CHAPTER 102: CHAPTER 102: COMING TO BEG FOR MERCY

"By the way, why did you take so long to come back? There’s still some food left for you in the pot; I’ll go get it for you," Mrs. Jiang said, about to head out into the rain.

Gu Nian quickly stopped her, "Mom, don’t bother, I’ve already eaten."

"You’ve already eaten?" Mrs. Jiang looked at Gu Nian in shock, "You were at..."

She hesitated halfway through, perhaps realizing her thoughts were a bit far-fetched.

Gu Nian confirmed her suspicions, "I ate at Young Master Nan’s place. Also, Young Master Nan promised to teach me to read, so I might go there often."

Watching Gu Nian’s cheerful figure, Mrs. Jiang felt something was off.

So, she told Lin Sanshui about it.

Lin Sanshui laughed helplessly, "You’re overthinking it. What sort of person is Young Master Nan? Clearly, he’s not someone like us. Plus, Niannian is just a kid. What could someone want from a child?"

"Then why do you think Young Master Nan let Niannian eat there and agreed to teach her to read?" Mrs. Jiang asked him. "The other day, he even picked her out of the lotus pond after she fell in, more thoughtfully than we did!"

"Anyway, what you said is impossible." Lin Sanshui couldn’t believe it, as Gu Nian may be pretty, but her age is evident.

Moreover, Young Master Nan seemed decent, not someone with wicked intentions!

"I guess Young Master Nan must have taken a liking to Niannian’s cooking skills," Lin Sanshui thought.

Mrs. Jiang, still worried, simply instructed Little Hu to keep a close watch on Gu Nian from now on.

They’re all kids anyway, and Little Hu has nothing else to do, so he might as well stick with Niannian.

Outside, the rain pattered down as Gu Nian sat by the window, flipping through the book Nan Jin Yu gave her.

There were many characters she didn’t recognize, but the book seemed like a plant encyclopedia with pictures, so she could figure out some pieces.

The afternoon passed quietly like this.

Early the next morning, as Gu Nian stepped out, she landed her foot in mud!

She stood frozen, not daring to move, still itching to learn to read.

Little Hu remarked from behind, "See, I told you the road’s bad after rain, better not go out. You didn’t listen, now you’ve got to clean your shoes when the weather clears."

Listening to Little Hu’s somewhat gloating tone, Gu Nian sighed helplessly, went inside to fetch a clean pair of shoes, and stepped out in her muddy shoes.

"You’re heading out anyway, little sis?" Little Hu didn’t want to go out, but his mom told him to follow his sister, so he couldn’t disobey.

"I’m just going to Young Master Nan’s place to learn to read, I’ll be back soon. You don’t have to follow me, big brother!" Gu Nian, unaware that Mrs. Jiang had instructed Little Hu, thought he simply wanted to join her.

Just as Gu Nian turned to leave, she was stopped by someone.

"Niannian, can I ask you a favor?" The visitor was Little Niu’s second sister, Lin Pandi, someone Gu Nian recognized.

A fairly straightforward girl, vastly different from Mrs. Zhang’s domineering nature.

Little Niu’s sisters were all quite straightforward, perhaps because they’d been worn down since childhood.

"Pandi, what do you need from me?" While not liking Little Niu and Mrs. Zhang’s spoiled nature, she didn’t feel outright hatred toward this unfortunate, pitiable girl.

"I..." Lin Pandi seemed a bit at a loss but finally mustered the courage, "Niannian, can you please not kick us out of the village? I’ve already told my parents we’ll keep Little Niu in check and never let him bother you again!"