"Brother Qian, do you mean..." The lady from the Ruanlin Family looked a bit anxiously at the peace charm in his hand.
Qian Xiabai stuffed the peace charm into her hand, sighed heavily, and said, "When you get back, sew this into a cloth bag with red string and make sure the child carries it all the time, never leaving her side... And... remember, don’t let her near rivers, seas, or even ponds."
On the way back, Ruan Jiaojiao was led by the lady from the Ruanlin Family, who had a deep frown on her face and a serious expression.
Ruan Jiaojiao watched her for a while and finally decided to have an open and honest talk with her.
The lady from the Ruanlin Family seemed to be deep in thought and didn’t respond.
Ruan Jiaojiao shook her hand, and she finally came to her senses and looked at her: "What’s wrong, Jiaojiao?"
"Grandma, did you really say those animals were brought by Jiaojiao?" asked Ruan Jiaojiao.
Upon hearing this, the lady from the Ruanlin Family immediately bowed her head to pick her up, looked at her seriously, and said, "Jiaojiao, don’t tell anyone about this, understand? Not even your brothers."
"Do you really think that was brought by Jiaojiao? Aren’t you afraid, Grandma? I’ve heard from my brother that people like that are Monsters..."
"Nonsense, how could Jiaojiao be a Monster." The lady from the Ruanlin Family immediately interrupted her: "Don’t listen to your brother’s blather. Those stories are false. Our little Jiaojiao is a blessed child, not a Monster."
"Just remember what Grandma said, don’t tell anyone about this, okay?"
"Not even him!" said the lady from the Ruanlin Family.
"Okay." Ruan Jiaojiao nodded, wrapped her little hands around her neck, rubbed her tender face against hers, and cooed, "Grandma, Jiaojiao wants to eat the smoked meat and bamboo shoots that Grandma makes for dinner."
"All right, when we get home, I’ll make it for our little Jiaojiao." The lady from the Ruanlin Family’s heart melted from the nuzzling, and there wasn’t anything she wouldn’t do for her, not even hesitate to give her heart away.
As soon as the lady from the Ruanlin Family got home, she began preparing the meal. Since the workers who were building the house were eating at the Ruan Family’s home, she had to cook more than usual. Moreover, Ruan Jiaojiao had just recovered from an illness, so she needed special nourishment, which meant cooking had to start early.
She told Ruan Jiaojiao to play by herself in the yard and not to wander off, while she busied herself in the back kitchen.
Liao Zhaoji was forcefully sent back by Ruan Jiandang the second day after Ruan Jiaojiao was hospitalized, because she refused to compromise, and now the divorce proceedings were still not finalized.
When Xiu Xi entered the door with two grey-white rabbits, Ruan Jiaojiao was sitting on a small stool, helping the lady from the Ruanlin Family pick vegetables.
"Eh?" She looked at him with curiosity as he approached with the rabbits: "Brother Xi, where did you catch these rabbits?" And they were alive too, unlike hers, which were always dead from the collision.
"Caught them on the back hill," Xiu Xi said, standing in front of her with the rabbits: "Do you want to play with them? They’re still alive."
Ruan Jiaojiao glanced at the rabbits in his hand, pursed her lips and shook her head. She liked to play with little rabbits, but who would want to play with these ten-pound meat rabbits that could scratch her to death.
Seeing that she didn’t want to play, Xiu Xi carried the rabbits to the back kitchen.
The lady from the Ruanlin Family, who was squatting in front of the stove lighting a fire, was surprised to see him come in with the rabbits. However, after the incident with Ruan Jiaojiao, she accepted it easily, thinking he brought them for her to cook, and said apologetically, "Xiaoxi, I’m tied up right now. Can I cook them for you later?"