SFS Chapter 6, Third Sister
Chapter 6, Third Sister
When Gao Laodao saw the figure rushing out, his eyes lit up, and he let go with a cold laugh.
Yang Silang then realized that his right wrist had become bruised and swollen, as if it were shackled, and he could not hang down. It was his fifth sister who rushed out of the room, holding his wrist and weeping.
This is a girl who has not yet fully grown up. She is pale and thin with dry, yellow hair, but her features are delicate and her eyes are dark. Anyone who sees her knows that as long as she gets enough nutrition, she will grow up to be a beautiful young lady.
She wore a long, narrow-sleeved blue cotton jacket with slits on both sides. There were a few inconspicuous patches on the edges of the jacket. The jacket was large and the fabric was very thin. It had been washed until it was whitish and grayish. Although it was old, it had obviously been carefully starched and was very well taken care of.
It's obviously made from an adult woman's old clothes.
Old Gao's eyes scanned Yang Wumei's body from head to toe as if inspecting merchandise. He chuckled, raised an eyebrow, and grinned, revealing his yellow teeth.
"Little sister, what's the point of enduring this hardship with your brother? Wouldn't it be better to wear gold and silver and eat and drink the good life?"
"Do we really have to suffer together?"
He glared at Yang Silang again.
"Alright, I'll let it go for your sister's sake today!"
"Then you'd better think about it quickly. I'll come back to ask you again in a few days. Have you thought about how you'll answer then?"
Old Gao clenched his fist, making a cracking sound, and stared at Yang Silang's wrist with a cold smile, clearly indicating that he would hit harder next time.
He turned and left, kicking over a basket that someone had placed in the yard. He was very domineering. The neighbors around him kept their doors and windows tightly closed and were completely silent.
"elder brother……"
Yang Wumei held her fourth brother's wrist and sobbed softly as she helped him back home.
"I'm fine..." Yang Silang thought to himself, and activated his healing technique again. He was furious. That old Gao deserved to die. Today, Song the Slant-Eye was up to no good, and it was probably related to him.
Inside, it was a small hut, no more than a dozen steps long and short, with a tattered straw mat in the middle dividing it into inner and outer rooms. The fifth sister lived inside, and Yang Silang slept outside.
Poor people don't have many fussy habits, nor can they afford to be.
At this time, a few broken bricks in the outer room were used to prop up long wooden planks, which were used as beds at night and tables during the day.
Yang Silang sat on a pile of broken bricks and tiles, with a straw mat on top, which he used as a stool.
Yang Wumei sobbed beside him. The girl had two buns in her hair, her body was as thin as a bean sprout, and tears were on her face. She looked like a doll in ancient style.
In his previous life, he would have been a junior high school student. Now, he is one of only two able-bodied men in the Yang family, responsible for cooking, washing clothes, cleaning the house, and also taking on some women's jobs to supplement the family income.
Perhaps it's because people in this era have become accustomed to all kinds of disasters, that they all have big hearts and are very precocious.
In Yang Silang's memory, his fifth sister cried bitterly to her parents and brothers after the devastating flood, then wiped away her tears and tried her best to survive, without a trace of weakness or hesitation.
She sought refuge with her eldest sister, but was met with disdain by the first wife. It was only after the fifth sister called her "Madam" and knelt on the ground, pleading with her, that her eldest sister was allowed to go out and help.
When we went to Caozhentang to buy medicine, we didn't have enough money. We were short a dozen or so coins. It was only through my fifth sister's careful flattery that we were able to get the medicine on credit. She even offered to leave herself there as collateral.
When Yang Silang transmigrated to this murky world, his fifth sister was the most beautiful flower among them.
Seeing the little girl crying so sadly, Yang Silang turned his wrist.
"Xiao Wu, don't cry. Look, my wrist is all better now, isn't it?"
The rejuvenation technique was indeed miraculous; the inside of my wrist had completely recovered, and the dark bruises on the skin had almost disappeared.
Yang Silang did not resist head-on. Gao Laodao used the ring on his hand to exert force. That guy was ruthless and vicious. Yang Silang's wrist might really be injured or even broken. Even if he really wanted to take a gamble, he had to recover his body first.
As for the future—Yang Silang's eyes flashed with a cold light.
I hope you'll stop harassing me after I pay back the money, otherwise...
