Inside was a letter, a cellphone, and a black and gold card.
Ruanruan sniffled, tears plopping down into the box.
She quickly wiped them away and unfolded the envelope with her small hands.
Dear Ruanruan:
Ruanruan, master has left, I'm sorry. I had promised to be there as you grew up, but I have broken my word. However, Ruanruan, just like you said, you are already a big kid now, so you will have to learn to grow up on your own.
Your master didn't say goodbye, not because I don't want you anymore, but because I'm afraid that seeing you would make it impossible for me to leave. So, Ruanruan, can you be a good girl and wait for me to come back and find you?
Ruanruan, I've left you a cellphone; the only contact in it is me. There's also a bank card, the money inside is for you to use, to go find your dads. If you don't like them, remember to call your master."
After reading, Ruanruan was terribly sad, her bright tears uncontrollably falling from her eyes, yet she didn't wail for her master anymore.
Her chubby little hands carefully folded the letter back up and put it away.
She then unlocked the pink cellphone with facial recognition and dialed the sole contact within.
"I'm sorry, the number you have dialed is turned off..."
A mechanical voice came through, causing Ruanruan's small lips to pout, and a look of disappointment flashed across her moist, large eyes, while her fan-like eyelashes trembled, still wet with glistening tears.
Unable to make a call, she could only send a voice message.
"Master, Master, Ruanruan misses you so much, really, really misses you. Ruanruan has been good and went to find the dads, but Master, you have to come back quickly to find Ruanruan."
"Master, when you see Ruanruan's message, remember to reply to me, Ruanruan misses you so much."
"Master, when will you check your phone? Why still no reply to Ruanruan? Ruanruan is hungry and wants to eat the food Master makes."
The Little Monk, with bare feet on her bed, sent several voice messages in a row through the phone, continually hoping for a response. But even as she grew so hungry that her stomach grumbled loudly, her messages seemed to disappear into an abyss, with absolutely no response.
Ruanruan's big eyes lost their brightness, "Master must still be on a plane and can't reply to my messages."
After muttering to herself for a while, a knock came from the door.
Clutching the cellphone, she got down from the bed, ran barefoot to open a crack in the door, and upon seeing the kindly old lady, she opened the door fully—it was the landlady.
"Little Monk, it's time to eat." The old lady said with a kind smile, looking at how the delicate little girl's eyes were as red as a bunny's, her nose also a rosy red, and her chubby face still bore obvious tear marks—a clear sign she had been crying.
The old lady affectionately patted Ruanruan's little bald head, "Little Monk, are you hungry? Come on, let's go have some food with granny. Your master, he must have had his reasons for leaving, this old lady can tell, he still likes you very much."
Ruanruan nodded, her eyes brimming with mist, "Master... Master said Ruanruan has grown up. I should... go find Dad, and he will come back to find me in a few days."
"Woof woof..." Little Baibai dragged a pair of little slippers over and placed them under Ruanruan's feet.
Ruanruan looked at her own tender, bare feet, realizing she had forgotten to put on shoes, and quickly slipped her little feet into the slippers Little Baibai brought over.
"Little Baibai is so good." After praising the pup a couple of times, the wolf cub let out two happy barks.
The old lady watched in amazement, "This little dog is so smart."
Ruanruan nodded, rubbed her still reddish nose, and spoke with a nasal voice,
"Little Baibai is super smart."
No sooner had she finished speaking, her little stomach growled. The old lady laughed and led her downstairs for food.
"The food this old lady cooks is not as delicious as your master's, so please bear with it, Little Monk,"
Ruanruan shook her head, scooped up some rice, and gave her serious opinion.
"Delicious."
As she ate, she didn't forget about Little Baibai either; she took out her backpack, which held some jerkies made especially for Little Baibai.
The wolf cub was particularly fond of it. Ruanruan tossed a piece down, and the cub leaped at it with a howl, settling down to gnaw eagerly.
After dinner, Ruanruan obediently offered to help clean up and wash the dishes. The elderly person watching this little one work so seriously had their heart melt; they were just too well-behaved. If this kid were their own, they would have been incredibly cherished.
Ruanruan did some chores for the elderly after dinner, then with a small stool in hand, she sat in the courtyard, staring blankly into her phone once more.
Outside the small mountain village, the whole village was abuzz early this morning.
The reason was none other than the several luxury cars parked on the road outside the village.
Many people had only seen these cars on television, and today, with so many showing up suddenly, a good number of villagers came to gawk.
Car doors swung open, and several well-built, black-suited bodyguards stepped out first, their intimidating presence quieting the previously noisy villagers.
The last man to exit was also in a black suit, tall and slender, with chiseled features and a stern countenance. His cold, piercing eyes swept over those around him, and those he glanced at immediately felt an oppressive aura.
"Mr. Mu, we have arrived, but there is still a walk ahead,"
Li Yan stepped to Mu Shen's side and spoke, slightly tilting his body.
"Mmm," Mu Shen replied icily, his long legs carrying him towards the destination.
Two bodyguards remained to watch the cars as the rest quickly followed behind.
"Welcome, welcome! Mr. Li, you've arrived so early. Would you like to eat before going up to see the site?"
The village head hastily straightened his clothes, his face folding into deeper smiles as he hurriedly stepped forward to greet them.
"Thank you, Village Head, no need for meals. We'd rather go and check out the hot springs and the terrain first,"
Li Yan said, smiling cheerfully as he shook hands with the Village Head.
"Certainly, certainly, I'll lead you right there. Not to boast, but the scene there is truly magnificent. The kids in the village, they love playing there, ..."
The group gradually walked away, leaving the previously observant crowd to burst into a flurry of excitement.
"So that's the big boss who bought our back mountain's hot springs. Incredible, I didn't even dare to look at him."
"Exactly, with so many bodyguards and luxury cars, he must be so rich."
Some looked at the cars with envy.
Especially the children, who, if not for the bodyguards, would have dashed over just to touch the cars.
The group gossiped, but the work in their own fields was more pressing. After enjoying the excitement, they continued with their farming.
The small village had been lively these past few days; first, there was a monk who looked like an "Immortal," and now a CEO with off-the-charts handsomeness. It was quite the eye-opening experience for them.
At noon, Ruanruan didn't continue with her phone. Instead, she carried a small basket on her back and went to farm with the landlord's granny.
In a not so large plot of land, Little Monk changed into a grey-blue robe, his small buttocks sticking up as he earnestly began to help dig the soil.
The hoe was too large for him, making it hard to lift, but Ruanruan was also incredibly strong and managed to dig several holes in a row.
"Little Master, please sit and rest. I can do it myself,"
The elderly lady would look up from planting her vegetables to check on the Little Monk, concerned and helpless at seeing him struggling to lift the hoe; this little one was so stubborn.
"It's okay, it's okay, Ruanruan can dig well. Ruanruan used to farm with the master all the time, and Ruanruan is really good at it."
Thinking of the master made Ruanruan sad again, and she sniffled slightly before continuing her work.
However, after digging for a while, she realized that Little Baibai, who had been playing nearby, had disappeared. Ruanruan immediately panicked.
"Grandma Wu, have you seen Little Baibai?" Ruanruan dropped the hoe and started calling for Little Baibai.
"Don't worry, don't worry, he might have run off to play somewhere. Let's split up and look for him,"
The granny quickly comforted her, and Ruanruan nodded, picked up the small backpack hanging on the tree by the bank, and scurried her little legs to search around.