Chapter 4: Fighting

This was daylight robbery! Qin Zhao’s eyes were bloodshot with rage, while Cao Xi’s temper flared up.

Food was life now. He dared to take it, how could they just give it away?

Even if they were to be beaten, they couldn’t easily compromise. After all, Cao Xi still planned on spending the night here.

Cao Xi’s gaze locked on Li Feng as she spoke with a harsh tone: “Qin Zhao, you go ahead and eat. I’ll see who dares to come near this bowl.”

She revealed a stone hidden in her hand, her eyes cold as she glared at the people around them.

A few ragged children, the oldest no more than ten, the youngest maybe six. Could they really not beat these kids?

Although Cao Xi’s expression was fierce, Li Feng and his group had lived on the streets for years. They only hesitated for a moment before snapping out of their shock.

By the time they regained their senses, Qin Zhao had already crouched by the fire, stuffing food into his mouth.

The young beggar, the one holding the little girl, immediately rushed towards Qin Zhao.

Nobody expected that, just as he was about to reach Qin Zhao, he was hit on the head with a stone by Cao Xi.

Blood began to pour from his forehead, and everyone froze in shock. This girl wasn’t holding back!

The little girl, started crying, calling out for her brother. “Brother, brother!”

Cao Xi didn’t feel the slightest guilt. She kept glaring at the group fiercely.

Li Feng, seeing his companion wounded and bleeding, was furious.

“Let’s get them back for this!” he shouted, and the air crackled with tension.

Qin Zhao immediately stopped eating, grabbed a stone, and joined the battle.

Cao Xi, being an adult in spirit, was fast, accurate, and ruthless.

She yanked Li Feng down, straddling him, and began beating him relentlessly. The others, unable to pull her off, began kicking her from behind.

Just as Cao Xi was knocked over, her peripheral vision caught sight of Qin Zhao, who was being pinned down and roughly pressed into the ground.

In a panic, Cao Xi flipped over, wrapping her legs around Li Feng and grabbing his hair, lifting the stone high.

She yelled, “Let go of my brother, or I’ll break his head!”

The threat was effective, and the entire group froze.

Qin Zhao, struggling to free himself, crawled to Cao Xi’s side, glaring fiercely at the group.

Li Feng’s face twisted in shame and anger. “Let go of me, you shameless girl! Do you think you can ride a man just because you want to? Let go, now!”

Li Feng regretted letting his guard down, allowing this girl to get the upper hand. How could he show his face after this? How would he lead the others now?

Cao Xi couldn’t help but find his words ridiculous. She clicked her tongue. “You’re not even ten years old, and you’re talking about being a man?”

Cao Xi scoffed. “You’re the ones with no shame. We’ve already told you we didn’t take your stuff, but you still want to steal our food? You’re not men, you’re just thieves.”

Li Feng, feeling guilty, hesitated. They didn’t really want to rob them, but they were starving, and they couldn’t get any food that night.

Normally, they were used to stealing from the streets and didn’t think much of it, accepting the law of the jungle.

But now, he couldn’t back down. “Let go of me, and let’s talk this out. We won’t hurt you.”

Cao Xi wasn’t about to let her guard down. “You better not try anything, or there won’t be a next time when we’re so easy to deal with.”

Li Feng and the others were pitiable too; they had been abandoned and, after being trafficked, managed to escape. Their situation was similar to that of Cao Xi and her group—they were all orphans.

Li Feng, now ten years old, had run away from the traffickers and had been wandering for three years. The beggar who had been struck on the head earlier, named Xiao Rui, no longer had blood flowing from his head. That little girl who had been begging for food was his younger sister, Xiao Rui. They had no father or mother and were only surviving by begging for food.

The ones kicking Cao Xi from behind were Li Zhuang and Li Yong, brothers. The Li Feng, who had been rubbing Qin Zhao’s back against the ground, lived up to its name. Despite being only six years old, its strength was considerable.

They were not bad people; they just lived together for mutual support. Li Feng was clever and naturally became their leader, guiding them in their search for food each day.

As the conversation turned to the idea of living in the land temple, Cao Xi immediately expressed her wish to stay there.

Li Feng said, “You want to stay here? Let’s see if we agree.”

Cao Xi frowned, realizing that things wouldn’t be so simple. “What do you want?”

Li Feng’s eyes flickered. “To stay in the land temple, we can exchange food.”

He never made a deal that wasn’t profitable for him.

Upon hearing this, Qin Zhao quickly protested, “We don’t have any food left. The porridge we had was spilled during the fight.”

Li Feng clearly didn’t believe him and rolled his eyes at Qin Zhao before looking back at Cao Xi, waiting for her response.

