America: I came here to study, not to show mercy.

Chapter 229 Temporary Rest Farm
"dad……"

The jungle receded in front of them, and the view gradually opened up. Li Xiaoen followed Herbert to the farm, parked the car in an open space near the entrance, and then walked towards a few wooden houses not far ahead.

He chatted with the man on the way and learned his surname, Herbert, from him.

Looking up at the wooden house, Li Xiaoen immediately turned his head to look at the direction of the haystack, and then heard a joyful call in his ear.

From that direction, a little girl emerged from a haystack on the side of the meadow, opening her arms to greet him.

Her cheeks were flushed, and her rough-style cloth dress was covered in dust. The man who came to greet her picked her up, and she looked at him with her big, dark eyes.

“These are two friends I met while hunting. You can play with them.”

Herbert gave a brief introduction of both parties.

"Okay, okay."

Nodding quickly, the girl waved her hands in the air and hugged Li Xiaoen and the other girl.

Did you invite them to the farm so they could keep your daughter entertained?

Li Xiaoen's expression turned strange, while Victoria beside him had already squatted down with a smile and reached out to tease the little girl.

"Are we having guests?"

A middle-aged woman wearing an apron walked out of the wooden house. When she saw Li Xiaoen and the other woman, her eyes widened. She raised her hand in surprise and greeted them, "Come on in! I made braised pork knuckle with spaghetti today. It's delicious!"

"Thank you then."

Nodding, Li Xiaoen's [Eye of Insight] displayed all the spatial details of the entire farm, from top to bottom, within his mind. He didn't notice anything unusual, and only then did he relax.

As he ushered Victoria and the little girl into the house, Sean Lee felt both helpless and amused. Sophie was right; he did have paranoia, but in this world, especially in the free country of America, he still felt that this was necessary.

The interior decoration of the house is very simple. In the center against the wall is an open fireplace made of slate. The other tables, chairs, shelves and counters are all made of wood with a rough outline, which are probably the products of men's handmade work.

Perhaps fearing it wouldn't be good for her daughter to see, Li Xiaoen didn't see any deer heads, tiger heads, or other game decorations hanging on the wall.

Led to the dining table next to the kitchen, the two looked at the large pot of stewed pork knuckle in the middle. A rich aroma wafted through the air, and they couldn't help but swallow, realizing that they were already starving.

"Come on, make yourself at home, don't be shy."

After washing the dishes in the kitchen, the woman took out two sets of tableware and placed them in front of the two people. She greeted them with a smile and took the tongs and soup spoons from the pot to serve them a full plateful.

Just as Li Xiaoen subconsciously used his [superhuman sense of smell] to confirm that the food was safe, the family of three sitting at the table clasped their hands in front of them, closed their eyes, opened their mouths, and whispered in a low voice, which startled him.

I'm guilty.

Helpless, Li Xiaoen lowered his head, feeling both amused and exasperated. He raised his hand to cover his forehead, unsure how to describe his feelings at that moment.

"Awaited."

After a short while, the family of three put their hands down, and the woman began to greet them warmly.

While eating and chatting, Li Xiaoen learned a little about the Herbert family's situation. Because of their daughter's health problems, she was very sensitive to car pollution and other exhaust fumes. They moved from the city to this remote mountain forest a few years ago after their daughter was born and have lived there ever since.

Unfortunately, despite being born with this chronic illness, the little girl was excessively lively. From the DVDs and videos that the man brought back each time, and from the television she occasionally saw when she went to the small town, she learned that the world was not just forests, farms, and skies, and she could not suppress her desire to go out and see the world.

Is there really no cure?

She listened quietly; the man's voice was calm and accepting of reality, but Victoria's eyes still showed worry.

He gave her a reassuring smile, and Mrs. Herbert shook her head and took over the conversation.

"We've spent all our savings and asked around to all the respiratory disease experts at home and abroad, but none of them can help us."

