She walked up to him, her eyes earnestly fixed on him, "Brother Xu, you mustn’t lie to me, or I’ll get angry."
"I won’t lie." Xiu Xi’s expression remained the same, showing no sign of guilt.
Ruan Jiaojiao pursed her lips in thought, then said, "Then do as I did, and silently chant ’wild chicken’ three times."
Xiu Xi obediently chanted silently three times.
Ruan Jiaojiao looked up and around, it was eerily quiet, with only the occasional breeze fluttering by... but nothing seemed to be falling from the sky, nor did it seem like any wild chickens were about to run out from the mountains.
"..." Could she really have guessed wrong?
He doesn’t have a golden finger?
Was it simply because he’s the antagonist, the kind of villain who could destroy the world, that all animals would be scared of him?
That would be too... impressive!
Truly worthy of a villain, indeed different from ordinary people.
Seeing that Ruan Jiaojiao was silent, Xiu Xi thought she did not trust him, and, a bit anxiously, he grabbed her hand and repeated earnestly, "I didn’t lie to you!"
"Alright, I believe you," said Ruan Jiaojiao. Having herself transmigrated into this body, she felt that nothing in this world was impossible.
The Ruanlin Family brought back some grass for the goats to eat. When they entered, they saw Liu Mei from next door craning her neck to look over. Ruanlin furrowed her brows, glanced in that direction, and Liu Mei quickly retreated.
Ruanlin muttered irritably, entered the yard, and upon seeing Ruan Jiaojiao and Xiu Xi still playing, went to the kitchen to get busy.
When Ruan Jianguo returned with the workers for lunch, he paused upon seeing the goat in the backyard. Worrying that he might blurt out something untoward, Ruanlin hurriedly called out, "The nanny goat you asked someone to bring has arrived; the kid was a bonus. Now, our Jiaojiao will have goat milk to drink." As she spoke, she made meaningful eye contact with Ruan Jianguo.
Ruan Jianguo instantly understood and responded.
The workers laughed and marveled at how much the Ruan Family doted on their daughter. Although the little girl indeed looked pretty, fair, and tender, just like a little porcelain doll, they knew they could never spoil their own children to such an extent.
The workers had their lunch and, as was customary, rested for an hour before heading to the village entrance.
After they left, Ruan Jianguo immediately asked Ruanlin, "Did Xiaoxi bring this back, too?"
Ruan Jianguo’s expression changed, feeling a sense of unease. He was uncertain whether the children having this ability was a good or bad thing.
Ruanlin had obviously considered this as well, especially with the sneaky behavior of Liu Mei next door, her expression filled with worry, "The folks from the Xiu Family are not the peaceful sort. Today, she was peeping over here again; I’m afraid we won’t be able to keep it secret forever."
"Why not find a way to take him in and raise him?" she looked at Ruan Jianguo, "Transfer his household registration to our family."
That was a well-thought-out decision by Ruanlin.
She truly appreciated Xiu Xi and wanted to take him in; using her private savings to raise him until he was grown was absolutely no problem. Raising a child, however, was not the same as raising a kitten or a puppy, and if it wasn’t handled well, endless troubles could ensue in the future.
"This matter, it might not be easy to handle," Jianguo said. Even if Liu Mei didn’t want to raise the child anymore, Xiu Jianlin wouldn’t openly do something that would make people point fingers at him.
After all, where’s the rationale in giving one’s child to someone else to raise while one is still alive and well?
Others who are uninformed might even think that the Ruan Family had something to gain from it.