Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
That night, Xiaoxiao returned to the village with Rong Yan.
It was strange. Fortune Village was clearly not his home, but Rong Yan felt
calm.
Especially when he looked at the girl beside him.
Xiaoxiao was a little embarrassed by Rong Yanâs gaze and was a little afraid of being discovered by her eldest brother. Her second brother was more simple-minded, but she was not worried. He was counting how much money he could earn in the future.
Rong Yan asked, âIs it settled tomorrow?â Then, he stuffed something into her palm.
Xiaoxiao secretly glanced at her eldest brother, who was looking at the road, and covered her hand with her sleeve. âYes, weâll sign the contract tomorrow and start teaching the day after tomorrow.â
Before Rong Yan could continue asking, he heard Ning Anhui sigh. âI feel like Iâm in a dream. Itâs as if our family didnât have enough to eat or wear yesterday.
Suddenly, we set up a stall to earn money.â
Xiaoxiao pinched him. âDoes it hurt?â
Ning Anhui cried out in pain. âCan you be gentler? Iâm your brother! Isnât there a saying that a gentleman uses his words but not his fists?
Xiaoxiao held her chin and blinked. When she did not speak, she was as beautiful and cute as a little fairy. âThen letâs talk. Second Brother, letâs assume that every franchise shop will sell 200 cups of milk tea every day in the future.
One cup of milk tea will cost five copper coins. How much will the 15 shops sell in a day?â
Ning Anhui was speechless.
His hands, his fingers were not enough!
After being mischievous for a while and confirming that Second Brother had taken the initiative to move away and would not come back for a while, Xiaoxiao used her sleeve to cover her hand and secretly scratched the back of
Rong Yanâs hand.
It was like being scratched by a rabbit that had retracted its claws. It was a soft cushion. It did not hurt, but it was a little itchy.
When the carriage left the county, Xiaoxiao was a little dazed. She did too many things today and her small body couldnât take it. She really couldnât help but tilt her head and fall onto Rong Yanâs shoulder.
A second before her head came into contact with Rong Yanâs shoulder, a hand held her head. Rong Yan looked up along the arm and saw Ning Anshengâs gentle face. He lowered his voice. âIâm sorry, Xiaoxiao is tired.
Ning Anhui took the opportunity to put her down in the carriage and skillfully stuffed a small pillow under her head. Seeing this scene, Ning Anhui covered his sister with a blanket. The brothers worked together seamlessly and gave Xiaoxiao a stable sleeping environment in minutes. Then, they walked out of the carriage together.
Rong Yan glanced at Xiaoxiaoâs sleeping face and followed them out without hesitation.
Actually, it was a little crowded for three people to sit outside the carriage. Yun San, who was driving the carriage, had already mounted the horse. He casually sighed. âYoung Master Ning, your family is quite particular about avoiding suspicion, right?â
Ning Anhui said carelessly, âThatâs right. Ever since I can remember, weâve never stayed in the house alone with Little Sister. Weâre separated from each other when we wash up and rest. Moreover, no matter how difficult our family is, Father and Mother insist on letting Little Sister sleep alone in a room, even if itâs only separated by a curtain. If the two of us dare to approach, Father can break our legs.â
Ning Ansheng glanced at him. âRemove the word our.
Ning Anhui felt that their brotherly love was in danger. Although he was the only one who was always curious about his sister back then, didnât Big Brother draw the line too quickly?
He put his hands on his hips angrily. âHmph, I just want to be close to my sister, but Big Brother, you said something silly like âI want to marry my sisterâ!â Who was more childish than whom!
As soon as he finished speaking, Ning Anhui regretted it. He saw that his eldest brotherâs expression had turned very ugly. It was the kind of ugly expression that one would have before one killed his family member. He shrunk his neck and tried to salvage the situation in a low voice. âAh, it must have been a long time. I remembered it wrongly.â
Ning Ansheng had the urge to slap his younger brother into a mute. Although he was young and ignorant back then, he was really the one who said it. He cupped his hands at Rong Yan with a warm face. âSorry for making a fool of myself.â He was no longer in the mood to speak.
Although Rong Yan did not react, he still felt a little jealous.
He was jealous because he did not have the chance to participate in the little girlâs life all those years ago.
He started to think about a question. Since the two of them had already made their intentions clear, should he bring her back to the Imperial Capital? He could see how much she cherished her family. Could she⦠bear to?
When Xiaoxiao woke up, she realized that her two brothers and Little Big Brother were deep in thought. She guessed that they were either discussing knowledge or studying national matters, so she hid in the carriage alone and started to admire Little Big Brotherâs gift.
It was a pair of red coral bead earrings. They were of the same style as the hair accessories he had given her previously, and she liked them too.
She lifted the curtain of the carriage and let her brothers and Little Big Brother in. At a glance, the three of them saw the little beads dangling from her ears. Rong Yan couldnât help but smile, but he suppressed it in front of her brothers. Ning Ansheng asked curiously, âWhere did this come from?â Xiaoxiao did not blush or pant. âI bought it from the county. Does it look good?â Ning Anhui reached out to fiddle with it, but Xiaoxiao slapped him away. âA gentleman uses his words and not his fists!
He pretended to be sad and touched the back of his hand. âIt does look good, but it looks a little plain. I think the young ladies of the rich families in the county wear gold and silver. Why donât I get you gold later?â
Xiaoxiao was speechless.
âPlease let me off. Second Brother, with all due respect, if you donât change your aesthetic standards, you might not be able to get a wife in the future.â For some reason, Qian Jiaoâerâs face suddenly appeared in Ning Anhuiâs mind. Then, he fell into a strange silence alone.
Xiaoxiao was so happy that Second Brother had reservations. She hooked the coral beads on her ears and said, âI like this.â
Ning Ansheng looked at his younger sister and then at his younger brother. He felt that something was amiss.
This strange feeling was temporarily suppressed when he saw the commotion at the entrance of the village. Out of curiosity, Ning Anhui jumped off the carriage and ran to ask. When he returned, his expression was very complicated.
âSecond Uncle lost money in the county and secretly mortgaged the old residenceâs deed. In the end, he lost again, so heâ¦â
Xiaoxiao widened her eyes and nudged him to urge him. Ning Anhui gritted his teeth. âHe sold Second Aunt and Little Aunt.â
Oh my god, Xiaoxiao didnât know if she should clap or give him a thumbs up. Second Uncle was so good at betraying his teammates.
Ning Ansheng looked at his younger brother disapprovingly. âHow can you say such dirty things in front of our younger sister?
Ning Anhui sighed. He hadnât even said anything more disgusting, such as where Little Aunt had been sold to.
âItâs all over the village now. Even if I donât say it now, we canât hide it from Sister.â
After Xiaoxiao was happy for a while, she suddenly thought of something and turned to look at Rong Yan. The latter only paused for a moment before nodding at her imperceptibly.
He was a little nervous. Would Xiaoxiao think that he was too ruthless? However, Xiaoxiao only cupped her fists at him and nodded in a very pugilistic manner.
Was this⦠a thank-you?
That was true. She was not the kind of person who repay evil with kindness.
After this incident, those people in the old residence probably would not have the chance to cause trouble for the Ning Family again.
Xiaoxiao rested her chin on her hand and made a decision not long after. âBig Brother, Second Brother, go and fetch Father and Mother. Well stay in the county today..â