Evenings were the time when Qing Xuanzi taught her how to retrieve things, and these things became their daily routine thereafter.

Aside from the occasional whim of Qing Xuanzi to take Rong Jiaojiao into the mountains to hunt for medicinal herbs, the rest of the time was spent with Qing Xuanzi and Rong Jiaojiao doing various training sessions in the courtyard.

More than a month has passed, and Rong Zhigao and Rong Zhiyuan haven't seen their sister for a long time. Every time they mention visiting her, their parents find excuses to stop them. So the two brothers plan to sneak into town to see their sister on Sunday.

After their parents went to work, the two secretly slipped away to town with the candy they had saved up. But when they arrived at the small courtyard in town, the door was locked, so they had no choice but to sit on the threshold and wait.

Rong Zhiyuan touched the candy in his pocket, resisting the urge to unwrap it and stuff it in his mouth, and asked Rong Zhigao, "Brother, where do you think Uncle Qingxuan will take my sister?"

Rong Zhigao shook his head: "I don't know, but he will definitely come back for lunch. If we wait here, we will definitely be able to wait for him to bring his sister back."

Rong Zhiyuan thought he was right, so the two of them just waited.

The elderly neighbor saw them and asked, "What are you doing here? Why are you sitting here?"

Rong Zhigao looked at the thin old woman in front of him and said, "Auntie, we've come to see Uncle Qingxuan."

The old woman didn't know Qing Xuanzi's name. She asked, "Who is called Uncle Qing Xuan? I don't know this person."

Rong Zhigao pointed to the door behind him and said, "The person who lives here is my sister's master."

The old woman asked suspiciously, "Are you talking about the person who used to live here with a little girl?"

Rong Zhigao nodded: "Auntie, do you know where they went?"

The old woman was even more puzzled. She said, "That person hasn't lived here for a long time. Apart from a military couple who come here from time to time, no one has lived here for more than a month."

Rong Zhigao asked in a panic, "Then where did my sister go?"

The old woman exclaimed in alarm, "Could that man be a human trafficker who tricked your sister away?"

Rong Zhiyuan was young, and when he thought of this possibility, he burst into tears.

Rong Zhigao quickly comforted him: "Zhiyuan, don't cry. Your parents definitely know where your sister is. Let's go find your mother first."

After thanking the old lady, he was about to pull Rong Zhiyuan away when the old lady stopped him, saying, "If you've really been scammed, remember to report it to the police. They're very capable and can definitely help you."

Rong Zhigao nodded repeatedly, then took his younger brother and went to the hospital to find Fu Ya.

On the way, Rong Zhiyuan asked his brother, "Brother, is it because our little sister is too cute that Uncle Qingxuan secretly took her away?"

When Rong Zhigao recalled that his parents had been vague when he asked about his younger sister recently, he said uncertainly, "I don't know. Maybe my parents agreed to let Uncle Qingxuan take my sister away."

Rong Zhiyuan disagreed: "How could that be? Mom and Dad love their little sister so much, they definitely wouldn't be willing to part with her."

...

Fu Ya had just finished bandaging a soldier who was injured during training when two brothers with mournful faces appeared outside her clinic.

She quickly got up and went to the two of them, asking, "Zhiyuan, what's wrong? Why are you crying? Did someone bully you?"

Rong Zhiyuan clung to Fu Ya's leg, crying bitterly, "Mom, my sister is missing! Did Uncle Qingxuan steal her?"

He had thought so the whole way, and Fu Ya was stunned: "You went to town?"

Rong Zhiyuan nodded, and Rong Zhigao looked at Fu Ya hopefully and asked, "Mom, Uncle Qingxuan didn't secretly take my sister away, right?"

Fu Ya squatted down: "You should have known about this sooner, but we couldn't find a suitable opportunity..."

...

Rong Zhigao raised his voice: "So, my sister really was stolen?"

He was introverted and usually acted like a little adult, but he lost control and tears streamed down his face.

Seeing that some people were looking over curiously, Fu Ya quickly pulled them into the consultation room before explaining, "It's not what you think. Didn't your sister become your Uncle Qingxuan's disciple? He brought your sister back to his sect. Yes, she went back to her sect."

It's not that she doesn't want to talk about it, but she doesn't want to spread the news that her daughter left after becoming an apprentice so early. She's not an orphan, how can a child leave with their master after only a few months? She'll have to find an excuse to explain to others later, just like now.

Seeing that Fu Ya had specifically emphasized it, Rong Zhigao was somewhat skeptical, but since his mother didn't seem upset, he could only reluctantly believe her.

Just then, more people came to check on the injuries, and Rong Zhigao pulled Rong Zhiyuan and Fu Ya away to say goodbye and go back.

On the way, Rong Zhiyuan asked, "Brother, is what Mom said true?"

Seeing his red eyes, Rong Zhigao comforted him, "It must be true, Mom wouldn't lie to us."

But in my heart I was thinking: [I'll ask Dad tonight and see if his story matches Mom's.]

The two waited and waited at home, feeling that the day was particularly difficult to endure. In the evening, Rong Lianhu returned with his own food and found that his two sons had already prepared the food and were waiting for him.

Upon seeing Rong Lianhu, Rong Zhiyuan immediately asked about his sister. After considering for a moment, Rong Lianhu finally told half the truth: "Your sister has a special constitution and is afraid of being discovered by bad people, so she has to live far away from people. It's not that your parents didn't want to tell you beforehand, but they were afraid that you would accidentally let it slip and endanger your sister's life."

Seeing Rong Lianhu's serious expression, Rong Zhigao believed him this time and promised, "Dad, I won't tell anyone. I'll keep my brother in line and not let him tell anyone."

Rong Zhiyuan patted his chest and assured him, "I won't tell."

Rong Lianhu patted his two sons' heads with satisfaction: "You're both good kids."

Rong Zhiyuan asked, "When will I be able to see my sister again?"

Rong Lianhu smiled upon hearing this and said, "Your Uncle Qingxuan will bring your sister back to celebrate the New Year with us, so we will be able to see Jiaojiao soon."

It wasn't just his sons who thought about it; he and his wife thought about it too, and they counted down the days!

The two brothers were then happy.

When Fu Ya returned with the food, the father and his two sons were already waiting for her with bowls and chopsticks.

Fu Ya put down her lunchbox to wash her hands. When she returned and saw the food in the staff canteen, she couldn't help but sigh, "The food is getting thinner and thinner. If there's another drought next year, who knows what will happen!"

Rong Lianhu also worried: "The wives in the family compound are unemployed, and with so many children, they don't get enough to eat every day. Some people in the group give up their own food so that their children can eat more, which makes them too weak to train."

Hearing this, Rong Zhiyuan withdrew his hand from the steamed buns he had brought back.

Rong Lianhu smiled and gave each of his two brothers one before saying, "Eat up, we still have enough food at home."

The food they had prepared earlier hadn't been touched since eating at the canteen, and with the leftovers from Qing Xuanzi in town, if they were frugal, it would be enough for them to have extra meals until the end of next year.

The two brothers looked at Fu Ya, and only after she nodded did they dare to accept it.