Her brother needed no urging. He dug in with eager bites, humming with delight. Her mother ate more slowly, savoring every mouthful as though it might vanish if she blinked.
Xiao Lian sat back, watching them. Her chest ached. The food, the pay envelope tucked in her pocket, the kindness of strangers, it should have been a blessing. Instead, it felt like a blade twisting deeper inside her.
They didn't know what she was risking. They didn't know what shadow hovered over her, what threats had been whispered in her ear earlier that day.
She swallowed hard, biting her lip until it hurt. When her brother looked up, cheeks full and smiling, she managed to smile back.
But later, when they were asleep, she curled up in the corner of her small room, her face buried in her arms, and cried silently into the fabric of her sleeves.
