Memories (2)

The wind and snow swept through, pressing their thin "clothes" against their small, shivering bodies. The older sister reached out, trying to hold her younger sister tighter and give her what little warmth she could, but her own arms were trembling uncontrollably. The younger girl still tipped up her little face, her crimson eyes filled with nothing but an endless longing for the simple food called "char siu bao," as if it were the warmest, most wonderful thing in the world.

Yun Lan stood beside the main road a few steps away, snow gathering on his shoulders. He quietly watched the two little figures at the mouth of the alley: white-haired, with mismatched eyes, barely clothed, and huddled together for warmth in the cold night. His face showed no obvious emotion. Only the fingers tucked in his pockets twitched almost imperceptibly.

Icy snowmelt slid down his temple again. It was a very cold night. The appearance of the two girls was like a stone tossed into a frozen lake, sending the first silent ripples through his otherwise aimless wandering. He didn't know who they were, where they had come from, or how they had ended up like this. But those two pairs of eyes—one gold, one crimson—so striking in the snowy night, and the trembling words, "I want to eat char siu bao," became etched into that cold night, and into his heart.

"Forget it. As someone raised under the red flag, I just can't stand by and watch this." Yun Lan sighed helplessly.

Seeing that the smaller white-haired girl with golden eyes was about to freeze to death, Yun Lan hurried over.

He quickly took off his coat and draped it over Yi Xuan. Yi Jiang looked as if she wanted to say something, but Yun Lan stopped her with a look.

Yun Lan pulled out his phone and made a call. "Uncle Su, could you come pick me up? I came down the mountain to spend New Year's with my parents. Please hurry, if you can. Bring some thick coats and hot-water bottles in the car. I found two kids."

The voice on the other end replied, "Young Master, you're still a child yourself. Could you please not be so calm about this? You should've told me earlier that you were coming home for New Year's. I'd have come to pick you up."

"All right, all right. Next time, I'll make sure to come sooner." Yun Lan waved dismissively, answering helplessly.

I hung up and looked at the little girl staring at me. "Would you two like to come home with me? Your sister's body temperature is dangerously low. If she keeps living on the streets like this, she won't make it through the winter."

The white-haired girl with crimson eyes, Yi Jiang, looked at Yun Lan, who was only a few years older than her, then at her younger sister, shivering in her arms. She nodded firmly.

She had no choice. The boy was telling the truth; her sister couldn't hold out much longer. Even if it meant walking through fire and water, she would do it for her sister.

And so, Yun Lan took Yi Jiang and Yi Xuan back to the Yun Family villa.

The maid wanted to take Yi Jiang to bathe and clean up first, but Yi Jiang clung tightly to Yi Xuan's hand and refused to let go.

Yun Lan told the maid to leave them alone for now, giving the sisters some time together.

Yun Lan saw Yi Jiang holding Yi Xuan on the sofa and went to see his parents in the study.

As soon as he entered, he heard his mother, Xia Yue, teasing him. "When did our Yun'er learn to pick children up off the street? And two little beauties at that."

Yun Lan replied helplessly, "I don't know if they'll grow up to be beauties, but I couldn't just watch the two little ones freeze to death by the roadside."

Yun Shen said casually, "It's nice to have a kind heart. The Yun Family is well-off; we can certainly afford to feed two more mouths."

"Then, Father, Mother, I'll go check on the sisters." Yun Lan spoke as he left the study.

Yi Xuan was feeling much better now. She gazed curiously at the chandelier on the ceiling and asked her sister, "Sister, where are we? It's so pretty."

Just as Yi Jiang was about to say something while holding her sister—

I came out. "This is Big Brother's home. I brought you two here after finding you outside." Smiling, I gently ruffled the heads of the two little white-haired bundles.

Yi Jiang didn't resist the touch, though she seemed a little embarrassed. Yi Xuan, on the other hand, spoke honestly. "Big Brother's hand is so warm."

I smiled and looked at the white-haired girl with crimson eyes. "What's your name?"

Yi Jiang answered, "My name is Yi Jiang, and my younger sister is Yi Xuan."

"Yi Jiang, Yi Xuan... Those are lovely names. Lovely names indeed."

Wait, Yi Xuan!?

The Yi Xuan who was the thirteenth sect master of Yun Kui Mountain!?

Oh, right. I was in a crossover world. Elysia had already shown up, so having Yi Jiang and Yi Xuan here didn't seem all that hard to accept.

I kept my thoughts to myself and offered the sisters two choices. First, if they didn't want to stay, I'd give them enough money to make sure they had food and clothes. Second, if they wanted to stay, they could remain here as my maids.

Truthfully, I didn't need maids. I was just giving them a way to save face. Girls could be sensitive about such things; this was only an excuse to let them stay.

(There's no way anyone would really make two little white-haired girls into maids, right? That'd be downright monstrous.)

Yi Jiang thought it over briefly. It looked like she had two choices, but in truth, there was only one. A man wasn't guilty of a crime for possessing a treasure, but he could still be punished for it. Two little girls wouldn't be able to protect a large sum of money.

"Then... could we stay and be your maids?" Her heart clenched as she watched every flicker of expression on Yun Lan's face. "Big Brother... you seem like a good person, right?" she added quietly, as if trying to convince herself, or perhaps pleading for confirmation. "After all... you brought us two home, even though we were so dirty... and you didn't mind."

Her words were soft, but they held a cautious hope and a deep sense of inferiority. They knew how wretched they had looked. Someone had brought them home without rejecting them, and given them warmth and food. With their limited understanding, that seemed enough to classify him as a "good person." They had no idea what being a "maid" would involve, whether it would be hard, or what the future might hold. They only felt it was the one thing they could offer in return.

Yun Lan's gaze lingered for a moment on Yi Jiang's tense little face and Yi Xuan's carefree profile. Outside, the snow seemed to be falling harder, pattering against the windows.

I didn't answer Yi Jiang's question. Being maids was only an excuse to let them stay. Instead, I changed the subject. "Just focus on getting better first. We can talk about everything else later."

Yun Lan's answer meant that, at the very least, they had somewhere to shelter from the wind and snow and get enough to eat and wear that night—and for the next few days, at least.

Yi Jiang's tense shoulders relaxed a little. Her future was still uncertain, but the most urgent threat to their survival had passed, for now.

She gently ruffled her sister's hair, then took her to the bathroom to bathe and clean up.