Sometimes, Ye Tian really felt that he should be more ruthless, just like Zhang Xiayang or Liu Ping. A bit more cruelty might have spared him many troubles. Looking at the child in front of him, the same age as Shen Jingwei, Ye Tian didn’t know what to do with this child. Killing her would perhaps be the simplest and quickest solution, but his damned kindness started to nag at him from the bottom of his heart.
"Liu Ping’s daughter?"
Xu Qingyang nodded, "Her name is Liu Ling, Liu Ping’s biological daughter. She’s fifteen."
Ye Tian, of course, understood what Xu Qingyang implied by stressing that the girl was fifteen. Fifteen, not five, she had already begun to understand the world, and would certainly know that the man standing before her was the one who killed her father. Perhaps, at this moment, she was already plotting revenge.
For Xu Qingyang, who had spent years navigating worldly society, he really couldn’t comprehend Ye Tian’s hesitation. To not eliminate the roots when cutting the grass, is to let it grow back when the spring breeze blows. This simple truth, he should understand. Moreover, he wasn’t alone now; he had a whole family to look after. Indecisiveness was a trait befitting women, a man, if tied down by kindness or compassion, was definitely not one to achieve great things, he was destined to be a worthless man confined to taking care of his wife and children.
Liu Ling was a pretty girl, faintly displaying the look of a young lady, already as tall as Ye Tian’s chest, a tall girl indeed. Watching her, Ye Tian internally sighed, this woman truly looked different. Liu Ping, from inside out, exuded deceit; yet the girl before him, those blinking large eyes filled with innocence and kindness, with fear swirling in her eyes - such emotions couldn’t be feigned. He didn’t know how Xu Qingyang managed to wreak havoc in bars, but in this girl’s heart, he must have left the image of a bloodthirsty demon.
"If you can’t do it, I will."
Liu Ling’s body visibly shuddered, timidly tilting her head to glance at Xu Qingyang standing beside her, her steps slightly shifting sideways, her eyes even more tear-filled and shiny, as if the slightest movement would cause tears to fall to the ground, shattering into blossoms.
"Let’s take her home first... We can discuss what to do when everyone has gathered."
Ye Tian walked over and took her small hand.
An unexpectedly yet reasonable decision, Xu Qingyang sighed helplessly, turned away, and let the two go. However, moments later, he turned back, eyeing that feeble figure. Clenching his fist, a cold glint appeared in his eyes, he couldn’t tolerate any potentially threatening presence before him. But seeing that tall figure next to the little girl, his clenched fist relaxed again. A complex and indescribable emotion forced him to gradually calm down, the fierce urge to kill inside him slowly subsided, and eventually, he shook his head and walked away.
He didn’t understand why Ye Tian wanted to shelter the daughter of his enemy. It might be understandable if she were younger, but she was already quite grown - why keep her close? If merely out of pity, he even thought Ye Tian might as well become a Monk, which would be much more trouble-free, without the worries of worldly affairs, no need for killing, fully indulging in his kind-hearted nature.
Once a killer, there’s no need for nonsense about laying down the butcher’s knife!
After briefly introducing Liu Ling’s background, Tang Su thought for a while and then nodded, "Things will be busy for a while, let Ling stay with me, she can help with some shopping."
Hearing Tang Su’s words, Liu Ling knelt down immediately, "Thank you, Sister, thank you, Sister!" She wept bitterly, her trembling body laden with fear.
Zhang Houtu watched the girl for a long while without a word, then walked out, followed by Ye Tian.
"Are you really planning to keep him here?" Zhang Houtu asked sternly, his square face seemingly made for military use, now all tightened, looking more like a senior political officer.
Ye Tian pushed his shoulder, handing over a cigarette while peeking through the door crack at the two people talking inside, smiled and said, "It’s just a kid, no worries, don’t be so tense."
"Bullshit, kid!" Zhang Houtu, who never cursed, cursed for the first time at Ye Tian, "Are you really naive or pretending? Haven’t you heard of ’like father, like son’? It’s a bad root, unchangeable!"
"It’s a daughter, not a son."
"You... just keep pretending."
Zhang Houtu glared at him and walked to the main door and left. Ye Tian knew he was probably going to find Zhang Daniu. These two had lately clashed with the old man who set up a chess stall in the alley, playing chess whenever they could.
Ye Tian turned back to look at the two people in the room, it seemed that their communication hadn’t progressed further.
"Ling, sit down, this is your home now, no need to be so nervous."
Although Tang Su’s voice was very gentle, Liu Ling still stood there rigidly, her eyes still filled with innocent fear and trembling. She was unfamiliar with everything here, and everything here was strange to this newcomer, their interaction fundamentally based on an invisible hostility.
Tang Su sat on the chair, watching the trembling Liu Ling, didn’t say anything more about sitting down, but soothingly said, "Ling, from now on we are a family, if you have anything just tell me, if anyone dares to bully you, tell Sister Tang, I’ll definitely stand up for you. How old are you this year?"
Perhaps because they were both women, unlike earlier with Ye Tian and Xu Qingyang, Liu Ling spoke for the first time, "Sister, I’m fifteen this year."
Tang Su smiled, "That’s perfect, you’re fifteen, I’m twenty-five, just right to be sisters. Dear sister, from now on shall we refer to each other as sisters?"
"I... I’d rather be... be your servant, Mrs. Tang."
Seeing Liu Ling’s timid demeanor, Tang Su suddenly felt a pang of heartache, wondering if she had inadvertently hurt the child. If she hadn’t said what she did, this child might not have mentioned being a servant.
Tang Su tentatively tried to take her hands, but they were nervously pulled back, anxiously kept behind her back. Ye Tian saw those little hands vigorously rubbing behind, as if they were stained with something unclean.