"It's Little Tree." Xia Hei didn't even need to look up to know that the one shouting was Xia Zhi's younger brother, Xia Shu. He furrowed his brow and asked Xia Zhi, "What did he want you to do? Why didn't he even call out 'sister'? Don't bother with him."

  Tian's family is not at home, Xia Zhi is in charge of his brother and younger brother's meals.

  "I'll go take a look." Xia Zhi got down from the kang.

  Xiao Hei Yu blocked Xia Zhi and said, "Sixteen, you stay here. I'll go take a look and teach him a lesson for you."

  Old Lady Xia hurriedly stopped the little black fish who was eager to jump out.

  "Don't move, always teaching this and that." Old Lady Xia scolded her son, then told him: "Xiao Shu must have come back for lunch at noon. Go call him in, I'll heat up food for him to eat."

  So, I don't have to go back home for dinner on summer solstice anymore.

  Old Lady Xia said and then put on her shoes and went downstairs.

  Xia Zhi knew that Old Lady Xia and Xiao Hei Yu were both kind-hearted. But she didn't plan on accepting.

  She herself didn't have confidence in resisting successfully, so she had to seek help. As long as it was something she could do herself, she didn't want to trouble others.

  Moreover, many things still need to be solved by oneself and cannot always rely on others.

  "I'll go instead. There's already cooked food at home, no need to trouble you. Grandpa, grandma, and uncle, all of you just rest."

  Xia Zhi walked out, and Xiao Hei followed him. He was worried and wanted to follow Xia Zhi to support him.

  A small boy with slightly dark skin stood at the gate, wearing a neat blue suit.

  Xia Shu is nine years old this year and is Xia Zhi's younger brother, but he often bullies Xia Zhi. This is a well-known fact in the Xia family.

  Seeing Xia Zhi, Xia Shu showed impatience. "Xia Zhi..." He glared and was about to scold Xia Zhi when he saw the little black fish swimming out from behind Xia Zhi, and immediately stopped, looking much more honest.

  "It's summer solstice, I want to eat." This time, Xia Shu's voice dropped by an octave, while he also sneaked a peek at the little black fish from under his eyelids.

  "Who are you yelling at? Don't know how to call out 'sister'?" Little Black Fish immediately darted in front of Xia Shu.

  Xia Shu shrank back, retreating two steps to hide outside the gate, but didn't dare run. He hung his head, lowered his eyebrows and eyes, and called out in a servile tone: "Old uncle, I'm calling my second sister to eat."

  The little black fish didn't intend to let him off, but was pulled aside by Xia Zhi.

  "Uncle, I can take care of Little Tree, you go back."

  Xia Shu was spoiled by the Tian family. Although he was her younger brother, he never put Xia Zhi in his eyes and always ordered her around at will.

  In the past, during the summer solstice, I always got bullied by my younger brother. That was because I was a naive little girl and also because of the oppression from the Tian family.

  Xia Xia endured the humiliation, but Xia Zhi would not tolerate being bullied by a little brat. Moreover, she was spoiled by the Tian family and deeply influenced by their patriarchal values, treating her like a servant girl.

  She won't spoil her little brother at all.

  "Are you okay?" Little Black Fish asked worriedly.

  "He can't beat me." With his back to Shatree, Shazhu rolled up his sleeves, revealing thin wrists and arms.

  She is three years older than Xia Shu, and her head is higher than Xia Shu's. Because she has been working hard since childhood, she can now do almost half of the labor in the fields. The little girl looks thin, but she already has a lot of strength.

  Xia Zhi finally managed to persuade Xiao Hei back home. When facing Xia Shu, he smiled meaningfully.

  Seeing Xiao Hei Yu return to the house, Xia Shu let out a sigh of relief. When he looked at Xia Zhi again, he resumed his previous expression of disdain and impatience.

  As for his second sister's smile, Xia Shu was not rare. Xia Zhi always smiled at him with a flattering expression. However, today Xia Zhi's smile seemed somewhat off, making him feel uneasy in his heart.

  Although it was like this, Natsume didn't think much of it.

  The young girl was still afraid of him, after all, without her uncle around to back her up.

  Xia Shu raised his chin and looked at Xia Zhi with his nostrils, waiting for Xia Zhi to come up and talk nicely to him.

  Xia Zhi ignored him and walked straight home. Xia Shu was eager to leave immediately, wondering if Old Uncle was watching him at the door of the main house, so he quickly followed behind Xia Zhi.

  Arriving at his own doorstep, Xia Shu couldn't help but turn around and look back, seeing that Xiao Hei hadn't followed him, only then did he truly feel at ease.

  Into the main room, Xia Shu looked at Xia Zhi with his nostrils again.

  "What are you doing running into the backyard? Wait until mom comes back, I'll tell her." After threatening Xia Zhi like this, she then asked, "Where's my food?"

  "On the stove." Xia Zhi said, turning around and opening the back door.

  Xia Shu had no sense of crisis at all, he was really hungry, and quickly walked to the stove, lifted the lid, and saw half a bowl of millet porridge, with nothing else beside it.

