Missy stood up quickly, panic in her eyes, but before she could move, Bryson grabbed her arm tightly from behind, trying to stop her from running away.
He stepped forward, his eyes full of concern as he looked at her tear-streaked face. He couldn't help but feel a deep ache in his heart.
"Missy, are you thinking about going outside?"
Bryson asked gently, his tone carrying a trace of worry.
Missy was already crying uncontrollably. Her heart felt like it had been torn apart by a sharp blade, and the sadness nearly took away her ability to speak.
She silently looked at Bryson. In her eyes, there was a spark of hope, a plea for help. Then she nodded slowly with all her strength.
She wanted to go out.
Bryson's eyes fell on her strange clothes. He spoke softly, "Missy, the clothes you're wearing aren't right for going out."
Missy looked down at the summer clothes on her body, then at what Bryson was wearing.
Modern clothes.
Old-fashioned clothes.
Bryson gently helped her sit back on the bench and then picked up a pair of cloth shoes nearby. It looked like they had been prepared for some time, waiting just for this moment.
"Missy, change into these shoes. Also, I've left a set of clothes for you in the room..."
...
Missy was now wearing a set of small-sized boys' clothes. She guessed they used to belong to Bryson when he was younger.
She walked beside him, following the winding path that led toward the back mountain of Dagang Village.
As they talked, Missy slowly learned more about Bryson and realized that he was the one who had rescued her by the roadside. She felt truly grateful.
But now, she was frightened as she looked around at everything outside. She was caught in her own thoughts.
"Missy, how come you know how to speak official language?" Bryson asked, curiosity flashing in his eyes.
Missy looked back at him, a bit confused.
Official language probably meant Mandarin!
She answered casually in a soft voice, "Brother Bryson, is there a problem with speaking official language? I've always spoken it."
There was nothing wrong with speaking official language.
However, in the kingdom of Qi, not everyone could speak it. Usually only scholars or girls from wealthy families learned it.
This fact made Bryson start to wonder.
Could Missy be the daughter of a noble family?
But if she really was, why didn't she have an identity tag?
Missy didn't notice the doubt growing in Bryson's heart.
She also didn't realize that Bryson hadn't answered her question just now.
She seemed completely lost in her thoughts.
Now she was sure it wasn't a prank or a nightmare.
This was real!
She had time traveled!
And she had become younger!
This was even scarier than a nightmare.
She suddenly turned and grabbed Bryson's arm tightly, her eyes filled with hope, as if he was her last chance.
"Brother Bryson, can you help me go back and find my parents?"
Her voice sounded helpless and anxious, as if that was the one thing she wanted the most.
She thought that if she had somehow traveled here, then there must be a way to return to her own world.
And in this strange and unknown place, the only person she could rely on was Bryson, who seemed kind and trustworthy.
Bryson was pulled out of his thoughts by Missy's words. His eyes landed on her again, with a trace of surprise.
"Do you have parents?"
His voice held a hint of doubt, as if he couldn't understand how a girl without an identity tag could be so certain she had parents.
Missy felt Bryson's question was strange, but she didn't have time to think about it deeply.
Her mother had been an older woman when she gave birth to her. Now she was already over fifty, and Missy was their only child. If her roommate had told her parents that she went missing after falling into the water, she couldn't imagine what might have happened.
She didn't know how long she had been in this place, but she knew she couldn't waste any time.
She had to return to her own world as soon as possible.
"Of course I have parents, Bryson. I need to get back home quickly and let them know I'm okay, or else they'll think I've… I'm their only daughter, and my mother isn't in good health. She can't take any stress. Please!"
Missy looked at Bryson.
As she spoke, thinking about her parents, her eyes began to fill with tears.
Bryson frowned. He was still puzzled about Missy not having an identity tag.
"Missy, don't worry just yet. Where is your identity tag?"
If she had an identity tag, it would be easy to find her parents.
But he didn't recall any local family with such a striking daughter.
Maybe she was from another place.
In this country, though, any woman without an identity tag was considered ownerless property. Taking them by force wasn't even a crime.
Because of that, families with daughters never let them go out alone.
If they had to go out, they were always accompanied by several people to prevent any danger.
"Identity tag? Is that like an ID card?" Missy asked, confused.
"Every girl gets one at birth, unless she's a criminal slave with no master," Bryson explained.
Missy realized that Bryson had misunderstood.
She also figured the identity tag must be similar to an ID card from her world, with personal information on it.
But she wasn't from this world. How could she have something like that here?
How was she supposed to explain that to Bryson?
That she came from another time and space?
Would he even believe her?
Would he think she was some kind of monster?
And what was that he just said…
No identity tag meant being a criminal slave?
Her heart started to race.
Did that mean being an unregistered person?
Would she be captured?
She didn't understand the rules of this world at all.
Should she tell the truth?
But if she didn't, how could she ever get back?
She had to stay calm. She could figure out a way to return.
Yes, she had to find a way.
"Bryson, I want to go back to the place where you found me. Is that okay?"
Missy didn't answer his question about the identity tag, because she didn't know how to explain it.
Right now, all she could think about was going back to where she first arrived.
Maybe there would be some way there to return.
If she could go back, then a lot of problems would be solved.
She wouldn't have to worry about being called a criminal slave anymore.
Bryson looked at Missy's face and thought for a moment. He knew there were usually villagers out and about during the day near the front of the village.
It wasn't a good time to go there now.
Still, he didn't want to see her look disappointed.
"Missy, let's go back first and prepare a bit. Then I'll take you there later."
He responded gently.