Chapter 31 - I'll Protect You!

<<Flashback to a few years ago>>

"Xiaoyi, hurry up!"

Li Chunhua smiled cheerfully as she ran with a windmill toy in her hand. Her pink dress fluttered around her small legs, and she was wearing her new white shoes. The sunlight reflected on the girl's black hair, making them look extra shiny and soft. She laughed with a crisp sound, and it sounded like an angel's laughter from afar.

From behind her, Li Caiyi tried to catch up with her, but it was hard to move with a pair of shoes that were one size bigger than her original size. Su Suyin brought them each a pair of matching shoes but forgot that their shoe sizes weren't matching, so Li Caiyi kept staggering in her steps, afraid that her shoes would fall off.

"Wait for me!"

"You're so slow! If you run so slowly, the windmill won't spin fast!"

"Xiaohua, you can't run, or you'll collapse again."

"I'm fine if it's only this much. You worry too much!"

They were currently playing around in the Meng family's spacious backyard. Meng Renshu especially invited them to celebrate his 7th birthday, but the twins sneaked out after getting a windmill toy from a kind uncle.

Li Chunhua was so ecstatic when she got it; she couldn't wait anymore and dragged Li Caiyi with her to test it out in the open space.

Li Caiyi stopped for a moment to adjust her shoes for the nth time that day, but when she raised her head, Li Chunhua was nowhere to be found.

"Xiaohua? Where are you?" Li Caiyi looked around, but there was no trace of her sister anywhere. She remembered how her mother kept reminding her not to let Li Chunhua out of her sight, and now she had lost her.

Thinking about Li Chunhua collapsing and her mother's scolding, Li Caiyi shook in fear and worry. Not caring about her shoes anymore, she ran around while shouting her sister's name.

"Xiaohua! Where are you?! Answer me!"

Minutes passed by, but Li Caiyi still couldn't find Li Chunhua anywhere. The backyard was so huge, with lots of bushes and trees that a little kid could easily get lost in it. Li Caiyi was so frightened she didn't notice that she had run with only her socks on, and now they were as black as charcoal. Her dress was dirty, with smudges of dirt and mud everywhere, and her hair was as messy as a bird's nest.

Li Caiyi was so much in panic earlier she didn't think of finding anyone to help, but now that she wanted to, she couldn't remember the way back.

That was when she heard a rustling sound of leaves. Li Caiyi turned her body to the source of noise with an expectant look. "Xiaohua?"

The rustling sound got louder, and Li Caiyi was about to approach when suddenly a big black dog emerged from behind the bushes. The dog didn't have a collar, meaning that it was ownerless. Its mouth opened wide, dropping strings of drool between its sharp canine as it looked at Li Caiyi menacingly. It walked step by step with a low growl like it was deciding which part of the girl should it bite first.

Li Caiyi was petrified in her place, her face becoming increasingly pale. She didn't dare to make a sudden move or sound and could only take steps back carefully, but doing that only made her cornered against the big tree behind her.

The dog was so big. It was almost the same height as hers. Li Caiyi's eyes got teary, and she subconsciously thought about the face of her family members.

"He-help…"

"BARK!"

Li Caiyi crouched down as she covered her head when the dog jumped towards her with a loud bark. She shut her eyes tightly, preparing for the incoming bite when a loud thud sound followed by the sound of whimper resounding in front of her.

When Li Caiyi opened her eyes, she saw a familiar back standing in front of her. It was the trembling back of a little girl. She wore the same shoes as her, which now had changed color from the mud. The windmill toy in her hand was gone, and she was gripping a long wooden stick tightly in front of her body.

"Stay away from her!" Li Chunhua shouted at the growling dog. She stood between Li Caiyi and the dog, shielding her, and boldly challenged the growling dog.

The young Li Caiyi was so touched and relieved, but at the same time, she feared what would happen to her sister, so she wailed loudly. That was when Li Chunhua scolded her.

"Don't just sit there and cry! Run and get some help!"

"Noo, I can't leave you behind!"

