Chapter 56: Could He Be Mute?
Silently signaling Yu Luo to take out a clean set of clothes, Yu Haojie used a small pot of water warmed on the brazier to wipe down the boy’s body and change him into dry clothes before letting him sleep again.
Seeing her father busy himself half the night for a child they didn’t even know, Yu Luo couldn’t help but shake her head with a wry smile.
She was willing to bet that if they weren’t being exiled, her parents would definitely make up for their past regret of not having more children. Look at her father—how much he adored children!
The next morning, when everyone in the tent woke up, they stared at Yu Luo’s family of three with uniform expressions of suspicion.
“Second Brother, Second Sister-in-law, where did this child come from?”
Wang Ying and her sister-in-law Wu Hongping had gotten up early to prepare hot water and breakfast, only to see a child sleeping snugly between the couple. Unable to contain her curiosity, Wang Ying finally asked.
“Picked him up outside by the rocks last night when we went out to relieve ourselves,” Yu Haojie replied casually.
“Heh, you’re so kind-hearted. Why don’t you use that kindness to take care of your stroke-ridden, paralyzed father-in-law instead? We’re supposed to be exiled criminals, yet you have the leisure to adopt a stray kid—how noble of you!”
Yu Luo had just mentioned yesterday that the old hag Chen seemed to have quieted down a bit. Who knew she would start stirring up trouble again so soon?
“Mother, don’t bother with her. Arguing with people like that is just a waste of energy. I’ll go fetch some water to boil. You and Dad can fold up the bedding,” Yu Luo said, cutting off her mother before she could start a shouting match with Chen Shi.
“Right, no need to waste words on them. Go ahead,” Ye Jiamei huffed, glancing disdainfully at Old Madam Chen.
“No need, I already heated some water. You can go wash up outside in a bit,” Wang Ying offered hastily.
“Thank you, you’re always so diligent every day.”
“You’re too polite, Second Sister-in-law. It’s no trouble at all, just an extra pot of water. Besides, our family also bought an iron pot now—makes things a lot easier. Plus, there’s a spring down by the hillside. The water tastes much better than melted snow,” Wang Ying replied with a smile.
As everyone busied themselves, the boy that Ye Jiamei had brought back also woke up. However, he simply stared at Ye Jiamei, Yu Luo, and Yu Haojie in silence, although he did seem to be in much better spirits than last night.
“Can’t you see? We’re on our way to exile. Why did you follow us so far from the town? If you wanted to follow us, why didn’t you just call out? Hiding behind those rocks like a fool—if we hadn’t come by last night, you’d have frozen to death out there!”
Ye Jiamei clicked her tongue, both exasperated and heartbroken, as she looked at the boy sitting quietly and watching Yu Haojie pack up the bedding.
“Mother, I think this child probably doesn’t have any family left. It’s quite pitiful. Maybe we should try to find him a good family to adopt him along the way?” Yu Luo suggested gently as she handed a bowl of porridge to Ye Jiamei.
Hearing this, the boy turned his head to look at Yu Luo. As Yu Luo handed him the bowl, she suddenly found herself staring into a pair of eyes as dark as obsidian—deep and mesmerizing.
Now that his face was clean, his pale skin, high nose bridge, and soft red lips made his delicate features even more striking. Yu Luo was momentarily stunned by the boy’s beauty.
“Hey, Lady Lan, could it be that this boy is mute? He’s been awake for quite a while now, but he hasn’t said a single word. No wonder he’s so pretty—turns out he can’t even speak!”
Second Brother Yu’s wife, Liu Lan, walked over with a look of awe. Despite being stunned by the boy’s appearance, her tone was full of regret once she realized he might not be able to speak.
“No way! Maybe he’s just shy and too scared to talk,” Ye Jiamei protested, quickly placing her bowl of porridge in the boy’s hands.
“Come on, eat something quickly. If the guards call for us to move soon, we can’t afford any delays. We’ll be walking on rough trails, and there won’t be any food along the way. Fill up your stomach first, or you won’t have any strength.”
The boy glanced down at the bowl of porridge, then slowly picked up the spoon and began to eat.
Seeing him eat, Ye Jiamei and Yu Luo both broke into relieved smiles.
“Here, have a meat bun too. Bought it fresh from the town yesterday. Just porridge isn’t enough,” Yu Luo said, slipping a meat bun into the boy’s hand.
The boy accepted it, lowered his eyes, and took small bites, eating quietly.
“Wow, he really might be mute! At least he’s not deaf. But honestly, such a pretty boy, you can’t just leave him with any random family,” Liu Lan remarked with a sigh.
“Why not?” Ye Jiamai asked curiously as she ate. She’d heard that pretty girls weren’t safe, but she didn’t see how a young boy could be at risk.
“Haven’t you heard of ‘little companions’? Some places raise pretty boys just for wealthy men to… you know,” Liu Lan said with a meaningful shake of her head.
Ye Jiamei and Yu Luo were speechless.
After saying her piece, Liu Lan shuffled back to her own family, the heavy shackles on her ankles clinking with each step.
“Ah, what a waste—such a good-looking kid. Lady Liu’s right, though. Our town used to have a place like that, where rich men from the county would go to have their fun,” Wang Ying remarked with a regretful shake of her head, her gaze lingering on the boy’s face.
“Alright, that’s enough! Stop talking about that in front of the child,” Ye Jiamei snapped, frowning when she saw the boy’s movements slow down at the mention of such things.
“Are you really mute? We’re going to be exiled to the wildlands. You can’t follow us. Even if what they said might happen, it’s still a slim chance.
How about this—when we pass by a village, we’ll find a decent family to take you in. We’ll even give them some money so they won’t think of selling you,” Yu Luo suggested softly.
From what she could tell, the boy looked no older than eleven. He was so thin and small that it tugged at her heartstrings. In her eyes, he was just an elementary school kid—way too young to be alone.
After breakfast, they packed up the bedding, pots, and pans into their bags. With everyone’s help, they also managed to fold up the massive tent.
Though the tent weighed fifty or sixty pounds, no one was willing to abandon it. After all, once night fell, it would prove its worth tenfold.
