Chapter 6 I woke up to find myself handed over? "Knock knock knock knock..."
"Knock knock knock knock!" The urgent knocking woke up Sang Zhitao, who was sleeping soundly in the mini toy house on the table.
"Brother! Brother!" She jumped up and kicked the switch on the loudspeaker next to her, shouting loudly into the speaker.
Her shouts echoed to every corner of the villa in an instant.
Sang Leping, who was continuing to make a quilt for his younger sister in the study, rubbed his temples, strode out, and shouted downstairs, "I heard you, I heard you!"
“I told you this was a good idea, but you didn’t want to come upstairs with me. Now I can hear you as soon as you call.” Sang Leping went downstairs to turn off the loudspeaker for his sister.
Sang Zhitao climbed onto him, following his hand, and muttered softly, "Don't you find it noisy?"
Sang Leping smiled gently: "Don't argue, don't argue, you should argue with me more."
Sang Zhitao sat on his shoulder, gently supported by his hand. A look of emotion flashed in her eyes. Although she had long known about her older brother and sister's love for her, she always felt unworthy. But her older brother and sister used their own methods to help her adapt.
"Go open the door!" She covered her slightly flushed face, tapped her brother's earlobe, and urged him on.
"I know, I know." Sang Leping was so touched by his sister's actions that his heart skipped a beat, and he laughed even more blankly.
He hurried to the door when the doorbell kept ringing, opened it, and saw Sang Lezhi squeezing in anxiously.
"Where's Tao Tao?" Sang Lezhi asked, panting heavily. She gulped down a glass of water and started taking out spirit stones from her bag, completely unaware of Sang Zhi Tao on her brother's shoulder.
"Here she is. What's going on?" Sang Leping handed her another glass of water with concern. He felt guilty towards his younger sister, whom he had grown up with. He had almost prevented her from going to school when he was young, and she had even married someone she didn't really like because of him.
Looking up, Sang Lezhi saw her brother's expression. She twitched her lips helplessly and said directly, "I'm doing very well. My husband treats me very well. I'm very happy. Don't always feel sorry for me."
After being teased by his sister, Sang Leping touched his nose sheepishly before asking, "What brings you here?"
Sang Lezhi then realized why she had come here and looked at Sang Zhitao, hurriedly asking, "Taotao, do you know that your spirit stone can promote plant growth?"
Sang Zhitao nodded blankly: "Yeah, I know."
Sang Lezhi took a deep breath: "Do you know how strong its stimulating power is?"
Sang Zhitao shook her head, looking completely bewildered.
Sang Lezhi then said, "There was a nearly perfect soybean plant in the laboratory, but it died after only a few days. I thought the laboratory cultivation had failed this time, but I didn't expect that I would accidentally sprinkle some spirit stone powder yesterday. Not only did it survive, but it also completed the entire growth process overnight and had already formed pods this morning."
Sang Zhitao gasped, somewhat at a loss, and replied, "I...I really didn't know it was that amazing."
Sang Lezhi took a deep breath to calm his excitement and continued, "Tao Tao, how much of this stuff can you get?"
"Lezhi!" Sang Leping understood her meaning and frowned in displeasure.
Sang Lezhi knew perfectly well that what she was doing was unethical, but thinking about the development of soybean cultivation in the country, she was truly anxious. Looking at her younger sister with a guilty expression, she said, "Tao Tao, I know that whatever I say is just taking advantage of you. I'm not a good older sister, but soybeans are really important to our country. Since Professor Zhuang's unexpected death, soybean research in our country has almost come to a standstill. We really need your spirit stone. It might help us determine the experimental results as soon as possible, and it might even improve our research. I...I..."
Looking into her sister's clear eyes, Sang Lezhi felt even more ashamed and couldn't bring herself to say anything.
She lowered her head, looking at her own anxious eyes reflected on the table. A wave of shame, regret, and sadness washed over her. She bit her lip, about to look up and apologize to Sang Zhitao, and give up using the spirit stone, when she felt a small hand stroking her head.
She carefully raised her head, afraid of accidentally hurting her younger sister, until she saw the other's smiling eyes, and tears finally streamed down her face: "I'm sorry, little sister, I...I..."
