Lin Jing looked up and glanced over in the direction of the sound.
He saw a familiar figure.
"Isn't that the little girl from my neighbor's house? I remember her name should be Luo Luo."
"How could she be here?"
At that moment, on the side of the street, Luo Luo stood there helplessly, looking down, her small hands tightly clutching the corners of her clothes.
And nearby, a group of people had gathered around.
One middle-aged woman stepped forward and asked softly, "Little girl, why are you here by yourself? Where are your family members?"
The middle-aged woman's voice was very gentle, as if she was afraid of frightening her.
But Luo Luo did not dare to look up and just stood there. Only looking at her white-knuckled hands clutching her clothes revealed that she was becoming more nervous.
Seeing this, Lin Jing walked over.
"Luo Luo."
Lin Jing called out.
The little girl, hearing her name called, hurriedly looked up.
"Uncle Lin."
As the little girl spoke, tears began to stream down her face.
Lin Jing quickened his pace towards her, and the crowd that had gathered made way.
Approaching the little girl, Lin Jing asked,
"Why are you here by yourself? Where is your mother?"
"Uncle, I'm lost and can't find my way home."
"Can you take me home?"
Luo Luo sobbed as she spoke, tears flowing down her cheeks.
"Of course."
Lin Jing said, patting the little girl's head.
"There now, don't cry. Uncle will take you home right away."
"Mm-hmm..."
Luo Luo nodded, then slowly stopped her sobbing.
At this point, the kind person from before spoke up.
"Are you a relative of hers?"
"I am her neighbor, the little girl lives next to my home."
"Oh... quickly take her back to her family then. It's good this happened in Fang Market; it would have been terrible if it were outside."
"The family wasn't careful enough, letting the child wander around outside alone. She's such a cute kid; what would they have done if they lost her?"
Seeing the middle-aged woman meant well, Lin Jing expressed his gratitude.
"Thank you, sister. Don't worry, I will take her back to her family now."
He then prepared to take Luo Luo back.
This time, with a familiar person by her side, she wasn't as nervous.
Luo Luo waved her little hands, thanking the middle-aged woman.
"Thank you, auntie. Luo Luo won't run away again next time."
"Good girl, stick with Uncle Lin on your way home. Next time you go out, make sure to have someone accompany you."
"I'll remember, auntie. Goodbye."
…
While walking on the road, Lin Jing asked again.
"Luo Luo, where is your mother?"
Luo Luo replied, "My mother went to help someone with alchemy."
"How come you're alone on the street?" Lin Jing was puzzled.
"Didn't your mother take you with her?"
"No."
The little girl seemed a bit dejected.
"It wasn't convenient for my mother, so she left me at an inn, saying someone would bring me food."
"I got really bored at the inn, and I saw many kids playing together on the street, so I followed them."
"While playing, I somehow ended up here, and then I couldn't see them anymore and got lost trying to find my way back."
As she spoke, she seemed to remember the events that had transpired, and tears once again began to fall, pitter-patter on the ground.
"Uncle, I won't run away again."
"Don't cry, Luo Luo, Uncle will take you home."
Lin Jing didn't have much experience in comforting children and was somewhat at a loss for what to do besides offering verbal reassurance.
Just then, a hawker's shout on the street caught Lin Jing's attention.
"Candied hawthorn sticks..."
"Deliciously sweet and sour candied hawthorn sticks..."
Lin Jing suddenly had an idea.
"Luo Luo, would you like some candied hawthorn sticks? Uncle will treat you."
The little girl's attention was immediately captured by the vendor selling candied hawthorn sticks, and she forgot about her tears.
"Luo Luo doesn't want candied hawthorn sticks."
Although she said that, the gaze she cast at the candied hawthorns and her bobbing Adam's apple had already betrayed her.
Lin Jing smiled.
"Although it's hard to coax a child, it's easy to deceive one..."
Then he took Luo Luo by the hand and walked toward the candied hawthorn vendor.
"Candied hawthorn seller, two skewers of candied hawthorns, please."
"All right."
"Uncle wants to eat, so we'll each have one. How about you keep Uncle company and we eat together, okay?"
The little girl looked up at Lin Jing and, seeing his serious face, nodded.
"Okay."
Lin Jing took the candied hawthorns and handed one skewer directly to Luo Luo.
The little girl no longer hid her desire and took a bite. It was sour and sweet.
"Uncle, the candied hawthorns are really tasty," she said.
Lin Jing also took a bite and memories immediately flooded his mind.
"Mmm, it's still the same taste, unchanged."
This must be the taste closest to home.
Alone as a foreigner in a strange land.
Often, Lin Jing couldn't help but think of the past, wondering what he would be like now if he hadn't traveled through time...
"Uncle."
A voice interrupted his train of thought.
"Luo Luo, what's the matter?"
"Uncle, are you missing home too?"
Lin Jing looked surprised, turning to the little girl.
"How did Luo Luo know?"
"My mother, when she misses home, she acts just like Uncle does."
Lin Jing asked, "Then why doesn't she go home?"
The little girl frowned.
"Every time I ask her, she refuses to say."
"Maybe she has her own difficulties," Lin Jing said.
Then there was silence between them, and he didn't know if the little girl understood...
After a long while...
"Luo Luo, are the candied hawthorns tasty?"
"Tasty."
"Then will you accompany Uncle again next time?"
"Okay..."
......
Upon returning to the alley, they arrived at Luo Luo's home. The courtyard door was locked.
It seemed that Luo Luo's mother had not yet returned.
So, Lin Jing took Luo Luo back to his own home first.
He told the little girl to play in the courtyard by herself, while Lin Jing picked up the Pill Scripture to read. His conversation with Elder Yu that day had given him a deeper understanding of the way of alchemy.
Time flew by and soon the sun was setting.
Cooking smoke had already started rising outside. Lin Jing looked up. Perhaps she was startled today; the little girl was very quiet, playing by herself.
And it looked like Luo Luo's mother hadn't returned yet.
"It's time to cook," Lin Jing said to himself, watching the crimson sunset.
"Luo Luo, keep playing. Uncle will make dinner for you."
"Thank you, Uncle."
The little girl must have been hungry for a while but was too shy to disturb him.
As cooking smoke began to rise, Lin Jing busied himself in the kitchen.
It wasn't long before a delicious meal was served on the table.
Of course, Lin Jing didn't have such culinary skill. It was his predecessor's, and now that he had inherited everything from his predecessor, it naturally became his.
"Uncle, the rice at your home is so fragrant, much more than the rice at my home," said the girl.
"It's fragrant, indeed. Eat more if you like it," Lin Jing said with a smile.
This was Medium Grade Spirit Rice. On the outskirts of Fang Market, there likely weren't many families that could afford Medium Grade Spirit Rice.
"And..." the little girl continued.
"The food you make tastes much better than my mother's. Although she is pretty, her cooking isn't tasty at all."
"Oh, and Uncle, my mother is really beautiful, not at all like what you've seen. She also told me not to tell others," the girl confided.
Lin Jing was stunned.
"I didn't expect to hear this secret."
"Uncle, you mustn't tell my mother, okay?"
"Don't worry, Luo Luo, I definitely won't tell anyone," Lin Jing assured her.