Chapter: Chapter 296
“I’m not drinking.”
For some reason, she had just thought how nice it would be to have another bowl.
But Mu Sanniang, on the verge of speaking, still chose to refuse.
She lowered her head, “You drink it yourself.”
Chen An frowned and explained, “I’ve already drunk mine. This is specifically saved for you.”
But Mu Sanniang still shook her head.
Fortunately, Chen An had anticipated this. He was now very good at dealing with stubborn children.
He pretended to be dejected and sighed.
“It seems Sanniang is still unwilling to protect me. Was everything you said before just to trick me…”
His words successfully agitated the girl.
She quickly denied it, her eyes wide, “You are not allowed to say that! I would never lie to you!”
Chen An smiled and offered the congee again.
“If that’s the case, then older sister should drink it quickly.”
Mu Sanniang glared at him, not quite understanding how drinking congee could be related.
Chen An coughed lightly and said, “Sister said she would protect me, so she definitely needs to be full. How can she have strength if she’s not full?”
“Besides, if you can’t even eat enough, your spirit will also be very low.”
Mu Sanniang’s eyes moved slightly. She gazed at him with her light blue pupils for a long time before finally not refuting again. She directly took the bowl and drank it all in one go.
The warm congee turned into a warm current, flowing slowly down her throat.
Then it spread to her limbs and bones, lingering for a long time.
Seeing her obediently listen, Chen An’s face also broke into a smile.
He took both of their bowls and turned to walk towards the shed.
The bowls needed to be returned, and besides, these things were useless to them.
All the people combined couldn’t even produce a single grain of rice.
Mu Sanniang stood in place, watching the boy’s receding back.
She squeezed her palm, and a look of determination flashed in her eyes.
At this very moment, a seed named “becoming stronger” began to take root deep in the girl’s heart.
Mu Sanniang had never had any grand dreams.
Initially, she just wanted to survive.
And now, she wanted to survive with her younger brother.
She wanted to live well, not like this, with no idea where the next meal would come from, and enduring the harsh snow every day.
Therefore, she had to become strong, very, very strong.
The weak are preyed upon by the strong, and the survival of the fittest.
This was a lesson Mu Sanniang had understood long ago.
Chen An did not delay further and quickly returned, amidst the envious gazes of others.
He reappeared beside Mu Sanniang.
The girl stepped forward and took his hand proactively.
Chen An was stunned but did not pull away.
After eating the only meal of the day, it was almost time for them to return to the corner where they had stayed last night.
In this weather, it was crucial to conserve energy and not move around unnecessarily.
There was no other way but to wait for the snow to subside quickly.
The two small figures were just about to take a step when they heard the creaking of carriage wheels from not far away.
Chen An and Mu Sanniang looked in the direction of the sound. It was a luxuriously decorated carriage.
Beside the carriage was a team of neat and solemn soldiers escorting it.
Chen An recognized this formation; it was from the family that had been distributing alms.
The carriage slowly stopped in front of the two.
Immediately, the carriage curtain was lifted, and a head peeked out.
Her face was delicate and beautiful, a typical melon seed face.
The thick clothes she wore were familiar to Chen An.
It was the same woman who had given him congee twice in the shed before.
Now, inside the carriage, she had removed the light veil that concealed her face, revealing her complete features.
Seeing the little boy standing still, the woman, with light steps, alighted from the carriage.
She chuckled, “What’s wrong? Don’t you recognize older sister?”
Chen An’s face twitched. His perfect professional smile reappeared on his face.
He said, “What are you saying, older sister? I was just amazed by your aura and beauty.”
These words were a bit cheesy, but as he’d said before, it depended on who was saying them.
For example, now, even though the woman knew Chen An was deliberately flattering her and saying nice things, she couldn’t help but her eyes curve into a smile.
She extended a finger and lightly tapped the boy’s forehead, laughing softly and scolding him.
“At your young age, you’re already so glib.”
Chen An maintained his smile, his heart unmoved.
Women were all like this. Even if they secretly liked being praised, on the surface, they had to act differently.
Yes, this was called being demure.
However, Chen An was also a little confused at the moment. He didn’t know why they had stopped.
He had a guess, but he felt it was unlikely.
But what the woman said next made Chen An realize that he had underestimated the power of his looks.
If his attributes could be quantified, his charm would definitely be maxed out, with a parenthesis: maximum effectiveness against mature women.
The woman then put away her smile and said seriously, “My young lady asks if you are willing to come into the city with us and become a servant of our Wang family?”
As soon as she finished speaking, before Chen An could even react, he felt his hand tighten.
He turned to look and saw that Mu Sanniang had lowered her head at some point, motionless, making it impossible to see the expression on her face.
It had to be said that this offer was undeniably very seductive to them, refugees surviving outside the city.
He believed that anyone else in this situation would have already knelt down and begged to be taken in by the family.
Although they would be servants and seemingly lose their freedom, in these chaotic times, having a place to stay was something countless people dreamed of.
What’s more, they were refugees who had fled from famine?
After speaking, the woman continued to look at Chen An with a smile, appearing confident.
After all, who could refuse the invitation of their Liucheng Wang family?
But at the next moment, a hint of hesitation appeared on the boy’s face.
He glanced at the girl beside him and said softly, “Thank you for thinking so highly of me, but I cannot abandon my older sister.”
His voice was not loud, and it fell clearly into the ears of the two women, one older and one younger.
Mu Sanniang still kept her head lowered, motionless, only her body trembled almost imperceptibly.
The woman’s expression froze. She frowned and asked, “Your biological older sister?”
Chen An shook his head.
The woman seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and said, “Since she’s not your biological sister, why are you so insistent?”
Chen An still shook his head.
The woman’s expression finally grew impatient.
Remembering something, she cast a subtle glance at the carriage and leaned closer, whispering, “Listen to older sister, coming to work for our Liucheng Wang family is absolutely beneficial and harmless…”
She added, “And you don’t have to worry about the status of a servant. Older sister will look after you.”
The woman had made her intentions very clear.
If this young boy hadn’t been so pleasing to her, she would have already left in a huff.
After all, she was her young lady’s personal head maid. Even in Liucheng, some family heads had to show her some respect.
(End of this chapter)
