C2 Chapter 2

“Sis, sis, hurry—come out!”

Liu Wenmei opened her eyes and saw her little brother, Liu Wenbing, standing on the riverbank with a bundle of clothes in his arms, up on his toes and waving her over. He wore a dusty yellow outfit covered in patches. He was small for his age, his face sallow and sun-dark—one look and you could tell he wasn’t getting enough to eat.

There wasn’t a man in sight on the bank. He must’ve been the one who ran to the Liu family with the news. She’d repay him when she got the chance. Thank goodness she’d run into him today—otherwise, it could’ve ended badly.

As the heat in her body finally ebbed, Liu Wenmei walked back to shore, took the dry clothes from Liu Wenbing, and draped them over herself before following him. She needed to think through exactly how she was going to deal with Sun Tiantian.

Beside her, Liu Wenbing stole a few glances. Seeing how awful her expression was, he kept quiet and led her home by a route that avoided the other villagers.

The moment they stepped through the courtyard gate, a thin, shriveled old woman with waxy yellow skin hurried over. “Oh, sweetheart—what happened to you? Why on earth were you in the river? That Gu boy came running over saying you’d fallen in and told us to bring clothes. You scared your grandma half to death! Did someone shove you in? Who was it? Tell me—right now. I’ll go deal with them myself!”

This was the person in the house who loved her most—her grandma, Huang Guihua.

“Grandma, I’m fine. I was trying to catch a fish, slipped, and fell in. I’m just going to go change.” Only then did Liu Wenmei realize the one who’d helped her was Gu Jianjun, one of the sent-down youths in the village. Faced with her grandma’s anxious fussing, Wenmei didn’t know what to do with her hands and hurriedly made an excuse to slip away.

“Hey, hey—wait. Let your brother bring you a bucket of hot water first. Wash up, then change. Don’t catch a chill.”

Catching Liu Wenmei before she could go, her grandma turned and started ordering Liu Wenbing, who was about to head back out. “Wenbing, hurry—carry a bucket of hot water to your sister’s room. Honestly, kid, how can you be so clueless? My girl’s the sensible one.”

Listening to her grandma, Liu Wenmei couldn’t help feeling a little emotional. A kid with a grandma looking out for her really was spoiled in the best way.

When Grandma saw Liu Wenbing head to the kitchen to fetch water, she pulled a bowl from the basket behind her and handed it to Liu Wenmei. “Mei, hurry up and drink. It’s your favorite—hot brown sugar egg drink. Don’t let your brother see it.”

Liu Wenmei took the bowl and, looking at the sweet egg mixture inside, sipped it slowly. Warmth spread through her chest. Grandma watched her, then kept sneaking glances toward the kitchen, afraid Liu Wenbing would spot it and come running to snatch some.

Truth was, Liu Wenmei’s mind was unusually strong. The constant danger she’d lived through had sharpened her instincts into something like a psychic ability. She could only use it to sense movement within about 165 feet, but it had saved her more times than she could count.

She could tell Liu Wenbing had already seen. He’d poured the hot water into the bucket, and now he was just waiting for her to finish so he could carry it out.

The moment Liu Wenmei finished, Huang Guihua took the bowl from her hands and slipped it back into the basket behind her. Right after that, Liu Wenbing came out of the kitchen carrying the water, curling his lip at her.

Only after she watched Liu Wenbing carry the water into Liu Wenmei’s room did Grandma finally let go of her hand. “Mei, go on now. Soak a good long while—get the chill out of your bones.”

Liu Wenmei smiled, nodded, and hurried back to her room. Inside, Liu Wenbing had already poured the hot water into the wash tub. The second he saw her, he started in with that sour tone. “Must be nice. Some people get eggs and sugar like it’s nothing.”

“Brat. Get out and wait. You’ll get your share of something good later.” Liu Wenmei shoved Liu Wenbing out of the room and smacked him on the back.

“Ow! Sis, are you trying to murder your own brother?” Liu Wenbing grabbed his back and sucked in a sharp breath.

Since when was his sister this strong? His back had to be bruised. “Grandma! Grandma! Come look—did she leave a mark? My sister hit me!”

“What are you staring at? What are you staring at? You’re a grown man—can’t you take one hit? Get over there and stay put.”

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