Xiaxia chose the photo of the small rural villa.
“Flowers, there are flowers in the yard.” Xiaxia’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Qi Zhi, then she trotted over to him with a pitter-patter and tilted her head up to look at him.
Qi Zhi squatted down naturally and looked at the photo with his younger sister.
The owner of the small rural villa was probably a gardening enthusiast with leisure and elegance. The bougainvillea on the fence was in full bloom, and his yard was filled with succulent flower potted plants.
Xu Qingfeng, who came in second, chose a small farmhouse building. The Cui Yi sisters pair were also not bad, choosing a farm house that looked slightly old but habitable.
But Ji Xiangxiang, who came in last, wasn't so lucky.
When everyone arrived in the village to find their houses, they first arrived at Ji Xiangxiang's thatched, dilapidated house. It leaked rain and was damp, hadn't been repaired for many years, and the only wooden bed had a bed sheet and quilt set given by the production team casually placed on it.
As soon as Xiaxia stepped inside, she was choked by the dust and coughed non-stop. Qi Zhi quickly picked up his sister, watching Ji Xiangxiang and the Bubu siblings wailing in each other's arms.
"Is this a place for people to live?" Ji Xiangxiang looked at the spider web in the corner and couldn't help but speak out.
【Hahaha the production team is too wicked】
After seeing the dilapidated house, the remaining three groups continued to look for their own houses.
Qi Zhi and the other two groups went their separate ways. In the dark night, Qi Zhi led Xiaxia forward. The cool night breeze brushed against his face, and amidst the cicada and frog calls, he felt calm and peaceful.
"Brother, how much further do we have to go?" Xiaxia asked him in a sweet, baby voice.
Qi Zhi looked at the map given by the production team and calculated in his mind, "Almost there, about five hundred meters."
"Ah." Suddenly, Xiaxia kicked a stone and staggered, almost falling.
Fortunately, Qi Zhi had been holding his sister's hand. Seeing that she almost fell, he felt that he had pulled Xiaxia steady.
"It hurts." Xiaxia's face twisted for a moment, looking at her right foot, wrinkling her nose and crying in pain.
Qi Zhi quickly stopped, squatted down, and looked at Xiaxia with concern, "Where did you fall?"
The intense pain of her toe hitting the stone traveled through the meridians directly to her heart, instantly causing Xiaxia to gasp. Tears welled up in Xiaxia's eyes, looking aggrieved and pitiful: "I kicked a stone."
Hearing this, Qi Zhi quickly picked up his sister and his brow furrowed with annoyance.
"It's my fault." There are many stones on the rural roads, it's his fault for not paying attention to the darkness of the night.
【Hugs for Xiaxia baby, pain go away】
【The pain from kicking a rock is too real, and Xiaxia didn’t even cry】
【Wuwu, it's heartbreaking to see Xiaxia princess with tears in her eyes】
【Lao Qi doesn't need to blame himself】
At eight o'clock in the evening, it was the peak of traffic, and a large number of viewers poured into Qi Zhi's live broadcast room.
Unknowingly, the popularity of his live broadcast room had caught up with the other three, all attracted by his interaction with Xiaxia, while his own e-sports fans were drowned out by the barrage of passers-by.
After about a moment, Qi Zhi stood outside the flower wall with Xiaxia in his arms. The bougainvillea on the wall was blooming brightly and luxuriantly, and the succulents in the yard were as quiet as gems in the pots.
"We're here!" Xiaxia cheered.
Seeing that the lights of the small villa were still on, Xiaxia hugged Qi Zhi, her pair of black and white eyes blinking curiously.
After Qi Zhi carried Xiaxia inside, he found two bright and spacious rooms. He put Xiaxia on the ground, looked around, and was quite satisfied with the accommodation conditions for this trip.
Xiaxia looked at the two rooms with her eyes flickering, until Qi Zhi's voice sounded above her head:
“Xiaxia, you can have this room. Is it okay if brother sleeps next door?”
Ever since Qi Zhi brought her back, the siblings had been sleeping in separate rooms—but usually, he would only return to his own room after coaxing Xiaxia to sleep.
“Brother...” Xiaxia tugged on Qi Zhi’s sleeve, looking hesitant.
Seeing that Xiaxia seemed to have something to say, Qi Zhi quickly squatted down and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Brother, let's ask sister Ji Xiangxiang to live with us."
Xiaxia's small hands were nervously twisted together, and she whispered, "Sister Xiangxiang's house has bugs, Xiaxia is scared, sister Xiangxiang is also a girl, she must be scared as well.”
【Xiaxia is so warm—such a sweet and considerate baby】
Hearing what Xiaxia said, Qi Zhi’s eyes softened, feeling comforted by her thoughtfulness. He smiled and gently patted the top of her head, “Alright, but Xiaxia has to ask Sister Xiangxiang herself, okay?”
