“Ouch…” Before I could even voice my pain, Ahli cried out first, dramatically rubbing her shoulder and shaking her leg, affecting an aged and decrepit air. Mimicking my expression, she declared, “It’s killing me! These blasted monkeys, they didn’t even set me down gently. Wait until they break an arm or a leg, see how they serve me then!”

“You little mischief-maker,” Xiao Shu hobbled in from the edge of the monkey troop, reaching out to pat Ahli’s head.

Ahli was not receptive, deliberately turning her head aside to avoid Xiao Shu’s hand. “Don't. Men and women shouldn't touch. No matter how small I am, I’m still a girl.”

“Hahahaha…” Watching this whimsical little creature, I couldn’t help but burst into laughter, completely forgetting the hardships of our long journey.

“Ahli,” seeing that Ahli was keeping her distance, Xiao Shu crouched down, intent on speaking seriously with her.

“What is it?” Ahli grabbed my hand, shaking it back and forth, then sprang up, hooking her legs around my thigh like a monkey. It seemed she had learned quite a bit during her time with the apes; now she saw me only as a tree, ready to scramble up me swiftly.

“Is Xing’er with you?” Xiao Shu asked, her expression grave.

“Hmph, another one who favors boys over girls! The moment you see me, you ask about Xing’er, not even asking if I’ve been well all this time,” Ahli pouted, turning her face away angrily.

Children always think so simply. She had no idea how far we had traveled, the dangers we had faced, or the times we nearly lost our lives just to find her. She couldn't grasp how desperately we needed to know the condition of her companion, focusing only on why we hadn't inquired about her life among the monkeys. Perhaps only when she grows up someday, understanding the responsibilities of adulthood, would she comprehend Xiao Shu’s current feelings.

Having no other choice, I lifted Ahli off my thigh and settled her onto my shoulders. Delightedly, I spun around Xiao Shu once, shouting, “Ride horses and fight! Ride horses and fight! Uncle Li’s shoulders are empty—should we ask Xing’er to sit on his shoulders and play ‘riding horses and fighting’ together?”

“Hahahaha…” Ahli burst into radiant laughter, playfully sweeping a branch over Xiao Shu’s head. Xiao Shu, hampered by her limp, could only dodge and weave clumsily, forced to smile and let the girl tease her.

When she reached the peak of her joy, I suddenly stopped, panting slightly, and said, “This isn’t fun. Uncle Li is just standing here stupidly. We need to call Xing’er out to play for it to be fun.”

“Xing’er is grounded; he can’t come out,” Ahli slid down from my shoulder, her mood suddenly dampened.

“Who grounded him? Who brought you two here?” I bent down, resting on my haunches, forcing her to meet my eyes as I asked with genuine concern.

“The monkeys brought us. The day before yesterday, he rode a monkey like a horse and even whipped it. When he came back, his mother punished him, locking him in the cave and forbidding him to come out,” Ahli finished, spreading her small hands in a gesture of helplessness.

The scene I witnessed on the plains immediately flashed through my mind—those two children riding monkeys were indeed them.

“Xing’er’s mother is here too?” Hearing that Xing’er was confined by his mother, Xiao Shu instantly grew agitated. She suddenly lunged forward, grabbing Ahli by the shoulders, pulling her close and shaking her while demanding answers.