Little did they know, neither Yan Qiu nor Qi Jinchen was Jiang Qingmei, and they would never indulge Jiang Xiaowei.
Two stunning faces, one adult and one child, instantly turned cold.
Yan Qiu was an adult and couldn't bring herself to scold a five-year-old child, but Qi Jinchen was different—he was a big kid, but still a kid nonetheless. He retorted immediately, "How did Xiaoxiao deliberately make things difficult for you!"
"It was clearly something you agreed to do, and now that you can't keep up with the scene rehearsal, you're blaming it all on Xiaoxiao. It's obvious you've done this kind of bad thing plenty of times before!" Qi Jinchen snorted coldly, then tenderly pulled Jiang Xiaoxiao into his embrace.
Being held against his chest and feeling the warmth, Jiang Xiaoxiao's nose tingled with sadness.
Ever since her mother left, she had never experienced this kind of warmth again. She raised her hand to rub her nose but didn't let the tears fall. After all these years, whenever she cried, she would be beaten even harder, so Jiang Xiaoxiao had learned to hold back her tears instinctively.
When had Jiang Xiaowei ever been spoken to in this tone in her entire life?
She cried even harder, pointing at Jiang Xiaoxiao through her tear-blurred eyes. "Why is the pretty brother so partial to her? She's a thief! A liar! It must be Jiang Xiaoxiao who said something to deceive your sympathy!" Seeing that they were unmoved, she simply plopped down on the ground.
This was how she had seen Jiang Qingmei win in the past.
Jiang Xiaowei put on a dramatic performance with all her might. The clean costume she was wearing got covered in dirt, filthy beyond recognition. Yan Qiu furrowed her brows, and Qi Jinchen, holding the small bundle in his arms, disgustedly stepped back, muttering, "So dirty."
Jiang Xiaoxiao tilted her head, reluctantly shifting her gaze from the handsome, flawless profile to Jiang Xiaowei.
Seeing her covered in mud spots.
She thought to herself, the pretty brother doesn't like dirty children?
No wonder he changed into new clothes right after leaving the hospital! It seemed he had been disgusted by how dirty she was back then too!
Then she absolutely must not get dirty, absolutely must not be disliked by the pretty brother!
Jiang Qingmei happened to arrive just then, and she ran over in distress. "Oh my precious, what happened to you?"
Seeing her backing, Jiang Xiaowei scrambled up and grabbed Jiang Qingmei's pant leg. "Mom, it's Jiang Xiaoxiao, that little wretch, who deliberately made things difficult for me, and even deceived the fairy-like lady!" She deliberately omitted many details, her goal being to get Jiang Qingmei to stand up for her.
Hearing this, how could Jiang Qingmei be pleased?
She coldly glared at the little girl hiding in Qi Jinchen's arms. "Come here!"
Jiang Xiaoxiao bit her lower lip. She tightly clung to Qi Jinchen's arm and refused to let go. "I won't!" In the past, she would never have dared to talk back with such confidence—she would have definitely turned tail and run to avoid being beaten.
This time she had backing!
She wasn't afraid!
Jiang Xiaoxiao lifted her chin.
Back when she had watched TV at the old village chief's house, she had seen people provoke each other like this.
Sure enough, when Jiang Qingmei saw the little brat actually daring to provoke her, she was furious. She reached out to grab her.
Qi Jinchen shielded her in his arms and stepped back, his eyes like ice.
Jiang Qingmei shuddered. She hadn't expected a child who looked barely a few years old to have such an imposing aura. It scared her so much that, despite having been an adult for decades, she didn't dare take another step forward. She pressed her lips together. "Young Master, this little girl is in need of discipline. I'm her aunt, so it's only right that I—"
"No need!" Qi Jinchen's tone was icy cold.
Yan Qiu stepped forward, blocking between them. "Xiaoxiao is now part of my crew. We've signed a contract. All matters concerning her safety fall under our jurisdiction. You have no right to interfere for the time being."
Jiang Qingmei's lips moved.
