In a quiet open field, not far from the border of Holy Spirit Village, three young children were seen spending time together under the warm sunlight.
"Su Zhi, your stroke is a little wrong in this part. It should be drawn like this," Arthur said gently.
He was teaching a little girl with bright blonde hair to write. The girl had a pair of clear emerald green eyes. At a glance, with such identical hair and eye colors, anyone who saw them would definitely think Arthur and Su Zhi were a pair of twins.
"Like this, Brother? Is it correct now?" asked Su Zhi, looking up and handing her writing to Arthur with a hopeful look.
"Yes, exactly. Now you are starting to write it fluently. Good," Arthur praised, accompanied by a warm smile. The little girl immediately nodded with a beaming face. "Now, try repeating it a few more times so your hand gets more used to it, okay."
After making sure Su Zhi returned her focus to practicing, Arthur's emerald gaze slowly shifted.
Not far from them, sat another little girl who was leaning casually against the trunk of a shady tree. The girl seemed completely immersed in a thick book that was almost half the size of her body. She had long, flowing dark purple hair and a pair of matching colored eyes that looked sharp tracing every line of the sentences.
Unlike Su Zhi who radiated warmth, this purple-haired girl carried a cold and haughty aura that seemed to serve as a warning so no one would dare approach to bother her.
However, such a warning naturally never applied to an Arthur.
He walked casually approaching the girl. He folded his hands behind his back and slightly bent his body to level his gaze with the girl's serious face.
"Do you really like that book, Su Ying?" Arthur greeted, his tone of voice flowing calmly and friendly.
The girl addressed by Arthur raised her gaze slightly to look at Arthur, then continued reading the book. "No, I don't really like this book. I'm only reading it because I've already read all the books you gave me," she said.
"Is that so?" Arthur replied lightly. He walked slowly and seated himself next to Su Ying. "If you need another book to read, you can tell me. I will find it for you. You are indeed a very smart girl," Arthur praised sincerely.
His hand reached out, intending to gently pat the top of the purple-haired girl's head. However, with a lightning-fast movement, Su Ying's tiny hand gripped Arthur's wrist, stopping it mid-air.
"Don't treat me like a little kid. Remember, we are the same age," Su Ying hissed.
Arthur was not intimidated at all. Instead, he chuckled and returned the gaze with an innocent smile. "Hehe, sorry, sorry. I'm just used to doing it to Su Zhi," he chuckled while slowly pulling his hand back.
Before Su Ying could reply, the sound of small footsteps was heard approaching. Both of them turned their heads and found Su Zhi running cheerfully towards them. The blonde-haired girl carried a stack of papers that was now fully filled with neat writing.
"Brother Ah-Long! I have finished everything!" she exclaimed proudly.
Arthur patted the empty space on the carpet next to him. "Come here, sit down. It's time for us to eat first. I have cooked and brought special food for the two of you," he invited.
Su Zhi's face instantly lit up. She hurriedly took a seat close beside Arthur. Su Ying, although with much more elegant and calm movements, also put down her thick book and sat closer. Arthur began to open the large lunch bundle he brought. The fragrant aroma of cooking instantly wafted into the air.
"Wow! Is it Brother Ah-Long who cooked all of this again today?" praised Su Zhi with a pair of green eyes sparkling with awe seeing the appetizing dishes.
"Yes, I cooked everything myself," Arthur replied while arranging the plates and bowls neatly on the carpet.
However, right after all the food was served, Arthur instead stood up and patted the dust off his pants. "In that case, enjoy your lunch. I will go clean your house first," he excused himself.
Su Ying's movement, who was just about to pick up her chopsticks, instantly stopped. "Are you not joining us to eat again?" she asked, her tone of voice sounding a bit demanding and reluctant.
Su Zhi beside her also looked up, putting on a pitiful and hopeful expression so the boy would stay.
Arthur sighed in amusement. "Have you guys forgotten? If I join you in eating here, you two won't be able to eat until you're full. You know yourselves how terrifying my food portion is, right?" Arthur joked casually.
The memory of how Arthur could devour the food portions of ten adults in the blink of an eye instantly flashed through the two girls' minds.
"B-but... we want to eat with you, Brother," squeaked Su Zhi, still trying to persuade him because for her, being together with Arthur was far more important than her stomach.
Arthur cut off the remark with a firm shake of his head, but his eyes radiated an incredibly protective gentleness. "No. You two must eat a lot so you can grow healthily and properly. Understand?" Arthur commanded indisputably.
