Chapter 372 Sisters' Past 2

"After I left home, I had nowhere to go and I didn't dare stay in the village. I was afraid the villagers would see me and ask my parents to take me back, and then everything I did would be meaningless."

"I went to the town, not knowing where my destination was or how long I had been walking. Suddenly, I heard people talking about someone getting into a car accident up ahead. It was a little girl who seemed to be looking for her sister. She was holding a photo and asking around."

"When I heard the news, I panicked and quickly asked for directions, then ran towards the place they mentioned..."

Qiao Yu pursed her lips and asked softly, "Is it Ling Hua?"

"...Yes." Ling Shu nodded, his eyes slightly red. "When I got there, Xiao Hua had already been sent to the hospital. There was only a large pool of blood."

"I asked around and rushed to the hospital. My father and mother were there. When they saw me, they beat me up without saying a word."

"Xiao Hua was sent to the emergency room. Her life was barely saved, but her leg... was broken."

"The doctor said that if Xiaohua wants to cure her leg, she must undergo surgery. But even if she can stand up again after the surgery, she won't be able to dance anymore... And the surgery will cost a lot of money, but our family... is really broke..."

Ling Shu lowered his eyelashes and sighed softly, "You should have guessed the final result."

"My parents gave up on the surgery. Xiaohua...is now in a wheelchair."

"So... Ling Hua was eventually sent to an orphanage..." Qiao Yu sighed softly.

"Yeah..." Ling Shu raised her head slightly, trying hard to control her tears, but two crystal tears still slipped from the corners of her eyes. "A child who can't take care of himself was already an unbearable burden for our family at the time..."

"Xiao Hua was sent to an orphanage. It was far away, and I couldn't get there by myself at the time. I cried and made a scene, but my parents stopped me."

"They locked me up, using both soft and hard tactics. My mother cried and knelt down to beg me to be obedient. She said... if I really wanted my sister back, I should study hard, read well, and make money. As long as I had money, I could bring Xiaohua back..."

"I believed their words. So I studied hard and started working as soon as I turned fourteen. I used the first penny I saved to buy a ticket to the orphanage."

"But when I was filled with joy and thought I would see Xiaohua again, I discovered that the orphanage had been burned down by a fire. I asked the people in charge of the aftermath, and they said that Xiaohua's body was not found, but a wheelchair was found near the back door of the orphanage."

"Later, I intermittently asked many people and checked many places, but I couldn't find Xiaohua anywhere. They all said that Xiaohua might be dead, but I didn't believe it. I wanted to see her alive or dead. Since the wheelchair appeared at the back door, Xiaohua might have escaped."

"In the following years, I worked even harder while studying, desperately trying to get into a military academy. Because once I joined the army, it would be much easier to find people."

"Later, I successfully passed the military academy entrance exam, joined the army, and met Commander Xie. After he learned about my situation, he promised to help me find my sister... I'm really grateful to him..."

"Then you... found Ling Hua after the apocalypse, right?" Qiao Yu asked softly. Although it was a question, his tone contained a hint of certainty.

"Captain Qiao is wise." Ling Shu curled his lips slightly, but soon suppressed his smile again. "I met Xiao Hua by chance during a rescue mission after the apocalypse."

"I was really happy when I saw her again... happy and excited."

"But I soon discovered that Xiaohua didn't seem happy about our reunion. Instead, she seemed very resistant."

"At that time, I saw only disgust and hatred in her eyes."

"Her personality has changed a lot. She's no longer gentle and easygoing. She's become extreme and gloomy, and the slightest thing can make her hysterical..."

"I don't know why she became like this, but I know she must have suffered a lot..."

"On their way back, the rescue team encountered mutant plants."

"That plant is strange and powerful. We are no match for it."

"When I escaped, I carried the small painting on my back."

"But I may have overestimated my own strength, because while escaping, Xiaohua and I were eaten by the plant..."

"You already know what happened next..."

After listening to Ling Shu's story, Qiao Yu sighed with some emotion. Life is full of different situations, and everyone has their own story that is beyond their control.

"Captain Qiao, I..." Ling Shu showed a hint of hesitation on his face. Just as he was about to continue speaking, he was interrupted by a low and slightly trembling voice.

"So... is that so..."

Ling Shu's eyes suddenly widened slightly, "Xiao Hua? When did you wake up? How do you feel now? Is it still painful..."

Seeing this, Qiao Yu looked at Jiang Zhan in surprise, but Jiang Zhan shook his head slightly.

He said that he was not the one who woke Ling Hua up, she actually woke up on her own.

Ling Hua heard Ling Shu's question, but did not answer. She just murmured softly: "So... that's how it is..."

A few seconds later, Ling Hua suddenly burst into laughter that seemed both happy and sad. The laughter became louder and louder, but the tears in her eyes kept falling like beads from a broken string.

"Hahahaha...it was always me...it turns out from the very beginning...I was the one who was going to be sent away!"

"Xiaohua...Xiaohua, what's wrong with you? Don't scare me..."

Ling Shu couldn't see Ling Hua's face, but from the voice alone, he could tell that Ling Hua's mood was very wrong.

"ah--"

Ling Hua's crying became heavier and heavier. Finally, as if she had an emotional breakdown, she screamed hysterically, then covered her face and burst into tears in pain.

"Xiao Hua...don't cry, sister is here!"

Ling Shu was a little overwhelmed by Ling Hua's sudden emotion and could only keep coaxing her softly.

Ling Hua didn't know how long she had been crying, and her voice became a little hoarse.

She arched her back, rested her chin on her chest, and tried hard to curl up her body slightly.

Cheng Sinian said that this is a very typical form of self-protection after a person suffers trauma.

Then Ling Hua's crying gradually became lower, a hint of vulnerability appeared on her face, and her tone was filled with deep despair and dependence.

“…Sister…I really…it hurts so much…”