Chapter 34

In Zhou Nan's heart, since An MeiYun was desperate enough to get married, how much more desperate must she feel now? Yet An ZhiXia, who had not uttered a word from beginning to end, was wrongly blamed for An MeiYun's decision.

Disappointment welled up in her heart again.

An ZhiXia returned to her room and packed a small bundle, preparing to leave.

Zhou Nan said anxiously, "An ZhiXia, I'm your mother. I didn't say anything, did I? And you're leaving home just like that? Isn't that going overboard?"

"Mom misunderstood. Didn't Grandma say last time that she wanted me to stay with her for a few days? It's been a long time since then and I should keep my promise."

She knew they blamed her existence for hurting An MeiYun. If she couldn't handle them, shouldn't she avoid them?

Without waiting for Zhou Nan's consent, An ZhiXia left. She still remembered where Grandma lived, because An ZhiAng had taken her there before.

Besides, when Grandma asked her to stay, it wasn't just a casual remark. She had prepared a room for her. Except for the main bedroom, which was the brightest, the room was no worse than the one here.

An ZhiAng hurried to catch up. "Little sister, wait for me. I'll go with you."

Zhou Nan felt exhausted standing there. If not for An WenQing still being there, she would have cried loudly in anger.

What was happening? All kinds of troublesome things kept happening to her.

Just outside the door, after greeting a grandma neighbor, An ZhiXia walked past a tall, handsome man.

Following closely behind was An ZhiAng, who was grabbed by the man. "Little Four, where are you going?"

The person who stopped An ZhiAng was none other than Pei Jing, the third son of the Pei family.

"Little Uncle, I heard you were injured. Are you better now?" An ZhiAng was quite happy to see someone he was familiar with and admired. "My little sister is going to stay with Grandpa and Grandma for a few days. I'm going after her to see her off." The Pei and An families had some connections. Although the older generation were not blood brothers, they were as close as brothers. Although Pei Jing was not his little uncle by blood, he still had quite some prestige among their generation.

He was a little older and often played with his big brother when they were young. An ZhiAng also followed behind them.

"Your little sister...is the one who just came back?" The matter of the An family's little daughter being swapped was already well known outside, especially to the close Pei family. Naturally it was no secret.

Old Master An had already complained about it to Old Pei when he first got the news.

"Yes." An ZhiXia was no longer visible up ahead, so An ZhiAng replied somewhat absentmindedly, "Little Uncle, I won't chat anymore. I'm going after my little sister. She just arrived so she's not familiar here. I'm afraid she won't be able to find the way herself."

An ZhiAng walked briskly, unaware that after he answered, Pei Jing's eyes darkened.

"Little Four, don't hurry. I'll go with you." His objective in coming here had already left, so he naturally had no need to make another trip to the An house.

Carrying a small bundle, An ZhiXia walked not too quickly.

She knew that Fourth Brother would definitely catch up.

But after turning the corner, still not seeing anyone behind, she couldn't help feeling she had overestimated her status.

Of course she wasn't really leaving the An family. With An MeiYun still here, if she left now, wouldn't the An family still follow the same old path as the previous life?

She just wanted to take this chance to let them know her attitude. She and An MeiYun could not live together. It wasn't only An MeiYun who would throw tantrums.

Just after coming back those first two days, relying on An JingZhi and Zhou Nan's guilt, she clearly had the upper hand.

But in the time since, just because An MeiYun knew how to act out, Zhou Nan's attitude had gradually started to change.

Typical case of the crying child getting the candy. She understood.

She no longer had high hopes for maternal love, but she couldn't let An MeiYun take advantage either.

The two elders truly cared for her. Last time at Grandma's, Grandma even gave her some pocket money and bought two dresses for her, with matching shoes.

Branige dresses were not cheap in this era. One dress was nearly half a month's wages for an average person, yet the old lady bought two sets in one go. This showed her generosity.

Even Zhou Nan said An MeiYun had only gotten two Branige dresses in the past two years since she grew up.

At that time An ZhiXia didn't respond. No matter how one's own flesh and blood, feelings that had been absent for 18 years could not be made up for in an instant. What could she say?

Just then, An ZhiAng's voice came from behind. "Little sister, don't walk so fast. Wait for us."

The word "us" attracted An ZhiXia's attention. She stopped and looked back to see An ZhiAng coming with Pei Jing. She had noticed the man in passing just now. After all, someone so tall and rather good looking would catch anyone's eye at a glance.

But they passed so closely and quickly before that she hadn't realized anything.

Now as they walked towards her from afar, Pei Jing's features became clearer in her vision, and An ZhiXia could see his face more clearly.

From initial puzzlement to later unease, she felt an urge to hide herself immediately.

And that was exactly what she did.

Head lowered, she began to move, slowly turning her back, and suddenly broke into a dash.

"Little sister..."

An ZhiAng's delighted expression as An ZhiXia stopped to wait for him gradually turned to shock and disbelief as he watched her sprinting away up ahead.

Didn't little sister stop to wait for him?

Why did she suddenly...run so fast?

"L-little...little uncle, my sister probably doesn't recognize you, so she's a little scared and running so fast...hehe..." Faced with Pei Jing, An ZhiAng gave an helpless, awkward explanation for An ZhiXia.

Pei Jing also watched the figure up ahead running swiftly, feeling somewhat complicated for a moment.

"Little Four, I'm going to ask you a question. Answer me properly." Pei Jing looked seriously at An ZhiAng, making his heart thump rapidly, wondering if he had gotten into some kind of trouble recently?

Ever since little sister came back, he had obediently stayed home to accompany her. He had even gone out less these days, let alone caused any trouble.

"Go ahead and ask." Pei Jing's solemnness also made An ZhiAng rein in his expression.

"I heard your little sister was first found at your grandma's place before your dad went to get her, right?"

"Oh, so you wanted to ask about that!" An ZhiAng heaved a big sigh of relief. "Of course! Speaking of which, An ZhiXia has really terrible luck. That Gao couple are really despicable people..."

An ZhiAng was naturally talkative. With someone taking the initiative to ask, he chattered away without Pei Jing needing to say anything more, telling the whole story.

But when speaking of An ZhiXia being sold off, he suddenly stopped.

Dad had specifically instructed them not to mention An ZhiXia being sold before, otherwise it would affect her reputation.

That was how this world worked. Even if An ZhiXia had already escaped and nothing had actually happened, if outsiders knew she had such an experience, she would definitely still be gossiped about and spoken ill of.