When Tang Xi opened the door with her arms full of bags, Tang Bai’s ears twitched, and her eyes opened on instinct. The first thing she saw was the spotless bedroom Tang Xi had tidied. Once her nerves settled, Tang Bai gave a silent, bitter smile. Years of living on tenterhooks during missions had conditioned her body to remain intensely alert.
Even so, she had slept deeply. Perhaps it was because her sister’s scent surrounded her. At the thought, Tang Bai rolled over and greedily inhaled the sheets, which carried Tang Xi’s pleasant fragrance.
She tilted her head and listened. The sounds of vegetables being washed and chopped drifted from the kitchen, making her feel as though she had been transported into another lifetime. How long had it been since she had felt this sense of home?
It felt so good to be home.
Her eyes reddened as memories surfaced. Four years. She had been away for four years. In that time, she had changed from a green student into a battle-hardened soldier. She had endured countless brushes with life and death. Whenever she found herself in despair, all she had to do was remember her sister’s gentle smile, and strength would surge through her, helping her overcome one crisis after another.
Her sister was still waiting for her at home. That thought alone had kept her alive.
Tang Bai sighed. Her sister had also lived alone for four years. That kind of loneliness must have been difficult to endure.
She clenched her fists and silently vowed that, for the rest of her life, no matter what happened, she would always treat her sister well. Ever since they were children, Tang Xi had used her frail body to shield Tang Bai from rumors, the strange looks of other children, and their mocking laughter.
A deep light glimmered in Tang Bai’s dark eyes as she recalled something from her childhood. Once, while walking home from school, a group of children had appeared from nowhere. They pulled faces at her and shouted,
“Tang Bai is just an unwanted stray…”
Her eyes had reddened with fury, but she had stood frozen in place, unable to think of anything to say in response. Tang Xi, who was only two years older, had grabbed both her hands tightly before swinging her schoolbag at the children and driving them away.
Although the corner of Tang Xi’s mouth had been split open, she acted as if it were nothing on the way home.
“Xiaobai, don’t believe those nasty kids. They’re only jealous because you’re good at school, so they made all that nonsense up. You’re not some unwanted stray. You have Mom and Dad—and me, your big sister. Got it?”
The serious expression on Tang Xi’s face and the determination in her eyes had been etched deeply into Tang Bai’s memory.
Tang Xi had been so dazzling.
At the thought, Tang Bai smiled silently.
After finishing the meal, Tang Xi untied her apron and pushed open the bedroom door, ready to wake Tang Bai and call her to eat. Instead, she found Tang Bai grinning foolishly at nothing in particular.
Tang Xi smiled tenderly. She had not seen that childlike grin in a very long time. Her Xiaobai was still just as silly as ever.
With a mischievous glint in her eyes, Tang Xi tiptoed to the bedside. Then she bent down and shouted right beside Tang Bai’s ear.
“Ah!”
Tang Bai had sensed her the moment the door opened, but only realized what Tang Xi was planning when she came closer. She played along perfectly, putting on an exaggeratedly frightened expression after the shout and theatrically rubbing her ear.
“Sis, you nearly made me deaf!”
Tang Xi arched an eyebrow and smiled smugly. Tang Bai could only sigh helplessly. Her sister probably behaved this childishly only when she was around.
Tang Bai arched an eyebrow and rubbed her growling stomach.
“Sis, I’m hungry. Is the food ready?”
After speaking, she took several deep sniffs of the delicious aroma filling the air. Watching her nostrils flare, Tang Xi affectionately pinched her prominent nose.
“You little glutton!”
Tang Bai pouted, then rose and tugged Tang Xi out of the bedroom.
The simple home-cooked dishes on the table immediately sent Tang Bai’s appetite into overdrive. She hurriedly picked up her chopsticks and reached for her favorite chicken wing tips, but before her hand had even made it halfway there, Tang Xi smacked it away.
Tang Bai stared at her sister in confusion. Her puffed cheeks and foolish expression amused Tang Xi, though she deliberately put on a stern face.
“Go wash your hands thoroughly with soap, then come back to eat!”
