Liu Ruoling's eyes widened in disbelief. She said, "Then tell me, what happened to you? I'll keep watch then."
Li Ling gently shook her head and replied calmly, "Nothing's wrong. Are you going to sleep or not?"
Liu Ruoling stamped her foot anxiously and said urgently, "I have a feeling that something's wrong with you, but you won't tell me. How am I supposed to sleep?"
Li Ling frowned slightly, her tone becoming somewhat impatient, "Then you can keep watch, I'm going to sleep." After saying that, she turned and left, her steps firm and resolute, without the slightest hesitation or delay.
Liu Ruoling stared in astonishment, her mouth agape, her heart filled with doubt and confusion as she watched Li Ling's departing figure.
Liu Ruoling stood there, her eyes filled with confusion and helplessness. Her gaze lingered on the two people lying on the kang (a heated brick bed), a strong curiosity and longing welling up inside her. She really wanted to know what had happened. So, she cautiously stepped forward, approached Li Ling, and whispered in her ear, "Sister Li Ling, please tell me. Please, tell me." As she spoke, she gently nudged Li Ling, trying to get her attention.
However, Li Ling seemed unmoved by her request, even somewhat annoyed. She pulled the blanket over her head, told Liu Ruoling that she would not reveal any information, and urged Liu Ruoling to leave quickly so as not to disturb her sleep.
Despite Liu Ruoling's persistent pleas, she ultimately couldn't get an answer from Li Ling. She sighed helplessly, realizing she couldn't force the issue. So, she turned and left, taking on the responsibility of keeping watch alone, as Li Ling had requested. She slowly walked to the campfire, sat down, and quietly gazed at the flickering flames, her thoughts drifting away.
Liu Ruoling fell into deep thought, pondering what had happened between them. Why wouldn't they tell her? Was it none of her business? But in this wilderness, everyone depended on each other for survival, their relationship as close as family; logically, they shouldn't be keeping any secrets from her! She felt confused and lost, as if she had been excluded from a certain circle.
Thinking of this, Liu Ruoling recalled that a few days ago, her sister and Wang Lun seemed to have something going on. But it seemed that all three of them knew, while she was the only one who didn't.
Thinking about this, Liu Ruoling suddenly felt like she was being ostracized; everyone else knew, but she didn't. When she asked, they wouldn't say. The more she thought about it, the more wronged she felt, so she leaned against the table and started crying… Waaah…
In the morning, Liu Ruoxi woke up to find the fire in the hearth had gone out. Liu Ruoling, who was slumped over the table, assumed her younger sister was being lazy, so she got up to give her a lecture.
When Liu Ruoxi walked up to Liu Ruoling, she called for her to get up. But when she saw Liu Ruoling, all the reproachful words she spoke turned into words of comfort and confusion.
Because when Liu Ruoling looked up, Liu Ruoxi saw her younger sister, her eyes red and swollen, her cheeks streaked with tears. Her eyes looked at Liu Ruoxi with a wronged expression.
"What's wrong? Did someone bully you?" Liu Ruoxi asked with concern.
"No...no...I'm just a little tired..." Liu Ruoling sobbed.
"Impossible! Did Wang Lun upset you? Tell me, and I'll teach him a lesson!" Liu Ruoxi said angrily.
"No...it really isn't..." Liu Ruoling continued to cry.
"What happened? Why are you crying so sadly? Tell me quickly!" Liu Ruoxi asked anxiously.
But Liu Ruoling just kept crying and didn't say anything more.
Seeing her younger sister like this, Liu Ruoxi felt heartbroken, her eyes reddening and tears welling up. She hugged Liu Ruoling tightly and asked softly, "Ruoling, what's wrong? Tell your sister quickly, don't scare her!" As she spoke, Liu Ruoxi's tears also slid down her cheeks.
Seeing her sister's tears, Liu Ruoling felt her own grievances intensify, and her emotions surged. Her eyes turned red, and though she wanted to cry, she found she had already shed all her tears, unable to shed another. Yet, her sobs grew louder, as if she were trying to release all her pain and grievances. Her heart-wrenching cries were painful to hear, making it clear that this girl must have suffered immense injustice.
Liu Ruoling's cries woke Li Ling and Wang Lun, who quickly got up from the kang (a heated brick bed) and rushed over to ask what had happened. However, Liu Ruoxi and Liu Ruoling were tightly embracing each other, immersed in their grief, and had no time to pay attention to anyone else. They just continued to weep, completely ignoring Li Ling and Wang Lun.
Seeing this, Li Ling mistakenly thought that Wang Lun had bullied them again, causing the two sisters to hug each other and cry. She angrily turned to Wang Lun and yelled, "You scumbag, what terrible things have you done?"
In fact, Li Ling's criticism stemmed from deep love and concern. She was worried that Wang Lun might do something wrong, which is why she was so agitated in her reprimand.
However, Wang Lun felt extremely confused and wronged. He had no idea what had happened; he had simply been sleeping, so why was he being accused of something so unjustly as soon as he woke up? He hurriedly protested, "I really didn't do anything! I was sleeping the whole time!"
Hearing Wang Lun's explanation, Li Ling's anger flared even more fiercely. She was convinced that Wang Lun must have bullied the other woman. So, she continued her furious tirade: "Hmph! Still trying to deny it? A leopard can't change its spots, can it? You just bullied Liu Ruoxi, and now you're bullying Liu Ruoling. Why don't you come at me? Are you only brave enough to bully those two sisters?" As she spoke, Li Ling's eyes were filled with disgust, and she even spat at Wang Lun.
Although Wang Lun disliked being insulted, he suppressed his dissatisfaction and explained again, "I really didn't! I've been sleeping the whole time! If you don't believe me, you can go ask Liu Ruoling what happened." At the same time, he tried to push the two sisters away, wanting to find out the situation.
Seeing Wang Lun standing right in front of her, brazenly touching the two of them, Li Ling wondered if he was trying to threaten them or take advantage of them. Enraged, she yanked Wang Lun away, yelling, "You incorrigible bastard! I'm going to castrate you today!" With that, she strode to the shelf, grabbed a woodcutter's knife, and charged menacingly towards Wang Lun.
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