[The Stubborn Helper]
Early morning at the soup kitchen, Ling Dang stood before the cutting board, her oversized clothes swaying as she worked. Despite the blisters on her palms, she refused to stop. As a former lady of a city, the fall to a kitchen maid was a bitter pill to swallow. She blinked away tears, whispering to her lost family, "Father, Mother... I miss you so much."
Her pain didn't go unnoticed. Luo Ye, on his rounds, saw her struggling to eat because her hands were too sore to hold chopsticks. Without a word, he grabbed her wrist.
"Come with me. We're going to see Sang Qi."
"Who? Let go! I have vegetables to cut!" Ling Dang protested, but Luo Ye's grip was iron. "Cut what? Your hands are ruined! Are you incapable of feeling pain?"
[The Physician's Touch]
They burst into the medical tent, smelling of herbs and incense. Sang Qi, the physician, looked up with a lazy smirk. "Are you trying to tear down my tent, Luo Ye?"
"Look at the kid's hands!" Luo Ye barked, forcing Ling Dang onto a stool.
Sang Qi approached, his movements fluid and precise. He lanced the blisters and applied a cooling salve. "Tsk," he remarked, his voice cool but not unkind. "This skin is as soft as a young girl's. How did you get it into this state?"
Ling Dang's ears turned beet red. "I'm not a girl!" she snapped, fearing her secret was out.
Sang Qi ignored her protest, expertly bandaging her hands. "Don't touch water. If you disobey, don't come back to me."
[A Hint of Sweetness]
"I don't want to be a burden," Ling Dang whispered, her head low. "If I don't work, everyone will resent me because I eat so much."
Luo Ye froze, finally understanding her desperation. He clapped a hand on her shoulder. "Stupid kid! No one here resents you. Heal your hands first. The kitchen won't collapse without you."
Sang Qi leaned back, watching them with a playful glint in his eyes. "Listen to him, kid. Since I've known this hot-head, he's never let anyone around him go hungry."
"Thank you... Sang-Dage, Luo-Dage," Ling Dang murmured.
Sang Qi rolled his eyes at the formality, but he reached into his sleeve and pressed a small candy into her unbandaged hand. "Here. It's sweet. Stop looking like you're about to cry—it's depressing to watch."
He reached out and ruffled her hair, his touch surprisingly gentle. "Go back with the Fire-Dage. And remember, no water."
As Ling Dang followed Luo Ye out, clutching the candy, the sourness in her heart slowly began to melt. For the first time since the fire consumed her home, the world felt a little less cold.