shop owner's generosity. She was an orphan, so she regarded him as a fatherly figure. Sometimes she wonders how an actual father treats their daughters.
Nuwa bid her farewell and walked out of the shop. She then sat on a bench which was not too far from Liena and started eating, like a hungry wolf.
Liena, who was stalking Nuwa, did not know why but observing how hungry Nuwa was and how she was eating, Liena became hungry, again!!!