Chapter 88: To Eat or Not to Eat?
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Ning Jingzhe’s feelings toward her younger brother-in-law were complicated—disgust, disappointment, and a certain protectiveness. She had no siblings of her own, and in her heart, Xiao Cheng was like a younger brother.
Perhaps for that very reason, her disappointment in Xiao Cheng was so keen; he truly was hopeless. It was one thing for him to be reckless and wayward, but as the sole heir of a reclusive family, he showed no desire to improve himself, which was absolutely not what she wished to see.
Her nature was bold and straightforward, lacking the subtlety of Fang Yujia; she always acted directly. If Xiao Cheng made a mistake, he should be punished.
The only reason she hadn’t helped the old man catch Xiao Cheng last time—even covering for him—was because she knew Xiao Cheng hadn’t colluded with Fang Yujia. Although she hadn’t discerned much from his expression, she sensed his evasiveness.
It was therefore highly likely that the old man’s precious item had indeed been taken by Xiao Cheng.
“Tell me honestly—did you steal the old man’s belongings?”
Ning Jingzhe’s face darkened, anger threatening to flare. She could overlook other misdeeds, but this was different: Xiao Cheng had stolen from his own family.
“It’s true. I took the old man’s spirit herb,” Xiao Cheng admitted without hesitation. He had done it, and saw no reason to hide it.
He felt no guilt over stealing the jade aloe from the old man. The main reason he’d done it was to play a trick on him. He only needed ordinary, low-grade spirit herbs, which were easy enough to obtain elsewhere.
He disliked the old man’s facade of righteousness, which in truth was only concerned with appearances. Moreover, the deaths of his brothers and uncles were all tied to the old man, so in a spur of mischief, he took the herb.
“Spirit herb?” Ning Jingzhe’s anger cooled as her expression shifted; she had assumed Xiao Cheng stole something valuable, but it turned out to be only spirit herbs.
She wasn’t unaware of the importance of spirit herbs to cultivators, but ultimately, they were just consumables. For the old man to decree that Xiao Cheng should be caught and his limbs broken—even for spirit herbs—was far too harsh. No matter what, Xiao Cheng was his own grandson.
It was like a grandfather with fruit trees in his backyard; if his grandson picked a few out of greed, for the grandfather to cripple him over it would be unthinkable.
The more Ning Jingzhe considered, the more she felt that Xiao Cheng was not at fault—rather, the old man was. It was wrong for a grandson to sneak a few spirit herbs, but that was all it was; to break his limbs over such a thing?
Her heart sighed at the thought, and she felt a wave of sympathy for Xiao Cheng. Orphaned young, then losing his uncles and brothers one after another, and finally saddled with such a heartless grandfather. He seemed to live in luxury and privilege, but in truth, he was an orphan with no one to rely on.
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“Even if it was just spirit herbs, you owe the old man an explanation,” Ning Jingzhe said calmly.
Her thoughts favored Xiao Cheng, but she couldn’t simply ignore Xiao Fusheng’s orders; even if she didn’t comply, the outcome would be the same.
Xiao Cheng had no idea that his simple admission had softened his sister-in-law’s resolve; he never imagined she’d consider so much.
“I don’t want to explain anything. I just hope that, for now, Jingzhe, you won’t interfere in this matter.”
His blunt reply startled Ning Jingzhe; after half a year apart, Xiao Cheng had changed a lot. He’d never spoken so firmly before.
“That’s fine, but you know my rules. If you want me to do something…”
“You have to defeat you, right?” Xiao Cheng smiled.
His sister-in-law was still as combative as ever; that was her merit. Unlike Yujia, who could calmly accept anything, Jingzhe preferred to resolve things with the simplest force. Like a medieval knight, she settled disputes with duels—even crimes could be atoned for through combat.
But unlike those knights, Ning Jingzhe always went easy on Xiao Cheng in their matches—sometimes, he only needed to touch her within a set time, and so on. Such things had happened often before.
“We’ll talk about that later. I’m going to take a shower first,” Ning Jingzhe said, heading toward the low building. After a few steps, she stopped, puffed out her chest, and teased, “Want to shower together?”
Xiao Cheng stared at her towering figure, momentarily stunned, then realized: in her eyes, he was still just a child.
This was the cold joke she’d often used during the half year she cared for him: Want to shower together? Beat me and you can. Back then, he could never match her. Ning Jingzhe never saw herself as a woman; such jokes were just play, with no hint of embarrassment.
But he was no longer that child. By age, he was even a year older than her.
He now had the ability to defeat Ning Jingzhe, but he had no desire to do so—out of respect for her. During the clan’s destruction, she had done the most for him, enduring the worst, all to help him escape.
At this moment, he couldn’t imagine doing such a thing, nor had he ever considered it.
Seeing Xiao Cheng shake his head resolutely, Ning Jingzhe laughed heartily, guessing he must be afraid of being beaten up by her.
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He entered the small building…
Inside, the place was not nearly as shabby as outside: wooden floors, sofa, television, computer—everything was in place.
Xiao Cheng sat on the sofa, surveying the room. He’d lived here for half a year, and everything was familiar. Returning after a year—or perhaps nine—he found nothing had changed except for some extra dust.
“Have some fruit. I washed the banana,” Ning Jingzhe said, handing him a plate with a banana and three apples.
She then headed into the bathroom. The sound of rustling, then water splashing, came from within. The bathroom door was frosted glass, with the light on inside. From outside, her silhouette was vaguely visible.
Xiao Cheng glanced unintentionally and was immediately distracted.
He was a normal man; his sister-in-law had a fine figure and was beautiful. Now, separated only by glass, she was showering, her body’s outline visible—how could he not react? He admonished himself: the person showering was his sister-in-law; he mustn’t entertain improper thoughts…
After a while, he finally suppressed his baser impulses, but then he stared at the banana on the fruit plate, lost in thought.
What had she just said? “I washed the banana.”
Sister-in-law, don’t fool me—does a banana really need washing?
He rubbed his nose, uncertain whether to eat it or not. It was a serious question!
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