Lin Yi went into the water and first placed Sangsang on a big rock to sit. Then he took out the towel from the bag he brought, wet it, and wiped Sangsang carefully and roughly.
In the past, Ningxia had always done this, but now that Ningxia was soaking in the water with her eyes closed, Lin Yi didn't want to bother Sister Xia Xia with everything, so he simply rubbed his head and did it himself. The cold river water calmed the three of them down considerably.
The short hair on Sangsang's head had been completely rubbed into pieces by her brother, but she didn't care. She just lowered her head slightly and stared at the river in a daze.
It wasn't until Sangsang's clothes were almost completely soaked by Lin Yi that Ningxia came over and took the towel from Lin Yi's hand: "Let me do it."
Lin Yi touched his head and said, "Oh." He stepped aside.
Sangsang looked up at Ningxia and found that she was not looking at her. Sangsang pursed her lips a few times, then stared at her with her lips pursed, to see when she would look up at her.
Ningxia pretended to be completely oblivious and gently cleaned Sangsang's exposed skin with a wet towel before saying lightly, "Just soak your feet here for a while and change clothes when you leave later." After saying that, he refused to even look at her and turned around to soak in the water again.
However, Sangsang grabbed Ningxia's clothes and looked at her stubbornly, her small lips tightly pursed together, her round eyes filled with tears again.
Ningxia looked at her and said helplessly: "Why are you crying again?"
This question seemed to open the floodgates of Sangsang's tears. Bean-sized tears kept rolling down her fair and tender face. Even so, she refused to blink and continued to stare at Ningxia.
Ningxia sighed, picked her up and sat her aside: "Why are you crying again?"
Sangsang put her arms around Ningxia's neck, sobbing and whispering, "I'm sorry... Xiaxia... I'm sorry..."
Ningxia paused, and the hand that was patting her thin back also slowed down: "What are you sorry for?"
"I...I shouldn't have lost my temper...I'm sorry, Xia Xia..."
Ningxia thought back to the past. Did children apologize after a tantrum? It seemed like they generally didn't. Bewildered, she looked up at Lin Yi and saw him, too, standing there in a panic, looking as if he'd done something wrong. Ningxia realized something was wrong.
What was she doing? Was she getting angry at a nine-year-old? The little girl in her arms hadn't been feeling well to begin with, and she'd finally managed to regain some energy. The weather had changed so suddenly, and she hadn't gotten enough rest or food in the past two days, so it was inevitable that she'd lost her temper. She could have just talked to them nicely, why was she giving them the cold shoulder?
The siblings were already living under someone else's roof. Sangsang was fine, not overthinking things, but Lin Yi was incredibly sensitive. He just couldn't express it, but in reality, this child was more thoughtful than anyone else. He was sensible and diligent. Ningxia sometimes slacked off, but Lin Yi never did. He toiled tirelessly for the family day in and day out, refusing to slack off even for a moment. But... perhaps he was still afraid...
Ning Xia thought about this slowly, rubbed her brows, cursed herself inwardly, then reached out and pulled Lin Yi over: "What do you want to say?"
Lin Yi was a little uneasy: "I'm...I'm sorry?"
Ningxia frowned: "Sangsang lost his temper, what are you apologizing for?"
Lin Yi lowered his eyes and said nothing. He didn't know either, but he thought that an apology would help Ningxia calm down, so he said it.
Ningxia spoke earnestly, "This is my first time being a sister, and my first time having family... I was an orphan before the disaster, and I'm used to being alone, so I don't really know how to get along with my family."
Having said that, Lin Yi looked up at Ningxia.
Ningxia stared into the other person's eyes and said each word seriously, "Sangsang doesn't remember things, but you do. You've been through a lot in the past, and the people around you have always changed. But I may not have told you that if I hadn't died unexpectedly, then we would have been a family together for life. Do you understand, Lin Yi?"
Ningxia paused for a moment and emphasized: "No matter when or where, no matter what happens, you, me, and Ningsang are a family for life. Do you understand? Lin Yi." She asked Lin Yi again.
Lin Yi nodded continuously with red eyes, tears falling like broken strings, and he raised his hand to wipe them away.
Knowing that he was feeling wronged, Ningxia touched his head, put her arms around his thin shoulders and held him in her arms. The three siblings huddled together and no one spoke for a long time.
On the way back, the three of them had red eyes. Sangsang lay on Ningxia's back and said, "Xia Xia, I want some salty soup when we get back!"
"Then will you still be angry if I ask you to get up and drink patchouli tomorrow?"
Sangsang chuckled and gently stroked Ningxia's neck with his fair arm. "I'll never lose my temper again." Then, he made a trumpet-shaped gesture with his hand and put it to his mouth, shouting, "I'll never lose my temper again! I'll never lose my temper again!"
Ningxia smiled and patted her little butt, "Don't yell, 'Psycho!' You'll be sweating all over again. Got it, you won't lose your temper again."
"Hahahahaha, I'm not a psychopath. I'm Ning Sang. I! Am! Ning! Sang! I! Am! Ning! Sang!"
Ningxia's ears hurt from the noise of the overly excited little girl, so she leaned over and pretended to throw the girl off her back.
Sangsang quickly hugged Ningxia's neck, giggling happily, his two short legs swinging constantly, and he hummed a mess of his own songs.
Ningxia smiled and looked at Lin Yi: "I still say the same thing, this is my first time being a sister, there must be many things I did not do well. I am wrong, you as the brother, I as the sister will teach you well, don't take everything on yourself."
Seeing Lin Yi staring at her seriously, Ning Xia added with a smile: "It is my blessing to have a brother like you. I am very happy, Lin Yi."
Seeing the other person walk ahead to Ningxia with red ears, he helplessly replied to the chattering kid on his back: "You too, you too, I am lucky to have you."
The dazzling sunset illuminated the backs of the three people with golden color. The weather was hot, but people's hearts were warm.
Back in the yard, Lin Yi looked at the bamboo shoots and mushrooms that were drying in the sun. In a short period of time, they had shrunk a lot and their size had become much smaller.
Ningxia picked up the domestic water at home and quickly watered the wilting little pepper tree in the yard thoroughly. She also took care of the vegetables in the bathroom before turning to the back to check on Maomao.
As soon as the temperature rose, Ningxia filled Maomao's trough with water. Now, only the bottom was left, but the dry hay had not been reduced much. Maomao's shed only provided shade, not insulation from the heat. Fortunately, it was a good breed born after the disaster, and except for a little wilt, it looked fine.
Ningxia, however, was thinking about taking Maomao with her when she went to the river to bathe tomorrow, firstly to cool him down and secondly so they could fetch some water together. With only three people working, they couldn't bring back much at once. In this climate, water consumption was increasing day by day, and the water stored at home was slowly decreasing even without being used.
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