Chapter 11: Eyes Closed, Just Do It

The country path was dotted with wildflowers swaying gently in the breeze, tracing the shape of the wind.

Though summer had just begun, the weather wasn’t too hot yet.

Yun An limped along, struggling to keep up with his younger sister ahead.

If not for this, as someone who had just arrived from the Apocalypse, he would have been lying back leisurely, enjoying the fresh air and listening to the pleasant chirping of birds around him.

But now, he was trapped in this malnourished six-year-old body, hobbling on one leg, desperately trying to earn Favorability Points from his sister.

This feeling… was truly frustrating.

Up ahead, Juanjuan turned around without warning.

Yun An immediately plastered a bright, harmless smile on his face.

Juanjuan, however, looked as if she had seen a ghost and quickly turned back around, even speeding up her pace.

Dachui also curiously glanced back.

Yun An’s bright, harmless smile instantly twisted into a sinister, hostile glare.

Dachui: !!!

No wonder Juanjuan wanted to hurry away—this Er Mao was terrifying now.

Like a murderous ghost.

Dachui: “Juanjuan, your Third Brother has gone mad! Even with his leg like that, he’s still following you around creepily.”

Juanjuan lowered her voice: “Keep it down. Let’s just hurry away.”

But no matter how fast the two little ones ran, they couldn’t shake off the limping Third Brother.

【Run all you want! I refuse to believe that without digging for wild vegetables, and with my System, I won’t be able to find where Juanjuan is. What a joke!】

【But what’s going on? I haven’t done anything, yet the Favorability Points keep dropping, damn it—it’s almost at -66!】

【Could it be that this kid is strange?】

Yun An’s eyes scrutinized the little figure squatting ahead, picking wild vegetables.

To his surprise, he noticed the little one’s hands pause briefly.

Yun An narrowed his eyes sharply.

【Something’s off! There’s definitely something wrong here! But I can’t quite put my finger on what it is.】

Having survived and thrived in the Apocalypse, his sharp instincts were beyond doubt.

Hearing Third Brother’s inner thoughts, Juanjuan’s mind raced as she tried to figure out what to do, even mistakenly picking the wrong plants.

Dachui watched in disbelief as Juanjuan, who was usually very accurate at identifying edible plants, grabbed a handful of weeds and tossed them into her back basket.

And then, she reached for another weed.

Dachui: “Juanjuan, that’s a weed.”

Juanjuan: “Oh, okay.”

The little one immediately threw away the weed and started searching for edible plants again.

Last year had been favorable, with good harvests for most families in Niantao Village. This year, almost every household had surplus grain, so fewer people were out gathering wild vegetables.

After all, when the weather was good and the heavens provided, it was better to focus on farming. Gathering wild vegetables was mostly left to the children.

There were still plenty of wild vegetables to be found.

Of course, not every family in Niantao Village had surplus grain.

For example, Juanjuan’s family—last year, Bai Tian gambled away what little they had and even sold their meager plot of land!

【This little one’s reaction is a bit unusual.】

【They’re a bit too far away—I can’t quite hear what that hammerhead is saying to Juanjuan. I need to get closer.】

Just as Yun An finished that thought and stood up to approach Juanjuan, he saw her suddenly rise and prepare to move to another spot.

Yun An didn’t think much of it, assuming it was just a coincidence.

In his mind, Juanjuan was just a child—easy to fool and manipulate. The real challenge was the two adults in the household.

If he wanted to conceal his identity, he’d have to put in a bit more effort.

Flustered, Juanjuan didn’t pay much attention to her surroundings until someone spoke up ahead. She then noticed several children from the same village blocking her path.

Leading them was Hua Ni’er, a six-year-old who had recently had a one-sided falling out with Juanjuan.

Behind Hua Ni’er were three other children, one of whom was her older cousin.

Among the group, he was the oldest, tallest, and strongest.

“Well, well, look who it is! It’s the child of that good-for-nothing Bai family!”

Hua Ni’er looked at the thin, shabbily dressed little girl and snorted disdainfully.

Juanjuan pressed her lips together and said nothing, pretending not to hear as she turned to leave.

Even the threat of Third Brother behind her didn’t seem as frightening now.

Such was the nature of a child’s mind.

Faced with a rival, the unknown danger posed by Third Brother paled in comparison.

When girls got angry, regardless of age, they gained immense courage.

Dachui, carrying his back basket, frowned at Hua Ni’er and the others blocking Juanjuan’s path.

He was about to step forward when Juanjuan tugged at his sleeve.

She didn’t want Dachui to get involved on her behalf. She didn’t want him dragged into this.

Seeing Dachui being pulled back, Hua Ni’er quickly stepped forward and blocked Juanjuan’s way.

“Dachui! Don’t play with her. Her whole family is sick, and she’s sick too!”

“Look at her—her clothes are all torn. I have some pastries from town here. Dachui, would you like some?”

As she spoke, Hua Ni’er proudly pulled out an exquisitely wrapped pastry from her pocket.

