Chapter 38: Chapter 38 The Minor Villain (6)_1 Chapter 38: Chapter 38 The Minor Villain (6)_1 At first, Ruan Jiaojiao felt shy, embarrassed that someone her age still went by such a cutesy name, but as time passed, she no longer minded. In fact, every time she was called that, it made her feel sweet inside.
She couldn’t believe that one day she would grow to love this identity, to love the Ruan Family as if she had naturally belonged to it, her blood flowing with theirs.
“Milk, go call Daddy for dinner. Daddy, let’s go back and eat,” Ruan Jiaojiao said with a smile that she couldn’t stop.
“Okay, Daddy just has a little bit of land left to turn. Jiaojiao, would you wait here for Daddy?” Ruan Jianguo looked at the row of land he had yet to turn. He had to water the field and fertilize it in the afternoon, running back and forth which was quite time-consuming.
“Okay.” Ruan Jiaojiao nodded obediently. Ruan Jianguo set her down to the side, fearing that standing would tire her. He spread his jacket on the ground for her to sit on and play. He quickly wove a small rabbit out of grass roots for her, and only then did he go back to work feeling reassured.
Ruan Jiaojiao sat on his jacket with her legs curled up, looking up at him working. The April sun wasn’t hot; on the contrary, it was so warm on her back that it made her feel sleepy.
But she didn’t want to sleep, pinching the grass rabbit in one hand and propping her chin with the other, watching Ruan Jianguo work.
To be fair, Ruan Jianguo was really handsome. Though robust, he was not brutishly so; instead, his strength inspired a sense of overwhelming safety. His features were deep and flawless, and even in coarse clothes, he exuded a dignified air.
In her memory, there was no Shu Jiao. It seemed as if the whole Ruan Family, fearing that she would be saddened, had hidden away Shu Jiao’s photos. But she could imagine that this couple must have been a match of talent and beauty; otherwise, they couldn’t have had such a beautiful and wealthy original host, nor her two brothers who were also very handsome.
“Sigh,” Ruan Jiaojiao sighed silently, a sour ache in her chest, and murmured with downcast eyes, “Are you still there, original host?” That was why every time she thought about these things, it hurt so much.
Of course, Ruan Jiaojiao didn’t expect to receive any reply, nor did she entertain the hope of one.
She propped her chin again and waited a while longer, spotting the grass rabbit in her hands. Her eyes brightened, she turned her little head to look around, making sure no one was nearby. Then she buried her head, pretending to doze off, but in her mind she kept chanting: “Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit!”
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…
Three gray rabbits suddenly sprang out of a hole in the ground and dashed in Ruan Jiaojiao’s direction. Just as Ruan Jianguo, who’d finished his work and was carrying his hoe, approached, he got a fright and swiftly threw his hoe to the side of her.
And it landed right on top of two of the rabbits!
The third one knocked itself out against a slightly raised clump of earth.
Although Ruan Jiaojiao had her head buried, she was secretly watching the whole time. Seeing all three rabbits knocked out, she then lifted her head, pretending to rub her sleepy eyes.
“Oh! Rabbits!” she exclaimed, then looked at Ruan Jianguo, “Did Daddy catch them?”
After three seconds of silence, he then nodded.
He took long strides forward, not even glancing at the three unconscious rabbits, but instead picked up Ruan Jiaojiao from the ground. He touched her sun-kissed, pink cheeks and asked softly, “Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?”