"Little Jiu'er, why did you come here?"
After the two looked at each other for a moment, Lin Ning noticed the little girl's eyes growing livelier as she kept sizing him up, and asked gently.
Tian Jiuniang's round, big eyes blinked, but she did not step through the door, tilting her little head to peek from the doorframe, saying softly, "Aunt Chun said Brother-in-law didn't really mean to throw me off the Cliff of Contemplation yesterday, that he just wanted to scare me for fun. Is that true?"
Lin Ning let out a soft breath and, looking into Tian Jiuniang's eyes, said earnestly, "Of course it's true. In this mountain stronghold, only Jiu Niang plays with me—how could I ever throw you off a cliff... It's just that I was in a bad mood yesterday, and you kept babbling on, so I told you to rest a while before talking, but you started singing instead, sobbing and wailing... it made my head throb, so I wanted to give you a little scare... Think about it—if I really wanted to hurt you, back when you used to go with me to the riverside in the west every day, wouldn't it have been much easier to just toss you into the river to feed the big fish? Why would I wait until yesterday?"
Jiu Niang thought it over carefully and found it quite reasonable. Naturally, she could never have guessed that the original body, Lin Xiaoning, had indeed thought of it before—it was just that there were always people from the stronghold by the riverside, some fetching water, some washing clothes, some keeping an eye on Jiu Niang, so he never truly had the chance.
Yet Tian Jiuniang, though remarkably clever for only six years old, still did not understand the treachery that could lurk in people's hearts. Having first heard Aunt Chun argue in Lin Ning's defense, and now hearing his earnest explanation, she believed him at once.
Still, she pouted and said to Lin Ning in a sweet, crisp voice, "Brother-in-law, Jiu Niang was scared silly yesterday! I really thought you were going to throw me off the cliff. Even when I cried like that, you wouldn't put me down. You're not allowed to do that again!"
Lin Ning nodded slowly, smiling. "Don't be afraid. I'll never go to the Cliff of Contemplation again—getting beaten there really hurts."
"Giggling!"
Hearing Lin Ning mock himself, Tian Jiuniang was instantly delighted. She had never seen him so easy to talk to before—usually he would answer her impatiently with just a word or two and shoo her away.
But Tian Jiuniang loved following him around anyway, because Aunt Chun always told her that after Jiu Niang's parents passed away, she had only one elder sister left, but her sister Wu Niang was busy every day with major matters in the stronghold and had no time to spend with her. So Brother-in-law was the only other relative she had, and she ought to get along well with him.
What's more, Aunt Chun treated her very well, doting on her dearly, cooking her all kinds of delicious food every day and sewing her new clothes, so Jiu Niang always loved coming to this largest courtyard in the stronghold.
"Brother-in-law, Brother A Niu was so fierce yesterday. I tried to plead for you, but it didn't help. But you won't blame him, will you?"
Having set her worries at ease, Jiu Niang tilted her little head and walked into the room, coming close to look at Lin Ning's bruised, swollen face, and said softly.
She was very clever, and it occurred to her that if things really were as Aunt Chun said—that Lin Ning had only been joking with her—then Zeng Niu's outcome might not be so good...
Lin Ning deliberately teased her, letting out an "Aiya," and said with mock reproach, "Jiu Niang, just who are you really close to? Are you on my side, or on A Niu's side? Look at me, beaten black and blue like this, and you're still taking that oaf Zeng Niu's side..."
Tian Jiuniang giggled first, then said very seriously, "Of course I'm closest to Brother-in-law! Aunt Chun told Jiu Niang long ago that in this whole world, Jiu Niang only has Elder Sister and Brother-in-law as relatives. How could I ever favor an outsider? It's just that Brother A Niu doesn't know that..."
As she spoke, a troubled look crossed Tian Jiuniang's little face, and she added, "And Second Uncle Fang, Third Uncle Hu, and Fifth Uncle Zhou still don't trust Brother-in-law right now... Brother-in-law, you used to scold them all the time, and if you punish Brother A Niu with the plank again this time, then afterward... they'll misunderstand you even more..."
Seeing a six-year-old girl think of all this, Lin Ning was quite surprised—this was probably what they called precociousness...
He didn't want to make the little one feel troubled, so he smiled and said, "All right, Jiu Niang, don't think about that anymore. I won't blame him, that's all. He was just worried about you—he thought I meant to hurt you, so I understand him. If it were me, and I saw someone else bullying Jiu Niang like that, I certainly wouldn't let it go either!"
Hearing this, Tian Jiuniang's porcelain-doll little face broke instantly into a bloom of joy. Her big eyes sparkled as she looked at Lin Ning's bruised face, and she said with a grin, "Brother-in-law, do you really mean it?"
