Chapter 241 Buying Candied Apples

Benjamin only truly woke up in the dead of night, having drifted in and out of sleep a few times before. He spotted Ava and let his eyes flutter shut again.

The room was lit up like a Christmas tree. While he was out, Ava had already cleaned his face with warm water. His tiny face did look a lot like her second brother's, but he was skin and bones.

He woke up crying again but managed a smile through his tears when he saw Ava.

Ava took him downstairs for a bath. Benjamin soaked in the tub while Ava gently washed his hair, working through the tangles with osmanthus oil before rinsing it clean.

After the bath, he put on some new clothes meant for a seven-year-old. They were a bit too big, but hey, at least he was clean now.

In the kitchen, food was ready. His eyes lit up, and he instinctively grabbed a piece of meat with his hand, stuffing it into his mouth before quickly hiding under the table.

It was like a reflex. After a moment, he steadied himself and slowly climbed back onto the chair, looking at Ava with teary eyes.

Ava turned away, quickly wiping her own tears, then turned back with a smile. "Take it easy. I'll eat with you."

Xavier wanted to come in, but Benjamin cautiously put down his utensils, his eyes full of fear.

Seeing how scared Benjamin was of men, Xavier stepped back. "You two eat, I'll eat outside."

"Thank you, Your Grace." Ava stood up and walked to Xavier, her eyes filled with gratitude. "I'll never forget your kindness."

Xavier said, "We're about to get married. No need for formalities. Go be with him. I'll have someone get paper and pen. I know Benjamin started learning to read at three; he can write."

Ava nodded. "Alright, we'll eat first, then I'll ask him."

As soon as Xavier left, the fear in Benjamin's eyes vanished. He clung tightly to Ava and started wolfing down the food.

Seeing his frail body and stunted growth, Ava could only imagine the hell he'd been through the past two years.

"Slow down, don't choke," Ava said softly.

Benjamin slowed a bit, but to Ava, he was still devouring the food.

The meal was over in no time.

After cleaning up, Ava set out the paper and pen, holding his wrist. "I know you can write. Even if you haven't in two years, you should still remember how. Tell me, how did you escape? How did you end up like this?"

As she spoke, tears fell onto the table. When she bathed him earlier, she saw the countless wounds on his body, old and new, with hardly any unscarred skin.

His left leg was crippled. The doctor said the bone had healed wrong and would need to be broken again to fix it.

Benjamin wiped her tears with his hands, then waved them away, his gaunt face full of pity and concern.

His eye sockets were sunken, and his cheeks were hollow, making Ava's heart ache.

If she had known Benjamin was still alive, she would have searched the ends of the earth for him, and he wouldn't have had to suffer so much.

Benjamin began to write.

Maybe because he hadn't written in a long time, combined with malnutrition and abuse, his fingers were a bit deformed, making it hard to hold the pen. Ava steadied his hand.

After a long while, he slowly began to write, stroke by stroke. It was tough for him, as he had no strength.

After what felt like forever, he finally wrote a sentence: [Buy candied apples.]