Chapter 3, oh dear

Jiang Sui overheard Sun Xiaowei and the others talking yesterday

After a while, Chen Caiqiong's expression changed. Once Jiang Shuisheng left, she forced a smile and approached Jiang Sui, asking: "Sui Sui, don't you like your aunt?"

Jiang Sui no longer smiled and nodded obediently. In her current weak state, even Sun Xiaowei could not defeat her. Confronting the mischievous child was ineffective and would instead have a counterproductive effect

Although Chen Caiqiong wanted to enjoy the excitement, she was even more afraid that Jiang Sui would cause some trouble that would affect her, so she quickly left with a look of regret while holding Jiang Sui.

However, the boy had little patience: "Girls are really annoying. If you dare to say it out loud, I will beat you, do you believe it!"

Chen Caiqiong murmured in her ear: "What does it matter to you, Sui Sui? Zheng Chun and that woman from the Zhao family are not to be trifled with, so keep quiet, understand?" She grumbled, "That little brat has quite a tough bone."

Everyone's gaze fell upon Chi Yan. He licked his cracked lips, cast a cold glance at Jiang Sui, and after a long pause, said: "It is I."

Jiang Sui is afraid of this person, very afraid. She cannot clearly articulate the reason, yet she fears his gaze, fears his eyes

The sparrow flew down from the branch, and the air was tinged with the sweltering heat of summer. Zheng Chun naturally knew the girl from the Jiang family; this little girl had a soft and glutinous voice, but her small face was often marred by injuries.

She held the water bottle, not expecting a word of thanks from that arrogant young man, and slowly turned to leave.

Yet she remains confident and earnest, a serious little penguin with charming peach blossom eyes

Jiang Sui leaned against the door, watching Chen Caiqiong and Jiang Shuisheng talking next door

Jiang Sui gritted her teeth, slowly getting up from the ground, and then unfastened the water bottle from her neck

Jiang Sui maintained a cold expression on her small face, and after a while, she squatted down beside him to pick up the hat. The boy was drenched in sweat, and being so close, Jiang Sui could also smell the scent of blood on him

Jiang Sui covered her mouth and looked at him eagerly

The warm yellow hat rolled to the boy's side, and he glanced at her petite hat with indifference, while the girl's fine, slightly yellowed hair cascaded over one shoulder

The young man's forehead was soaked, and he looked at him coldly. Sun Xiaowei felt guilty and extremely anxious. He could not help but lower his domineering tone: "Don't come over, what do you want to do?"

Zheng Chunwen: "If it is not him, then who do you say it is?"

Sun Xiaowei tightly hugged the football and exclaimed, "I, I will buy it!"

Sun Xiaowei took a step back, hugging the football and shaking his body.

Her gaze was cold and indifferent as she looked at him

Sun Xiaowei struck the cotton with a punch, and before him stood a little girl with bright, watery eyes, resembling the gentle waters of a spring lake. Sun Xiaowei was momentarily bewildered, then shook his head and walked away

Sun Xiaowei saw that he truly did not care, so she had no choice but to say: "Alright, alright, I will buy it for Chi Yiming."

She placed her hands on her hips and said, "Did you hear that? It wasn't our family's Chi Yan who fell. Zheng Chun, you are bullying me just because I am new here and talking nonsense!" Deng Yulian kicked Chi Yan and said, "You little brat, why don't you hurry up and say who it is?"

Jiang Sui comforted himself, he is only twelve years old now, even a tiger falls to the ground, he is not a big shot, there is nothing to be afraid of

His lips were cracked and bleeding, and Zheng Chun would not allow him to drink water. Chi Yan drank very quickly. July was too hot; anyone else would have likely fainted by now. However, this battered body was tougher than steel; he could not even faint to suffer less.

He drank it all in one gulp, not wasting a single drop

Chen Caiqiong had a dark expression as she watched Jiang Sui leave the room

When the kettle fell, it caused her still undeveloped little breasts to ache painfully

Sun Xiaowei took two steps while holding the football, then remembered something and turned back to say: "You must not speak; if you do, I will reveal what you were looking for in the trash can a few days ago."

Chi Yan threw the olive green water bottle back at her without uttering a word of thanks

Jiang Sui smiled, her eyes curving into crescent moons: "I will walk slowly, Dad, I want to get better"

Jiang Sui breathed a sigh of relief

Sun Xiaowei was startled and asked in surprise: "Chí, Chí Yan!"

