Chapter 170: The Foxian Twins
Jiang Li, however, was the exact opposite. She was like a real little fox, lively and curious. She had snow-white fox ears and long hair, just like you, and her large, rose-colored eyes were always sparkling.
"Brother! Brother!" This was the first word she learned and the one she said the most. She liked to follow behind you, calling your name in her soft, sweet voice. When she couldn't walk steadily, she would often trip over her own fluffy tail, then sit on the ground, blinking her big eyes at you, waiting for you to help her up.
Whenever this happened, you would always shake your head helplessly, then extend your hand. "Little silly, come."
She would giggle, revealing her newly grown baby teeth, then tightly grasp your hand and continue to wobble after you.
At 3 years old, your family's merchant ship docked at a port. It was Jiang Li's first time seeing so many novel things, her fox ears standing up and swiveling around. But she was shy, only holding your hand tightly and looking at the various stalls. For every question she asked, you would patiently explain.
At 4 years old, a bigger child snatched away the fox-shaped sugar painting your sister had just bought. She didn't cry; she just stood there, tears welling up, her small hand tightly clutching your clothes. "Brother... my little fox..." Seeing her wronged expression, an unprecedented anger surged within you. You just patted her head. "It's okay, Brother will get it back for you." She only knew that the next day, that older child came to apologize and brought many candies.
At 5 years old, on a rainy night, Jiang Li had a high fever, continuously calling out, "Brother... Brother..." You stayed by her bed, repeatedly wiping her forehead. "Brother is here," you held her burning small hand. "Brother will never leave." That night, you didn't leave her side for a single step.
At 6 years old, your father began to teach you business basics. You learned very quickly. And Jiang Li also started school, learning to write. Every time she couldn't write well, she would pout, her white fox ears drooping. You would then sit beside her, holding her small hand, teaching her stroke by stroke. The first neat character she wrote was—"elder brother".
At 7 years old, your family traveled to the Xianzhou 'Luofu' for a celebration. There were too many people, and she was a little scared. "Brother, don't let go of my hand, okay? I'll get lost."
"You won't," you clasped her hand back. "Brother will always hold your hand."
And you truly didn't let go for a moment. That night, watching the fireworks, she leaned on your shoulder. "Brother, we should always be together," she suddenly said.
"Mmm..."
She nodded contentedly and fell asleep in your arms. You looked at your sister, and a strong protective urge surged within you. You swore you would always protect her, this pure and kind little angel, and let her always smile so carefree.
But fate never changes its course because of human wishes.
At 8 years old, your merchant ship was ambushed just after a hyperspace jump. Piercing whistles broke the tranquility of the star sea, and a huge shadow loomed over your star-skiff—the Borisin.
[Inorin Note:
Starting today, the update schedule will be changing to one chapter per day. The reason for this is that the original author's raw chapters are being released infrequently and unpredictably, sometimes with only one new chapter every one to two weeks.
Currently, the gap between my translation and the latest raw chapter is only about 60 chapters. If I were to continue uploading two chapters per day, I would completely run out of material to translate in just one month. To avoid this, I must reduce the upload frequency, although even this change only buys me about two to three more months before I catch up completely.
I understand that the chapters are already quite short, and getting only one per day can feel unsatisfying to read. However, my hands are tied. At the very least, this new schedule allows me to continue providing daily updates for as long as possible.
If you wish to support me so I can continue to survive and afford proper food, you can join my membership on Patreon [patreon.com/InorinTL]. Be sure to check out "The Founding Pillars"—a special, limited-time tier that offers all the benefits of "The Plot Uncoverer" at a discounted price! Slots are limited, so grab yours before they run out. Besides membership, you can also donate via Ko-Fi [https://ko-fi.com/inorintl].
I hope I am still worthy of your support. My life truly depends on this... haha, I know I'm so shameless.]