The three little ones looked at Da Bao, and then Da Bao said, "I don't want to live with you anymore, I want to live with Daddy."
"Father must be feeling very uncomfortable being alone in the house. I can take care of him a little at night."
When the younger child heard what the older child said, he chimed in, "Then I'll live with Daddy too."
The two little ones also said together, "I'll sleep with Daddy too, so we can take care of him."
Da Bao shook his head and said, "No, Daddy's room can't fit all of us. You can sleep with that bad woman. If she dares to bully you at night, just call me and I'll definitely come to protect you."
Seeing that Da Bao said that, the three little ones had no choice but to give in.
Little Erbao said, "Then I'll sleep next to the bad woman tonight, and Little Sanbao and Little Sibao, you two will sleep next to me. That way, we'll be further away from the bad woman."
Ning Huan had just finished making the beds for the little ones and was about to come out when she heard their conversation at the door.
She felt a wave of helplessness; sleeping with these little ones was like sleeping with a den of wolves and wild beasts.
That night, the little boy lay trembling beside the bad woman, afraid that she would hit him.
But the little one asked proactively, "Are there any bedtime stories to listen to tonight?"
After she asked this question, the two little ones looked at Ning Huan expectantly, both hoping for her response.
Ning Huan smiled and said, "Okay, then I'll tell you a bedtime story today. It's a promise, only one today."
After she finished speaking, the three little ones listened with great interest and didn't want to go to sleep at all.
Little Sanbao asked in a low voice, "Could you tell me another one? I want to hear more..."
Little Erbao chimed in, "I want to hear another one too..."
They spoke cautiously, afraid that Ning Huan would curse. But Ning Huan said helplessly, "Alright, then I'll tell you one more. After this one, you have to go to sleep."
Hearing that the wicked woman had agreed, the three little ones laughed happily.
Unlike the cheerful laughter in Ning Huan's room, Zhou Jing'an and Da Bao were very quiet.
Listening to the sounds coming from Ning Huan's room, Zhou Jing'an said to Da Bao, "Actually, you don't need to sleep with me. Dad can take care of himself. You should smile and play more, just like your younger siblings."
Da Bao shook his head and said, "It's okay, I want to sleep with Daddy. I want to take care of Daddy more."
Zhou Jing'an sighed. Da Bao's temperament was very much like his own. But it was precisely because of this that he felt sorry for Da Bao.
After all, Da Bao is still a little kid. If he hadn't been injured and bedridden, he wouldn't have had to mature so early and take on the responsibility of caring for his younger siblings.
A sliver of moonlight shone through the dilapidated window, brightening the dim room considerably.
The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Ning Huan went up the mountain, heading towards the place where she had set the trap last time.
There are many medicinal herbs on this mountain, but the villagers don't recognize them and treat them as ordinary weeds.
She walked for half a day, picking a lot of medicinal herbs along the way.
By the time Ning Huan reached the trap, she had already picked more than half a basket of medicinal herbs. Although they weren't particularly valuable herbs, she could still sell them at the clinic for a good price.
Seeing the bloodstains on the nearby grass, she knew she must have caught some prey.
She carefully stepped forward, lifted the lid of the trap, and discovered a wild deer lying inside.
The deer was quite plump, but it had several wounds on its body, indicating that it was already injured and eventually fell into the trap due to exhaustion.
Ning Huan cut a piece of meat from the wild deer, then walked nearby and set a trap, throwing the meat in as bait.
She led the wild deer down the mountain and carried it for a while, but the original owner's body was too weak, and she was drenched in sweat after only a short time.
So she placed the deer in her consciousness space, and when she reached the foot of the mountain where there were people, she could take the deer out and bring it home.
Just as Ning Huan went up the mountain, Ke Ruxiu came to see Zhou Jing'an again.
This time, she also brought Zhou's eldest sister-in-law, Liu, and Liu's child, Zhou Xiaofang.
The four little ones rolled their eyes at Zhou Xiaofang. When they lived in the Zhou family's house before, they were often bullied by Zhou Xiaofang.
Zhou Xiaofang often snatches things from Xiao Sanbao and Xiao Sibao. When Dabao and Xiao Erbao help snatch them back, Zhou Xiaofang bursts into tears.
Liu then went to complain to Zhou's eldest brother and mother, and then Zhou's mother would scold them.
Zhou Jing'an was studying at the academy in town, which Ning Huan didn't know, and she never cared. Sometimes she would even join in cursing them.
Therefore, the four little ones do not like to see Zhou Xiaofang.
But Ke Ruxiu was thinking to herself that she would bring Liu Shi along this time, and see how that bitch Ning Huan would try to drive her away.
She swayed gracefully towards Zhou Jing'an's house: "Brother Jing'an, my sister-in-law and I have come to see you!"
Upon hearing the voice, Zhou Jing'an couldn't help but frown: "Why are you here?"
Ke Ruxiu paused for a moment, then said with a smile, "I came to see you. You haven't been feeling well, and I was worried about you, Brother Jing'an."
Then he pulled over Liu Shi, who was standing to the side, and said, "Besides, my sister-in-law was worried about you, so we came together to see you."
Zhou Jing'an didn't like Ke Ruxiu, but when he saw Liu Shi, he still had to give his sister-in-law some face.
He looked at Madam Liu and said softly, "Thank you for your concern, sister-in-law."
Liu waved her hand and said:
"No need to thank me, we're family. Your older brother always cares about you. It's just that he's been going to a nearby village to buy vegetables and sell them with someone, so he hasn't been home. That's why I came to see you on his behalf."
Ke Ruxiu said in a sweet, coquettish voice:
"Brother Jing'an, I know you haven't been eating well because of your injury, so I brought you some pastries. These pastries are made by Bai Xiang Zhai in town, they're delicious, you should try them..."
The pastries here were all bought for her by her husband, but Ke Ruxiu gave them all to Zhou Jing'an.
Zhou Jing'an studied in town and knew that Bai Xiang Zhai's pastries were not cheap. He shook his head and said, "Thank you for your kindness, but I already ate this morning and I'm not hungry now."
Seeing Zhou Jing'an's cold rejection, Ke Ruxiu was not discouraged. She took the pastries and sat down next to Zhou Jing'an, then picked up a piece of pastry and held it to his mouth.
"Brother Jing'an, let me feed you, just have a piece to try."
Zhou Jing'an was choked by the scent of perfume on Ke Ruxiu and couldn't breathe. He watched as Ke Ruxiu took the pastries from her hand, but he couldn't muster any strength to help her.
Suddenly, the sound of several little dumplings making noise came from the yard.
"You dare steal again? I'll beat you up!"
"We'll take your stuff, how about that!"
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