Chapter 19 What? Why don’t you take the two kids to your home to raise?

“So what? Are you that timid? Afraid I’d sell you two or something?” Jiang Wan smiled with her eyes arched, her tone full of teasing disdain.

That successfully ignited the tiny spark of pride in Fu Chen’s young heart. He straightened up and said loudly, “Who—Who’s timid?!”

“Hmph! I’ll go if you say so!”

Fu Chen frowned, blinking his big black eyes a few times. He figured this woman looked skinny and fair—she probably didn’t have much strength, so she likely couldn’t do anything bad to them. Besides, he’d already pinky-promised with her and said they’d follow her orders today! Hmph, going out then! Maybe she was going to make them help with some chores again!

Just as Jiang Wan finished talking to the two kids, she heard the footsteps of Aunt Tang returning. When she turned around, her soft features had already returned to a cool, calm expression.

She said lightly, “Aunt Tang, I’m taking the kids out to play with some other children. After you finish making the food, you can go home.”

“What? Go out to play?!” Aunt Tang, carrying a small bucket of dish soap, widened her eyes instantly.

“No way! Why should you take them out?! You just got to the Fu family—who knows what kind of person you are? If you take the kids out and run off to some remote village to sell them, where would we even go looking?!”

Aunt Tang was clearly flustered. These two kids had always been kept close, never allowed to play outside on their own. That’s exactly why they believed whatever she and her daughter told them. If Jiang Wan took the kids out and let them meet other children, what would happen when they started learning more?

The more Tang Feng thought about it, the more anxious she got. She charged forward, intending to drag the kids away.

But Jiang Wan stepped up, raising her hand to block her path. Her delicate brows lifted slightly as she said:

“Aunt Tang, you yourself said—I just arrived here. I’m a woman alone in a new place, and now that I’m married to Fu Jingchuan, I naturally want to use this chance to get to know the neighbors.”

“If anything, I think these two kids are more familiar with the village than I am! Since I’ve married in, I’m now their stepmother, and it’s my duty to help raise them, financially and otherwise!”

“You’re quite something, Aunt Tang. Not only do you make decisions for this household on your own, but now you even want to interfere in matters involving the kids.”

“What? You want to take them back to your own house to raise?”

“You… you!!!”

“We’re not going! We don’t want to go to Aunt Tang’s house!”

Aunt Tang nearly choked on her own breath in fury!

But before she could respond, Fu Chen beat her to it. His little face scrunched up, eyes tinged with fear as he grabbed onto Jiang Wan’s clothes and said anxiously:

“Aunt Jiang… We don’t want to go to Aunt Tang’s house! Please don’t give us to someone else to raise!”

“Me and Xiaoyan don’t eat much! We don’t cost a lot! We’ll do whatever you say, okay? Didn’t we agree to go out today? Let’s go now!”

Fu Chen looked so panicked and lost that Jiang Wan was momentarily stunned. She hadn’t seen this little guy show that kind of expression before. He looked so genuinely scared… What exactly was he afraid of?

As she stood there processing it all, another familiar voice came from outside the door.

“Jiang Wan, you home?”

“Your Fu Yingzhang is out in the fields too! He asked me to come get the other sickle!”

Jiang Wan’s face lit up upon hearing Zhao Yulan’s voice. She smiled, then turned to Aunt Tang and said:

“Aunt Tang, did you hear that? My husband Fu Jingchuan is out in the fields.”

“You know this Sister Yulan too, don’t you? Her husband is Jingchuan’s subordinate~ So now you understand—I’m taking the kids to see their father.”

After she said that, Fu Chen and Fu Xiaoyan both froze.

The two kids looked at each other, then lit up with excitement.

“Really?! We’re really going to see Dad? In the fields?!”

They were just kids—how could they not want to go play? It’s in a child’s nature to be curious and playful. In the past, Aunt Tang had always told them their father was too busy working in the army, and that if they went out, he would worry about them.

But now they were going to see him—surely that would be okay, right?

“Yes, Chenchen, your father is in the fields! So are Aunt Zhao’s kids—her son and daughter are there too! Come with us!”

Zhao Yulan also sensed that something in the courtyard felt a little strange, but she couldn’t quite place it. Still, when she heard Fu Chen’s question, she chimed in to help answer.

Seeing the kids’ joyful faces, Jiang Wan could tell they truly wanted to go out and play. She lazily raised her hand and said:

“Let’s go—hold my hand.”

“I’ll take you to see your father.”

“Okay, okay~~ Xiaoyan! Hold my hand! Let’s go find Dad in the fields, hahaha!”

“Find Daddy! Find Daddy!”

Fu Xiaoyan’s sparkly eyes narrowed with glee as she happily grabbed Fu Chen’s hand.

Aunt Tang could only watch helplessly as Jiang Wan took the kids, went inside to grab the sickle, and then left with Zhao Yulan.

She was left standing there alone, like a servant abandoned to do chores, dumbfounded and stiff.

Fuming, Aunt Tang stomped her foot and muttered through gritted teeth in the direction they had left.

If it had only been Jiang Wan taking the kids, she could’ve stopped it. But now the wife of Fu Yingzhang’s subordinate had come too—and even said Fu Yingzhang himself was in the fields! What else could she do?

“Forget it, forget it,” Tang Feng muttered, trying to calm herself down, patting the tightness in her chest.

“It’s just a day. This woman can’t change anything.”

“She hasn’t even had a kid—how could she possibly understand children better than I do?”

She spat toward the doorway and waddled off to wash dishes.

Hmph, so what if she can cook? She saw Jiang Wan cooked lunch herself anyway. Fine—she’d boil a big pot of porridge, and then she’d head home to rest!

—

The two little beans rarely ever went out. Now that they were outside, their big eyes blinked in awe as they looked around, their faces full of excitement.

They looked so hyped that even Zhao Yulan was a bit stunned.

She leaned over to Jiang Wan, covering her mouth and whispering:

“These kids don’t seem shy at all—why haven’t I ever seen them playing outside before?”

Jiang Wan furrowed her brows slightly at the question and glanced at the kids as if unintentionally.

Then she sighed quietly and replied:

“I’ll tell you when we get there, Sister Yulan.”