Chapter 4: Compassion for the Weak
1340 Words
When they boarded the train, Adit let her go first, so Ge Sihan was now sitting by the window.
She rested her head against the window and gazed outside.
People boarded from time to time, but even as the whistle blew, the train wasn’t full. The air didn’t smell bad, but Ge Sihan still felt stifled.
Perhaps it was because of the half-hour bus ride earlier; in fact, Ge Sihan felt she’d done remarkably well not to get carsick and throw up.
Before long, the train began to move.
Adit leaned toward the window. Ge Sihan flinched slightly and saw him open the window, leaving a crack to let the breeze in.
Fresh air immediately rushed in, and Ge Sihan’s eyes widened slightly.
But she didn’t turn to look at Adit, because logically speaking, she shouldn’t have known that breathing fresh air could relieve her discomfort, nor should she have been surprised that the windows on a Thai train could actually be opened.
In fact, she didn’t even know if Adit had opened the window because he’d noticed she wasn’t feeling well, so she couldn’t thank him for it… but she still thanked the young man in her heart.
Ge Sihan had a mind full of questions—where were they going? Was it far? How long would it take? What did they plan to do with her?… But she couldn’t ask any of them.
She gazed at the scenery outside the window, gradually feeling drowsy. She shifted her position slightly and fell asleep leaning against the wall.
The standard-sized train seat felt terrifyingly spacious for her tiny frame.
Adit clearly understood that this was a child who had lost her parents, her memories, and her ability to speak—a child who, at this very moment, was alone and had no one to rely on.
Her good fortune lay in the fact that she had previously been adopted by the Sirodom family; Adit would provide her with every material support he could to help her recover.
The little girl’s chest rose and fell slightly with each breath. Adit reached out and touched her face, checking that her temperature hadn’t risen. Out of compassion, Adit adjusted his posture so she could rest against him.
After an unknown amount of time, Ge Si-han heard a deep, gentle male voice: “Saengkea… Saengkea… Wake up… Saengkea…”
She opened her eyes dazedly: “Hmm?”
“It’s time to eat.” Adit shifted his position and said to her.
Ge Si-han was still in the drowsy stage of waking up; she couldn’t help but look bewildered as she lifted her head slightly to meet Adit’s gaze.
This handsome young man was closer to her than ever before; Ge Si-han could even make out every one of his thick eyelashes. She froze for a moment, realizing she was lying in this young man’s arms, resting against his chest.
The young man naturally helped her small, limp body sit up straight, leaning her against the seat.
Ge Sihan looked around dazedly and realized what had happened.
She had fallen asleep. Perhaps she’d dozed off accidentally, or perhaps the young man had taken pity on her and let her use him as a human pillow for a while.
“Thank you,” she said to him in her heart.
Now, there was some food on the table in front of them, but Ge Sihan didn’t know if it was from the train or something they’d brought themselves.
Adit said to her, “It’s time to eat. Let’s eat.”
He mimed the act of eating.
Ge Sihan nodded. “Let’s eat.”
A faint smile touched Adit’s lips; he seemed pleased that she understood.
He used a spoon to portion out some food onto a plate, then pushed it toward her. Ge Si-han thanked him using the words Usa had taught her: “?????? (Thank you), Khun Lop.”
“?????? (Thank you)” was what Usa had taught her this morning during breakfast.
She had said this word while handing the food to Ge Si-han, then pointed at her. Only after Ge Si-han hesitantly repeated it did Usa let go, allowing her to take the food, and replied with ‘????????????? (You’re welcome)’.
So, Ge Si-han guessed that ‘?????? (Thank you)’ meant ‘thank you’, while ‘?????? ??????? (You’re welcome) meant “you’re welcome.”
As for “Khun Lop,” she learned that this morning when saying goodbye to Usa; Ge Si-han assumed it was the young man’s name.
Adit’s smile widened even more this time, and sure enough, he said the word Ge Si-han had remembered: “You’re welcome, Saengkea.”
Ge Si-han couldn’t help but smile too.
After all, she had at least tried her best to adapt to this unfamiliar environment using an adult’s mindset, hadn’t she?
The food tasted just as bland as before, but it wasn’t as good as what she’d had at “home”—Ge Si-han didn’t know what to call that house, so she’d just refer to it as “home” for now—it seemed this was train food.
Ge Si-han took two bites and couldn’t eat any more; if she ate another bite, she felt like she was going to throw up. So she placed her spoon and fork on the plate, pushed it forward a bit, and looked at Adit.
She didn’t know what to say after finishing her meal, and a hint of confusion flashed in her eyes.
Adit looked at her, a faint smile playing at the corners of his lips. He wiped his mouth with a napkin and taught her what she should say at this moment: “I’m done eating.”
Ge Sihan repeated, “I’m done.”
Adit nodded and placed his cutlery on his plate as well. Ge Sihan noticed he hadn’t eaten much either, and hadn’t touched the dessert at all.
The afternoon’s itinerary was still uneventful. Ge Sihan took another nap, cradled in Adit’s arms while he read the book he’d brought along.
When it was time for dinner, she was woken up to eat a meal that still didn’t taste very good. An hour or two later, the train gradually slowed down. The driver brought the suitcases down, and Adit put his book into one of them. Moments later, the train pulled into the station. Adit took Ge Sihan’s hand and led her off the train, with the driver following behind carrying the suitcases.
They had arrived at their destination.
Ge Sihan looked at the unfamiliar platform. There were quite a few people at the station. A man wearing a white shirt and black pants came over to greet them, led them a short distance, and brought them to a parking area.
The driver and Adit walked toward one of the cars. The driver unlocked it, and they got in.
Ge Si-han realized this was their car.
It seemed they must visit this city often, which was why they kept a car on standby so far from “home.”
Adit gave a brief instruction, and the driver, knowing the way well, started the car and drove toward the destination he’d mentioned.
Adit looked at Ge Si-han and asked, “Saengkea, are you tired?”
Ge Si-han returned his gaze with a blank look.
Adit smiled, patted her shoulder, and teased, “Looks like Usa didn’t include that phrase in your crash course, did she?”
Adit’s touch was completely innocent. Ge Si-han already knew he was just feeling sorry for her and wasn’t a bad person, so she didn’t mind. Hearing him speak words she couldn’t understand at all, she simply looked at him calmly.
Adit let out a soft sigh and said regretfully, “You really are such a well-behaved, endearing child… I hope you get well soon and return to a normal life.”
The car came to a stop. Ge Si-han looked out the window and saw they had arrived at a magnificent, gilded hotel.
- Writer
