Chapter 14: Get out of here, quickly!

Hearing Old Lady Gu’s chaotic shrieking, Song Zhangping, already pushed to the brink of desperation, felt as if his brain were about to explode: He had caused trouble, angered his step-grandmother, and now his second uncle would beat him to death—and beat his little brother to death too!

Not knowing where the courage came from, Song Zhangping gripped Old Lady Gu’s throat with both hands and roared, "Hit me then! If we’re going to die, we’ll die together! If you beat my brother to death, I’ll kill you! I’ll drag your whole family down to hell with me!"

Lifted off the ground by his grip, Old Lady Gu could only shriek, "Murder! The cripple is trying to murder me!"

Hearing the cries, Second Uncle Song, who was in the main room, rushed out barefoot, his shoes flapping against his heels.

He arrived just in time to see Song Zhangping grabbing Old Lady Gu by the collar and slamming her against a woodpile, shouting, "Let’s all die together!"

Second Uncle Song was frantic; he had no idea what had gotten into Song Zhangping to make him act so abnormally today.

Seeing his own mother wailing, Second Uncle Song lunged forward and kicked Song Zhangping hard in the small of his back, shouting, "Let go, you unfilial beast!"

He came with fierce momentum, putting his full strength into the kick. Had it landed squarely, Song Zhangping’s scrawny, monkey-like frame surely wouldn't have been able to withstand it.

But just as it happened, the lock on the side room door, which had been pried open, suddenly snapped. A large bundle flew out from the room, landing precisely against Song Zhangping’s waist, and Second Uncle Song’s kick landed squarely on the dark object instead...

*Hm? What is this?*

It was square and somewhat soft. Second Uncle Song’s kick instantly lost its force, and he lost his balance, stumbling a few steps to the side and nearly throwing out his back.

Second Uncle Song was a man in his prime, full of fat, and that kick had been truly forceful.

Even with the padding of a quilt, the exhausted and starving Song Zhangping couldn't keep his footing.

His body swayed, he stumbled a few steps, and he fell headfirst into the woodpile, completely covered by the dark, grimy cotton quilt.

Old Lady Gu, who had been in his grip, naturally broke free.

Once free, Old Lady Gu was both terrified and furious. She scrambled away, screaming, "Beat him! Beat him to death! Beat this wolf cub to death!"

As Song Zhangping grew older, Old Lady Gu had indeed felt a sense of losing control over him.

Just like today—daring to raise a hand against her just because she hit that jinx—sometimes she really felt like she was raising a wolf cub.

Seeing her mother-in-law safe, Young Mrs. Gu finally emerged from the kitchen, brandishing a fire poker and shouting, "Eating my food and living in my house, only to raise two ungrateful wolves! Mother, where are you hurt?"

Amidst the shouting of the two women, Second Uncle Song regained his bearings and charged toward Song Zhangping, who was sprawled in the woodpile, fists raised.

He roared, "I don't believe it! You little brat, you’ve grown a rebellious bone, have you? I’ll teach this wicked creature how to behave!"

Song Zhangping was tangled in the woodpile and couldn't get up in time.

Thinking of the brutal beatings he received from his second uncle and the cudgels of the Gu women every time he resisted, he instinctively covered his head and face with his hands, waiting for the pain to come.

He only hoped that after he took the beating, they wouldn't hit his little brother anymore.

Time passed slowly. Song Zhangping didn't receive the expected fists; instead, he heard a calm female voice ring out in the courtyard: "Second Uncle, if you have something to say, say it. You cannot hit people!"

The voice was unfamiliar.

Song Zhangping struggled to lift his hand and pushed aside the quilt covering him. When he saw the person speaking, his pupils dilated sharply...

At this moment, the last rays of sunlight were shining into the courtyard from above the gate.

Second Uncle Song stood in the middle of the yard holding a cow-tendon rope, while Old Lady Gu and Young Mrs. Gu had retreated to the side, stamping their feet and wailing.

The courtyard was in an uproar, but Song Zhangping couldn't hear any of it. He only saw the back of the woman confronting his second uncle.

