Wanwan, Do You Think I'm Suited to Raising Cockroaches?

Gu Sinian was also quite helpless; he was genuinely afraid of cockroaches, a fear he had had since childhood.

I don't know where these cockroaches came from; they probably stayed because their study was particularly warm.

Zhou Wanwan patted his shoulder and said, "You can't do this, Gu Sinian. What if you see a cockroach in the exam hall and get this scared? What will you do then?"

This is a very practical problem, especially in exam rooms, where there can sometimes be quite a few cockroaches.

Better safe than sorry.

Zhou Wanwan looked at Gu Sinian and said, "From today onwards, you need to get used to the presence of cockroaches. Shall you start raising cockroaches?"

Gu Sinian was on the verge of tears. "Wanwan, do you think I'm suited to keep cockroaches? I don't want to keep cockroaches, they're too scary."

Zhou Wanwan looked at him earnestly and said:

"You've put in so much effort, what if you suddenly spot a cockroach in the exam hall and scream out in surprise?"

Do you know what the consequences will be?

Zhou Wanwan looked at the others and said:

"Find them for me, find all the cockroaches in the house, and then give them to Gu Sinian to raise."

Gu Sinian, you'll have a pet from now on!

Gu Sinian looked at Zhou Wanwan and asked, "A pet?"

Zhou Wanwan nodded and said:

"A pet is something you really love. You could turn a cockroach into your pet and have to carry it with you every day."

And remember to feed them, understand?

Gu Sinian's lips twitched. This... this was too much for him.

Turn cockroaches into pets?

Zhou Wanwan suddenly heard the big tree outside her window calling her. She ran out and said, "Grandpa Scholar Tree, what do you need?"

The Old Scholar Tree pointed to the child beside it and said, "He's a child brought here from the foot of the mountain. He's very pitiful; his entire family was wiped out yesterday, and he's the only one left."

Zheng Yuanbao stared in disbelief at the lively and adorable girl in front of him.

He thought Wanwan was a fairy, but he never expected her to be just a child.

He fell to his knees with a thud:

"Fairy Sister, please help me! My entire Zheng Family 126 people has been murdered."

I have three older sisters, and they've all disappeared.

Zhou Wanwan looked at him and said, "Get up first! What exactly happened? Tell me."

Zheng Yuanbao recounted everything he knew:

"When I got home today, all I saw were corpses everywhere. Everything in my house was gone. Overnight, my family was destroyed and my family was wiped out. Waaah..."

I just want to know what happened, what... what should I do?

Zhou Wanwan looked at him and said, "If I help you, how do you plan to repay me?"

Zheng Yuanbao looked at her and said, "I am willing to sell myself into slavery and serve you for the rest of my life."

Zhou Wanwan looked at him and said, "Okay, let's write a contract."

Zheng Yuanbao finished writing quickly, and Zhou Wanwan asked someone to get him some clothes and prepare some food.

It wasn't until dark that Zhou Wanwan called him, and Zheng Yuanbao felt like he was dreaming.

Zhou Wanwan sat directly in the treehouse. There was a treehouse on the Old Scholar Tree, which was actually a carriage that had been converted into a room.

There was a bed and blankets inside, so Zhou Wanwan lay down on the bed and said, "You rest for a while, we'll be at your house soon."

Zheng Yuanbao noticed that the entire tree was moving, and he sat in the carriage, too afraid to move.

It wasn't until midnight that Zhou Wanwan was awakened by the Old Scholar Tree: "Wanwan, we've arrived at the Zheng Family."

Zhou Wanwan walked directly down from the Old Scholar Tree. She smelled the air and found it was filled with the stench of blood.

Zheng Yuanbao looked at the empty house and said:

"Who would have thought that just a few days ago I was sitting at home, chatting with my parents about my experience taking the imperial examination for children?"

My dad also said... he also said that once I pass the imperial examination, we'll go to the Upper Capital and buy a house."

Zhou Wanwan sighed and said, "Parents think far ahead. Let me investigate who did this first!"

Zheng Yuanbao shook his head and said:

"These people were swift and efficient; they left no clues whatsoever."

My parents' bodies have already been buried, and it's impossible to find them now.

Zhou Wanwan smiled faintly, "I have my own methods."

Dead people can't speak, but plants can.

The entire Zheng Family was filled with an aura of death, and Zhou Wanwan shivered. Looking at the plants in the yard, she said:

Do you know what happened here?

If you have any, just let me know. If you do, I'll definitely reward you.

The ivy whispered, "Is this person talking to us?"

The pomegranate tree beside them shook its branches and said, "How could she possibly understand our language?"

Zhou Wanwan looked at the pomegranate tree and said, "I'm talking to you. You've lived here for so many years, you must have feelings for the Zheng Family, right?"

The pomegranate tree was startled:

"You can actually hear me? That's great. The Zheng Family is in such a terrible situation, and we want to do something for them too."

The Master Zheng has become like this is because he was too kind and too charitable.

They were killed by bandits, I think it was called Azure Dragon Mountain Stronghold, we vaguely heard them say that."

Zhou Wanwan frowned and said, "Azure Dragon Mountain Stronghold? Isn't this an old acquaintance?"

The pomegranate tree continued:

It was already dark that day, Master Zheng planned to send someone to pick up the young master of the Zheng Family.

But as soon as the door opened, a group of bandits rushed in. They were masked and carrying all sorts of weapons, and they started slashing as soon as they came in.

Before long, the entire Zheng mansion was hacked to pieces. Except for a dozen or so young maids, all the other maids were taken to the mountain stronghold by them.

They said they were to be the bandit chief's wives, but I don't know much else about it.

Suddenly, the ivy on the wall said:

"I do know a place where Old Master Zheng buried a box, right in the corner of this wall."

Master Zheng was buried here a long, long time ago, when Master Zheng had just had a son and was very happy.

That night, he dug a hole here by himself and put the box in.

I don't know what's in this box. Why don't you dig it open and take a look?

Before Zhou Wanwan could react, the Old Scholar Tree stretched its roots all the way in, and soon pulled a box out of the mud.

Zhou Wanwan looked at the box and said, "Zheng Yuanbao, this box was left to you by your father. Why don't you open it and take a look?"

Zheng Yuanbao asked in surprise, "My father left this to me? But he never told me about it?"

Zhou Wanwan didn't say anything. Zheng Yuanbao opened the box directly, and inside lay a gold necklace.

There were also some trinkets prepared for the children, a few gleaming gold Yuanbao, ten gleaming silver Yuanbao, and some other odds and ends.

There was a letter pressed down beside it, which read:

"My son Yuanbao, your father consulted a fortune teller years ago, who said that my wife and I do not live long and are destined not to be with you as you grow up."

After much thought, I buried all my belongings here, hoping that one day you might find them by chance.

These things aren't many, but they can help you get through some difficult times.

From now on, you must live well, be an honest person, and not let your parents down...