Upon hearing this, Victoria lowered her head in sorrow. On the other side, a whimpering sound with a sob in her voice rang out, and everyone looked up.

Not long ago, she was a lively and cheerful little girl with a smile on her face. Her pretty face still had some dust left from wiping it away. She sat on a specially designed high chair with a knife and fork in her hands, and a tablecloth was tucked into her collar and spread out. At this moment, large teardrops fell onto it.

"I want to go out and see the world, to ride the Ferris wheel, to take a train..."

With her lips slightly pouting, she uttered a simple, even childish, sentence that left everyone at a loss, frantically trying to comfort her.

Li Xiaoen lowered his gaze, his heart sinking.

He didn't know much about medicine, but the fact that he was so sensitive to even inhaling a little bit of exhaust fumes that it was life-threatening probably meant he had some kind of severe lung or respiratory disease, or a serious allergy—especially since it was congenital.

It's no wonder they encountered this secluded family in such a remote mountain forest; the man said the nearest town was forty or fifty miles away.

Children's moods change quickly. The woman took out some chocolates from the room and coaxed her. However, another sound appeared at the dinner table at just the right time.

"Elva, it's mealtime now, no chocolate allowed!"

"What's wrong with eating a piece?"

"No way! If I agree, you won't even eat your meal, you'll just be waiting to eat chocolate later..."

Listening to the little girl bickering with her mother, her voice filled with resentment and defiance, Li Xiaoen and Victoria exchanged a glance and smiled knowingly.

After dinner, Sean Lee and the man stood outside looking at the entire farm enclosed by a fence, chatting idly, when Victoria came over with the little girl and asked for the car keys.

Understanding the girl's behavior, Li Xiaoen nodded without hesitation and handed over the car keys.

As Herbert followed them with surprised eyes, the two of them went back and forth, taking out a full box of various snacks and food from the trunk of the car. These were things they had bought at the supermarket that morning.

"Hey……"

The man frowned upon seeing this and turned to look at them. "How can this be? These are supplies from your journey..."

"fine."

Li Xiaoen waved his hand dismissively, "We only bought these things to eat on the road. Now that we've had such a delicious lunch at your house, we should feel lucky to have exchanged them. Besides, we can buy these things in town this afternoon, can't we?"

He opened his mouth, took a deep breath, nodded, and stopped worrying about it.

"Thank you."

After thanking her, Herbert looked in his daughter's direction, froze for a moment, and quickly walked over.

"Erva, you just finished lunch, you're not allowed to eat so many snacks..."

Silently watching Herbert snatch the snacks from his daughter's arms, Elva, her mouth full of crumbs, jumped up indignantly to take back the bag of chips. Lee Shawn couldn't help but shake his head, both amused and exasperated.

Who says American parents are all laissez-faire when it comes to raising their children? What he sees now is that they are quite involved in their children's upbringing.

As for the claim he read in magazines when he was a child that parents would kick their children out of the house as soon as they reached adulthood and make them fend for themselves, based on his own experience, that was utter nonsense.

Of course, he only traveled to the more developed states and counties near the east and west coasts, and his contact with different social classes was limited. Of course, this might be true for families in the central region struggling to make ends meet, but in any case, that statement is not absolute.

He increasingly felt that breaking stereotypes and filters ultimately required experiencing and engaging with things firsthand.

With a sigh in his heart, the three of them had already arrived. Li Xiaoen reached out and took the suitcase from Victoria's hand, dodging Elva's hand, which Elva couldn't snatch but her father reached into the suitcase instead, making the girl jump up and down in grievance, which amused everyone.

Just then, Mrs. Herbert brought out the milk tea she had made, and the group sat around a large tree stump outside, chatting. Elva asked questions enthusiastically, and whenever she talked about something unique to the city, it always elicited curious screams from her.

After a short rest, Victoria noticed the unusually rich taste of the milk tea and asked around, only to learn that there was a small dairy farm behind the farm. Elva noticed her curious gaze and excitedly pulled her over.

