What a lively boy! Nhanyi was unconsciously infected by his enthusiasm. She wiped her hands on her apron and walked over to the fence, looking up at him on the high rack. “Aren’t you afraid standing so high?”
The boy nimbly jumped down from the rack, his movements very skilled and agile. Coupled with his slender frame, he resembled a lively monkey, startling Nhanyi.
“Gianna, what are you doing here? Are you hanging clothes?” He scratched the back of his head.
“Thank you for the bread.” She didn’t know how to repay his kindness and wanted to do something within her means for him.
Perhaps due to his work as a gardener, his flaxen hair and clothes were always covered in dirt. Nhanyi felt that this boy named Charles resembled a distant younger brother of hers. Her brother was only four years old and always rolling on the ground, and her aunt called him the little dirty pig who rolled through the mud.
“From now on, let me help you wash your clothes,” Nhanyi smiled at him. She realized that her smile felt a bit stiff, as she hadn’t smiled in a long time.
Perhaps because of their shared fate, Nhanyi and Charles quickly became familiar with each other. He was a Jewish boy, and she was a yellow-skinned girl lost in a foreign land. In such a special time and circumstance, they met, and soon they talked about everything and became friends.
Nhanyi suddenly felt that sometimes God reveals fairness. In this dire situation, she unexpectedly had a friend, and things were not as bad as she had imagined. He seemed to have truly forgotten about her, treating her merely as a maid. If she couldn’t perform her duties adequately, she would be reprimanded by Abigail. Sometimes, this cold woman would pick up a broom nearby and beat her mercilessly, but that really wasn’t much.
Today was the weekend. He held a cup of warm coffee, wearing white pajamas, standing in front of the bedroom’s floor-to-ceiling curtains, enjoying this rare leisure. He looked out the window; the sun was nice today, and the backyard was filled with many freshly washed clothes, all hung neatly. A gust of wind blew, and those clean clothes spread their wings like a flock of birds.
She was busy hanging clothes until all of them were neatly displayed. Only then did she straighten up, letting out a long breath. She stood in the sunlight, raising her wrist slightly to block some of the sun, bathing in the morning light.
Behind the curtains, a pair of ice-blue eyes stared at her for a long time. A slight smile appeared at the corners of his lips. He was an extreme controller, whether in front of the stage or behind it.
The rain poured all night, with strong winds, thunder, and lightning.
The next morning, the rain gradually stopped. He went downstairs on time for breakfast, clearing a whole plate of roasted sausages in front of him. As if remembering something, the silver fork paused in mid-air. He raised his eyes to look at the row of servants standing beside him, with Abigail at the front. “Are all the servants here today?”
“Well…” Abigail hesitated. She knew who he was referring to. That yellow-skinned woman was indeed quite ill. She had already checked on her in the basement that morning. It wasn’t out of kindness; Abigail was afraid that her dazed appearance would cause some trouble, so she let her rest for a while.
“Abigail, I thought you were a loyal servant. When did you learn to deceive?”
“She… she is very ill and can’t get out of bed.”
“Very ill? What kind of illness?”
“She has been running a fever since last night.”
He snorted coldly. Of course, she would have a fever after being caught in the rain. “Is it a fever or just laziness? How do you command your subordinates? Abigail, you won’t be getting paid this month.”
“Sorry, Boss.” Abigail didn’t dare to lose her temper in front of him. That damned yellow-skinned woman had indeed caused her to be punished by the general.
Abigail angrily went to the basement and yanked her up from the bed. “You lazy pig! What time is it! Still not up! Pretending to be sick here!”
Nhanyi was dazed, lying weakly on the bed. She could see that Abigail was very angry, but she didn’t understand why she was angry. However, she couldn’t think too much about it now; she was running a high fever and had no strength to respond.
