Chapter 57: Being Young Doesn't Give You the Right to Pull Down Someone's Pants

Xia Lin's face flushed crimson, and tears welled up in his eyes.

Jiang Xiaxia pursed her little lips and was just about to speak when she heard the mole-faced man's low curse from behind: "Damn it, that little Xia—"

Before he could finish, he peeked outside, only to see a pair of bare legs and a tilted little head.

No matter how experienced he was, the sight left him choking for a long time before he managed to squeeze out: "Xiaxia, why did you go outside?"

Jiang Xiaxia turned her head to look at the mole-faced man and said slowly, "He, pee-pee!"

A trace of suspicion flashed in the mole-faced man's eyes as he looked at the boy standing with his back to him, his hand slowly groping for the dagger at his waist. "You can pee right here in the room, why go outside? And what's up with that hole?!"

"Ew!" Hearing the man's words, Jiang Xiaxia immediately pinched her nose and leaned back, looking thoroughly disgusted.

Lanzi, standing behind the mole-faced man, reached out and poked him, gesturing for him to stop talking nonsense.

A fierce glint gradually surfaced in the mole-faced man's eyes. Even Lanzi behind him was holding a grenade in one hand while gripping another boy tightly with the other.

"Didn't Xiaxia want candy? Come inside quickly!"

The mole-faced man lowered his voice, maintaining a gentle smile. "Bring your friend in too! There's an outhouse in the yard, I'll take him there! Standing outside looks ridiculous!"

Hearing this, Jiang Xiaxia extended her little hand first: "Where's the candy?"

Behind her, Xia Lin had already pulled his pants up quickly. When he turned around, the tears in his eyes were gone, though his face remained red.

Upon seeing Xia Lin, the mole-faced man immediately dragged Lin Shengwen over from the side. "Little buddy, your younger brother is still right here! Where do you think you're going?"

Xia Lin looked at the hand pinching Shengwen, a trace of hatred flashing deep within his eyes.

"He's peeing!" Jiang Xiaxia's small frame blocked the front of Xia Lin, her pursed little face slowly turning angry. "Where is my candy?"

"Right here, right here!" Lanzi quickly pulled out a handful of candy and thrust it through the hole.

Jiang Xiaxia counted them; there were about a dozen pieces, which was just about enough.

After nodding her little head in satisfaction, she continued, "You, back up!"

The mole-faced man gazed coldly at Jiang Xiaxia.

Jiang Xiaxia put her hands on her hips and glared at the man: "Head too big, how to enter?"

Xia Lin, standing behind her, had begun to grasp his younger sister's way of speaking and explained in a slow, raspy voice: "Your head is too big, you blocked the hole, she can't get in!"

The mole-faced man narrowed his eyes slowly, appraised the two of them for a moment, and then sneered, "Fine, let them in!"

With that, he stood up and gave Lanzi a look.

Lanzi understood and immediately knocked Lin Shengwen unconscious with a single blow of her hand, then scooped up Tiedan as well.

Those two kids were crucial to the pair outside. With them in hand, she wasn't afraid of the other two running away.

Once the two adults backed away, Jiang Xiaxia led Xia Lin as they crawled back through.

Still uneasy after they crawled back in, the mole-faced man poked his head out again to inspect the outside thoroughly.

After looking around, he pulled his head back and stared gloomily at Xia Lin. "Didn't you say you had to pee? Where's the pee?"

Jiang Xiaxia was busy counting the candies she had dropped on the ground earlier. Hearing this, she didn't even think, snapping right back, "Kidney deficiency, duh!"

Though young and unfamiliar with the exact meaning of kidney deficiency, Xia Lin's intuition told him it was nothing flattering, and his face flared crimson all over again.

The mole-faced man sneered. Looking at Jiang Xiaxia, who was stupidly counting her candy, he formed a guess in his mind.

It was probably this brat who had egged the little fool on to punch a hole in the wall in an attempt to escape, only to be caught by them.

"Xiaxia is such a good girl!" The mole-faced man looked at the obedient Jiang Xiaxia, thinking she was the most compliant piece of merchandise ever. If he hadn't already accepted the deposit from those grave robbers, he would have genuinely liked to keep this little simpleton and groom her properly.

Everyone knew that kidnapping children was getting harder by the day, but tricking kids with another kid was ridiculously easy.

What a pity—

Thinking this to himself, the mole-faced man glanced at Xia Lin. "Don't get any funny ideas. I'm taking your little brother with me! If I don't see you here by tonight—"

He let out two threatening grunts. Without saying more, the mole-faced man looked at Jiang Xiaxia and instructed, "Uncle is going with your mother to get money for your grandma. You stay here and help uncle watch these kids, alright?"

After stuffing the candies into her pockets, Jiang Xiaxia looked at the mole-faced man and asked, "How much?"

"Ten big bundles, alright?"

The mole-faced man answered casually, purely to humor the little fool.

Jiang Xiaxia, however, nodded earnestly and even shook her little fist. "If none, I beat you!"

Just as her voice trailed off, Jiang Xiaxia's stomach rumbled loudly once again.

Hearing it, the mole-faced man simply chose to ignore it.

With so many candies, eating just a few would stave off the hunger.

Thinking this, he got up to leave.

Yet the moment he stood up, someone grabbed his trouser leg.

"Where's the food?" Jiang Xiaxia looked at the departing man, asking unhappily, "Help you watch, exchange!"

The mole-faced man didn't understand.

Xia Lin took a glance and continued to 'translate': "She said, if she helps you watch us, you have to use food in exchange!"

The mole-faced man looked at Xia Lin's submissive demeanor and chuckled, surprised by how compliant he had suddenly become.

"Isn't there candy?"

Eager to head out before nightfall to scout around and see if he could find any other good merchandise, the mole-faced man had no time to bicker with her.

He glanced at Lanzi. "Move these kids to the inner room in a bit!"

As soon as Lanzi acknowledged the order, the mole-faced man turned to leave.

Yet the second he lifted his foot, a 'rip' sound echoed.

The sound of tearing fabric pierced through the tiny room.

Having exerted too much force once more out of anger, Jiang Xiaxia looked at the 'corpse' of fabric in her hand and was just about to raise her head when a pair of hands quickly covered her eyes and pulled her backward.

"My sister is just hungry!" Xia Lin looked at the man with bare legs and a darkened face, quickly explaining, "She was just too hungry earlier, that's why she punched a hole in the wall!"

Covering himself while enduring Lanzi's assessing and disdainful gaze, the mole-faced man cursed lowly, "Little bitch, I'll teach you a lesson once I change my pants!"

With that, he scurried off, hurling curses as he went.

Lanzi sneered and muttered under her breath, "Always trying to take advantage of me, turns out he's all show and no substance. No wonder he's in this line of work!"

Muttering to herself, she picked up the two children and left.

Only after both of them had departed did Xia Lin let go of Jiang Xiaxia.

He opened his mouth to say something to her, but the moment he met those large, limpid eyes, he recalled the sight of her squatting down earlier, looking up at him, and his face flushed hot all over again.

Unable to voice his thoughts, he waited until reinforcement arrived. Once Jiang Jing walked in, Xia Lin said gloomily, "Xiaxia really needs to be properly taught a lesson!"

Jiang Jing stared at him in utter bewilderment.

Before he could even ask, Xia Lin added in an equally gloomy tone, "No matter how young she is, she can't just go pulling down a boy's pants!"

Jiang Jing: "..."

Surely things weren't what he thought they were, right? Surely not!