He quickly run down the hallway barefoot with soft pattering steps. Sometimes he stumbled and fell headfirst, but he always got back up with full energy and kept going. He ran cheerfully toward the back kitchen door.
The door was already open and in there stood Finnick and one of the older kids on kitchen duty.
"Mornin'! Mornin', nya-nyo!"
Bao Bei squeezed his way between Finnick and the older boy, Nick, to shout his greeting.
"Well, you're waking up so early again. Bao Bei's always the first one, huh?"
Grandpa Woolter, the man who ran a farm on the edge of the village, smiled and scooped Bao Bei up with the same hand he had just used to put down a milk can.
"Kyah!"
Bao Bei squealed with joy, his hands and feet flapping with excitement. Woolter lifted him up near the face of Burro, the donkey who had pulled the cart loaded with milk bottles and cans.
Bao Bei gently reached out and patted Burro's face.
"Morning, Burro! Mornin', nya-nyo!"
Burro replied with a big lick, dragging his long tongue across Bao Bei's cheek.
"Thank you as always, Grandpa Woolter," Finnick said with gratitude.
"It's nothing," Woolter answered while waving his hand as usual. "We gotta do at least what we can."
With his ears twitching, Woolter pulled on the donkey's reins and walked away. Every morning, while doing his regular deliveries, Woolter brought milk to the church kids for free. He did it every day without fail.
...
"Bao Bei! Bao Bei! Where are you? Bao Bei!"
It was just after nap time when Judy, with his rabbit ears bouncing, poked his head into the backyard garden. The green beans and cabbages were ready for harvest. The potatoes still needed a bit more time.
"Judy, are you looking for someone?" asked Timmy as he lifted a basket full of cabbages. Timmy, with his droopy rabbit ears, had a big sturdy body, and even though he was only three years old, he was good at heavy work.
"I'm looking for Bao Bei. Is he here?"
"If it's Bao Bei, he went off a little while ago chasing a butterfly toward the courtyard."
"Thanks a lot!"
Judy quickly run off to the courtyard, just as Timmy had told him. The courtyard was used for hanging laundry, and it also had a small flower bed. A stone path ran through it, connecting the main church building, where the chapel was, to the west wing, which had the bathhouse.
Just as Judy reached the path, she saw Priscilla, a girl with tanuki ears, crossing it.
"Did you see Bao Bei?" Judy called out.
Priscilla was six years old and already preparing to go work as a servant at a merchant's house in the neighboring town next year. She was holding some cut flowers, probably to decorate the chapel.
"Oh, he was poking at a caterpillar in the back garden on the west side just a little while ago."
Priscilla's tone was a little showy, trying to act like am adult.
"Thank you!" Judy said, and he ran off again.