Chapter 2 The Strange Fairy Uncle
Zhao Di thought she might be dreaming.
Otherwise, how could we see a bright red arrow glowing on the snow in front of us?
The arrow was flashing, just like the red lanterns that hang outside the village chief's house during the Lunar New Year.
"Food...there's food there..."
The little girl mumbled something, but her hands and feet, which had been frozen stiff, suddenly seemed to have a burst of energy.
She rolled over, like a clumsy little turtle, and crawled towards the direction of the red arrow, using both her hands and feet.
The snow was thick, reaching above her wrists.
With each step, he had to pull his body out of the snow pit.
The system watched this scene in her mind, and the data stream surged wildly.
[Move a little to the left! Idiot! Not that way!]
That's a rock! Don't run into it!
[Oh my god, why isn't this host's motor nerves fully developed yet?]
Although it complained about it to the extreme, the system still secretly released a weak bio-current to stimulate Zhao Di's muscles, preventing her from collapsing again.
Finally, Zhao Di climbed to the place indicated by the red arrow.
It was under the roots of a dead old tree, where the snow had been blown thinner by the wind.
"Uncle, where's the food?"
Zhao Di stopped, her little hands groping in the snow, but there was nothing there except the cold snow and hard dirt.
She felt wronged and wanted to cry, thinking that this "fairy uncle" was lying to a child.
The system prompted impatiently: "[It's down there! Dig! There's grain hidden by mice inside!]"
mouse?
Zhao Di's eyes lit up.
She had heard her older brother, Da Bao, say that rats were the worst, that they would steal food from the house, but that there were really good things in rat holes!
The little girl ignored the pain in her hands and stretched out her two little hands, which were as red as radishes from the cold, and frantically dug at the frozen soil.
My fingernails were full of mud, and my fingertips were cut by sharp stones, from which beads of blood oozed.
But she didn't feel any pain at all.
She was willing to scratch her hands raw, as long as she could find food and give her father a bite to eat.
"Sizzle—"
A soft sound.
Zhao Di's little hand seemed to touch something that looked like withered grass.
With a strong tug, a large clump of dry grass was pulled out.
Deep within that grassy hollow, there was indeed a small handful of shriveled grass seeds and two unshelled wild hazelnuts.
This little bit of stuff wouldn't even be considered trash in later generations.
But at this moment, in Zhao Di's eyes, this was the most precious treasure in the world.
"Found it! Found it!"
Zhao Di cried out excitedly, her voice hoarse but filled with ecstasy.
She carefully held the few grass seeds in her hands, afraid of missing even one.
"Daddy's saved...Daddy, eat this..."
The system looked at the few grass seeds that weren't even enough to fill a tooth gap, and fell silent.
This is the "food" that its host desperately sought out?
This thing provides less than 1 calorie!
[Ding! Detected that the host has completed the beginner's quest: Find food.]
[Task Evaluation: Terrible.]
Although what you found is an insult to food, given that you are only three years old and your courage is commendable...
[System has determined the task is complete!]
[Reward: A welcome gift pack for new players!]
As the system's voice faded.
Zhao Di suddenly felt a blur before her eyes.
In the originally pitch-black snowy night, a soft golden light suddenly shone.
Immediately afterwards, a steaming, plump, white meat bun and a warm glass bottle of milk appeared out of thin air on the snow in front of her.
The buns were as big as an adult's palm, with thin skin and generous filling, steaming hot and tempting.
A rich aroma of meat instantly exploded in this cold, snowy place.
That's the authentic taste of pork and scallion filling!
Zhao Di was stunned.
She stared wide-eyed at the large steamed bun, forgetting even to breathe.
What is that?
Is that a big white steamed bun?
But how can steamed buns smell so good?
This smells a hundred times better than all the other smells she's ever had in her life combined!
And that bottle of plain water looks delicious.
"Gulp."
Zhao Di swallowed hard, her throat twitching.
"Uncle Fairy... is this for Zhaodi?"
She dared not reach out to take it, afraid that it would disappear if she touched it, afraid that it was just a hallucination of the little match girl before she died.
The system snorted arrogantly: [Nonsense! If it's not for you, who else would it be for? Eat it now! Eat it so you can work for this system!]
