Chapter 121

"Hey, guess if the master will eat?" Little Black poked White Flower beside him with a gossipy look as Fan Xiaoxiao walked into the thatched hut.

The latter glared at him expressionlessly: "Eat you, why are you so talkative!"

"Tch, so fierce." Little Black was splashed with cold water and muttered to himself as he shrank back.

"Brother Miao, you shouldn't be so mean to Brother Hei." Xiao Bao, who was sitting next to him, heard everything clearly and obediently winked at Bai Hua while holding his bowl.

"I...I'm out." Bai Hua was about to say that Xiao Hei deserved to be scolded, but out of the corner of her eye she saw Fan Xiaoxiao walking out with an empty bowl.

"Huh? My lord actually finished eating!?"

"What are you all whispering about?" Fan Xiaoxiao walked up to the group and looked at Xiao Hei and Bai Hua with some confusion.

"No, it's nothing." Xiao Hei quickly looked away and continued eating as if nothing had happened.

"The brothers are guessing whether Brother Ye has eaten." Xiao Bao honestly explained what the two of them had been discussing.

Fan Xiaoxiao looked at Xiao Hei with some helplessness, thinking that this guy was really boring.

"Young Master Ye must have a more sensitive sense of taste than others. He probably finds the meat a bit fishy or gamey. That's why I just added some pepper and Sichuan peppercorns to remove the fishy smell and enhance the aroma."

Everyone was slightly taken aback, not expecting that what Fan Xiaoxiao had been fiddling with for a while and added to the soup was this.

The Ghost Doctor, who was just about to put down his chopsticks, immediately picked up the bowl again and ladled some beef on it after hearing what she said.

"Mmm! The taste is indeed slightly different! Spicy! Delicious!"

"Hey! Old man, save some for me! I want some too!"

The meal ended with a lively atmosphere.

After dinner, the konjac powder had settled. The next step was to skim off the clear water on top and then dry the powder at the bottom.

"Girl, I've cleaned that door. What do we do now?" Uncle Wang wiped the sweat from his forehead; the wooden door beside him was spotless, thanks to his thorough cleaning.

"Now we need to set up the wooden door and place it on the fire."

After a short while, Fan Xiaoxiao finally finished everything. The gate of the house had many lattice panels. She spread the gauze flat on it, then spread the settled konjac powder on top, and lit a fire under the wooden door to roast the powder.

They set off in a hurry; originally, they only needed to dry the wood in the sun, but now they had no choice but to use this artificial method to speed up the drying process. However, the downside is that someone needs to watch the firewood burning all night to make sure it doesn't go out.

"Haa~" Little Bao next to me yawned a big yawn, his eyes were so sleepy that he could barely keep them open.

Fan Xiaoxiao patted his head and said to everyone, "Everyone, go and rest. There's no need for so many people to watch the fire."

"Then let's take turns watching the torch." Xiao Hei's idea was agreed upon by everyone, and the order of the night watch was decided by drawing lots.

Fan Xiaoxiao and Aunt Wang were the ones who drew the first class.

After the order was decided, everyone dispersed to rest. Granny Wang poked at the firewood with a branch, the branch crackling softly in the flames.

Fan Xiaoxiao stared at the firelight, pursed her lips, and said, "Auntie..."

"Girl, did you hear those words from Li Er earlier today?"

Those words refer to what Li said when she lost her temper in the hall.

After a moment of silence, Fan Xiaoxiao nodded.

When she was abducted by Li Er, her first cry for help was met with him pinning her to the ground. At that moment, that beast's breath reeked of filth, and he repeated nothing more than Li Er's usual refrain.

What they were saying was that since they came with Aunt Wang and her husband, they must not be respectable women.

The injury on her forehead wasn't from the fall, but from when Li Er pressed her to the ground and caused her to slam her head against the ground.

"I knew it..." Aunt Wang sighed deeply and looked at Fan Xiaoxiao apologetically.

"I'm sorry you've suffered."

Fan Xiaoxiao shook her head: "Auntie, please don't say that. We've already received a lot of care from you and Uncle along the way. You treat my sister and me like your own daughters, and Xiaobao like your own grandson. How can I be considered to have suffered? It's just..."

"But what? I've completely fallen out with the Li family?" Aunt Wang gave a smile that seemed both helpless and sarcastic.

"If we're talking about the grievances between me and my family, it's a long story that can't be explained in just a few words. You've heard about what happened back then. But what I knew at the time was a completely different story."

It turns out that back then, Granny Wang was considered a well-known beauty in Jingchuan. Unfortunately, her family wasn't well-off, but they were all hardworking and honest. Apart from her parents having a slight preference for her younger brother, Granny Wang didn't feel that her life was particularly miserable.

Even as they grew up, her beauty brought her trouble.

A wealthy merchant in town took a liking to her and demanded that she marry him as a concubine. However, she already had her heart set on Uncle Wang, who had always been by her side, so she would rather die than marry him.

But for some reason, her family insisted that she get married. Later, on the night of her younger brother's wedding, Uncle Wang took her and ran away. On the day they ran away, it was her younger brother who packed her belongings and stopped her parents from leaving.

But she never expected that the truth was that her parents had used her to exchange for her brother's dowry for a wife! She also never expected that her brother from back then actually knew the whole story.

He just watched helplessly as his parents used him as a bargaining chip in negotiations with a wealthy merchant, and he took the money and got married without a second thought! And even now! The first time he saw her, he allowed his wife and children to tarnish her reputation!

Why should I?!

Aunt Wang's eyes were red-rimmed, her heart filled with resentment towards Li Da and contempt for herself.

Why was I so soft-hearted? When I learned that there was a disaster in Jingchuan, I rushed back!

The thought of this made her feel extremely embarrassed, and she covered her face and began to sob softly.

"These are my family, my family!"

Fan Xiaoxiao pursed her lips, unsure how to comfort Aunt Wang. She could only stand up, hug Aunt Wang with her small body, and gently stroke her hair.

“Auntie, you still have us. I…we’ll be your family, okay?” Fan Xiaoxiao said this with some unease, afraid that it was just wishful thinking on her part.

But when she finished speaking, Granny Wang in her arms visibly paused slightly, raised her tear-streaked face, and asked:

"What did you say?"

"Auntie, my sister said we'd be your family. Is that alright?" After listening for an unknown amount of time, Fan Shi emerged from the darkness after Fan Xiaoxiao said she wanted to be Auntie Wang's family.

"Back in Guqu Town, I was thinking, could you let me continue calling you 'godmother'?"

Fan Xiaoxiao gave Fan Shi a slight smile: "Sister, that's a cunning thing to say. Let me call you godmother too."

After saying that, the two sisters squatted down on either side of Granny Wang, holding her slightly cool hands and looking at her with gentle yet firm eyes.

"So, is it okay, godmother?" Fan Xiaoxiao's eyes were full of anticipation, her big eyes shining brightly in the night.

Aunt Wang felt as if all the wounds that had been torn open earlier that day had been filled in this moment. She nodded through her tears, but her throat was choked with sobs, and she couldn't speak. In the end, she could only hug the two sisters and cry loudly.

In the shadows, Uncle Wang wiped away his tears, turned around, and walked into the thatched hut.

(End of this chapter)