Someone looking for Shen Wanzhou?
Qiao Xihe led Shen Wanyin out to look, and it was Auntie Liu.
Shen Wanzhou came out at this point too, walking to the door and asking politely, “Auntie Liu, is something wrong?”
Auntie Liu glanced at Qiao Xihe, then pulled Shen Wanzhou aside.
Qiao Xihe: “…”
Why did she feel like the way Auntie Liu had just looked at her wasn’t very friendly?
She hadn’t done anything wrong.
She rubbed her nose, feeling a little wronged.
Auntie Liu pulled Shen Wanzhou behind a large tree not far off, looked around, then took out two eggs and stuffed them into his arms.
“Wanzhou, take these two eggs, share them with your siblings. It’s not much, but you know how things are at Auntie’s house, just being able to spare two eggs is already good,” Auntie Liu said, a little embarrassed.
“Auntie Liu, thank you, but there’s no need.” Shen Wanzhou tried to hand the eggs back. “You keep them for yourselves. We’re not going hungry anymore.”
Eggs were precious, and he felt bad constantly taking things from Auntie Liu.
But he’d remember this kindness.
“Child, just take them.” Auntie Liu patted his head, her voice full of pity. “Don’t be fooled just because your stepsister’s been nice to you these past couple of days, she, she must be up to something bad!”
Everyone in the village had seen with their own eyes how badly Qiao Xihe had treated these four children before!
That winter, she’d forced Shen Wanzhou to strip off his clothes and jump into the ice-cold water… in the dead of winter!
Shen Wanzhou had come home with a fever and nearly died! But Tang Yifang and Qiao Xihe hadn’t cared at all, hadn’t even asked about him!
If it weren’t for the boy’s sheer luck, he would have died right then!
Now, expecting them to believe Qiao Xihe had actually changed, how was that possible?
Shen Wanzhou’s eyes darkened. Truthfully, he’d had this same suspicion himself these past couple of days.
“Auntie Liu, do you know what she’s actually planning?”
“Didn’t you hear what the Xu family woman said yesterday? She’s going to sell you all off!” Auntie Liu said anxiously. “There have been human traffickers wandering around the villages near us lately, who knows when they might show up in ours! When that happens, she’ll sell you off to the traffickers for money, so she and her mother can live it up!”
No matter how mature Shen Wanzhou acted, he was still just a child, and his face went a little pale, his jaw clenching tight.
Did Qiao Xihe really intend to sell them?
But they were still waiting for their father to come home!
No matter what… they still wanted to see their father one more time!
Seeing his expression, Auntie Liu’s heart ached with pity, and she added, “Wanzhou, you’re the eldest, you must protect your younger siblings well. No matter what Qiao Xihe says, don’t believe any of it, and definitely don’t go out with her. Be careful, remember that, all right?”
“I understand.” Shen Wanzhou nodded solemnly.
Shen Wanzhou went back inside and saw that Qiao Xihe had already cooked porridge and was serving it to everyone.
There were wild vegetables mixed into the porridge, and it smelled wonderful.
But that fragrant bowl of porridge looked, to Shen Wanzhou’s eyes right now, like poison.
Would this be the last meal they’d eat at home?
He walked over silently. Qiao Xihe set a bowl of porridge in front of him and asked, “What did Auntie Liu want just now?”
Shen Wanzhou pushed down the surging resentment in his heart and said, “Nothing.”
Qiao Xihe could tell something was on his mind, but didn’t press further.
She needed to eat quickly, after breakfast, she still had to go up the mountain.
Shen Wanzhou had no appetite at all. He drank only a few mouthfuls before pulling Shen Wanmu outside.
“Big brother, what’s wrong?” Shen Wanmu wiped his mouth, a little anxious. “I wasn’t done eating yet…”
“Qiao Xihe is up to no good,” Shen Wanzhou said, his face dark.
“What?” Shen Wanmu froze. “Big brother, you know something, don’t you?”
“Mm.”
Shen Wanzhou told Shen Wanmu everything Auntie Liu had said, and he immediately shook with fear. “She’s really going to sell us off? Where would we even be sold to? Would we even survive after that?”
“Hard to say,” Shen Wanzhou said. “So we absolutely need to be careful, not let ourselves be fooled by how she seems on the surface.”
“Mm!” Shen Wanmu nodded quickly.
“Don’t tell third sister and little sister about this. They’re both too timid, no need to scare them.”
The moment he finished speaking, Qiao Xihe walked out, with Shen Wanjin and Shen Wanyin following behind her.
“Why did you two eat so little today?” Qiao Xihe asked with concern. “Eat a bit more.”
“No need,” Shen Wanzhou said flatly. “We’re not that hungry.”
“All right then. I’m going up the mountain, come on, let’s go together.”
“We won’t go this time.”
As Shen Wanzhou spoke, he walked over and pulled both Shen Wanyin and Shen Wanjin toward himself.
“Big brother, what’s wrong?” Shen Wanyin looked confused. “I wanted to go up the mountain with Sister.”
“Don’t go,” Shen Wanzhou said in a low voice.
Shen Wanyin still listened to him well, and at his words she didn’t dare say anything more.
Qiao Xihe watched them, utterly baffled.
“What exactly is going on?”
Their impression of her had clearly improved a bit already.
Why were they so guarded against her again now?
Could it have something to do with Auntie Liu coming to find Shen Wanzhou this morning?
While digging wild vegetables on the mountain, Qiao Xihe still couldn’t figure it out, no matter how she turned it over in her mind.
She had no heart to wander around any further, and after filling a basket with wild vegetables, she headed back down.
At the foot of the mountain, she happened to run into Auntie Liu.
She was carrying a basin of clothes, apparently heading to the river, which wasn’t far from the mountain.
“Auntie Liu,” Qiao Xihe greeted her, but Auntie Liu just gave her a cold look and snorted.
Qiao Xihe’s head ached, but she still needed to find out exactly what Auntie Liu had said to Shen Wanzhou.
“Auntie Liu, what did you want with my Wanzhou this morning?”
“What, did I ruin your little plan, and now you’ve come to interrogate me about it?” Auntie Liu instantly went on the offensive. “Qiao Xihe, you have such a black heart! Even if they’re not your real brothers and sisters, people are supposed to have feelings, aren’t they? They’re still children, how could you bear it!”
Qiao Xihe, chewed out for no reason she could see, felt both wronged and a little angry.
“Auntie Liu, I know, I did some things wrong before, but I’m not the same as before anymore. I’ll be good to the children, I’ll raise them well.”
“Ha, and you think I’ll believe that?” Auntie Liu’s face was full of contempt. “You being good to them is just so you can sell them off, you think I don’t know!”
“Sell them off? Where’s this coming from?” Qiao Xihe couldn’t help frowning. “Auntie Liu, even if you have a grudge against me, you shouldn’t slander me like this.”
“Pah! If you weren’t planning to sell those children to the traffickers, would you suddenly be this good to them? Who’d believe that?”
“There are traffickers around here?” Qiao Xihe’s expression changed.
Then she needed to keep a close eye on the children! Some traffickers couldn’t buy children outright, but they’d steal and kidnap them instead!
“Look at you, pretending like it’s all real, I don’t believe for a second that you didn’t already know!”