Jiang Lixuan was startled by Zhang Shimian suddenly jumping out and immediately slammed on the brakes. Jiang Hengzhi, who had been stubbornly following behind, was thrown forward by the car's inertia and almost hit his head on the car seat.
Jiang Lixuan couldn't help but blurt out the beautiful words: "Your mother—"
Upon meeting Zhang Shimian's gaze, Jiang Lixuan changed the subject: "How are you today? Of course, Master Zhang, please get in the car."
As he spoke, he opened the car door, and Zhang Shimian nimbly climbed into the car.
Jiang Hengzhi was also stunned when he saw Zhang Shimian: "Master Zhang."
As the richest family in S City, the Jiang family had many dealings with the Taoist priests of Sanqing Temple.
After all, sometimes when signing a contract, it's necessary to ask them which day is auspicious. The Jiang family is quite familiar with Zhang Shimian, the youngest apprentice of the abbot of the Sanqing Temple.
When he heard that Zhang Shimian wanted to find Nan Yuanman, Jiang Hengzhi frowned slightly and asked with great confusion, "Does Daoist Zhang also know Nan Yuanman?"
Isn't Nan Yuanman just a country bumpkin? How could Zhang Shimian know her? And why is he looking for her so late?
Zhang Shimian glanced at Jiang Hengzhi and smiled politely: "We know each other."
As for how they met, he didn't say, as that was a perfectly private matter.
Jiang Hengzhi was hoping to learn more about Nanmanyuan from Zhang Shimian, but after saying those two words, he smiled and remained silent.
Jiang Hengzhi: "..." Never mind, he didn't really want to know.
After Jiang Lixuan and Zhang Shimian were seated, he drove quickly to the police station.
When they arrived at the police station, they saw a small, lonely figure sitting in the corner at the entrance.
Xie Tingting and her grandparents are thanking Nan Yuanman.
The old lady reached out and grasped Nan Yuanman's chubby little hand, her face full of gratitude: "Little Celestial Master, thank you so much for helping my Tingting. If it weren't for you, she probably would have gone astray and gone astray."
"Yes, yes, our whole family will protect you from the afterlife, as will those unfilial descendants." The old man's face was gloomy: "Tonight, I'll go and teach them a lesson!"
Nan Yuanman pursed her lips, revealing a sweet smile, and said like a little adult, "You're welcome. It's good that Sister Tingting understands."
"Yuanman, I'm leaving now." Xie Tingting squatted down in front of Nan Yuanman, her face full of reluctance. She seemed to remember something and said, "By the way, that terrifying male ghost that induced me to commit suicide, it seems that he possessed someone else's phone, and his target group seems to be students."
“Yuanman, he’s very cunning, you have to be careful when you’re up against him.”
Nan Yuanman nodded seriously, her chubby little belly swaying up and down with her movements. She hesitated for a moment before asking, "Sister, do you still want to go see your mom and dad?"
"No, thank you." Xie Tingting shook her head, her eyes filled with relief: "I've thought it through. I have my grandparents, and that's enough for me."
She will no longer expect her parents' love.
Nan Yuanman then waved her little hand to say goodbye: "Goodbye, sister. Take care."
Xie Tingting hummed in agreement, then leaned down and gently hugged her: "Goodbye, Perfect."
As Xie Tingting and her grandparents disappeared at the gates of hell, Jiang Lixuan's imposing and powerful voice came from behind her: "Nan Yuanman!"
Nan Yuanman was startled and turned around to see Jiang Lixuan, Jiang Hengzhi, and Zhang Shimian striding towards him with grim faces. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up, and she stood up and ran behind Zhang Shimian, yelling, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! I'll pay for the things that were damaged in the room!"
"Don't hit me!"
Jiang Lixuan laughed in anger, feeling both heartbroken and distressed, his heart filled with indescribable complex emotions: "Am I the kind of person who would hit a child?!"
"Aren't you one?" Nan Yuanman tugged at Zhang Shimian's trouser leg, cautiously peeking out her little head: "Then why are you looking like you're about to eat someone alive?"
"I'm angry that you ran away from home without saying a word! Do you know how dangerous the outside world is? What if you got kidnapped by human traffickers?"
Jiang Lixuan said with a stern face, "What am I supposed to do then? What will happen to the Jiang family?"
Jiang Heng looked Nan Yuanman up and down. Seeing that she had all her limbs intact, he felt a little relieved for some reason. Hearing this, he snorted and said, "Alright, what's the rush? She's perfectly fine, isn't she? She's not missing any arms or legs."
“She ran away on her own. If she was really abducted, or her limbs were broken and she ended up begging for food, it was her own fault.”
Jiang Lixuan was particularly displeased by his words and raised his voice: "Second brother! Say less!"
Zhang Shimian frowned slightly, his impression of the Jiang family plummeting, and he felt extremely dissatisfied.
How could Jiang Hengzhi, an adult, say such hurtful things in front of a child?
Nan Yuanman didn't seem to care about this. She pouted and hummed, "Anyway, you don't like me. Wouldn't it be better for you if I really disappeared?"
“Yes, the benefits are huge.” Jiang Hengzhi smiled sarcastically and spoke harshly to her: “At least we won’t have to support another burden in the family.”
Jiang Lixuan's face darkened, and he clenched his fist and threw a punch at Jiang Hengzhi's face.
Jiang Hengzhi was caught off guard and was hit squarely.
Jiang Hengzhi: "!"
He hissed and gasped, glaring angrily at Jiang Lixuan: "Are you crazy?"
"I think you're the one who's gone mad! You're so proud of targeting a five-year-old child, aren't you?" Jiang Lixuan was furious. He knew Jiang Hengzhi didn't like Nan Yuanman, but he never expected him to be so vicious.
