The Ruanlin Family also worried about Xiu Xi. Grandmother and granddaughter lay on the bed, with the elder Ruanlin leaning against the headboard and Ruan Jiaojiao nestled in her arms. Ruanlin held a fan, idly waving it back and forth.
Outside, the cacophony of cicadas and toads rose and fell in waves.
Ruan Jiaojiao had been waiting to the point of drowsiness when suddenly she heard faint footsteps from outside. She immediately sat up straight from Ruanlin’s embrace and turned her head to look towards the door. Ruanlin’s gaze followed.
"Nanny... When will Xiaoxi..." Ruan Jie had come to ask when Xiu Xi would be back since Xiu Xi shared a room with him and usually slept in Ruan Hao’s bed. However, Ruan Hao had returned today, and they were supposed to sleep together.
But at this late hour, Xiu Xi hadn’t returned, so he came to inquire. Yet before he could finish his question, he saw the two looking at him with intense gazes.
This made him slightly nervous: "What... what’s the matter? Why are you looking at me like that?"
It wasn’t the little antagonist.
Ruan Jiaojiao looked away with some disappointment.
Ruanlin also felt a tinge of disappointment and said to Ruan Jie, "It’s nothing. He had to go next door for a bit. You all just sleep on your own."
Except for Ruan Jianguo, other members of the Ruan Family didn’t know about the special relationship between Ruan Jiaojiao and Xiu Xi, which Ruanlin always kept a secret. So, whenever Xiu Xi brought back prey, they assumed he simply had a real knack for hunting.
"Oh, why would he go back there..." Ruan Jie scratched the back of his head and muttered as he walked away.
After Ruan Jie left, Ruan Jiaojiao nestled back into Ruanlin’s arms. Knowing her granddaughter was also worried, Ruanlin soothed her, "You sleep first, nanny will wait for him."
"Together with nanny," mumbled Ruan Jiaojiao ambiguously, as she still wanted to be the first to offer candy to the little antagonist.
She was a mature cat that, having made a mistake, was determined to straighten her attitude and correct it.
Ruan Jiaojiao tried her best to stay awake, but when sleepiness struck, no matter how much she resisted, her eyes slowly closed.
Ruanlin watched the little one drift into sleep shortly after. She leaned down to kiss her forehead, pulled over the small blanket to cover her, and continued to fan with her right hand as she waited with half-closed eyes.
Until the middle of the night.
Ruanlin didn’t even realize when she had fallen asleep until she was jolted awake by a rustling knock from the backyard. Her eyes snapped open immediately.
Next to her, Ruan Jiaojiao sprawled in her arms, fast asleep. Carefully moving her granddaughter’s slender arms and legs aside, she climbed out of bed without lighting a candle, guided by the moonlight as she made her way to the kitchen.
"Is that you, Xiaoxi?" she asked through the kitchen’s back door.
"Mhm," came Xiu Xi’s low response.
With her worries eased, Ruanlin undid the door bolt. Just as she was about to scold him for coming back so late, she looked up and gasped in shock!
In the cool shades of the night,
Countless pairs of red, black, green... eyes sparkled menacingly in the darkness!
Facing those numerous pairs of eyes, Ruanlin’s scalp tingled, and her legs weakened. If not for the door supporting her, she might have collapsed.
Her first impulse was to shut the back door, but remembering Xiu Xi was still outside, she resisted the urge, yanked him in, and slammed the door shut!
"Xiaoxi!" Her eyes were wide open: "What’s happening? Why are there so many..."