“You’re still young, yet you worry about so many things.” Yun Qing said. He did not want to live like a mute. This little sister was pretty decent. He had been an only child, with no brothers or sisters. After experiencing the Apocalypse in both his lives, he had lost every trace of human warmth. Now, he also wanted to live like a normal person.
The little girl was rather pitiful, so there was no harm in looking after her a little. After all, wasn’t that what younger sisters were for—to be doted on?
After stacking the firewood neatly, Zhou Yunlan said quietly, “Second Brother, you haven’t eaten yet, have you? I’ll make you a bowl of porridge, all right? You won’t be able to sleep tonight on an empty stomach.”
Yun Qing knew that if he asked Zhao Hongmei for food at this hour, the little girl would inevitably get scolded. Besides, what was there to enjoy about cornmeal porridge?
He picked up a clod of mud from the ground and whispered into Zhou Yunlan’s ear, “Second Brother brought back some meat. I’ll save you a big chicken leg.”
In the moonlight, Yun Qing could see the reflection in her eyes, bright and sparkling. She smiled and nodded vigorously. “Mm-hmm, Second Brother. Wait for me a moment. I’ll heat some water for you to wash up.”
After saying that, she quickly walked over to the water basin and deftly washed the clothes. Her entire back radiated cheerfulness. She did not say a single unnecessary word, much less mention saving some for their parents or anything like that. In this family, those with the ability ate meat, while those without it went hungry.
Selfish? That was too strong a word. But generosity was even less likely. Who did not want to live a little more easily? This was a blended family to begin with. Family affection? Give him a break. Filling one’s stomach was what truly mattered.
After Zhou Yunlan hung up the clothes, she began scrubbing the pot and heating water. Sitting beside her, Yun Qing broke open the clod of mud with one punch. The beggar’s chicken had already gone cold and gave off little aroma; he had done that deliberately. In this Grand Courtyard where there were no secrets, it was better to keep a low profile.
He tore off a chicken leg and handed it to Zhou Yunlan. “Hurry up and eat.”
The little girl sniffed and began eating in great mouthfuls. The firelight from the stove illuminated the siblings’ hearty feast, making the scene look so warm and beautiful.
During this entire time, no one from the Zhou Family came out. It was as though the siblings did not exist. Indifference was the most frightening thing of all.
“Burp.” Zhou Yunlan let out a satisfied burp, then smiled sheepishly and said softly, “This is the first time I’ve ever eaten meat until I was full. It’s wonderful!”
“Who hasn’t?” Yun Qing also spoke quietly. The Original Host had never eaten this much meat in one sitting either, so he was not lying.
“Second Brother, did you run into any danger this time when you went into the mountains?” Zhou Yunlan looked Yun Qing up and down.
Yun Qing shook his head. “No. The road was just a little far, which was why I was delayed.”
“That’s good. Don’t go again in the future. It’s so far away, and if something happened to you, no one would even know.” Zhou Yunlan muttered softly.
“Can’t you wish me a little good luck?” Yun Qing flicked her on the head.
The little girl said nothing. She lowered her head and fell silent. At this moment, Second Brother was the only person in the family who showed her any kindness. If something happened to him, she would truly have no one to rely on.
Yun Qing did not know what she was thinking, but he received that kindness.
When the water had heated, Yun Qing simply washed his face and feet in the kitchen and brushed his teeth as well. After eating meat, the smell of it would certainly be noticeable on his breath. He was not afraid of that, but he disliked trouble.
When he entered the room, the two brothers were pretending to be asleep. Yun Qing naturally ignored them, spread out his bedding on the heated brick bed, and went to sleep.
Lying on the heated brick bed, Zhou Yunlan smiled happily as she savored the fragrance of the chicken. This was the first time she had gone to sleep without an empty stomach.
Early the next morning, Zhou Yunxi said hypocritically, “When did Second Brother come back? We’ve been worried sick about you these past few days.”