Lin Ning nodded. "Of course I mean it."
Tian Jiuniang was overjoyed, waving her arms and dancing about—and looking rather adorable doing it.
But before long, her smile slowly faded, and she lowered her head, looking a little sad. "But almost no one in the stronghold trusts Brother-in-law..."
Not everyone was just six years old and had been "brainwashed" by Aunt Chun for so long...
As things stood now, Lin Ning's reputation in the stronghold was barely better than dog shit.
Yet Lin Ning felt little regret over it. He said gently, "It's fine. I never much liked spending time with them anyway—if they don't like me, so be it. Little Jiu Niang won't dislike me, right?"
Tian Jiuniang nodded obediently. "Mm, of course I don't dislike Brother-in-law!" She paused, then looked at him carefully, asking curiously, "Huh, why didn't Brother-in-law call me an annoying pest today?"
Usually, before she could get out even three sentences, she'd be chased off, and he especially hated it when she called him Brother-in-law...
Lin Ning smiled and said, "I went through this illness and injury, nearly died, and it made me think things through clearly. Now, I only have two relatives left—Aunt Chun and Jiu Niang."
Hearing this, Tian Jiuniang's little face turned serious at once, and she corrected him, "Huh? Brother-in-law, you said that wrong! Aunt Chun is our elder—your only relatives are me and Elder Sister. The three of us are the real family—Aunt Chun said so herself!"
In Lin Ning's mind rose the image of that exceedingly beautiful yet exceedingly cold face—it seemed she had already forgotten how to smile...
Suddenly, Lin Ning heard a burst of sobbing. He snapped out of his thoughts and saw that little Jiu Niang, who had just been chattering away nonstop, was now crying sadly. He asked, puzzled, "What's wrong now?"
Jiu Niang said, choking back tears, "Brother-in-law, do you still hate Elder Sister?"
Lin Ning shook his head. "I don't hate her."
Jiu Niang looked at Lin Ning with tear-filled eyes and sobbed, "But... but Brother-in-law said before that Elder Sister's fate is too vicious and too hard, that she cursed your mother to death, and cursed your father to death too, and cursed my mother and father to death as well, and that she wanted to climb up in status by marrying Brother-in-law, so shameless..."
Hearing this, Lin Ning was stunned for a moment. After carefully "recalling," he twitched the corner of his mouth—"he" really had said those things once, in a fit of anger.
What was almost laughable was that "he" hadn't dared say it to Wu Niang's face, only dared to lose his temper in front of a five- or six-year-old child...
Looking at Jiu Niang crying in distress, Lin Ning said earnestly, "That was all nonsense, none of it true. After I said that to you that day, my mother came to me in a dream and gave me a fierce scolding, telling me never to talk nonsense like that again. We're mountain bandits—we live by the blade and eat this dangerous rice so that the people of the stronghold can survive. No one can be sure when their time will come. How could that ever be blamed on your sister, just a girl? Think about it—did I only ever say it that one time? Once I knew it was wrong, I never said it again, right?"
In truth, Jiu Niang had cried so hard that day that it drew Aunt Chun over, and once she learned what had happened, Lin Xiaoning received a fierce scolding from Aunt Chun. He also happened to be "nursing great ambitions" at the time, so he never said such things again afterward.
Hearing Lin Ning say this, Jiu Niang thought it over carefully and realized it really was so, and her tears turned to laughter. "Brother-in-law, don't blame Elder Sister—she works so hard. Uncle Lin was her master, and Madam Ning doted on her the most too. She misses them so much. Aunt Chun says Elder Sister practices martial arts every day just to protect the Lin family's business, and to protect you and me too. Don't blame her, okay?"
Hearing this, Lin Ning's face grew hot with a touch of embarrassment. He gave a dry laugh and said, "I don't blame her, I don't blame her..."
Hearing this, Jiu Niang grew even more delighted and started chattering on about fun things—how the flowers outside the window had bloomed, how a bird had pecked at her window that morning, how her maid Cui'er hadn't believed that Lin Ning wouldn't let her come to the main house, so she'd sneaked over on her own...
Just as they were talking happily, Aunt Chun suddenly came in carrying a food box. Seeing the two of them—one talking happily, one listening happily—she was instantly delighted too, and said with a laugh, "I told you the two of them were just playing around like siblings yesterday, but no one would believe me!"
Lin Ning curved his lips into a slight smile, while Jiu Niang giggled and hopped down from her chair to help Aunt Chun with the food box.
After setting down the food box, Aunt Chun went to fetch clean water for Lin Ning to wash up with.