Sun Xiaowei has a certain amount of pocket money every day, and he also has a large sum of money he received during the New Year in his piggy bank. Upon hearing this, he gritted his teeth and said: "I provide for his meals, aren't you going to keep this to yourself?"

So much so that even Jiang Sui had walked past him, yet he still had not figured out what attitude he should adopt towards Chi Yan

Jiang Sui walked to the bottom of the big yellow cassava tree, where she was stopped by a boy who suddenly jumped out.

Chen Caiqiong did not notice that she was unhappy and continued to say many unpleasant things. She let go of Jiang Sui and quietly pinched a handful of vegetables planted in someone else's yard.

Jiang Sui, with her small milk teeth, was gnawing on shredded carrots. She was not particularly inclined to go; it was not out of anger or disdain for lying, but rather because she felt that given Chi Yan's natural aversion towards her, even if she offered water, Chi Yan would not drink it.

Chi Yan silently took the water bottle, opened it, and poured it into his mouth from a distance

She tripped over her right foot, and in the next moment, her face hit the ground as she fell beside him

Jiang Shuisheng is a man of his word. Before going out, he packed a small water bottle for Jiang Sui and put a warm yellow sun hat on her.

Only after she had walked a considerable distance did Chi Yan finally raise his head

Jiang Sui was stunned, her eyes, resembling black grapes, reflected his appearance at that moment. Chi Yan's gaze was cold and indifferent as he turned away, no longer looking at her

Jiang Shuisheng hurriedly asked: "Has she been unkind to you?"

Chi Yan grew taller relatively early; he is nearly thirteen years old and stands almost 1.7 meters tall. He looks down at Sun Xiaowei, his cracked lips seeping a bit of blood, and his voice, like an old, hoarse bellows, says: "Yesterday and today, I endured two beatings, a total of 143 strikes on my body, and knelt for six hours"

Life is truly resilient

Although Jiang Sui could not express it, the woman who was arguing, Deng Yulian, brightened her eyes.

Jiang Sui vowed that for the first time in her life, she almost cried out of shame

Nothing is more difficult than being alive

He cannot smell the scent of the summer breeze, nor can he detect the fresh fragrance of the grass and trees; he is only aware of the odor of his own sweat, which is both filthy and unpleasant

What is integrity, and what is pride? Such useless things have long been lost to him, and he is too lazy to possess them.

Life is truly frustrating

His slender eyes drooped, breathing softly

What should I do if I fall

She recalled her chapped and cracked lips, nodding slightly: "Dad, I will go by myself this afternoon. Please do not ask Aunt Chen to take care of me anymore."

Deng Yulian widened her eyes, her face flushed, and she scolded without thinking: "Little beast!"

The little girl in the pink dress looked at him in terror.

Uncle Zhang, enjoying the cool breeze, couldn't help but smile: "Sui Sui, walk slowly." Little Jiang Sui walked in a comical manner, moving both hands and feet in unison, adorably silly.

Her long, pitch-black eyelashes hung limply like the wings of a damp butterfly

Chen Caiqiong said, "Oh, you child, what nonsense are you talking about?" She tilted her chin towards Chi Yanyan, who was kneeling on the ground, and turned to Zheng Chun, saying, "The little girl is just talking nonsense; who else could it be? Look at him, hasn't he denied it either?"

Chi Yan wiped the bloodstains from his mouth and let out a low, ambiguous chuckle: "Go ahead and speak."

The boy, like a little firecracker, glared at her and said, "Jiang Sui! What are you going to do?"

Jiang Sui smiled brightly and replied, "Alright."

Sun Xiaowei, having had his fill of play, hummed a tune as he returned home. The summer sun had just begun to set, and as he focused his gaze, he noticed a slender figure behind the large tree

She wished she could angrily pound this useless little body

Jiang Sui felt it was absurd and strange, as time had passed so long that she was almost forgetting that the bold young man Sun Xiaowei, who would later confess to her with a flushed face, was now in this state.

Jiang Sui finally arrived in front of the grocery store, a thin layer of sweat forming on her forehead

In the sound of cicadas in July, Chi Yan heard the dragging footsteps and turned around

She has a secret in her heart

Chi Yan said: "Your grandfather and your father are both officials, your grandmother takes care of you at home, she spoils you, but your father does not. If he finds out that you did this, in addition to compensating Zheng Chun, you will also receive a beating."

