cabinet

In this era, one yuan can buy three kilograms of rice, so eighty-two yuan doesn't seem like a small amount.

However, seeking medical treatment is an extremely costly and resource-intensive process these days, not to mention mental illnesses.

"Shouldn't you at least become a minor commander?"

With a troubled expression, Zhou Lexing stuffed the eighty-two yuan back into the small jar and casually placed it on the table.

Zhou Shusheng seemed to hear his mutterings, and suddenly sat up in bed, looking at him with a dazed expression, his messy hair sticking out like a bird's nest.

Zhou Lexing was startled by him: "Huh? Little Pig is awake?"

Zhou Lexing teased, but seeing that Zhou Shusheng didn't respond and just stared at him blankly, his heart sank: "What? Still half asleep?"

He stepped forward, used his hands as a comb, carefully gathered Zhou Shusheng's hair behind his head, and looked down to observe Zhou Shusheng's expression closely.

Fortunately, Zhou Shusheng's eyes only stared blankly for a moment. As if he had finally woken up from a nightmare, he suddenly raised his hand, grabbed Zhou Lexing's arm, and grinned under Zhou Lexing's worried gaze.

"elder brother--!"

That sticky squealing sound—it's definitely that sleepy little pig.

Zhou Lexing breathed a slight sigh of relief, but even after finishing his meal and leading Zhou Shusheng out, his brow remained furrowed involuntarily.

Shusheng seemed to have forgotten what happened last night.

Is this a good thing or a bad thing?

In Shusheng's eyes, what kind of terrifying scene was the chaos of last night?

Why.

I really need to save money as soon as possible so I can take her to the city to see the world before I feel at ease.

Thinking it over, Zhou Lexing led Zhou Shusheng to the fields. As usual, he worked with Zhou Shusheng until they finished, then took him up a tree to pick astringent fruit, dig out dry and empty bird nests, and even went to the stream to catch fish. They were busy all morning, and only after seeing that Zhou Shusheng had played to his heart's content did he take him home.

Zhou Yuanxiang's stir-fried dishes were already ready. She didn't say much when she saw them come back, but like Zhou Lexing, she couldn't help but observe Zhou Shusheng for a while while eating.

"You can't run around outside with your brother tomorrow; you have to go to Teacher Chen's house to study, understand?"

As Zhou Yuanxiang spoke, she saw Zhou Shusheng immediately look extremely aggrieved, his cheeks bulging, but his eyebrows drooping and his eyes downcast, as if he were being denied food. But her heart immediately returned to its original place.

Zhou Lexing finally managed a smile, lowered his head to eat, and showed no intention of rescuing his younger brother Yu Xuehai.

After dinner, Zhou Lexing prepared to go out, but Zhou Shusheng, contrary to his usual habit of sleeping after eating, insisted on following Zhou Lexing and going out with him.

Looking at his half-drooping eyelids from sleepiness, Zhou Lexing felt both sorry for him and amused. He simply went back to the room and slept with him for a whole night before leisurely leaving the house.

"I'll go make a cabinet for Jian Sheng."

Zhou Yuanxiang nodded silently.

Last night's events have left a mark on Zhou Shusheng's heart, but whether this rift can be repaired remains to be seen.

With something on his mind, Zhou Lexing's smile faded, revealing an overly cold and resolute side beneath his determined expression.

"Brother, are you going to fight?"

Zhou Lexing suddenly came to his senses and saw his younger brother looking uneasy and conflicted as he spoke.

"Fighting is wrong." Playing with poop is also wrong.

Looking at Zhou Shusheng's forced worried expression, Zhou Lexing finally couldn't help but laugh: "I know, I won't fight." He would unilaterally beat someone up, but not today.

Gu Jiansheng's house was still deserted, as if Zhou Lexing had already guessed that he would come. Zhou Lexing simply called out once, and the door opened.

A cautious half-head peeked out from the crack in the door. Gu Jiansheng looked at the two of them for a while before opening the door.

Zhou Shusheng followed closely behind Zhou Lexing, still able to call out in his clear, crisp voice, "Brother."

Gu Jiansheng lowered his eyes and responded softly.

