After the two of them finished eating, Xie Chaochao didn't go back home. Instead, she stayed in the cave to accompany Gu Pei.
"Brother Gu Pei, if your wound hurts, let me know. I'll go back and get you some medicine!"
The medicine that the little girl was referring to was alcohol. She didn't know that alcohol might cause side effects to the wound.
Gu Pei smiled. "Don't worry, it doesn't hurt anymore!"
To divert Xie Chaochao's attention, Gu Pei changed the topic.
"How did you become friends with these animals?"
Shouldn't a little girl be afraid of snakes and tigers?
Xie Chaochao was even friends with them!
"Xiao Hu and Xiao Hua grew up with me! They are my best friends!"
"Are they friends your father found for you?"
The little girl said that she didn't have a mother, so it could only be her father.
"Yes, when I was young and my father didn't have time to accompany me, he would let Xiao Hu, Xiao Hua and the rest accompany me!"
"What does your father do?"
Gu Pei was very curious. Looking at the little tiger's size, it should have been brought to the little girl's side right after it was born. If he could take the cub away from the mother tiger, he would have to be quite capable.
"My Daddy is really awesome. Everyone in our village calls him Big Boss!"
Big Boss? A businessman?
Gu Pei was unable to find out anything from the little girl, so he decided to stop asking.
At first, he was curious as to why the little girl looked so similar to a woman he knew. Were they connected?
After thinking about it, perhaps it was just a coincidence. There were many people who looked similar in this world.
"Do you play in the mountains every day? Isn't your family worried about you?"
"I've been running around in the mountains since I was young. With Xiao Hu by my side, I'll be fine! My father is very busy every day. He needs to earn money to support the family. He will only accompany me to the mountains when he's free!"
"Your father took really good care of you!"
Gu Pei could tell that the little girl's eyes lit up at the mention of her father.
"Of course, my father is the person who treats me the best in this world. Grandpa as well!"
They were also the most important people in Xie Chaochao's heart.
Gu Pei looked at the little girl's smiling face and couldn't help but ask, "What about your mother?"
He trusted his instincts. The girl in front of him looked similar to the person he knew. It didn't seem like a coincidence.
"My mother?"
Xie Chaochao shook her head. "I've never seen her before. My father said that my mother went to a faraway place!"
Xie Chaochao was no longer a child. She might have been fooled by Xie Zhou when she was young. As she grew older, she understood what her father meant.
However, Xie Zhou had given her a lot more love, which was why the little girl could live a carefree life.
Gu Pei was even more certain of his guess.
She had never seen her mother before?
He recalled that the woman had passed away not long after her child was born.
Her child was also gone not long later.
Was the child gone? Or was the child lost?
Gu Pei didn't continue to probe further. Instead, he told the little girl about something else.
"Brother Gu Pei, do you go to many places? Can you tell me about the outside world?"
Xie Chaochao asked curiously, "The farthest that I've been to was our county town. I really want to know what it's like outside!"
Gu Pei broke into laughter. Perhaps only in such a simple village would the little girl be so naive and carefree!
Gu Pei told her about the places he had been to and the things he had done. The little girl was stunned when she heard that.
At some point, the sky had already darkened.
Xie Chaochao jumped to her feet. "This is bad! Daddy should be coming to look for me soon! I'm going back. I'll come and see you tomorrow!"
Gu Pei smiled as he watched the little girl run out of the cave. She then ran back, picked up the lunch box, and ran out again.
"Brother Gu Pei, goodbye!"
On the way back , Xie Chaochao ran into Xie Zhou, who had come up the mountain to look for her.
"Why are you running so fast?"
Xie Zhou asked, "Is someone chasing after you?"
Xie Chaochao stuck out her tongue. "No, I'm hungry. I want to go back and eat!"
She didn't dare to let Xie Zhou know that she had rushed back because she was worried that he would find the mother tiger's cave.
Xie Zhou was even more confused. "Didn't you bring a lunch box?"
"I've already finished the food in it!"
The little girl was afraid that Xie Zhou would get to the bottom of this matter, so she didn't say anything else and just ran past him.
Xie Zhou looked up the mountain and followed Xie Chaochao down the mountain.
When they returned, Grandpa had already prepared the food.
After the meal, Xie Chaochao stood up first. "Daddy, let me wash the dishes!"
Xie Chaochao's unusual behavior today made the two adults even more confused.
Previously, Xie Chaochao would only help out when she had any requests.
"Are you hiding something from us?"
Xie Zhou looked at Xie Chaochao suspiciously. She seemed to have changed.
Xie Chaochao shook her head repeatedly. "No, no. Our teacher told us to do something for our parents. I can help Daddy wash the dishes!"
Xie Chaochao ran into the kitchen. She first packed the lunch box and hid it before slowly washing the dishes.