Jiang Hengzhi was stunned for a moment. His rationality, which had been clouded by his emotions, returned slightly. He pursed his lips and subconsciously looked at Nan Yuanman, afraid that he would see a sad expression on her face.
Nan Yuanman admitted that she felt a little bit upset when she heard the words "burden," but only a little bit.
She had often heard people in the village say that she was her grandfather's burden.
She instinctively hugged Zhang Shimin's leg, took a deep breath, and braced herself for a counterattack. However, Zhang Shimin's face turned cold, and she hid her behind her back, coldly snorting, "Is this the upbringing of your Jiang family? Targeting a five-year-old child, what excellent upbringing."
“Yuanman is not an unwanted child. If your Jiang family doesn’t want to raise her, then let our Sanqing Temple raise her.”
"I've truly broadened my horizons. The Jiang family, the richest family in S City, and that's all? Ha!"
This was the first time Nan Yuanman had been protected by someone other than Old Master Nan. She was stunned for a moment, then looked up at Zhang Shimian with a blank expression, feeling a warm feeling in her heart.
Jiang Lixuan and Jiang Hengzhi looked embarrassed.
"I didn't, I didn't mean to..." Jiang Hengzhi hesitated, looking somewhat annoyed. He had just lost control for a moment when he saw Nan Yuanman's face, which resembled Bai Wenying's...
He closed his eyes slightly, turned his face away, and stopped looking at Nan Yuanman.
Jiang Lixuan shoved Jiang Hengzhi aside with a cold face. If he had known that Jiang Hengzhi would speak so rudely to Yuanman as soon as he arrived, he would never have brought him along!
He looked at Nan Yuanman, who was clinging to Zhang Shimin's leg and seemed to trust him completely. He felt a mix of emotions, including bitterness and regret: "I didn't think that way, Yuanman. I was really worried about you."
Nan Yuanman let out a slow, drawn-out howl, showing absolutely no belief in it.
Jiang Lixuan suddenly felt a little heartbroken.
Nan Yuanman, no longer wanting to deal with the Jiang brothers, hugged Zhang Shimian's leg and asked, "Mianmian, why were you so slow? Where is your master?"
Zhang Shimian's lips twitched. What is Mianmian's nickname?
"Call me brother." Zhang Shimian ruffled her hair. "My master had something come up and couldn't come, so he asked me to pass on a message to you."
Before he could even speak, Nan Yuanman's stomach began to rumble.
Zhang Shimian's eyes narrowed: "You haven't eaten yet?"
Nan Yuanman touched her flat little belly: "No."
Zhang Shimian glanced at the Jiang brothers with a complicated expression, as if condemning them for not even feeding their child.
He picked up Nan Yuanman, turned around and strode away: "Let's go, I'll take you to eat, we can talk while we eat."
Jiang Lixuan sighed and said to Jiang Hengzhi, "Second brother, you go back by yourself. I'll bring Yuanman back with me later."
Before Jiang Hengzhi could speak, he took a step and followed.
Jiang Hengzhi stood there with a gloomy expression, clicking his tongue in annoyance. Just then, his cell phone rang in his pocket.
He answered the phone and heard Jiang Xinxin sobbing uncontrollably: "Second Uncle, where did you and Little Uncle go? Xinxin had a nightmare, Xinxin is scared, boohoo..."
The slight guilt that Jiang Hengzhi had felt towards Nan Yuanman vanished instantly, and he hurriedly said, "Xinxin, don't be afraid, your uncle will go back now."
He quickly hung up the phone and took a taxi back to the villa.
-
Zhang Shimian found a relatively clean small restaurant nearby and led Nan Yuanman and his tagalong Jiang Lixuan into a private room.
He poured Nan Yuanman a glass of water, and felt heartbroken watching the little brat gulp down the water. He glared at Jiang Lixuan with even more reproach.
He couldn't help but ask Nan Yuanman, "Yuanman, do you want to come back to the Sanqing Temple with me? I'll ask my master to take you as his disciple. From now on, you'll be my junior sister, and I'll catch ghosts to earn money to support you!"
Jiang Lixuan, who was unpacking the bowls and chopsticks for Nan Yuanman, felt a sudden jolt in his heart. He looked up at Nan Yuanman with an unusually strong reaction: "No way!"
He then glared angrily at Zhang Shimian. Well, he originally thought Zhang Shimian was here to talk to Nan Yuanman about serious matters, but he didn't expect this person to be here to snatch the child!
He should have driven the car into the ditch!
Zhang Shimian ignored Jiang Lixuan's angry gaze and looked at her expectantly. Jiang Lixuan couldn't help but feel nervous, afraid that Nan Yuanman would agree.
Nan Yuanman finished the last bit of water in her cup and gave Zhang Shimian a soft and obedient smile: "I don't need it for now. I feel quite comfortable staying at the Jiang family's place."
Not to mention... she still has the huge bomb of a zombie grandfather on her person, going to the Sanqing Temple would be like a lamb entering a tiger's den.
The best solution is to stay at the Jiang family's place for now.
Jiang Lixuan breathed a sigh of relief and glanced triumphantly at Zhang Shimian.
Zhang Shimian felt a little regretful, but thanks to his master's warning, he wasn't too disappointed.
He sighed, "Alright, if you're not doing well at the Jiang family's, just let me know and I'll come pick you up."
“Oh right, Yuanman, my master asked me to bring this to you.” Zhang Shimian said, taking out a locked, worn-out diary from his handbag.
A family photo, covered in scratches but carefully glued back together, was pasted on the cover of the diary.
Jiang Lixuan's gaze fixed on the yellowed photograph, his pupils contracting sharply.
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