"Little girl, don't shoot." The old man kept his voice very low. "Those are all your little brothers and sisters in the house, aren't they?"
"They're all right."
Then an old woman stepped out from behind him.
Her hair was disheveled, but her gaze was remarkably steady.
Behind her, little heads popped out one after another.
"Sister Long!"
"It really is Sister Long!"
"Waaah... Sister Long, I thought you didn't want us anymore either!"
Like a brood of chicks that had been cooped up too long, the children rushed out, crying and shouting.
Little Radish Head ran at the front and barreled into Long Ya's arms, making her whole body sway.
Long Ya lost her footing and staggered back half a step.
Then she bent down and pulled the boy with the cleft lip into a tight hug.
"Stop crying, all of you," she said. "Anyone who keeps crying won't get any instant noodles from now on."
That worked better than any words of comfort.
Little Radish Head was the first to choke back his tears. Then the other children stopped crying one by one, sniffling as they wiped their eyes.
Long Ya looked them over one by one.
Fourteen.
Not one missing.
Xiao Dong had several bruises on his neck, Ya Cai had a fresh bloody mark on one arm, and Xiao Han had a lump on the forehead.
But they were all minor injuries. No bones were hurt.
Only then did she truly breathe a sigh of relief.
"And you are?" She looked at the elderly couple, some wariness returning to her voice.
"My surname is Jiang. Jiang Meng. I'm a Feng Shui Master." The old man limped a step forward. "She's my wife, Zhang Dongyun."
"I used to look into things for people. These days, well, I