Li Yifei chuckled upon hearing this and said, "She will wake up, Uncle should thank you!"

"No need, I just... did my best." The little girl smiled shyly, then lowered her head slightly. Li Yifei noticed that the little girl was wearing a worn-out school uniform with a school name — Hope Elementary School, on her chest. However, the uniform seemed too big and didn’t fit well, as if it wasn’t her own clothing, and she wore a pair of slippers.

Seeing Li Yifei looking at her feet, the little girl felt a bit nervous and shuffled her feet, as if trying to hide them.

"Was it you who saved me, right?" Li Yifei asked, changing the subject.

"Yes, it was me!" The little girl whispered.

"Thank you, but where are the adults in your family?" Li Yifei continued to ask.

The little girl looked up at Li Yifei and shook her head. Li Yifei asked, "Not home?"

The little girl hesitated, seemingly in a dilemma, so Li Yifei guessed the reason and said, "It’s okay, if it’s inconvenient, you don’t have to answer."

"It’s not that... I just don’t have any family left; they all got sick and passed away!" The little girl said, pursing her lips. She didn’t seem very sad, but definitely resigned.

Li Yifei hurriedly said, "I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to."

"It’s okay, I’ve gotten used to it," the little girl said.

Li Yifei was momentarily at a loss for words. After a pause, the little girl spoke, "Are you thirsty? I’ll get you some water to drink."

"Okay, thank you, I am really thirsty, but I can’t move now, I’ll need your help," Li Yifei expressed his gratitude.

"It’s okay, as long as you can swallow by yourself now, I... used tree leaves to scoop water to feed you earlier." As the little girl spoke, she grabbed the wooden bowl beside her. Seeing Li Yifei lying unable to move, she was worried he might choke, so she put down the bowl and said, "I’ll help you sit up a bit to prevent choking."

"Alright, thank you!" Li Yifei first looked around the tattered house and then considered how this little girl had become an orphan, feeling unsettled. However, the girl seemed positive and after feeding him half a bowl of water, she said, "You’ve just woken up, so don’t drink too much. I’ll go make some porridge. I remember the teacher said that when your stomach is empty, you can’t eat too much, so you can only drink a little."

"Alright, no rush, be careful with the fire!" Li Yifei said.

The little girl nodded, pursed her lips, and carried the bowl out. Li Yifei was now able to lean against the headboard, with a better view, looking toward the door. When the little girl opened the door, Li Yifei could see what was outside, it seemed to be a kitchen, though a small one as well.

Once the girl closed the door, Li Yifei could no longer see and took a deep breath. Licking his lips, he felt much less thirsty, but with water in his belly, he felt hungrier. His stomach growled continuously, the hunger pangs overwhelming, a feeling that definitely wasn’t pleasant.

It had been years since Li Yifei felt such a distinct hunger; when it was mealtime, he could eat a lot or not at all, because his cultivation allowed him not to eat regularly without being affected. Of course, sometimes to satisfy a craving, he would indulge heartily.

At this moment, Li Yifei felt painfully hungry, his body was too weak, which made him crave food intensely. Food could bring all kinds of energy, which was what Li Yifei urgently needed.

Porridge, soon there will be porridge to drink, Li Yifei thought to himself, licking his lips.

He could hear sounds coming from outside through the door, his mind simulating the corresponding scenes: the girl washing rice... because he could hear water, the girl starting the fire because he heard the sound of flames burning, had the girl already put rice into the pot, or started cooking? Would the delicious porridge be ready soon?

No need to be fancy, a bowl of rice porridge would be enough; although not very nutritious, it’s certainly better than eating nothing. After drinking a little water, Li Yifei’s body was replenished, stimulating saliva production, and for the next twenty minutes, he kept swallowing saliva and doing so repeatedly. Hearing the sound of the lid being lifted, his eyes instantly opened wide, thinking how long it had been since he looked forward so eagerly to a meal.

Thinking about this, Li Yifei couldn’t help but grin and chuckle — the so-called hero’s awkward plight, maybe it’s like this, but it’s nothing terrible. People, it’s not scary to be weak; what’s scary is not being able to turn things around. Li Yifei thought he was merely temporarily injured and would naturally recover after some time.

He was all set to have porridge and had already smelled its enticing aroma, like the best-tasting thing on earth, no, not just like, it truly was, Li Yifei firmly thought.