He lost his wife, and therefore he also cherishes the children who do not have parents

Under the elm tree, the little girl resembles a small penguin

Jiang Shuisheng supports her in walking for exercise, fearing that she may feel out of place, and also encourages her to go out and play with the children for a while every evening before dusk

Moreover, Chi Yan was tired of being beaten, and Sun Xiaowei witnessed it, which invisibly intensified the pressure in his heart. He is now extremely afraid that his parents and neighbors will find out that he not only committed wrongdoings but also lied.

Jiang Shuisheng could not refuse her request and had no choice but to agree

Jiang Sui has been very patient since childhood; while other children can reach the grocery store in seven or eight minutes, it takes her half an hour to walk there

She walked slowly towards the grocery store, holding a small water bottle

Jiang Sui raised her head and took a long time to recognize that he was Sun Xiaowei

During dinner, Jiang Shuisheng suddenly said: "That child from the Zhao family looks quite pitiful. His father came from the grocery store and saw him kneeling there alone. Sui Sui, the grocery store is not far from our home, why don't you take him some cool boiled water this afternoon"

There were also some children nearby watching the commotion, and someone made a face at Jiang Sui, saying, "Liar!" He made a shy face in response

Jiang Sui did not struggle this time

Her voice was soft as she spoke: "Oh, it's a letter."

Jiang Sui's heart was heavy, and the wound on her palm, cut by Chi Yan, had not yet healed. Chen Caiqiong sent her home, and Jiang Shuisheng happened to return as well

She thought with annoyance as she looked through the crowd, so it turns out that hating someone begins from a young age

Sun Xiaowei finally felt anxious

She clenched her fists, her face turning red in an instant. For the first time, she felt that this nine-year-old body was so difficult to control, so embarrassing

Jiang Sui pondered for a moment and said, "I also walked to school by myself; practicing more will lead to improvement"

This summer, several cicadas were perched on the small tree, making a noisy racket that was incessant. This year, her body seemed to operate on a slow-motion playback, taking a long time to ponder over a single matter.

In fact, if he were a bit older, such words from Chi Yan would not frighten him. He is the son of an official, while Chi Yan has no parents and lives with his younger brother at his aunt's house. However, when one is young and makes mistakes, there is always a fear of being discovered by adults, even if it is just breaking a bowl at home; one would wish to secretly dispose of the evidence.

Jiang Sui pressed her bright red lips together, remaining silent

The little girl had a soft, gentle voice, revealing a few glistening white teeth like glutinous rice.

Jiang Sui: "... ..."

Jiang Sui was so angry that her eyes turned red; she twisted in Chen Caiqiong's embrace, trying to pry the woman's hands apart

Chi Yan estimated that it was about time, and with a cold smile, said: "Starting next semester, you will buy a meal for Chi Yiming of Class 3 every day. Buying for one semester will be enough"

However, her strength, akin to that of a small kitten, is simply insufficient when faced with an adult woman who has been kneading dough for years

Then, Chi Yan heard her timidly stammering, "D-do you want some water?" The girl's watery, peach blossom eyes were filled with the colors of midsummer

Those who walk barefoot in this world are not afraid of those who wear shoes

She restrained herself from rubbing, remembering that she needed to maintain a cool demeanor, and Jiang Sui instantly adopted a cold expression.

The most embarrassing thing was that in the year she graduated from university, she still stuttered when speaking to him! It was fine from a distance, but up close, she felt completely uncomfortable.

She prepared herself mentally, decided to be a bit aloof, and casually left a bottle of water behind before leaving

little rascal, mischievous child

She indeed does not like Chen Caiqiong, yet Chen Caiqiong is malicious. She is currently a slow-witted nine-year-old child, afraid that Chen Caiqiong will scheme against her from behind, and can only avoid this topic.

The sun slowly descended, and sweat nearly flowed into Chi Yan's eyes. He had no strength left to wipe away the sweat and could only lean against the tree trunk and close his eyes

As Sun ... ... was just about to speak, Chen Caiqiong's thick palm covered her mouth

Sun Xiaowei was left speechless, clenching her fist: "Hmph, anyway, I warn you, do not say anything, otherwise you will be finished. I will throw bugs into your backpack every day... Why are you laughing, it's so ugly, do not laugh!"

His dark gaze lingered on her for a long time, and the corner of his lips twitched imperceptibly

Then I will tell Aunt Chen this afternoon

Jiang Sui shook her head and said, "The teacher said to be independent, Auntie, my father asked me to bring water to Chi Yan, so I went over."