After leaving the Wang family, Xi Qingyue didn’t linger. She carried Xi Weilan and quickly walked out of the town.
It was nearly dusk. Under the glow of the setting sun, a small, thin figure could be seen holding an even smaller one as they made their way along a bumpy road.
“Big Sis, I can walk on my own. Put me down, or you’ll get too tired,” Xi Weilan said.
Xi Qingyue paused and looked down. Xi Weilan blinked her lively, big eyes up at her—pure, adorable, and remarkably thoughtful.
She set the girl down and took her hand, guiding her back along the path. In truth, she wanted to pull out a small electric scooter—it would save her energy and be faster than walking—but she hadn’t figured out how to explain where it came from. The child was too clever.
If she couldn’t take anything out of her space, then all that storage would be wasted. After all, it would just be the two of them from now on. She couldn’t live on wild herbs every day and suffer needlessly.
She turned her head slightly and looked at Xi Weilan. “By the way, Lan’er, did you get hurt today at the Wang family?”
Xi Weilan blinked her bright eyes, her little face lighting up with joy. “Big Sis, don’t worry, I’m really strong! Before, Mom told me not to show my strength randomly, and I listened. Today at the Wang house, while they weren’t paying attention, I sneaked some pastries. Later, I knocked out that bully of a chubby kid.”
As she spoke, she raised her small fist for Xi Qingyue to see. “Big Sis, look! If I weren’t so short, those people wouldn’t stand a chance against me. I’m going to grow up fast and protect you!”
Hearing this, Xi Qingyue was momentarily stunned. So her little sister was also born with great strength—something even the original version of herself hadn’t known. It seemed their mother had hidden it to prevent the child from being exploited by their relatives the same way the original Xi Qingyue had been. Two sisters with immense strength could have been a blessing, but unfortunately, they had a second uncle like Xi Erniu.
She took Xi Weilan’s small hand and placed a few chocolates into her palm. “Eat these for now to tide you over. Once we get back, I’ll make you something good.”
People born with great strength also had larger appetites. Their mother had just passed away, and Xi Weilan had been deliberately starved for two days, leaving her weak. If not for that, she never would have let herself be taken away.
Xi Weilan stared curiously at the dark, unfamiliar objects in her hand but didn’t ask questions. Instead, she reached out. “Big Sis, you eat too.”
Xi Qingyue ruffled her hair and gently pushed her hand back. “I’ve already eaten. You have some, or you’ll run out of energy.”
Hearing this, Xi Weilan obediently popped a chocolate into her mouth. The moment it touched her tongue, her eyes curved happily in delight.
While she was eating, Xi Qingyue looked around to make sure no one was nearby, then pulled out a small electric tricycle. It was a pink, vintage-style vehicle, compact and charming, with a back seat perfect for carrying a passenger.
“Wow, it’s so pretty!” Xi Weilan’s eyes lit up with admiration the moment she saw it.
“This is Big Sis’s new toy. Come on, I’ll take you home,” Xi Qingyue said as she lifted the girl onto the back seat. After settling herself in front, she turned around and told her, “Hold on tight. We’re heading home now.”
Xi Weilan grinned and nodded repeatedly, gripping the handrails on either side with curiosity and excitement about this new toy.
She didn’t ask where it came from, and Xi Qingyue didn’t offer an explanation. The chocolates and the tricycle were just a test—she would inevitably have to bring out more unusual things in the future, and this was a start.
She started the electric tricycle and drove back toward Willow Tree Village. Only when they were close to the village did she stop, stow the vehicle away, and continue on foot.
Inside and outside the Xi family’s gate, a crowd of villagers had gathered to watch the commotion. The village head was standing in the yard with several men, the area packed with people. Xi Erniu, his mouth and face smeared with blood, had woken up and was angrily denouncing Xi Qingyue’s cruelty.
“Village head, you need to make this right for us!” Xi Erniu shouted. “That eldest girl is vicious! I’m her own uncle, and she still attacked me. Who knows if she’ll go after the neighbors next? Such a violent child can’t stay in this village!”
