"My name is Si Qingli. I am 13 years old and the youngest in my family. I rarely go out, so very few people around me know me."
So every day I would sneak out, and since I had previously hidden some food at home, those people never found it.
"So you've lived here for several years. How did you survive the winter?"
Si Qingli pointed to the room, and after Song Yining went in, she discovered that it was a hidden world inside.
This room and the house next door are connected underground.
It must have been made in recent years, and it seems to have been made by the boy himself.
The two arrived at the Si family's courtyard, where vegetables and grains were planted everywhere.
“Our place here is about the same size as that place, but very few people come here. I still mostly live there.”
I planted all the flowers inside as crops, which is basically enough for me to eat.
There's a conch shell in this house that I had when I was a child. When the wind blows, it makes a very unpleasant sound.
However, for those with troubled minds, hearing the sound of a conch shell blowing into the courtyard at night would frighten them.
They would also hide in the back and make some noise, so that gradually no one would dare to come over.
Gradually, rumors started circulating that something sinister was involved, which put my mind at ease. I also knew that my uncle and cousin were involved in this scheme.
Fortunately, my uncle works at the grain bureau, so we don't have to worry about seeds.
I've been learning to grow my own grains and vegetables here for the past few years.
Occasionally, I'd go to the junkyard to scavenge for scraps, finding things people didn't want. Life went on like this, slowly but surely.
Song Yining was also in the yard looking at the wheat that was growing well. It was only early spring, and it looked pretty good.
Song Yining then believed that this child was indeed a clever fellow; no one would have guessed that grain was growing in the yard.
Fortunately, the courtyards here are quite large, and there are basically no people living around.
This explains why Si Qingli has been living here safely all these years. The two of them strolled around the courtyard for a while.
Look how well Si Qingli has managed these grains over the years; this young man is very capable.
The two looked around the yard and saw that it was doing quite well, thanks to the young man's care over the years.
Song Yining was also pondering over this kid, watching him as he seemed to be deep in thought.
"You should have learned to read, right?"
"I have studied it. I have been a very studious person since I was a child. I rarely go out. My family has a large collection of books, and I have read almost all of them."
What's left now are mostly rare and unique copies, which I've kept in the basement.
Fortunately, it was my own stubbornness that led me to do this, which saved part of the book collection.
Many of them were burned by those people and left everywhere. When I came back, I also cleaned up some of them.
"Have you heard anything from your family? Or do you still have any relatives here?"
"Yes, it's my cousin's family. They used to be quite distant from our family, but they occasionally come over to take care of me these days."
The clothes I'm wearing were all arranged by my aunt, and my cousin was raised by my mother when he was a child.
After the incident at home, he found me and wanted to take me home, but I knew that my uncle's house wasn't very comfortable either, so I refused.
They would occasionally bring me food; I've loved collecting odd and unusual things since I was little.
I kept all my pocket money in the cellar, and those people didn't find it at first, which is how I managed to keep some of my things.
I still have many donation slips for the country, which I asked my grandfather for when I was curious.
He said he would take her to see his collection, but Song Yining didn't go.
"Alright, I won't go look at your things. As for the house you're currently living in, you can stay there for now."
I'll go back and say hello to them later, so when they see you, they'll be surprised too.
Do you still have any food or anything? If you need me to help you get it, just say so.
Once this place is renovated, I'll move in. If you need anything, just let me know.
Also, please keep all donation receipts; they may be useful later. Do you understand?
"Thank you, sister. I don't mind that I dug the tunnel. I can stay in your room."
"Okay, I'll go and find out where your family is now."
Recently, some people have been gradually returning to the city. Let's see if there's any hope for your family.
"Thank you, sister, you're so kind."
"It's alright, I feel much more at ease knowing you're watching the house for me now."
Song Yining smiled and patted the boy's head, and the two of them arrived at Ningyuan Garden.
After telling the person in charge, Song Yining left.
That evening at the Mo family's house, the matter of the Si family came up again. "Today I found a 13-year-old boy at Ningyuan. He only stays with me."
I heard that he was a child from the Si family. He was lucky to escape being caught that day.
That was quite clever; it used the conch shell and the wind to produce a series of unsettling sounds.
Gradually, rumors began to circulate that the courtyard was haunted, which was also the kid's idea.
Fortunately, he had his uncle secretly taking care of him, and over the years he has cultivated the land at home and lived a self-sufficient life.
That kid, who was also under ten years old, was secretly in the yard, trying to fend off people with bad intentions.
I feel like none of us could do that. I think that kid will be an extraordinary person when he grows up.
"I've heard of the Si family. They were once red capitalists, but those people still didn't let them go."
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