Hearing this, Elder Ruan nodded in agreement.
If their precious Shushu could be protected by these mutated plants, it would indeed make her much safer.
However, this matter couldn’t be leaked for now.
Ruan Linzhan was tasked with keeping the information under wraps, but there was another matter that made Elder Ruan furious—furious beyond words.
“The rebel army is nothing but a bunch of lowlife scum hiding in the shadows! I swear I’ll root them out!”
If it hadn’t been for his granddaughter’s own abilities, the consequences of falling into the hands of these frenzied mutated plants would be unspeakable.
A cold glint flickered in Ruan Linzhan’s eyes. “We can’t let the rebels continue their rampage.”
The grandfather and grandson exchanged a determined look, and from that day on, life grew increasingly challenging for those cult followers brainwashed by the rebel forces.
…
Each time Ruan Shu used up her energy, she would fall into a deep sleep.
Today was no exception.
So, when she woke up and saw her bedroom in utter disarray, as if it had been torn apart, she doubted whether she was still dreaming or just hallucinating.
“Bang…”
Just as Ruan Shu was about to lie back down and close her eyes again, a noise by her side jolted her awake.
Her beautiful blue eyes turned to look.
On the bedroom carpet, a tiny vine was currently wrapped around Pink Maiden, whipping it fiercely, while Pink Maiden bounced around in a rather clumsy attempt to dodge.
So… it was pretty obvious why her room looked like this.
Ruan Shu was annoyed, her gaze aflame as she glared at the two little troublemakers.
The fighting vine and Pink Maiden instantly froze, not daring to move.
They both looked over in Ruan Shu’s direction.
Then they quickly split up, both sulking as they crawled toward the adorable bundle sitting on the bed.
“Chirp chirp~”
Pink Maiden complained, ‘It hit me, it really hurt! QAQ’
The little vine, although unable to speak, was also well-practiced in looking pitiful.
Ruan Shu, sitting cross-legged on the bed, grabbed each of them in one hand, then tied the little vine around Pink Maiden’s mushroom stalk in a knot.
“That’s it! Little vine, you’re not allowed to hit Pink Maiden anymore!”
The little vine, mid-whip: “…”
The tip of the vine stiffened, unwilling to move.
Ruan Shu had wanted to put on a fierce display, but as a soft, chubby bundle, her attempt at sternness was completely devoid of intimidation.
Still, her adorably fierce look was very much evident on her cherubic face.
“That’s it; no more fighting! You’ll stay tied together until you’ve thought things over, and if I catch you fighting again, I’ll tie you up like this every single time!”
The little vine and Pink Maiden, bound together, looked at each other with disdain.
Yuck…
They weren’t fond of each other, but with Shushu angry, they didn’t dare disobey. The thought of being tied up again in the future made both of them feel as though life had lost all meaning.
Honestly, maybe their territory wasn’t so important after all!
Ignoring her punished companions, Ruan Shu hopped off the bed and started tidying up her room. With a few grunts of effort, she organized everything neatly, then went over to check on Little Kumquat before finally heading downstairs with the two restrained plants in tow.
The house seemed empty.
Just as she wondered where her brother had gone, the family butler emerged from the kitchen, looking pleasantly surprised to see her.
“Miss, come have something to eat.”
Poor thing, she must’ve been frightened again today—all because of those rebels!
Ruan Shu trotted over, gratefully accepting the milk-fruit juice the butler handed her. “Thank you, Grandpa Butler. Where’s my brother?”
The butler replied, “Are you looking for Young Master? He went out with the Old Master on some errands.”
Ruan Shu nodded with an “Oh,” then, without asking further, enjoyed her juice and a crispy fish snack before grabbing another one to munch on as she happily padded back to her room.
Pink Maiden followed her up the stairs, though the vine wrapped around it was a bit of a nuisance.
“Chirp chirp chirp!”
It was hard not to imagine that Pink Maiden was muttering grumpily at the little vine.
Ruan Shu looked back and couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight. “Still thinking about fighting?”
Seeing them so pitiful, she knelt down, asking with a soft laugh in her voice.
“Chirp chirp…” Pink Maiden shook its head rapidly. No more fighting, no more fighting.
The little vine enthusiastically wiggled its tip in agreement.
All right, given their earnest display of regret, Ruan Shu decided to release them.
The little vine immediately wrapped itself around her wrist, nuzzling her hand in a show of affection, while Pink Maiden hopped up to her shoulder, balancing there as if it had always belonged.
It was a mystery how a mushroom managed to perch so stably.
With her two little mutant plants in tow, she made her way back to her room.
She took a small pair of scissors and a little hoe, carefully transplanting the cuttings from the sweet potato vines into another patch of soil.
One sweet potato could grow so many vines!
She spent most of her afternoon puttering around in the garden, and before she knew it, evening had fallen. Dad and her brother should be back soon.
Glancing at the time, Ruan Shu put away her gardening tools and ran outside, where she just happened to spot her big brother walking toward her.
Her eyes lit up, and with a delighted smile, she ran over to him.
“Big Brother~”
Ruan Fengsi didn’t mind at all that his little dumpling was covered in dirt; he scooped her up and playfully pinched her tiny nose.
“You’re all dirty. Go take a bath and change your clothes.”
Ruan Shu looked down at herself. Although a bit muddy, she was still an incredibly cute little dumpling.
When she entered the bathroom, she was a human cub, but when she came out, she had transformed into a damp, fluffy kitten.
The pink mushroom guarding the door was utterly stunned.
Well, it didn’t exactly have eyes to show it.
Having never seen Ruan Shu in kitten form, Pink Maiden tilted back and forth, inspecting the ragdoll kitten closely.
The scent was familiar, but how did she change?!
She went in as a big little girl and came out so small!
Pink Maiden was so baffled that it even went into the bathroom to search, just to be sure.
Where did she go?
“Meow?”
A wet, confused meow came from the little kitten as her big brother picked her up, drying and fluffing her fur.
The entire time, Pink Maiden stared intently at the ragdoll kitten, and if mushrooms could have expressions, this one would surely have been in a state of pure confusion.
Ruan Fengsi, who now knew how this pink mushroom had come to be, raised an eyebrow.
“Could it be that it doesn’t recognize you?”
He spoke as he gave the little kitten a gentle scruff.
Freshly dried, the kitten’s fur was already messy, and with that scruff, it became even messier.
Ruan Shu shook her head slightly, extending her still-damp little paws toward her big brother to get her fur dried.
“Meow meow~”
It really did seem like Pink Maiden didn’t recognize her.
Ruan Shu let out a sweet, soft meow at the mushroom, and after a moment of hesitation, Pink Maiden bounced over.
The kitten’s tiny nose gave the mushroom a gentle nudge.
Pink Maiden: happy.jpg
Even though she’d changed species, the feeling was just the same!
Yes, this was definitely its precious treasure~