During her nap, which lasted only an hour or so, Ruan Jiaojiao once again slipped into a dream.
This time, however, she was not having the previous nightmare; instead, she found herself back in that vast forest.
She wandered aimlessly through the forest until she arrived at the cave she often frequented, and then stopped. She looked up, leaped into the air, and jumped up into the cave. After surveying the interior, she felt an unusual sense of peace and settled down by the entrance.
She lay there for an entire afternoon, and by the time she woke up, it was already dark. Shaking herself, she stood up, intending to stretch and sneak some tasty morsels from the foolish wolf, when she noticed something struggling at the entrance of the cave.
She took a closer look.
Could it be the wolf she often stole from?
And before it—a snake?
With a tinge of disgust, Jiaojiao curled her lip. Surely the foolish wolf wasn’t planning to eat that thing today? She did not want to eat that; she wanted a big chicken leg!
She lay on the ground, watching as the wolf pounced on the snake, pinning it under its paws and biting into it, tearing the snake to pieces in an instant.
It seemed as though the wolf sensed her presence too, its green eyes sweeping over, still retaining the unsullied sheen of bloodlust.
Jiaojiao’s heart tightened.
With eyes wide open, she awoke from the dream, only to lock eyes with Xiu Xi’s green-glowing eyes, which nearly scared her to death!
For a moment, she couldn’t distinguish between reality and the dream.
Swallowing anxiously, she stared straight into the eyes before her.
"Don’t be afraid," Xiu Xi said as he touched her forehead, wiping away sweat, while his other hand continued to fan her.
It was only then that Ruan Jiaojiao was able to differentiate between reality and the dream.
She scrutinized Xiu Xi’s green-glowing eyes with a hint of suspicion. She remembered that in the memories she had inherited, it was foreigners who had eyes of different colors. Had this little villain received enough nutrition that even his eyes were glowing green?
What exactly was this little villain’s identity?
Ruan Jiaojiao was dying of curiosity but felt a taboo against asking. Fearing that her own identity would be exposed, she dared not inquire, leaving her restless all day long.
Uncle Ruan had drunk too much at noon and had slept through the afternoon. Embarrassed, he hesitated to come over for dinner, but Jiaojiao dragged him there forcefully.
The younger boys did not know about the day’s events, and Jiaojiao pretended to be unaware as well. Naturally, her brothers were not going to speak of it either.
Uncle Ruan gradually let go of his apprehensions as well.
The four men left early in the morning to help dig trenches for laying the electrical cables at the top of the village. The two aunts stayed home to prepare lunch. Wu Le, thinking of the newly constructed house in the main room, asked the Ruanlin Family, "Mom, when will big brother’s house be ready for us to move in, and are we going to have a housewarming feast?"
"Once the electrical wiring is done, it’ll be almost ready. To plan for the banquet, we’ll have to wait," she replied.
She sensed from Ruan Jianguo’s intent that he might want to wait for Shu Jiao to return before holding the celebration together.
"Can we go in and have a look these days? I’ve never been inside a building this big before," Wu Le asked ingratiatingly.
She had been there before, but there was no decoration at that time, so it was just a bare building with nothing interesting to see.
Of course, she hadn’t been entirely truthful. The town was full of buildings, including the dormitory she and Ruan Jianmin lived in, which was also a building.
By saying this, she was simply hoping that the Ruanlin Family would allow her to have a look inside.