Little did he know that this very thought would leave him weeping every night in the years to come.
"It's late. You should get some rest. But you've been busy all day, so you must be hungry."
Naya walked over and spoke to Ye Lin, then asked with concern, "Have you eaten?" Nearby, the Old Village Chief heard her and glared, his beard bristling. Hadn't he gone a whole day without eating, too?
He hadn't gotten any rest all day, either, had he? Why hadn't his daughter asked him?
"Go eat. I don't need to."
Ye Lin smiled at Naya, then headed toward a certain place.
"I'm leaving. I'll come back tomorrow, so you'd better get some rest."
Ye Lin's voice drifted from the distance.
"Hey! Where are you going in the middle of the night? Aren't you going to sleep?"
Naya shouted after Ye Lin.
"I don't have anywhere to stay. What, should I keep staying at your place?"
After Ye Lin said that, Naya's face turned bright red, and she didn't say another word.
"Father, how about we build him a house?"
Naya turned to look at her father.
The Old Village Chief glanced at Naya, then shook his head and walked away.
"He isn't from here. He'll leave sooner or later, and that day will come soon. There's no need to go to all that trouble. Besides, he wouldn't stay anyway. You should get some sleep."
Hearing her father's words, Naya stood where she was, fingering her white skirt.
That was true. Ye Lin wasn't from here, and sooner or later he would leave. Yet these past few days, she seemed to have grown used to having him around.
What would she do if Ye Lin left one day? Would he take her with him when he