Wading Village's mornings were always awakened by a few rooster crows.
After making do for half the night in a broken thatched shack at the village entrance, dawn was only just beginning to break.
Su Li's stomach growled loudly. What Saina had said yesterday about stealing roast chicken had been complete nonsense—she couldn't resist eating it herself first and had only given him a bit of the rump.
In the end, he could only gulp down two mouthfuls of cold water by the well. Now Saina tugged him by the hand and openly headed toward the blacksmith's shop at the eastern end of the village.
In the courtyard, Martha was carrying a battered wooden basin, scattering chaff.
As she scattered it, she muttered curses under her breath, presumably blaming Old Buck for not doing any work.
Saina pushed open the courtyard gate. The wooden door creaked, and when Martha looked up, the basin in her hands dropped to the ground with a clatter.
Chaff spilled all over the ground, and several old hens came flapping over to fight for the feed.
Martha did not look at the chickens. She stared fixedly at the man standing beside Saina.
Saina clasped all ten of Su Li's fingers tightly in hers. The two held hands, plain as day.
Martha stood there dumbfounded for a while, then wiped her hands haphazardly on her apron and rushed over in two or three strides. She grabbed Saina's arm and tried to drag her into the inner room.
"You little brat! You vanish for one night, and where did you bring back a whole living man from?"
Saina refused to move, rooted to the spot. Not only did she refuse to go, she pulled Su Li in front of herself instead and thrust out her not-so-full chest.