Chapter 11 The Heroine Appears (3)_1

Wa Yiting didn't even know what she was angry about but, upon hearing those words, she stomped her foot and turned to run away.

As she reached the doorway, she almost bumped into the Ruanlin Family matriarch who was just coming in. The moment Wa Yiting saw her, all her fiery momentum vanished, and she shrank away like a quail, her head drooping as she scampered off.

The Ruanlin Family matriarch watched her retreating back with a puzzled look, then stepped inside and asked Ruan Jiaojiao, "Jiaojiao, what's wrong with Tingting?" She knew that Wa Yiting always got along well with her little darling, and this was the first time she had seen them not getting along.

Ruan Jiaojiao was certainly going to keep her distance from Wa Yiting from now on. Upon hearing the question, she huffed indignantly and said, "Jiaojiao didn't give her any fruit to eat, so she got angry." She held up her dark red fruit with an air of pride, "This was picked by Granny, Jiaojiao is too fond of it to give it away."

Her statement was quite impressive, not only did it successfully reverse the image of her being petty, but it also gave her a chance to curry favor with the Ruanlin matriarch.

As expected, the Ruanlin matriarch's eyes crinkled into a smile, her gaze soft and melting.

She wouldn't think that there was anything wrong with Ruan Jiaojiao keeping the fruit to herself. In the entire Ruan Family, she had the privilege to do so. Even the nine boys in the family had no say in the matter, let alone a girl from another family.

Don't think that just because the Ruanlin matriarch dotes on Ruan Jiaojiao, she would feel the same about other girls.

She only dotes on her own Little Jiaojiao, girls from outside held no attraction for her.

The Ruanlin matriarch, completely charmed and smiling from ear to ear, rubbed Ruan Jiaojiao's little head affectionately, "Good girl, Granny will go boil an egg for Jiaojiao. Eat less of this sour fruit, save it for tomorrow, it won't go bad."

"Okay," Ruan Jiaojiao nodded, finished eating the plum, wiped her little hands, and tucked another into her pocket, planning to give it to Little Fatty when he finished school later.

When the Ruanlin matriarch had boiled the eggs, Little Fatty and the rest had also returned from school.

Ruan Jiaojiao could now recognize all of her brothers. She had nine of them, among which Ruan Hao and Ruan Jie were her blood brothers from the same mother, and the rest were all cousins.

Her eldest brother Ruan Hao was fifteen years old and attended middle school in town. With him were her fourteen-year-old Cousin Ruan Jun from her second uncle's family and thirteen-year-old Cousin Ruan Bo from her third uncle's family, respectively in ninth, eighth, and seventh grades. Since the town was too far from home, these three lived at the school and only came home on weekends.

The other six brothers were all elementary students at a school just a few miles away at the village entrance, and they got out of school after two afternoon classes.

Now, at only half-past two in the afternoon, the six youngsters came rushing back home in a pack, offering quite the visual spectacle.

Although, aside from Ruan Jie, the others were cousins, that didn't lessen their affection for their little sister.

One after another, the boys entered the courtyard, chattering around Ruan Jiaojiao. Some were sharing amusing school stories, others were showing concern for her health. The Ruanlin matriarch came out with the boiled eggs, and they all eagerly offered to peel them for her, but Ruan Jiaojiao rejected their help—she wasn't that helpless.

Unable to help their little sister with the egg, the boys were somewhat disappointed. They hung around and chatted with Ruan Jiaojiao for a while longer before reluctantly dispersing to go inside and put away their schoolbags, showing not the slightest hint of jealousy or envy.

Little Fatty, however, did not go in with the others because Ruan Jiaojiao had pulled him aside.

With so many brothers, it wasn't easy for Ruan Jiaojiao to openly give him the fruit, so she had to sneak it to him like this.