READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 2: Family
Chapter 2: Family
“Huh? Why am I here?” Li Xi tried hard to remember, but her mind was blank.
“Nevermind, I should hurry home.”
Li Xi slowly got up from the ground, feeling pain in her bottom and back. It felt like she had fallen from a tree, but even worse. Did she come here to climb trees and fall? But why would she do that? The peach trees here weren’t even that tall, where was the challenge?
No matter how hard she tried, Li Xi couldn’t remember why she was here. Even her memories of the afternoon at school were blurry.
“This place feels eerie. I should leave quickly.”
The sun was setting, casting long shadows in the peach grove. Li Xi felt no appreciation for the scenery, only a hint of fear.
Then, she heard faint voices in the distance. As she got closer, she realized it was her eldest and second brothers looking for her!
“Xi’er!”
“Xi’er, where are you?”
Ignoring her pain, Li Xi ran towards the voices.
“Brother! Eldest brother! Second brother! I’m here!”
Li Xi called out joyfully, the tension and fear in her heart dissipating. Her brothers were here; no one could hurt her now.
An hour earlier, the Li family had prepared dinner and was waiting for Li Xi. When she didn’t return, they became frantic. Li He and Li Jiang decided to search for her, checking the route from school to home multiple times and asking her classmates. Finally, they asked the school teacher for help.
The teacher, seeing their urgency, closed his eyes briefly and told them Xi’er was in the peach grove.
The brothers rushed there, fearing something might have happened to her. When they heard Li Xi’s voice, they quickened their pace and saw a disheveled, limping little girl walking towards them.
“Xi’er, what happened? Why are you here?” Li He picked up his sister, his usually calm face full of concern.
Li Xi winced as her brother’s arm pressed against her sore back and bottom.
“Brother, it hurts! Eldest brother, second brother! Xi’er hurts so much!”
The pain triggered Li Xi’s tears, and she cried to release her fear.
“Where does it hurt? Let me see!” Li He wanted to check, but realized it wasn’t appropriate.
“Xi’er’s bottom hurts! And her back too!” Li Xi cried, feeling very wronged.
Li He paused, “Be good, Xi’er. Bear with it for now. We’ll have your sister-in-law check when we get home.”
Li Xi understood and agreed, still crying.
“Don’t cry, Xi’er. Who brought you here? Did someone bully you? Second brother will avenge you!” Li Jiang’s usually sunny face darkened, his eyes sharp.
“I… I don’t know. When I woke up, I was already here!” Li Xi tried to remember. “I don’t think it was someone from the village? I think… I think I saw a woman about second brother’s age? Maybe a bit younger?”
A vague green figure appeared in her mind but quickly vanished, wrapped in fog.
Suddenly, even that faint impression disappeared.
System: “Why is this nobody so troublesome? She made me bind to the wrong host earlier, and now she dares to resist? I’ll increase the force a bit.”
“No, I didn’t see anything. I don’t remember. I don’t remember anything at all…” Li Xi held her head, her mind completely blank, even the buried fear gone.
System: “Unless she becomes a Foundation Establishment cultivator, hah, how could a nobody like her reach Foundation Establishment? Damn, I’ve wasted so much energy again!”
This time, the system’s attention on Li Xi completely vanished.
“Xi’er, don’t worry. If you can’t remember, don’t force it. Everything’s fine now.” Li He held her with one arm, gently patting her back with the other.
Li Jiang was still pondering his sister’s words, frowning slightly. “Elder brother, is there a woman in our village a bit younger than me who wears green?”
There were several women around his age in the village, and some wore green, but they wouldn’t bully his little sister. Most people in Peach Blossom Village were kind-hearted, and such incidents were rare.
“Little sister said it might not be someone from the village. There might be an outsider who sneaked in,” Li He frowned.
Li Jiang asked, “Could someone really evade our school teacher’s detection?”
“Our teacher is only a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Even disciples from major sects have blind spots sometimes,” Li He replied. After a pause, he added, “We ultimately need to rely on our own efforts. Self-reliance is best.”
Li Jiang sighed, “Indeed, but why would someone capable of evading the teacher bother a little girl?”
He couldn’t make sense of it, and Li He fell silent, unable to explain it either.
Comforted by her brothers, Li Xi stopped crying, feeling a bit embarrassed. Then her stomach growled.
“Little sister is hungry. Let’s take you home for some delicious food!” Li Jiang took Li Xi from Li He, pushing his worries aside and putting on a cheerful smile.
“Let’s go! Second brother will carry you and beat eldest brother home!”
Li Xi, not quite understanding why she had been crying, perked up at Li Jiang’s words. “Second brother, let’s run fast!”
Li He watched Li Jiang’s figure moving quickly ahead, smiling helplessly.
Let’s get home first, check on little sister properly, and let her have dinner, he thought.
At that moment, the entire Li family was waiting outside their home, all looking worriedly down the road.
Li Shan and his wife Wang Xiuniang looked anxious, clutching each other’s hands tightly, their nails digging into flesh without realizing it. Their Xi’er hadn’t returned, and their two sons who went searching hadn’t appeared either.
Their daughters-in-law, Wu Jingwan and Liu Qiniang, were also waiting anxiously with the three youngest children.
“Elder sister-in-law, why don’t you take the three little ones back inside? Reheat the food, so it’s ready when Xi’er and the others return,” Liu Qiniang suggested.
Wu Jingwan, who had married into the family early and watched Li Xi grow up, was very worried. But looking at the three young children who had been waiting outside for so long in the cool early spring wind, she agreed it was a good idea.
“Then I’ll go reheat the food. Mother, Father, and sister-in-law, don’t worry too much. They’ll be back soon, and Xi’er will be happy to see you waiting for her,” Wu Jingwan said, taking the children inside.
Soon after, a figure appeared in the distance, carrying a small girl. The girl’s clear laughter reached the Li family’s ears.
They rushed forward and saw it was indeed Li Jiang and Li Xi. Not far behind, the tall figure of Li He appeared.
The Li family had been waiting for their return. Seeing Li Xi safe and sound, they showered her with concern. It was only when Li Jiang mentioned that his little sister was hungry that they all went inside, where Wu Jingwan had already reheated the food.