TSWPF -Chapter 80 Excitement

Li Qingling glanced at Dahe calmly. Seeing his nervous gaze, she sighed quietly to herself. Oh well, saving lives is saving lives to the end. Better to save one more person than not. Even with one more mouth to feed, it’s still manageable.

“Is your sister at home? Go get her; we’ll wait here.”

At Li Qingling’s confirmation, Dahe’s eyes lit up. He nodded heavily and, limping on his injured foot, hurried home.

At that moment, he was so happy that he didn’t even feel the pain in his leg.

He knew that following Li Qingling, they would never go hungry.

Li Qingling set down the water bucket, turned to Liu Zhimou, and looked at him seriously. She asked if he would mind that she had taken the initiative to bring the two kids back.

Liu Zhimou patted her on the head and shook it with a smile. “Not at all. Dahe is a good-hearted kid, and he gets along with Xiao Feng and Zhiyan. Bringing him back gives the two kids another companion to play with.” If he hadn’t known Dahe’s character, he wouldn’t have agreed.

Seeing that he genuinely didn’t object, she smiled.

Unfortunately, the cave was a bit small. With so many people living there, it would be a little cramped.

It would be nice if they could find something bigger to live in comfortably.

Thinking this, Li Qingling decided that after returning, she would check if there were larger caves nearby. If she found one that was bigger and well-hidden, she would consider moving.

She shared this idea with Liu Zhimou, who nodded in agreement. He had the same thought; they would act on it after returning.

Dahe grabbed his sister, Xiao Xi, and ran quickly over. He introduced his sister to Li Qingling and Liu Zhimou, then turned to her: “Sis, this is Sister Xiaoling and Brother Zhimou. Do you still remember them?”

Xiao Xi clutched Dahe’s clothes tightly, looked briefly at Li Qingling and Liu Zhimou, then quickly lowered her head and whispered greetings.

She had been confined at home by her stepmother, working all day. It had been a long time since she last saw them. Seeing them dressed so well and looking so healthy, she barely recognized them.

Li Qingling looked at Xiao Xi, now even more frail, timid, and dressed in tattered clothes. Her brow furrowed involuntarily. “Wait here.”

She turned and ran into the house, rifled through old clothes she couldn’t wear anymore, and also found old clothes that Liu Zhiyan and Li Qingfeng couldn’t wear. After packing them, she brought them out.

Handing the bundle to Dahe, she said, “I found some old clothes suitable for you and your sister. Go inside and change.”

These two kids were worse off than they had been before. Back when their mother was alive, their clothes might have been old, but never this ragged.

Dahe’s eyes reddened. He took the bundle from Li Qingling, bowed to her, and then pulled his sister inside.

After the siblings changed, the group continued their journey. Considering Dahe’s injured leg, Li Qingling slowed her pace a bit.

It took nearly four hours to return. Li Qingling saw Ah Huang and Ah Bai lying at the cave entrance and called out joyfully.

Hearing her, Ah Huang immediately stood and excitedly rushed toward her.

Dahe, not knowing Ah Huang was their family tiger, saw it charging Li Qingling and instinctively called out, trying to save her.

Before he could reach her, Liu Zhimou grabbed his hand and smiled, “Take another look first.”

Confused, Dahe followed Liu Zhimou’s gaze and saw Ah Huang acting like a large cat, affectionately approaching Li Qingling.

His jaw dropped. “This… this is still a man-eating tiger? How can it be so familiar with Sister Qingling?”

Li Qingling hugged Ah Huang, then turned to Dahe. “Ah Huang has been raised by us since it was a cub. It won’t bite you. Don’t worry.”

“Raised…?” Dahe felt his brain struggling to process this. “Really won’t bite?”

Recalling how Dahe had rushed to save her earlier, Li Qingling’s fondness for him increased. “Rest assured, it only bites bad people. If it encounters a bad person, it will bite.” She gave Dahe and Xiao Xi a warning so they wouldn’t be shocked if Ah Huang ever had to defend itself.

Dahe swallowed hard and forced a smile. “It just has to bite bad people.”

Still, seeing the massive tiger, his little heart trembled. This was the first time he’d seen such a huge tiger up close; it was terrifying.

Li Qingling didn’t push him. His reaction was normal for someone who hadn’t grown up with Ah Huang. If she suddenly saw such a tiger without knowing it, she might have instinctively raised her bow to shoot.

“Ah Bai is Ah Huang’s wife,” Li Qingling said, pointing to Ah Bai at the entrance. Then she warned Dahe and Xiao Xi, “We’re not familiar with Ah Bai yet, so don’t go near it until it’s comfortable with you.”

The siblings looked at the white tiger warily and nodded.

Raising two tigers in the family was truly impressive.

At that moment, children, hearing Li Qingling speak, ran out in a rush, shouting for their brother and sister.

While Li Qingling and Liu Zhimou were away, the kids had mostly stayed in the cave, unconcerned.

“Xiao Feng!” Dahe happily shouted, thrilled to see his playmate.

Xiao Feng dashed down and, smiling, asked why Dahe had come.

A little embarrassed, Dahe scratched his head and lowered it. “Sister Xiaoling brought us back. From now on… we’ll live here too.”

He peeked at Xiao Feng, worried he might be upset.

He knew food was scarce, and now with his sister added, it would be even tougher.

“I… I’ll find my own food. I won’t be a burden.”

He had followed Li Qingling because he felt safe with her, believing she could lead them through hardships.

Li Qingfeng, seeing Dahe’s anxiety, patted his shoulder with a smile. “Don’t worry. We have plenty of food at home; you don’t need to find any.”

In this remote area, finding food was nearly impossible without hunting skills.

Reassured by Li Qingfeng’s sincerity, Dahe smiled. He felt very lucky to have met Li Qingling’s family, perhaps blessed by his mother, to encounter such kind people in their dire situation.

“Come, let me show you our home. You’ll like it,” Li Qingfeng said warmly, leading him into the cave.

“Dahe, look! This is our food. Plenty to eat!” he proudly showed him the stored supplies.

Dahe was stunned. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief. They had amassed so much food, enough to last a long time.

“How… did you buy all this?” he asked, amazed.

Li Qingfeng proudly said, “Sister stocked it. Without her, we’d have starved by now.”

Dahe’s admiration for Li Qingling skyrocketed. She had really done all this!

He felt grateful that she had brought him and his sister back—she was their great benefactor. He vowed to repay her someday.

After showing off, Li Qingfeng started chattering about recent events. Dahe listened, impressed, often exclaiming in awe.

Li Qingling climbed up and, seeing this scene, shook her head and interrupted. “Xiao Feng, have you eaten? Is there still food at home?”

Xiao Feng stopped immediately. “We haven’t cooked yet. We were waiting for you all to return.” He stood and waved at Liu Zhiyan.

Liu Zhiyan rolled his eyes, silently thinking, I thought you’d keep talking!

Heh heh, Li Qingfeng laughed, reaching for the clay pot, but Xiao Xi took it.

She whispered, “I’ll do it.”

Even with her brother there, she had to work while eating.