The pampered little girl couldn’t stand seeing Dachui play with Juanjuan. She didn’t like Juanjuan, so no one else was allowed to like her either.

The cliquish behavior among children could sometimes be just as vicious as that among adults.

【Tsk, tsk. Such a young child already knows how to use threats and bribes.】

Yun An stood quietly behind, watching the conflict between the two groups of children, his mind working through his own calculations.

【Perfect. This is my chance to help Juanjuan and earn some Favorability Points.】

【The Self-Injury Strategy—saving someone in distress is the best way to gain favor and build rapport!】

As Third Brother’s voice echoed in her mind, Juanjuan instinctively glanced in his direction.

Then she saw Third Brother watching her with keen interest.

The moment their eyes met—

Juanjuan: Is Third Brother… going to save me?

Yun An: 【No! Why did she suddenly look over!】

He hadn’t had time to rearrange his expression into something sunny and innocent!

But the next second, he saw the small red numbers floating in the air change from -66 to -65.

【Whoa! It rose, it rose! The favorability increased!】

【So, Juanjuan doesn’t like my sunny, innocent act? She prefers my original self?】

Outsmarting himself.

Yun An would never have guessed that the little sister he was supposed to win over could actually hear his inner thoughts—and that, at just four years old, she could calmly keep it to herself.

“Woof!”

A dog’s bark drew the children’s attention. They turned to see Hua Ni’er’s family’s little yellow dog running toward them.

Hua Ni’er’s eyes lit up at the sight of her dog.

She pointed at Juanjuan and commanded, “Wangcai, bite her!”

The five-month-old puppy lunged straight for Juanjuan.

In that instant—

Hua Ni’er clapped her hands in delight.

Dachui, however, stood motionless, looking at Hua Ni’er as if she were a fool.

Yun An, who had been about to step in to earn favor with Juanjuan, paused when he saw Dachui’s reaction.

【Something’s off. Based on earlier, that hammerhead would’ve definitely protected Juanjuan. But now he looks like he’s watching a joke.】

The clever Juanjuan immediately realized that Third Brother was sharp.

So this was how much a person could deduce in such a short time.

“Whimper, whimper.”

The next moment, Wangcai, who had lunged at Juanjuan, began circling around her, rubbing against her legs like a loyal follower, trying to win her favor.

None of the children present were foolish.

Anyone could see that Wangcai adored Juanjuan.

Hua Ni’er’s face instantly darkened. Stamping her foot in frustration, she shouted, “Wangcai! Get back here!”

Hearing its owner’s call, Wangcai instinctively ran back—only to be kicked hard.

The half-grown puppy yelped in pain, hunched over, tucked its tail between its legs, and scurried behind Juanjuan.

“Stupid dog! I’ll beat you to death when we get home!”

Hua Ni’er glared viciously at Wangcai.

The dog had humiliated her, made her lose face, and even fawned over Juanjuan—to a child, this was a catastrophe.

Unable to contain her anger, Hua Ni’er raised her hand to shove Juanjuan.

Dachui, well-fed and stout, was no pushover. He immediately stepped in front of Juanjuan and shoved back with force.

*Thud!* Hua Ni’er landed hard on her backside.

“Waaah!” Hua Ni’er burst into tears.

But Hua Ni’er wasn’t one to take a loss lying down. She scrambled to her feet and tried to attack Juanjuan.

However, with Dachui blocking the way, Hua Ni’er ended up tussling with him instead.

Seeing this, Hua Ni’er’s cousin, who had come with her, decided he couldn’t stand by.

He rushed forward to help Hua Ni’er.

With Dachui already involved, how could Juanjuan just stand there?

Since she couldn’t stop the fight, Juanjuan gritted her teeth and joined in.

The remaining children who had come with Hua Ni’er also jumped into the fray.

【Seriously? They’re actually fighting, just like that!】

【System, lend me some authority. Just give me a knife.】

Yun An thought to himself that although his current body was disabled, weak, and devoid of supernatural abilities—utterly useless—

with a small knife, he could rely on his past killing skills to take care of these children.

Amid the chaos, Juanjuan found a moment to glance at Third Brother.

She was afraid he might actually pull out a knife and stab someone.

If he killed someone, Third Brother would be taken to the magistrate’s office.

It wasn’t worth it!

Just as Juanjuan grew worried, she heard Third Brother’s angry voice:

【Damn it! You won’t give it to me? I give up!】

Juanjuan’s tense nerves relaxed slightly.

Good.

But Yun An didn’t think it was good.

He glanced at his injured leg. If he went back to call for help now, it would be too slow—his leg wouldn’t carry him fast enough.

So, Yun An picked up two sharp stones from the roadside and plunged into the chaotic crowd of children.

He pulled the frail Juanjuan out of the fray and gave her a push.

“Go get the adults on the road!”

Without hesitation, Juanjuan turned and sprinted toward the nearby fields where adults were working.

It was too far to run home, but if she could grab an adult, Third Brother and Dachui would take fewer hits.