He Huaizhi

They were so busy that they worked until sunset.

Zhou Lexing was covered in sweat, his clothes were practically salty. He piled up the rice that had been drying in the afternoon, covered it with a rainproof cloth, and used straw mats where there wasn't enough. Only then could he finally breathe a sigh of relief and rest for a while.

"Come on, come back with me."

Zhou Lexing put his arm around Gu Jiansheng's shoulder and led them home.

The straw hat that originally belonged to Zhou Lexing on Gu Jiansheng's head immediately tilted to one side when it was pulled like that.

He quickly reached out to pull him, but was soon pulled off balance by Zhou Lexing's shoulder brushing against him.

Gu Jiansheng pursed his lips but said nothing. He simply took off his straw hat and held it in his hand, letting Zhou Lexing put his arm around him and take him home.

During busy farming seasons, it's common for families with good relationships to help each other out. There's no such thing as a wage, but they are responsible for providing three meals a day.

Having helped this time, Gu Jiansheng knew that Zhou Lexing would definitely not let him go back on his own.

Gu Jiansheng couldn't quite explain his current feelings. He wasn't an extroverted person, but now, rather than staying at home, he preferred to walk around with Zhou Lexing under the scorching sun. Although his body was tired, his mood was much lighter.

There are still quite a few people busy on the road.

Many people greeted Zhou Lexing along the way, and then glanced curiously at Gu Jiansheng.

Although the Gu family lived in Zhoujia Village, it must be said that they rarely saw Zhou Lanxiang and her son Gu Jiansheng.

"Hey! Lexing! Third boy!"

Zhou Lexing heard someone calling him, stopped and looked back, and saw it was Old Yang, who was driving the tractor.

"Uncle Yang, is there something you need?"

Zhou Lexing casually asked a question and then remembered something. Sure enough, he heard Old Yang say it with a smile.

"Do you remember what happened to Old Zhang's family? Your Uncle Yang wasn't just talking nonsense when he said he would get justice for you. Don't worry, I went to see the village chief several times these past few days, and we finally settled things last night. Zhou Laozhuang is going back to the village tomorrow, and the village chief will negotiate a compensation of forty yuan for you. When are you free? I'll let the village chief know, and we'll settle this matter at his house."

Old Yang finished speaking in one breath, then thought for a moment, glanced at Gu Jiansheng who was standing silently with his eyes down, and added in a low voice: "Although we agreed on forty yuan, you should know that the villagers are the most likely to cheat. Don't panic when the time comes. Just listen to me and the village chief. We'll raise the price first, and they'll definitely try to lower it later, understand?"

Zhou Lexing was quite touched. He had only meant to mention it casually, but he hadn't expected Uncle Yang to be so loyal. He immediately nodded solemnly, "I know. Thank you so much, Uncle Yang."

Old Yang waved his hand with a smile: "Hey, this is nothing! Even if you hadn't helped me fix the tractor, I certainly wouldn't have ignored such a despicable thing. We must ensure that good people are rewarded, don't you think?"

Zhou Lexing nodded with a smile, pondering what gift he should give Uncle Yang in return.

Given Lao Yang's fiery temper, giving him money directly is definitely not an option. However, we can go home and discuss this with Zhou Ma.

Zhou Lexing and Lao Yang exchanged a few more words, including about tractor maintenance, before parting ways.

"Do you know him?" Zhou Lexing raised his hand from Gu Jiansheng's shoulder and ruffled Gu Jiansheng's hair a couple of times, using the motion of pressing down the tuft of hair that had been blown by the wind.

Gu Jiansheng glanced at him: "I know him."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Lexing understood: "When you're done with your work, come with me to town, okay?"

Gu Jiansheng: "Going to do what?"

Zhou Lexing: "I'll sell you and get two pounds of pork to eat."

Gu Jiansheng rolled his eyes and poked Zhou Lexing's waist without any politeness.

Zhou Lexing tilted his body to the side and clicked his tongue: "You've gotten quite bold, daring to lay a hand on your older brother? Take this!"

Gu Jiansheng felt a touch on his side.

His reaction was much more dramatic than Zhou Lexing's; he curled up like a shrimp and immediately shouted, "I'm not playing anymore!"

He's also capable of being shameless and cheating.

Zhou Lexing laughed and reached out to scare him.

Gu Jiansheng immediately took off running.

The corner was not far ahead. Zhou Lexing turned his head and saw clearly in an instant that someone was standing there. He didn't know how long they had been standing there, but from his angle, he could only see a small part of their side profile.

Zhou Lexing didn't dare to hesitate and immediately strode forward to catch up, stretching out his arm to wrap around Gu Jiansheng's waist and picking him up in one go.

"ah!"

Gu Jiansheng was startled.

His almond-shaped eyes widened in shock. His heart, which had been floating lightly upward, plummeted as if struck by lightning when he saw the person standing around the corner turn around and smile at him.

Are you alright?

Zhou Lexing put the person down and looked down. Gu Jiansheng's eyes were wide open, the color in his lips had disappeared, and even his face was a little pale. Startled, he quickly patted his back, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, you didn't get hurt. I'm watching."

Zhou Lexing turned his head again and saw the man standing at the corner with his hands in his pockets, a smile on his face, looking calm and composed.

"Brother, what are you doing standing here?" Zhou Lexing was speechless. His shirt and trousers really looked out of place in this village.

