During lunch the next day, Nancy made a point of watching Mark Xavier, but she didn't see him go out to steal any rice stalks. As they headed to school that afternoon, Nancy whispered to him, "Did you eat lunch?"
Mark nodded, his eyes filled with gratitude. His uncles had come over last night and given his father and stepmother a good scolding. He'd actually gotten to eat today. Even though it was just leftovers, he was already quite content.
'It must have been Nancy and her grandpa,' he thought. 'That's why Grandpa Huxley went to find my uncles. Anyone else would have stayed out of another family's business. Even though Grandpa Huxley isn't from one of the main village families, he's highly respected, and his words carry a lot of weight.'
Nancy breathed a sigh of relief. 'As long as he's eating, that's good.' Seeing Mark still clutching a tiny pencil stub to write, she offered him a new pencil. "Here, use this."
