Chapter 20: Tears

When Lin Xin saw him working diligently, she was too embarra.s.sed to idle about . Since she didn’t eat anything for breakfast and her body was already malnutritioned, Lin Xin started to feel dizzy when she got to work . When Zhao Qiang noticed her sitting on the mud while gasping, he laughed at her and teased, “I can do much more than you . ” He didn’t forget to toss another shovel full of dirt to boast his strength .

Lin Xin asked, “Are you often punished like this?”

Zhao Qiang retorted, “It’s none of your business . ”

Lin Xin no longer asked . The Dean must have punished him in the past by sending him to these fields . It was no wonder the boy feared the Dean . Lin Xin rested for a while before continuing to till the soil . For the entire morning, the two children managed to loosen half of the field’s soil .

The sun hung high in the sky, giving off

a scorching heat wave . Lin Xin could hardly move; she sat down underneath a tree’s shade and gasped for breath . If only she had some water and a steamed bun to enjoy right now .

Lin Xin painted an image of a pastry in her mind to satisfy her hunger . Underneath the scorching sun, her cheeks began to scorch scarlet, until a shadow cast over her . She saw that Lin Xinyu stood in front of her while holding two boiled eggs .

“These are for you . ”

Lin Xin looked at the two eggs in his hand with caution, as if they were made of dangerous fire . She dared not to touch them .

Lin Xinyu hurriedly asked, “Is two not enough for you? This is all I have for now . ”

Lin Xinyu was still vigilant as she stared at the food he offered . She reached out with her hand, and then shrank back, not daring to take it . Eggs and apples were luxury

luxury goods in this orphanage, and she knew this more than anyone . How did he get it? If she didn’t know the source of such precious food, she knew that she didn’t have the right to consume it .

While Lin Xin hesitated, Zhao Qiang strode over and quickly s.n.a.t.c.hed eggs from Lin Xinyu’s hands . He kneaded an eggsh.e.l.l off and swallowed one of the boiled eggs in a bite . By the time Lin Xinyu reacted, he had already eaten one .

Lin Xinyu shouted, “This is not for you . Give it back!”

Zhao Qiang gave a brutish smile and said, “I won’t give to you, definitely won’t give it; it’s mine now…” As he spoke, he began to de-sh.e.l.l the last piece .

When Lin Xinyu saw that he refused to give it back, he anxiously reached out to try to s.n.a.t.c.h the boiled egg himself . Zhao Qiang did not expect him to have the courage to retaliate this time . Since his guard was down, Lin Xinyu

Lin Xinyu was able to knock the bully down, and soon, the two boys were brawling on the ground .

Earlier, when Zhao Qiang suddenly took the eggs, Lin Xin felt relieved since she didn’t have to make a choice . But she also didn’t expect that Lin Xinyu would quarrel with him for two eggs . Both she and Zhao Qiang were currently subject to their penalty; if a fight like this were to be discovered by the Dean once again, they would have to spend another day tilling the soil .

Lin Xin loudly exclaimed, “Don’t fight! Zhao Qiang, if you still want to till the fields tomorrow, then you go ahead and hit him . ”

Zhao Qiang didn’t really want to find trouble with Lin Xinyu for now . After hearing Lin Xin’s reasoning, he simply loosened his grip on the boiled egg and returned it to Lin Xinyu .

Since Lin Xinyu got back what he wanted, he no longer entangled with Zhao Qiang . He handed the boiled

handed the boiled egg over to Lin Xin as if he was offering a treasure . “Quickly eat it . ”

The egg was squashed and unsightly, like a piece of dirt . Although she could not bear to waste it, she still did not accept it .

Lin Xinyu carefully asked, “You don’t like it? I’ll go look for apples instead . ”

Lin Xin finally nodded and said, “I like it . ” She took the egg and slowly stripped off the sh.e.l.ls, then consumed it bite by bite .

Why does it taste salty? Somehow, her tears fell onto the egg as she ate each piece .

How long has it been since she last cried? The last time she shed tears was when her parents died . It had been so long ago that she had forgotten what it was like to cry .

In fact, this feeling wasn’t so bad . It was natural for a person to cry when worries burden his or her mind .