The woman held the girl in her arms and watched Li Long warily.
Li Long felt there was no need for him to play the villain, so he explained:
"Ma'am, I was riding my bicycle over here just now when your child darted out from over there. I almost hit her... Could you check whether she's hurt?"
Staged accidents weren't a thing yet. The child hadn't let Li Long look at her earlier, so he couldn't tell whether she had twisted anything.
"Oh..." The woman hurriedly looked the child over, feeling her all over and questioning her in a low voice.
Both wore ragged clothes, already patched upon patches, and now sporting several more holes.
Neither had washed her hair in days. Their faces were covered in dust, and their cloth shoes had split open. That was manageable in summer, but come winter...
Li Long couldn't bear to think any further.
"My girl's all right," the woman finally said. "Brother, are... are you all right?"
"I'm fine too." Li Long waved a hand. "Your child was gleaning wheat, wasn't she? The wheat ears are still on the road. Take them back."
Since nothing was wrong, Li Long felt relieved. He went back onto the road and began picking up the vegetables he had dropped.
The woman brought the child to the roadside but didn't hurry to collect the wheat ears. With a finger in her mouth, the girl stared longingly at a tomato lying on the ground.
Li Long noticed and felt a little bad, so he picked up the tomato and said:
"Here, little girl. You can have this."
Delight first appeared on the child's face, then she gave Li Long a wary look before turning to her mother.
Guilt, wariness, and unease showed on the woman's face. She