Shen Mianmian had been chatting with Li Chunhua, and Lu Siyuan had been silent the whole time. It wasn’t until they said goodbye to Li Chunhua and left Zhao Family’s village that he asked, "Was that person just now the village chief’s wife?"
"Yes," Shen Mianmian nodded. "The village chief and his wife are really nice to me. They’ve taken great care of me. If it wasn’t for their help, I might have dropped out of school."
As for why they didn’t help her in her past life, Shen Mianmian didn’t dwell on it at all.
In her past life, it was she who resigned herself to her fate. In her memory, when the Gu Family made trouble, the village chief did come over to talk about it, showing intentions to step in and help. However, Zhou Lanfang refused his assistance with the excuse that it was a family matter and none of his business, and sent the village chief away.
Shen Jianhua was a man who cared about his reputation. He felt that making a scene would make him look bad, so he agreed with Zhou Lanfang’s approach.
Thinking back on it, she found it laughable.
"You remember clearly the little kindness they showed you, but how come I never hear you mention any of my good deeds?" Lu Siyuan pouted and reminded her in a weird tone, "If it hadn’t been for me taking you in, you wouldn’t have had a seat in the class."
Shen Mianmian rolled her eyes, "If I remember correctly, you didn’t want to sit with me back then either. Weren’t you afraid I would copy your homework?"
Recalling the past, Lu Siyuan felt a bit awkward, "Don’t mind those little details. In the end, I did take you in, and I didn’t kick you out, did I?"
"I even picked sides in fights in the restroom."
"Now you mention it, if it hadn’t been for you, I could have knocked out several of Du Xiaohui’s teeth."
"We’re so familiar with each other; keep your tall tales within reasonable limits!"
The two of them bickered back and forth for a while until Lu Siyuan’s expression suddenly changed, and he became serious. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭·𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦·𝘯𝘦𝘵
"What’s wrong with your throat? Where did you go this morning?" He glanced at her, issuing a warning, "Don’t try to pull the wool over my eyes with the same tricks you use on others."
"Xu Haiyang’s masterpiece."
"You ran into Xu Haiyang?"
"Mhm." Shen Mianmian nodded, recounted the incident of being captured and then rescued casually, and finally took a deep breath, "Now it’s settled, a permanent solution. That guy won’t be out for years."
Lu Siyuan listened with his heart pounding in fear, and then looking at Shen Mianmian’s indifferent attitude, became filled with frustration.
"Shen Mianmian, should I call you foolish, or just carefree?"
Ignoring his angry eyes, Shen Mianmian pondered seriously, "I think you should say I’m incredibly smart, calm and collected, with amazing luck."
"You have the brains of a pig, recklessly brave. If not for good luck and running into Brother He, you would be..."
Lu Siyuan ranted and raved, but then he held back; he figured Shen Mianmian was still just a kid who didn’t fully understand, and he shouldn’t pollute her ears.
But after holding it in for a while, he still felt angry and gave Shen Mianmian an earful, scolding her for not sticking with Xiaocui.
His spit sprayed all over Shen Mianmian’s face, and she disdainfully pushed Lu Siyuan further away, "Mind your image. If my beautiful face grows a spit mole, you’re doomed."
Being lectured by someone who could be her son was a bit embarrassing for Shen Mianmian, but she didn’t take it to heart with Lu Siyuan.
She knew that Lu Siyuan’s agitation was all out of concern for her.
Xiaocui was about to cook when she saw Shen Mianmian and Lu Siyuan return, and she was immediately delighted.
Shen Mianmian hadn’t come in the morning, and Lu Siyuan had gone to look for her but also vanished. Then, inexplicably, a man came by saying Shen Mianmian had gone home, leaving her anxious and unsettled.