Cao Xi said, “We really don’t have much food left. I planned to go to the town tomorrow to see if I can get some food. If you’re hungry, we can go pick some wild vegetables from behind the temple. I have one grain cake left that can be crumbled to make porridge. You can eat that for now, and tomorrow we can go to the town together.”

Without offering something, it seemed impossible to make the land temple livable.

When Cao Xi offered food, the group’s eyes lit up, and they quickly followed her to gather wild vegetables.

Before they left, Cao Xi warned, “Qin Zhao, stay there and don’t wander off.”

Qin Zhao helplessly sat back down, staring at the remaining grain cake, unhappy.

He thought to himself, “Cao Xi is a liar. She promised to hide the food, but now she’s just giving it to them. She’s even using it to manipulate them.”

He noticed that when Cao Xi was in a bad mood, she called him by his full name, but when she was in a good mood, she used his nickname.

He realized that it was his fault she used his full name, and Cao Xi seemed to have a certain influence over him.

As the children picked vegetables and the others gathered firewood, it turned out that Li Feng had a bit of leadership ability.

Since Cao Xi provided food and skills, the task of making porridge later became something Li Feng and the others did on their own.

While they ate, Cao Xi sat across from Qin Zhao, gently wiping the dirt off his face.

“You’re just a little kid. Why didn’t you dodge in the fight? Why rush in like that? Who have you fought before?”

Qin Zhao didn’t take kindly to this remark.

“I only fought because I saw you getting beaten up. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have gotten involved. You’re the one who made me act like that.”

The Li Feng, who had been drinking porridge nearby, joined in. “Who hasn’t been beaten by him? Have you seen that fierce look of his? I couldn’t hold him down. See this bump on my forehead? He threw a stone at me. I tell you, the way you two fight looks like it’s passed down in your family.”

The others nodded in agreement, saying, “Yeah, that fighting style is really tough.”

Li Feng stirred his porridge and asked, “What’s your relationship? How did you end up on the streets?”

It wasn’t that Li Feng was being nosy, but he didn’t want to cause any trouble for himself.

“I lost my family in an earthquake and had no choice but to come out and find a way to survive.”

After Cao Xi finished cleaning Qin Zhao’s face, she got some water to wash his feet, but Qin Zhao, feeling embarrassed, tried to do it himself. Cao Xi firmly stopped him.

As Cao Xi introduced herself to the beggars, Qin Zhao secretly rejected her words. She wasn’t his sister; she was an irreplaceable presence.

At his age, he couldn’t tell exactly what kind of feelings he had for her, but he knew that right now, Cao Xi was someone he desperately clung to.

But what Cao Xi didn’t know was that when he clung to her, it meant forever.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to shake him off, despite his sharp tongue and jealous nature. But that’s a story for another time.

The land temple wasn’t ideal, but eventually, Cao Xi and Qin Zhao were given a space near a window. The spot wasn’t great, but it was better than staying outside.

That night, it was cold, so Cao Xi hugged Qin Zhao tightly, adjusting the torn clothes to keep the wind from getting in. After taking care of everything, she finally closed her eyes. This was the first peaceful sleep she had in many days.

Cao Xi was woken up by the sound of birds chirping outside. Groggily, she reached out and touched Qin Zhao’s face in her arms, feeling that his temperature was normal before she finally relaxed.

Qin Zhao felt something crawling on his face. Just as he was about to swipe it away, his hand was caught.

Opening his eyes, he saw Cao Xi staring at him. His face flushed slightly as he said, “Good morning.”

Cao Xi looked at the confused little Qin Zhao and couldn’t help but pinch his chubby little face. “You’re awake, little lazy bug.”

Qin Zhao grunted and, struggling to sit up, was immediately pressed back down by Cao Xi.

“Your foot isn’t healed yet. Don’t get up. Today, sister will go to the town and get some medicine to help your foot heal faster.”

Hearing this, Qin Zhao immediately grew anxious.

“Then can’t I go with you? I want to be with you.”

Cao Xi reassured him, “Not today. Your foot is still sore, and if you walk too much, it might get worse. Besides, today’s the first day. I’ll go first to get a sense of the situation, then bring you along later. Okay?”

Qin Zhao shifted uncomfortably, his ears turning red. He lowered his head and said softly, “Would it be okay if I just ask for one kiss?”

Cao Xi laughed and, without hesitation, kissed his face hard.

“No, you can’t. Be good and wait for sister to come back.”

Qin Zhao, shocked, accused, “You say I can’t have one, but you still kissed me. You’re a liar.”

“How could you kiss someone so young? You have no shame,” a discordant voice interrupted.

Cao Xi looked over and found that Li Feng and the others were already awake.

Not caring about Li Feng’s criticism, Cao Xi replied, “What’s the problem with me kissing my own little brother? I didn’t kiss you. Besides, my brother is only a little kid.”

Li Feng looked at Cao Xi in shock. “You still want to kiss me?”