  "Where's my egg? Mother asked you to steam an egg cake for me, didn't she?" Xia Shu angrily asked and scolded Xia Zhi: "You lazy girl, did you forget to steam it for me?"

  Xia Zhi didn't respond, and instead walked forward, closing the front door tightly and securing it with a bolt.

  "Dead girl, I'm asking you, are you deaf?! Have you contracted a craving disease and stolen food?" Xia Shu banged on the pot rack, loudly scolding.

  "It's just food, you can eat it or not." Xia Zhi walked back slowly, her eyes fixed on Xia Shu, intentionally keeping her tone flat and even without any ups and downs.

  Xia Shu felt a chill on his back, instinctively feeling that something was wrong. But he was used to bullying Xia Zhi and didn't believe that Xia Zhi would dare do anything to him, so he puffed out his chest and shouted at Xia Zhi in a loud voice.

  "Die, you little girl! Wait till mom comes back, I'll tell her and she'll beat you to death."

  This is Xia Shu's trump card against Xia Zhi: accusing the Tians of being treacherous.

  As long as he makes this killer move, no matter what requirements he puts forward, Xia Zhi will hastily agree. Otherwise, if Tian Shi hears about it or he really goes to report to Tian Shi, Xia Zhi can't avoid being scolded by Tian Shi.

  The little girl's face was thin and couldn't bear Tian Shi's scolding.

  Xia Zhi was afraid of this younger brother, but that was the past Xia Zhi.

  "Hehe......" Xia Zhi rolled up his sleeves and walked towards Xia Shu with a smile.

  Xia Shu jumped back, and in his eyes, his normally gentle sister had a fierce glint, and he was actually a little scared.

  "I told mom..."

  "That also has to wait until mother comes back." Xia Zhi said with a cold smile.

  Before Xia Shu could make another sound, Xia Zhi had already grabbed him and swiftly pulled down his pants, revealing a butt that was much whiter than the rest of his body.

  One hand pressed down on Xia Shu, and Xia Zhi raised his other hand, bringing it down heavily.

  Xia Shu struggled desperately and let out a loud squeal like a pig waiting to be slaughtered.

  However, he couldn't get away from Xia Zhi. Xia Zhi's palm came down again and again on his smooth little butt.

  Xia Shu first let out a dry howl, and after several slaps on the back of his head, tears began to fall from his eyes with a pattering sound, while he continued to mutter curses in his mouth.

  "You, you wait..." Still not calling her sister, and even threatening Xia Zhi.

  Xia Zhi laughed: "No need to wait. Little tree, believe it or not, before mother comes back, I can chop you up and feed you to the big green."

  Mr. Tokita returned, but couldn't even find a single corpse, and she said that Natsume had gone out to play and hadn't come back, without anyone noticing.

  I don't know why, but Xia Zhi's expression wasn't fierce at all, and her tone was flat, yet Xia Shu believed that she could really do something like this.

  "Waaah!" Xia Shu burst into tears and started begging for mercy: "Sister, I'll never dare again."

  "What else can you do?" Xia Zhi showed no mercy at all.

  "I'm calling you sister, if you don't hurry up I'll call you Xia Zhi instead. I won't tell on you either."

  "What else?"

  "What else?"

  Obviously, the child was influenced by his mother who favored boys over girls and didn't even know where he went wrong in treating his sister.

  "I'm your sister, I cook for you, I wash your clothes, and tolerate you. It's because I care about you, not because I'm your servant."

  "You're my sister, I don't want you to cook for me or wash my clothes. I dare not bully you again." Xia Shu said with a sob.

  "Listen to your sister's words." Xia Zhi said again.

  "Sister, I'll listen to you."

  The slap from Xia Zhi didn't fall again, she let Xia Shu stand up.

  Xia Shu's butt was beaten swollen, standing with a face crying like a flower cat.

  "Go wash your face and have dinner." Xia Zhi instructed.

  Xia Shu obediently went to wash his face, came back and obediently scooped a bowl of rice, didn't want any dishes, held the rice bowl and sat on the bench, then immediately jumped up.

  "What's wrong?" Xia Zhi asked.

  "My butt hurts." Xia Shu replied in a low voice.

  Xia Zhi looked at Xia Shu for a moment, but didn't say anything.

  Xia Shu eats standing up.

  "Sister..."

  "Huh?"

  "Sister, does it still hurt when you move back?"

  Xia Zhi's heart moved slightly.

  She grew up a bit in the orphanage and helped take care of younger children. Many of the children were sent to the orphanage halfway through their childhood, having experienced various misfortunes and thus carrying various psychological scars.

  She knows too well what's on a child's mind.

  A child whose worldview has not yet taken shape, being influenced by a mother who favors boys over girls every day, will naturally become desensitized to his sister's affection and won't treat her as a person worthy of respect, care, and love.

  Xia Shu was nine years old and still knew to ask if it would hurt afterwards and if there was still a chance to save him.

  Xia Zhi immediately made a decision. She wouldn't put down her axe until she had straightened the small tree that was starting to grow crooked.

  New book, seeking recommendations and collections