Meanwhile, Jiu Niang's little mouth kept right on chattering away. "Aunt Chun is so good to Brother-in-law!" "She even prepared two side dishes—sesame oil radish shreds and garlic lotus root slices!" "Meow? Aunt Chun even cooked Brother-in-law dragon blood rice porridge? I want to eat some so badly!"
Dragon Blood Rice was a kind of rice Lin Ning had never heard of in his previous life, meant specifically for those who practiced martial arts.
From what Lin Xiaoning remembered, in the early stages of training, eating wild game and raw meat was fine, but once one's cultivation reached a profound level, one needed to eat dragon blood rice to replenish their essence and energy.
As for how mysterious and unverifiable such a thing was, Lin Ning currently had no way to judge its truth...
Jiu Niang was busy setting out the two side dishes, rubbing her hands together eagerly, clearly looking forward to a good breakfast, when she saw a tall, sturdily built maid come in from outside.
Square mouth, broad nose, a back like a tiger and a waist like a bear, fists the size of clay pots...
Lin Ning recognized this tall, sturdy maid with the gloomy expression—her name was Cui'er, the daughter of a family in the stronghold. Her father had originally been one of Tian Hu's chieftains, but he had died during a robbery expedition down the mountain. Cui'er's appetite grew larger by the day, and her mother, unable to support her, sent her to join the Tian family. Tian Hu took her in and assigned her to look after his young daughter...
If Aunt Chun was Lin Xiaoning's devoted loyalist, then Cui'er was Jiu Niang's.
If Cui'er had rushed to the Cliff of Contemplation yesterday and seen what happened there, Lin Ning would probably have gone cold long ago by now...
Just from the barely concealed hatred in her eyes at this moment, one could tell how furious she was inside.
Lin Ning naturally wouldn't stoop to her level, while Jiu Niang put on her most ingratiating face and said, "Ah, Sister Cui'er came to see Brother-in-law too!"
Looking at Jiu Niang's endearing little face, the icy look on Cui'er's broad face melted into helplessness. "Didn't we agree that Young Lady would stop coming over here to bother him so much? Why did you run off here again?" Perhaps because her head was so large, Cui'er's voice seemed to carry an echoing resonance when she spoke...
Jiu Niang laughed and coaxed her, "I came to play with Brother-in-law... Sister Cui'er, Aunt Chun wasn't lying, Brother-in-law really was just playing around with me yesterday. Brother-in-law even said, if he really wanted to hurt me, why would he wait until yesterday and go all the way to the Cliff of Contemplation? I go with him to the riverside every day—he could've settled the score ages ago. Doesn't that make sense?"
A dark cloud spread across Cui'er's broad face, and she very nearly toppled over backward.
That line might fool Jiu Niang, but how could it possibly fool her?
Was there anyone with clear eyes in this stronghold who didn't know this fellow was full of wicked schemes?
It was only out of consideration that Lin Ning was the late Stronghold Master's only son, and that the late Stronghold Master and his wife had shown kindness to nearly everyone in the stronghold, that Cui'er forced herself to endure it, even though her fists itched with resentment.
Still, endurance was all it was. Glancing at that smiling face, she felt disgust down to her core, unwilling to say another word to this treacherous, vile, contemptible little man. Cui'er said, "The Great Chieftain wants you back right away. I don't know what it's about, but it seemed urgent!"
Hearing this, Jiu Niang instantly deflated. Though she wanted very much to stay here—her sister was cold and stern, and she was honestly a little afraid of her—here, with Aunt Chun around, Lin Xiaoning wouldn't be harsh with her either, and it felt more like a real home...
But no matter what, Wu Niang was still her own sister, even closer to her than Lin Ning. So she had no choice but to obey, bid Lin Ning farewell, and follow Cui'er back, looking utterly dejected...
Not long after the mistress and her maid had gone out the door, Lin Ning saw Aunt Chun come in carrying a brass basin and a washcloth, her expression faintly displeased—clearly, she had just seen Cui'er's dark, stormy face...
Lin Ning said with a gentle smile, "Aunt Chun, it's nothing to worry about."
Seeing him like this, Aunt Chun seemed not to notice the deeper meaning behind it, and couldn't bear to tell him either, only sighing inwardly:
If that girl Wu Niang truly gave up on Ning'er for good, then things would get troublesome from here on...
The older generation owed a great deal to Lin Long and his wife's kindness—while they were alive, they could always keep Lin Ning safe. But once they grew old and passed away, how many of today's younger generation would still remember the Lin family's kindness?
Lin Ning's relationship with them had never been good to begin with, and after what happened yesterday, even more of the younger generation now wanted to give him a good beating.
Without Wu Niang's protection, Lin Ning would surely be in danger in the days ahead...
.....
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