Chapter 12: Bring A Gift
Jiang Lixuan instantly became vigilant, looking Nan Yuanman up and down: “Why are you agreeing so readily this time? You’re not planning to use this to make me relax my guard and escape on the way back to the Jiang family, are you?”
It wasn’t unreasonable for him to think that way. No matter how obtuse he was, after the incident with Zhou Ying, he knew that Nan Yuanman was not like an ordinary child.
If she really had any malicious thoughts, he, as an ordinary person, really wouldn’t be able to deal with her.
Nan Yuanman blinked her big, clear black-and-white eyes innocently: “Am I that kind of naughty child?”
Jiang Lixuan snorted with a laugh: “What do you think?”
“But I’ll keep a close eye on you on the road, so you won’t have a chance to escape.” Jiang Lixuan said, raising his eyes to scan the rundown small yard, frowning as he asked: “Where is Old Master Nan? I need to take you away, so I have to say hello to him.”
Nan Yuanman subconsciously touched the small coffin she had placed in her cloth bag, answering calmly: “He went up the mountain to chop wood. You can just leave him a message, no need to say hello.”
Jiang Lixuan felt something was off, but time was tight now, and it would take quite a while to return to S City from Batang Village.
Helplessly, he could only leave a letter with Aunt Zheng for safekeeping, and he also stuffed a bank card into the envelope for her to give to Old Master Nan when she saw him.
After doing these things, when he turned back, he happened to see Nan Yuanman directing the driver to load the coffin from the yard into the trunk.
The driver stood in front of the coffin, at a loss, looking as if facing a formidable enemy.
Upon seeing Jiang Lixuan return, he cast a pleading glance at him.
Young Master! Please control the little miss!
Jiang Lixuan’s temple throbbed with pain, and he growled through gritted teeth: “Nan Yuanman! What are you doing bringing a coffin!”
“Gifts for Grandmother, Grandfather, and the other uncles!” Nan Yuanman looked at him with an expression of how do you not understand this: “This is my first time visiting, according to etiquette, I have to bring some gifts, right?”
“Grandpa isn’t here, no one prepared local specialties for me. I thought about it for a long time and decided to pick out a few coffins to give to Grandmother and Grandfather!”
“Don’t underestimate these coffins. They’re made from top-quality wood, meticulously crafted by my grandpa’s hands, and they even have carvings on them! They’re so beautiful!”
If it weren’t for the serious expression on Nan Yuanman’s small face, Jiang Lixuan would have suspected she was doing it on purpose. He took a deep breath: “They don’t need them!”
He said with a headache: “Throw the coffin boards down for me! You can just go to the Jiang family yourself, no need to prepare any gifts!”
Nan Yuanman pouted: “Fine.”
She muttered softly: “You really don’t know good stuff. These coffins can’t be bought with money…”
Jiang Lixuan: “…”
He began to suspect whether bringing Nan Yuanman back to the Jiang family was right or wrong.
They hadn’t even arrived at the Jiang family yet, and he could already foresee that the Jiang family’s days ahead definitely wouldn’t be peaceful…
She jumped down from the trunk and had the driver move the coffin boards he had just loaded back again.
Jiang Lixuan pinched the space between his eyebrows, looking at Nan Yuanman, who was dressed in gray cloth clothes with only a crossbody bag on her small body, and asked her: “What about your clothes? Have you packed them?”
Nan Yuanman patted her crossbody bag: “All packed, it’s all in here.”
Jiang Lixuan was stunned for a moment, suddenly remembering Jiang Xinxin’s several large wardrobes of clothes, which formed a stark contrast with the small crossbody bag Nan Yuanman was carrying now.
A strange feeling welled up in his heart: “…Never mind, let’s go back first. I’ll buy you clothes later.”
Zhang Shimian shook his head, opened the car door, picked up Nan Yuanman, buckled her seatbelt: “I’m going to pick up my master. I’ll go to the Jiang family tomorrow to find you. Be good and don’t cause trouble.”
Nan Yuanman nodded obediently: “Got it.”
Jiang Lixuan asked politely: “Master Zhang, do you need us to give you a ride?”
“No need, I still have to wrap things up with the Zheng family.” Zhang Shimian shook his head.
Nan Yuanman patted her little head, then remembered what she had forgotten. She grabbed Zhang Shimian’s hand and said: “Tell Big Brother Feiyu to have Aunt Zheng personally go to the Liu family to retrieve Zhou Ying sister’s hair, fingernails, and bones.”
