Simulated Lives: The Sorrow of the Sword Maiden-Chapter 2 – You have become her only hero

"The abandoned newborn..."
Xu Xi took another step forward, closely following the line of starving people.
He understood well.
In this era, it was all too common for infants to be abandoned. After all, when parents struggled to survive themselves, how could they have the energy to care for a baby?
Encountering such situations during a famine, the best course of action was to act as if nothing had happened.
Xu Xi thought this as he silently lowered his eyelids.
He planned to turn a deaf ear.
He planned to turn a blind eye.
The others around him did the same, including Aunt Wang's family who had given water earlier.
It wasn't that they weren't kind or lacked compassion, but in these famine-stricken times, raising a newborn meant reducing their family's food supply, reducing their hope of survival.
When compared, people still preferred to choose their own family.
Thud—
Thud—
The heavy footsteps sounded like moral condemnation, pounding on everyone's hearts.
Suddenly, Xu Xi stopped in his tracks. He looked up at the sun in the sky, as if finally making a decision. Under the astonished and bewildered gazes of others, he quickly left the line of starving people and sprinted towards the direction where he had heard the sound.
"Even though it's just a simulated world, it's too real to ignore... In such a time of food scarcity.
If left unchecked, the child's fate might be..."
Xu Xi silently quickened his pace.
He searched through the wild grass, ran over sharp stones.
Gradually, the height of the wild grass reached Xu Xi's knees. Every step required effort to push aside the tough branches. The hot wind howled past his ears, carrying the rustling sound of grass brushing against each other.
Cutting through thorns.
Pressing forward with courage.
Just like in countless fairy tales.
Small arms pushed through difficulties, tender feet stepped over obstacles, and the fearless hero finally reached the destination. Under a withered tree, he found the baby girl wrapped in cloth.
Sunlight descended from the sky, divided into countless fragments by the leafless branches, scattered and mottled.
Xu Xi crouched down.
He picked up the obviously newborn baby, shielding her from the scorching sun.
"Finally found you," he whispered.
The baby's skin was very fair and tender, like newly bloomed petals, with a faint pink hue. Her eyes blinked curiously at Xu Xi's flushed face, overheated and exhausted.
Her small nose twitched slightly, and her body curled up in Xu Xi's arms, becoming incredibly quiet.
It seemed she felt very safe in Xu Xi's embrace.
"Looks like she's okay."
Seeing the baby sleeping soundly, Xu Xi breathed a sigh of relief. Then, with the gentlest possible movements, he carried the baby back towards the original group.
Though it was a bit difficult.
Xu Xi didn't want to give up on this child.
At least, he wanted to try to let her survive this famine.
***
[Suffering Creates Heroes]
[You ignored the astonishment of others, and when everyone else chose to give up, you resolutely became a hero for one, bringing the endangered baby girl back and treating her as your own sister.]
[You used your last bit of food to exchange for some breast milk, so your sister wouldn't have to endure hunger.]
[In return, having lost your last rations, you could only endure the cramps in your stomach, feeling weak and powerless day and night.]
[Fortunately, your luck wasn't too bad.]
[Before truly starving to death, you and your sister followed the group of starving people and successfully reached a mortal city, where you received life-saving hot porridge from a charity kitchen.]
[You survived, and your sister survived with you.]
[You inquired around and learned that the city was called Blackstone City, belonging to a mortal dynasty, where immortals came every five years to test and accept disciples.]
[Your luck seemed a bit off, as the last recruitment had just passed not long ago, and you would have to wait a full five years.]
[You decided to stay in Blackstone City, to participate in the disciple recruitment ceremony held every five years. For this, you began to find ways to earn money, striving to support yourself and your sister.]
[You named your sister Xu Moli.]
***
Time flies, and years pass by like a shuttle.
Perhaps because of the simulator.
Xu Xi often felt time passing quickly, as if he pressed a skip button in a game, and the game jumped several years ahead.
However.
Xu Xi still retained the relevant memories.
He remembered how he survived in Blackstone City, remembered his interactions with his sister Moli, remembered dealing with neighbors and townsfolk.
"By my calculations, there's only one year left until the disciple recruitment ceremony."
Inside the small wooden house.
There was little furniture, and the floor was clean.
Xu Xi pondered, using charcoal to draw a deep mark on the wall, of which there were already four, symbolizing the past four years.
This year, Xu Xi was eleven years old.
Due to his mature demeanor and gradually developing physique, he appeared far more reliable than his peers.
"Brother!!"
A soft, innocent voice came from behind.
Almost simultaneously, a small figure jumped onto Xu Xi's back, affectionately lying there, showing a face of childlike contentment.
"You, always so mischievous."
Xu Xi spoke with helplessness.
Skillfully lifting the girl by the nape of her neck.
Gently placing her on the ground.
"No way, brother is wronging Moli," the girl protested discontentedly after landing, tugging at Xu Xi's robe, smoothing out the wrinkles she had just caused.
Her expression was serious, her actions meticulous, as if handling something extremely important.
Once everything was done.
The girl finally showed a satisfied expression.
Her smile was pure, lively, and adorable. At four years old, she was like the most flawless porcelain doll, making Xu Xi unable to resist ruffling her hair.
"You can't mess up Moli's hair!"
It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from "p𝑎wread.com".
Listening to the girl's cute protest, Xu Xi laughed, "Why not?"
The girl earnestly counted on her fingers, "The grandma next door said that touching a child's head will stop them from growing tall. Brother has done it many times, if this continues, how will Moli grow tall!"
Xu Xi curiously asked, "And when little Moli grows tall, what do you plan to do?"
The girl didn't hesitate, "Help brother earn lots and lots of money!!"
"Hahaha, is that so? That's really something to look forward to."
Xu Xi laughed heartily.
In the girl's pouting expression, he ruffled her shiny black hair again, then, before his adorable sister could get angry, he quickly produced a large watermelon.
"Wow, it's a big, big watermelon!"
Xu Moli exclaimed in surprise.
Her eyes were full of delight and happiness.
Hugging Xu Xi's leg, she cheered, "I want to eat, I want to eat, brother, cut it for Moli!"
"Alright, alright, I'm on it," the boy responded dotingly, letting his sister step back a bit, then took out the kitchen knife and sliced the watermelon into even pieces.
Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan