Chapter 8: The Little Rascal of the Seventies (8)

In the past, although the young uncle of the Qiao family was in charge of Liu Suisui, he was also quite indulgent toward her. As long as she didn't make any fundamental mistakes, everything could be overlooked.

She was used to being pampered by those around her and accustomed to his protection. So even though it was now a different person, with a different identity and appearance, she still subconsciously felt a certain dependence.

The grip of the crayfish claw was a bit too strong; her fingers were delicate, but thankfully it didn’t break the skin.

Yet that pain was deeply etched in her memory.

At the same time, she wondered: when those stones fell, hitting his back, it must have hurt terribly, right?

Li Xiangyang was momentarily taken aback by her pitiful expression, his breath catching, with an urge to hold her close and comfort her.

“You’ll be fine in a bit,” he said, restraining the chaotic thoughts swirling in his mind, trying to avoid her gaze.

There was something off, something troubling, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was.

Liu Suisui pouted, sensing his distance, yet at the same time, notifications kept sounding in her mind from the system.

[Task target favorability +5]

[Task target favorability +10]

[Task target favorability +5]

[Task target favorability: 45]

There is a phrase: saying one thing but meaning another.

With the system’s prompt supporting her, Liu Suisui felt that this task might not be so difficult after all.

After the pain in her finger subsided, she intended to stand up. Staying crouched like this didn’t seem right.

But the moment she stood, darkness clouded her vision, dizziness overwhelmed her mind, and numbness from squatting too long in her legs almost caused her to fall into the creek.

Li Xiangyang, startled, quickly reached out and pulled her back.

However, Liu Suisui stumbled straight into his arms.

His firm chest pressed against her nose, making it ache slightly. She could smell the faint scent of soap on him. The broadness of his chest brought a comforting sense of security.

But due to the spinning in her head, her attention wasn’t on this; instead, she grabbed his arm and shook her head vigorously, trying to dispel the dizziness.

“Liu Zhiqing, are you alright?” Li Xiangyang was shocked, looking down at the pale-faced girl. She really didn’t look well.

Where she was holding his arm felt like it was burning.

“I’m fine, I’m fine. Just hold me for a moment. I feel dizzy and want to throw up.”

Liu Suisui took a deep breath, feeling somewhat short of oxygen.

The physical condition of this body was truly poor. She hadn’t even squatted for long—why did she feel so miserable?

[Detected host showing signs of hypoglycemia; recommend eating candy to alleviate.]

Liu Suisui checked her pockets but found no candy. She had never had hypoglycemia before, so she wasn’t in the habit of carrying candy when going out.

The system space had some, but she couldn’t just produce it in front of others, could she?

So she clung to Li Xiangyang’s arm, somewhat urgently saying, “Give me a piece of candy.”

“Candy?”

“Yes, quickly!”

Li Xiangyang looked puzzled but obediently took out the candy from his pocket.

It was the candy she had given him before, and he hadn’t dared to eat it.

Liu Suisui grabbed one, quickly tore off the wrapper, and popped it into her mouth. The sweet flavor spread, and her mind seemed to clear considerably.

After a while, she felt much better.

Realizing she was too close to him, she quickly stepped back and awkwardly explained, “I—I had a hypoglycemic episode, so I needed some candy to ease it.”

That was close; she almost fainted in front of him.

Li Xiangyang was educated and understood the symptoms and dangers of hypoglycemia.

“Didn’t eat enough at lunch?” he frowned.

The girl was as skinny as a bamboo pole, looking like she could fall over with just a gust of wind.

“They made it… not very nutritious,” she said, not wanting to say their cooking was bad in front of others, as a refined young lady would.

Life was hard in this era, and every household was in similar straits—reluctant to use good ingredients, unwilling to be too kind to themselves. To survive, they had to scrimp and save.

So “not tasty” translated to “not nutritious.”

Liu Suisui lowered her head, suddenly feeling a little aggrieved.

When the young uncle of the Qiao family saw her dieting before, he would scold her for being too thin and not eating enough for the sake of her figure. Then he’d instruct a nutritionist to prepare a fat-reducing meal that was both filling and moderate.

Now, it seemed there was no one she could unconditionally rely on like that anymore.

Li Xiangyang gazed at the top of her head, inexplicably feeling a pang of pity.

A girl not yet an adult was abandoned by her parents and sent to the countryside. Living hungry days was agonizing, and if it continued, he could almost imagine what she would become.

“Come with me,” he said suddenly.

“Ah?” Liu Suisui stared at him, not knowing what he intended.

After saying that, Li Xiangyang felt it was somewhat inappropriate and quickly corrected himself, “Forget it, wait here for me a moment.”

Following a man off mysteriously didn’t feel safe at all.

“Oh.” Liu Suisui obediently nodded and returned to the big rock where she had been sitting.

She watched him turn and walk into the mountains.

Everyone was at work, so no one was around to gather firewood. Even the village idlers rarely went into the mountains; they usually loitered near the commune.

The waiting time was long, especially without electronic devices, making boredom even worse.

“007, do you have any way to pass the time?”

007 replied, “Currently, only a few movies from this world are available. Host, would you like to watch?”

“Yes!”

A panel appeared in the void, visible only to her.

On the panel, the movie “Tunnel Warfare” appeared.

An old film, its production quality might not be great, but it carried a strong spirit.

Perfect for passing the time.

Liu Suisui never expected that one day she would be so engrossed watching an old movie.

She didn’t hear the footsteps behind her at all.

Though she missed the footsteps, she caught the aroma of roasted chicken.

Her nose twitched. “What’s that smell? So fragrant!”

Turning around, she saw Li Xiangyang carrying a roasted chicken.

“Eat,” he said, wrapping the chicken in lotus leaves and handing it to her.

Liu Suisui’s eyes widened in surprise. “Is this for me?”

“Yeah, eat it.”

His expression was calm and cold, betraying no emotion—neither happiness nor displeasure, no attempt to flatter—just stubbornly offering the chicken.

Only the system’s prompt sounded.

Favorability +5

Favorability +10

Though he had roasted the chicken for her, why did his favorability rise?

“Well then, I won’t be polite!”