At first, both of them were very careful, afraid of getting their clothes wet. Jiang Ning, not quite satisfied, shouted,
"Speed it up, did you guys not eat?"
The two children immediately perked up on hearing that.
Although they were just kids, once they got serious about splashing water, the spectacle was quite astonishing, throwing mud everywhere, making it look like a water-splashing festival.
The children seemed to have endless energy, and towards the end, they even started competing with each other to see who could splash farther.
Especially the little girl, who was throwing water with all her might.
She furiously splashed half a basin of muddy water, then glanced competitively at the little boy, before turning her triumphant gaze towards Jiang Ning.
Jiang Ning watched this scene, raised his hands slowly, and clapped for them gently.
Seeing someone appreciate their efforts, the children splashed even more energetically.
In the end, the two children were covered in mud, looking like little mud monkeys.
Jiang Ning was very pleased with what he saw.
At that moment, a woman came walking quickly from a distance. She stood by the ditch, looking at the two mud monkeys, absolutely fuming, and screamed,
"Xiao You, what are you doing?"
The little boy didn't react much, but the little girl trembled all over, as if encountering a great terror,
"Xiao You, get up here now!" the woman yelled with glaring eyes.
The girl, called Xiao You, turned around, faced her mother squarely, and said righteously,
"You've got the wrong person, I'm not your Xiao You!"
The woman picked up a tree branch and chased after her, while Xiao You ran away frantically.
Jiang Ning silently turned around and left.
After a while, Xue Yuantong returned.
Her hands were empty, having given away all the gifts she'd brought.
"Jiang Ning, I'm hungry."
It was now eleven in the morning, having been on the move since well before six, changing transportation; it was quite normal to be hungry.
"Let's head to the town first."
When the two were leaving the village, they happened to encounter the woman dragging the little girl back.
Xue Yuantong was stunned, "Aunt Hua, is she Xiao You?"
Aunt Hua was furious, not even noticing Jiang Ning, "This girl has infuriated me!"
"I'll deal with her when we get home!"
After saying a few words, Aunt Hua added, "Why are you leaving without having a meal?"
Xue Yuantong replied, "We're heading back to the city soon."
The two chatted for a few moments, during which, the mud-soaked Xiao You, gave Jiang Ning a deeply resentful look. If it weren't for this big brother, she would still be joyfully splashing water.
After saying goodbye to Aunt Hua, Xue Yuantong and Jiang Ning went to the gate of the town middle school and had a seven-yuan bowl of spicy hotpot.
After lunch, it was twelve o'clock.
The bus to Xinhong County left at one-twenty, so there was still some time.
Xue Yuantong suggested, "There's a peach garden on the southern side of the town, let's look at the peach blossoms!"
April was the perfect season for peach blossoms to flourish.
The two headed to the Peach Garden, the brilliant floral scent surrounding them, with Xue Yuantong's rosy cheeks sparkling amidst the blossoms.
Jiang Ning took out his phone to capture this moment with a photo.
Xue Yuantong had exerted much more energy than usual today, and Jiang Ning didn't feed her any Spiritual Medicine. Excited earlier, she now felt tired and listless.
Xue Yuantong dragged her heavy steps, struggling to walk out of the Peach Garden.
She looked towards the distant North Station, and contemplating the long journey home, she sighed lightly,
"Jiang Ning, I'm so tired!"
Jiang Ning found a bench, "Rest if you're tired, don't push yourself."
He and Xue Yuantong sat down on the bench.
Xue Yuantong rested her head against Jiang Ning, pausing for half a minute, then a wave of sleepiness overcame her.
"Jiang Ning, I want to sleep," she informed him.
"What about you? Will you sleep?"
"Jiang Ning, imagine if when I wake up, I'm lying in my bed at home. Wouldn't that be wonderful?" Xue Yuantong mused, supporting her chin with her hand.
"No need to hurry for the bus, sniffle."
Jiang Ning smiled, "Sleep, and who knows, it might just happen when you wake up."
"Oh oh, then I'm going to sleep, don't forget to wake me up!"
Xue Yuantong hugged Jiang Ning's arm, leaning against him, inhaling his fresh scent, she felt reassured and closed her eyes.
Soon after, Xue Yuantong drifted off to sleep, her warm breath tickling Jiang Ning's neck.
Jiang Ning let her sleep for a while, then he looked towards the nearby Peach Garden and suddenly opened his hand.
An Array silently enveloped, hiding him and Xue Yuantong from everyone's senses.
Jiang Ning flicked his finger, and a Spirit Boat sprang out from the Storage Ring, floating in the air, then expanding in the breeze.
He bent down to pick up Xue Yuantong, feeling her soft body, his feet stepping on invisible stairs, he climbed aboard the Spirit Boat.
The boat's built-in protective shield activated, Jiang Ning drove the Spiritual Power.
A stream of blue light streaked towards the sky.