Whenever he had free time, he would keep Ruan Jiaojiao company, writing her name on all her books and helping her cover the new ones with newspaper. His precision in handling the task was superb, and each book was wrapped incredibly beautifully.
After finishing with Ruan Jiaojiao’s books, he wanted to help Xiu Xi with hers, but Xiu Xi didn’t appreciate the gesture and took her backpack to another corner.
"..." Ruan Jiaojiao, who knew his stubborn nature only too well.
She could only continue to chat with Shu Lang with a smile, deftly changing the subject to dispel the awkwardness of the moment.
Time passed quickly in the afternoon, and by evening, after having her dinner, Ruan Jiaojiao lay on the bamboo bed in her yard while Shu Lang sat beside her, gently fanning her. The little antagonist had vanished somewhere after dinner.
"Jiaojiao, do you miss your brother? Is it not quite the same without him around?" Shu Lang asked.
Ruan Jiaojiao nodded, indeed it was so. Previously, when she lived in the old house, it didn’t seem obvious, given there were so many brothers around, and nobody seemed particularly special. But since moving here, Ruan Jie, her biological brother, had been the only one to spend a lot of time with her.
When he was around, she found him chattering nonstop and terribly noisy, but now that he had gone off to study and was no longer at her side, she felt the absence acutely, and it was disconcerting.
Seeing her nod, Shu Lang couldn’t help but smile, pulling her into his arms without minding the heat, and asked earnestly, "Then, will Jiaojiao miss her uncle in the same way in the future?"
Ruan Jiaojiao lifted her head to look at him. Seeing his serious expression and thinking of his kindness to her over the past few days, she pondered for two seconds and then benevolently nodded her head.
"Jiaojiao is really lovely." Shu Lang kissed the top of her head.
His expression turned complex as he thought of something.
In a gentle voice, he said, "Jiaojiao, don’t blame your mom. Your mom loves you very much. She was unable to make it back this time because of you. When your mom comes back, you’ll see that she’s absolutely the best mom in the world."
Ruan Jiaojiao sat quietly in his arms, not uttering a word.
On this matter, she did not disagree; she could tell from the things Shu Jiao sent that her mother truly loved her.
But—the consciousness of the original owner was still resisting her.
She could even predict that the encounter with Shu Jiao might not be all that pleasant when the time came.
Ruan Jiaojiao’s silence only heightened Shu Lang’s concern, but as anxious as he was, he could only stay silent.
In the quiet, a sudden clatter came from the backyard.
Ruan Jiaojiao’s body stiffened, and she quickly climbed out of Shu Lang’s arms. He also stood up, looking toward the backyard with puzzlement, wondering if it was the goat they kept that had caused the noise and said with uncertainty, "What’s with the goat?"
In the days since he had been there, the wild boar that was supposed to be brought back from the backyard had been penned up instead and hadn’t been brought back since.
Ruan Jiaojiao knew for certain that it wasn’t the goat, nor would it be Rou Rou; it was even less likely to be San Mao.
Those two were still hopping around right in front of them.
The only possibility for such banging and clanging, as if carrying a hint of joy, was one—Changchong had arrived!
He must have brought her watermelons again.
Perhaps due to the increasing heat, Changchong’s trips down from the mountain had become less frequent, and the watermelon deliveries weren’t as regular as before. Still, he maintained a pace of one visit per week. Thinking about it, it was indeed time for him to come, wasn’t it?
At the sound, Rou Rou immediately straightened up, no longer fooling around with San Mao. She wiggled her big behind and ran toward the backyard, howling with a bit of excitement.