Chapter 63
In stark contrast to the fierce battle in the desert, Mo Xiaoxin's side was completely different.
The forest was lush and green, filled with birdsong and the fragrance of flowers. It was a peaceful place, completely devoid of any sign of danger.
Leng Huai led the way, and she followed behind, feeling as if they were tourists.
The forest seemed endless, as if it would never end, and Mo Xiaoxin suddenly felt thirsty.
She said to Leng Huai, "Let's look for a water source here."
Leng Huai: "I think I see a river ahead. Just bear with it for now."
Mo Xiaoxin looked ahead. Was there a river? Why couldn't she see it?
She looked ahead again, and there, where there had been a green forest, a river had actually appeared.
"There really is a river!" She rubbed her eyes. Could she have been seeing things?
Never mind, since there's a river, let's hurry and cross it.
Mo Xiaoxin walked in a hurry and unknowingly overtook Leng Huai. She stopped and waited for Leng Huai to come over.
As Leng Huai approached, she grabbed his hand: "Why are you walking so slowly today? This is so unlike you!"
Leng Huai's hands were soft and smooth; I didn't expect them to be so easy to squeeze.
As she walked to the riverbank, Mo Xiaoxin suddenly noticed that the river water was actually a light pink color. The sunlight shone on the surface of the river, making it sparkle and look very beautiful.
But this unusual scene made Mo Xiaoxin's heart tighten.
She suddenly felt an indescribable sense of unease.
“Weren’t you thirsty?” Leng Huai said.
"Huh?" Mo Xiaoxin was stunned.
Leng Huai repeated, "Aren't you going to drink? Why are you just standing there?"
Leng Huai's expression seemed normal; he didn't seem to realize there was anything wrong with the water.
Mo Xiaoxin was a little confused: "Didn't you see? This water..."
"What's wrong? Is there a problem?" Leng Huai asked, puzzled. He squatted down, cupped some water in his hands, and seemed to be thirsty as well, taking a big gulp.
Mo Xiaoxin tried to stop it, but it was too late.
Her words stuck in her throat, neither coming out nor coming back out.
After finishing his water, Leng Huai stood up and saw Mo Xiaoxin's hesitant expression. He frowned and said, "If you don't want to drink it, then don't! Why are you stammering? You're so long-winded!"
After saying that, Leng Huai left without looking back, seemingly angry.
Mo Xiaoxin was puzzled. She had a strange feeling in her heart, but she couldn't put her finger on what was strange about it.
She had actually wanted to remind Leng Huai, but for some reason, she subconsciously didn't want to say it.
She was about to leave with Leng Huai when, to her surprise, Leng Huai had vanished without a trace.
Suddenly, she noticed that there was another person in the shadow on the ground, and she quickly turned her head.
The person behind him was none other than Leng Huai.
Leng Huai's expression was somewhat sinister and gave off a creepy feeling.
He suddenly shoved her without any expression. Mo Xiaoxin fell backward in fright, reaching out to grab something but grasping nothing.
She fell into the pink river.
The suffocating feeling she had imagined didn't come; instead, she felt like she was walking on clouds, soft and gentle, which made her feel very safe.
When she woke up again, she found herself on an unfamiliar street.
She searched for Leng Huai's figure, calling out loudly, while strangers around her cast strange glances at her.
What happened?
Wasn't she in the forest? How did she get here?
She remembered Leng Huai telling her that everyone who comes to the Ruins of Ashes might see something different.
She had a guess: could it be that the location had changed?
While she was thinking, a little boy suddenly bumped into her.
The little boy yelped, rubbed his sore forehead, and complained in a childish voice, "Sister, aren't you watching where you're going?"
Mo Xiaoxin glanced at the little boy and froze.
Isn't this Leng Huai when he was a child?
If she hadn't seen the image in his mind back then, she probably wouldn't have been able to confirm that this was Leng Huai as a child.
But she had seen it, and she was absolutely certain that it was Leng Huai as a child.
Seeing his older sister staring blankly at him, the little boy muttered, "Sister bumped into someone and didn't even apologize. I'm hungry and want to eat candied hawthorns."
The little boy frantically gestured towards the candied hawthorns on the street, making her wonder if the collision just now was a staged accident.
