He suddenly pointed at the cloth bundle on the table again. “Those are two sets of clothes I bought for you. Go change into them! I’ll wait outside.”

After saying this, he slipped out into the courtyard like a thief, looked up at the sky, and let out a long sigh. Dealing with this little girl was even more exhausting than dealing with Deputy Thompson. The door suddenly closed, and after a while, it opened again. The little girl had already changed into new clothes, standing timidly at the doorway with her head lowered. William Thompson glanced at her, and his eyes immediately lit up. As the saying goes, “Buddha needs gold attire, and people need clothes.” Dressed in the emerald green jacket and trousers, her thin frame was concealed, and with the dim lighting, the pallor on her face was no longer visible. Instead, her delicate features now showed a hint of spirit.

Of course, this was only an illusion. This little girl must have suffered a lot; it would take time to heal the wounds in her heart, and the thin bones beneath her jacket still needed nourishment from food. At that moment, the voice of a restaurant attendant came from outside the courtyard. “Young Mr. Thompson, your meal has arrived.”

“Thank you! Thank you!” William Thompson hurriedly grabbed an empty food box from under the window and exchanged it with the attendant. When he turned around, the little girl was nowhere to be seen. William Thompson shook his head, knowing she must have hidden back in the room.

He carried the food box quickly into the room and, sure enough, saw her hiding behind the door. William Thompson placed the food box on the table, took out three dishes and a soup, and a big bowl of rice. He found a small bowl, served her a portion, and handed her a pair of chopsticks with a smile. “Don’t hide anymore, come eat! Otherwise, it’ll get cold soon.”

The little girl closed the door and carefully locked it before slowly sitting down. She picked up the bowl and shoveled rice into her mouth, but didn’t dare to take any dishes. William Thompson smiled, picked up some food for her, and comforted her, “After we finish eating, we’ll discuss how to send you home.”

The little girl shuddered all over, put down her bowl, and with a ‘thud!’ knelt in front of William Thompson again.

“Oh no! Not again.” William Thompson stomped his foot anxiously. “I have to send you home eventually. Aren’t your parents worried about you?”

Suddenly, tears rolled down the little girl’s cheeks like broken pearls. William Thompson was stunned. After a long moment, he asked in a low voice, “Are your parents… gone?”

The little girl nodded.

“Do you have any other relatives?”

The little girl shook her head.

“Well…” William Thompson felt a headache coming on. He realized he’d gotten himself into big trouble. He scratched his head, but there was nothing he could do for now—he’d have to think of something later.

“Don’t kneel all the time. I don’t like it.” William Thompson tapped her bowl with his chopsticks. “Eat first! We’ll talk after you finish.”

The little girl wiped away her tears and stood up, obediently sitting down again. She picked up her bowl and, like a chick pecking at rice, ate one grain at a time. Neither of them spoke, and the atmosphere in the room grew heavy.

“Oh, right!” William Thompson put down his bowl and smiled. “No wonder the room feels so cold—I forgot to light the brazier.”

He dragged a large brazier out from under the table and brought over a basket of charcoal. Before he could do anything, the little girl squatted down, struck a fire striker twice—‘crack! crack!’—and lit it. She picked out a thin piece of charcoal from the basket and placed it on the fire striker. The thin charcoal quickly caught fire. Once the fire striker burned out, she puffed her cheeks and carefully blew along the charcoal. Soon, the charcoal glowed red. She carefully placed the glowing charcoal into the brazier, then found a few thin, short pieces of charcoal and arranged them in a circle on top of the burning coals. Finally, she surrounded it all with larger pieces of charcoal in a cone shape. Soon, the inside of the cone began to glow red and bright.

William Thompson watched her silently from the side, feeling his heart warm along with the brazier. He gazed at the blazing coals, the firelight reddening his face.

“You’ll stay here and be my little sister from now on. I’ll call you Mute Girl.”

……

Volume One: Swept into a Major Case

Chapter Seven: Now with Someone to Care For

Dawn had not yet broken when William Thompson was startled awake by a rustling sound in the courtyard. ‘Who’s there!’ He instinctively sat up, but immediately realized it must be his newly adopted mute little sister from yesterday. Barefoot, William Thompson tiptoed to the window and opened a crack. He didn’t see Mute Girl in the courtyard, but the kitchen door seemed to be open, and he could faintly see a shadow moving inside. There was a pile of garbage at the kitchen door, and the sound was coming from within. Goodness! He had never even been in that kitchen before—what would it be like inside? William Thompson felt a bit embarrassed. Not just the kitchen, but all his rooms were in a state of primitive wilderness. Having one more person around really did add a lot of things to do.

Suddenly, a thin figure appeared at the kitchen door. William Thompson immediately narrowed the window crack even more. Through the slit, he saw Mute Girl carefully carrying a clay pot out of the kitchen. The pot seemed very hot, so she walked slowly and cautiously. Amazing! She was actually making breakfast for him. A faint smile appeared at the corner of William Thompson’s mouth as he tiptoed back to bed, tucking his cold feet back into the warm covers.