“She is my grandmother,” she replied.
“Are you Princess Yunxiang?” he asked, slightly surprised.
“At least you have some discernment,” Xiao Ning Wanwan said.
“
Seeing Xiao Sizhan silent, Xiao Ning Wanwan thought he was stunned by her identity and said, “Now you know my status is extraordinary, so you must listen to me. Don’t worry, I will definitely bring you out alive.”
Xiao Sizhan looked at her expression and couldn’t help but laugh. Xiao Ning Wanwan exclaimed, “Big brother, you look so handsome when you smile.”
Xiao Sizhan, gradually stopping his laughter, pulled her to the side and climbed into the crevice to tear apart the vines.
Anxiously, she asked, “Big brother, why are you tearing them all down?”
“These vines are too thin to support our weight. We can only make them thicker by weaving them together,” he explained.
Delighted, Xiao Ning Wanwan eagerly helped carry the vines to the shore, arranging them neatly according to length and thickness. Soon, they had a large pile and sat together to weave, finishing just as the sky darkened.
With no fire in the canyon, they could only attempt to climb out after daybreak. That night, Xiao Sizhan hugged his knees tightly in the corner, watching Xiao Ning Wanwan curled up opposite him. “Little sister, are you afraid?”
“…
Xiao Ning Wanwan curled up into a small ball, sounding aggrieved. After a moment, she asserted, “But I know my grandmother will definitely bring people to find me, so I’m not afraid anymore.”
Xiao Sizhan paused and asked, “This is a wilderness. How did a noble lady end up here?”
Ning Wanwan became energetic, explaining, “I came with my grandmother to check accounts at the countryside estate. I saw a little donkey and, despite Fuyи and Auntie Chang not letting me ride it, I secretly led it out. The donkey threw me off and ran away, and while chasing it, I met big brother…”
Suddenly, she stopped and looked at Xiao Sizhan cautiously. “Big brother, why did you not want to live?”
Xiao Sizhan’s pitch-black eyes revealed no secrets. After a long pause, he replied, “Nothing, just tired of living. I won’t live much longer… Besides, no one in this world cares about my life or death. Everyone wants me dead, so… I might as well die cleanly.” His voice trembled.
