Chapter 21: Everyone Is a Liar

All alone, the little one spent her days teasing fish, playing with cats, eating on schedule, and sleeping on time.

As the searing heat of summer gradually faded, the crisp autumn arrived in silence. Little Taro and Uncle Yu were long overdue in their return. Every day, the little one would trail behind Mother Wang, asking, "When will Little Taro be back? Little Taro... Little Taro..." She never tired of asking three or five times a day.

Mother Wang, too, never found the little one tiresome. Each time, she would patiently repeat the same reason: "Little Taro and her father have returned to their ancestral home in the countryside to pay respects to their ancestors."

Whether out of forgetfulness or some other reason, the little one would dejectedly leave the kitchen whenever she heard Mother Wang’s explanation, wandering to the corner of the wall to play with the silent ants.

One day, having nothing to do, the little one wandered aimlessly around the manor, plucking leaves and pinching petals. Without realizing it, she found herself in the backyard. Just as she realized she had strayed into a terrifying place, a strange sound caught Ling Wei’s attention: *Woo...* A hoarse, stifled sobbing?

How could that be? That was where Uncle Zhao lived—the "terrorist" who held knives and cut open people’s heads. She took a few steps back, intending to slip away, but then—*ah*—Ling Wei stopped her small feet and stood frozen.

What if it really was Uncle Zhao crying? Although the uncle was frightening, he had always been good to her, to her mother, to her father, to Little Taro, and to everyone in the General’s Mansion. Hmm, the kind-hearted little one decided to muster her courage and go inside to see.

Ling Wei tiptoed and pushed open the partially closed door, inching toward the source of the sound. *Poof*—a large wooden board blocking her view was blown away by a sudden gust of wind.

The little one covered her face in terror. As the gust passed, her small body fell into an embrace reeking of alcohol. "Hiccup, Little Mistress, why are you hiding here in silence? Hiccup."

Without waiting for an answer, Zhao Meng rambled on to himself, "Little Mistress is also because the Princess and the General went missing..." Ling Wei opened her bright, snow-clear eyes wide, speaking in disbelief: "The General and the Princess are missing? When did this happen?"

The drunken Zhao Meng, as if he had found a confidant, spilled everything he knew like beans from a bag. "Little Mistress, do you think our Princess and General will come back? They will come back, right?"

"They can't bear to leave you, Little Mistress, so they will definitely come back. They will come back." Muttering this phrase over and over, the drunken Zhao Meng passed out completely. He had no idea what unpredictable and irreparable consequences his drunken words would unleash!

The little one gripped Zhao Meng’s arm, her hands and feet ice-cold. She gripped so hard that the blue veins were clearly visible beneath her chubby, fair, and tender little hands!

"Father and Mother are missing? Their fate is unknown? Is it possible they will never come back?" These thoughts swirled in the little one’s mind, crushing her delicate nerves. She had waited with her whole heart for her parents to return home, keeping her promise to her father every day, never missing a meal. Even with Little Taro away, she had tried hard to live with a smile.

Why, when she had been so obedient and kept her word by waiting at home, had her father and mother broken their promise again? Her father and mother were liars! Mother Wang was a liar too! Uncle Zhao as well! They were all lying to her, bullying her because she was young! She hated it! She hated it the most!

Struggling, she pried open Zhao Meng’s thick arms. Her eyes were misty, and everything before her blurred. Once again, the little one, feeling abandoned and furious, bolted out. She ran and ran, not knowing what she had bumped into on the way, nor how many times she had fallen to the ground, running mechanically and in despair.