My sickly little sister is too clingy, I just keep sticking to her.

That night~

Chen Xue was not dreaming.

I slept soundly until dawn.

The moment she opened her eyes, she looked somewhat dazed. For many people, this was just a simple nap, but for Chen Xue, it was completely different.

It's been a long time since I last slept soundly through the night.

a year?

Two years?

I can't remember.

Before she could even react, she heard a notification sound on her phone.

Chen Xia!

[Chen Xia: Let's eat.]

Chen Xue: Okay

Have you eaten yet?

It seems... it really is time to eat.

However, compared to eating, she cared more about the updates. She had only intended to take a look, but when she saw that the update was on time at eight o'clock.

A strange look appeared in her eyes.

Yeah ~

It actually got an update!

But within this... a new plot twist emerged.

After one night of intrusion, the younger sister developed a liking for being held while sleeping, finding it impossible to fall asleep alone. So, the following night, she climbed into her brother's bed while he was asleep.

(⊙o⊙)...

After seeing this scene, Chen Xue was completely certain that her older brother was fantasizing again.

It's like being patted on the head.

Whether it's Japanese manga or novels, there are similar scenes where touching someone's head feels nice, but in reality... it only messes up their hair.

It had no positive effect whatsoever.

Being held while sleeping... it should be the same, right? Sleeping alone, I can sleep however I want, which is more comfortable than two people fighting over the blanket.

Correct.

That's definitely the case.

At least... she prefers being alone, rather than sleeping with Chen Xia.

impossible.

It is absolutely impossible.

After calming herself down, Chen Xue got up and went to the living room, only to find that the house lacked any warmth or liveliness.

Cook?

It seems... not.

"???"

"Good morning!"

“…………”

Chen Xue didn't speak, but instead looked puzzled and confused.

What does that mean?

Chen Xia understood perfectly and immediately stated her plan: "We agreed yesterday to go to the beach today... Let's get ready and go downstairs for breakfast."

seaside?

Beachcombing!

Chen Xue immediately remembered.

Regarding this...

She hesitated for a moment, even a little embarrassed, and weakly called out, "Brother~"

"What's wrong?"

"Um... um..."

After hesitating for several seconds, Chen Xue finally revealed her true thoughts: "Um... I don't have a swimsuit."

swimsuit?

At first, Chen Xia didn't understand what Chen Xue meant.

He understood later.

Helplessly, he explained, "We're going to beachcomb, not to swim. We just need to walk around in the shallow water; we won't go into the sea... at most, we'll wear rubber boots."

"Ah~"

Upon hearing this, Chen Xue suddenly realized what was going on.

Yes.

The reason for going beachcombing is because the tide is out.

There's no water.

What kind of swimsuit do you want?

Suddenly~

Chen Xue was a little embarrassed and didn't dare to look up. Seeing her like this, Chen Xia didn't laugh at her. Instead, he coughed lightly and said, "Pack your things quickly and let's leave early."

"Um."

Chen Xue nodded.

set off.

Going to the beach.

This is a unique activity for people living by the sea, and it varies from season to season, as does the types of harvest.

Sea cucumber, sea worm, sea mussel.

Mantis shrimp, Lugu shrimp, and crunchy shrimp.

Clams, razor clams, and cockles.

wait wait wait.

Many, many.

Chen Xia really enjoys this show and will go whenever she has the chance. Now... she will be going back to her old ways. The last time she went beachcombing was probably around October last year.

There's nothing I can do about it~

It's too cold in winter.

Too lazy to go.

The season is just right now.

Let's tidy up.

set off.

The warehouse contains the items that were prepared beforehand.

Shovel, bucket, hook.

Besides these, there were many more... After seeing this scene, Chen Xue was somewhat surprised. She might have been in the warehouse before, but she hadn't noticed these things.

Now... I've noticed.

That's an extraordinary amount.

"Do you bring all of these?"

"This time we're going to collect things, we don't need to dig... all we need to do is wear rain boots, bring gloves and a shovel."

"Hmm~"

Beachcombing?

It's... alright.

At least at this moment, Chen Xue felt a surge of interest, and even... at this moment, she couldn't tell whether it was because of yesterday's chapter or because of her own actions.

Regardless of the reason, the result was the same. Before going to the beach, the two had breakfast at a nearby Jianbing Guozi shop, which tasted different from the usual ones.

