Jason Liu sat there, a little dazed, watching the cute, handsome little boy nibble on a biscuit like a tiny mouse.
Honestly, he didn't really want to get involved with a mischievous kid like this. One wrong move from the boy, and Jason could easily get dragged into trouble too.
Right now, Jason was still enjoying a honeymoon-like relationship with the Stark family. He had no desire to mess that up by getting caught up in something reckless.
But what could he do? The boy sitting before him was Rickon Stark, the second son of Lord Eddard Stark — the little darling of the entire Stark family. How could anyone stay angry at such an adorable, handsome child?
Jason sighed. He couldn't help but feel a little heartache for little Rickon.
It seemed that when you were good-looking, you really could get away with anything.
Didn't Ned and Catelyn spoil Bran the same way?
But letting a small child wander out alone like this—wasn't it a bit careless?
Jason found it strange. How had Bran found his way here?
"Sir, you're back, hee hee..." said Lina, smiling sweetly as she handed him a glass of juice.
Jason took the glass and had a sip. Before he could even say a word, Bran, who was sitting nearby, called out to him too.
Lina quickly poured another glass of juice for young Bran. Bran eagerly took a sip, and a joyful smile spread across his face.
This juice was much better than the fishy-tasting milk they usually served at Winterfell!
After letting Lina and the others get back to work, Jason reached out, scooped up little Lillian into his arms, and sat down comfortably.
Michal, the little boy nearby, quickly stood up to greet him.
Jason patted Michal's head, motioning for him to sit back down and continue eating his biscuits. Meanwhile, he gently played with little Lillian in his arms.
Lillian was almost two years old now and could walk on her own.
Half a year ago, Lina and her whole family had come to work at Jason's Easter store. Ever since, the two little kids had never gone hungry. Their clothes were clean, and their meals were good. Naturally, their once-thin bodies had filled out nicely.
Six-year-old Michal had gotten noticeably chubbier and taller.
Little Lillian had turned into a chubby little princess, round and adorable.
Sitting quietly in Jason's arms, Lillian didn't cry or fuss. just calmly munched on biscuit.
Whenever Lina was busy working in the store, she would set Lillian down nearby to play on her own. The little girl would watch her mother and aunt bustling about and stay quietly in her spot.
Michal, on the other hand, was a mischievous little monkey. You could hardly ever catch sight of him, always running wild with the other children around Market Town.
Lina didn't seem too worried about it. After all, boys were supposed to be wild.
Watching them, Jason couldn't help but feel a bit nostalgic.
It reminded him of his own childhood in the countryside, where parents had to farm all day and had no time to watch their kids. Children back then roamed the village in packs, getting into all sorts of trouble, only returning home when the dinner bell rang.
Things were different now. Nowadays, children were treated like precious treasures, pampered and protected to the extreme.
Jason thought about the news he had seen recently: a schoolboy bullied a girl, and when the parents couldn't resolve it peacefully, the girl's father stormed into the school with a knife, killing the boy. A tragedy for both families.
It was a harsh reminder that spoiling children too much could have terrible consequences.
Speaking of spoiled kids, the Stark children didn't seem much better than others, did they?
Take Bran, for example.
Wasn't it because of him sneaking around and climbing up towers that he accidentally caught Jaime and Cersei Lannister in their incestuous act?
And wasn't it Jaime who, in a panic, pushed Bran from the tower window?
That one reckless act by a stubborn little boy set off a chain of events that plunged all of Westeros into bloody war.
How many innocent people had died because of it? How many children had been orphaned?
If you thought about it carefully, Bran Stark was basically the biggest troublemaker in the entire Game of Thrones world!
A disaster wrapped up in a cute little package!
"Bran, why are you here?" Jason asked, puzzled as he watched Bran drink juice with both hands. "Did Lady Catelyn allow you to run off like this?"
Bran put down his cup, licked the juice off his lips with his tongue, grabbed another biscuit, and said casually, "I sneaked out with Arya. Mother doesn't know."
Hearing Arya's name, Jason's eye twitched.
Of course. Arya Stark, the wild girl who couldn't sit still for even a moment, was involved.
Together, these two could turn Winterfell upside down!
Jason couldn't help but roll his eyes.
The Stark children truly lived up to their family's "wolf blood." Maybe it should be called "crazy blood" instead!
Just then, Jason felt something nudge his foot. He looked down and saw a grey dog sniffing at his leg.
He was about to shoo it away when a terrible thought struck him.
His body stiffened. He didn't dare move.
Wasn't this one of the direwolves?
Slowly, Jason forced a smile and looked at Bran.
"Bran," he said carefully, "is this your little wolf? Does it bite? Maybe you could call it away..."
Bran leaned over the table and called out, "Summer, come back!"
The small direwolf, already the size of a full-grown dog, immediately trotted back to Bran's side.
Jason breathed a sigh of relief.
Wow, the direwolves were seriously smart. They could even understand complex commands.
Even Jon Snow's wolf, Ghost, was extremely well-trained — and even Jason had been impressed by that.
Were these even wolves anymore?
Sometimes Jason wondered if the wolves had the souls of ancient warriors or something!
Anyway, the Stark family's direwolves were clearly not ordinary animals.
Maybe it had something to do with the ancient blood running through the Stark line?
Bran, after all, wasn't just any kid.
He was one of the rare few born with the power of the wargs and greenseers. Even the ancient Green Seer north of the Wall, thousands of miles away, wanted to pass on his powers to Bran.
But Jason didn't trust that old Green Prophet at all.
Was he truly passing on his abilities out of kindness?
Or was he using Bran's body for his own selfish reasons, so he could live longer?
Jason leaned toward the second theory.
After all, ancient beings like the Green Prophet were practically demigods. Who knew what dark and twisted powers they possessed?
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