The Comeback of the Cannon-Fodder Supporting Actress

Chapter 687: Chapter 674: Face-Slapping the Transmigrator 29

The snow had been falling for two days and nights, the world outside was a vast expanse of white, as if too clean to bear.

Yet, in places unseen by the nobles of the Capital, countless people were desperately struggling to survive.

No one knows how many corpses were carried out of the slums in South City and North City.

The court was also trying to find ways to provide disaster relief, setting up various shelters in South City and North City, and large pots of porridge were cooked up, all to allow the disaster-stricken people to have a few mouthfuls of warm food.

In addition, the court sought doctors to prescribe medicine for treating cold injuries, boiling medicinal soups to distribute to the afflicted citizens.

Anning had people buy a lot of coarse cloth and cotton, having the maids and old women at home rush to make cotton-padded clothes for several days to distribute to the freezing and suffering people in South City.

Because Lu Gui had been working with Xiao Yuan during this period, Anning assigned him to take people for the distribution of the cotton clothes.

For several consecutive days, Anning was at home rushing to finish making the cotton clothes with the maids and old women.

Even Ms. Ping picked up needle and thread to work.

Although Ms. Ping wasn’t particularly kind-hearted, many neighbors in South City had been living together for several years, and at this time, she didn’t know whether those neighbors could withstand the cold, so she wanted to contribute her efforts.

While Anning led the work at home, Xiao Yuan was also running about outside, trying to figure out what he could do for the disaster victims.

The three children that Anning had recently taken in had been lively after two or three days of care; although their hands and feet still bore injuries, they had largely healed, and the children also helped out.

Even the youngest, Xiao Tong, was helping by passing needles and threads, fluffing up cotton, and so on.

After several busy days, Anning finally found time to rest.

That day, Xiao Yuan came back from outside.

At that time, Anning was teaching the three children how to recognize characters.

She was teaching them to read the Three Character Classic when she saw Xiao Yuan enter the room with a face full of anger.

The three children were startled and quickly stood up to greet Xiao Yuan, ”Greetings to father.”

Xiao Yuan just raised his hand, ”Sit down, all of you.”

Anning got up, took off the heavy cloak Xiao Yuan wore outside, and hung it up properly, ”What’s wrong? Who has upset you?”

Xiao Yuan sat down with a cold face, so Anning asked Moli to bring a cup of hot tea for him, ”What happened?”

Xiao Yuan pounded his fist on the table, ”Go and tell someone to call Daya back, I have something to ask her.”

Anning hurriedly had Moli go by carriage to summon Xiao Daya.

Seeing how furious Xiao Yuan was, Moli was also frightened, not daring to say anything, and quickly went to change into warmer clothes to fetch someone.

Xiao Yi and the others saw this and promptly stood up to excuse themselves and left.

Anning sent the children out from the room, patting Xiao Tong’s head, ”You go back to your room and practice writing. Memorize what I taught you today; I will check tomorrow.”

The three children quickly bowed in response.

After about one two-hour period, Xiao Daya arrived.

By then, Xiao Yuan’s face had turned extremely dark, like the ominous clouds pressing down before a storm.

Anning had seldom seen Xiao Yuan so angry; she was somewhat uneasy at this moment, not knowing what Xiao Yuan had encountered outside to make him so furious.

After Xiao Daya arrived, she first went to see Ms. Ping, then finally came to Xiao Yuan and Anning’s room.

She rushed in the door, ”A Yuan, what did you call me for?”

Xiao Daya had been living quite comfortably lately; with money in her hands, she naturally enjoyed better food and clothing. If she couldn’t get enough to eat at the Lu family’s place, she could use her own money to buy some food and sneakily eat it in her room.

Over time, Xiao Daya’s complexion became much rosier, and she seemed in much higher spirits.

As soon as she entered, her smile was evidence of her comfortable life.

However, as Anning watched her come in, she didn’t pay much attention to her complexion, her gaze fixed on the cotton-padded jacket Xiao Daya wore.

Xiao Daya sat down directly, smiling at Xiao Yuan: ”Is there something wrong at home?”

Xiao Yuan looked at Xiao Daya, his eyes detached and indifferent, no longer filled with the warm concern he had shown her before.

Xiao Daya was startled: ”A Yuan, A Yuan, what’s wrong with me? Why are you looking at me like that?”

Xiao Yuan directly asked Xiao Daya: ”Big sister, if I ask you to divorce Mr. Lu, would you agree?”

Xiao Daya, frightened, quickly waved her hands: ”That won’t do, why would you think that? My brother-in-law has been quite nice to me lately, I...”

”If you don’t divorce him, don’t consider me your brother anymore. Think about it yourself.”

Xiao Yuan closed his eyes briefly and when he opened them again, his gaze was even colder and more merciless.

Xiao Daya was genuinely terrified; her eyes reddened, tears streaming down non-stop: ”I... A Yuan, tell me why, I...”

Anning had been observing from the side, silent, not interceding for Xiao Daya.

Even when Xiao Daya looked to her for help, she simply turned her head away, not speaking a word in Xiao Daya’s defense.

Xiao Yuan was Anning’s partner over many lifetimes, the person closest to her in this world. Who is Xiao Daya? Merely the sister of this lifetime’s Xiao Yuan. Anning was kind to her out of consideration for Xiao Yuan’s face, but without Xiao Yuan, what was Xiao Daya?

Naturally, she wouldn’t contest Xiao Yuan for Xiao Daya’s sake.

Moreover, when Anning noticed the cotton-padded jacket on Xiao Daya, she had already guessed why Xiao Yuan was angry.

Not to mention Xiao Yuan, even she herself was furious.

That man, Lu Gui... Anning had previously thought him to be quite honest, merely simple-minded, hoping to win him over for Xiao Daya’s sake, but she had never expected that he’d lack even the most basic human decency. How could such a person be kept around, let alone be tolerated till the New Year?

”Where did you get that cotton-padded jacket from?”

Xiao Yuan asked Xiao Daya.

Xiao Daya tugged at her thick cotton-padded jacket: ”My mother-in-law gave it to me, saying it was cold and I should wear something thicker. She mentioned she hand-made this cotton-padded jacket for me.”

Anning breathes a sigh of relief.

She thought to herself that Xiao Daya wasn’t involved in this matter; otherwise, Xiao Yuan might no longer even want to acknowledge his sister, which would turn into another troublesome issue.

”Do you know how this cotton-padded jacket came about?”

Xiao Yuan sneered coldly, his eyes full of sarcasm: ”This was made by your sister-in-law, by me carrying our maids and old women, along with our mother, who toiled many days and nights. It was meant to be distributed to the people of South City, so everyone could have a piece of cotton clothing to wear, at least to reduce the number of people freezing to death. It’s meant for saving lives.”

Xiao Daya was dumbfounded upon hearing this.

The once warm cotton-padded jacket now felt like thorns piercing her skin, unbearably uncomfortable.

”I, I, what happened here?”

Xiao Yuan closed his eyes briefly and, upon reopening them, his gaze remained cold as before: ”Anning asked Lu Gui to handle this, to distribute the cotton clothing to the disaster victims of South City. But no one expected that he would be so utterly unscrupulous, daring to privately intercept items meant for saving lives. Big sister, can you still bear to be with a man who lacks the fundaments of being human, who can do any despicable thing? Aren’t you afraid that one day, for his own benefit, he will sell you out too?”

After hearing this, Xiao Daya felt as though she had plummeted into an ice cellar.