It was already past six, and the sky had gone dark.
Seeing the gate was already closed, Zhao Nuanyue's face went pale with fright. 'Are my brother and I going to have to sleep on the streets tonight?'
"Sis, what do we do?" Zhao Nuanyang saw the closed gate and guessed no one was there. He was starving and freezing.
Zhao Nuanyue was scared, but she knew she couldn't show it. That would only make her brother more terrified and anxious. So, she comforted him, saying, "It's okay. I'll knock on the gate. Maybe someone's inside!"
With that, Zhao Nuanyue and Zhao Nuanyang began to pound on the gate, desperate for a glimmer of hope.
"Who is it? It's late! We're closed. If you have scrap to sell, come back tomorrow," an old man's voice called from inside, though he clearly had no intention of opening the gate.
Zhao Nuanyue was taken aback, but relieved. 'As long as someone's here, it's fine.' Even if it wasn't Station Chief Liu, she could ask for his home address and find him there.
