Chapter 43: It's Big Brother's first time being a big brother

Chapter 43: Brother... It's the first time being a brother

"An'an, An'an!"

Jiang Wang simply knelt on the ground and pulled An'an into his arms.

He held her small head, stroking it over and over. "Don't be so well-behaved. I don't need you to be this well-behaved."

His voice was inexplicably hoarse: "You can be willful, you can be naive. You can do whatever you like, it's just... unnecessary to be so sensible."

He deeply regretted not shielding Jiang An'an when he went to ask Zhao Rucheng for money. He had always told himself that his sister was introverted and sensitive, yet he had overlooked it.

He was indeed as close as brothers with Zhao Rucheng, to the point where they could freely share high-level cultivation techniques, let alone worldly possessions like gold and silver. But he had forgotten that An'an didn't know that.

An'an would only think that she was a burden to her brother. That her brother had to go and beg others for money just to give her a home.

Since their father's passing, Jiang Wang had almost never shed a tear, yet at this moment, hiding behind Jiang An'an's small head, his tears fell like rain.

"Brother... what's wrong?" After a long while, Jiang An'an asked.

"Ah, no, it's nothing." Jiang Wang controlled his emotions, still embracing Jiang An'an, and said, "Don't call Zhao Rucheng a 'pretty boy' anymore. It will make him unhappy."

"But he really is very fair-skinned."

"A 'pretty boy' doesn't mean your face is fair... forget it, call him whatever you want. Don't worry about whether he's happy or not."

"Mm!"

Once he was certain no more tears were falling and that she didn't look like she had been crying, Jiang Wang pulled An'an away from his embrace and looked at her earnestly: "Brother needs to apologize to you. Brother shouldn't have lost his temper. Brother... it's my first time being a brother, and I've done a poor job."

Jiang An'an twisted the hem of her clothes, feeling a bit embarrassed: "It's my first time being a sister too, and I haven't done well either. I shouldn't have cheated, and I shouldn't have angered the teacher..."

"Is that so?" Jiang Wang used his thumbs to wipe An'an's small face, gently brushing away her tears. "So it was your first time being a sister?"

Jiang An'an nodded.

Jiang Wang moved his thumb in front of An'an and held it up. "Then you really are very talented! I've never seen a better sister than you."

"Hehe..."

An'an smiled bashfully.

Winter had arrived, and the traces of tears still lingered on her small face, but with this smile, all of spring seemed to bloom.

...

...

People in this world all have their destinies, and everyone's destiny is different. Half of that statement is bullshit.

Sun Xiaoyan felt he was truly foolish. Truly. How could he have believed in that so-called sibling bond? How could he have believed that female demon's words?

"There's lots of delicious food outside, stuff you can't find in Sanshan City!"

"I promise I won't bully him; I'll definitely set a good example. Please let me lead the team!"

"Just think of it as me and my little brother going on a trip; we'll be very happy!"

The voices still echoed in his ears, still echoed in his ears!

Thirteen-year-old Sun Xiaoyan had a quite handsome name, but he looked very... round.

*Huff! Huff!*

He ran forward with labored breathing, his entire abdomen burning, sweat pouring down like rain. His bright and beautiful clothes had long since lost their original appearance, becoming wrinkled and filthy.

He felt like he could collapse immediately, turning into a puddle of mud, a pig, or anything that could just lie flat. But he didn't dare.

He really wanted to cry. He should have clung to his mother's leg and never let go back then. How could he have been so blinded by greed to trust his lifelong enemy?

He ran and ran.

From a distance, his legs were almost invisible; he looked like a multicolored ball rolling along.

He didn't want to roll!

Unless he could roll back.

Think of him, Sun Xiaoyan, the dignified son of the Lord of Sanshan City, the only male of the Sun family in this generation. How glorious was he in the Sanshan territory? He could be called "below one person, above ten thousand!"