At that moment, footsteps sounded outside. Judging by the footsteps’ sound on the ground, it seemed like a female or maybe a teenage boy. Seconds later, Li Yifei heard the timid voice of a little girl he still didn’t know the name of calling out, "Aunt, why are you here?"

"Wouldn’t I come? You’re quite something, little girl, haven’t checked on you for a few days, and I heard you picked up a stray man?" The woman spoke with a strange accent, using clumsy Mandarin.

"Auntie, he’s not a stray man, he was drowning, I couldn’t just watch him not being saved!" the little girl anxiously replied.

"Bullshit, been misbehaving since young, what, planning to find a man and start a family? I’m telling you, about your husband, it’s not your call. A few days ago, the Zhong Family from the neighboring village came to propose marriage, and I’m here to tell you today." The woman spoke in a non-negotiable tone.

In the room, Li Yifei frowned; this woman’s voice was annoying, and her tone uncomfortable. This content made him furrow his brows even more. Logically, this was a family matter, and he shouldn’t interfere. But how old was the little girl? She looked no more than ten years old and couldn’t even be past third or fourth grade in primary school. With her parents gone, her aunt... was likely her father’s brother’s wife, which was why she called her aunt. This woman wanted to arrange a marriage for her? What’s wrong with this place? As far as Li Yifei knew, Southern Sky Province was among the top provinces in the country, rapidly developing and open-minded, but how could the mindset here be so backward and ignorant?

Li Yifei didn’t know that these places were not just ignorant, but even more disrespectful and unfair toward women. Even those who became mothers, grandmothers, treated the next generations the same way.

Even now, families still desire sons, or they consider the lineage ended. A wife becomes a reproductive machine, and if she doesn’t give birth to a son, she keeps having children, as if the birth policy doesn’t apply to them. They would rather be fined but keep having kids.

Li Yifei found himself extremely annoyed just listening to that woman, hoping she’d moderate her tone knowing someone else was present, so he deliberately coughed twice.

The little girl’s eyes welled up with tears, and she said, "Auntie, I don’t want to get married, I... I can take care of myself. I won’t trouble you and Uncle, you don’t have to worry about me, I can manage!"

Hearing the little girl repeatedly say she could take care of herself made Li Yifei’s heart ache, perhaps related to his current physical state, making it hard to control his emotions.

Seconds later, the woman sneered and said, "What, you really want to live with that boy inside?"

"No, Auntie, I’m just taking him in temporarily. As soon as he’s better, I’ll ask him to leave!" the little girl hurried to explain.

"Alright, spare me the nonsense. I can mind my own business, but you have to get rid of this man soon. I don’t care where you take him, but he must leave. In a few days, the matchmakers will bring your future husband over. What’s it gonna look like having a man living in your house?" the other woman said.

The little girl bit her lip, struggled for a bit, and said, "Auntie, I won’t get married, I can take care of myself, I’m living well right now!"

"You can take care of yourself? Do you even believe what you’re saying? Not to be rude, but what do you eat and use each month, all of this provided by your uncle and me. Oh, you’re even cooking porridge, with seafood added in? Impressive, you’re living better than us. Your brother didn’t even get to eat seafood. Looks like we won’t need to buy you anything in the future!" the woman got more and more excessive with her sarcasm and venom, seemingly unsatisfied, continuing, "People should have a conscience. How have we treated you usually? You’re growing up, eating more too. Your uncle’s salary barely supports a family of four, let alone adding you. Why not find you a good family to marry into, live a good life? That family in the neighboring village are fishermen, they live off the sea. Isn’t it much better? A fishing trip alone brings in a fortune. Going there is a blessing!"

The little girl insisted, "I won’t marry, Auntie, I can agree to anything else you want, but I can’t agree to this. I’m too young, I cannot marry!"

"Who says you’re young? You’re already fourteen, how’s that young? You’re not fully grown yet, but once you start living a good life, you’ll develop in a few months. Alright, don’t make me angry, I’m here to bring you food. If you don’t agree, don’t say I and your uncle won’t take care of you anymore!" That woman continued to threaten.

Inside, Li Yifei’s eyes flashed with anger, regretting his immobility. Otherwise, he would’ve gone out to teach this woman a lesson. What sort of nonsense was this.

"Auntie, I... I’m sorry, about this matter..."

"One more word, and I’ll have someone throw that boy inside out right now, believe it or not." The woman suddenly turned and threatened, and naturally, the little girl believed her, her face full of grievance but not daring to argue back.