When the Cannon Fodder Meets the Love-Brained Female Supporting Character - Episode 10

Jiang Nan stepped out from the crowd.

Xiao Ran stared at her in a daze.

Yet the faint, malicious smirk at the corner of Jiang Nan’s lips reminded Xiao Ran. She hadn’t come to save her from the fire, but to pour oil onto the flames.

Jiang Nan crossed her arms and laughed at her. “Well, well, the esteemed Miss Xiao, why do you look like a drowned bird, so pitiful? Then again, this isn’t your first time being in such a sorry state.”

Xiao Ran remained silent, sighing inwardly. Yes, in front of Jiang Nan, she had already been humiliated more than once.

Even as Jiang Nan spoke these words, her gaze drifted to Xiao Ran’s wrist.

The fair, slender wrist still bore faint red marks, barely visible beneath the sleeve almost like mosquito bites.

After all this time, had they still not fully healed?

The image of Xiao Ran’s swollen, bruised wrist from last time lingered in Jiang Nan’s mind.

Who had hurt her?

She admitted she was curious after all, it was related to her mission.

Jiang Nan didn’t realize how sharp her gaze was. The girl before her paled for a moment, biting her cherry-red lower lip, and subtly tucked her hand back into her sleeve.

Xiao Ran felt Jiang Nan’s fleeting glance on her hand. Her mind went blank, the air around her seeming to freeze, leaving her with a slight suffocating sensation. She could hear her own heartbeat quicken slightly.

Why was she looking at her like that?

No one else noticed the subtle exchange between the two.

Jiang Nan shifted her gaze, her smile deepening as she turned to Xiao Li. “Oh, but this old Master Xiao looks even more pathetic!”

The onlookers burst into laughter.

Xiao Li frowned at her. “Who are you?”

A cold glint flashed in Jiang Nan’s eyes. “What’s it to you?”

Xiao Li, publicly disrespected by a junior twice in a row, looked furious. “You—!”

Someone nearby reminded him, “This is the Jiang family’s cousin, Miss Jiang.”

Xiao Li’s expression softened slightly. “Miss Jiang, this is the Xiao family’s private matter.”

The enforcers from the Fortune Gambling Den also chimed in, “Miss Jiang, please step back a little. We wouldn’t want you to get hurt by accident.”

Jiang Nan glanced at the disheveled man curled up on the ground. “When did they owe you money?”

Thinking she intended to repay the debt, the enforcer immediately answered, “A week ago. They owe the Fortune Gambling Den twenty taels of silver.”

“Only twenty taels? But she—” Jiang Nan tilted her chin toward Xiao Ran, “owes me a hundred taels, from half a month ago. If we’re collecting debts, I should come first.”

The enforcers exchanged startled glances. “This…”

Xiao Ran’s head snapped up as she stared at Jiang Nan.

Xiao Li was also stunned. He first shot Xiao Ran a glare before knitting his brows. “How could she owe so much? Miss Jiang, are you just making this up?”

Jiang Nan scoffed. “She broke a porcelain vase I’ve treasured for years, a piece from Wanhua Town fifty years ago! Those are priceless now. A hundred taels is already me being merciful. If you don’t believe me, ask Second Miss Xiao yourself, did this happen or not?”

Wanhua Town had once been a flourishing hub of porcelain craftsmanship fifty years ago, where every resident was skilled in making exquisite ceramics. But greedy outsiders monopolized the trade without fair compensation, and over time, the town was abandoned.

Now, fifty years later, genuine Wanhua porcelain was nearly impossible to find in the world.

Xiao Ran suddenly remembered. She had indeed accidentally broken a vase. At the time, the maid from the Jiang residence had said it was just an ordinary vase bought from the market, not worth much, and told her she didn’t need to compensate for it. That was why she had left without further thought.

A month had passed since then. With no evidence and no witness to the incident, Jiang Nan could now spout nonsense, and there was nothing Xiao Ran could do about it. She didn’t even know where the vase had come from.

