Transmigrated as a Cannon Fodder Family – CH75

Chapter 75: Something Happened

Thinking of Wen Nong, Wen Ying turned around to look for her younger brother.

Normally, the task of collecting eggs from the chicken coop was shared between her and Wen Nong.

At that moment, Wen Nong had already made his way outside the chicken coop fence, pointing and shouting “ah ah ah” as he gestured toward the eggs that had been laid in the corner of the coop, telling Jin Xiuyi where to find them.

Jin Xiuyi picked up his first egg, still warm in his hand, and was thrilled.

“It’s warm! It’s still warm!” Jin Xiuyi shouted excitedly from inside the coop, holding the egg up like a treasure for Wen Ying to see.

Wen Ying burst into laughter at the sight of him looking so wide-eyed and amazed, then walked over and plucked a stray chicken feather from Jin Xiuyi’s hair before saying, “The chicken just laid it, of course it’s warm. Keep looking, there’s more. Our chickens are great at laying eggs.”

Hearing that, Jin Xiuyi forgot all about being shy. The two of them searched inside the coop while Wen Nong directed them from outside. In no time, the three of them had gathered all the eggs.

Granny Luo brought over a basket and loaded the eggs one by one, praising them and habitually patting Wen Nong on the head. Wen Ying, being a little rascal, leaned her own head over too, angling for a pat.

Jin Xiuyi watched them interact, and though he said nothing, his face flushed red as he took a tiny step toward Granny Luo.

Granny Luo looked at the three children and smiled indulgently. She reached out and patted Jin Xiuyi’s head too, saying, “Alright then, you all collected the eggs today. I’ll boil some for you to eat later.”

“Wow, thank you, Granny!” Wen Ying cheered, and even Wen Nong nodded happily.

Jin Xiuyi looked at the others, then politely said, “Thank you, Granny Wen.”

His sweet and well-behaved manner made Granny Luo’s heart melt. She took the basket to the kitchen and handed it to Li, telling her to boil eggs for the children.

Li could hardly believe it. Granny Luo had never been this generous. Not that Granny Luo ever mistreated the children—she was never stingy when it was time for them to eat eggs.

It was just that after the family helped Wen Xiuyi repay his debt, things had gotten tight, and the eggs from their hens were usually sold for money.

Even after Wen Xiuyi reformed and began doing proper business, Granny Luo still kept all the eggs for sale.

Maybe Granny Luo would change her mind later, so Li quickly lit the stove, boiled water, and started cooking the eggs.

She knew the kids were only getting eggs today because of the young master from the Jin family, but who cared—her children got to eat, and that was enough.

And besides, the Jin family had sent so many gifts earlier, including two bolts of fine fabric that Wen Yao had split among the three sisters, making two outfits for each. Her own daughter got some, so of course Li was even more willing.

Just as the eggs finished boiling, voices chattered outside the Wen household.

“Wen Ying, Wen Nong, want to come out and play?” Several village kids called from outside the gate.

Wen Ying was about to go, but when she saw Jin Xiuyi, she stopped and waved at the kids. “We have a guest today, so we’re not going. What are you all up to?”

The kids stared curiously at Jin Xiuyi. His clothes were fancy, and he looked good too.

Seeing them all staring at Jin Xiuyi, Wen Ying immediately put her hands on her hips and stepped in front of him. “I’m asking you—what are you doing?”

“We’re going to the riverbank to collect stones,” one of the kids replied.

Wen Ying looked a bit tempted. It was one of their usual activities. In the winter, the river didn’t rise, and the stones on the riverbank were all exposed. They’d often go pick out pretty pebbles and then compare who found the best-looking ones.

If it were any other day, she’d have taken Wen Nong and run off already. But today, they had a guest. Grandma and Second Sister had both said this was a young master from the city—Grandpa’s apprentice’s grandson—so they had to take good care of him.

“Forget it. Wen Nong and I aren’t going today. You guys go. If you find any pretty stones, bring them back for us to see,” Wen Ying said.

The kids looked a bit disappointed. Whenever they brought Wen Nong, he always found the prettiest ones. He couldn’t speak, but everyone knew he was smart.

Just when Wen Ying thought they were about to leave, one of the boys climbed up and perched on the courtyard wall. “Why don’t you just bring him along? He looks about our age. No big deal.”

Granny Luo heard the commotion and came out. One hand on her hip, the other pointing at the boy on the wall, she started scolding, “Tie Niu, if you don’t get down right now, I’ll have your grandma break your legs!”

“Granny Wen’s out! Granny Wen’s out! Run!” The group of kids shouted and scattered in all directions—but not far. They just hid nearby, peeking back at the house.

Tie Niu, startled by Granny Luo and now lacking the buddy who helped him climb up, was stuck up on the wall and about to cry.

Granny Luo cursed under her breath while ordering Wen Xiuzhu to help him down. She poked his forehead and scolded, “Climbing so high—what if you fell? Your grandma would come after me with a broom!”

Tie Niu chuckled. “It’s fine. My grandma can’t beat you.”

Granny Luo laughed despite herself and gave him another poke before turning to the three children.

She’d heard everything from inside the house, and now seeing the three of them looking at her expectantly, she couldn’t bring herself to say no.

“Alright, you can go play, but don’t stay out too late. And don’t take the young master to the riverside, understand?” Granny Luo instructed, then went to the kitchen and handed each of them two cooled eggs before letting them go.

Tie Niu looked at the eggs in their hands with envy, gulping—but he didn’t ask for any.

Wen Ying tucked her eggs safely away, then took each boy by the hand and followed Tie Niu out, eager to introduce the city kid to their group.

Granny Luo still felt uneasy and went into the room where Wen Fa, Wen Jin, and Wen Di were. Wen Yao was acting like a little teacher, supervising Wen Fa, Wen Jin, and Wen Di as they read.

Wen Jin read and wrote attentively. Wen Di was slower, but you could tell she was trying hard. Only Wen Fa was restless, like he was sitting on needles.

Granny Luo rolled her eyes. Instead of letting him disrupt the other two, he might as well be sent out to do something else.

“Wen Fa, your sister and the others took the young master out to play. Go with them and watch over your younger siblings. Don’t let anyone bully them—especially the young master from the Jin family,” Granny Luo called.

“Got it, Granny! I’m going now!” Wen Fa, like he’d been pardoned, threw his book aside and dashed out.

The three people in the room plus Granny Luo: “……”

After a moment, Granny Luo muttered, “Not a single one of you is reliable,” and walked out.

But not long after, someone came running up in a panic, shouting as they ran, “Aunt Wen! Aunt Wen! Something’s happened! Your Wen Nong fell into the water!”