“That’s right!” Cheng Dingxiang chimed in, wiping her tears as if she were the aggrieved party. “Not only did she hit us, but she also hurt our You’er—he’s still unconscious! He’s her cousin, barely eight years old! How could she do that?”
The villagers murmured among themselves, and soon, someone raised a skeptical voice from the crowd.
“You can’t really blame Daya for this, can you? You tried to sell her little sister—she had to fight back! Her mother just passed away, and you’re already selling off the children? As her uncle and aunt, how could you do that? Are you even human?”
It was their neighbor, Aunt Wang. Though she disapproved of their behavior, she hadn’t felt she had the standing to intervene. Still, seeing the couple beaten black and blue secretly pleased her.
Xi Erniu glared at her with resentment. “They’re our nieces! Why should we raise two extra girls for nothing? If you’re so eager to help, why don’t you take them home yourself?”
Aunt Wang fell silent. Her family wasn’t well-off either; she couldn’t afford to support them.
Just then, a calm voice rang out from the yard’s entrance. “If you don’t want to take care of us, then don’t. From now on, we sisters have nothing to do with you. We’ll sever the family ties right now. From this day forward, we’re all separate.”
Hearing Xi Qingyue’s voice, the crowd turned to look. She was walking in slowly from outside the yard, holding Xi Weilan’s hand.
Her small, thin frame stood straight and tall, a composed and cold look in her eyes—far too mature for her age.
“You… you brought Er Ya back? Mr. Wang actually agreed?” Xi Erniu’s eyes were wide with disbelief.
Xi Qingyue ignored him and fixed her gaze on the village head, an elderly man with graying hair who bore an air of dignified authority. His expression was gentle, but his eyes were sharp and carried weight.
“Grandpa Village Head,” she said, “please bear witness for us. From today on, we have no relation with this family. We don’t have an uncle and aunt like them, and they no longer have the right to interfere in our affairs.”
The village head was taken aback. He spoke seriously, “Yue’er, are you sure about this? Your father is missing, and you’re the only two left in the family. You’re barely eight, and your sister is even younger. Without anyone to look after you, how will you get by?”
Xi Qingyue met his eyes firmly. “Grandpa Village Head, I’ve thought it through. All they’ll do is sell my sister and me off one by one. We’re better off without such relatives. Even if we starve or end up begging, it will be our choice. We just want to sever ties.”
“No, I won’t agree to this!” Xi Erniu interrupted hastily.
If he couldn’t be in charge of the girls, how could he sell them off? That would be a huge loss!
Xi Qingyue shot him a cold glance. The look was like plunging into a frozen abyss—it made him instinctively back away two steps, reminded of his knocked-out teeth and throbbing chest.
But he stubbornly pressed on. “No way! You’re not yet fifteen; you have to be raised by a family member. The authorities won’t give you a separate household register. You still need us to support you!”
Xi Qingyue bowed respectfully to the village head and said with sincerity, “Grandpa Village Head, my father is simply missing, not dead. He might come back one day. I beg you to help us draft the severance document. Let my father remain the head of the household on the register—we only want to separate from Second Uncle’s family. The authorities won’t interfere with that.”
She was actually relieved by the ambiguity of his disappearance. At least it wasn’t a confirmed death; otherwise, getting the two of them—mere children—registered under a separate household document would have been a drawn-out struggle.
Xi Erniu was stunned by her words, while the gathered villagers buzzed with chatter.
“Exactly—her father’s just missing for now, not dead. If they can’t get along, let them split. Even beggars have their freedom, better than being sold off whenever it suits them.”
“That’s true, but they’re just two little kids. How will they manage on their own?”
“They’ll get by. Big Girl’s been foraging wild herbs on the mountain and doing plenty of chores at home anyway. Away from them, she still won’t starve—and at least she won’t have to worry about being sold at any moment.”
Hearing the villagers’ murmurs, Xi Erniu and Cheng Dingxiang were both trembling with rage, glaring fiercely at Xi Qingyue.
Just then, the village head’s authoritative voice rang out. “Alright, Erniu. Since you don’t want to raise them, let them go their own way. It just so happens all the villagers are here to witness.”
