“I’m sorry, please forgive me. I’m begging you, baby.”
They had always been like this. Whenever they made even the slightest mistake involving her, they would apologize over and over again.
Li Tong gently shook her head.
“It’s okay, Big Brother. Don’t be like this…”
She reached out and softly cupped his face.
Nan Qi affectionately nuzzled his cheek against her little palm.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
He told his little treasure to stay obediently in the bedroom while he went to answer the door.
Xiong Ji and the other two were soaked from head to toe, each carrying two large bags full of supplies.
Nan Qi grinned. “Well, that’s quite a haul.”
The moment they returned, the gale picked up again, followed by another torrent of pouring rain.
“Talk about lucky timing.”
The three of them caught the hidden meaning behind his words, but since each of them had entertained the same thought before, they merely snorted in amusement.
The group returned to the Small World to shower and freshen up.
Li Tong came out and rummaged through the bags.
Almost everything inside was food. She examined the vacuum packed items and discovered they still had another six months before expiring.
It made sense. The Apocalypse had only begun half a month ago, so this was naturally the period when supplies were still at their most abundant.
They had no immediate use for these items, so Li Tong tossed the bags into one of the warehouse storage slots. Anything stored on that page remained frozen in time.
“We can use these as trade goods later.”
Nan Qi wrapped his arms around her from behind.
“My baby is so clever.”
Li Tong laughed. “And Big Brother is so dramatic.”
The other three finished cleaning up and soon came out. It was already after nine o’clock at night. They had been away for quite a long time.
Li Tong quickly took out a feast and filled the dining table.
Curried lamb, braised pork, sweet and sour ribs, chopped chilli pork ribs, black chicken soup, fragrant steamed rice, and five large cups of well water.
Little Sister excitedly urged them to tell her everything that had happened outside.
The three of them shared the more interesting parts while briefly summarising everything else.
Li Tong thought for a moment.
“Once this month ends and the extreme cold arrives, the entire flood will freeze over. By then, they’ll definitely ask you brothers to go chop up furniture.”
Nan Qi chuckled. “Our Little Treasure is clever one moment and silly the next.”
Xiong Ji laughed.
“Haha, even if they don’t ask us, your big brothers will still have to go out and put on a show.”
Jiang Xun nodded.
“With this many supplies, we should be able to last until the rainstorm ends.”
None of them wanted to go outside anymore.
All they wanted was to stay home with their precious little sister.
After dinner, the other three turned in early, exhausted after a full day’s work.
Nan Qi couldn’t have been happier. He had enjoyed an entire day alone with his little sister.
Li Tong, however, wasn’t sleepy at all.
Her nightlife was only just beginning.
The two of them snuggled together on the sofa, watching a film.
Since she had eaten too much at dinner, she only brought out a bowl of fruit.
Nan Qi would feed her one bite before eating the remaining bite himself.
He barely paid attention to the film, spending most of his time watching his little sister instead.
As soon as the film ended, Nan Qi picked her up, intending to carry her back to the bedroom.
“Big Brother, I’m not sleepy. You can go to bed by yourself.”
“Be good. It’s already after eleven. Don’t stay up late. Big Brother’s taking his little treasure to sleep.”
“But I’m not sleepy! I want to play. I don’t want to sleep!”
She wriggled in his arms, trying to break free.
It was completely useless. He acted as though he hadn’t heard a word.
Nan Qi hoisted her over his shoulder and gave her a light warning pat.
Afraid of disturbing the other three, Li Tong could only let herself be carried into the wolf’s den with a pitiful expression.
…
In the middle of the night, the wind grew twice as fierce.
Its howling sounded like mournful cries echoing through the darkness.
The commotion in the corridor intensified, and the entire building shook without stopping.
Li Tong woke up from the noise and shifted slightly in Nan Qi’s embrace.
He immediately propped himself up, switched on the bedside lamp with its faint halo of light, and gently soothed her.
“It’s okay. Big Brother’s here. Don’t be afraid.”
They lay face to face, pressed tightly together as his large hand slowly stroked her back.
“Good girl.”
Something seemed to have been swept up by the wind and slammed against the outside wall of the building.
A deafening crash rang out, followed by another violent tremor.
Screams erupted continuously from the corridor.
The sound of shattering glass echoed through the building. Another family’s windows had probably been blown apart.
“Big Brother…”
“Mm. Big Brother’s here.”
He gently lifted her chin and kissed her forehead.
Held securely in his embrace, Li Tong felt completely safe, and her body gradually relaxed.
“I like Big Brother.”
She often confessed her affection to them so openly, and they did the same to her.
“Mm. Big Brother loves his little treasure too.”
Qin Shuo opened the door to check on his little sister.
Although Nan Qi wasn’t pleased about it, he had already had Little Sister all to himself for the entire day. Besides, the four of them had agreed on this beforehand, so he silently accepted Qin Shuo’s arrival without saying a word.
Qin Shuo smiled. “Did you miss me, baby?”
“Mhm. I missed Big Brother.”
Qin Shuo beamed.
“Such a good girl. My baby, Big Brother, missed you to death.”
…
The wailing in the corridor grew even louder.
It sounded as though someone had died. A woman cried hysterically as she desperately begged for help.
“Ahhh! My child! You killed him! You’ll die for this! You have to pay with your life!”
“Damn bitch! That little brat stole my food! Killing him was only right!”
“Wuu… He only took one little biscuit! You killed him over a single biscuit! Monster! You’re a monster!”
“Bah! That’s exactly why I stabbed the little bastard to death. He stole my biscuit!”
The sounds of people fighting outside continued without pause.
“Ahhh! Please save me! Save me and my son! He’s only in middle school!”
“Sister Ma! I helped you so much before! Why won’t you help me now?”
“You ungrateful wretch! I lowered myself to help your son before. Today, you’re dying too!”