The Melancholy of Miss Port Mafia

The weather is getting colder and colder, and even though the snowflakes have been falling all day, the dark clouds show no signs of dispersing.Little Alice shivered and crept into the dilapidated wooden door of Wilgent's house across the street, found a board from behind the stairs and stuck it behind the door, so that the cold wind could not get through the gap and blow into the house.She didn't turn on the light or light a candle, she just folded her hands and went to the fireplace where there were still embers.

It is said to be dinner, but it is actually just a small pot of oatmeal.The clever little girl buried the pan of oats and water in the ashes as early as Mr. Belsey's visit, and if it still won't rot after so long, there's no point in prolonging it any longer.

She hopped and pulled the pot, and couldn't help pinching her ears to dissipate the heat.Mrs. Wilgent came out of the kitchen that also served as a storage room, holding a can of salted beans in her hand: "Eat yours, and go to bed after eating."

It was getting dark, and the grandparents and grandchildren huddled together by the extinguished fireplace, ate dinner with the heat that seemed to be dissipating, and then went back to their rooms to rest.

After a few days, the news from Bersey's boss became more and more exciting.It is said that the coffee lady and the big boss behind her are so generous that they are willing to subsidize the girls who go to "study abroad" to enroll in Ivy League schools-as long as they can show their matching strength.

In order to compete for the final spot, incidents of bullying and injuries among orphans broke out in several nearby orphanages, and even the old priest of the church was invited to help treat them.For the purpose of earning some money, Little Alice followed behind him to check the situation.

"May God forgive us our sins..."

The outer wall of the Bruce Orphanage was covered with creepers that only had vines left. Girls, big and small, wore uniform loose burqas, lined up along the inner side of the wall, and stretched out their palms to accept punishment.Father Denard whipped each palm three times with a whip soaked in water, and the girl who was whipped had to bow her head and repeat the prayer.

As for the boys, a group of bald heads gathered around the window to gloat and laugh, now and then, at some hapless weeping bastard.Little Alice followed the old priest with ordinary well water, which was regarded as "holy water", and followed him to the ward to see the victim after the ceremony was completed.

"Honey, you stay outside, and the wounds that don't need debridement will be handed over to you."

The "playfulness" between the children may also be life-threatening. Father Denard didn't want little Alice to see those bloody scenes, so he pointed her to another job.

"Yes, Father!"

So, the girl picked up alcohol and cotton swabs and went out to take care of the girls who ate three "Gifts of the Lord" with their palms.

The oldest girl who was punished was a brown-haired girl with a typical Germanic appearance. She was two heads taller than little Alice, and her palm was directly under her nose: "Hey! I know you, little girl who lives on Kloster Street. Bastard!"

The big girl smiled maliciously, as if such threats could make the little man in front of her show a humiliated expression.

——Man is such a strange animal, even though he himself has been deeply mired, he still wants to trample his weaker kind under his feet.

It's a pity that she miscalculated this time because she found the wrong target.

"Hello, Miss Pillars, the weather is really nice today. I'm glad to see the majestic back of you who had to work so hard to clean later! I'll keep an eye on you, don't try to push the work to Someone else will do it.” Naturally, sweeping in the orphanage is one of the traditional reserved items for punishment, and even the most well-behaved children cannot escape it.

Little Alice grinned, turning her eyes to grab someone's painful feet, and quickly backed away before the big girl raised her hand to hit her.She sneaked into the treatment room where the seriously wounded were placed, and squatted under the window sill to inquire about the news inside.

Up to the city hall, down to the homeless, no matter what kind of information she can inquire about, this is the basis for maintaining the life of the Wilgent family.

"We did everything we could for her, poor child, God have mercy."

The nun spoke very fast, and her breathing showed that there were many people in the room.The old priest's very recognizable voice came out immediately: "If she can survive tonight, she will slowly recover. Let the little Alice I brought accompany her. That child is the most pious child of our Lord." Lamb."

The name Alice is not uncommon, but the old residents of Brandenburg will raise their eyebrows tacitly when Father Denard specifically mentioned "Alice".

"On Kloster Street... um, poor child? God bless." The nun hurriedly made a sign of the cross on her chest: "The child's father is not a Christian."

The old priest's tone was a bit more serious: "That's why he was expelled from our country. My lord is tolerant, and he will not take the filth of the ram on the lamb. If you really want this child to live, at last Just do as I tell you!"

The room fell into dead silence, and after a while, someone finally spoke again: "Just as the priest said, invite that Miss Vergent to come here."

So, the nun in charge of maintaining discipline in the orphanage found the black-haired girl brought by Father Denard by the water well.At this moment, she is pressing out the well water with a serious face, and pouring it into a special jar little by little as "holy water".

With bright red cheeks and star-like eyes due to hard work, little Alice Vergent is like a torch lighting up the gray snow at this moment, bright and warm.

"God bless." She sighed secretly, regretting her unspeakable background for the child, but ignored the slightly shortness of breath of the child and the thick moss stained on the soles of the shoes.

Sneaking out from under the window sill one step ahead of time, little Alice tried to calm her breath while trying to make herself look more suitable for the nuns' preferences.The malice from the outside world made her learn to observe words and feelings early on, and use everything available to grow tenaciously like a weed.

"My boy, drop this and follow me. Don't worry, someone else will continue to finish the work."

