Li Bai had been waiting for her to open her eyes. He had been waiting for four long hours.

  Xiao Qing twisted her body, stretching out a long zy yawn, and then immediately headed for the white, soft steamed bun on the table. It was the first bun made since Li Bai had closed up shop. Xiao Qing ate with great enjoyment, and Li Bai watched her with patience. Neither of them disturbed the other.

  The sun was nearly at its zenith, and the bright sunlight fell just right on the cart in the courtyard.

  “What′s your name?” Li Bai asked, as it′s always good to know someone′s name before starting a conversation. He began with the simplest question.

  “Xiao Qing, you should have heard it st night.” Xiao Qing sucked on her fingers, patting her slightly rounded stomach, and smiled.

  “You really are a lovely child,” Li Bai said with a smile, as children often enjoy praise. This compliment made it easier for him to continue with the conversation, so he adopted a “kind” expression.

  Xiao Qing, however, was straightforward. She turned her head to look at Li Bai and said with a smile, “If you want to ask about what I saw that night, just ask directly.”

  Li Bai chuckled awkwardly, surprised that a child could see through his thoughts so easily. “Alright, then tell me what you saw that night,” he said, his heart full of hope as he waited for her response.

  “That night…” Xiao Qing tilted her head as if thinking hard about something. Li Bai stayed silent, not wanting to interrupt her. “Actually, I didn′t see anything at all,” she said finally.

  Li Bai jumped up from his seat, shouting at Xiao Qing, "What?! You're lying to me!"

  Xiao Qing tilted her head, looking at him with no expression on her face.

  Li Bai suddenly remembered something—the human trafficker had mentioned delivering steamed buns and knew about Kong Qi. If that was true, then...

  "I really didn′t see anything at all," Xiao Qing said again, still looking at Li Bai. But something about the way she said it made Li Bai feel uneasy.

  "Because I'm blind," she added.

  Li Bai's eyes grew wide with shock, as if he were trying to see through her. Xiao Qing′s eyes were so bright, so full of life—how could they possibly belong to a blind person?

  "I know you're skeptical, but you have to believe me, because this is the truth," Xiao Qing said seriously, not at all like someone who was lying. From the stern expression on her face, Li Bai could tell she wasn't joking. He instinctively waved his hand in front of Xiao Qing's face.

  "You don't need to try that. I've been blind for a long time, but my senses are sharp. Nothing can hide from me," Xiao Qing said coldly.

  Li Bai awkwardly withdrew his hand and slowly sat back down on the stool. He was at a loss for words, still trying to process what had just been revealed.

  Xiao Qing continued, her voice calm but filled with a weight of unspoken truths. "I'm almost forty."

  This time, Li Bai didn't jump up in shock, but he sat down hard on the ground, his mouth agape, pointing at Xiao Qing without being able to speak a single word. The revetion hit him like thundercp. How could this young girl, no older than a teenager by appearance, cim to be nearing forty? The contrast was impossible to comprehend.

  His mind raced, struggling to make sense of the mystery unfolding before him, but no matter how much he stared, Xiao Qing's youthful face, with its bright eyes and lively expression, remained unchanged. How could she be so old?

  Li Bai stood frozen in pce, his body involuntarily trembling. The memories of that terrifying night came flooding back in a flood—the image of the woman hanging from the rope, her lifeless body swaying in the darkness. He had fled so quickly that he barely took in anything else. Every time he thought of it, the feeling of dread and nausea gripped him like a vice.

  Xiao Qing, her unseeing eyes still fixed on the archway, spoke again, her tone unwavering. "You don′t remember? The details of that night?"

  Li Bai struggled to control his breathing. He wanted to deny it, to turn away, but something in Xiao Qing's demeanor held him in pce. She wasn′t asking out of curiosity, but with a strange certainty, as though she already knew the truth. The air felt thick with anticipation.

  His throat tightened, but he managed to speak, his voice barely a whisper. "I saw the woman. The one hanging in the dark. But I couldn′t—"

  Xiao Qing turned towards him, her expression unreadable. "And you think that's all there is to it? There's more, much more. Do you feel it? The presence in this pce?"

  Li Bai stared at the archway again, the shadows dancing across its surface, and for a brief moment, it felt as though the darkness itself was watching him back.

  "Sometimes being blind has its advantages; your ears become exceptionally sharp," Xiao Qing said with a smile, pointing to the right. "Have you noticed this?"

  Li Bai looked suspiciously at the spot Xiao Qing was pointing to and leaned in closer.

  A piece of hemp rope dangled down, with the looped end tightly wrapped around Li Bai's neck.

  "Why... why are you doing this?" Li Bai struggled, hanging in mid-air, his face twisted and turning red from the strain.

  "I need a dead person, and that dead person happens to be you," Xiao Qing said, pulling out a red handkerchief from somewhere and gently wiping her nose.

  "Ah... why... why..." Li Bai was still making his st struggle, his tongue slowly stretching out.

  "For a tael of silver!"

  Li Bai could no longer make a sound. Xiao Qing revealed a satisfied smile.