Significant Background

"That's good!" Wu Lan was a little embarrassed by how intently Xiang Wan was staring at her. She almost thought her culinary skills had deteriorated!

"Auntie, where did Huo Xiao go?" Instead of bringing up the idea of hiring her as a cook, Xiang Wan asked about Huo Xiao.

It wouldn't be appropriate to mention employment right away; it might scare her off. Besides, she had more important things to attend to. She needed to think thoroughly about the employment matter.

"Huo Xiao went to work. He should be back around noon soon." Wu Lan glanced upward as she spoke.

Xiang Wan also looked up at the sky. The sun was hanging directly overhead, indicating that it was close to noon.

"Mom, is the pretty sister awake? The sun's about to scorch her butt!" A young boy's naive voice sounded from outside the door.

"Little brother, don't say things like that. Sister might have already woken up!" Another female voice retorted.

Xiang Wan lowered her head in embarrassment. She was just unusually tired last night; she usually had better discipline!

Wu Lan saw Xiang Wan's blushed face and hurriedly shouted towards the door, "She's awake, she's awake, she's long been awake. You two brats, come in quickly!"

The door swung open with a bang, and two children entered as if they had been waiting for that very order.

"Miss, these two are my children. The girl's name is Zhou Rui, and the boy is Zhou Zhou." Wu Lan explained to Xiang Wan.

"Sister is so pretty! She's like a fairy. No wonder Brother Huo didn't want us to see her!" Zhou Zhou was awestruck.

Zhou Rui did not say anything, but her burning gaze said it all.

"Your Brother Huo didn't want you to disturb her rest!" Wu Lan sighed, feeling a headache coming as she looked at her mischievous son.

"Hello!" Xiang Wan looked at the siblings in front of her and found them both adorable.

"Fairy Sister! Brother Huo said you're from the city! Can you tell me what the city looks like?" Zhou Zhou looked at her expectantly.

His older sister beside him also perked up, indicating her interest.

"Don't bother Sister. Didn't your Brother Huo tell you before!" Wu Lan was worried about the children disturbing Xiang Wan's rest and tried to interrupt them.

Xiang Wan shook her head at Wu Lan, indicating that it was fine.

"In the city, there are many interesting and fun things. I don't even know where to start. When you grow up, I'll take you to the city to explore. You'll see for yourself."

She didn't intend to tell them about city life. Children needed to grow up with their feet on the ground. Plus, seeing things with their own eyes was different from hearing descriptions from others.

"Ah! How long do I have to wait to grow up then?" Zhou Zhou's face showed a disappointed expression, and so did his sister's.

"It might come sooner than you think. But in exchange, how about you both tell me about the village?" Xiang Wan had originally intended to ask Wu Lan, but these two kids eagerly came over before she could even speak.

Asking kids might yield a different perspective. After all, no one would be guarded against a child. Plus, Wu Lan was there to correct them if they said anything incorrect.

"Then you've asked the right person. I know everything about our village," Zhou Zhou proudly stated.

Instantly, the two children were full of energy.

Seeing that Xiang Wan was chatting happily with the children, Wu Lan didn't say anything else and joined in the conversation.

Zhou Zhou indeed wasn't exaggerating. He was well-versed in everything, from significant decisions made in the commune to minor incidents like who stole whose duck egg. Xiang Wan was thoroughly entertained by his stories.

"Then do you know about Chen Zhuang and Liu Chun's family?" Xiang Wan finally got to the main point.

"These two aren't good people. Why are you asking about them?" Wu Lan asked.

The Zhou siblings seemed to recall something as well. They pursed their lips and remained silent.

"When I arrived, my luggage was taken away by them." She recounted the events to them.

Wu Lan frowned upon hearing that. "Do you have anything valuable in your luggage? If you do, I'm afraid it won't be easy to get it back."

"I can give them the valuable items. I just want to get back my luggage and some clothes," she explained.

"They are despised not only in our village but also in the nearby area. Moreover, they have backers behind them. Even the village chief dared not confront them. You can tell from their actions over the years," Wu Lan whispered to Xiang Wan.

She suspected their background must be significant but she hadn't expected them to even intimidate the village head.