It's really for me!
Zhao Di trembled as she reached out her small hand, her fingertips touching the large steamed bun.
It's hot!
Soft!
It's true!
In that instant, Zhao Di felt like her heart was about to jump out of her chest.
She grabbed the big steamed bun and hugged the bottle of milk to her chest.
The scalding heat penetrated her tattered cotton-padded coat and reached her skin, making her want to cry.
I really want to eat it.
Her stomach was rumbling with cravings, urging her to quickly stuff this delicious-smelling thing into her mouth.
Zhao Di opened her mouth wide and was about to take a bite.
But, just as their lips touched the bun skin...
Her movements suddenly stopped.
A flicker of struggle flashed in those large, yearning eyes.
Dad is still lying in bed at home.
Dad is so hungry he's fainted.
My brother didn't eat anything either.
If Zhao Di eats this, will Dad never wake up?
"You can't eat it... Zhao Di can't eat it..."
The little girl muttered to herself, forcefully moving the bun that was about to reach her mouth away.
She carefully stuffed the piping hot meat bun into the very inside of her tattered cotton-padded jacket, placing it close to her heart.
That was the warmest part of her body.
"Give it to Daddy... Daddy won't die if he eats it..."
"Give your brother some sweet water..."
Zhao Di sniffled, trying to suppress the agonizing hunger, and lay back down on the snow.
The system was completely dumbfounded.
Hey! Kid! What are you doing?
That's to give you energy! You'll die if you don't eat it, you know?
Your blood sugar has dropped below the warning line!
The system was frantically yelling in Zhao Di's mind.
It had never seen such a stupid host.
They were starving to death, yet they held life-saving food in their hands and refused to eat it.
Zhao Di acted as if she hadn't heard.
She held the steamed buns and milk in her arms tightly, afraid that they would get cold from the wind.
"Uncle, stop making noise, Zhaodi wants to go home."
"Zhao Di wants to save her father."
The little girl's eyes were frighteningly determined.
She turned around, braving the wind and snow, and began to climb back.
They came seeking hope, and they returned to their deaths.
The wind picked up, and the snow fell deeper.
But Zhao Di felt that she had regained her strength.
Because there was a warm bun in her arms, that bun was like a small stove, warming her heart.
The system watched the tiny figure struggling to move in the snow.
Watching her slip and fall again and again, and then get up again and again, protecting what she was holding in her arms.
The arrogant core AI code suddenly showed a strange fluctuation.
This kind of fluctuation seems to be referred to as "emotion" by humans in its database.
What a stubborn little fool.
The system's voice suddenly lowered, becoming less aggressive.
[Warning: Host's stamina is about to run out.]
[Emergency backup power mode activated.]
[Taking over the host's leg muscles...]
Zhao Di suddenly felt her legs were not so heavy anymore, as if there were a pair of invisible hands pushing her from behind.
"Uncle Fairy is so kind."
She said it sweetly to herself.
The system snorted but did not refute.
...
Inside the Lin family's cave dwelling.
Da Bao was still kneeling by the kang (a heated brick bed), his voice hoarse from crying.
"Dad... wake up..."
Lin Jianguo remained motionless, with only a very slight rise and fall in his chest.
The wick of that kerosene lamp had burned down to the bottom, and the flame was only the size of a bean, threatening to go out at any moment.
Just when Da Bao was so desperate he was about to faint.
The old wooden door was suddenly pushed open a crack from the outside.
The wind and snow howled in, making the kerosene lamp flicker.
"elder brother……"
A faint sound, like a cat's meow, came from the distance.
Da Bao suddenly turned around.
Through the crack in the door, first a small, bluish-purple hand peeked in, then a small head covered in snow.
Zhao Di tumbled and crawled over the threshold like a little snowman.
"Zhao Di?!"
Da Bao cried out in surprise and rushed over to pick up his younger sister.
"Where did you go? It's snowing so hard outside, you almost scared me to death!"
Zhao Di's face was completely pale from the cold, and her lips were trembling.
But her eyes were surprisingly bright.
She reached into her bosom like she was presenting a treasure, rummaging around with great effort.
"Brother...look..."
"It was given to me by the fairy uncle..."
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