Mo Xiaoxin squatted down and looked into Xiao Leng Huai's eyes. His round, chubby face was so cute that Mo Xiaoxin couldn't help but pinch it.
Little Leng Huai's eyes bulged even wider, and he said angrily, "Sister, why did you pinch my face?"
You're so cute!
She hadn't expected this kid to have such wicked thoughts at such a young age. Thinking back to how Leng Huai had abused her in the past, Mo Xiaoxin thought wickedly, "He's finally in my hands today. I have to teach this kid a lesson."
She pointed to the candied hawthorn stall next to her: "You want that, right?"
Little Leng Huai's eyes lit up. He tried to suppress his excitement, but how could his youthful face hide it? "Yes, I want the biggest one."
Mo Xiaoxin stood up and walked to the candied hawthorn stall, taking down the largest candied hawthorn.
"Boss, I'll take this candied hawthorn. How much?" Mo Xiaoxin asked.
The stall owner replied, "Three coins."
"So cheap." Mo Xiaoxin handed the candied hawthorn to Leng Huai.
Leng Huai took the candied hawthorn and was about to turn and run when he heard a "bang" and Mo Xiaoxin suddenly fainted in front of him.
Leng Huai and the stall owner were both dumbfounded.
Leng Huai had never encountered such a scene before and immediately wanted to turn around and run away, but unexpectedly, he was tripped by the mischievous Mo Xiaoxin and fell flat on his face, almost knocking out his front teeth.
The stall owner realized what was happening; this family was trying to freeload. He immediately grabbed the boy: "You dare to run away? Is this your sister? Trying to scam me? You want my candied hawthorns? No way!"
Leng Huai quickly shook his head: "No, I don't know her, I don't want the candied hawthorn anymore, uncle, please let me go!"
Stall owner: "No refunds for candied hawthorns once you leave the stall! If everyone acted like you, how could I do business?"
Leng Huai had never seen anything like this before, but no matter what he said, the stall owner wouldn't let him go, and he was almost in tears.
Left with no other choice, he gave the stall owner the only two coins he had in his pocket: "Uncle, this is all I have..."
The stall owner, seeing Leng Huai's pitiful state, let him go, took the money, and left dejectedly.
Before leaving, the stall owner glanced at Mo Xiaoxin lying on the ground and sighed, "What bad luck this morning!"
When Leng Huai saw that Mo Xiaoxin was still lying unconscious on the ground, everyone around looked over.
"Why has someone fainted?"
Amidst the chatter of those around him, and taking advantage of the fact that no one noticed Leng Huai didn't want to linger, he quickly slipped through the crowd and left this troublesome place.
Some kind-hearted onlookers led Mo Xiaoxin to the entrance of the clinic. As soon as they arrived, Mo Xiaoxin woke up. She thanked the person who brought her there, and the person left after seeing that Mo Xiaoxin was alright.
Her gaze drifted in the direction Leng Huai had left, and a smile appeared on her lips.
Leng Huai returned home still shaken, where his aunt and Mu Xiaoxiao were already waiting for him to eat.
"Why are you so late? Don't you know we've all been waiting for you?" Mu Yin pouted, somewhat displeased.
Mu Jin glared at Mu Yin: "Shut up, didn't you eat enough just now?"
Leng Huai said somewhat embarrassedly, "I was out having fun and it got a little late. I'm sorry to have kept everyone waiting."
He did not tell them about how Mo Xiaoxin had tricked him.
He sat down in his special chair, and just as the family was about to eat, there was a knock on the door.
The old woman asked in confusion, "Who is it?"
A young woman's voice came from outside the door: "Hello, ma'am, I'm desperate. May I come in and have a bowl of porridge?"
The old woman opened the door and found a beautiful woman standing outside. She didn't recognize the woman, and her clothes were indeed quite worn. Feeling sorry for her, the old woman brought her inside: "Young lady, please don't look down on our simple meals."
"I'm already very grateful that the old lady let me in, how could I possibly find fault with it?" the woman said.
When Leng Huai looked up, he discovered that the woman was actually the bad woman he had met on the street.
Mo Xiaoxin met Leng Huai's gaze and revealed a mischievous smile.