[Insightful Eye] Observed that Victoria, even with the little girl's careful dressing up and a white hair-binding hat on her head, was actually trying to milk a cow under the girl's guidance.

We've arrived at a farmhouse inn.

Li Xiaoen found it amusing. He looked up and saw Herbert holding an axe, solemnly approaching a metal stand where a short but thick wooden stake was fixed. He was momentarily stunned.

“Hey, Mr. Herbert.”

Li Xiaoen stepped closer and smiled at the man, raising his chin slightly. "Are you practicing chopping wood?"

He has seen quite a few online, similar to various stake-chopping competitions. Strangely enough, although these competitions sound boring at first glance, he can watch them all the way through each one.

"correct."

His gaze was fixed on the wooden stake. Upon hearing this, the man turned his head to look at him, smiled and nodded, and raised his hand to lift the hat off his head. "Our town is holding a competition in a week. I'll practice at home first."

Noticing the eager curiosity in the young man's eyes, he handed him the axe. "You seem to be in good physical condition. Want to give it a try?"

"sure."

Li Xiaoen nodded quickly and took the axe from his hand. "Thank you."

"Um……"

Living in a remote mountain forest, the arrival of guests not only made his daughter happy, but also put him and his wife in much better spirits than usual. The man smiled, put his hands on his hips, and gestured with his chin towards Li Xiaoen to indicate the location of the wooden stake, "Do you know how to chop it down most efficiently and quickly?"

"Of course, I've watched a lot of videos online."

With a reassuring wave, Li Xiaoen moved his feet, swung his axe and chopped at the wooden stake diagonally from top to bottom. He pulled it out, raised it again, and struck the tree trunk with another blow. With just two chops, he pulled out the axe and a piece of wood the size of a palm.

The man standing to the side widened his eyes in surprise upon seeing this, then completely relaxed and silently backed away to create some distance...

"Sean, are you really not planning to stay and finish the competition before leaving?"

After a short rest, it was already three o'clock in the afternoon. Li Xiaoen and the other person were about to follow Herbert to a nearby town. Herbert said with some regret, "Believe me, with your speed, you can definitely get good results in your junior group."

"Thank you. Although we call it a trip, we do have a specific purpose."

After exchanging a glance with Victoria, Sean Lee smiled and shook his head in polite refusal, then reached down and gently tugged at the hair of the little girl who was tightly gripping their trouser leg.

Although he spent very little time with the family of three, he could feel their simple yet warm emotions.

According to stereotypical online descriptions, Herbert could be described as a redneck from a conservative state in the Midwest. However, in reality, he didn't seem to have any extreme right-wing prejudices against outsiders. After helping the man load his prey onto the pickup truck, and with their own car crammed with dried meat and homemade milk tea, Sean Lee and Victoria got in. Suddenly, a figure darted out from a nearby haystack, squeezing Victoria into the car, causing them to pause in surprise.

"Sean, Victoria, take me to town, okay?"

It was obvious that she had just taken a bath. Elva looked at the two of them with her big, expectant eyes, which were filled with tears. Her little mouth was pouting, and her voice was pitiful and pleading, "I haven't been to town for a long time. My parents won't allow it. Only you can help me."

"The key is that we can't make decisions on our own. If we want to take you there, we need your parents' permission."

Li Xiaoen was somewhat amused and exasperated, but still reluctantly opened the car window and waved to the man who had pulled up the pickup truck next to him.

Looking back under Herbert's gaze, Elva seemed to be avoiding him, burying her head deeply in Victoria's arms and covering her face with her bent arm. Unfortunately, this action only made her look more ridiculous, which amused Victoria, who hugged her tightly with affection.

“Erva…”

With a sigh, the man looked up in the direction of home. His wife was walking briskly towards him, holding an apron. "Erica, take Elva home. Don't cause her any trouble."

"I won't cause any trouble."

