Chapter 33 Section 33

The woodlands were rough and difficult to walk on, so we moved slowly, and I'm glad Nikolai's clunky "boots" didn't make him fall too far behind.On the contrary, Nicholas walked around the tree stump, which made him and Illo a lot of fun, and the bursts of laughter made me smile too.I decided to let Nikolai continue his game, as long as it didn't slow us down. Finally, we spotted what appeared to be a trail that meandered through the woods, and I stopped to take a closer look.This is not a human path, and I could clearly make out the hoof prints of some small animals, but the path was wide enough for us to pass, so I decided to walk along it for a while, because it would be easier to move forward, and because it Might lead us to a small puddle somewhere.

As we walked, Yiluo's sensitive ears caught the sound of water ahead, and after a few minutes, we came to a small forest stream.In fact, this is just a small ditch, flowing with crystal rainwater from the mountain, and we were so happy when we saw it, we threw ourselves on the slender bank, took up the cool stream water and drank it, dry. The feeling of re-moisturizing the throat is extremely enjoyable. There were scattered plants growing on both sides of the ditches, and I was already hungry and thirsty for anything to eat, so I picked some rough leaves and ate them quietly with the children, although they were tasteless and difficult to swallow, But having something to eat made it easier for us.

"As the saying goes beggars can't pick and choose, little one," I scolded when Nikolay protested the food I handed him, "try to eat, we don't know when the next meal will be." "You said we'd meet forest dwellers and eat real food," said Nikolay angrily. "It's not real food, Anka." "We have no choice, Nicholas," Illo reminded him, "it's better than nothing." I smiled at Yiluo, she seemed to be more mature than her age at this time.Her blue eyes were shining brightly on her dirty little face, and her flying blond hair was now dull. At this moment, I wanted to take care of her like a mother, wash her hair, wipe the dust off her face, Let her fair skin reappear.

I scooped up some water from the stream and dabbed it on her face.Yiluo obediently asked me to wipe her cheeks with wet hands to remove the dust.And I immediately regretted doing so, because after removing the filthy mask, Yiluo, and us, all looked weak and debilitated. Her cheeks turned dark yellow, her skin lost its color, and she looked very haggard.The face in front of me was completely different from the smiling little face I had seen not long ago on the Mejdija train.It was a face battered by malnutrition and weariness, still bearing the scars of being trampled by the whip, the cruelty that no man, man or child, deserved.

Tears welled up in my eyes, and I suddenly couldn't hold back.I hugged Yiluo and cried.She looked into my eyes with a puzzled yet sympathetic expression. "Are you hurt, Anka? Where do you hurt? Let me see for you." "You are so kind, Yiluo, but my pain is not outside, you can't touch it." I sobbed softly on her shoulder. She put her arms around her and hugged me tightly: "It's okay, Anka. When you are in pain, Nikolai and I will take care of you. Am I right this time?" I forced a smile and nodded.I saw Nicholas looking at us from the sidelines, bewildered.I remembered that when Nicholas was crying, my father would always talk about him and tell him that a man should not cry.And this matter is where my father and I have a few disagreements, although I dare not express my opinion.I smiled at Nikolai, trying to reassure him.

"Don't worry little one. I'll be fine soon. Sometimes crying helps." Nikolai looked surprised. "Girls cry," he declared, thankfully unaffected by his sister's grief.He hopped around in those wooden shoes. "I'm going on another adventure, Anka. Iro, do you want to explore with me?" Yiluo shook her head: "Anka is uncomfortable, I want to stay with her. Okay, Anka?" I wiped my tears with the back of my hand and said, "Thank you, Ilo. Nikolai, don't run far, you know? Only explore where I see." "But Anka, that's not called adventure, that's called boring."

"Do what I say, Nikolay," I said gravely. It was the first time I had spoken harshly to Nikolay since we were separated from my mother, and it worked immediately.Nikolay went quiet and played around obediently, glancing at me from time to time to make sure I was still staring at him. I felt cool water falling on my cheeks, and it turned out that Yiluo was trying to wash my face.When I saw her dirty fingers, I knew my face was just as dirty as hers, so I leaned back and let her continue.I also want to restore a clean face, and just the gentle touch of Ilo is very pleasing. All around us, the creek washes its own way through the meandering ditches, and the sound of the water is endless.Birds were chirping overhead, and behind him came Nikolay's voice, refreshed by the cool water and the little leaves he had eaten, and now playing whoo-hoo-hoo.I slowly closed my eyes, Yiluo's little hands and the cool stream soothed my mind.