A resolute glint flashed in his eyes, but his gaze softened again as he turned to his fifth sister.
Seeing Yang Silang's wrist move nimbly, Fifth Sister exclaimed "Eh!" and forgot to cry, asking, "Brother, are you hungry? You wait here."
She quickly moved through the cramped room, pulling out two wooden bowls. The larger bowl contained steaming hot porridge of mixed grains, while the smaller bowl was only half full, with the rice grains in it thin and watery, almost countable.
"Fourth Brother, Fourth Brother, today I went to the Huang family's young mistress's place, which Eldest Sister introduced me to, to have handkerchiefs made. Guess how much money I made? Five copper coins!"
"I'm not skilled enough yet, but in a few days I'll be able to earn much more!"
"Fourth Brother, Fourth Brother, look at this again!" Fifth Sister stretched her hand out from behind her back as if to ask for credit, holding a fried pancake!
"The Huang family is kind-hearted. There was a fried dough stick on the floor in the kitchen, which they were going to feed to the dog, but I begged them, and they allowed me to... Fourth Brother, eat quickly..."
Yang Silang ruffled Yang Wumei's yellow hair and praised her with a smile.
"My fifth sister is so capable!"
"Here, let's share this pancake..."
He tore the pancake in two, and Yang Wumei shook her head desperately—Brother, I just do some needlework, it doesn't take much effort, and I can even get a free meal at the master's house, I'm really not hungry.
Unable to dissuade him, Yang Silang gave up and quickly picked up the large bowl, wolfing down the rice porridge and the whole fried dough.
Being a porter is hard labor. Even if he chooses the lighter tasks, he still needs to replenish his food supply. After a day's work, his stomach is burning hot. In addition, as he recovers, his appetite increases greatly. He feels that he can now eat a whole cow.
This little bit of food, to put it bluntly, is just enough to fill his stomach halfway, and it's what he urgently needs right now.
Inscriptions and supernatural powers, no matter how miraculous, are ultimately not as filling as two ounces of steamed buns.
Seeing Yang Silang eating with gusto, Yang Wumei picked up her small bowl and drank her porridge, carefully licking the oil off her fingers with a satisfied expression.
"Look what this is!" Yang Silang put down his bowl, pulled out a short string of bright red candied hawthorns from his pocket, dazzling the little girl's eyes.
"Fourth Brother..." Yang Wumei exclaimed and jumped up, her face half surprised and half distressed—this must cost a lot of money.
Suddenly, her expression changed, and tears welled up in her eyes.
"Fourth Brother...you...you're not going to give me to Gao Laodao to pay off his debts, are you?"
"I eat very little and I'm very capable, please don't sell me, okay?"
"You and my eldest sister are my only family left..."
The little girl's tears streamed down her face like beans. Yang Silang was at his wit's end, and spent a long time explaining that he absolutely had no such intentions.
"Then brother, I'll only eat one, you can eat the rest..." Yang Wumei said timidly, her eyes filled with tears as she looked up like a young animal wandering the streets.
They are both eager and afraid when offered food by strangers.
"..." Yang Silang had a headache and a heartache.
late at night.
Yang Silang lay on the hard bed board, using a piece of dead wood as a pillow, holding a string of candied hawthorns in his hand, only missing one hawthorn.
The fifth sister next door was snoring softly; she seemed quite tired today, and was even talking in her sleep.
It was vague and unclear, something like "Don't sell me, I have a use for you," or "It's so sweet."
The roof was sparsely thatched, and the moonlight shone down like water onto Yang Silang's face.
He crossed his legs, and the light screen slowly unfolded. He used his supernatural powers to restore youth time and time again, waiting for the cooldown to complete. Inside the light screen, his base lifespan and stamina values kept increasing.
The tightness in his chest and abdomen melted away quickly like snow under the scorching sun, leaving his whole body feeling comfortable and refreshed. It was as if a life-giving spring, from who knows where, was irrigating his parched and thirsty land, awakening it, fertilizing it, and transforming it back into a vibrant and fertile soil.
Yang Silang occasionally took a small bite of the candied hawthorn, the hawthorn pressing against his palate, the faint sweet and sour taste filling his mouth.
Yang Silang sighed, a smile playing on his lips.
"Wow—it really is sweet..."