Li Jin Qing: The one behind it all

Chapter 52

The girl looked at Yu Qi warily and snatched the cloth packet as if she thought Yu Qi might take it back from her. She hid the packet behind her back as if her small and thin figure can hide it.

"Why-" she said defiantly, determination shining bright in her eyes "why are you helping us? What do you want?"

Jin qing stepped forward, just as determined to keep up her gruff and impatient appearance "listen, my sister, is kind enough to help you and your brother so you don't starve." She barked "show some gratitude and say thank you-"

"Little brother, calm down." Yu Qi looked back "you're going to marry a lady one day- if you don't scare them all off."

The irony is that I should be the one who's telling you that, considering how you're usually louder than I am. It seems almost as if our roles and personalities switched completely!

Oh, the fun of acting and cross-dressing. Yu Qi has not lost her touch either.

Jin qing huffed and stepped back "fine."
The little girl was watching Jin qing, and she knew it.

"Thank you." The little girl said quickly "what do you want? Why are you helping us? Who are you?"

She's braver than she looks, huh? Not even intimidated by me. Either she's naturally courageous or she feels protected by Yu Qi's gentler demeanor.
Or there's something else to her character... She doesn't look like she's been a poor child left on the streets all her life.

Yu Qi smiled and straightened up "why are there so many questions on why someone should help someone?"

"But your nice clothes-" the girl frowned "you're obviously wealthy judging from your clothes, but the world looks down on us orphans." She said that last word with a sense of bitterness that Jin qing understood. "You're helping us for a reason. If you want something in return, we don't want what you just gave us."

Jin qing rolled her eyes "sister. They don't even want the food you gave to them for free. Why bother-"

"Brother."

"Right." Jin qing mumbled "Sorry."

Yu Qi looked back at the girl "Forgive my brother. He has quite the temper and is very protective of me." She said softly "And to answer you, we don't want anything in return nor do we have a hidden motive. Why you don't trust us? Don't you have anyone to take care of you?"

"Both our father and older brother were drafted and killed in the war, that siege for the Wei city by the river-" the little girl had looked like she was letting her guard down, but as soon as those words left her lips, her expression hardened again. "Why are you asking that? You're not going to try and kidnap us and sell us off-"

The brief but bloody siege of 'the Wei city by the river.'

The same one that took Yi Ping's life among so many others.

Jin qing interrupted the little girl before she could say any more. "Is that your younger brother in the back?" She asked, paying attention to the little boy shivering in the back.

The girl stepped in front of him protectively, staring back at Jin qing so she would have to stare at her instead of the boy behind her. "Yes, he is." she answered "Why do you care? Why do you ask?"

Goodness... she does have many questions. Is this how all the poor look at the wealthy?

"Why do I ask?" Jin qing rolled her eyes "Because he looks sick, that's why. When he chased after you when you stole those two apples, he was barely able to keep up with you and looked like he was about to collapse on the spot." She rolled up her sleeves and gestured at him "May I have a look?"