Ning Huan patiently and earnestly taught her: "Do you want to become an obnoxious country bumpkin like me?"
Little Peach hesitated and looked at her, seemingly considering it, before suddenly shaking her head.
In the whole village, everyone who mentions Zhou's third aunt's name hates her. She can't become like that!
"Since you don't want to, then you should change these bad habits."
Although Zhu Taozi's heart had wavered, she still stubbornly said, "It doesn't matter. If anyone hates me, I won't let my parents take that person to town, unless they like me."
Ning Huan said with a wry smile, "But if the people who like you like this aren't sincere, do you really want the people around you in the future to be all fake?"
Little Peach lowered her head in silence.
She continued, "And you just told me that the four little dumplings are your good friends, right?"
"Since they are your good friends, you shouldn't be rude to them or use foul language. As good friends, you should not only share but also get along amicably, don't you agree?"
When Ning Huan said this, she was not only speaking to Zhu Taozi, but also to the four little dumplings next to her.
Little Peach remained silent for a long time before looking up and saying, "Auntie, you're right. I know I was wrong. I'll play nicely with the four little dumplings from now on."
"I won't swear anymore, and I'm not like you, unreasonable and domineering..."
The four little ones huddled together and hugged Little Peach, saying, "We'll play with you a lot from now on."
"That's right, I'll never scold you again!"
"I'll share all the fun things I have with you."
Looking at the little ones getting along so well, Ning Huan smiled with satisfaction.
Zhou Jing'an, however, was deep in thought inside the room...
Several little ones were playing in the front yard, so Ning Huan went to their room and looked at the broken bed.
After examining it carefully for a while, she couldn't help but feel a little sorry for it.
Because this really can't be considered a bed; it's just a large board made up of various wooden planks, some thin and some thick.
Some of the boards weren't even intact; they had holes of varying sizes. Some of the larger holes were plugged with straw.
A thin blanket on the bed board was not enough for the four little ones, so they just laid some thin pieces of cloth on both sides to make do.
The quilt was thin; it was hard to say whether it was thicker and warmer than straw.
Upon entering this dimly lit room, there wasn't even a place to stand.
As night fell, candles were still lit in Zhou Jing'an and Ning Huan's room, but it was pitch black inside. It was brighter outside than inside, and even an adult like her couldn't stand such an environment, let alone the little ones.
She decided to first remove the bed boards from the room, and then clean the room thoroughly. No matter what, she couldn't let these little ones live in such an environment anymore.
Little Peach was called home for dinner, and only then did the little dumplings see the bad woman go into their room and dismantle the bed.
The four little ones exclaimed in surprise, "Don't take our bed apart!"
Da Bao quickly stepped forward and hugged the boards that Ning Huan had just removed: "Don't touch them!"
Little Erbao and Little Sanbao also rushed forward to stop her.
The little ones' actions left Ning Huan at a loss: "I was just trying to help you tidy up the room. You can't sleep on this bed anymore. If this continues, you'll all get hurt!"
As she spoke, she pointed to the broken wooden plank on the ground: "Keep sleeping, just like Xiao Sanbao."
The second child said sadly, "This bed was set up for us by my aunt and father. It's the only one."
Little Sibao said pitifully, "If this bed isn't here, we'll have to sleep on the floor..."
Ning Huan shook her head: "I won't let you sleep on the floor."
"I'll make you another bed, but you can sleep in my room until then."
She looked into the eyes of the four little ones and said earnestly, "Don't worry, I promise you, I will definitely let you sleep in the new bed."
Hearing this, Xiao Sibao was very surprised, but his eyes were full of joy: "Really?"
Ning Huan nodded: "Really."
Then Da Bao was the first to let go, followed by Xiao Er Bao and Xiao San Bao.
The room was covered in dust from dismantling the wooden planks, and Ning Huan was coughing from the dust. She quickly waved to the four little ones and said, "You guys go out first. I'll dismantle a little more and then I'll cook for you."
In the yard, the younger child asked the older child, "Do we really have to believe her?"
Da Bao said calmly, "She's right, those boards really are impossible to sleep on."
The other three little ones understood what Da Bao meant: the bed definitely had to be dismantled.
Even if the bad women don't dismantle the bed, they'll have to dismantle it themselves and end up sleeping on the floor.
Little Sanbao said remorsefully, "It's all my fault. If I had slept more quietly, the bed wouldn't have broken."
Da Bao comforted him, "It's not your fault, it's okay. I can always make another bed out of planks later."
When Ning Huan was cooking dinner, she looked at the pot full of green vegetable leaves and couldn't help but miss the days when she was a food blogger in the modern world.
Eat the best food and drink the finest things; eat whatever is delicious.
Although she shouldn't eat meat while dieting, Zhou Jing'an is a patient and should eat some. The four little ones are still children and should also have access to some meat.
With that in mind, Ning Huan decided to go up the mountain tomorrow to see how the traps she had set up were doing.
That evening, Ning Huan discussed the sleeping arrangements for the four little ones with Zhou Jing'an: "Their bed is really unusable, so I was thinking of just dismantling it and building them a new one."
"Let them sleep in my room these days."
Zhou Jing'an nodded: "Whatever you want, as long as you don't hit or scold them."
In the past, Ning Huan would always beat or scold the four little ones if Zhou Jing'an wasn't paying attention.
But now, he felt a completely different feeling towards the woman in front of him than before.
The four little ones were secretly discussing something. The fourth little one said, "Actually, sleeping with a bad woman isn't so scary. She'll cover me with a blanket at night."
Xiao Sanbao nodded: "She also tells me bedtime stories."
Da Bao frowned and asked, "What is that?"
Xiao Sibao said, "When we can't sleep at night, the bad woman will tell us interesting stories. There's a talking white rabbit, and a very faraway place where short little people protect the princess... It's really interesting."
The little boy listened with great curiosity: "Really? I want to hear a bedtime story too!"
Just as the three little ones were discussing who would sleep next to the bad woman that night, Da Bao was still hesitating about something.
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