Victoria quickly shook her head in denial, then looked at the two of them pleadingly, "If you don't mind, we'd like to take Elva with us for a stroll around town."

The couple paused for a moment upon hearing this. The man didn't speak, but looked down at Li Xiaoen. Seeing the young man smile and nod in agreement, they reluctantly agreed.

"No wonder you were nagging about taking a shower and wearing a skirt earlier; so that's what you were planning."

After the incident was brought up, the woman glared at her daughter in annoyance, only to be met with a delighted and ingratiating smile. She rolled her eyes and shoved the silk handkerchief into her daughter's hand.

"Remember, make sure you wear your scarf properly, okay? Also, stay close to your dad and don't run off to anything you see..."

After much encouragement and repeated reminders, the group finally set off successfully, slowly driving towards the town.

The car was filled with music, and Elva dangled her feet in the air, looking around with delight and greed at every new and interesting place inside and outside the car. Her little mouth never stopped, and like a curious child, she kept asking Victoria all sorts of questions.

"Oh, yes."

Elva kept talking, as if she had thought of something. She looked at the two of them with a smile and said, "Mom and Dad have gifts for you, and I have one too."

These words drew the attention of the two men. Elva reached into the pocket of her skirt and pulled out a small tin box, about the size of a palm and two fingers high, along with a few old coins, and handed it to the two men.

She glanced down and seemed to only then notice the coins in her hand, so she quickly took them back with her other hand.

"These silver coins are my pocket money; I need them when I go to town..."

"Hahaha……"

Perhaps because he grew up in the woods, Elva in front of him gave Li Xiaoen a feeling of the purest and most simple nature, and he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Okay, okay, we won't take your allowance."

Amused, Victoria nodded repeatedly as she looked at Elva's face, which had turned bright red. She reached out and took the tin box from Elva's hand. "What's this gift?"

As she spoke, she opened it and was taken aback when she saw the neatly arranged chalk of various colors inside.

Is this a paintbrush?

"Yes, it's a paintbrush."

Elva smiled and nodded, "My mother said that drawing is a more memorable way to commemorate a trip than taking photos. You can draw during your travels to record your experiences."

“Yes, this is a wonderful gift. Thank you, Elva.”

Smiling and nodding, Victoria picked up a paintbrush and said, "Shall we paint in the car now?"

"In the car?"

Elva's eyes widened, and she shook her head repeatedly. "No, no, it will get the car dirty. This car is so beautiful, it would be such a shame to get it dirty. I even took a shower before getting in the car..."

Upon hearing this, both of them were momentarily stunned.

"It's alright, Elva."

Li Xiaoen spoke up at the right moment, smiling and comforting, "You said it yourself, this is for commemorative purposes. Every experience on this trip is more valuable as a memento than the car itself."

"is it?"

After a moment of surprise, Elva looked at the two of them and couldn't help but smile. "You two have a really good relationship, almost like my parents."

These words plunged the entire carriage into a long silence once again.

"Elva, let's draw."

Turning her head to look out of the car, Victoria smiled and took the girl's hand, looking around. "Let's draw here by the car door. What do you think we can draw with this shape?"

"Um……"

On a whim, Elva immediately shifted her attention, scrutinizing the area before her eyes widened abruptly. "A snake, a python! A python this thick..."

"Hey hey hey..."

While driving, Li Xiaoen couldn't help but speak up, "I'm afraid of snakes, can you draw other animals instead?"

Upon hearing this, the two girls, one tall and one short, exchanged a glance and both chuckled.

The two girls ultimately decided to paint sheep on a farm, and shortly after they finished, the car arrived in town.

Being extra careful, Sean Lee parked the car away from the bustling areas on the edge of town, outside a convenience store in a corner. After Victoria tied a scarf around Elva's face, he led them into the town center to meet Herbert.

As for why it wasn't a more protective mask, I learned about it during lunch earlier. Elva was very averse to it and couldn't accept it, which caused her to have a strong stress reaction. Perhaps it was because it made her resistant to her illness.