Salty?

Do not!

It has the sweetness of salad dressing.

The dough is also softer because it contains spinach juice, giving it a green color. It's soft to eat and perhaps not as crispy as a regular pancake.

But it also has its own unique charm.

sweet.

not bad.

As for what to do next... naturally, we'll go beachcombing.

sea!

For many people living inland, seeing the sea is a luxury, but for Chen Xia, it's very simple... she even specially chose the location for beachcombing.

There are some nearby beachcombing spots, but most of them are rather barren.

I want to get an octopus.

Ideally, we should go to a nicer place, and nowadays... that's exactly what it is...

We went directly to a famous scenic spot in Dalian.

Jinshitan!

Surrounded by the sea on three sides, with crystal-clear water, it would be a famous tourist attraction even in all of China.

Environment, location, topography.

They are all top-notch.

The two of them found a secret base, which was fenced off in many places due to tourism development and to prevent accidents.

But...

There are policies and measures to counter.

For example...

Install one less fence in places where no one will notice.

Chen Xia knew the location, but Chen Xue didn't. In fact, when she saw the fence, she was slightly disappointed, thinking she had to turn back.

But who would have thought...

There is another village in the dark.

After many twists and turns, we found a gap, hidden behind the bushes by the roadside. It's a place that most people wouldn't see.

Chen Xue was somewhat surprised: "This..."

"Let's go, it's perfect timing... now is the best time. We're sure to come back with a full haul this time, and I'll cook you a seafood feast."

"Hmm~"

Seafood?

This isn't a big problem, because she only has one goal.

Takoyaki (octopus balls).

Beyond the fence, the coastline stretched as far as the eye could see, and the tide had receded, revealing the rocks hidden beneath the sea.

One glance.

It was all dark, rocky reefs.

sand?

almost none.

Even the area facing the sea is almost entirely made of rocks.

Chen Xue never expected that there would be such a place here. Just as she was marveling at it, someone walked towards her. They must also be people going to the beach to gather seafood.

Chen Xia and his group came to go beachcombing.

The other party, on the other hand, was returning home.

Moreover... she gained a lot. For some reason, seeing the other person like this, some emotions in Chen Xue's heart were subtly stirring.

He can.

Then I... should be able to do it too.

This was Chen Xue's first time going to the beach, and she was a little flustered. As a result, she was a bit nervous after stepping on the rocks.

"Brother~"

"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

"N-nothing..."

Chen Xue shook her head, ultimately not asking the question she wanted to ask. She was a local too, and if she didn't know how to go beachcombing, wouldn't she be laughed at?

Not going to ask?

It's okay.

Just follow their example when the time comes.

As they watched... Chen Xia walked forward a little, and after coming to a rock, he lifted it up and found some things.

For example... mussels.

All black.

In some places, this is a rare and expensive seafood, but here, three yuan can buy two jin (1 kg), which isn't very valuable, but it's better to have it than nothing.

Chen Xue followed suit.

Lifting stones.

but……

It's so heavy.

With great effort, she finally lifted a piece. It was nothing special at first, but after lifting it, she saw something inside.

Yeah!

true!

Eyes wide open.

You look at me, I look at you.

Then... Chen Xue couldn't help but exclaim, "Brother, there are crabs!"

"Small crabs? Don't worry about them, they have no meat and don't taste very good. They're only good for having with drinks."

"No, no, no... not that one, but the big one... it looks like a hermit crab."

"???"

(ｷ｀ﾟДﾟ´)!!

What the hell?

At first, Chen Xia didn't quite believe it, but when he came over and saw it, he was completely stunned.

What a huge crab!

It weighs about half a pound.

"Wow, Xiaoxue, you're so lucky..."

And at this time...

The hermit crab finally sensed the danger.

Want to go?

impossible.

Chen Xia threw it directly into the bucket. At this moment, Chen Xue seemed to feel the joy of beachcombing. It felt like winning a lottery, with no idea what was hidden under the rocks.

The two split up.

Chen Xia?

The harvest was minimal.

After many hardships, he finally found the first octopus.

One?

Not enough.

If he wanted to make more, he would need at least two or three, but just as he was about to lift the next stone, he heard Chen Xue's voice.

"Brother, there's something good..."

"???"

good stuff?

What good stuff?

However... upon arriving and seeing it, Chen Xia exclaimed in surprise, "Wow~"

no way!