"And if you invite Ji Xiangxiang and them, Xiaxia has to sleep with sister Xiangxiang, and brother sleeps with Ji Bubu." Qi Zhi patiently explained to his sister.
Hearing his brother say that he was going to sleep with Ji Bubu, Xiaxia's little face wrinkled into a ball, her tone turned slightly sour:
"Brother has never slept with Xiaxia before." He's actually going to sleep with someone else's younger brother.
Instantly, Xiaxia fell into a dilemma.
She wanted to ask sister Xiangxiang to come and live with her, but she didn't want to give her brother to Bubu.
【Hahaha Xiaxia is jealous】
【Princess Xiaxia doesn’t want to share her brother with anyone】
Qi Zhi chuckled softly and gently stroked Xiaxia’s fair little cheek, smiling warmly: “But Brother is still Xiaxia’s brother.”
"Okay then." After all, she was the one who suggested inviting Ji Xiangxiang sister to live together, Xiaxia's brow relaxed, and she hugged Qi Zhi and acted coquettishly:
"Then will brother still tell Xiaxia bedtime stories tonight? Xiaxia wants to continue listening to the commander fighting the enemy."
【Hhhh didn’t expect Lao Qi to tell wartime stories as bedtime tales—shouldn’t it be something like The Little Mermaid or Snow White?】
“Cough... Sure.” Qi Zhi suddenly choked on his own saliva.
The little girl wanted him to tell her stories before going to bed, so Qi Zhi told her about the things that happened in his past mission worlds as stories, and he didn't expect Xiaxia to listen with great interest every day.
"Brother, let's go find sister Xiangxiang." Xiaxia hugged Qi Zhi's neck, signaling him to set off.
"Okay." Qi Zhi picked up his sister and walked out.
When Qi Zhi and Xiaxia returned to the dilapidated thatched house again, Ji Xiangxiang and Bubu were staring at each other with wide eyes.
"Sister, I'm hungry." At nine o'clock in the evening, the siblings hadn't eaten yet, and Bubu looked at his sister pitifully.
"Ah—" Ji Xiangxiang sighed to the sky, and lazily opened her mouth with drooping eyebrows: "I'm also hungry."
"Ji Xiangxiang." As soon as Qi Zhi stepped in, he heard her say she was hungry.
Hearing someone call her name, Ji Xiangxiang turned around and gave an awkward smile. “Hey.”
“Achoo!” Xiaxia sneezed again from the dust.
She looked at Ji Xiangxiang with physiological tears in her eyes, her voice with a strong nasal tone, and said in a sweet, baby voice: "Sister Xiangxiang, we have two rooms, you and Bubu come to our place."
Hearing this, Ji Xiangxiang looked at Xiaxia in surprise.
Xiaxia was embarrassed by her gaze, her cheeks slightly red, and she quickly turned her small face to bury it in Qi Zhi's neck.
"Xiaxia likes you very much, please take care of her tonight." Qi Zhi nodded slightly to Ji Xiangxiang, releasing his goodwill.
"Ai!" Ji Xiangxiang clapped her hands, a bright smile lit up her face, her eyes shining brightly: "That would be great!"
After speaking, Ji Xiangxiang grabbed her stinky younger brother's collar: "Ji Bubu, hurry up and thank Qi Zhi brother and Xiaxia."
"Thank you sister Xiaxia." Ji Bubu took out the blue hydrangea he picked from the entrance of Muyun Village in the afternoon from his small schoolbag, looked up at Qi Zhi, and wanted to hand it to Xiaxia.
Qi Zhi put Xiaxia down, and Xiaxia blinked her eyes, looking at the somewhat wilted blue hydrangea.
"Thank you Bubu." Xiaxia took the flower and said excitedly: “Our house is super pretty, and there are so many flowers...”
While speaking, Xiaxia and Bubu walked out.
Xiaxia's memory was amazing, and she successfully found the right direction even at the fork in the road.
Qi Zhi helped the Ji siblings share some of the luggage, and smiled as he watched Xiaxia interacting with the child.
"I'm sorry to make you laugh, my younger brother is just a chatterbox." Ji Xiangxiang walked side by side with Qi Zhi.
"It's good." Qi Zhi said gently, feeling slightly relieved. It was something he couldn't wish for more that Xiaxia was willing to communicate with children of the same age.
Back at the small rural villa, the four of them had dinner and quickly washed up.
Perhaps they were tired from the day—Qi Zhi only had to tell Xiaxia a short story before the little girl’s eyelids started drooping. Within moments, she fell fast asleep.
Qi Zhi whispered to Ji Xiangxiang, who was sitting nearby, “Thanks for taking care of Xiaxia tonight.”
