Pao Hua squeezed through the branches inside to the carriage. He had also bought a bag to carry all the stuff back. He took out a few rice buns for him and Hli Ja, a jar of waters, medicines, a pot and some utensils. Pao Hua also bought some necessity supplies as well. He remember the match and candles he bought in town. He took out a candle, the match and lit the candle so they both could see.Hli Ja smiled and thanked Pao Hua. "You did a great job. Thank you for coming back."
Pao Hua felt bashful at the compliment. It has been a long time since someone complimented him. With a shy expression, he averted his eyes and replied with a single word, "Mm."
Hli Ja took a few bites of the rice bun Pao Hua bought. She chewed slowly and then after a while, she paused before speaking, "Tomorrow morning, I will have to trouble you to go into town again."
"Mm.. I don"t mind." Pao Hua replied. He was happy to complete his first task for his sister. It felt great to be needed and to be relied on.
"From now on, I will not be able to move around until my baby is born. If the baby comes too early, then it is not a good thing. To make sure the baby does not come out too early, I will stay here while you go get things that we need. It"ll only be for 1-2 months."
"Mm.. I can do whatever sister want as long as sister wants me to." Pao Hua replied.
A warm expression crept on Hli Ja"s face. She has to survive all odds, give birth to her child and be someone the little boy can relied on. He already have no one left. She took him in, she"ll take care of him for as long as she"s able to. "Thank you. Let"s go to sleep after this." Hli Ja suggested.
"Mm." Pao Hua replied and blew out the candle.
The next morning the sun was bright, weather was calmed, Pao Hua woke up and saw his sister already up. He quickly pushed himself up searching for the medicine and reached for the pot.
"I.. I"ll go brew this medicine for you." Pao Hua spoke in a rush.
"Mm.. take your time. Make sure to leave no traces of the fire afterward." Hli Ja replied.
"Ok, I know." Pao Hua walked out of the carriage to gather some woods. When he collected enough woods, he walked over to the cave and made a small bonfire inside the cave. He rinsed the small pot and added water into the pot, waited for the water to boil and then put the medicines in the pot.
Pao Hua covered the pot and went back to the carriage to get a cup he bought from the town.
After his father pa.s.sed away, the family that took him slaved him away, so he is quite good at taking care of children and house works. He also follow instructions well and learned things very fast. If he have a proper upbringing, he could become someone great someday. When he found the cup, he went back out to the cave.
About 15 minutes later, Pao Hua came back into the carriage with the cup of medicine. He handed the cup to Hli Ja. She smiled as she took the cup from him. "Thank you. You"re very helpful."
Pao Hua flushed with shyness, and again, responded with just a single word, "Mm.."
Hli Ja drank the medicine and gave the cup back to Pao Hua. She took off her bracelet on her left wrist and handed it to him, "Bring this a jewelry shop in town and trade it for money. Buy some papers, ink, cloths and clothes. Get yourself something too."
Pao Hua reached to receive the bracelet. "Mm.. I understand. I will be back." He grabbed the bag he bought the night before and left for town.
"Be careful." Hli Ja warned with a worried expression.
"Mm.. I know." Pao Hua replied. He covered up the carriage nicely before leaving for town.