Then, without waiting for an answer or further protest from the Su sisters, Arthur immediately turned around. He walked away towards the simple hut where the two girls lived.
Under the shade of the tree, Su Ying and Su Zhi could only fall silent, squeezing their chopsticks. The pair of sisters stared intently at the broad back of the golden-haired boy who was slowly walking away, feeling a warmth that made their chests feel tight yet comfortable.
Su ying sighed softly, looking at the dishes in front of her with a gentle gaze filled with guilt. "Let's just eat first. That person has gone through a lot of trouble to prepare all this for us," she said, breaking the silence.
Su zhi nodded in agreement. Both of them then began to eat the food in silence, absorbing the warmth of Arthur's cooking.
However, in the midst of that tranquility, Su zhi suddenly spoke. Her eyes stared straight at her food. "Sister... did you have that dream again?" she asked.
The movement of Su ying's hand instantly stopped. She stared intently at her sister's face before finally nodding slowly. "Yes... last night I dreamt of it again. Let me guess, you also experienced the same thing, right?" she replied.
Su zhi affirmed with a soft murmur. "The dream is exactly the same, and keeps repeating."
"That dream is really weird. How could the two of us dream of the same thing?" complained Su Zhi, her face filled with deep confusion.
"Living wallowing in wealth, luxurious clothes, scattered jewelry, lines of servants... All of those are things that are impossible for commoners to possess. Let alone for children like us who were abandoned by our parents and only live in a rickety hut. Everything... is very contradictory to our current reality in life," said Su Ying.
Su Zhi placed her chopsticks on top of the bowl. Her eyes dimmed, radiating a flash of complex and heavy emotion.
"But..." Su Zhi interrupted softly. She looked into her sister's purple eyes. "In that dream, even though we live in extraordinary luxury... it feels like our lives are very restricted. Everything does look so beautiful and perfect from the outside, but for some reason, it feels very suffocating and uncomfortable."
Su Ying squeezed the hem of her clothes unconsciously. "Yes... That is very unpleasant."
Su Ying snorted softly, then the corner of her eye glanced towards their rickety hut. "Looks like he's done," she muttered as she saw Arthur's figure walking back towards them.
Arthur stopped right in front of the carpet where the two girls were sitting. "The condition of your house after I cleaned it is now quite comfortable to live in. But don't worry, your new house will be finished in a few more days. I already checked it earlier, and the builders have almost completed the final stages," Arthur reported with a smile.
He then looked at the plates and bowls that were already empty. "How is it? Are you guys done eating?" he asked.
"We are done, Brother," answered Su Zhi with a satisfied smile.
"That's good." Arthur reached into his pocket and took out two pieces of clean cloth handkerchiefs.
The boy then lowered his body, resting on one knee like a knight bowing in respect so his gaze was level with the two girls who were still sitting.
"Please use this, My Lady," Arthur said while offering the two handkerchiefs. "Your beautiful faces are slightly stained by food residue," he continued with such a gentle smile.
Hearing the polite address and sweet treatment, Su Zhi and Su Ying fell silent for a moment. But strangely, their bodies responded on their own. Both of them took the handkerchiefs with very elegant and relaxed movements, as if being served and treated like grand nobles was something that had become an absolute habit for the two of them.
Arthur slowly stood up and patiently waited for them to clean the corners of their lips. After finishing, Su Zhi handed back the handkerchief. "Thank you," she said, which was immediately followed by Su Ying who also handed her handkerchief in silence.
Arthur received the handkerchiefs and put them into the lunch basket, then nimbly began clearing away their remaining eating utensils.
"Alright," Arthur looked back at the two sisters. "It happens that the village market is open today. Do you guys want to come with me to go shopping?"
While offering that, Arthur bowed his body slightly and extended both his hands to them elegantly, intending to help the two girls stand up. Su Zhi and Su Ying stared intently at the offered hands. Once again, without the slightest awkwardness. Both of them naturally placed their tiny palms on top of Arthur's palms, letting the boy gently guide them to stand up.
For some reason, this overly polite, elegant, and highly mannered treatment felt very familiar and ordinary to the two of them.
Arthur smiled brightly, then took a step back and gave a gesture inviting them to walk. "In that case, let us depart, Princesses."
(Transition)
Arthur and the two Su sisters had been exploring the hustle and bustle of the Holy Spirit Village market for a few hours. The large shopping basket carried by Arthur was now fully loaded with various kinds of fresh food ingredients.