"It's okay, it's okay, Xiaxia is so well-behaved, it's not troublesome." Ji Xiangxiang waved her hand: "Ji Bubu is the one who's troublesome for you to take care of."
After the two exchanged pleasantries, Qi Zhi returned to his room.
Bubu, who wasn't afraid of people and loved to be mischievous, smiled and called 'Brother Qi Zhi'.
“Mm.” Qi Zhi responded lightly.
The expression between his eyebrows was completely different when treating the stinky boy and the little girl, his tone was flat and without any emotional fluctuations: "Go to sleep."
【Look at that tone—yep, that’s the Lao Qi I know】
【LOL Princess Xiaxia, come look at your brother. He's so fierce】
【Good night Lao Qi, good night Bubu】
As the last barrage floated drifted into the night, Qi Zhi’s live stream ended.
*
The next morning, just as the sky began to lighten, the quiet little village of Muyun began to stir.
When Qi Zhi got up, Xiaxia next door was still asleep. He tiptoed downstairs and saw that the livestream was already on again.
Qi Zhi, who was in a good mood because Xiaxia's condition was gradually improving, greeted the camera: "Good morning."
【Aaaaahhh good morning Lao Qi】 Those who could squat in the live broadcast at this moment were all true fans of Qi Zhi.
【Hehe Lao Qi is also wearing the white t-shirt sent by the 'ARA' team today】
After arriving in the kitchen, Qi Zhi looked through the food, there was rice, noodles, and vegetables.
"Grandma." Qi Zhi stopped the owner of the house and asked, "Excuse me, can I borrow your kitchen?"
The owner of the house nodded in agreement. The production team had communicated with them before they moved in.
【Wow, we can actually see Lao Qi cooking】
"Thank you, Grandma." Qi Zhi smiled, the clear and handsome young man's eyebrows were full of warm and kind expressions, as refreshing as summer soda.
【Lao Qi is also as beautiful as a flower today 】
【Hahahaha, I really want to call the team that played against Lao Qi to come and see, I didn't expect Lao Qi to have such a virtuous side】
【@ARAteam, come and recognize, is this still your big devil?】
Qi Zhi opened the kitchen window, and what came into his sight was a sea of flowers, red, yellow, blue, and pink, of various varieties.
Looking at a few potted rose plants, Qi Zhi's eyes flickered slightly, his expression dazed for a moment, as if he remembered someone, but her memory in his mind was always blurred.
【Why is Lao Qi standing there blankly?】
【Lao Qi, if you don't make breakfast, princess Xiaxia is going to wake up】
After a while, Qi Zhi moved, took a bamboo basket from the kitchen, and then walked to the courtyard to pick flowers.
The owner of the house glanced at Qi Zhi's actions in surprise, the old woman's face full of wrinkles was covered with a kind expression, and she pointed with her right hand: "You can only pick the three plants on the far left."
"Okay, I understand." Qi Zhi smiled, and the loneliness in his heart dissipated in silence.
Qi Zhi's distant memories dissipated like dust, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember that person's appearance, but he still remembered that he could make flower cakes.
【Damn, is Qi Zhi planning to make flower cakes??】 Until Qi Zhi returned to the kitchen and took out the flour, the barrage was full of exclamations.
【Ahhhh, some flowers are not edible, what if there's food poisoning?】
【Don't panic upstairs, the old lady grows so many flowers, she definitely knows which ones are edible and which ones are not】
【My friend who specializes in this field has seen it, the roses that Lao Qi picked are edible varieties.】
The barrage in the live broadcast room was constantly clamoring, while Qi Zhi's side was still peaceful.
Qi Zhi's movements were very fast, processing the petals, kneading the dough, and other complicated procedures were completed within an hour.
Until the dough entered the oven, Qi Zhi straightened up and wiped the sweat from his forehead, and the corners of his mouth lifted into a beautiful, gentle, and lingering smile.
【Ahhh, who understands! Lao Qi is so handsome!】
【Wuwu, I always feel that Lao Qi this morning is a little different from usual. That look in his eyes is devastatingly good-looking.】
Ding—! The flower cakes were ready.
Qi Zhi took the plate, thinking that Xiaxia should be waking up soon.
He hadn’t even reached the second floor when he heard the cheerful sound of Xiaxia playing with Bubu, like the tinkling of silver bells.
Seeing Qi Zhi return, Xiaxia hugged Qi Zhi's legs: "Good morning, brother!"
Qi Zhi set down the breakfast and looked at her with warm, sunny eyes. The corners of his lips gently lifted. “Good morning, Xiaxia.”
He thought that the meaning of this journey was not only to save Xiaxia, but more importantly, to heal himself.