After waiting for a long time, Herbert finally saw his daughter, whom he hadn't seen all the way and who had been missing him terribly. Seeing her tightly holding Victoria's hands and timidly hiding behind her, Herbert felt a wave of dizziness.

"How about we take Elva to the supermarket first, and you go and process the game, then we'll meet up."

Understanding the man's changing expression perfectly, Li Xiaoen looked around, both amused and exasperated, and tried to ease the tension.

"Ok."

Shaking his head helplessly, Herbert couldn't help but look at his "thoughtful little darling" who had suddenly become distant, and patiently reminded her, "Be careful, stay close to Sean and Victoria, and don't chase after anything you see, understand?"

"Don't worry, we'll take good care of her."

After the girl reluctantly nodded in agreement, Li Xiaoen also took the initiative to add a sentence.

Instead of parting ways, Li Xiaoen looked down at his phone, which had finally managed to get a signal, and led the two girls toward the largest supermarket.

With Elva by his side, he still took on the role of carrying the shopping bags, while Victoria simply held the little girl's hand and strolled around shopping. He didn't seem to mind, but many passersby praised the sweet family of three, which made Victoria blush involuntarily, and she didn't look back even once more.

After buying Elva a few outfits and skirts, as well as snacks and supplies prepared by both of them, their purpose in coming to the town was achieved, and they finally stopped in a coffee shop.

The two ordered coffee and a milk tea with cream and Oreo crumbs for Elva. While eating the snacks, they watched with amusement as Elva picked up a paintbrush and started doodling on a wall again—although it was a gift for them, the paintbrush was still in their hands.

At one point, Li Xiaoen's relaxed body suddenly tensed up, attracting the attention of two girls.

"Sean, are they here again?"

Startled, Victoria quickly asked in a low voice.

"Um……"

With a somber expression, Li Xiaoen nodded, ignoring the shopping bags she had left in the store. She quickly gestured and led them away, hiding behind the coffee shop.

[Insightful Eye] observed that this time, a group of bodyguards in suits arrived in the opposite direction from where they had come from. Several cars and mountain bikes came and stopped directly in front of the coffee shop, where they got out and surrounded the shop.

Something's not right. This wasn't because of that luxury car; there must be some other way they used to pinpoint the exact location.

Li Xiaoen's face darkened. He watched as the group of bodyguards entered the store to check the situation and then spread out to search the surrounding area. He silently gestured to the two girls and broke through in one direction.

According to the God's-eye view of the [Eye of Insight], Li Xiaoen can easily and confidently deal with most situations, but now, because the other party has too many people, they have formed a circle and blocked all the way, so he has no choice but to stop.

"Sean, is there no way to escape?"

Seeing the young man's face turn pale, Victoria quickly asked with concern.

"Don't worry, there's definitely a way."

Li Xiaoen nodded reassuringly to the girl, his mind racing. He brought up his system and scanned the inventory.

However, before he could figure out which item to use, Elva, who had been following him, took the initiative to leave them and ran towards another moving building before turning back towards the brightly lit street.

Before the two could react, Elva's shouts came again.

"Damn it, they made me watch the road outside, and then suddenly ran off..."

"You haven't given me my tip yet..."

After muttering something seemingly profound but actually nonsensical, Elva walked past the group of bodyguards in suits and ties and ran off in one direction. She was immediately blocked by several bodyguards on motorcycles.

Immediately afterwards, several bodyguards quickly walked over and blocked her way.

This time, we've become smarter and have contingency plans to catch up at any time.

Li Xiaoen was shocked to see that the bodyguards' encirclement had finally opened up a small gap. He quickly pulled Victoria along and, with the help of the [Eye of Insight], bypassed several corners and finally escaped the encirclement.

"Sean..."

As soon as they stopped, Victoria quickly tugged at his hand, her face filled with worry. "What about Elva? We can't leave her behind..."

(End of this chapter)