This is Alexei's 31st day in the monastery.
It was hard for him to imagine that he could stay in one place for so long.
But Martha ensured him the minimum level of food and clothing, and asked him to study with the orphans adopted by the church. It was difficult to live this life.
And Martha wakes him up every morning, clears the snow with him, and secretly gives him some snacks, small gifts made by herself, and so on.
In Alexei's monotonous days, there is an additional routine: wrapping Masha's shawl around her, listening to her words and chatting with her while she clears the snow.
The little boy yawned, why didn't Martha find other children?
"My family situation is one of the best in the entire monastery. It has a big fireplace, a separate study and bedroom, and I have snacks to eat at home." Martha was very keen to talk about her family with Alexey, and her parents were harmonious. , life is generous enough to make her feel satisfied.
But the boy generally kept silent about this, which Martha could easily interpret as a sign of his disbelief.
"You don't understand. I gave up my comfortable life to come to the church to suffer. After all, I have a devout heart for God. Besides, my parents can live a better life if I pray for them. I won't leave them forever."
Alexei thought to himself, I didn’t say I didn’t believe it either.
But Martha's happiness and vitality seemed to only show up when she was working alone in the early morning. Once she entered the church, she became taciturn.
Alexei finally discovered this difference one day. Why did she always work alone? Why did she not say those hopeful words when she entered the church, even if no one was there?
Martha answered him only once, speaking very quickly, "This is a sign of respect to our Father."
In recent days, even when Martha was working early in the morning, she spoke less and less, and sometimes she didn't even ask the boy to get up and accompany her.
After the evening prayers, Alexey did not go to bed, but sneaked out of the dormitory and saw Masha, kneeling alone in the cold prayer room, with her hands clasped together and her body shaking.
Alexei thought that it was such a cold day that he could not shiver from the cold while kneeling on the ground. He walked over and pulled Martha.
The candles in the prayer room had long been extinguished, and Alexei could not clearly see the expression on Martha's face, but he was suddenly hugged tightly by her.
He suddenly felt that the hug given to him by this gentle and kind girl who always smiled, always cared about all living things, was very heavy.
The boy hugged her back unconsciously, "Sister Martha, this will be warmer."
These words were like the remaining warmth after the flame was extinguished, which was not enough to warm the huge prayer room again. Martha hugged Alexey like this for a long time, and finally, without saying a word, she held his hand and sent him away. After returning to the dormitory, along the way, even if the nun in charge came by, she did not say hello or explain the reason why the boy ran out.
Alexey's 31st day here ended like this, but on the 32nd day, he rarely overcame his laziness, got up early and ran to the door, but there was no trainee nun to clear the snow. over there.
A new porter came to the church. The old man was unchaining the door and said to himself, "The snow has stopped. I hope spring will come soon."
Alexei had a gut feeling that something bad had happened that he didn't know about.
——————
During Martha's absence, the boy finally felt that he was still alone, still out of place among the children in the church.
First, he was nicknamed "White-haired Ghost" by the nun who taught them. When the nun saw him, she prayed repeatedly, saying that white hair was ominous and a punishment from the devil. When the children saw the boy, they naturally responded to him. He stayed away.
Alexei remembered that when Masha washed his hair, she only said that it was the effect of albinism, and that his hair was the color of snow, and it was not strange to match his face.
He realized that he missed Martha very much. The little nun always wanted him to call her sister, but he always called her Martha, which made her a little annoyed.
He suddenly wanted to call her "sister" again.
When Alexei thought of this, he dropped the wooden spoon he was ladling with soup, walked resolutely to the steward, and bowed respectfully.
Seeing his attitude, the old nun didn't want to say anything sharp and just remained silent.
Alexei looked up. Now he could speak French fluently. "God bless you, Mammy, may I ask where the novice Masha went?"
…
"Martha...that diligent child is also a child who is not favored by God."
"The house is in such a dilapidated state, yet they still blow it every day... Well, they are still so pious. It's a pity that their family is guilty."
Alexei ran on the dim streets of Paris, his ponytail swaying behind his head. He stopped once and saw another brightly lit street through the alley, with a dazzling array of nobles and gentlemen, decorated Gorgeous carriage.
Just across the street. Immediately there was movement under his feet again. He should have come out to find Martha on the day she left.
Her family was too poor to survive, so her family sent her to church. What sin was there?
Just to keep her alive.
But why go back?
Because my sister, who sold her body to survive, was beaten to death by a drunkard on the street?
Because there is still a young brother at home who is fighting the disease and no one can support him?
Because both father and mother died of poverty?
So, Martha, who was protected by her family, had to take responsibility?
But what can she do? She is just a little girl of fifteen or sixteen years old...
Because in order to survive, the family gave up their innocence. Is it a sin?
Alexey stopped on a narrow and messy street. The dim moonlight shone on the cheap rental houses filled with debris. He found a tavern in a hidden location based on the description of the old nun's words.
Just as he approached the door, the men's wild laughter came from inside the wooden door. The laughter sounded heavy to Alexey in his own way, and it made his head hurt.
This is not where Martha should be. She is more suitable for that simple but warm church than the old nun.