The nun beckoned to the girl, little Alice nodded quietly and docilely, then slowly stood up straight, lowered her head and walked to the eaves obediently: "Hello, ma'am."

"Mr. Priest asked you to stay in the treatment room for one night, and I will take you to see the place."

Thinking of the blond girl being bullied, the nun added something else to her pity—the Coffee Lady is coming soon, and I hope she's back to health before then.

Otherwise, the financially distressed Bruce Orphanage is likely to be completely closed before spring.

"Okay, ma'am."

Little Alice put down the tools in her hand, dried her hands and followed behind the nun.Walking through the corridor where echoes can be stepped on, the floor-to-ceiling glass windows sprinkled colorful but cold colors on her body.

Going all the way to the bottom, the nun gripped the round rusty brass handle and pulled the door open.At this moment, apart from the wounded, only Father Denard and the head of the orphanage were left in the room.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your conversation, sir. I've brought the boy."

The nun bent down, exited the room and stood in the corridor. The thin middle-aged man wearing a monocle lowered his eyes and looked at the little girl in front of him: "Raise your head, Miss Vergent."

"Yes, sir."

This was the voice that made the decision at the end. Little Alice obeyed the request and looked up, touching an obscure blue.

He wore an elegant handmade suit and a large emerald ring on his left ring finger.

"What beautiful purple eyes, and this black hair, one can't help but think of those beautiful girls in the Caucasus mountains."

He touched the girl's face, and brushed his fingers over and over her face as if greedy for warmth: "I like obedient and good children, tell me, are you?"

"Alice has to help me clean up the pool behind the church tomorrow morning. Mrs. Vergent has only one hope left." Father Denard suddenly interrupted the conversation, the man withdrew his hand and pursed his mouth Smiling slightly: "It's a pity, I was thinking about whether I could adopt a caring and gentle daughter."

"Her father is still alive." The old priest got up and walked towards the nun who stayed outside, stopped after taking two steps, and turned around: "Leave everything to Alice, she knows what she should do."

If it's just a nun, the man certainly doesn't feel the need to make concessions, but the old priest in the old church... his long-term persistence has made him a prominent figure in the diocese. It is not worthwhile to offend such a religious figure with a background for a little girl.

Thinking of this, he nodded to little Alice: "Then, I will leave everything to you, Miss Vergent."

The adults left the treatment room, just tossing the wounded, who was alive or dead, to a girl younger than her age.

"I said, your luck is really bad."

When everyone was gone, the first thing Alice did was to close the doors and windows.

Before returning to the hospital bed, she lay down on the slightly stiff off-white sheet, and pressed the mattress down into a small hole.The pale-faced, short-breathing blond girl opened her eyes slightly in a half-waking state, and said in a weak voice, "Are you the angel who came to pick me up to heaven?"

"Sorry, there seems to be no black-haired breed among angels. I think you have to continue to suffer in this painful world." Seeing her overwhelmed and closing her eyes, Alice hooked a low stool with her hind feet and sat down, performing magic tricks It seemed that there was a dark cup suddenly in his hand.

Not rare oriental china, not precious gold and silver cups, it looked almost like the strange colors of lava flowing from a crater when it cooled.In the pure black, there are colorful changes due to the refraction of the light, but if you really have to look carefully, the oily colorful color has disappeared all of a sudden.

At this moment, half a cup of water is filled in this dark cup, like a clear spring just flowing out of the mountains, with the smell of fresh grass and trees.While the girl was panting with her eyes closed, Alice poured the half glass of water into the water bottle on the bedside table: "Drink some water? There are only two of us for company tonight..."

The deliberately elongated ending made the wounded realize that this last straw was not easy to mess with at all.

"Okay, but sorry, I don't have the strength."

The blond maiden had to submit, like the princess in a fairy tale who had to submit to the witch.

So the "witch" picked up the water bottle with added ingredients and poured a full cup on the simple bedside table of the "princess", "Drink it, you will get better soon, I promise."

I don't know if it will get better, but at least I won't be abused if I obey.None of the children in the orphanage were so delicate. Alice shook the head of the bed for her and sat half-recumbent, then turned around and picked up a water glass and threw it in front of her.

"Thank you."

At this time, someone is willing to pour water for her and watch the night, which is indeed a rare favor.

Even though it was cold water, even though she was very weak, and even though her eyes were black with pain from the wound, she still patiently opened her mouth and cooperated with little Alice to pour the whole glass of water into her stomach.

After drinking the glass of cold "ordinary well water", the blond girl let out a long breath: "I seem to be getting better... Thank you, Epony, my name is, how about you?"

"You're really going to get better, Epony. Now, close your eyes, get some sleep, and have a drink when you wake up."

Alice lowered the bed board again and tucked her quilt corner, went around to find a comfortable place at the foot of the bed, hugged the pillow and lay down on it, taking advantage of the opportunity to wrap the spare blanket around her body to keep out the cold: "I'm going to sleep too, good night."

"Alice Vergent, my name."

After she finished speaking, she just threw the wounded on the bed and ignored them, showing no medical ethics at all.

The blond girl Epony rubbed her face sideways against the rough textiles under her body, her weakness after massive blood loss made her quickly fall asleep.The water that fell into the stomach pouch rises with a slightly drunken warmth, relieves the pain and at the same time turns into rain to nourish the body, repair the damage and fill the deficiency.Unknowingly, the pale face of the wounded gradually had the halo that a healthy person would have.

【Ability·Cup】