Dressed in a simple green tunic and skirt, her waist thin and fragile, the woman looked delicate and weak before the burly second uncle.

Yet, her straight spine and her hair tied up high like a man’s, silhouetted by the setting sun—half in light and half in shadow—gave her a sense of steadiness and reliability like a mountain. Looking at her, he felt an inexplicable sense of peace.

As if sensing his gaze, the woman turned her head, and their eyes met.

Her eyebrows were thin and dark, making her eye sockets appear somewhat deep, and her light-colored pupils inadvertently revealed a natural, pure innocence.

The unfamiliar face, yet familiar features, made Song Zhangping think of one person instantly.

His mind went blank for a moment.

Although she had grown taller and her appearance had changed, those eyes and brows were still the same—the little girl who used to follow behind him calling him "Brother."

Second Sister!

It’s Second Sister!

Second Sister is back!

Although Little Stone Village was only fifty miles from the county town, one had been imprisoned in the backyard of a restaurant, and the other had been confined to the village; they hadn't seen each other in ten years.

Had she lived well all these years? Had she been beaten or scolded? He had too many things he wanted to ask.

"You... are you Second Sister?"

The surprise on Song Zhangping’s face lasted only a second before it was replaced by extreme anxiety.

He remembered what he had heard from his second aunt a few days ago.

No... this can't be!

Song Zhangping scrambled to his feet and roared at Song Liyun, "Who told you to come back? Go! Hurry up and go!"

Song Liyun: "...?"

Song Liyun had imagined many scenarios for how a reunion between siblings would go.

Scenario 1: "Brother, I missed you so much!" (Followed by hugs and tears!)

Scenario 2: Joyfully calling each other's names and talking about their lives since they parted.

Scenario 3: The three siblings meeting, with the ten-year-old little brother jumping for joy and calling her "Sister."

She never expected the first sentence to be this, nor did she expect such a scene. Song Liyun couldn't help but be stunned.

Song Zhangping was truly too agitated; his body was trembling, his eyes were bloodshot, and his face had become twisted and ferocious.

Seeing that his second sister just looked at him without moving, Song Zhangping lunged over, grabbed her arm, and pushed her toward the gate: "Go! You have to go!"

"Big Brother!" Song Liyun looked at him levelly and called out softly. An inexplicable surge of emotion made her eyes well up with tears.

This boy before her—in rags, hair disheveled, his thin cheeks covered in scabs and scars, his stature shorter than his peers, to the point where she could barely recognize his original appearance... was this really her brother?

She didn't know if this was due to the natural connection of blood, or the uncontainable joy, worry, and anxiety in the boy's eyes.

She had never seen anyone hide such complex emotions in their eyes.

Song Liyun even recalled the look that lingered on her parents' faces when they passed away in the apocalypse.

At this moment, her chest felt tight and uncomfortable, beyond words.

"Go! I told you to go!"

Song Zhangping shook his head, gripping her arm tightly and urging her on, his voice hoarse and even tinged with a sob.

"Go? Where do you think you're going?" Second Uncle Song tilted his neck, cracking his knuckles, his gaze fixed viciously on the siblings holding hands.

He had just been about to teach this short-lived brat a lesson when he was stopped by Song Liyun.

The only reason he had stopped wasn't because he thought he was wrong, but because the Song Liyun before him was worth fifty taels of silver; otherwise, he would have slapped her flying with one strike.

Now, talking about leaving? How could that be possible!

"No way! Eating my food and wearing my clothes—even if I beat these wretches to death, I won't let them go!" Old Lady Gu jumped and shrieked!

Song Liyun slowly pushed Song Zhangping aside, her eyes cold as ice.

If Second Uncle Song dared to raise a hand again, she would abandon her previous thought of leaving peacefully.

An eye for an eye, evil for evil!

It would be better to kill these villains herself and take her brothers far away from the crowd than to live a life of being bullied.

Under her sleeve, the sharp blade of her military dagger glinted with a cold light, like a monster craving blood and souls, ready to strike.