Sniffling loudly, Bao Bei wiped his swollen, bright red eyes with his sleeve.
The fabric was already soaked through—if he squeezed it, water would probably drip out.
"Thank you, Father Finnick… thank you, Father… thank you, big brother Timmy… Bao Bei… will never forget… sniff, sniff, waaah!"
The tears that had finally stopped started flooding out again as Bao Bei tried to speak. Beside him, Judy was also sobbing, he was trying his best to say goodbye in between hiccupping breaths.
In front of the horse-drawn wagon waiting at the entrance of the church's chapel, Bao Bei and Judy had been crying like this for over an hour.
Father Phil, who had been searching for a new place for them to live, had finally found someone. It was a kind old woman who is living in a town three or four days away by wagon.
The town was called Gustglen Town. It's a lively and large place even among beastmen towns, located near the border of the human lands. The elderly woman had been a schoolteacher there for many years. She had raised three children of her own and all of her children now had grown up and independent. These days, she lived peacefully and comfortably in retirement.
She had written back, saying she would gladly take in Bao Bei and Judy. She explained that she wanted to help small, weak children like them. The children who were often discriminated against because of their fur color—by giving them a chance to learn skills and gain knowledge so they could live on their own. She had already taken in several such children in the past and helped them grow into independent adults.
"What I can offer is truly a small thing," she had written. "But even if just one child I care for goes on to live a happy life, then it will be worth it. I only ask two things from any child I take in: that they have a gentle heart, and that they help a little around the house. Think of it as an old woman's little hobby. I will gladly welcome the two of them. I'll be waiting."
It was a kind and rare offer—one that felt almost like a miracle.
Father Phil made up his mind to entrust Bao Bei and Judy to the care of the old woman. The problem now was figuring out how to get the two young children all the way to Gustglen Town.
Father Phil was too old and weak to make the journey himself. Finnick couldn't leave either, not even for a short time, because he had to stay behind to care for the other children at the church.
Judy was only four years old and there was no way he and Bao Bei could travel such a long distance by themselves in a wagon for several days.
While they were still unsure of what to do, a merchant from the village offered to help. He said he had business that would take him close to Gustglen—just one town before it.