Chapter 258: Protest Invalid

Let's call her Deaf Granny for now.

Although Deaf Granny couldn't speak and her ears weren't sharp, she had a kind face and was very enthusiastic, constantly gesturing to introduce the furnishings in the cabin to Du Ruo and Jin Que.

The cabin wasn't large, only about ten square meters, but it had three wooden beds, making it look very crowded.

As soon as Jin Que came in, she covered her nose and complained with a look of disgust, "What is that smell? It's disgusting."

Du Ruo also frowned.

She wasn't actually a pretentious person. In her previous life, to earn tuition and living expenses, she had worked summer jobs alone, so what kind of broken houses hadn't she lived in?

But broken was one thing; cleanliness and tidiness were the priority, otherwise, she would feel uncomfortable all over.

However, there was no other way now; she would just have to make do.

Du Ruo walked to the bed at the very back and was just about to put her bundle on it when Jin Que twisted her waist, ran over, and sat down on the bed with a plop.

"I want this one!"

Du Ruo was speechless and couldn't be bothered to argue with a young girl. "Fine, if you want it, you can have it."

It was all about the same anyway.

She then turned and walked toward the bed on the left, endured the nausea, pinched a corner of the quilt with two fingers, and sniffed it.

*Ugh*, she almost threw up.

A smell of rot and mold, mixed with a fishy odor—it was too overpowering!

Du Ruo closed her eyes and let out a breath of foul air. After a long while, she began to check the bedding inside and out to avoid any uninvited guests like cockroaches or mice.

Fortunately, while it was dirty, she didn't find any of those things.

She then put her bundle on it with peace of mind.

Just as she was about to sit down for a rest, a terrified scream suddenly rang out. Jin Que jumped up violently, bouncing and screaming, and kept slapping her body as if she were possessed.

Deaf Granny's face changed drastically, and she pointed at her, shouting "Ah, ah, ah," but didn't dare to step forward.

Du Ruo was also given a big fright.

She narrowed her eyes, took a careful look at Jin Que, and her eyes suddenly widened.

"My goodness, what a black snake!"

A snake? Jin Que rolled her eyes, let out a whimper, and collapsed softly to the ground, fainting.

Deaf Granny made a move to help, but halfway through, she pulled her hand back, stamping her feet in anxiety.

In the end, she turned and rushed out of the cabin.

Du Ruo didn't run.

Not only did she not run, but she also took a dagger from her bundle, walked up to the girl, bent down, pulled the half-meter-long black snake that was wrapped around her arm, and pinched its seven-inch mark.

She held it up to her eyes and looked at it eye-to-eye. "Tsk tsk tsk, I say, little blackie, how did you get on this boat?"

"You're making it very difficult for me. Should I kill you or let you go?"

The black snake: "..."

With its fate held by the back of its neck, it could only twist its body to show its protest.

Unfortunately, the protest was invalid.

Du Ruo first checked Jin Que's breathing, confirmed that she had only fainted from excessive fright and was fine, and then walked out of the cabin door with the snake, intending to throw it into the river to set it free.

Actually, it would be best to make soup with it; it was very nourishing.

Unfortunately, looking at Deaf Granny's panicked appearance just now, let alone making soup, she would probably be scared to death, so forget it.

Just as one foot stepped out of the cabin door, she heard messy footsteps on the deck.

And a man's anxious shouting: "Jin Que! Jin Que, are you okay?"

Du Ruo tilted her head and looked.

It was a young man in fine clothes, about twenty years old, round like a ball, which showed how well-fed he was on a daily basis.

If nothing went wrong, he should be Jin Que's master, Young Master Bian.

Behind Young Master Bian followed a group of people, including Jiang Zhan, Master Jiang, and Lao Tietou, as well as the boat captain and Deaf Granny.

Even Xiao Liangchen was there.

Seeing the snake in Du Ruo's hand, everyone was stunned.

Young Master Bian's shouting got stuck in his throat, and he braked sharply in fear, pointing at Du Ruo with a trembling finger. "Jiang... Jiang... Sister-in-law Jiang, you... you... you..."

"Don't be afraid." Du Ruo held the snake out in front of him and comforted him, "It's not poisonous."