Why had he lost his mind and gone on a long journey alone with that "one person"? Wasn't it better to act bossy and powerful in Sanshan City? Wasn't it more fun to bully other children? Now that the tiger was gone, couldn't he just act like a king?

Sun Xiaoyan stopped.

It wasn't that anger had risen from his heart or that some wicked courage had sprung up. He didn't possess the thing called "courage"...

It was simply that he felt he had reached his limit.

It wasn't that he didn't want to run; he truly couldn't run anymore.

At that moment, he heard that incredibly familiar voice approaching him at an astonishing speed.

"Sun! Xiao! Pang!"

Before Sun Xiaoyan could even react, a crystalline, fair, and beautiful foot struck his buttocks in a manner that was not at all beautiful.

This time, he truly did start rolling.

He whistled past on the official road, rolling wildly.

By the time he finally stopped, he was bruised and swollen.

He sat on the ground, wobbling, feeling as if the entire world were shaking.

The first thing that appeared in his squinted eyes was a pair of bare feet as beautiful as carved jade, extending up to his calves, followed by a pair of six-point shorts that were very convenient for combat. The owner of the bare feet wore a diagonal-collar short shirt, and her dainty, cute face complemented her petite figure.

In comparison, the obese Sun Xiaoyan was almost a behemoth, but his mouth quivered as if he were about to burst into tears. "Sister, I can't run anymore. I really feel like I'm done!"

"I don't want your feelings; I want mine." Sun Xiaoman crouched down, looking at him with a beaming smile. "I feel like you can do it."

Sun Xiaoman's attempt at communication gave Sun Xiaoyan courage.

He simply flopped onto the ground and began to wail, "Ouch, I'm dying, I can't move..."

He acted like a dead pig that wasn't afraid of boiling water. *If you're so capable, just beat me to death.*

Whether he stood or lay down, he was just a lump; his physique was very consistent.

"Is it really that hard for you to lose some weight?" Sun Xiaoman asked.

To make him lose weight, Sun Xiaoman had forced him to run all this way using only physical strength. Everyone else could use Speed Talismans or whatever they wanted, walking when they wanted and resting when they wanted.

Sun Xiaoyan felt a sense of inexplicable grief and indignation: "My fatness is innate!"

"There are no innate fat people, only lazy fat people!"

It was strangely motivational...

But Sun Xiaoyan remained unmoved, even closing his already small eyes, acting as if he were refusing to listen.

"You're as fat as a ball. When you take the field, won't you be shaming our Sanshan City?"

"People already call us mountain savages; what face does Sanshan City have to lose!"

Sun Xiaoman pursed her lips and fell silent.

Startled, Sun Xiaoyan immediately opened his eyes and looked at his sister pitifully: "You are my biological sister. How can a sister be so cruel to her brother? Besides, I'm so young, I'm still a child!

Furthermore, they say an elder sister is like a mother, and a loving mother brings a filial son. If you are good to me, I will be good to you in the future, and we can all live in harmony. Isn't that happiness?"

He had a whole set of arguments, his logic very clear.

"People say you should use the carrot-and-stick method to educate a child, but with you, I only see the stick, not even a pit of a carrot!"

The more Sun Xiaoyan spoke, the more aggrieved he felt, until he finally began to sob.

"Sigh." Sun Xiaoman looked at him helplessly, gently patting his chest in a very tender manner, "Sister is doing it for the first time, and I've done a poor job..."

She grabbed Sun Xiaoyan by his collar and hoisted his entire body up from his prone position. "Then get up and hit me!!!"

She suddenly sent Sun Xiaoyan flying with a punch, roaring, "Can't you act like a man? Stop all this whimpering!"

The others accompanying the group from Sanshan City only watched this scene in silence, shrinking their necks, none daring to step forward.

Sun Xiaoyan performed a mid-air somersault, and upon landing, without a word, he began to sprint wildly again—it might not kill him, but it certainly hurt!

There was no choice; he had to run.

Ahead... ahead was Maple Forest City, right? How much longer... how much longer!

*Waaaah...*