"Not quite the same?!"

Finally able to join the conversation, Xiao Tian couldn't help but ask after hearing the little girl's mature sigh.

"That's right, the moon here is much colder than at home!" The little girl nodded seriously with a face full of earnest: "The moon at home is also very bright but also very warm!" 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Xiao Tian thought for a bit and realized it was just the little girl's current mindset that differed, a psychological contrast caused because her father, who used to watch the moon with her, was no longer there.

But, at that moment, Xiao Tian couldn't bring himself to speak, afraid of stirring up sad memories for the little girl.

"Big brother, can I ask you a question?"

The little girl kicked absentmindedly at the small stones on the road, her small hands behind her back, and said with pursed lips: "To avoid being bullied, do you have to become very strong?!"

Xiao Tian was taken aback, then immediately understood why the little girl asked this; it must be something Ji Dantong had told her.

However, this is indeed a good question; to avoid being bullied, you need to become stronger than others, right?!

But then, thinking deeper, Xiao Tian felt that this answer wasn't entirely right, so he just replied, "Kind of!"

Hearing Xiao Tian's response, the little girl's little fists clenched tightly: "During the day, that big sister told me that if I go with her, I can become very strong. Then no one would dare to bully mom and my sister!"

"But, if I leave, my sister will have to go hungry, and there'll be no one to wipe mom's tears when she cries!"

Upon hearing the little girl's words, Xiao Tian's nose couldn't help but turn sour, and he immediately asked, "So, do you actually want to go with that big sister?"

"How could I!"

The little girl shook her head without hesitation: "If possible, I really want to stay with mom and my sister forever, but seeing my sister go hungry and cry, and mom hiding alone to wipe her tears, really makes me sad!"

"So..."

Xiao Tian said directly: "So on one hand, you want to leave here and come back strong enough to protect mom and your sister, but on the other hand, you're worried and unwilling to leave them, which makes it hard for you to decide?"

Seeing Xiao Tian understand what she meant, the little girl immediately said: "That's it!"

For Xiao Tian, this actually wasn't a big problem. As long as the girl's mom and sister were taken out of here and a new job arranged for her, all issues could be resolved. But...

"Has your mom ever thought about leaving here?" Xiao Tian asked.

"No!" The little girl said with her head down: "Mom says she is uneducated and can't survive in the big city, she can't get used to it!"

Xiao Tian frowned slightly, beginning to ponder other solutions.

Seeing Xiao Tian looking a bit distressed, the little girl suddenly snapped out of it and said: "I didn't mean to ask big brother for help, I just, just..."

The little girl stammered for half a day, unable to find a reasonable word to accurately express her inner thoughts, and was so anxious sweat almost started to flow.

Seeing this made Xiao Tian chuckle a bit, how could he not see that the little girl just wanted someone to talk to, so he said, "I understand, but I can help you figure something out!"

"Tha-thank you!"

Not sure if Xiao Tian truly understood her meaning, the little girl could only nod and express her thanks.

After a moment of silence, a long chime rang out from the clock tower at the center of town, startling the little girl. She said, "Big brother, I should head back now, or I'll get scolded if I get home late!"

His thoughts interrupted, Xiao Tian had no choice but to temporarily put this matter aside and smiled, "I'll walk you home!"

"No need, big brother!"

Waving goodbye to Xiao Tian, the little girl ran toward home, looking very anxious.

However, when she reached the corner, the little girl suddenly stopped, turned around, and gave Xiao Tian a deep bow, "Thank you, big brother, for listening to me for so long. I'm leaving now!"

With that said, she ran off without looking back, appearing to race against time in her urgency.

...

Watching the petite figure of the little girl disappear, just as Xiao Tian was about to turn to leave, he heard a graceful woman's voice behind him.

"I thought you would have persuaded her not to go with me!"

Turning around, he saw the graceful figure of Ji Dantong and realized he had never noticed when she appeared behind him.

This also confirmed what Duoduo said, that this woman named Ji Dantong really had something remarkable about her.

"Why would you think that?!" Xiao Tian asked with interest.

However, Ji Dantong didn't answer his question, she just said, "I'm going to her house, want to come?"

"Sure!"

Without much hesitation or dismissal, Xiao Tian agreed directly and followed Ji Dantong as they headed toward the little girl's home.

——

On the way, Xiao Tian used the phone he bought that afternoon to send a text message to Lin Bingxuan and Melinda, then he followed Ji Dantong through twists and turns, getting lost like entering a maze.

"Do you remember the way back?" Ji Dantong teased as she looked at Xiao Tian who was following leisurely behind, "If you can't find your way out later, I'm not responsible for taking you back!"

"Just worry about yourself!" Xiao Tian replied with a chuckle, "Just don't take the wrong turn!"

"I won't... ah!"

Boasting, Ji Dantong then ran headfirst into an adobe wall in front of her, letting out a cry as she smacked the yellow dust off her forehead.

"Hahahahaha!"

Xiao Tian couldn't help but burst into laughter, "Are you kidding?!"

Ji Dantong's face turned red and white, biting her lips in anger. Why is it that whenever she's with him, misfortune always seems to find her?!

Moreover, what was she just thinking about that she made such a silly mistake?

Thinking it over, Ji Dantong decided to ignore the person laughing wantonly and focused all her attention on following the markings left earlier for the girl, heading to the place she sensed.

After turning seven or eight corners, Ji Dantong, who was walking ahead, suddenly stopped, facing a building that could barely be called a house.

It was the same adobe walls as the surrounding area, the walls had been eroded by wind and rain, pit-marked and uneven, exposing the wheat straw mixed into the wall, and most astonishingly, the house had only three walls, with the remaining wall being so dilapidated that it seemed it would collapse with just a little force.

The house appeared from the outside, where tarps used to shield against wind and rain could be seen everywhere, looking like patches covering the house, making it seem as if one was in a slum.

Xiao Tian's smile vanished upon seeing the house, his eyes turning to other nearby houses, which, though similarly old, were not as dilapidated.

By common sense, the little girl's family, which made a living doing business, shouldn't live in such conditions. Especially given it's Kunlun Mountain, which is frequented by endless streams of tourists. If they couldn't make money in such a favorable location, no one would believe it.