“It’s alright, sister. I saw that news too. I’m happy if I can help my country.” Sang Zhitao put down the hand that was patting her and sat cross-legged on the dining table. “Sister, I grew up in an orphanage. I was able to grow up safely thanks to the support and care of the country. Even when I was in school, I received various forms of support, which is why I was able to grow up safely and find you. I love this country, and I love you and brother very much. It’s okay, we are sisters, and we have never taken advantage of each other before.”
“Tao Tao… Waaah…” Sang Lezhi held her younger sister in her hands, her face a mixture of crying and laughing.
“But Tao Tao, wouldn’t this expose your situation?” Sang Leping frowned slightly, somewhat disapproving.
“Yes, Tao Tao, if I hurt you, then… then I…” Sang Lezhi hurriedly wiped away her tears and said.
Sang Zhitao smiled and looked at the two of them before saying, "Don't be afraid, so what if we're exposed? I believe my country won't harm me, right?"
Sang Leping and Sang Lezhi looked at each other, saying nothing. They weren't as naive as Sang Zhitao, but they loved their country just as much. They secretly vowed to protect their sister no matter what, even at the cost of their lives.
"Then...then I'll go back first, use the remaining powder from your spirit stone to do some experiments, and then we'll talk about handing it over." Sang Lezhi thought for a moment and made up her mind.
Sang Leping nodded in agreement before turning to Sang Zhitao: "Don't worry, we will protect you."
Sang Zhitao smiled at her older brother and sister: "Yes, I believe it."
After waiting for about four or five days, Sang Zhitao didn't see any strange people come to her house. She also knew that this matter was not so simple to believe, so she put it out of her mind and happily strolled around the BJD dollhouse that her brother had bought for her, which was a giant mansion to her.
Sang Leping spent a lot of money to create a giant dollhouse, with all kinds of styles, from European to Neo-Chinese, from simple to ornate. Each room is decorated with clothes that match the style, all of which he made himself.
Not only that, it also has a mini kitchen and a mini study, enough for Sang Zhitao to explore for days and nights without ever finishing.
About ten more days passed, and Sang Zhitao still hadn't realized that she had time-traveled again. But she wasn't in a hurry, since although her sister had scraped off a layer of the spirit stone, there was still a lot left, enough to replenish her daily energy.
She was sleeping soundly when she felt something staring intently at her, and she could hear rustling voices in her ears.
"It's kind of cute..."
"Is it her? Are you sure you're not mistaken?"
"That's how it is. I don't believe you if you say it's fake. There are no people this small on Earth."
"Keep your voice down, don't wake them up."
"Quick, quick, go and call someone, she seems to have woken up."
Sang Zhitao opened her eyes and was so startled that she almost fell off the bed. She saw several people surrounding her, laughing, and their smiles were indescribably warm.
Hmm... It's clear that these people are usually serious and don't smile easily. Their expressions are particularly stiff right now, but Sang Zhitao can vaguely see the unease in their smiles.
A note from the author:
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Regarding the part in this chapter where the older sister hands over the peaches, some readers have been questioning it since the beginning of the story, feeling that the older sister's actions were too morally coercive. I've been just throwing the drafts into the archives and haven't been paying much attention to the comments. I'm taking the time to share my thoughts here now. If you still can't accept it, that's okay. Meeting is fate.
The answer is as follows:
Why did my sister choose to hand it over directly?
In the story, the older sister is a research fanatic. She was raised by the country, and in her education and life experiences, the country has always been very important, even more important than her own life. So when the country faces external pressure, and she grabs the only piece of driftwood that a drowning person has found, she subconsciously ignores the harm her choice would cause to her younger sister and chooses to hand it over.
Will my sister regret it?
Yes, but such regret will only appear slowly over time, which will be discussed later.
Why did the older sister ignore Taozi's feelings?
Besides the reasons for the appeal, there is another reason I haven't written about: I personally believe that after twenty years, finding the younger sister is no longer just about emotions, but more about the debt and obsession with their parents. Under such circumstances, I don't think their feelings can offset the patriotic ideas that the older sister has been exposed to growing up.
How is the country's soybean industry now?
Although we have lost Professor Zhuang, thanks to the efforts of agricultural workers, my country's soybean industry, while still reliant on imports and facing various unresolved technological barriers, has made new breakthroughs in domestic soybean varieties and breeding techniques.
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