Chapter 1215: I Want to Make You Stay (93)
If she were to fall off the pillar, she would plunge right onto the snakes.
The snake farm had separated the snakes into poisonous and non-poisonous groups.
However, Shi Bao’er had no idea that the snakes beneath her were non-venomous and did not bite.
Shi Bao’er finally stopped wailing in her hoarse voice the moment she saw An Xiaoning.
Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably like a broken faucet. She finally began to give in a little and said, “I don’t want to stay here anymore, put me down.”
Noticing that An Xiaoning was remaining silent, Shi Bao’er added, “Auntie.”
No. 5 and No. 8 looked at each other in astonishment.
An Xiaoning kept a straight face and said, “Not bad, you’ve started addressing me properly. That’s some improvement. I can put you down, but on the condition that you promise me three things. Once you do, I’ll let you come down.”
Shi Bao’er nodded profusely and asked, “Which three things?”
“I’ll tell you in detail one by one, you just have to give me your word first. You decide if you’re willing to do the three things that I had instructed or continue staying here. I’ll give you a minute to consider. If you don’t give me an answer, I’ll leave right away.”
“I’ll answer you right now. I’ll give you my word, Auntie, I will,” Shi Bao’er said with tears in her eyes.
“Will you keep to your word?”
“Yes, I will.”
“Okay.” An Xiaoning looked at the farm-keeper and said, “Put her down.”
He moved the ladder toward Shi Bao’er and allowed her to come down.
Shi Bao’er was clearly much more terrorized than she was after the bungee jump. By the time she made her way down, her legs had already turned into jelly and she dared not look at the snakes at all.
An Xiaoning returned to the room and instructed No. 5 to heat up the sandwich and milk. She then sat on the bed and looked at Shi Bao’er.
“The first thing I want you to do is to find a small animal later in the afternoon. Any wild animal will do, as long as it’s alive. We’re on the mountains now and you’re not to catch any from others’ farms. I won’t let anyone accompany you. You’re almost eight years old and you should be able to recognize your surroundings and remember the way back. Will you keep to your word and return on time after finding an animal, or will you sneak away?”
“I’ll be back on time.”
An Xiaoning smiled and said, “To make things clear beforehand, Bao’er, if you go back on your word, you shall sleep in the room full of snakes tonight. I’m a person of my word. I hope you will keep your promise too.”
“Auntie, I’ll definitely keep my word!” Shi Bao’er exclaimed gleefully.
An Xiaoning did not quite trust her words. She picked up the second book and began reading.
After having her lunch, Shi Bao’er exited.
The three of them were left alone in the room. No. 5 could not help but feel worried. “Sis, if she were to run away, we’ll have to go through painstaking efforts to find her again.”
“She’ll definitely run away. If she doesn’t, she’s not Shi Bao’er,” An Xiaoning said, smiling.
“Why did you release her, then?”
“I thought of this plan when I was reading the first book. Thus, I’ve already called Shixin and instructed him to send some bodyguards to keep close tabs on all the roads along Mount Heyuan. Once they see Shi Bao’er, they are to nab her and bring her back to me.”
“Sis, you’re really clever. You’ve really outsmarted her,” said No. 5, sticking his thumb up.
“I’m an adult, after all. I must make her understand something,” An Xiaoning said, sitting cross-legged on the bed with a pillow behind her back.
“Understand what?”
“There’ll always be someone who’s smarter than her.”
“…”
Just like An Xiaoning had conjectured, Shi Bao’er did not abide by her instructions and hunt for a wild animal at all. Instead, she trod down the pavement toward the foot of the mountain. However, she was soon nabbed by one of the bodyguards who had been tailing her.
Dressed in black, the bodyguards picked her up and brought her back to An Xiaoning, completely ignoring her shrieks and tantrums.
“Didn’t you say that you wouldn’t send anyone to tail me? You liar!” Shi Bao’er yelled at the top of her lungs.
“They were just watching you from the foot of the mountain. Did you forget that only the four of us were on the mountain? I didn’t bring anyone else. You were the one who said that you would keep your word, yet what happened? Bao’er, do you remember what I said just now? I told you that you would sleep in the room full of snakes if you were to break your promise. Did my words fall on deaf ears?”
Shi Bao’er took several steps back and shook her head frantically, “No, I don’t want to go there, I don’t want to!”
An Xiaoning looked up and glared at her coldly. “I must punish those who break their promises.”
“Auntie, I won’t do it again. I’ll go hunt for a small animal now, I won’t escape!”
“Once you’ve broken my trust, it’s hard for me to believe you again.” An Xiaoning yelled with a sullen expression, “No. 5, No. 8, bring her back to the room!”
“Auntie, I don’t dare to do it anymore, I won’t… Auntie!”
Shi Bao’er was again taken away forcefully.
An Xiaoning sighed and put down her book. She grabbed her mobile phone and began browsing through the news for the latest updates on Wen Lele.
There turned out to be new reports.
Wen Lele’s condition was critical, and she would definitely face a long string of health issues that would require treatment in the future.
What a pity.
Although she’s a dimwit, she didn’t harm anyone. The fire had completely robbed her of her happiness and ruined her life forever.
….
Shi Bao’er fell silent in the evening. No. 5 told An Xiaoning that Shi Bao’er was tired of crying and was humphing incessantly while sitting on the pillar.
An Xiaoning instructed him to bring Shi Bao’er’s dinner over to her and told him to watch her together with No. 8. It was up to them to decide how they’d like to assign the shift.
After delivering the food, No. 5 returned to inform her that No. 8 would be taking the night shift while he would take over the next morning.
“No one likes taking the night shift. How did you convince him to do it?” she asked.
No. 5 chuckled and said, “Easy peasy, we had a game of rock, paper, scissors.”
An Xiaoning said, “Go get some rest, then. I’ll turn in after reading the book.”
“Alright. Goodnight, Sis.”
“Goodnight.”
No. 5 left while An Xiaoning got out of bed to close the door. She lay back down and continued reading her book quietly. She finished reading the second book within a whole afternoon.
The room was extremely quiet, and the temperatures on the mountains were much cooler.
When she flipped to the last page, she heard the sound of footsteps approaching.
There was a knocking on the door.
“Who’s there?”
There was no response.
An Xiaoning remained still and continued reading the lines on the last page. “I won’t open it if you don’t speak up.”
“It’s me,” Jin Qingyan answered in a deep and husky voice that she immediately recognized.