In reality, Xiu Xi was also holding Ruan Jiaojiao’s small hand, softly responding to her, "I’m here, I have always been here."
From an angle unseen by others, worry filled Xiu Xi’s eyes. He knew—it was close—
Once summer vacation started, the Ruan Family kids would begin to play wildly every day, and Ruan Jiaojiao got dragged out and got quite tanned.
Every day, the Ruanlin Family was busy sorting out their new house, and Ruan Jianguo was busy looking for a storefront in town to open a restaurant, leaving no time to look after the kids. They only repeatedly instructed the boys, with great emphasis, not to take Ruan Jiaojiao to places with water.
The boys verbally agreed nicely, but they did not take it seriously in their hearts. After all, every summer vacation, the adults would chant these words thousands of times, and they were always in one ear and out the other, never really listening.
Ruan Jiaojiao also had her own considerations, agreeing outwardly while harboring different thoughts internally.
Ruan Qun’s crisis had been resolved, and now she needed to start addressing Ruan Chi’s.
Ruan Chi was naturally lively and active, and the incident with Liao Zhaoji had quite an impact on him, nearly causing him psychological issues. However, once Liao Zhaoji was married off and never came back to the Ruan Family, his problems cured themselves, and he never fell ill again.
Doctor Lu had made a special observation recently and found him to be lively, not showing signs of any psychological disorder. He also vaguely heard some things about the Liao and Ruan Families, which led him to understand the resolution of the problem, and he completely set his worries aside.
But what he did not worry about, Ruan Jiaojiao still did.
As the weather grew hotter, the likelihood of Ruan Chi playing in the river increased, which meant there was a real possibility he could drown during this year’s summer vacation.
So, whenever Ruan Chi called her out to play, she would follow, tanning herself several shades darker.
However, these days Ruan Chi didn’t take her to play by the water, until that day—
The day of the incident, the small river separating the fourth and fifth teams was almost drained dry due to the extreme heat, causing water shortages in the farms. In the higher terrain areas, water levels were only as high as an adult’s waist, exposing the mud underneath. Fish jumping around in the mud attracted children from several nearby villages.
Being kids accustomed to the wild, they naturally wouldn’t miss this opportunity for both fun and fish, and they brought their tools and spontaneously ran over to catch fish.
The Ruan Family boys were naturally attracted too.
By now, the Ruan Family’s living standards had improved significantly, with meat almost every meal and fine white rice to eat. But boys’ inherent wild nature wouldn’t let them pass up the chance to wade in the water and catch fish.
It just so happened that the adults were not at home. The Ruanlin Family was busy arranging their new house, and Ruan Jianguo was even busier. He initially planned to open a restaurant in town but, given that there were already several there and not much foot traffic, Lu Zhiwei suggested he consider the city instead. If money was an issue, he offered to invest.
Ruan Jianguo accepted his advice but did not accept the investment. He did not want to owe anyone on a monetary basis, preferring a smaller restaurant to being in debt. So, these days, he was scouting in the city.
The three who were in junior high normally focused on their studies, and the summer vacation was a rare chance to relax. Additionally, worrying about the younger ones, they also went along.
Nine boys, along with Ruan Jiaojiao and Xiu Xi, formed a haphazardly large group.
Perhaps because summer had arrived, Ruan Jiaojiao suffered somewhat from the summer heat. Over the past half-month, as she ran about with the boys, she not only grew darker but also lost a fair amount of weight.