Because what Chen Xue found was none other than the famous Liaoning sea cucumber from Dalian.

It's covered in thorns.

Moreover, it was about the length of a hand. Seeing this, Chen Xia was speechless for a long time: First a hermit crab, then a sea cucumber, this is too good of luck!

Is it a newbie protection period?

In the beginning...

Chen Xia didn't believe it.

Following behind Chen Xue and watching, she caught two crabs, more than a dozen mussels, and even later...

They even caught a sea urchin.

"this……"

Really!

Chen Xia was completely stunned.

No.

Is that right?

"Brother, what's wrong?"

"No...it's nothing...keep looking and see if you can find the octopus we're looking for. If you can, we can go straight home."

"How is that possible? I've always had terrible luck."

"???"

Looking at Chen Xue and the harvest in the bucket, Chen Xia's lips twitched slightly. If you consider this bad luck, then what is he? Unlucky?

"Just in case... let's give it a try, let's turn over that stone."

"Hmm~"

Anyway, it's right in front of us.

Give it a try.

As the stone was turned over, a glance revealed nothing below... Chen Xue had expected this; how could her luck be so good?

however……

Before she could say anything.

Chen Xia pointed to the overturned rock: "There... the octopus is there."

"???"

One glance was all it took!

An octopus was clinging to the rock.

The two had been focusing on the bottom of the stone, neglecting the stone itself. When they finally saw it, Chen Xia was overjoyed and couldn't help but exclaim, "Xiao Xue, are you the legendary lucky star...?"

"I……"

To be honest~

She was also a little stunned when she saw the octopus.

It actually exists.

Upon hearing the words "lucky star," Chen Xue's eyes dimmed, her initial enthusiasm vanished instantly, and she even felt somewhat helpless.

"I...I'm not a lucky charm, in fact...I feel like being with me might bring bad luck."

"???"

Bad luck?

Chen Xia frowned slightly, wondering what that meant.

I was going to ask that anyway.

But he noticed that Chen Xue's expression was a little off.

together?

Bad luck?

Chen Xia may not know exactly what happened to Chen Xue, but he has a rough idea of ​​what happened. Therefore, he knows very well what he should do.

Otherwise, my younger sister might do something rash.

At this moment, Chen Xue's complexion grew increasingly worse.

His eyes also began to lose their sparkle.

He kept muttering to himself.

She couldn't hear what was being said at all, and finally... just as Chen Xue's emotions reached a critical point.

slap~

Chen Xia's two hands clamped down on Chen Xue's face.

"Xiaoxue, look at me..."

"???"

"Look me in the eyes."

"!!!"

"Remember this: what you're thinking has nothing to do with you. If they suffer misfortune? That's their problem. There are people in this world who are clearly incompetent, but in order to make themselves feel better, they shift the blame to others."

“…………”

In an instant~

Chen Xue was stunned.

Why would my own brother say these things?

Is it...

He knew all along?

In an instant~

Chen Xue panicked.

Completely unsure of what expression to make, her body trembled slightly, her eyes were glazed over with panic, and even her breathing was in complete disarray.

"I...I..."

"remember!"

Chen Xia's voice came again: "You're not wrong, they're wrong. We don't need to care about these comments, no matter how perfectly you do it."

"In their eyes, you are wrong too. There's a saying that perfectly describes this kind of person."

"What?"

"Blaming the toilet for not being able to poop."

"(⊙o⊙)..."

Originally... Chen Xue was nervous, at a loss, and even a little moved.

It seems he... is right.

Even more perfect.

You are wrong too.

Despite her initial emotions, she couldn't help but laugh.

I really... laughed.

She didn't know whether she was laughing at herself or at Chen Xia's words; tears even welled up in her eyes.

See here~

Chen Xia breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't know why Chen Xue would say those things, so he just tried to comfort her, but the result told him otherwise.

it works!

After an unknown amount of time, Chen Xue's voice finally rang out again: "Brother, the way you said that... was so rough..."

"The words may be rough, but the principle is sound, and also..."

"besides?"

along with……

Chen Xia loosened her grip.

He gently stroked Chen Xue's nose: "I told you before that someone your age should smile more, and now you've smiled..."

"Huh? Did I laugh?"

"right!"

Chen Xia nodded: "You smiled, and..."

"What?"

"You look especially beautiful when you smile."