Chapter 11

Moreover, An JingZhi realized sensitively that he had never heard his daughter call him "Dad" until now, while that brat, his fourth brother, didn't hesitate to respond.

As they were about to leave, An ZhiXia's heart was pounding, feeling like she had forgotten something.

But try as she might, she couldn't remember.

She impatiently tapped her little head. It had been too long, and she had truly forgotten many things.

An ZhiAng quickly asked her, "What's wrong? Do you have a headache?"

According to Grandma, on the day when An ZhiXia found her, she was all bruised and even rolled down the mountain.

An JingZhi also looked at An ZhiXia with concern, and she replied, "It's nothing. I just feel like I forgot something, but I can't recall it."

Finally, An JingZhi found an opportunity to interrupt, saying, "If you can't remember, don't dwell on it. When we get home, if there's anything you need, Mom and Dad will get it for you."

"Okay," An ZhiXia nodded.

Zhou Granny tied the two fish and the two chickens and ducks they caught from the Gao family to the carriage shaft. An ZhiXia was closer to An JingZhi, and just as she was about to get on the carriage, An ZhiAng said, "ZhiXia, ride in Fourth Brother's car. He'll take you."

An ZhiXia happily went over, while An JingZhi's face darkened, displeased as he looked at An ZhiAng.

But no matter what, he couldn't bring himself to make a fuss and snatch someone like An ZhiAng did.

"ZhiXia, hold on tight. Let's go..." An ZhiAng kicked the car wheel hard, and the wheels started spinning fast. An JingZhi quickly bid farewell to the Zhou family and caught up.

An ZhiAng, being young and strong, rode the carriage quickly. The cool breeze blew on their faces, and An ZhiXia was so scared that she could only hold onto his clothes tightly, but she also felt thrilled and happy.

It was a feeling she could never experience before, no matter how fast she flew. Back then, she had no sense of touch and couldn't come into contact with things.

An JingZhi originally wanted to shout at them to slow down, but when he heard An ZhiXia's laughter like silver bells, he kept quiet.

Forget it, as long as the child is happy, let this brat be unruly for once. He didn't care anymore.

An ZhiXia suddenly regained her clarity of mind, "Fourth Brother, I remembered what I forgot."

"What is it?"

"I still owe ZhiZhi a piece of clothing. My clothes got torn when I rolled down the mountain, so I borrowed ZhiZhi's clothes to wear." She didn't have any clothes of her own; she was wearing patched and worn-out ones. She mended them herself as best she could.

No wonder that day, the man had a look of disbelief when he saw her.

An ZhiXia often thought of that man and felt quite sorry for him. Although his complexion was dark, under the moonlight, his features and face shape were quite good.

And his chest was covered in blood, clearly injured.

It was just her bad luck to encounter him in that state and be taken advantage of.

When An ZhiXia rolled down the slope that day, she woke up when it was already bright outside. In her haste to return, she didn't check if he had been rescued or if he was still alive.

She hoped he would be safe and sound and not blame her for not controlling herself and sleeping with him.

"Just a piece of clothing, I'll have Mom make her a new one when we get back." An ZhiAng glanced back, finding it hard to imagine the state his sister must have been in when she was chased down the mountain and woke up with the determination to find her way back. How desperate she must have felt.

If only he had come to pick her up and bring her home instead of waiting to investigate some damn truth.

Is there any truth better than blood connection?

She was his own sister, the sister he had spent eight months with in their mother's womb. The moment he laid eyes on her, he felt a sense of closeness that was completely different from his feelings towards An MeiYun.

Even though they both had the same expression of grievance, he could only feel impatience towards An MeiYun, while with his sister, it was genuine concern. He wished he could do everything to make her happy. Of course, there were differences too. An MeiYun's grievances were mostly fake, but his sister had truly suffered for so many years.

"ZhiXia, when we get home, Fourth Brother will take you to buy new clothes, lots and lots of them..." An ZhiAng said these words without realizing that he himself was still relying on the family for support.

"Okay."

ZhiXia's consciousness was brought back by him, and she smiled gently, her lips curling up.

If possible, she wanted to see that man just once, not because she had any other thoughts, but because she wanted to make sure he was safe. He was already seriously injured, and she didn't want him to lose his life because of her.

"Thank you, Fourth Brother, you're really kind." She had said this many times today, but besides these words, she truly didn't know how to express her current feelings.

"ZhiXia, don't be so polite with Fourth Brother. You should know that you are my sister, the treasure of our family. It was our carelessness that caused us to lose you before, but now that we've found you, we should cherish you like a precious gem. Just enjoy the love we have for you."

If someone else said these words, she might still hesitate, but towards An ZhiAng, it might be the bond of blood from being twins, or perhaps it was the deep memories from their past lives. In any case, she felt that she could trust him.

They rode their bikes to the town first, then they had to transfer and take a bus for over an hour to reach the city. Of course, they could also ride their bikes the whole way, but they would probably arrive home when it was already dark.

In the afternoon, there weren't many people entering the city, so they easily pushed their bikes onto the bus, without the morning's crowded scene.

The three of them, An JingZhi gave the ticket collector three cents for the fare, then came over and sat next to An ZhiXia, while An ZhiAng sat on her other side.

"ZhiXia, since we have some time now, let Dad tell you about our family's situation, okay?"

An JingZhi's words brought An ZhiXia's attention back, and she nodded. "Okay, I've heard a bit from ZhiZhi Sister these past few days, but not too much."

"Our family consists of me, your mother, and your four older brothers. Your grandparents are in good health, although your grandfather prefers a quiet life and doesn't live with us. Your eldest brother is married, but he's in the military, so he can only come home a couple of times a year. His wife's name is Liu Ling, and she works at the same school as your father. You also have a little nephew named Wen Qing, who is only two years old. As for your second brother, he is also a teacher at a school, and your third brother started working at a hospital last year. I won't mention the fourth brother for now since he just graduated and is still waiting for job placement. That's about it..."

Upon hearing this, An ZhiAng became unwilling and said, "If you're introducing, why do you have to belittle me like that?"

An JingZhi gave him a sidelong glance but didn't explain.

Despite being a young guy, An ZhiAng surprisingly gets motion sickness, so he sat obediently in his seat, closed his eyes, and tried to relieve himself, refraining from moving around.

When they arrived at the station and stepped off the train, taking in the fresh air, An ZhiAng finally felt as if he had come alive again.