Jiang Bai's cold expression stunned Xiao An.
He had a very good first impression of Jiang Bai. She was beautiful, thin and fair-skinned, and had a smile in her eyes when she spoke. She seemed like a gentle and kind young lady.
Xiao An inquired and found out that this Jiang family head hadn't married well. Her husband's family was wealthy, but he had already been married once and had two children. This milk tea shop was probably a way for her husband's family to subsidize her, since being a stepmother isn't easy.
Xiao An didn't ask for much. He was the eldest child, with six younger brothers, the youngest of whom was still an infant. He originally had three younger sisters, but they couldn't support them and eventually disappeared. Looking at his guilty and pained parents, he didn't dare ask where his sisters had gone.
Asking is pointless.
But every time he passed by the dilapidated temple outside the city, he would secretly take a tree branch and pray to the Bodhisattva, hoping that the gods would hear his words and bless his missing sisters, at least allowing them to live in peace.
Xiao An thought, even if I become a dairy farmer, what good will it do?
This amount of money is never enough to live on for a month. His mother was injured when she gave birth and is now bedridden. They can't even afford a doctor. His father is getting older. He can still pick up a hoe now, but what about in five years? Or ten years?
At that time, the youngest brother was still learning to speak. How could he, as the eldest brother, afford to raise so many children?
He planned to marry a rich man. This idea sprouted from the ground like a sapling, and once it came into contact with sunlight, air, and water, it could no longer be suppressed.
He had originally set his sights on Li Xinxiang, but after only a few meetings, he realized that she was not wealthy and was a woman who had lived a life of hardship. Like his mother, she struggled to survive with her five children.
Then Xiao An saw Jiang Bai.
The moment Xiao An saw Jiang Bai, she knew that this woman was different from them. She seemed to have been raised in a honey pot, sweet and alluring. Her words, actions, expressions and language all revealed that she lived in a carefree environment.
She was like a pampered child—innocent, passionate, and positive.
Xiao An's eyes reddened with jealousy.
He set his sights on Jiang Bai almost instantly, thinking: I want to have her, I want her to fall in love with me.
Especially after finding out about Jiang Bai's background, Xiao An showed a smile of satisfaction for the first time. Jiang Bai must not be satisfied with her husband. That man is old and full of money. How can he compare to her young body?
I was proven wrong.
Xiao An didn't know whether it was Jiang Bai defending Zhao Yi in front of him that was a slap in the face, or whether it was Jiang Bai being completely different from what he had imagined that was even more embarrassing.
Jiang Bai's face turned cold, making him appear capable and ruthless, his eyes penetrating the world. Xiao An suddenly understood why the milk tea shop could grow so big and even open branches—maybe he was mistaken, and it wasn't her wealthy husband's achievement, but truly hers.
Xiao An timidly opened her mouth: "I...I didn't mean it..."
Jiang Bai was too lazy to listen to his explanation, whether it was true or false, and simply said, "No matter what your purpose is, I have to advise you that you are still young. Don't let a temporary detour make you think too much."
"If you don't like me, why did you bring me back and care about my life or death?" Xiao An asked, puzzled.
Jiang Bai looked him up and down and said, "You're about the same age as my son."
“I’m already sixteen!” Xiao An didn’t expect Jiang Bai to compare her to a child, so she quickly retorted, “I just don’t eat very well and I’m not very tall—but I will grow taller.”
Xiao An really isn't tall. Jiang Bai looked him over and realized that he was only a little taller than himself, definitely less than 1.7 meters.
He nodded by the riverbank, offering a perfunctory reply as if comforting a child.
Xiao An couldn't help but say again, "Besides, you're not much older than me, and that's not your biological son."
"Mother," Xiao An had barely finished speaking when a hoarse male voice came from behind them. The man leaned closer, grabbed Jiang Bai's arm, and looked at Xiao An with hostility. "Who is this person?"
The person who arrived was Zhao Ping'an.
When Zhao Ping'an went through puberty, his voice became like a duck quacking, which made Zhao Xile cry twice, thinking that he had some terminal illness.
Later, after learning that this was a normal phenomenon during puberty, she couldn't help but ask Jiang Bai, "Mother, when I turn twelve, will I also have a voice like yours, brother?"
Jiang Bai quickly comforted her, "Girls wouldn't do that."
This action hurt the sensitive and fragile teenager's self-esteem. Zhao Ping'an usually doesn't talk much, and sometimes Jiang Bai wouldn't hear him say a word all day. This time, he seemed really anxious and questioned him loudly from several meters away.
Jiang Bai quickly said, "This is the feeder at your Aunt Li's cattle farm. You can call him Brother Xiao An. The milk you drink every day is squeezed out by him."
Turning her head, she introduced him to Xiao An: "This is my son, Ping An."
Xiao An bowed to Zhao Ping'an, but Zhao Ping'an declined and turned away to the side.
He could ignore Xiao An, and pulled Jiang Bai's arm as they walked into the house, asking as they went, "Where's my dad? Didn't he go to pick you up?"
Jiang Bai originally wanted to call Xiao An to come in with her, but Zhao Ping'an's words made her feel guilty. She definitely wouldn't tell her son that Zhao Yi had argued with her because of Xiao An, and only said, "Your father has some things to do."
Zhao Pingan pouted: "Why is there so much trouble?"
As she spoke, Zhao Xile ran over with her short legs and jumped into Jiang Bai's arms: "Mom, you're back!"
"Why are you back so early?" Jiang Bai looked at the sky and couldn't help but ask.
"I had an exam today, and my brother and I went home right after it was over," Zhao Xile replied in her childish voice.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Bai raised his eyebrows and asked, "How was the exam? Did you do well?"
Zhao Ping'an nodded, but Zhao Xile pouted. Jiang Bai understood immediately from their expressions.
She didn't say anything to spoil the mood, but simply put her arm around Zhao Xile and took Zhao Ping'an's hand with her other hand, and slowly walked into the house.
Xiao An stood there, only hearing her gentle voice, which grew softer and softer: "What do you want to eat tonight? Tell your mother properly. You used your brain a lot during the exam today, so you need to make up for it..."
Xiao An had an urge to turn around and run away; this sense of being an outsider was driving her crazy.
He knew that Jiang Bai didn't hate him, but he didn't like him either. He was just one of the countless strangers Jiang Bai had ever met. Even though his resolute behavior made Jiang Bai compromise, that wasn't a reason for him to care about him.
Jiang Bai would probably do the same for anyone in need, and she would even extend the same kindness to animals and insects on the roadside.
Such kindness can be overwhelming, but this kind of love is not the only kind.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
