Chapter 226 High Fever
Zhang Chunxue quickly hugged Zhong Xiaoxiao and gently comforted her, "Xiaoxiao, don't cry... life and death are predestined..."
Her eyes flickered: "Besides, your third brother wasn't a good person to begin with..."
Zhong Xiaoxiao buried her head in Zhang Chunxue's arms, still sobbing, "But...but he is, after all, my third brother..."
Zhang Chunxue gently patted her back, her tone somewhat complicated: "I know you're a sentimental child... but your three brothers are just like that, so don't be too sad."
She knew that what hurt Zhong Xiaoxiao the most was that Zhong Chengyi had been killed by Zhong Chengren.
This was the biggest blow to Zhong Xiaoxiao.
Zhang Chunxue comforted her for a few more minutes before pulling her into the kitchen.
Zhou Mingli was preparing dinner in the kitchen when she saw Zhong Xiaoxiao come in with red eyes. She knew that Zhong Xiaoxiao already knew about Zhong Chengyi's situation, and she couldn't help but sigh.
"Xiaoxiao, don't be sad," Zhou Mingli comforted softly. "What happened to your third brother is indeed sad, but you know he's always gone too far... This can be considered... belated retribution!"
Upon hearing this, Zhong Xiaoxiao couldn't stop her tears.
She asked, her voice choked with sobs, "Then...how is my second brother now?"
“I don’t know where you’ve run off to,” Zhang Chunxue said seriously. “That’s why I said that from now on, your dad and I will pick you up from school every week.”
She patted her head again: "You still call me Second Brother?"
Zhong Xiaoxiao opened her mouth, but finally stomped her foot in anger: "Zhong Chengren! How could he do such a thing!"
She hugged Zhang Chunxue again, her voice filled with relief at surviving the ordeal: "Thank goodness you're alright, Mom..."
At this point, she was somewhat grateful to Zhong Chengyi.
If it weren't for Zhong Chengyi... she couldn't even imagine what would have happened to her parents!
Even if Zhong Chengren wouldn't lay a knife on Zhang Chunxue... what about Song Xingzhi?
Thinking of this, Zhong Xiaoxiao hugged Zhang Chunxue even tighter.
Zhong Chengren is now hiding in a dilapidated, deserted cave dwelling.
The cave dwellings have long been abandoned; they were a product of the Great Leap Forward's steel production campaign and are now overgrown with weeds.
Zhong Chengren lay on a pile of ashes, his consciousness fading from the burning.
He only realized he had been slashed in the back after he fled in panic that night.
But Zhong Chengren dared not go to the hospital.
He's not stupid; of course he knows Zhang Chunxue and the others will definitely report to the police and tell them everything. So, as long as the police go to these hospitals and keep watch, they'll catch them red-handed every time.
Therefore, Zhong Chengren could only rely on the little knowledge of herbal medicine he had learned from a few cronies to find some hemostatic herbs, crush them with a stone, and apply them to his back.
The wound on his back was quite deep, and the herbs were completely ineffective; the wound had already begun to fester and was emitting a foul odor.
Zhong Chengren also began to have a high fever as a result.
Most importantly, he only realized what he had done while applying the herbal medicine.
He stabbed his own brother.
Zhong Chengren and Zhong Chengyi's relationship wasn't exactly the best, but they were still like brothers, inseparable even if their legs were broken.
He was really panicked at that moment and just wanted to run away as quickly as possible, but he didn't expect Zhong Chengyi to stop him...
It was Zhong Chengyi's fault; he shouldn't have stopped him...
Zhong Chengren was wondering what Zhong Chengyi would do.
Will he die?
The thought involuntarily popped into Zhong Chengren's mind.
Probably not... After all, he only stabbed me twice casually...
However, after carefully recalling the events, Zhong Chengren confirmed that he had stabbed Zhong Chengyi in the heart.
Anyone with a brain injury knows that if your heart is stabbed, you're definitely not going to survive.
The thought of killing his own younger brother caused Zhong Chengren's body to tremble uncontrollably.
However, despite his trembling body and panicked mind, he was unable to stop the wound from becoming infected.
The next afternoon, Zhong Chengren caught a fever, which lasted for three days.
Zhong Chengren's consciousness fluctuated between clarity and confusion.
In his hazy state, he dreamt that he was still a child, and Zhong Chengyi was beside him, calling him "brother" with a grin.
He discovered that he was still the second son his mother loved, being led by Zhang Chunxue to work outside every day.
He saw himself sitting on the doorstep of his house, his older brother and younger brother playing around, his mother holding his younger sister and talking to his father.
That was the happiest time of his life...
However, when he regained consciousness and opened his eyes, he saw a cave dwelling covered in moss, knee-high weeds on the ground, and a square patch of sky above his head...
His consciousness quickly drifted back into a daze.
He dreamed of Zhong Chengyi again, Zhong Chengyi, whose face and body were covered in blood, standing in front of him like a vengeful ghost.
"Second brother..." his voice was filled with anguish, "I am your own brother! How could you kill your own brother!"
You will be sent to the eighteenth level of hell!
"You're a beast! A beast!"
Zhong Chengren felt as if he had been thrown into a boiling oil hell, where the hot oil was slowly frying his flesh. He wanted to scream, but found that he couldn't even make a sound.
He tried to climb out, but the little devil next to him used a fork to shove him back in.
The next second, he felt as if he had entered a frozen hell.
The endless, bitter cold made him shiver. Every step he took felt like walking on ice, and when he stepped barefoot, ice shards pierced his flesh.
Zhong Chengren looked down and saw an endless expanse of blood-red ice beneath his feet, each step leaving bloody footprints on the ice.
In the distance, Zhong Chengyi stood quietly in the center of the frozen lake, his face expressionless.
Zhong Chengren tried to walk over, but the ice surface kept extending as he got closer, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shorten the distance between them.
Zhong Chengyi finally spoke, his voice icy and chilling, "Brother, why did you kill me?"
Zhong Chengren opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He wanted to explain, to apologize, but the words seemed frozen in his throat.
Zhong Chengyi's face seemed to gradually melt, turning into drops of bloody tears flowing from his eyes. His figure also cracked inch by inch, finally transforming into a hideous demon, roaring at him: "You deserve to die!"
Zhong Chengren suddenly woke up with a start.
This is the third day already.
He touched his forehead; it was still burning hot.
With no one to care for him, no food, and no water, he has been relying on picking a few blades of grass to stave off hunger whenever he is lucid these past few days.
The morning dew on the wild grass provided a meager amount of moisture.
But his lips were still cracked, and he looked emaciated.
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