Young Master Bian retreated in a panic, his face full of fear.

Others also retreated a few steps in unison, staying far away from Du Ruo.

Jiang Zhan tried to stay calm. "Sister-in-law, what's going on with this snake?"

"Oh, it's like this..." Du Ruo briefly and concisely explained what had just happened, and finally looked at the boat captain to start complaining. "I'm not being picky, but if the boat is broken, it's broken; as long as safety can be guaranteed, it doesn't matter. But having a snake in the living quarters—this is going too far, right?"

"Fortunately, it's not poisonous. What if it were a venomous snake? Can you take responsibility if someone dies?"

The boat captain apologized quickly. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It was our negligence. I will immediately order someone to check everything, and I guarantee there won't be another living creature!"

Du Ruo nodded. "Fine, let's do that then."

She didn't want to make a big deal out of it. If things got messy and the boat captain quit, it would be Jiang Zhan who would be implicated.

Seeing that Du Ruo was fine, Master Jiang and the others returned to their cabins.

Before leaving, Xiao Liangchen looked at Du Ruo and the black snake twisting in her hand, his eyes filled with deep confusion.

A-Man... wasn't she the most afraid of snakes?

Can a person's change really be this great? Even overcoming the fear buried deep in her bones?

This was impossible.

But on second thought, A-Man didn't even like the person she used to like the most, so what was so strange about her no longer being afraid of the thing she used to fear the most?

Xiao Liangchen smiled self-deprecatingly and turned to leave.

Only Du Ruo and the little snake in her hand remained.

"Little blackie, I'll spare you today. You don't need to come and repay me in a thousand years. Do you hear me clearly?"

After saying this, Du Ruo walked to the edge of the deck, raised her hand, and threw the bewildered snake into the water, then clapped her hands and returned to the cabin.

Inside the cabin, Jin Que had already woken up and was hugging Young Master Bian, crying.

"Young Master, Jin Que is so scared. Jin Que doesn't want to live in this terrible place anymore..."

Young Master Bian gently wiped away her tears, his tone doting. "Be good, don't be willful. Mother said that as long as I pass the Xiucai exam, I will agree to let you be my woman in the room, otherwise, I will sell you to the Liuli Pavilion. Just consider it for me, for our future, and just endure it for a while, okay?"

Jin Que shuddered.

Being sold to the Liuli Pavilion—that was absolutely not allowed. She didn't want to live the miserable life of being slept on by thousands and ridden by ten thousand.

"Mm, Jin Que will listen to Young Master. As long as Young Master has me in his heart, I'm not afraid of anything." Jin Que said shyly.

*Eww*, Du Ruo shook off the goosebumps on her body.

Why didn't she feel it when she said it herself, but when she heard others say such mushy love words, she couldn't stand it?

*Cough, cough*, she coughed heavily to remind the little couple that she was back.

Young Master Bian hurriedly let go of Jin Que and bowed to Du Ruo. "Thank you, Sister-in-law Jiang, for saving Jin Que. I am deeply grateful."

Du Ruo waved her hand and smiled. "It's a small matter, Young Master Bian, don't take it to heart."

"I must take it to heart." Young Master Bian thought for a moment. "How about this: after we return from the prefectural city, Sister-in-law Jiang can go to the Zhenbao Pavilion in the county and choose any piece of jewelry, just report my name."

Speaking of this, Young Master Bian seemed to remember something. "Oh, right, my name is Bian Dou Dou, and I am the young owner of Zhenbao Pavilion."

*Pfft*, Du Ruo almost couldn't hold back and sprayed.

Bian Dou Dou? (Bean Bean)

She glanced at the other person's extremely wealthy figure and thought that calling him "Round and Round" might be more appropriate.

"Fine, since Young Master Bian is so generous, I will not decline." Society had taught her since she was young that not taking advantage of a bargain made one a bastard.

Young Master Bian was very happy, comforted Jin Que a few more times, and then walked out, looking back three times for every step.

Du Ruo was just about to continue tidying up the bed when the delicate maid next door walked over again and sat down on her bed with a plop. "I want to switch with you!" ===== CHAPTER 259 =====