Chapter 7: Is Xiao Fu Bao Disliked? The Whole City Loves Me With Their Lives
Chapter 7: Unexpected Midnight Incident
Having never heard a story before, Suisui sat quietly with her head resting on her knees, her eyes half-closed. The flickering firelight cast a soft glow on her face, making her look both vulnerable and somewhat adorable.
Feng Xuanrui, who had been secretly wiping his tears, couldn’t help but reach out to touch her hair, seeing her in such a sweet, innocent state.
He murmured to himself, grumbling about the poor condition of Suisui’s hair, “What kind of uncle lets his sister’s hair get so unkempt and tangled like weeds?”
How could one fit four hundred thousand children into a pit? To be honest, Suisui didn’t understand the story at all. But she was happy to listen.
Aside from her brother, it had been a long time since anyone had spoken to her with such kindness. Even if she didn’t understand, she wanted to hear more.
However, she was utterly exhausted from the day's events, both physically and mentally. She fell into a deep sleep before Uncle Bai Qi could finish his story.
The system was quite worried about the chilly spring night and the open, drafty space they were in. It feared that they might all fall ill by morning, especially since children’s bodies are so fragile.
But before illness could set in, what arrived was…
An accident!
Feng Xuanrui, in a daze, heard what seemed like screams from outside. He was already sleeping peacefully, and now the noises jolted him awake.
The village, which should have been quiet at night, was filled with screams and cries.
Something was wrong!
Feng Xuanrui, uneasy, carefully got up and, with his injured leg propped up, peeked outside.
The dilapidated house had no walls left, so Feng Xuanrui could see that the village was ablaze with torches and chaos. People were screaming and shouting.
Bandits!
His first thought was that it must be bandits. His mission with Duke Qing to Qingzhou was to eliminate the increasingly rampant bandits. Could they have arrived now?
Feng Xuanrui wasn’t sure but couldn’t afford to take risks. He didn’t think that this rundown house would be safe from bandits.
What if they searched the house? Running outside was not an option. It was too dark outside, and they didn’t know the way. Plus, with his injured leg, he couldn’t run far.
What to do?
After some thought, Feng Xuanrui decided to hide Suisui first. She was small enough that if hidden well, she might not be found.
As for him? A man must be brave! If they dared to kill, the emperor would send their entire clan to the underworld!
Deciding on this, Feng Xuanrui started to shove Suisui into a corner, saying, “Suisui, remember, don’t make a sound. No matter what you see or hear, stay silent.”
He wanted to tell her that when he returned alive, he would take her home and take care of her. But the words didn’t come out. His mouth was trembling too much, and he couldn’t speak clearly. After all, he was just a ten-year-old child.
Suisui, although she didn’t understand many things, grasped the situation now. She pointed to the half-collapsed chicken coop outside and said, “Brother, let’s hide in the chicken coop. There’s a place inside that can’t be seen from outside.”
To reassure Feng Xuanrui, Suisui quickly added, “Brother, I’m telling the truth! When Big sister and the others tried to hit me, I hid there, and they couldn’t see me!”
But survival was the priority. He hurriedly dealt with the fire, then, with Suisui, crawled into the low chicken coop. They squeezed into visual blind spots on either side of the entrance.
Feng Xuanrui huddled in the corner, tears streaming down his face. He wasn’t crying on purpose but couldn’t help it!
Though the chicken coop was old and no longer used by chickens, with a faint smell, the young master had never experienced such hardship.
The more he thought about it, the more aggrieved and frightened he felt! The noise and footsteps outside grew closer.
The bandits were coming!
Realizing this, Suisui and Feng Xuanrui both tried to breathe quietly. Feng Xuanrui wasn’t sure if the chicken coop could hide them.
As Feng Xuanrui’s heart pounded in his chest, someone with a torch shone it in their direction.
The light almost stopped Feng Xuanrui’s heart.
Suisui, who was used to being bullied, had developed ways to protect herself. If she hugged herself tightly and stayed silent, they wouldn’t see her if they didn’t come in!
She had practiced this many times in her village, so she was confident it would work.
The person glanced briefly, and someone behind them joked, “Fourth Brother, what are you checking? Can anyone really hide in that broken chicken coop?”
The person called Fourth Brother scoffed, “Who knows?”
The group of more than ten people rushed through, and the footsteps gradually faded away.
Feng Xuanrui sighed in relief, though he remained worried about Suisui. He softly called, “Suisui?”
Suisui, also sweating in fear, responded quietly, “Brother, I’m here.”
Her response reassured Feng Xuanrui. The two of them took deep breaths to calm down. After a while, Feng Xuanrui whispered, “Suisui, I’ll go out to check first. Don’t move.”
Hearing Suisui’s acknowledgment, Feng Xuanrui dragged his injured leg and crawled outside.
As he emerged, he instinctively looked up and met three pairs of cold, unfeeling eyes.
Feng Xuanrui: …!!!
He wanted to shout, “Suisui, don’t move!” But then realized that shouting would expose her.
Understanding this, Feng Xuanrui bit his lip tightly.
The Fourth Brother, who had spoken earlier, gave him a cold glance and said, “I told you, with the fire still warm inside, they couldn’t have gone far. You didn’t believe me. There’s still one inside. Fifth Brother, go pull them out.”
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