You Si seemed to understand, and asked, "Hey, if I teach them to stand up, does that count as having 'humanity'?"
The old woman looked at the girl before her, unsure whether to laugh or cry. "Silly girl, that isn't just 'humanity.' It ought to be your 'nature,' too. Every one of us needs others to teach us when we come into this world. Otherwise, we're no different from wild beasts. As for you... someone in this world must have taught you once, right?"
"The person who taught me..."
The figure of "Time" instantly surfaced in You Si's mind.
Everything she knew about this world had come from "Time's" mutterings to himself.
Unfortunately, she had never known humans were so fragile-so fragile that they even needed to be taught how to "walk."
"The person who taught me is trapped. I must save him," You Si said.
"So you really are a poor, unfortunate girl." The old woman nodded. "Did you wander here from somewhere? I still have some spare food at home. Would you like to take some?"
"No need." You Si shook her head. "I'm going to teach these two children to stand up now."
The old woman paused at that, then said, "Even if you don't eat, don't the children need to? If you find it troublesome... just wait here. I'll go and fetch it for you."
Watching the old woman walk away, You Si gave a little smile. "I really have learned something interesting in this tribe. I'm in a rather good mood, so I'll spare their lives."
Several incense sticks' worth of time later, the old woman slowly returned with a few coarse-grain cakes in her hands, but the girl and the children were nowhere to be seen.
On a mountain several miles from the tribe.