The group ate together, and apart from Leng Huai, who seemed a little restless, the others were all very attentive to Mo Xiaoxin.
Mo Xiaoxin told them that she had gotten separated from her family and ended up in this village.
If they don't mind, they can keep her at home as an extra helper. She can do all kinds of housework and just wants to eat.
The three Mu siblings suddenly united in speaking up for Mo Xiaoxin: "Mother, this sister looks kind and has skillful hands, why don't we let her stay with us?"
Leng Huai lowered his head and ate his meal. He really didn't want her to stay, but what could he do? It was the old lady's kindness that had taken him in, and if he refused, she would definitely be unhappy.
The old lady happily kept Mo Xiaoxin with her. Such a beautiful girl was pleasing to the eye, and judging from her words, she didn't seem like a bad person.
Mo Xiaoxin stayed and helped the old lady with chores every day, while the three Mu siblings became her little shadows.
At first, Leng Huai found it unbelievable that they couldn't find out that Mo Xiaoxin was such a big liar, but later, since Mo Xiaoxin didn't do anything bad, he gradually felt relieved.
But he knew this woman was after him. He had only tricked her out of a candied hawthorn. Was it really necessary for her to come all the way to his house?
After spending a few days together, he discovered that the three Mu siblings, who were originally close to him, had been taken away by this woman, and he became somewhat dissatisfied.
He had finally gained the favor of these people, so why did his status drop so suddenly when this woman arrived?
He wanted to see how this woman managed to do it.
That day, Mu Xiaoxiao followed behind Mo Xiaoxin, and the two of them were fiddling with something.
Leng Huai secretly followed behind them and discovered that the two were simply exchanging some needlework tips.
Mu Xiaoxiao spotted Leng Huai hiding behind a tree and called out, "Brother Huai, come here quickly! Look at the sachet I made, isn't it pretty?"
Leng Huai walked over and noticed that Mu Xiaoxiao was holding a round, black and white thing with dark circles under its eyes. He frowned and said, "I've never seen this thing before. It's ugly!"
Mu Xiaoxiao burst into tears: "Brother Huai actually said that the sachet I made is ugly!"
Mo Xiaoxin rolled her eyes, thinking to herself that Leng Huai's sharp tongue had been a habit since childhood: "This is a panda. This animal is very rare to see. I was lucky enough to see one once. How could it not be beautiful?"
Leng Huai actually thought the panda was quite cute, but he stubbornly insisted, "It's just not good-looking!"
Mo Xiaoxin wanted to comfort Mu Xiaoxiao, but Mu Xiaoxiao was so heartbroken that she dropped what she was holding and ran away.
Mo Xiaoxin glared at Leng Huai: "You brat! What do you know about 'good-looking' for a little kid like you?"
After saying that, she picked up the sachet on the ground and chased after him, leaving Leng Huai with a dark face.
During dinner, Leng Huai secretly glanced at Mo Xiaoxin and Mu Xiaoxiao. At this moment, Mu Xiaoxiao no longer looked sad like she did in the afternoon.
Mo Xiaoxin spent a long time comforting her, and then gave Mu Xiaoxiao the sachet she had embroidered, which finally calmed the crying Mu Xiaoxiao down.
Mo Xiaoxin's culinary skills gradually won over the whole family, and everyone got along well.
This day is Mo Xiaoxin's birthday.
The usually awkward Leng Huai actually prepared a gift, but when he found Mo Xiaoxin, he discovered that there was someone in Mo Xiaoxin's room. He hid outside the door and listened.
The person inside is Mu Jin. It turns out that he has always had a crush on Mo Xiaoxin and confessed his feelings to her on her birthday.
Mo Xiaoxin looked astonished.
For a moment, I didn't know what to do.
Mu Xiaoxiao noticed Leng Huai eavesdropping outside the door and said with a grin, "You'll soon have a sister-in-law."
Leng Huai frowned: "How...how can they get married?"
Mu Xiaoxiao: "What's wrong with that? Although Sister Mo is a little older than my brother, she's a kind and good-hearted person. My brother is so lucky!"
But... it shouldn't be like this...
Her small pupils contracted as she stared intently at the two people peeking through the crack in the door, her hands unconsciously clenching into fists.
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