Half an hour later, Li Xiaotong put down her knife and fork. For the past three days, she had only been eating a little fruit each day. Today, she was finally able to have a full meal. At this moment, Li Xiaotong had developed a strange dependence on Li Jia. Although she herself could hardly believe it, thinking about the sense of security she felt from Li Jia's strong back just now, Li Xiaotong's gaze towards Li Jia became increasingly complicated.
"Don't worry, I've already told your sister and the others. They know you're with me and they'll be going back soon," Li Jia said with a slight smile, looking at Li Xiaotong in front of her.
"How...did you find that place? Are Sister Xiaoqing and Xiaoyan alright?" Li Xiaotong asked cautiously, looking at Li Jia's smile.
"Don't worry, it's nothing. Can you tell Brother Li about Wang Xiaodong? Don't worry, Brother Li has already taught that kid a lesson, and I believe he won't show his face in front of you again." Seeing the uncertain look on Li Xiaotong's face, Li Jia simply told her about dealing with Wang Xiaodong.
"That bastard! If I ever get the chance, I'll definitely teach him a lesson!" Upon hearing Wang Xiaodong's name, Li Xiaotong gritted her teeth. It seemed that Li Xiaotong truly loathed Wang Xiaodong.
"Let's go, let's chat in the car for a while." Li Jia got up to pay the bill, then pulled Li Xiaotong out of the Western restaurant. She chose the Western restaurant because it was quiet and had a good atmosphere, but she left because she wanted to give Li Xiaotong a space where he could feel truly safe.
When people feel insecure, they tend to choose small spaces to hide in, because the smaller the space, the safer it feels. It's a strange psychology. Li Jia's Passat is undoubtedly a relatively small space.
Li Xiaotong, sitting in the car, did not feel safe because of the small space, but because she was sitting next to Li Jia. Of course, Li Jia was unaware of this.
"You must have had a tough time these past few days?" Li Jia took a bottle of mineral water from next to the car seat and handed it to Li Xiaotong, her tone full of concern.
"It's alright, it's nothing to me. As long as my sister and Xiaoyan are okay, everything is OK!" Li Xiaotong's words, though seemingly strong, revealed a strong desire to protect her family. This is similar to Li Jia's personality; both of them chose the most appropriate way to protect their families.
"Are Xiaoqing and Xiaoyan really that important to you?" Li Jia wanted to know what Li Xiaotong thought of her, so she started asking some seemingly pointless questions.
"Of course! I swore an oath the day my eldest brother left! I will protect my sisters and younger brother for him until the day he returns. So no matter what happens to me, I will never let anyone hurt them."
"The day before yesterday, when I left the school gate, I saw those Wang Xiaodong's buddies. I knew they were coming to get revenge on me. To prevent them from finding me, I hid in the school and didn't contact anyone until you and Uncle Cao found me just now." Li Xiaotong's words made Li Jia a little suspicious, because she said she was protecting her older sister, younger sister, and younger brother, but Li Jia didn't remember having another younger sister. After thinking about it for a moment, Li Jia thought Li Xiaotong might have misspoke and didn't think much of it.
"When did your older brother leave?" Li Jia asked casually after hearing Li Xiaotong's words. "I remember it very clearly. It was when I was eight years old. My older brother left home alone to find our father who had been missing for two months, and he never came back."
"Do you hate your older brother?" This was what Li Jia wanted to know most. After asking, she stared at Li Xiaotong's forlorn face, waiting for the answer. "Hate? What good would it do? Four years after my older brother left, one day my sister said she received a sum of money. From then on, we received a sum of money every month, more or less, but enough to support us. I think this must be money sent by my older brother, because that account was opened by him using my mother's ID card before he left. The original purpose was to save money so that we could go to school. So, apart from us, even my mother didn't know the specific account number. She only knew that we had an account for saving money."
So, I can't say whether I hate my older brother or not. I only know that without him, we might have starved to death long ago.” Li Xiaotong’s words completely put Li Jia’s mind at ease. After all, they share the same blood, and kinship is stronger than water and blood. What younger sister would truly hate her own brother?
“You’re right. No matter what, we’re still family. Let’s go home and rest!” Li Jia stopped asking questions, reached out and patted Li Xiaotong’s head, then started the car.
Li Xiaotong's eyes suddenly became dazed as she watched Li Jia's extremely natural movements. This movement looked so familiar, and images hidden deep in her heart appeared before her eyes like a movie.
A twelve or thirteen-year-old boy, with a round face and an innocent smile, held a candied hawthorn in his hand. He happily ran home and handed the candied hawthorn to a girl with two little braids. Watching the little girl happily eat the candied hawthorn, the little boy reached out and patted the little girl's head, and then the two of them laughed together...
"We're home! Let's go, Brother Li will take you upstairs." Li Jia's words woke Li Xiaotong from her reverie. She looked up at the car window and saw that the car had stopped in front of Building 19 of Tianxiang Garden. "Oh! Okay!" Li Xiaotong said wearily as she got out of the car and followed Li Jia up to the sixth floor.
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