Saving System: Calm Down, My Fleeing Host!

Chapter 392 - 384: The Past

The family is actually not here, it’s just her who came alone.

But Daxing Mountain is thousands of miles away from here, and her whereabouts can’t be easily explained unless she tells the truth.

Forget it, the biological older brother of the original owner is also her brother. Judging by the concerned look on his face, he is someone who cares for his siblings. Being a general who guards one side, he has always taken good care of the people under his charge. Now that they are a family, she didn’t need to hide anything.

"Brother, it’s a long story. Here’s how it goes..."

Cheng Xiaoxiao recounted the experiences of the family over the years. In the early years, they lived steadily in Qingshan Village without anything special happening, focusing mainly on events involving their aunt.

This made her older brother quite livid.

Then came the disasters following the floods and the various experiences on their escape from famine.

She explained everything she could, including her opportunities and peculiarities.

There were some things even the family didn’t know, so there was no need for her to mention them.

In any case, the plot just needs to be roughly reasonable.

Cheng Xiaoxiao spoke calmly, as if the hardships and obstacles they faced were just hurdles along the path of life to be crossed.

But in Cheng Yao’s mind, it felt quite uneasy.

It turned out the family had suffered so much without his knowledge, falling into desperate situations and almost being separated by life and death.

As the eldest son, he failed to protect his siblings and didn’t share any burdens with their father. It filled him with shame.

"I’m sorry for the suffering you’ve endured," Cheng Yao said in a hoarse voice, his eyes misty with tears.

He looked at Cheng Xiaoxiao with a heart full of pain.

His sister, originally gentle and sensible, must have gone through unimaginable hardships to become as strong as she is. It was his failure as an older brother that he did not fulfill his responsibility, not protecting them well.

Even the youngest, Brother Jia, has learned martial arts, and he’s so young.

This thought caused a bittersweet feeling in his heart.

They should have grown up cherished and loved, yet they suffered so much hardship and grievance out of his sight.

"Brother, it’s not your fault,"

Cheng Xiaoxiao’s eyes moved slightly, and her feelings became a bit heavy and complex.

Indeed, to Cheng Yao, his sister must have been gentle and sensible. Unfortunately, the siblings had long been separated by life and death; she was just a substitute.

But being a substitute is better than nothing!

At least she played a far more significant role than the original owner. Without her, barely anyone from Qingshan Village would have survived.

Over the past year, she had fully integrated into this world and the Cheng Family, painstakingly building up resources and establishing her own city, unwilling to retreat for unfounded reasons.

So for the time being, I’ll pretend to be ignorant while knowing everything!

This older brother is brave and resourceful. If he discovers something odd, no defense would be enough. It remains to be seen how he will act.

If one day he insists on exposing her, so be it.

The boat will straighten itself when it reaches the bridge.

Looking again at this affectionate older brother, hopefully, it’s all just her unnecessary worries!

"Brother, all that’s behind us now, and it’s great to have the family whole again. Oh, Brother, you might not know, but Sister-in-law gave birth to a chubby boy, and I picked his little name! Also, along the way, I took in a child..."

Cheng Xiaoxiao chattered on about some amusing incidents along the way, finally bringing a smile to Cheng Yao’s face.

At some point, Vice General Lin, whose eyes were also red, had quietly left.

He didn’t expect the General’s family to suffer so much during their escape, and he couldn’t help but feel like crying as he listened.

Actually, it was quite nice; the General hadn’t laughed so heartily in a long time.

Meeting one’s family among the vast sea of people is indeed something worth rejoicing about; he should be happy too.

Yes, today is a good day; a celebration in the evening is a must.

Vice General Lin had good intentions, but both sides of his waist felt equally heavy, and he lacked the strength.

In the end, it was Cheng Xiaoxiao who provided the ingredients, allowing everyone to enjoy a filling dinner.

Cheng Xiaoxiao already had a fondness for these soldiers, and now her heart warmed a bit more. They were her brother’s makeshift allies; how could she be stingy with family?

So she provided large bags of rice and grain, wild animal meat, cured and smoked fish, spices, pots and pans, coal, and even fresh vegetables known as bean sprouts in the cold weather.

This dinner was as grand as a New Year celebration, making the entire town very happy. They now knew that it was the General’s sister, his biological sister, who had brought so many precious supplies, and they became even more enthusiastic and close to her.

Cheng Yao’s dinner was personally fed to him by Cheng Xiaoxiao after she brought it into the room.

Millet and lean pork porridge, fragrant and soft, was most suitable for patients.

Even though he was wrapped up and unable to move, and his condition had taken a significant hit, at this moment, Cheng Yao’s eyes were filled with happiness and satisfaction.

The pain on his body was nothing; he had found his sister.

He believed that it wouldn’t be long before the family reunion.

After dinner, the siblings chatted privately in the room for another hour.

This time, Cheng Xiaoxiao asked questions, and Cheng Yao answered.

He also briefly recounted his experiences of the past few years.

It was around then, when he responded to the draft, that being young, he spent about half a year in the Fire Head Camp.

In the Kitchen Camp, he befriended a master mentor.

His mentor was a martial arts expert who stayed in the Kitchen Camp because he had achieved great merit but was betrayed and injured by a peer; his leg was hurt, preventing him from reporting back in time, causing someone else to claim his merits. He was left permanently disabled as a result.

He had no choice but to hide in the logistics of the army, biding his time, hoping to one day expose that person. However, as fate would have it, before he could act, that person became a scapegoat after a failed operation and was executed.

The inability to exact revenge personally left the mentor filled with resentment.

But with the enemy deceased, there was no outlet for his anger, so he drowned his sorrows in drink, wandering into the back hills in inebriated stupor.

Encountering a pack of wolves, after a blood-filled battle, the mentor managed to beat the wolves, but suffered multiple bites himself. Had it not been for Cheng Yao’s ascent up the mountain, the mentor would have likely bled to death; Cheng Yao carried him back to the camp, step by step.

Thus, he became the mentor’s only student.

He learned many skills from the mentor and later gained military merit by following the army to suppress bandits, eventually becoming a formal soldier, enduring the rigorous and harsh days of training and cultivation.

Fortunately, he met such a good mentor, enabling him to learn from experience in battle after battle, gradually rising to prominence, catching the attention of the general, and in just two short years, he became his guard.

He had planned to gather his leave days and use six or seven days to return to Qingshan Village to visit his family, but during a mission, they encountered a fierce attack from black-clothed assassins, leading to the unit’s defeat.

He suffered serious injuries and fell into the East Canal, narrowly escaping thanks to a noble rescuer. Unfortunately, the benefactor offended a high-ranking official and was exiled to the desolate Western Cold Land.

Following his benefactor, Cheng Yao traveled to this place, where he was adopted and taught many principles about life and governance.

He kept his identity hidden, started from a common soldier, accomplished many practical affairs, and by the time his adoptive father passed away, he had already risen to the position of Village Chief.