Chapter 61: The Naive and Sweet Second Brother
After leaving the scene near the chicken nest, Ning Xiyue pointed to the scar on her forehead and looked seriously at Ning Qingyuan.
“Brother, do you see this scar? Do you know how it happened? Do you know how much effort Ning Xiaoxiao put into causing it?”
“Yueyue, quickly tell me exactly what happened. How did you get this scar on your forehead? It’s so big — it breaks my heart! And how did that Ning Xiaoxiao bully you? And why did you go to the countryside? Tell me everything, your brother will avenge you.”
Ning Qingyuan swung his sickle angrily, his face full of both distress and anxiety as he looked at her.
He had already noticed the scar on his little sister’s forehead — clearly a fresh wound, with the scab not even fully healed yet. The area was huge, and he could only imagine how painful it must have been.
He had cherished his little sister since she was born, never willing to even tap her lightly — and now Ning Xiaoxiao had bullied her like this. And to think he once believed they were on good terms, even sending Ning Xiaoxiao little gifts when mailing things home to his sister.
“Then I’ll start from when I signed up to go to the countryside. Everything that happened afterward is connected. At that time, Ning Xiaoxiao also played a part in persuading me to sign up with Zhang Yuan. She…”
Ning Xiyue told the whole story in vivid detail. She spared nothing — how Ning Xiaoxiao convinced her to go, the series of events that followed — she broke it all down for Ning Qingyuan, piece by piece.
Fearing that some of Ning Xiaoxiao’s “white lotus” words might confuse him, she even explained the hidden meanings behind each phrase and taught him how to recognize manipulative “white lotus” and “green tea” girls disguised as innocent flowers.
The more Ning Qingyuan listened, the angrier he became. His hands trembled as he gripped the sickle, furious enough to want to fight Ning Xiaoxiao and Zhang Yuan right then and there to avenge his sister.
When he heard that she had sent the scumbag off to the Northwest and even jabbed Ning Xiaoxiao with a needle, he jumped up and clapped his hands in delight.
He even turned around and earnestly advised her not to hold back in the future.
“Yueyue, you must be more careful from now on. Never believe a single word that Ning Xiaoxiao says. Don’t bother arguing with her — just hit her. She’s rotten to the core. Once I get some time off, I’ll go teach her a lesson for you.”
“Second Brother, I’ve already seen through her. My head’s clear now, and she can’t bully me anymore. I’m worried about you. Don’t let your head get muddled again now that mine’s straightened out. Don’t drop the ball — if she comes to find you, don’t see her. I don’t want to see you get killed by her.”
Ning Xiyue was genuinely worried her naive, sweet-tempered brother might get fooled again. If that happened, she really wouldn’t be able to save him. A part of her even felt a lingering dread.
They say the life-and-death tribulations a person faces aren’t easy to overcome.
And honestly, it seemed like all the brains for judging character in their family had gone to their eldest brother. He had seen through Ning Xiaoxiao’s fake act since they were kids. She remembered how their older brother had always ignored Ning Xiaoxiao and had even once warned them not to play with her too much.
Unfortunately, the younger siblings were both naïve and sweet — they never listened, or perhaps they never understood what he meant.
Luckily, Ning Qingyuan was a total sister-obsessed brother — whatever his little sister said was the truth to him.
“Sis, don’t worry. Anyone who hurts you is my enemy — no exceptions. If she dares come looking for me, I’ll hit her… and then I’ll set my buddy on her.”
Ning Qingyuan made a vicious pouncing motion.
“Your buddy is… a dog?”
Ning Xiyue stared at him with a complicated expression. She refused to acknowledge having a “dog brother.”
“Hehe, yeah, a half-grown little gray dog I rescued on the mountain. I’ll show you later — he’s really well-behaved.” Ning Qingyuan shook his head proudly.
“Alright.”
Ning Xiyue nodded. Raising a dog wasn’t a bad idea — give it a meal and it would be loyal for life, especially the Chinese rural breeds.
Soon, the two of them found the team leader patrolling the mountain and explained their situation to request a half-day leave. The team leader glanced at Ning Xiyue and, without any fuss, approved it.
“Let’s go, Yueyue, I’ll take you to see Little Gray.”
Ning Qingyuan happily took Ning Xiyue toward the educated youth dormitory.
On the way, they ran into several people who greeted Ning Qingyuan — some were from the team, others were fellow educated youths.
“Second Brother, looks like you’re quite popular here. Everyone’s greeting you.”
Ning Xiyue smiled. She hadn’t expected her brother to be so well-liked in this team.
Well, it made sense. Ning Qingyuan was 1.85 meters tall but had a baby face and fair skin — a handsome “pretty boy.” He often wore a smile, giving off a friendly vibe. His personality was great — generous, helpful, and easy-going — the very definition of a naive sweetheart.
With a personality like that, it was impossible not to like him.
“Of course. Your brother is welcome wherever he goes.” Ning Qingyuan said proudly, then added, “Though honestly, it’s because they’re all really kind and take care of me.”
Seeing such a lively and cheerful version of him made Ning Xiyue all the more unwilling to picture him lying lifeless on the ground. The thought was unbearable. If their parents ever found out, they would cry themselves to death.
Even if only for the sake of her loving parents, who always thought of her first, she had to save Ning Qingyuan.
“Second Brother, from now on you have to learn to be more selfish. Don’t help everyone and don’t believe everything people say. I’m a living example of what happens when you do.”
Ning Qingyuan gently patted her head, his expression soft.
“Alright, I’ll listen to you. From now on, I’ll send all the good things to you. As long as my little sister is happy, I’m happy. Don’t sigh or frown — I want you to smile.”
Ning Xiyue raised an eyebrow and nodded. Fair enough — better to give everything to her than waste it on outsiders. At least she knew how to distinguish right from wrong and repay kindness. If he gave things to her, he wouldn’t lose out.
“We’re here. This is our educated youth dormitory.” Ning Qingyuan said, pushing the door open and shouting, “Little Gray—!”
At the sound of his call, a half-grown gray puppy suddenly darted out from somewhere, bouncing happily around Ning Qingyuan.
Ding! [Sign-in location detected: Wolf King Pup. Sign in?]
Ning Xiyue: “…”
Did her brother seriously call this a puppy?
Completely unaware of her speechlessness, Ning Qingyuan eagerly introduced, “Sis, this is Little Gray. He’s super smart and can understand what I say.”
After speaking, he crouched down and gently patted Little Gray’s head — just like how he had patted hers earlier.
“Little Gray, this is my dearest little sister. Don’t bite her, okay?”
Little Gray howled once, then trotted over to Ning Xiyue, wagging its tail and placing its front paws on her leg.
“…”
Knowing the truth, Ning Xiyue’s leg trembled slightly. Could she refuse this? This was a wolf!
But her brother was watching her with a big smile, and the pup’s watery eyes were fixed on her too. She couldn’t bring herself to move her leg away.
Instead, she spoke in a calm, even tone: “Brother… do you know that Little Gray is a wolf?”
“Ah—” Ning Qingyuan stared blankly at her.
Ning Xiyue’s lips curved upward, her mood brightening. She crouched down and carefully stroked the soft fur on Little Gray’s head.
“Sign in.”
