Chapter 5: Is Xiao Fu Bao Disliked? The Whole City Loves Me With Their Lives
Chapter 5: It's Great to Have a Brother
Feng Xuanrui, brimming with bravado, soon realized that using a branch as a walking stick to go down the mountain was much more challenging than it looked. It was especially difficult for someone like him, who had never experienced hardship before.
If he didn’t manage his weight properly, he would stumble and fall after just a few steps.
Watching Feng Xuanrui fall for the third time, Suisui's face turned pale with fear. "…Brother, should I help you?"
Upon hearing this, Feng Xuanrui laughed dismissively, "Don’t be silly. You’re not even half my height. How could you help me? I can’t even reach you."
Suisui, standing next to Feng Xuanrui, compared their heights carefully. Feng Xuanrui was roughly one and a half times her height. Suisui, slender and small, made a stark contrast next to his robust frame.
Looking up at her brother’s confident face, Suisui nodded obediently, "Yes, brother is too tall."
Her overly obedient demeanor made Feng Xuanrui feel a bit soft-hearted. He reached out and tapped her on the head, "You silly thing, you don’t even realize you’re being deceived."
Feng Xuanrui then paused, realizing that he was essentially tricking this "silly" girl into being his sister.
Feeling a bit guilty, he quickly reassured himself: since Suisui's uncle didn’t want her and her parents were dead, if he didn’t take her in, she might end up as a beggar.
After adjusting to the difficulty, Feng Xuanrui managed to use the branch to walk for a while. The two of them stopped and started several times until they finally saw the path down the mountain.
Feng Xuanrui cleverly got Suisui to reveal the general direction of her village and deliberately adjusted their route to avoid it. If her cruel uncle’s family wanted her to die on the mountain, returning to their village would be like walking into a trap.
So, they took a different route. Since Feng Xuanrui was unfamiliar with the area and his useless servants had no idea where he was, he decided to look for a rundown hut or temple nearby.
The village Suisui came from was called Hongye Village, a remote village in Qingzhou Prefecture. In the vicinity, there weren’t even any new temples, let alone old ones.
After walking around for most of the day, night fell, and they finally arrived at an unfamiliar village. Suisui’s previous life had all been in Hongye Village, so she was unfamiliar with the outside world.
Noticing Suisui’s nervous expression, Feng Xuanrui realized they were not in her old village, which reassured him.
Their bad luck seemed to have run out as they discovered a dilapidated thatched hut at the edge of the village. The hut was surrounded by overgrown weeds, though it was spring, so the vegetation wasn’t too dense.
After examining it for a while, Feng Xuanrui confirmed that no one was there and took Suisui inside. Despite the hut being almost collapsed, there was a corner where they could take shelter for the night.
Feng Xuanrui thought that if his servants still hadn’t found him by morning, he would send them to the southwest to quarry stones when he returned to the capital.
He sat down carelessly despite the dirt, and Suisui, exhausted and hungry with wounds on her body, realized that they would struggle through the cold spring night without a fire.
So, Suisui began gathering branches, old wood, and weeds to start a fire. After some time, she faced the problem of actually igniting it.
The system saw an opportunity to be useful.
[Listen to me, Suisui. We’ll use the friction method to start a fire. It’s simple!]
[I'll teach you!]
Just as the system finished, Feng Xuanrui pulled out a fire starter from his pocket.
System: ...
Suisui silently thanked Lele in her heart and began to start the fire. They didn’t have much kindling, and Suisui wanted to go out to gather more, but Feng Xuanrui stopped her. "No need. I have thick clothes. I’ll give you some."
He then removed and tossed his padded armor to Suisui.
Suisui, flustered, caught it but didn’t immediately move. She looked up at Feng Xuanrui, "Brother, what about you?"
As she tried to return the armor, Feng Xuanrui pushed it back. "Just wear it. I’m strong and healthy. A little night breeze won’t affect me."
Suisui didn’t quite understand, but she knew her brother cared for her.
How wonderful it is to have a brother!
Suisui had several cousins, but they were either cutting her hair or using slingshots to hit her. Her third cousin once even stripped her of her clothes. Her aunt merely watched, not only not stopping them but also scolding her, saying she was a seductress and would grow up to be a disgrace to the family.
Despite having many cousins, Suisui didn’t like them. She didn’t know what a real brother was like until she met Feng Xuanrui. If she could have a brother, she hoped he would be like him.
Growl!
Having eaten only one meal yesterday and nothing today, Suisui’s stomach finally protested.
Hearing the noise, Feng Xuanrui glanced at Suisui and then began rummaging in his pocket.
After a while, his face turned dark. Great, the snacks he brought had fallen out.
After searching for a while, he found two preserved fruits, which he had been given by a young apprentice from the imperial physician last month when he was sick and refused medicine.
He didn’t know if they had gone bad.
Feng Xuanrui, with a grim face, handed the preserved fruits to Suisui.
Suisui didn’t recognize them and looked at her brother with confusion.
Feng Xuanrui nodded toward the fruits, "This is all we have for now. Eat it and get some sleep. We’ll figure something out tomorrow."
Suisui understood and shook her head, "You eat it, brother. Suisui isn’t hungry."
Growl.
Her stomach growled again in protest.
Feng Xuanrui leaned forward and placed the preserved fruit in her hand. "Fine, eat quickly and go to sleep."
Feng Xuanrui was also hungry. As a pampered young master, he had never endured such hardship before. Normally, he would have been crying with his clothes.
But he couldn’t do that now. If he cried, it would only make Suisui panic.
He held back his tears, though they were hard to control.
Turning his head away, he quickly wiped his tears.
Suisui peeked at her brother’s awkward expression and cautiously took a piece of the preserved fruit, gently tasting it.
It tasted great!
Suisui had never had candy before, so she didn’t know what sweet was. But the sweet flavor was very comforting.
Even just a bite made her feel very satisfied.
Suisui’s beautiful almond eyes widened in delight.
Watching this from the system’s perspective, it felt its heart melting.
Oh no!
The little one is so adorable!
[Suisui, it’s story time before bed. Are you ready to hear a story from your aunt or uncle?]
**Suisui’s Journal**
**(End of Chapter)**
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