Chapter Text
—Xiao-jiu! Stop running, what if you get lost?
Shen Jiu stuck out his tongue and ran away from the annoying big dog who was taking a breath behind him.
How the hell could a kid who barely had enough to eat be that big? He could never understand. As he ran, he ended up lost. He felt scared, but he wouldn’t show it.
—Dad! There, there!
He heard a kid younger than him shouting and pointing at him; he was inside a carriage which looked expensive.
He got startled and ran away from there; it wouldn’t end well if he was taken by some rich people, Shen Jiu wasn’t naïve like the other kids who believed being bought would lead to a better life.
He entered the crowd, disappearing between the people. He wouldn’t be the “toy” of some spoiled brat. As he returned where the dog was, he was bombarded with questions.
—Xiao-Jiu, where were you? What happened?
He freed himself from the dog who was trying to find any possible bruise. The dog sighed.
—There, I got some bread for you too.
He took the bread; he hated, it always made his stomach hurt; he ate, promising for himself that, one day, he would be rich and powerful, and they wouldn’t need to survive with half a bread per day.
—He's there, he's there!
Shen Jiu flinched; it was the kid he had heard in the evening, or was it the morning? He never knew which time was it, just knowing when was day and when was night.
The child approached them; he was wearing luxurious robes, a color near blue with green details. It looked good in the child; the kid itself was cute, he wouldn’t dare to admit it, though.
He took Shen Jiu’s hands, smiling warmly at him. Rich people were different, huh? He looked like an angel. Shen Jiu quickly withdraw his hands. That kid was dangerous, too dazzling. The kid looked surprised, but smiled again at him.
—Xiao-Jiu, who is this?
The dog approached cautiously; the kid’s eyes shone.
—Your name is Jiu? Nice to meet you! My name is Shen Yuan.
He bowed, greeting them; what did he think he was doing? A, probably, noble child bowing before slaves?
—Shen? Xiao-Jiu, isn’t that your surname?
The dog was right; the angel looked at him excitedly.
—Really? This must be fate, then!
A man wearing noble’s robes with the same colors as the kid, accompanied by the slave merchant, called.
—Yuan-er, please, don’t go running like this. What if you got hurt?
The angel just smiled at him. He sighed, as if he was already used to it. The man seemed to finally notice him; he flinched under the gaze almost vulgar of the man.
—Huh, is this the one you want, Yuan-er?
The angel pouted adorably.
—Don’t talk like that, dad! They aren’t things!
—Right, right.
He said idly.
—You have such great taste, young master! They are one of the most beautiful that this one has!
He glared at the merchant.
—Why are you talking as if you want to sell objects to me?
The merchant flinched; rich people were really powerful, Shen Jiu wanted to be like that! The angel turned and took his hands one more time; Shen Jiu felt embarrassed when he compared his skeletal fingers with the soft hands of the little angel.
—We should go to the carriage!
He said chuckling while pulling him , Shen Jiu stopped. Even if he looked like an angel, he was still a noble.
The kid looked perplexed, but soon a twisted smile appeared in his face, a man wearing a warrior robe took him and the dog. Even if they tried to free themselves, the man was far stronger than them.
The warrior put them inside the carriage. As Shen Jiu looked up, he saw that angel, smiling annoyingly at them. Shen Jiu frowned at the sight.
After that, they went to the Shen Mansion. It was huge and spacious; Shen Jiu felt scared of stepping on the floor and accidentally dirtying it.
As the two of them followed the child, who was guiding them around the mansion, they encountered a lot of servants; that family was really rich!
—Young master.
An old woman bowed, she had a gentle appearance and was wearing simple beige robes.
—The bath is ready; master said you should take a bath.
She turned at them, making Shen Jiu flinch; she bowed and left. Shen Jiu was confused, and the dog also seemed to don’t fully understand what was happening.
They took a bath for the first time since the spring, when they bathed at the rivers; it was warm and too nice to be true.
After the bath, they were dressed in expensive green and blue robes by servants, who were different from the ones who bathed them. The dog pulled his sleeves, looking more like a scared cat than a dog.
—Xiao-Jiu, we aren’t dreaming, are we?
Shen Jiu thought for a bit; even if it looked like a dream, he was sure it wasn’t; all his dreams were about he being a rich adult, not a rich child.
He shook his head negatively. A servant guided them until they entered a big room which had a division; it had two luxurious beds adorned with soft pillows.
The kid was there, as he heard they entering, he turned with a wide smile and ran in their direction excitedly.
—Jiu-ge, Qi-ge! I hope you don’t mind sharing a room! I thought it would be better for you to adapt!
He said smiling; Shen Jiu automatically retreated, and the dog went in front of him, making a shield between he and the child.
—Young master – he started, with the same calm and warm voice as always, Shen Jiu could feel a bit of fear in his voice, though – May you explain what is happening for these humble ones?
The kid tilted its head, as if unsure what that meant.
—What are you talking about? They didn’t explain for you two?
Shen Jiu felt the grip of the dog tightening. The kid sighed, massaging its temples as if he was a tired boss who was used to his servants mistakes.
—You two were adopted! How can nobody have explained this?
He took the hands of the dog, looking at them empathically.
—I’m so sorry, this must have been really scary.
Shen Jiu was too shocked to even process; the only person who ever apologized to him was the dog. Shen Jiu was still a bit suspicious, but he would try to trust, just one more time.
He wouldn’t have believed it if you told him that, in just a few years, he would be worrying about his Didi’s beasts being too dangerous, he and the dog would be highly respected throughout the human realm, and he would live happily with a lover.