"Good thing I came with you today. If it were just you shopping by yourself, you would definitely have squandered too much money," sneered Su Ying. She folded both her arms in front of her chest, looking at Arthur with an assessing gaze.
Arthur could only scratch the back of his neck and smile awkwardly. "Hehe... what can I do? I'm really bad at bargaining for the prices of goods," he reasoned with an innocent look on his face.
"You're lying, aren't you, Brother?" Su Zhi suddenly interrupted. The blonde-haired girl looked at Arthur. "I know you must perfectly understand the real prices of all the ingredients you bought earlier. But... you intentionally didn't bargain the price because you couldn't bear it and didn't want to make those merchants suffer a loss, right?"
"Eh? I-I... I don't know anything about that," Arthur dodged. His tone of voice stammered slightly.
Su Ying snorted softly and rolled her eyes. "Idiot. You yourself painstakingly taught the two of us mathematics and how to calculate the value of goods. How could you suddenly become ignorant? Don't try to lie to us," the purple-haired girl checkmated him with a mercilessly cold tone.
Arthur's face instantly radiated obvious panic. Cornered by the intelligence and sharpness of the pair of sisters in front of him, Arthur hurriedly changed the subject.
"Ah! Look over there!" Arthur suddenly exclaimed, pointing towards the end of the road with feigned enthusiasm. "There's a merchant selling very cute dolls! How about I buy them for the two of you?!"
Without waiting for approval let alone an answer, Arthur hastily took off. He jogged towards the doll merchant's stall to avoid the deadly scolding from Su Ying and Su Zhi.
Seeing Arthur's flustered behavior and his choice to run away, the two Su sisters could only fall silent before finally letting out a long sigh simultaneously.
"This Brother Ah-Long is really..." muttered Su Zhi in resignation, shaking her head slowly.
Even though their mouths complained, a faint, warm, and sincere smile could not be hidden from the lips of the two little girls. Without needing to discuss, Su Ying and Su Zhi immediately stepped forward, following the back of the boy who was always trying to give the world to them.
"Now, look at this Su Zhi, Su Ying! Cute, right?" Arthur exclaimed enthusiastically. He picked up a soft furry rabbit doll and aimed it at Su Zhi. "This is for you, Su Zhi," Arthur said with a warm smile.
Su Zhi stared at the doll with sparkling green eyes, then received it gladly. "Thank you, Long-ge," she said cheerfully.
Arthur nodded in satisfaction. He then turned back towards the stall's rack and picked up something else. "And this is for you, Su Ying. A teddy bear! How is it, very cute, right?" Arthur offered the doll to Su Ying. The doll was very simple—just a plain brown teddy bear without any additional accessories.
Su Ying rolled her eyes, acting haughty as if she didn't care at all about such childish toys. However, she still stared at the teddy bear in Arthur's hand and slowly reached out her hand.
"Alright, since you are forcing it, I will accept the do—"
Su Ying's words were suddenly cut off. When her eyes stared at the plain teddy bear more closely, a flash of an unfamiliar memory suddenly hit her mind very hard. In her suddenly blurred vision, the silhouette of a grown woman dressed as a maid who was smiling gently, offering an exact same teddy bear to her, appeared.
Su Ying's breath hitched. She immediately held her head tightly as an incredibly severe pain pierced her skull, as if her head was going to split open.
"Su Ying!" screamed Su Zhi in panic when she saw her sister suddenly about to fall.
"Su Ying, what's wrong?!" exclaimed Arthur with an expression that turned very worried. Without caring about his shopping basket, he nimbly stepped forward and supported Su Ying's tiny body that almost collapsed to the ground.
"N-no... I'm fine," groaned Su Ying while holding back her grimace of pain. She tightly gripped Arthur's sleeve, her breathing ragged. "Take me home... now."
"Are you sure? Your face is so pale and you are sweating cold. Do you not want to sit down and rest here for a bit first?" coaxed Arthur, his eyes radiating deep worry as he looked at the girl's face.
"No. I said, I just want to rest at home," refused Su Ying with a hoarse voice.
Hearing the firm request from the girl, Arthur didn't dare to waste any more time. He turned to the stall owner.
"Uncle, here is the money for both dolls!" exclaimed Arthur hurriedly. He placed a few coins on the merchant's table without caring about the change. With great care, he supported Su Ying to immediately return to the village, followed by Su Zhi who was jogging beside them with an anxious face.