The more she thought about it, the more flustered she became, her delicate face flushing red.

The mistake was hers, and the leverage had been handed to someone else by her own doing. She couldn’t blame anyone else.

In the end, Xiao Ran whispered softly,

“Yes, I did break a vase at the Jiang residence…”

Xiao Li glared at her furiously. “We don’t have a hundred taels. How about we give you our daughter as a servant instead?”

Xiao Ran’s heart trembled at his words.

Jiang Nan crossed her arms and shook her head. “The Jiang residence has enough maids. What would I do with a delicate young lady who can’t even lift a finger? But I do quite like this jewelry box. Why don’t you just give it to me?”

That vase hadn’t been some cheap trinket from the streets, nor was it one of those priceless porcelain pieces from Wanhua Town. It was something the original owner had bought for twenty taels, a beautiful vase she had spotted on the road.

After Xiao Ran broke it, Jiang Nan had told the maid who reported it to dismiss it as worthless, just to keep Xiao Ran from lingering in the Jiang residence any longer.

At that moment, the man on the ground let out a timely groan.

Xiao Li’s gaze lingered on him, while a few of his so-called “sworn brothers” egged him on from the side.

“You must save Brother Wang! We’re oath-bound brothers!”

“Loyalty above all!”

Hearing their words, Xiao Li steeled himself. “No, the jewelry box can’t be given to you.”

Jiang Nan’s expression darkened, and she scoffed. “Do you think I don’t have enforcers?”

She gestured for Xiao Li to look behind her. His eyesight was sharp, standing just a few yards away from the crowd were four men dressed in black. They hadn’t been noticeable before, but now, moving in unison, they each drew their blades halfway out of their sheaths. The glint of steel immediately caught the attention of anyone who looked their way. The murderous glint in their eyes beneath their masks made it clear these were men who lived by the sword.

The reflection of the blades made Xiao Li’s head spin.

“You’re Xiao Ran’s father. It’s only right that you repay her debt. If you don’t settle this today…” Jiang Nan stepped closer, her voice dropping to a whisper only he could hear, “Then you won’t be needing your hands anymore. The Xiao family would never go to war with us over a useless branch like yours.”

Xiao Li’s legs nearly gave out beneath him.

He knew Jiang Nan wasn’t bluffing.

Two years ago, after the main Xiao family had cleaned up his mess for the last time, they had realized he was beyond saving. They had made it clear whatever happened to him in the future, they would no longer intervene.

Faced with the choice between his own safety and that of his “sworn brother,” Xiao Li didn’t hesitate.

“Xiao Ran, give her the jewelry box. This is all your fault!”

His sudden change in demeanor must have been due to whatever Jiang Nan had whispered to him. Xiao Ran wondered what exactly had been said.

From the ground, Wang Qing let out a pitiful wail. “Brother Xiao! Save me!!”

But with his own arms at stake, Xiao Li hardened his heart. “You brought this on yourself. You’ll have to bear the consequences. At least you’ll still have your life, even if you lose your legs.”

The man on the ground howled miserably, like a groundhog with its vocal cords cut.

Xiao Ran hugged the jewelry box to her chest, her heart heavy. She knew she couldn’t keep it. Moving like a lifeless puppet, she trudged forward slowly. She stopped in front of Jiang Nan, opened the box, and with one last reluctant glance at the treasures inside, prepared to hand it over.

Those pieces of jewelry were often worn by her mother when she was alive. Just by looking at them, she could recall her mother’s voice and smile.

It was her own incompetence that she couldn’t keep anything.

Xiao Ran felt a pang of sorrow in her heart. After taking a few steadying breaths, she turned her head away and handed the jewelry box to Jiang Nan.

Rather than letting those ruthless thugs take them, only for the pieces to end up who-knows-where, it was better to give them to Jiang Nan. At least she would know they were still there.

Jiang Nan gave her a satisfied glance. “Good, you’re being obedient.”

