Feng Ling looked at the old woman and calmly replied, âItâs just a bag and I just took it back for you. We wonât meet again, so my name is not important and there is no need for you to know it.â
The old woman was still staring at her face, her hand was holding on to Qin Qiu who was also a little bit lost, and she whispered, âLook at him. Doesnât he look like you when you were a child? He really looks like you in your teens ...â
Qin Qiutun paused and whispered, âYes, a little bit. I was also surprised.â
âJust a little bit? Youâve forgotten what you looked like when you were young, but I am your mother. I remember what you looked like at every age. This kid... really looks like you in your teens... He looks more like you even than Mingzhu... Mingzhu is more like her father, but this kid... looks really like you.â The old woman grabbed Qin Qiuâs arm with excitement and said, âDo you think there is a miracle in this world? Will my poor granddaughter not...â
âMom, this is obviously a boy. Although he looks like me, what I lost is a daughter.â Although Qin Qiu also felt a bit unbelievable and excited, it had been so many years. She calmed down. âI know that you just remembered these things again, but there are many people in the world who look alike. The child fell into the vast sea and there is probably is no chance for her to survive. If it werenât for this, I would have been practicing Buddhist devotions all these years. Thatâs just because I hope Buddha can bless my poor child. But my child is a girl, a lovely little princess. Mom, donât mistake someone who looks a bit like me as your granddaughter. â
âNo, no one looks like you more than him.â The old woman was still agitated and her eyes were glued on Feng Ling.
Being stared at by the old woman, Feng Ling felt her hair stood on end. She couldnât tell what it was like. This was different from the murderous and hostile looks of her enemies.
âKid...â The old woman pushed Qin Qiuâs hand away, tremblingly approached Feng Ling, and stretched out her hand to hold hers, but Feng Ling abruptly avoided her hand and looked at her very alertly and keenly. Even though it was just an old lady, she still hated touching strangers.
Seeing the boy didnât seem to like being touched and his eyes were so cold and sharp, the old lady calmed down a little but still gazed at her face carefully as if she had forgotten the bag that was left beside her. Looking at her face, she asked gently, âKid, may I ask how old you are?â
Feng Ling paused and replied, âSeventeen.â
âSeventeen?â
Feng Ling nodded and at the same time saw a gleam of disappointment and sadness flashed through the old womanâs eyes.
âTwenty?â The old lady sighed. âThe age is not right... My granddaughter should be eighteen.â
Feng Ling didnât speak.
She wasnât sure about her own age. After all, she lived in the jungle with wolves before she was five years old. At that time, she didnât know a year had 365 days. In the jungle, she could only see the sun rise and fall and couldnât count the exact number of days. And when those gangsters took her out of the jungle, they thought she was only five years old because she was very short in stature at the time and set a random date as her birthday.
However, she wasnât sure how old she actually was based on her physical development and height.
But she should have nothing to do with the old lady.
So she only looked at the old womanâs disappointed face.
The old woman thought for a while, then raised her eyes and looked at her face. âBut you look really like...â
âGranny, who did you say I look like?â Feng Ling didnât understand her.
When the old lady heard that the child called her âGrannyâ, her eyes reddened and she reached out to take her hand.
Maybe because the old lady looked too excited, and her hand was trembling, although Feng Ling was very sensitive, she resisted the urge to push her away. She looked at the red-eyed old woman and, for some reason, she didnât have the heart to let her down. She supported her who immediately held her wrist tightly.
âAre you a boy?â The old woman stared at her face. âHow could there be such a beautiful boy? You are fair and tender-skinned and look even better than a little girl.â
Before Feng Ling answered, the slightly younger policeman standing next to her laughed and said, âGranny, he wonât take it as a compliment. For us men, no matter how old we are and how fair-skinned we are, weâre still men. The last thing we want to be questioned is our gender. I also looked good when I was a teenager. But if anyone said I looked like a girl, I would only be pissed off and jumped in anger.â
The old woman paused and seemed to realize that her words werenât proper, so she withdrew her hands reluctantly but her eyes were still glued to Feng Lingâs face as if still waiting for an answer.
Feng Ling hesitated for a while. Even to those she was familiar with, she would just tell them she was a boy. It was surely impossible for her to tell her secret to a stranger who she had never seen before.
âGranny, where I work only accepts men. If Iâm a woman, I wouldnât be able to help you chase the robbers, so how could I be a woman?â Feng Ling didnât know why she, who was always indifferent to people, was so patient to this old woman and even spoke with a bit euphemism.
Qin Qiu came over, held the old woman who looked a bit disappointed and looked at Feng Ling. Perhaps because this boy was a little like her when she was young, she felt particularly close to him.
âSorry, little brother, my mother is too excited.â Qin Qiu looked at Feng Lingâs face and couldnât help feeling a bit emotional, but it wasnât the right time to be emotional now, so she said politely, âItâs getting late. Have you eaten yet? In order to thank you, could we invite you to have a meal with us? Letâs be friends. I think you should also be Chinese. Itâs such a coincidence that we met in the United States and it is even more unusual for us to meet in this way. By the way, if it is convenient, please give me your phone number so that we can contact you in the future.â
Feng Ling said indifferently, âNo, you donât have to be so grateful. I just did you a little favor. If you donât have anything else, Iâm leaving.â
After that, she turned around and was about to go, not planning to stay anymore.
For some reason, the way the old woman looked at her made her feel very uncomfortable. She couldnât tell why, but she instinctively didnât want to continue to stay in this situation that made her feel uncomfortable.