The gate slowly closed, and Zhou Lexing glanced around the courtyard, which remained unchanged: "Take Shusheng inside, it'll be dusty later."

Zhou Lexing thought for a moment and then added, "Is Aunt Lan home? The work on the cabinet is quite a commotion."

Gu Jiansheng looked up at him in surprise.

He thought Zhou Lexing would definitely ask about yesterday's events and might be angry that he had led him away from home without telling him anything, which led to Zhou Shusheng's accident.

Gu Jiansheng had been racking his brains over how to phrase things all night, and now he had dark circles under his eyes, clearly indicating that he hadn't slept all night. Zhou Lexing, on the other hand, looked completely at ease, as if he were just there to fulfill an ordinary promise.

When Gu Jiansheng heard that Zhou Laozhuang and the others were plotting to frame Zhou Lexing, he actually considered whether to tell Zhou Lexing directly and let him handle it himself. However, when Gu Jiansheng thought of Zhou Lexing's rumored volatile temper, he dared not take the gamble.

If Zhou Lexing hears about this and gets angry, he will go directly to Zhou Laozhuang's family to settle accounts, wouldn't that be falling right into Zhou Laozhuang's trap?

Moreover, Zhou Lexing couldn't stay at home indefinitely to prevent the Zhou family from coming to his door.

You can't guard against thieves forever if you're a thief for a thousand days.

When Gu Jiansheng decided to get involved in this matter, he had already prepared himself for the resentment and anger that Zhou Lexing would feel after he did this. However, the terrible thing he imagined did not happen. Zhou Lexing even smiled at him as usual and even thought about making a cabinet for him.

Gu Jiansheng was still somewhat dazed even after sitting inside the room, while Zhou Shusheng curiously peeked out from under the door, watching Zhou Lexing busy outside.

Gu Jiansheng pursed his lips: "Shusheng..."

He felt awkward as soon as he opened his mouth.

Zhou Shusheng, however, was oblivious to the sensitive thoughts of outsiders. He simply turned his head curiously, blinked at him, and patiently waited for his next words.

"Sit down, I'll get you a glass of water."

His room was so simple that it didn't even have a table or chairs, so he had to let Zhou Shusheng sit by the bed.

Zhou Shusheng held up the aluminum kettle slung across his body and replied obediently, "I have water, and I even put sugar in it, it's delicious!"

As he spoke, he made a gesture as if he were about to bring the kettle to Gu Jiansheng's lips, which startled Gu Jiansheng, who took two steps back: "It's okay, you can drink it yourself."

Zhou Shusheng seemed not to quite understand the meaning behind Gu Jiansheng's flustered actions. He tilted his head, but eventually obediently pulled out the cork, took a few sips, and happily squinted his eyes.

Gu Jiansheng stood somewhat helplessly in the center of the room. He turned his head and saw through the crack in the door that Zhou Shusheng had just opened that Zhou Lexing was taking off his shirt and busy in the yard.

His strong shoulder and back muscles bulged and tensed with his movements, and fine beads of sweat appeared and quickly slid down his muscle lines. His healthy wheat color almost shone in the sunlight in the yard.

Gu Jiansheng was so engrossed in watching that he was suddenly brought back to his senses when a hot shadow loomed over him.

"Brother, what are you looking at?"

Zhou Shusheng followed his gaze and looked outside, quickly revealing a smug expression: "That's my third brother, isn't he amazing!"

Gu Jiansheng felt a sudden rush of heat, his brain went blank, and his face burned. He mumbled a couple of responses, and then saw Zhou Shusheng talking nonstop like pouring out beans.

"My third brother can climb trees to catch birds, pick fruit, pull weeds, catch fish, climb mountains, and weave rabbits and grasshoppers..."

Zhou Shusheng counted on his fingers, extremely satisfied. Gu Jiansheng, feeling awkward, could only nod repeatedly, which inadvertently fueled Zhou Shusheng's conversation.

"Although my third brother can fight and play with poop, he's the best to me. He'll even give me his food!"

Gu Jiansheng nodded repeatedly, then suddenly stammered, "...What did you say?"

What did he hear?