The thug leader beside her scratched the back of his head. “Wait, Miss Jiang, can we split it? Otherwise, what are we supposed to do?”

“Sell him into slavery or take one of his legs whatever you want. It’s none of my business.” Jiang Nan took the jewelry box and cast a casual glance at the man still groveling on the ground.

The thugs knew perfectly well they could do that, They just wanted an easier, more profitable option. After all, taking a leg wouldn’t get their money back.

Jiang Nan left with the jewelry box.

Seeing her go, the thugs had no choice but to drag the man, who was howling like a slaughtered pig, toward the sparsely populated northern part of the city.

As the crowd dispersed, the clearing was left quiet, with only two people standing opposite each other.

Xiao Li’s face was dark as ink.

Xiao Ran glanced up at him and turned to leave.

“Stop.” Xiao Li called out to her coldly. “Look at the mess you’ve made. How can you face our deceased mother like this?”

Xiao Ran’s eyes reddened slightly as she lifted her head and retorted, “The one who should feel ashamed is you. How did you deceive Mother into believing, even until her death, that you were out doing business. So much so that she willingly gave you everything? These were the last things she left behind. If I hadn’t hidden them back then, even these wouldn’t have remained. If Mother knew about this, do you think she’d rather use them to clean up my mess or watch you squander them on your so-called brothers who aren’t even blood-related?”

“How dare you speak to your father like that?”

“How could Mother have known that you’d rather spend money on those brothers of yours, carousing with them, than bring home her favorite peach cakes when she was ill?”

Xiao Ran usually had little to say to Xiao Li and avoided him whenever possible. But today, with him shifting the blame onto her, the thought of her mother who had loved her most hardened her tone.

Xiao Li glared and flicked his sleeve in anger. “Have you forgotten who raised you after your mother died?”

“Auntie did,” Xiao Ran said coldly.

Her mother’s younger sister, seeing her struggles, had often helped her out.

Xiao Ran and Xiao Li parted on bitter terms.

Returning to her room, Xiao Ran sat in silence for a while before beginning to tidy up. The Xiao family had fallen from grace, but they weren’t so destitute that they couldn’t afford a single maid. Yet, Xiao Ran truly couldn’t. After their branch of the family was cast out, Xiao Li had pawned off everything of value and divided the proceeds among his so-called brothers.

Thus, she no longer had the means to pay a maid and had to dismiss them, learning to handle chores herself.

About two hours later, Xiao Ran had cleaned every corner of her room, big and small.

Just then, a woman’s voice called her name from outside the courtyard.

Xiao Ran hesitated for a moment before stepping out and opening the gate. Standing there was a woman with sun-darkened skin, a headscarf wrapped around her head, and a vegetable basket in hand, the very picture of a peasant woman. Her hands were smudged with dirt.

When she saw Xiao Ran open the door, the woman smiled. “I thought you weren’t home.”

Xiao Ran was puzzled about why she had come.

The woman handed her the vegetable basket.

“Someone asked me to bring you a basket of fresh vegetables.”

Xiao Ran was caught off guard as the basket was thrust into her arms. Bewildered, she looked down and in that instant, her pupils dilated. There was something hidden among the vegetables, and the corner of it that peeked out was all too familiar.

A suspicion surged within her, sending a thrill that numbed her heart and body.

She turned to the woman, about to ask something.

But the woman seemed to already know her question and launched into an eager explanation: “I was just fertilizing the vegetable patch when a little girl—oh, about this tall came up to me. She gave me an address and asked me to deliver this basket. Even paid me ten coppers for it! I figured, easy money for a quick trip, so here I am. Maybe it’s someone you know sending this to you?”

Xiao Ran nodded, suppressing her overwhelming excitement, and replied softly, “Thank you. It is indeed from someone I know.”

After bidding the woman farewell, she returned to her room, shut the doors and windows tightly, and only then carefully opened the box.

Inside the jewelry case, everything was intact and beneath it all lay a note.

“Retrieved from the Jiang residence. Please do not forget our agreement.”