"I think... I can't easily mention it to Brother Jie."

Ningxia nodded, "I think so too. He's already seriously injured, and I'm afraid he won't be able to handle it if he gets emotionally agitated."

"Maybe, we can find Sangsang."

Ningxia frowned, "She?"

"Sister Xia Xia, has Brother Jie told you about his family affairs? I mean the deeper ones?"

Ningxia thought for a moment, "When we first moved here, he mentioned he had a younger sister. Later, when we were butchering sheep, he mentioned his family lived on the grasslands. I saw he wasn't in a good mood, so I didn't ask any further questions."

"But Brother Jie often tells Sangsang about his past."

Ningxia raised an eyebrow, "How do you know?"

"I heard it several times. I didn't eavesdrop on it intentionally, I just heard it accidentally. You can ask Sangsang to find out."

Ningxia thought for a moment and then shook her head, "No way! That guy is so shameless. He let her become a spy, and then he turned around and sold us out."

Lin Yi shook his head in disapproval. "Sister Xia Xia, Sangsang is more mature than you think. Brother Jie told her so much about his family, but I couldn't find out a single thing. She refused to tell me."

Ningxia was surprised, "She can still keep a secret?"

"Brother Jie must have said something to her. She always likes to go against me. This matter needs you, Sister Xia Xia."

Lin Yi's young face revealed a maturity that was not in line with his age.

"Let me think about it." Ningxia stood up and lifted the porridge that had turned lukewarm in a moment. "Let's go, call Sangsang out to eat, and bring a bowl in for your brother Jie."

After dinner, Ningxia and the other two chatted with Xiaojie for a while. Seeing that he looked sleepy, Lin Yi winked at Ningxia. He went forward and helped Xiaojie lie down again.

Ningxia took Sangsang's hand and walked out of the bedroom.

"Xia Xia, why do you want to come out? It's so warm in the house."

The temperature had dropped significantly in the past two days, so they lit a new fire in the bedroom and added wall materials. Wearing just one layer of clothing and a cotton-padded jacket in the bedroom was enough to make it comfortable, so the three siblings spent most of their time in the bedroom.

"I haven't checked your notebook for a few days. Go get it and let me have a look."

“You can watch it inside.”

"Ahem!" Ningxia coughed uncomfortably. "I was afraid that if you wrote nonsense, I would lose control of my temper and disturb your brother Xiaojie's sleep."

"No! Brother Xiaojie has checked me." Sangsang said as he tried to break free from her hand and go into the house.

"Are you not listening?" Ningxia clamped her arm to prevent her from succeeding.

Sangsang pouted and retreated, muttering softly, "You're so weird..." Then, as if still unsatisfied, she repeated loudly, "You're weird!"

After saying that, he pushed Ningxia away angrily, took out the homework book from the drawer in the living room and threw it heavily on the table, then climbed onto the sofa and covered himself with a blanket.

Hey, who did this little girl learn this bad temper from? Ningxia gritted her teeth secretly. When she gets fatter, she will definitely beat her three times a day!

Ningxia picked up the notebook and pretended to flip through it. Lin Yi came out and knew what was going on at a glance.

He didn't say anything either. He picked up the unfinished sweater from the sofa, sat side by side with Sangsang, covered himself with a blanket, and knitted skillfully.

"Xia Xia, are you done checking? I'm going into the house!" Sangsang said in a bad tone. He leaned back on the sofa with his arms folded, looking at Ningxia with a sidelong glance, looking like he deserved a beating.

"Why are you panicking? Let's chat for a while."

Sangsang snorted, "Chatting? You're just going to lecture me again! Lecture me every day!"

Ningxia was speechless. She admitted that she got angry at Sangsang’s bad temper more often than she talked to him nicely, but look at her stubborn attitude, who wouldn’t be angry!

"Ahem! Hey Lin Yi, do you still remember Uncle Liu from the caravan?" Ningxia lowered her voice and spoke hypocritically.

Sangsang opened her mouth, wanting to say something but holding it back. Apparently she remembered.

"Remember! Didn't Uncle Lao Hu say some time ago that Uncle Liu was sick and about to die?" Lin Yi said nonchalantly.

Ningxia widened his eyes and asked, "Are you going to do something so big?"

Lin Yi blinked at her to show his calmness.

Sangsang sat up straight and asked, "What's wrong with Uncle Liu?"

Ningxia quickly covered her mouth, "We were just chatting! Keep your voice down. If you wake up your brother Xiaojie, his back injury won't heal!"

Sangsang nodded quickly.

As soon as Ningxia let go of her mouth, she grabbed Lin Yi's arm and said in a low but nervous voice: "Brother, what happened to Uncle Liu?"

Lin Yi glanced at her and continued knitting the sweater in his hand slowly. "Alas, doesn't he have a son he can't find? Uncle Liu missed his son every day and became sick."

"Are you sick already?"

"Yeah." Lin Yi nodded calmly.

Sangsang withdrew her little hand, her delicate little brows tightly furrowed.

Seeing that she didn't respond, Lin Yi continued, "I heard that he couldn't find his son, so he thought his son was dead. His body was covered with sores and he was rolling around in pain, but he refused to take medicine. He said that if he died sooner, he would be able to see his son."

A look of pity flashed across Sangsang's face, and Ningxia struck while the iron was hot, "Sangsang, do you feel pity for Uncle Liu?"

"You deserve it!" Sangsang was extremely angry.

Ningxia was so shocked that she stood up suddenly. How could she, a child less than ten years old, say such things?

Then she squatted down and pinched Sangsang's shoulders, "Why do you say that? Do you know something?!"

Sangsang lowered her eyes and didn't look at Ningxia. "I promised Brother Xiaojie not to tell."

"So you know Xiaojie is your Uncle Liu's son, right?"

Sangsang remained silent.

Ningxia pursed her lips and squatted beside the sofa, her tone full of solemnity, "Sangsang, I'm very happy that you can stick to your promise with your brother Xiaojie, and I'm also very happy that you can protect your brother Xiaojie's secret.

But Sangsang, did you know that your brother Xiaojie cries every night? I’m not forcing him to go to Uncle Liu, I’m trying to help him.”

When Sangsang heard Xiaojie crying every night, he stammered a few times and his attitude softened, but he still didn't say anything.

"How do you know that your brother Xiaojie is Uncle Liu Jun's son? This doesn't count as a secret Xiaojie told you, right?"

"...I heard everything you said to the old man driving the cart. I saw the birthmark on the back of Xiaojie's neck. It's in the shape of a star!"

Seeing that she was willing to speak, Ningxia continued to persuade her, "Did Xiaojie tell you that himself?"

Sangsang shook her head. "No, I asked myself! The first time I came home! Brother Xiaojie was carrying me on his back, and I saw it, so I asked. Brother Xiaojie even cried and wouldn't let me tell anyone."

Lin Yi and Ningxia looked at each other. They didn’t expect that Sangsang knew it so early. She knew it when they just left the forest area!

Ningxia clenched her hands. The little girl was really good at hiding things. No wonder the two of them had such a good relationship from the beginning. It turned out that they had a little secret.

"Does your brother Xiaojie know that your uncle Liu Jun is looking for him?"

Sangsang hesitated, but finally nodded, "Brother Xiaojie doesn't want to recognize him."