Chapter 116: Chapter 116: Rejecting a Suitor
Xiao Yuyan almost jumped in surprise when she saw the person. She thought that Zhou Shiming had come to visit.
This uncle of hers had left an indelible fear in her heart after what he had done to her second brother.
She was always wary and afraid he might hurt her family members again.
"Uncle Sun, what brings you here?" Xiao Yuyan asked carefully.
Although she wasn’t sure whether Sun Daniu was involved in his wife’s murder, she had an instinctive dislike for irresponsible fathers like him.
"Is your mother home?" Sun Daniu smiled, trying to make his smile as kind as possible.
Xiao Yuyan hesitated a little, and finally decided to call her mother. She took a brief glance at the wooden box in his hand before she went inside to find her mother.
"Mother, there is Uncle Sun outside." Xiao Yuyan whispered to Zhou Anran’s ears.
Zhou Anran was taken aback. "Uncle Sun?"
The Xiao family members still occasionally heard gossip about him and his sons from the Ling siblings. The topic was always the same—they had been fighting or cursing at each other.
Xiao Yuyan nodded. "He said he is looking for you."
Upon hearing her daughter’s words, Zhou Anran washed her hands and went out to find Sun Daniu.
Xiao Yuyan wasn’t assured that her mother would meet with Sun Daniu alone, so she went to find Xiao Jingran.
She knocked on his room’s door while calling his name. On the third knock, a little figure opened the door. Xiao Qingya blinked at her second sister. "Come inside!"
Xiao Jingran had been teaching her to draw a talisman. In terms of talent, Xiao Qingya was higher, but she was simply too young and needed Xiao Jingran’s teaching to understand things better.
After taking a few steps inside, Xiao Yuyan bit her nails nervously and went straight to the point. "Eldest Brother, Uncle Sun is looking for Mother."
Xiao Jingran immediately understood and got up, heading toward the living room. His sisters followed behind him.
From a distance, they could already hear the faint voices of their mother and Sun Daniu.
"Mr. Sun, what is this?" Zhou Anran was taken aback when Sun Daniu presented an exquisitely crafted wooden box to her. He put it on the table and shoved the item to her.
Sun Daniu smiled. "It’s for you, Anran. There’s no need to be shy. I passed by an accessory shop and saw a necklace. It reminded me of you, so I bought it for you."
Upon hearing Sun Daniu’s words, Xiao Jingran furrowed his brows unhappily.
"Mr. Sun, I can’t accept this. Please, take it back." Zhou Anran wasn’t stupid to realize this man’s true intention in visiting their house.
He wanted to pursue her!
Unless she was blind and foolish, she would never accept such a man in this lifetime. Anyway, she also never had the intention to get married again.
According to the plot, her husband would return soon, so she didn’t want to make her life more complicated. Currently, her focus was on raising her kids.
Even if Xiao Wei returned someday, she was pretty open minded about either continuing their relationship or if they had to part ways in case their views no longer aligned.
A few years was enough to change a person, after all.
She might feel heartbroken for a while. How could she not? Xiao Wei was the only man she ever liked.
But... even if she felt heartbreak, as long as her children were around, she believed she could get back on her feet.
"Why? It really suits you." Sun Daniu pulled the wooden box back and opened it, showing a bracelet inlaid with gold.
Zhou Anran took a deep breath. "Mr. Sun, whatever intention you hold about me, I have no similar thoughts with you. Please, understand."
She really wanted this person out of her house, yet her face still maintained the last remaining reason she had, trying to be polite.
This Sun Daniu was a suspect, and he was under yamen officials’ supervision although they didn’t reveal it openly. She didn’t want her family to get involved with him.
"Anran, why? What you don’t like about me? I can try to be better!" Sun Daniu could no longer keep his face straight.
His expression became a little stiff, and he was about to stand up and grab Zhou Anran until his vision turned into a blur. By the time he realized what was happening, pain spread from his back to his entire body.
Xiao Jingran took the wooden box from the table and threw it on Sun Daniu, landing accurately on his chest.
"I am glad you don’t need us to send you off, Mr. Sun." He had an elegant smile on his face, like the spring breeze.
With that, he walked toward the door and closed it.
Xiao Jingran’s kick was strong enough to send Sun Daniu straight out of the door.
"Mother, are you alright?" He turned to Zhou Anran with a concerned tone.
Zhou Anran took a deep breath, grabbing Xiao Yuyan’s hands which was clutching hers in an attempt to calm her down. Fortunately, her eldest son was home. If not, she didn’t dare to think about the consequences.
Not long after, they heard another knock on the door. It was Xiao Fenghao. Originally, he was annoyed when he found the door locked. He thought it was his eldest brother again.
However, as soon as he heard that Sun Daniu had caused trouble, he intended to go visit the Sun family’s house, but Xiao Jingran caught him first.
"Hao’er, don’t. Don’t go anywhere, just stay home!" Zhou Anran walked over and took his hand, pulling him inside.
Xiao Fenghao’s expression softened, and he just followed her inside. They closed the door again.
For the next few days, they didn’t dare to let anyone stay outside alone, afraid that someone like Sun Daniu couldn’t accept the fact Zhou Anran had rejected him and retaliate against the other Xiao family members.
Until one day, when Xiao Qingya followed her second brother and mother to retrieve water from the river, she noticed something frightening.