"Stupid! You want both of us to die here?!" Li Chunhua looked back with a glare.

The word 'die' hit Li Caiyi hard. Her head was muddled with trepidation earlier, and she forgot that Li Chunhua's body couldn't handle strenuous activities. She looked up and noticed Li Chunhua's labored breath, and her complexion looked terrible as well. Her stand was wobbly, and she looked like she could collapse any minute. But despite that, she still stubbornly held on and told Li Caiyi to run ahead of her.

When she was taking care of Li Chunhua, even though it was very tiring, she always felt a sense of accomplishment, that her sister depended on her. She needed her. But now, she realized that Li Chunhua was stronger than she thought for the first time. How foolish of her, assuming that Li Chunhua would always stay the same girl who followed her everywhere.

A sense of admiration and jealousy shook her heart to the core. As an older sister, how could she run by herself when Li Chunhua was trying her best?

Li Caiyi grabbed a few small rocks nearby. Then she stood up and pulled Li Chunhua behind her.

"Xiaoyi, don't be reckless!" Li Chunhua shouted behind her, but Li Caiyi was too focused on the dog, which was currently brandishing its teeth using its long, purplish tongue.

"Xiaohua, I will distract its attention, so you return first and call for some help." Li Caiyi's voice was calm, but only she knew how much she wanted to find a hole and hide in it. "You can't fight with your body, and I wouldn't know how to return by myself, so let me be the one to divert its attention. In the meantime, you can go back to the party and call Father and older brother to help me."

"N-no, don't… You can't go." Li Chunhua's voice quivered. Her lips started to show an unhealthy bluish color, and Li Caiyi knew she couldn't waste time arguing anymore.

Li Caiyi pinched her cheek tenderly. "I'm the older sister here, so I'll be the one to protect you! Don't worry, I'll come back soon to your side. So go first, okay?"

Without waiting for her response, Li Caiyi ran to the side as she threw a rock at the dog as strongly as she could, and it flew straight to its head. "Stupid dog! I'm meatier than her, so catch me if you can!"

The dog was barking furiously, and it turned its head in Li Caiyi's direction. Li Caiyi quickly ran to the opposite side of where Li Chunhua stood, and the dog chased her closely behind. She didn't dare to look back for a second at all, so she didn't know what happened to Li Chunhua after that. The only thing she could remember was the barking dog behind her and the terror it brought her.

She would occasionally throw another rock towards it to make sure it kept following her. Li Caiyi ran so hard until her legs gave out.

Then she spotted a little hole in the tree trunk hidden behind the bushes. Li Caiyi didn't have time to think, so she made use of her tiny figure and squeezed inside the hole while covering the hole with bushes.

Li Caiyi could hear the dog running past her hiding spot, and she heaved a sigh of relief. It was cramped inside the hole, so she curled herself into a ball as she waited patiently. She had already bought Li Chunhua some time, so help should be coming soon, right?

That was a terrifying experience, but Li Caiyi felt proud of herself for protecting her sister. She wondered if Li Chunhua had gotten back safely.

Li Caiyi waited for a long time, but no one came to help. It was not until the sky became red that she heard the sound of footsteps.

Li Caiyi perked up and peeked outside, expecting her father or older brother to pick her up, but what she saw was an older man wearing dirty boots and a straw hat.

The older man heard the rustling sound. When he turned around and saw a little girl inside the tree hole, he jumped in surprise.

"Little girl, what are you doing there?"

It wasn't her father or older brother.

Nevertheless, someone finally came for her. Li Caiyi was so relieved that the exhaustion returned like a tidal wave. She stumbled forward and fell into the man's arms.

"Little girl! Are you alright?!"

That was the last thing she remembered before everything turned dark.

When she woke up, she found out that Li Chunhua collapsed as soon as she arrived near the party place, and her mother, father, and older brother had taken her to the hospital. Li Caiyi woke up in a guest room of Meng's family house and was taken care of by the housekeeper until Li Jirong came to fetch her at midnight.

Li Chunhua didn't regain her consciousness for three days.