After she'd finished two fruits, color returning to her face, she looked at him again.
"Thank you—" she said quietly. "For saving me. For feeding me. I—I don't know how to repay—"
"You don't need to repay anything," Cang said, then—paused deliberately. "Though—your sister did ask me to take care of you."
Xiao Hua's eyes widened, hope and fear warring on her face.
"My sister—?! Song Mei—?! She's—she's alive—?!"
"That's—complicated," Cang said carefully, modulating his voice to sound reluctant. "I shouldn't—"
"Please—" Xiao Hua grabbed his arm desperately. "Please tell me—is she alive—?! The villagers said she was eaten—!!"
Cang sighed, as if giving in to her pleading.
"She's alive," he confirmed. "The mountain demon—didn't eat her. She's—safe. With me."
"With you—?" Confusion bloomed. "Why would—how did—?"
"She told me about you," Cang continued, not answering directly. "About your birthmark. The crescent moon on your left shoulder blade."