Zhou Shusheng was taken aback by the question, as if he had just realized what he had said. He immediately covered his mouth, his eyes darting around, looking at the ceiling and the cement floor, but he dared not look at Gu Jiansheng.

Gu Jiansheng's thoughts were in turmoil, and it took him a while to finally ask, "Shusheng, did you see your brother hit someone?"

Zhou Shusheng looked at him nervously, as if he had just gone through a mental struggle. His eyes blinked frequently, and he shook his head against his conscience.

Gu Jiansheng's throat tightened: "He kicked the person into the latrine, didn't he?"

Zhou Shusheng stared at Gu Jiansheng with some fear for a while, then suddenly raised his hand, touched Gu Jiansheng's dry cheek, and looked at his hand again, as if searching for the tears that should be there.

"Brother, where are your tears?"

Shouldn't tears be streaming down one's face when one is sad?

Zhou Lexing had no idea that the little tail he brought along had completely betrayed him.

In his previous life, he was a wealthy second-generation heir who didn't smoke, drink, or have any bad habits. Because he had experienced hardship and poverty, even his hobbies were different from others. He only cared about practicality and not aesthetics. However, in order to avoid arousing suspicion from the Zhou family, he could only excel in the arts.

He learned the basics of woodworking, ceramics, bamboo weaving, and mural painting, and even learned mechanical repair by accompanying his friend on his car hobby. Even if he were to be thrown out of the Zhou family in the future, he wouldn't have to worry about starving to death without a skill.

Although I haven't experienced being expelled from the Zhou family again, I can say that I'm finally putting what I've learned to good use.

Zhou Lexing looked at the partially formed storage rack in front of him and nodded in satisfaction.

Once the basic shape is achieved, the sanding process takes some effort. Painting can be omitted, but the materials are hard to find, and it needs to be air-dried, so it doesn't seem worthwhile.

While Zhou Lexing was working away with great enthusiasm, the two people inside the house also became much closer.

Gu Jiansheng was undoubtedly a qualified listener.

When Zhou Lexing pushed open the door, he saw Zhou Shusheng dancing with joy, recounting the 'thrilling' scene of catching fish that morning: "They flew out of my hand in a flash! They were so slippery, they could take off—!"

As Zhou Shusheng spoke, he made a sprinting motion, circled the room twice, and was finally pulled into Zhou Lexing's arms.

"We caught a fish!" Zhou Lexing exclaimed softly.

Zhou Shusheng immediately began to struggle, trying to escape like the fish from that morning, and a series of clear laughs rang out.

Watching the two brothers playfully bickering, Gu Jiansheng felt a strange itch and warmth in his heart, which made him unable to help but smile.

.

It was two days later when the cabinet was completely finished.

Zhou Lexing carried the cabinet to the kitchen, and the new set of tools finally had a suitable place to go. However, the other half of the cabinet, which was responsible for holding food, was empty.

Zhou Lexing stood there for a moment and thought about it before stepping out.

In the courtyard, Zhou Shusheng happily talked about tomorrow's plans: "Mom is taking my brother and me to town. There's candy and meat buns there!"

As Zhou Shusheng spoke, he slurped his saliva, which immediately made Gu Jiansheng laugh.

Zhou Lexing looked at Gu Jiansheng, who was smiling, and his expression softened: "Would you like to come with us tomorrow?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Jiansheng, just as Zhou Lexing had expected, immediately shook his head in refusal. The smile on his face quickly vanished, like a frightened rabbit that would dart back into its burrow at the slightest disturbance, afraid of being harmed.

Zhou Lexing didn't press the issue: "Is there anything you want?"

Gu Jiansheng shook his head again.

Zhou Lexing: "Okay, we should go into the mountains the day after tomorrow. I'll come find you then."

The Zhou family must have done something outrageous at the small clinic in town again, which angered the village chief who was protecting them so much that he was bedridden for several days. As a result, the village chief and the Zhou family ended up staying in town together.

However, the monthly day when all the able-bodied men of the village would go into the mountains together was set long ago. As long as the old hunter in charge of leading the team was there, the rest of the villagers did not care whether the old village chief was in the village or not.