The sun was fierce outside, and Xiu Xi didn’t understand why she had come out. He stretched his hand over her head and frowned, "It’s hot, get inside."
Ruan Jiaojiao dismissed his hand unconcernedly and negotiated with him softly, "Xiu Xi, you’ve stored over a thousand with me already. Keeping it here probably isn’t of much use. Why don’t we give it to my dad? If he makes a profit, he can share some with you. Is that alright?"
"Sure." Xiu Xi nodded. He didn’t care about the money at all. It was earned for her anyway. Whatever she wanted to do with it, how could he object?
"Won’t you even think about it? That’s over a thousand yuan we’re talking about, not just ten or eight!"
"No need, you decide." Xiu Xi repeated his stance. Seeing her little face turn red from the sun and her furrowed brows, he pulled her back into the house.
She might have encountered an antagonist to whom money was as worthless as dirt!
In fact, what Ruan Jiaojiao didn’t know was that even if she hadn’t brought it up, Ruan Jianguo had already planned to give Xiu Xi a share of the profits every year. He intended to get all the meat dishes for the restaurant from him, which would lower costs. Plus, wild game was tougher and generally better than domesticated meat.
Since the relocation dinner, everyone had praised the meat dishes highly. Lu Zhiwei, in particular, often brought his family over for meals, thinking all this time that it was Ruan Jianguo’s skill in hunting that supplied the meat.
The Ruanlin Family toured the restaurant and grew increasingly satisfied. By noon, the family of six went to eat at the same restaurant where they had dined before on this street, ordering five dishes: three meat, two vegetable, and one soup.
Ruan Jianguo had been frequenting the town recently, and the restaurant’s owner recognized him. As their shops were at opposite ends of the street—one at the head, the other at the tail—there was no competition. The owner had a good relationship with Ruan Jianguo and, seeing him with his family, came out to greet them and even offered an extra dish on the house.
The town’s restaurants were different from those in the village, bustling with a daily stream of patrons. It wasn’t long after the Ruan Jiaojiao family sat down that the tables around them filled up as well.
At first, Ruan Jiaojiao didn’t notice anything amiss while eating.
But as the meal progressed, she increasingly felt uneasy all over.
She scooped up a bite of rice, furrowed her little brows, and looked around, but couldn’t spot anything out of the ordinary.
"What’s wrong?" Xiu Xi was sitting next to her, always the first to notice any slight irregularity in her behavior.
He followed her gaze around the room but likewise detected no anomaly.
Ruan Jiaojiao thought it might just be her imagination. She didn’t know anyone in this town, and the original host didn’t either. How could anyone be staring at her?
She shook her head, indicating that nothing was wrong.
After finishing the meal, the tricycle’s cargo area was clear of any belongings, allowing room for the whole family to sit. Ruan Jiaojiao was lifted in first, followed by the Ruanlin Family matriarch who sat down cradling her. As she was settled down, Ruan Jiaojiao inadvertently looked up and locked eyes with a pair of unfamiliar ones...
They were eerily similar to the snake eyes she had seen at the mountain front before, deep and dark as if laced with poison, sending a cold shiver through her.
"What’s the matter, why are you shivering in such hot weather?" Feeling the little body in her arms shudder, the Ruanlin Family matriarch asked in surprise and quickly touched Ruan Jiaojiao’s little hand, which was warm, not seeming to be cold at all.
Ruan Jiaojiao was still absorbed by those eyes, but when she looked again, the owner of the eyes had already left the spot.