No choice

In the darkened outskirts of Que Village, Yuan Xuelan was invited inside. The senile grandmother went to prepare some tea while a pack of children looked into the doorway, their beady little eyes shining with curiosity and little fingers gripping at the doorframe as they looked inside with curiosity.

Yuan Xuelan smiled awkwardly but didn't really know what to do or how to respond. The youngest looked no older than five while the eldest must have been a teenager. Yuan Xuelan couldn't quite ignore their stares no matter how much he tried.

Ban Yuewei barked at them, scolding them not to disturb her guest. She shooed them off before going to fetch the tea prepared by her grandmother. 

"Please, Grandma, you don't have to bring it over. Let me take care of it okay?" She wrestled the tea set out of her arms and ushered the old woman to sit down.

"Sorry, it's a little…messy here."