He pushed the door open and went in. It was very crowded, just big enough to accommodate the thin boy. The men and women with cloudy eyes only glanced at him and continued their own affairs. Only a few younger people looked at the little boy, numbly. Smiled a little.
Alexey's sight was blocked, and he pushed aside people to search for Masha.
After searching around, the street singer in the tavern changed one song after another, the laughing woman moved in the small space, and the man poured sips of wine into his mouth.
Alexey was tired. He stood still, looked at the woman in front of him who was wearing gorgeous and cheap clothes, and covered his mouth and nose.
He just wants to come and take away a girl who doesn't belong here.
Just when he was feeling dizzy from fatigue and hunger, a figure that was twisting on the sticky floor suddenly grabbed him.
The boy looked up and saw Martha, who was smeared with makeup and wearing clothes that were obviously her sister's. Her eyes were wandering, the corners of her mouth were turned down, and she lost the certainty and confidence she once had in the church.
Alexei looked at the surprise and shock that flashed across her face, and then the disgust and avoidance that quickly changed, and suddenly felt that he seemed to be wrong.
He shouldn't have come here, he should have kept the best last side of Martha left for him.
Martha abandoned the passers-by who were socializing just now and the idea of getting a rich man to solve all this. She led the boy out of the hot tavern and came to the cold street.
Alexey just kept shouting, "Sister, I'm sorry."
Martha didn't know how to describe her feelings. When she saw his white hair, she felt like she had turned back into the pure girl who worked hard in the church. But when she saw the clarity in the boy's eyes, she realized There is no way he can go back.
She just looked at the air and said, "This street is dirty and messy. Don't come here again. There are also people who kidnap and traffick children."
Alexey nodded, "Sister, I want to visit your house."
Martha thought of the fantasies about a better life that she had given him in church, sneered, held the boy's hand, and left the tavern.
She led Alexey up the stairs, took out the key from a gap in a certain board, opened a shaky door, and saw clothes that were obviously adult men hanging on the balcony. Alexey understood that Martha Now I live by that man.
"My brother is dead." She said expressionlessly, pushed the boy gently inside, and closed the door behind her.
Alexei was as calm as she was and said, "Sister Martha, take a rest at home."
Seeing that Martha was frozen in place, he reached into his pocket. He wanted to say that he had given some things to the orphans in the church and defrauded them of some money...
But suddenly there was light behind him, and a rough voice accompanied by the strong smell of alcohol said, "Martha, what did you pick up?"
Alexey did not turn around immediately, but watched in surprise as Martha shrunk her thin shoulders, the protruding cheekbones on her face became more obvious, and her wide eyes were filled with fear.
Just as the boy was about to turn around, the belt was pulled down hard.
Martha screamed, "Mr. Alt, you are drunk again! Let us go!"
Alexei touched his face with his hands. It was sticky. Is this blood?
He has traveled half a continent, and he has never been beaten like this before!
A nameless anger surged higher and higher in his heart. While he was stunned, Martha protected him and took many more beatings for him.
What mixed in the girl's helpless cries was that she had not given up on such a humble life, but just wanted to stay in this world.
How many times did Martha pray to God after she left church?
Alexei could hear her crying and saying: "You are the only 'brother' I have left..."
The boy's eyes, which were dim in the darkness, suddenly ignited with golden flames.
He grabbed a loose stool and easily unloaded the legs of the stool. He quickly broke away from Martha's arms and walked around to the man at lightning speed. No one could see how the thin boy jumped up. He smashed the wooden stick on the man's head.
The strong man who had been violent just now rolled his eyes and lost consciousness. Just as he was about to fall heavily to the ground, Alexei hurriedly knelt down and tried his best to hold the man back and slow down his fall.
He didn't understand how he could be so skilled.
Martha forgot about the pain of new and old wounds on her body. She sat blankly at first, then suddenly jumped up and felt the man's breath.
The man went motionless.
"Dead? God!" Martha blurted out. The word God in her mouth no longer meant what it originally meant.
"Dead!" Martha laughed in a low voice, and then quickly fell down. She glanced at Alexey, and had no intention of wondering how this boy in his early ten years killed someone. What should she do now?
Wait for the police to arrest her? She didn't want to do it this time, she didn't want to be submissive anymore.
She took Alexei's hand, picked up the wooden stick, and hit the man hard several times. She exhaled and turned to the boy with a smile, "Alexei, let's go make money!"
Once again, a pure, happy smile appeared on Martha's face. She ran to the bedroom and opened the box that the man usually locked. Inside were more than a dozen brand-new guns and ammunition. Martha also dug out some unused items. Contact information from start to finish, and even a small amount of coins.
In the winter of 1914, in the early morning of the next snowy day, a heating equipment in a slum was in disrepair and a fire spread, causing a considerable number of casualties.
In the winter of 1914, on the snowy night of the second day, a young girl relied on her strength and the mysterious killer around her to establish her own power in a foreign hardcore world.
The girl is called Martha, which means "bitter and rebellious woman". Her methods are ruthless and cruel. Except for the vicious helper around her, as she grows, she becomes more powerful and dangerous.
As long as she could survive and make deals, there was no order that Martha couldn't make.
