Chapter 54: Chapter 54: The Female Lead Asks for Medicine (5)_1 Chapter 54: Chapter 54: The Female Lead Asks for Medicine (5)_1 After giving water and medicine, the Ruanlin Family had placed a damp, torn towel on Wa Yiting’s forehead; seeing her close her eyes in a daze, they then led Ruan Jiaojiao out of the Wa Family’s house.
Of course, they were followed by the little villain trailing behind them like a tail.
“Xiu Xi, what were you doing outside so early, have you had breakfast?” the Ruanlin Family asked Xiu Xi while peeling an egg for Ruan Jiaojiao.
Xiu Xi nodded and deliberately walked to Ruan Jiaojiao’s side to keep pace with her.
The Ruanlin Family saw this and laughed.
On the way back, as they passed next to the Wa Family’s house, the Ruanlin Family stopped to ask and found out that the Wa Family had gone to town early in the morning before dawn, apparently to catch a market day!
“What a troublesome bunch!” the Ruanlin Family frowned.
“Exactly, yesterday Tingzi started running a fever, and they didn’t even think to go to the health clinic to get some medicine. She’s just an aunt, not a real mother,” the neighbor said, shaking her head in clear disdain for Auntie Wa’s behavior.
However, the conversation quickly turned as the neighbor added, “You’re too kind-hearted, Auntie Ruan, the Wa Family’s child should not be spoiled!” She had felt sorry for Xiaoya and given her food a few times, only for the Wa Family to find out and then send the girl over for meals every day.
They were all poor families; providing an occasional meal was one thing, but no one had enough to feed another mouth that wasn’t their own kin.
“What you say is true, but that child… you can’t just watch her die of sickness, can you? Consider it accumulating blessings for my sweet treasure!” Auntie Ruan caressed Ruan Jiaojiao, who was squaring off eye-to-eye with her villainous companion, and sighed.
“That’s true, your child is such a beauty, like a blessed child sent by the Goddess of Mercy herself, so fair and tender.” The country women weren’t good at flattering, and their compliments were often repetitive, but Auntie Ruan loved hearing them.
Seeing the woman’s hand reaching out to pinch her cheek, Ruan Jiaojiao quickly hid behind the Ruanlin Family and shook her clothes, signaling her impatience. The Ruanlin Family took the cue, exchanged a few more words with the woman, and then brought Ruan Jiaojiao home.
Once home, the Ruanlin Family went to cook porridge, leaving Ruan Jiaojiao and Xiu Xi to play.
But Ruan Jiaojiao and Xiu Xi had nothing to play with, so they just sat in the main room continuing to stare at each other.
At times, Ruan Jiaojiao would truly be amazed by this little villain; how could he keep staring at her without even blinking?!
When the Ruanlin Family finally finished cooking the porridge, Ruan Jiaojiao was nearly asleep on the small stool. Seeing the Ruanlin Family come out with a basket filled with porridge, she immediately went up to them, “Nanny, let me deliver it for you.”
“You?” the Ruanlin Family looked at her tiny frame skeptically, “I doubt you can carry it.”
“I can carry it! I can carry it!” Ruan Jiaojiao danced and hopped to reach the basket.
Worried she might hurt herself, the Ruanlin Family told her to stop jumping and handed the basket to her, burdening her with a long list of cautions before allowing her to leave. Yet seeing Xiu Xi follow her like a little tail, for some reason, she felt much more at ease.
Ruan Jiaojiao, who could only be considered six years old in nominal age, found the basket bearable at first, but after walking a distance, it indeed felt strenuous. Wiping the sweat from her forehead, she thought to put the basket down to rest when Xiaoya, who’d been following her, stepped forward and lifted it up.
His movements and posture made it seem as light as a feather.
Ruan Jiaojiao watched him in surprise; she hadn’t expected the little villain, as short and thin as he was, to be quite strong.