The Bet

"It is not!" Deng Tianxin pouted. "I saved this myself! I spent the whole year helping people around here with chores to scrape it together. Uncle Village Chief, take this to fix the village roads, and the roof at Grandma San's place by the village entrance needs patching, and Xiao Huzi needs a new pair of shoes..."

He counted them off on his fingers one by one, all matters concerning the various households in the village.

The village chief clutched the small cloth bag, his hands trembling, his eyes turning red.

"You child..." The village chief's voice was a bit hoarse. "You can't even feed yourself, yet you saved all this..."

"I eat plenty," Deng Tianxin grinned, revealing a mouthful of small white teeth. "I'm so capable, how could I not be well-fed?"

Bibi Dong stood to the side, silently watching this scene.

She felt as if something had gently bumped against a spot deep within her heart.

This feeling was very strange.

Just an hour ago, this little brat was still putting on a show of crying and acting aggrieved in front of her, his acting so exquisite that she had nearly lost her composure on the spot.

Yet now, he was handing over the dozen or so silver soul coins he had painstakingly saved for a year to this impoverished village without even blinking.

She even noticed that the silver soul coins in that cloth bag were of varying sizes; some were heavily worn, while others were relatively new, clearly gathered over a long period of time.

A six-year-old child, having saved over a dozen silver soul coins.

What did this mean?

How much labor must he have performed for others?

In a poor place like this, where even the adults couldn't get enough to eat, it was already impressive for a child's labor to earn a single copper soul coin.

A dozen silver soul coins was likely his entire life's blood for the whole year.

Bibi Dong's opinion of Deng Tianxin had already shifted; she felt this child was quite remarkable.

The village chief gripped the small cloth bag for a long time before carefully tucking it into his tunic. He turned to face Bibi Dong and suddenly bent at the waist, bowing deeply.

Bibi Dong was so taken aback by this sudden grand gesture that she took half a step back. "What are you doing?"

"Miss," the village chief straightened up, his eyes filled with pleading. "I can tell you are no ordinary person. The clothes you wear, the aura you carry—none of this could be cultivated in a poor place like ours. It is little Tianxin's good fortune to be able to follow you."

He paused, his voice trembling slightly. "This child has had a hard life, his origins unknown. He has stayed with me for a year, and I have treated him like my own son, but I also know I cannot raise him well. The village is too poor; it has nothing to give him."

"Uncle Village Chief..." Deng Tianxin looked up, his small mouth pressed tightly shut.

The village chief reached out to stroke Deng Tianxin's head, his rough palm rubbing gently over that soft hair. "This child is a bit mischievous, and sometimes he can make a person angry enough to die, but his heart is not bad. He is a rare, good child in this world. Miss, I beg you, treat him well."

"I will," Bibi Dong said softly.

Only after the words were out did she realize her tone was much gentler than she had imagined.

She secretly thought to herself that she would give Deng Tianxin a spanking once they returned.

The village chief bowed again, and this time, Bibi Dong did not dodge.

"Also," the village chief lowered his voice, glancing at Deng Tianxin nearby to confirm he was squatting on the ground teasing ants before continuing, "this child has never once spoken of where he came from or who his parents are. Whenever I ask, he changes the subject, and if I press him, he cries. I suspect... something must have happened to his family. If you have the heart, Miss, please help him find his kin. If you can't find them, then... then just let it be."

Bibi Dong nodded slightly, committing this detail to memory.

After bidding the village chief farewell, the two left Iron Ox Village.

As they stepped out from the shade of the old locust tree at the village entrance, Deng Tianxin suddenly stopped and looked back.

The village lay quietly in the afternoon sun; the old folks sunning themselves at the entrance were still there, and the village chief stood under the old locust tree, waving at them.

Bibi Dong looked at Deng Tianxin and said with a smile, "What is it? Reluctant to leave?"

Deng Tianxin thought for a moment and told the truth: "A little, but I must leave."

"Why must you go?" Bibi Dong asked.

Deng Tianxin tilted his head to think, then grinned. "Because you, Auntie, are taking me to Spirit Hall. If I don't go, you'll get angry, and when you're angry, you'll hang me from a tree for the night."

Bibi Dong looked at the overly bright smile on his face and knew he was deflecting.

But she did not press him further.

Everyone had their own secrets, even a six-year-old child.

"Let's go." Bibi Dong turned and walked forward.

Deng Tianxin shouted toward the village chief, "Uncle! When I come back, I will definitely make the village better!"

The village chief stood under the old locust tree, and upon hearing that shout, he was stunned for a moment before his mouth spread into a grin.

The smile unfolded across his wrinkled face like an autumn chrysanthemum. He raised the back of his rough hand to wipe the corner of his eye and nodded vigorously.

"Good! Uncle will wait!" The village chief's voice drifted over on the wind. "You brat, you must keep your word!"

"I will!" Deng Tianxin cupped his hands around his mouth like a megaphone and shouted back in his milky voice, "I, Deng Tianxin, never lie! If I lie, I'm a little puppy!"

Bibi Dong let out a soft huff beside him and glanced at him sideways. "Are you sure? That act you put on in front of me today—was that not a lie?"

Deng Tianxin looked at Bibi Dong, unconvinced. "I keep my word. When I return here again, I will make this village prosperous."

After hearing Deng Tianxin's words, Bibi Dong wore an expression of disbelief.

The future was truly hard to predict; perhaps experiencing certain things would change Deng Tianxin.

"You say you want to make this village prosperous?" The corners of Bibi Dong's mouth curled up slightly, carrying a hint of amusement. "You, a six-year-old brat, how do you intend to do that?"

Deng Tianxin looked up at Bibi Dong and said, "I can't do it now, but I definitely will in the future. Don't look down on me, Auntie. My word is my bond; once I, Deng Tianxin, say something, it's like spilled water—it can't be taken back."

"Fine," Bibi Dong crouched down so that her eyes were level with Deng Tianxin's. "Then I'll make a bet with you."

"What kind of bet?" Deng Tianxin's eyes lit up instantly.

"I'll give you ten years. After ten years, you come back and fulfill what you said today. If you can truly make Iron Ox Village prosperous—it doesn't need to be wealthy, just as long as the roads are repaired, the houses are renovated, and the villagers can eat their fill and dress warmly—then you win."

Deng Tianxin blinked. "And if I win, what's the reward?"

Bibi Dong thought for a moment and said, "If you win, I will grant you one condition. Any condition at all."

"Any condition?" Deng Tianxin's eyes shone like two stars.

"Any condition." Bibi Dong nodded, then added, "Of course, provided that the condition isn't too excessive. For example, if you want me to die, that won't do."