“After retrieving them, bring those things to find me, and I’ll break the curse.”
She had already gotten involved in Zhou Ying’s matter, so she had to see it through to the end.
“Also, have Big Brother Feiyu prepare the reward. Don’t forget to give me the reward just because I’m young!”
Zhang Shimian ruffled her head: “Got it.”
Jiang Lixuan watched their intimate interaction, listening to her calling “Big Brother Feiyu” over and over, couldn’t help but tsk, his voice tinged with a hint of jealousy: “Feiyu brother… How come I don’t hear you call me uncle even once?”
Nan Yuanman completely ignored his voice, gave Zhang Shimian a thousand instructions after another, then obediently sat down.
Jiang Lixuan got into the car in a depressed mood and sat beside Nan Yuanman.
The black sedan slowly started and gradually drove away from the village where she had lived for five years.
Nan Yuanman twisted her body to lean on the car window, watching the scenery receding outside, and touched the small coffin in her little cloth bag.
It didn’t matter, as long as Grandpa was by her side.
Wherever Grandpa was, that was her home.
–
The Liu family in S City had been feeling inexplicably uneasy these past two days.
Liu Hanfei’s big brother Liu Taiyu couldn’t hold back and called him, but no matter how many times he called, no one picked up.
His wife Yue Qinya, applying lipstick, asked: “Hanfei still isn’t answering?”
Liu Taiyu irritably grunted and continued calling him.
Yue Qinya comforted him: “Don’t worry too much. Hanfei is over thirty years old, he won’t run into any danger.”
“What do you know?” Liu Taiyu glanced at her impatiently. Their old Liu family had achieved what it had today all thanks to Hanfei.
Liu Hanfei was the pillar of their Liu family!
With the pillar out of contact, how could he not be anxious?
“Fine, fine, I know nothing. I’m going out to play mahjong first. I have a date with Mrs. Zhao today.” Yue Qinya said irritably, packing her things to head out.
For some reason, her luck had become extremely good these days.
She won every hand of mahjong, won prizes from scratch-off tickets bought on a whim, picked up money while walking on the street, and even luckily met the wife of a Party A that their company was preparing to cooperate with.
It was as if her life had suddenly been blessed with good fortune.
So she had to seize this opportunity well and get Mrs. Zhao to agree to cooperate with them.
Yue Qinya didn’t forget to stuff the amulet that Liu Taiyu had gotten for her, which was kept in a red brocade pouch, into her bag before heading out.
Liu Taiyu’s gaze quickly glanced at the red brocade pouch she put into her bag, uneasily standing up: “I’ll drive you, and look for Hanfei along the way.”
Yue Qinya agreed, and as soon as they opened the door, they came face-to-face with two tall police officers standing outside.
Yue Qinya was stunned: “You all are…?”
Liu Taiyu’s face instantly turned pale, and he instinctively turned to run back into the room.
The young police officer immediately chased after him, pinning Liu Taiyu to the ground, shouting: “Don’t move! We’re police. You’re suspected in a intentional homicide case. Come with us now!”
Pinned to the ground, Liu Taiyu was drenched in cold sweat, his mind filled with only two words—
It’s over!
The Liu family became chaotic with the police’s arrival, and their peaceful days were gone forever.
Nan Yuanman, meanwhile, was sleeping soundly on the car heading to S City.
Her whole body was tilted, her chubby little face pressed against Jiang Lixuan’s arm, with a trail of crystal-clear saliva at the corner of her mouth.
Looking at her quiet sleeping appearance, Jiang Lixuan’s heart softened a bit. He couldn’t help but gently pinch her face, muttering softly: “You’re much more obedient when asleep.”
This was way better than when she was awake and talking back to annoy him.
Nan Yuanman’s brows furrowed, her thick, long eyelashes trembled slightly, and she slowly opened her eyes.
She licked the saliva at the corner of her lips, asking sleepily: “Are we there?”
Jiang Lixuan looked at the scenery outside the window. The car had already entered S City’s area and was heading to Tai Gu Manor.
He hummed: “Almost.”
At that time, in the famous Tai Gu Villa wealthy district.
Several people were standing at the doorway of Villa 109.
Jiang Xinxin was wearing a pink princess dress, her high ponytail adorned with several diamond hair clips, looking just like a doll, both beautiful and cute.
She held a bouquet of flowers in her hand, tiptoeing anxiously to look ahead. She nervously grabbed the hand of the woman beside her and asked: “Has Uncle brought Sister? Mom, will Sister not like me?”