Yun Qing shot him a glance and walked out of the room without saying anything. This younger brother was so annoyingly affected! A man acting so insincerely—wasn’t he ashamed of himself?
“Heh, you got a cold shoulder after offering a warm face, didn’t you? Serves you right!”
Zhou Yunxue added gleefully. Zhou Yunxi clenched his fists in anger, but he truly did not dare to start a fight. What a coward—he only knew how to pull petty, underhanded tricks.
At the dining table, Zhou Hongjun said, “Why did it take you so many days to come back? We all thought the wolves had carried you off.”
Yun Qing shot back, “My bones are hard. Wolves don’t have teeth that good.”
Zhou Hongjun snorted and said no more.
After swallowing another bowl of thin porridge and stuffing the steamed corn bun into his pocket, Yun Qing left the house. He could not stand staying in this family at all; it was far too oppressive. He truly hoped the high school entrance examination would arrive soon, so he could live at school.
Seeing Yun Qing’s brazen attitude, Zhou Yunxue and Zhou Yunxi felt somewhat impressed. This Second Brother really had guts—he dared provoke the authority of the head of the family. The key point was that the head of the family had not even pursued the matter. Hmph! What favoritism!
Favoritism? Zhou Hongjun did not have a heart at all. The reason he did not pursue the matter was that he knew about the Original Host’s family background, yet did not even know where the Chu family was. He simply did not dare offend them. Most importantly, he had never intended to give Yun Qing half the gold. He was merely feeling guilty!
Yun Qing saw everything clearly. He also wanted to know where this old bastard’s bottom line lay. Still, as long as they did not provoke him, he naturally could not be bothered to provoke them either. In any case, he had recovered everything that should be his. His current task was to live well and carve out a life of his own.
As long as he was here, those two brothers could forget about ever rising above him. As for Zhou Hongjun, his current role was merely to occupy the job position. Once Zhou Yunlan graduated, it would be time for him to leave the stage. Whether he would kill him or cripple him would depend on his mood.
If anyone else objected, Yun Qing would use his fists to tell them that their objections were invalid!
He wandered to a dilapidated courtyard nearby, found an unoccupied corner, and entered the Space. Leaving behind a wisp of divine sense to monitor the outside, he began practicing his cultivation.
The days passed one after another. Yun Qing either went out to practice his cultivation or went treasure hunting. With his divine sense cheating for him, even things buried underground could be dug up by him. Occasionally, he would also come across an enemy agent’s hideout. He would write an anonymous report with his left hand and slip it into the Public Security Bureau.
He did not want the credit. After all, he was now just a little kid, and any benefits would go to Zhou Hongjun instead. Let him dream.
He left after breakfast and returned home after dark. As for lunch? What was that? He had no idea. The family never ate it; they had always eaten only two meals a day.
It was not until school began that Yun Qing finally breathed a sigh of relief. He no longer had to go out to check in every day.
The unlucky part was that he and Zhou Yunxue were in the same class. Zhou Yunxi and Zhou Yunlan were in sixth grade at primary school. They were among the first students under the restored six-three-three system. The Original Host had been lucky; he was part of the final class under the five-two-two system.
Compared with Zhou Yunxue, a poor student, the Original Host’s grades were fairly decent, at an upper-middle level. With those grades, high school was barely within reach, while secondary technical school was out of the question. Therefore, Yun Qing had to steadily improve his grades over the next six months and strive to get into a secondary technical school through the high school entrance examination.
He was not worried about mathematics, physics, or chemistry. The focus was on the liberal arts, especially politics. Fortunately, his memory was excellent now. Saying that he never forgot anything after seeing it once was not an exaggeration; memorization was truly his strong suit.
It was difficult for a poor student to become a top student, but it was equally difficult for a top student to pretend to be a poor student. The most crucial part was controlling his scores.
Step by step, he went from ranking around twentieth in the class, to the top ten, then the top five, and finally to nearly perfect scores.
The teachers watched his progress little by little. They even gave him extra attention, such as assigning him more homework.
Yun Qing: Teacher, thank you so much!