Tang Bai was speechless, but she obediently got up and went to the bathroom. As she washed her hands, she reproached herself for forgetting that her sister was a doctor—and, like many doctors, had an obsessive streak when it came to cleanliness.
Seeing Tang Bai’s tall, thin figure heading toward the bathroom, Tang Xi felt a pang in her heart. At over five feet seven, Tang Bai probably weighed only around a hundred and ten pounds.
Tang Xi silently made up her mind. During the few months Tang Bai would be home, she would put some healthy weight on her.
A faint smile rested on her lips. It was gentle and reassuring, carrying the warm serenity of polished jade.
When Tang Bai came out of the bathroom, the first thing she saw was Tang Xi’s calm, reassuring smile. For a moment, she was spellbound, struck by the urge to pull her sister into her arms.
How wonderful would it be if her sister could stay by her side forever?
Tang Bai shook her head, lowered her gaze, and walked toward the seat beside Tang Xi. She was secretly thankful that years of military training had tanned her face a warm honey color. Otherwise, with how hot her face felt, it would surely have turned bright red.
A strange impulse lingered deep within her, though she did not yet understand what it meant.
Tang Xi’s sharp eyes caught the slight redness in Tang Bai’s small ears. Curious, she reached over and pinched one, only to watch it turn even redder.
“Why are your ears so red after washing your hands? Are you having an allergic reaction?”
She stared at Tang Bai’s honey-colored face for a while, growing increasingly worried.
“Hmm, your face looks a little red too. It really might be an allergy!”
Tang Bai paused, then replied as calmly as she could.
“Don’t worry, Sis. I’m fine. I washed my face while I was washing my hands. Maybe I scrubbed too hard.”
The lie made her feel guilty as soon as it left her mouth. She could hardly tell her sister that her face had gone red because Tang Xi had looked so gentle and refined that Tang Bai had suddenly wanted to embrace her and keep her by her side forever.
Tang Xi would surely give her a good rap on the head if she heard that.
Although Tang Xi looked gentle, Tang Bai knew better. Her sister was kind to everyone else, but with Tang Bai, she was always pinching her or rapping her on the head.
Reassured, Tang Xi set her mind at ease.
“You should wash your face more gently next time. Don’t scrub so hard, all right?”
Tang Bai kept her eyes fixed on the dishes and answered distractedly.
“Mm, got it. I’ll be more careful from now on.”
Seeing Tang Bai’s ravenous expression, Tang Xi could not help laughing.
“Then let’s eat!”
No sooner had she finished speaking than Tang Bai picked up her bowl and attacked the dishes, devouring everything in a whirlwind.
Tang Xi smiled. Judging by the way Xiaobai was eating, her cooking skills clearly had not deteriorated.
Next time, she decided, she would add a little more chili and see whether Tang Bai still dared to eat so quickly. Ha-ha…
Of course, it was for Xiaobai’s own good. Food had to be chewed slowly to aid digestion. At this rate, Xiaobai might end up with severe indigestion.
The more Tang Xi watched, the more worried she became. Tang Bai was not eating at all—she was practically pouring the food into her mouth.
Once Tang Bai was full, she contentedly pulled out a tissue and wiped her mouth. Then she noticed Tang Xi staring at her thoughtfully, a faint trace of worry in her expression.
Tang Bai raised an eyebrow and waved a hand in front of her sister’s face. Tang Xi came back to herself and spoke worriedly.
“Xiaobai, can you break that bad habit of wolfing down your food? Eating like that is terrible for your stomach.”
Tang Bai smiled, completely unconcerned.
“It’s fine, Sis. I got used to it in the army. Sometimes, when we’re on a mission, we have to finish a meal in two or three minutes. And most of the time, all we get is half-raw grilled snake meat and the like…”
Tang Bai did not dare tell Tang Xi the rest.
Tang Xi’s heart ached even more. What kind of life had Xiaobai been living in the army? She could not even sit down and eat a proper meal. No wonder she was so thin.
Her resolve to put healthy weight on Tang Bai only grew stronger.
