Rebirth and Rewriting Fate

Gu Ruoxiao took out a dagger from her bosom and placed it in Ye Xingchen's hand. "This dagger is for self-defense, not for killing."

Ye Xingchen's memory flashed, "Here's a dagger for you. Use it to protect yourself."

"How did you know about this dagger?" She stared blankly at Gu Ruoxiao, her eyes filled with suspicion, uncertainty, and even a hint of surprise. "You, you're that boy from back then?"

Gu Ruoxiao looked straight ahead and said, "That year I was thirteen years old and it was my first time leaving the capital to travel around. Unfortunately, I got separated from my family..."

【remember】

Early winter was still quite cold; the first snow hadn't fallen yet, but the ground was already freezing. A little girl, carrying a small bag, hurried towards Xiyan Mountain, hoping to reach it before the heavy snows blocked the mountain pass. She was currently huddled in a partition in the storage shed outside a dilapidated temple, sheltering from the wind.

Some older children lived in this dilapidated temple; they were all homeless and pitiful. Fortunately, the temple staff only chased them away, not beat them. Staying here didn't bother them, and they wouldn't cause any trouble. The little girl touched her clothes; there was still a large flatbread hidden there. Hmm, enough to last her all the way to Xiyan Mountain.

"Hey! Get out of the way, you can't come in." A voice came from in front of the temple gate. She peeked out and saw a boy who looked about twelve or thirteen years old being pushed out and falling to the ground. Judging from his appearance, he was probably a lost young master from some family. She pulled her head back, deciding not to meddle. She thought she needed to sleep a little longer; she would probably have to find another place to avoid the wind later.

When she opened her eyes again, the boy was still standing at the temple gate. That was a windy spot; was he crazy to stand there all night in the cold?

"Hey," she called out to him, "why don't you want to come over here and get some shelter from the wind?"

The boy thought for a moment, then stepped forward.

"It's so cold there, what are you doing standing there?" the little girl couldn't help but ask.

“The terrain there is high, so I can stand tall and my uncle can see me when he comes looking for me,” the boy said.

"What are you looking at? It's already dark. If you want to stand, do it tomorrow."

The wind was howling, but fortunately this corner seemed to offer some shelter from the wind for now.

"Go to sleep, you won't be cold when you're asleep," the little girl suggested.

In the middle of the night, the little girl reached out to check the wind direction. She shook the boy awake, saying, "Hey, wake up, we need to move to a different spot. It's too windy here."

After changing seats, the space became more spacious. The little girl muttered, "This spot is still the best, but it's too cold during the day because it's a drafty spot."

"Gurgle, gurgle," the boy's stomach rumbled.

The little girl frowned, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Close your eyes and turn away."

The boy was puzzled, but he did as instructed.

She took out a large flatbread from her bosom, took out one piece, and wrapped the other piece up again and put it away.

"You can open your eyes now. Here." She cut the flatbread in half and gave one half to the boy.

The boy looked at the half-eaten pancake in his hand, thought for a moment, put the pancake down, took out a large steamed bun from his sleeve, broke it in half and handed it to the girl.

"If you have food, why are you still hungry?" the girl asked, looking at the steamed bun in her hand.

"I have a big appetite, I'm afraid I'll eat it all and not be able to wait for my family to come looking for me," the boy said.

The little girl chuckled, and the boy's face turned red, whether from the cold or embarrassment, it was hard to tell.

She took all the flatbread out of her arms and gave it to him, then folded her own half flatbread in half and put it away, and returned the half steamed bun to him.

"Alright, now you have one and a half large pancakes and a big steamed bun, enough to keep you full until your family comes looking for you. Eat up!" the little girl comforted her.

"And what about you?" the boy asked, looking at the quarter of the cookie in the little girl's hand.

"I've inquired, and I'll be there in two days. This pancake will last me a day! Don't worry." She waved the pancake in her hand.

"Where are you from?" the boy asked curiously.

"Sifang Town," the girl said while eating a pancake.

“I know, that town is near the capital, I came from the capital,” the boy said excitedly.

The girl smiled.

“After I find my family, we should head south. What about you?” the boy asked.

"I'm heading west."

"Oh, the boat I took when I came here was huge!" The two chatted about what they had seen and heard.

The morning sun shone down. Someone called out, "Young Master, Young Master!"

The little girl opened her sleepy eyes, rubbed them, listened carefully, and then shook the boy awake.

"Go and see if it's your family." Upon hearing this, the boy immediately stood up and ran out.

The little girl peeked out and saw a middle-aged man anxiously checking on the boy in the distance, while an older man was draping a black fur cloak over him. It seemed they had found their family. That's good. "Mommy, I've done another good deed." The little girl looked up at the sky, then quickly packed her things and set off, otherwise she wouldn't make it to her lodging for the night.

"Master, master, we've finally found the young master! You scared this old servant to death!" The old servant wiped away his tears.

“Uncle, a little girl helped me,” the boy said to the man beside him. “Uncle, I’ll take you to see her.” With that, he pulled the man forward.

"This is it." The boy pointed to the spot. "Where is everyone?"

"My young master, you stayed here last night? This is no place for a human to live!" the old waiter said with heartache.

The boy ran outside a bit, looked around, then ran back and asked, "Do you have any dry food on you?"

"Is the young master hungry? Chiwu is nearby. I'll have him go buy some as soon as he returns," the old waiter said.

"Uncle, do you have one?"

The middle-aged man pulled two steamed buns from his pocket. "I only have two steamed buns."

The boy snatched the steamed bun and ran while shouting, "Hey, wait a minute! Wait a minute!"

The little girl heard someone calling her, turned around and stopped. "Are you calling me?" she asked, pointing to herself.

"Yes!" the boy exclaimed breathlessly, "I've found my family."

The girl smiled. "I know, I saw it."

"Here, take this." The boy held up the leftover dry rations from last night and the two steamed buns he had just brought to the girl.

She thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll take my pancake back; that's enough."

The boy took off his cloak and draped it over the girl. "I heard my uncle say that it gets colder the further west you go. You'll need this."

The boy's relatives also came to his side. The boy turned to the middle-aged man and asked, "Uncle, did you bring my dagger?"

The man pulled out a dagger and handed it to him.

The boy placed the dagger in the girl's hand and said, "This is my dagger. I'm giving it to you. I've heard that there's a mountain called Xiyan Mountain to the west, where there are many bandits who burn, kill, and rob. Use this dagger to protect yourself."

The girl gripped the dagger. "Xiyan Mountain isn't..."

"Young Master, Young Master!" A loud shout came from afar. Two boys ran around the corner, and one of them slipped and fell while running.

The boy muttered to himself, "So stupid."

"Young lady, what's your name? Thank you for your help," the middle-aged man, who looked very knowledgeable, asked.

“My mother said that we don’t need to be formal with strangers. It’s just a small favor, and we’re helping each other out.” She brandished the dagger in her hand.

"I have to go, or I'll be late for work." She waved her hand and turned to leave.

The man addressed as "uncle" stroked his beard and said, "To be so open-minded at such a young age, it seems her parents have raised her very well."