People have the instinct to seek benefits and avoid harm. Even young children, though still naive, can keenly sense whether their parents are reliable.
Obviously, in Xiao Bao's eyes, He Erniu and Ms. Hetian are not people he can rely on.
He can only depend on himself.
This doesn't mean that Xiao Bao has been driven to selfishness and indifference, caring only for himself by his environment and parents.
He simply understands the hardships of his life and has matured extraordinarily early.
Especially after He Erniu went missing, Ms. Hetian was left alone at home with Xiao Bao. With the military turmoil and bandits outside causing constant chaos, she, in fear, took the household's stored grain and valuable belongings and moved to Tianjiawa.
Xiao Bao followed his mother to stay at his grandmother's house, starting a life dependent on others.
Xiao Bao was precocious by nature, and living a life relying on others was indeed difficult.