Her fire subsided.
The old village chief had said they were city people, educated, not to be provoked, or else one would be locked in a dark room forever and never come out. He also said they were rich and would bring good fortune to Huaihua Village, so everyone had to treat them with respect.
Jiang Qingmei reluctantly twitched the corner of her mouth. "Yes, yes, yes, it's my fault."
Seeing that the matter was about to be glossed over, Jiang Xiaowei said unhappily, "Mom! Why don't you hit the little bitch? It was her—"
"Shut up!" Seeing Yan Qiu's expression darken, even someone as foolish as Jiang Qingmei could tell that the mother and son from the city liked Jiang Xiaoxiao very much and were quite intent on protecting her to the end.
How could country folk ever outmuscle city folk?
She glared at the tactless Jiang Xiaowei, then belatedly noticed that she was covered in dirt. She was greatly alarmed. "Heavens! You little wretch, what mischief have you been up to! How did you get your clothes so dirty!" They weren't going to make them pay compensation, were they?
Jiang Xiaowei pouted, unconcerned.
Clothes could just be washed. What was the big deal?
But then Jiang Qingmei slapped her on the bottom.
It hurt so much she grimaced and bared her teeth, her voice shrill. "Mom, why are you hitting me!"
Children could certainly be wrong, but the rod does not necessarily produce a filial child. Yan Qiu did not like this feeling. She was just about to speak up to stop it when Jiang Xiaoxiao suddenly wailed in a tearful voice, "Oh no, Auntie! These are the costumes from the show. If they get dirty or damaged, we'll have to pay for them!"
That one shout froze Jiang Qingmei's next slap in midair, neither falling nor not falling.
That shout had indeed struck right at what Jiang Qingmei was worried about. She turned her head and glared at the meddlesome little wretch, then gave an awkward smile. "Clothes, well, just wash them and they'll be fine." She grabbed Jiang Xiaowei and hurried home.
Seeing this, Yan Qiu simply ordered the next scene to proceed. After all, the second female lead did not have many scenes, and a little filming would get it done.
She gave Jiang Xiaoxiao a meaningful look.
Jiang Xiaoxiao playfully stuck out her tongue, tilted her head, and blinked her round, clever little eyes. "Pretty auntie, was I right?" Her voice was sweet and childish, with a slight tone of seeking praise.
Yan Qiu squatted down and tapped her little nose. "You did great!"
Jiang Xiaoxiao grinned, hehe-ing, and the next second dashed off to run lines with Qi Jinchen.
On the other side, Jiang Xiaowei reluctantly looked back and happened to see Jiang Xiaoxiao clinging affectionately to Qi Jinchen. She ran up to Jiang Qingmei, lifted her head, and said, "Mom! Why don't you hit her? She's obviously the one who was wrong, she deliberately made things difficult for me!"
Jiang Qingmei did not know the specifics.
But she believed what her own daughter said. She grabbed her by the wrist and headed back. "We'll talk at home."
Back home, Jiang Xiaowei changed into new clothes. The costume had been carefully washed by Jiang Qingmei and hung on the line in the yard. She could not hold back. "Mom, why!"
Jiang Qingmei frowned irritably. "Why, why, what why? Didn't you see how much that mother and son like Jiang Xiaoxiao? And you're still here asking why over and over!"
She sat down angrily on a stone chair. "I heard from the old village chief that these people won't stay here long. They'll leave after a while." Jiang Qingmei gripped Jiang Xiaowei's shoulders and urged, "Wei girl, you have to cherish the time."
"Spend more time alone with the young master. As long as you make them like you, you can go with them and see the world. If you stay in the same crew all the way through, then when you grow up, you'll be childhood sweethearts!"
“As long as the young master takes a liking to you, how could your mother not agree?” Jiang Qingmei said, her mouth stretching wide with a grin.
Her mind began to conjure scenes of being praised and envied by all.
Jiang Xiaowei, being only five years old, didn't understand. “Mom, what does 'childhood sweethearts' mean?”