Chapter 1247: I Want to Make You Stay (125)
“That’s good,” he said while eating continuously.
“Yes, I’ve already executed her. There won’t be such cases anymore. Since this matter has come to an end, I’ve also made up my mind and decided to… intervene and help you. I should be able to focus on your case, so long as there are no murder cases that would require my a.s.sistance.”
Zong Jingyi’s blue eye darkened and he asked, “Really?”
“Yes, really.”
“Okay, from now on, I belong to you. I’m a man of my word. I won’t break my promise.”
An Xiaoning looked down and hid her emotions. A few seconds later, she looked up and smiled at him. “Alright, move in with me in Wei Ni Estate after dinner later. I’ve already arranged for a suitable accommodation for you.”
He answered with a nod, “Okay.”
“Pen down everything that had happened back then, including the names of all the people that were involved. Don’t rush, take things slowly. I’ll get my people to compile all the relevant information according to your account. However, there’s something I need you to tell me. What was your relations.h.i.+p with your fiancée like? Please answer me truthfully.”
“It was one-sided on my part.”
“Okay. Continue eating. Have some more food.”
After he was done eating, An Xiaoning sent him back to Wei Ni Estate and arranged for him to stay in a room that was away from the main mansion. She then instructed the servants and bodyguards to forbid him from getting near the main mansion whenever she and Jin Qingyan were not around.
She then headed to Mount Heyuan.
She had not forgotten about the devilish imp in there.
s.h.i.+ Bao’er had long since been adhering to her instructions and completing the tasks that she was a.s.signing her with. During the time that An Xiaoning had been away, No. 5 would mostly be in charge of looking after her since No. 8 was in charge of the night s.h.i.+ft. Thus, No. 8 did not get to interact with her much.
No. 5 would take her out to the mountains in the day to pluck some tomatoes, catch some live chickens, and feed the rabbits. s.h.i.+ Bao’er’s living conditions were considered decent, apart from the times when she was being punished.
Upon the sight of An Xiaoning, she immediately got out of bed and stood up straight. She greeted politely, “h.e.l.lo, Auntie.”
“I heard from No. 5 that you had already completed all the tasks I’ve given you. Not bad. I’ll be taking you to another place today.” She then said to No. 5, “Go wake No. 8 up and pack your belongings. We’ll be leaving today.”
“Alright.” No. 5 left immediately.
Shock was written all over s.h.i.+ Bao’er’s face and she asked, “What… what… place?”
“You’ll know when we get there.”
She dared not let her imagination run wild. Rubbing her hands together, she said, “Auntie, I’ll definitely be obedient from now on. I really will.”
An Xiaoning squatted down and stared at her solemnly. “Do you remember what I said about it being difficult to regain a person’s trust once you’ve broken it? I won’t believe you anymore, even if you tell me a million times that you’ll be obedient. Let your actions do the talking.”
s.h.i.+ Bao’er stood rooted to the ground in fear. By the time No. 5 and No. 8 had returned with their belongings, she was still standing at the same spot, not daring to move an inch at all.
After An Xiaoning left, s.h.i.+ Bao’er grabbed No. 5’s hand and asked, “Uncle No. 5, where is Auntie taking me to?”
No. 5 looked down and answered, “I don’t know. Follow me.”
No. 5 pulled her out of the house and got inside the car. s.h.i.+ Bao’er grew increasingly worried and terrified at the thought of the possible places that An Xiaoning might bring her to. If she were to send me to a lion’s den, wouldn’t I be dead meat?
s.h.i.+ Bao’er could not help but tear up. “Auntie…”
An Xiaoning noticed that she was weeping from her reflection in the rear view mirror. “What’s wrong?” she questioned.
“Will you spare me from punishment as long as I behave myself and stay away from trouble?” s.h.i.+ Bao’er asked.
“I want you to genuinely stop creating trouble, not just do it for the sake of escaping my punishment.”
s.h.i.+ Bao’er bit her lip and expressed a.s.sent.
She pulled over by the foot of the mountain, and the four of them alighted from the car, after which they began making their way up the stairs.
An Xiaoning took the lead while the three of them followed closely behind her.
They continued walking toward the entrance of a temple.
Staring at the place before her, An Xiaoning was overwhelmed with a sense of familiarity. It was a place that she once called home for years, a place that she would always hold close to her heart. It seemed she would never forget everything about it.
An Xiaoning said to the people behind her, “This is my childhood home. My mentor and I used to live here in the past. Let’s go inside.”
“Missy, you’re here. We’ve already cleaned and tidied up the rooms,” said a servant belonging to the Gu family.
“Alright, thank you. You can take a short vacation now.”
“Yes.”
Everyone was dismissed, apart from the bodyguards who were watching the graves.
An Xiaoning handed her car keys to No. 5 and gave him a few hundred-dollar bills. “You don’t have to buy any food or beverages. There are plenty of those here. Buy me some items that can be used for offerings.”
“Alright.”
An Xiaoning headed to the rooms that they would be sleeping in. No. 5 and No. 8 would be having one room to themselves while she’d be sharing the other one with s.h.i.+ Bao’er.
Having been on duty for the whole of last night, No. 8 dozed off right after placing their luggage in the room.
An Xiaoning patted the empty s.p.a.ce beside her and said to s.h.i.+ Bao’er, “Come sit here.”
s.h.i.+ Bao’er looked at her and walked toward the bed slowly. She then sat down and left her legs dangling in the air. “Auntie, you said just now that this was the place you grew up in. Well… how long did you live here for?”
“A very long time. I was abandoned by my foster parents at this temple when I was very young. I was even younger than you are now. My mentor took me under her wing and raised me to adulthood. I had no idea who my biological parents are when I was a child. I didn’t need them by my side either. Don’t you think that you’re in a better plight now than I was back then? At least, your parents didn’t abandon you even though they’ve divorced each other. Bao’er, you’re far more fortunate than many other children,” she said, staring at s.h.i.+ Bao’er.
“Auntie, have you found your parents, then?”
“I have, but they’re not together now.”
s.h.i.+ Bao’er stared at her in astonishment and asked, “Auntie, aren’t you devastated?”
“Why must my parents stay together? If they’re not happy with living together, isn’t it better for them to separate? Look how blissful your mommy is now. I know you’ve always wanted your parents to reconcile and that you’re afraid that your stepmother will ill-treat you and cause your daddy to neglect you, but Bao’er, it’s impossible to change the decision of adults just by harming others. You won’t be able to change their mindsets. So, you have to understand that you’re their child, not their liability. Don’t become a burden to your daddy and mommy.”