You need to find a good spot to show off. If you hide in a corner and don't make a sound, and then suddenly see a white figure when it gets dark, it might scare an older person half to death.

"I'm waiting for someone."

The man's smile remained unchanged as his gaze fell on Gu Jiansheng, who was pale-faced behind Zhou Lexing, before quickly returning to Zhou Lexing, observing the two with great interest.

The gaze, blatantly probing and scrutinizing, instinctively displeased Zhou Lexing. But before he could say anything, he heard an exaggerated shout: "Brother He! Brother He! So you've come here!"

The old village chief's second son, Zhou Li, ran all the way from the same route Zhou Lexing and his companion had taken. Upon seeing them, he visibly relaxed and said, "Brother He, are you lost? I was so scared when I couldn't find you for a moment."

As Zhou Li approached, he noticed Zhou Lexing and Gu Jiansheng standing in stark contrast to the man: "What's going on? Did you have a fight? Zhou Lexing, let me tell you, this is a distinguished guest of our Zhoujia Village. Don't you dare cause any trouble. If you dare to make a scene, the whole village will not forgive you!"

Zhou Lexing raised an eyebrow: "What are you going to do to make me suffer?"

Zhou Li was about to speak again when the man stopped him.

"It's alright, they're just friends I met. Hello, my name is He Huaizhi, and yours is He Huaizhi."

He Huaizhi's gentle smile remained unchanged, but his eyes were fixed on Zhou Lexing like hooks, and he extended his right hand as if to shake hands.

Zhou Lexing frowned at him, but did not respond, nor did he show any intention of shaking hands with him.

Zhou Li, standing anxiously to the side, said, "What's wrong with you, kid? You're putting on airs, aren't you?!"

Zhou Lexing gave him a cold glance.

Zhou Li's throat tightened. Recalling Zhou Lexing's previous frenzied beating, he instinctively took a small step back, which only fueled his anger: "Let me tell you, don't think you're so great just because you can fight! If you don't get your act together, I'll have my dad kick your whole family out of the village!"

He was born late in life. Although living conditions were tough in the 1970s, his family managed to get by because of their seniority in Zhoujia Village. He was spoiled by his parents from childhood and used to be a troublemaker in the village. Even now, he doesn't act like an adult at all.

Zhou Lexing wasn't going to tolerate him. He grabbed Zhou's collar and lifted him up, saying, "If you keep talking nonsense, I'll beat you every time I see you. I mean it."

His tone was calm, and after speaking, he pushed Zhou Li outwards, causing him to fall to the ground.

Zhou Li tripped and fell on his backside, baring his teeth as if to glare at someone. But when he looked up, he saw Zhou Lexing's cold gaze, which made his hair stand on end. He instinctively wanted to run away, but then he saw He Huaizhi, the village's distinguished guest, still looking at them with a half-smile. A mixture of shame and resentment surged into his brain, making his face turn red, which made the dense acne scars on his face even more noticeable.

He was breathing heavily, his eyes fixed on Zhou Lexing, but his body remained frozen in place, not daring to resist Zhou Lexing's fist at all.

Zhou Lexing had no intention of dealing with these strange guys any longer. He led Gu Jiansheng home, but couldn't help feeling uneasy.

He Huaizhi?

Why does this name sound so familiar?

He Huaizhi's smile remained unchanged as he watched their backs disappear into the alley before turning to the pathetic man on the ground and letting out a cryptic laugh.

That laugh made Zhou Li feel so ashamed that he wanted to disappear into the ground, and his hatred for Zhou Lexing reached its peak.

"Don't be afraid, they won't dare to do anything." Zhou Lexing saw that Gu Jiansheng still looked terrified, and it would be a lie to say he wasn't worried.

Gu Jiansheng wasn't this terrified when he saw the python on the mountain that day; he's almost in a daze now.

"That kid's all talk and no action; he's not going to accomplish anything significant. This isn't the old society anymore; he can't just do whatever he wants."

Zhou Lexing fetched water for the two to shower, and continued to comfort them.

Gu Jiansheng nodded with a pale face, but it seemed he hadn't succeeded in comforting her at all.

Zhou Shusheng sat on a small stool picking vegetables, his eyes curiously scrutinizing Gu Jiansheng: "Is brother sick?"

Zhou Yuanxiang happened to come out of the kitchen and was taken aback when she heard this: "Who's sick?"

Zhou Lexing briefly recounted what had happened.

Zhou Yuanxiang spat and said, "Let him sue! Let's see what he can accomplish! This old village chief is really muddleheaded. Look at what he's raised his son to be, and he still wants to put him in the brigade! He's a complete scoundrel!"

She thought for a moment, then threw down her apron: "No, I need to go talk to your Aunt Lihua. I'll be back in a bit! Shusheng, don't let your brother into the kitchen!"

Zhou Shusheng: "Good—!"

Zhou Lexing: "...That was just a mistake! A mistake—!"

Unfortunately, Zhou's mother left without looking back, refusing to listen to his explanation at all.

Zhou Lexing gave Gu Jiansheng a wry smile: "Because of that cleaver used for smashing cucumbers, I probably won't have the chance to become a chef in my lifetime."

Gu Jiansheng also recalled the scene of his first initiative to approach Zhou Lexing, and finally a slight smile appeared on his face.

Zhou Lexing smiled at him and said, "That's it, it's nothing serious. Come on, sit down and wet your hair first."

Gu Jiansheng: "...!"

What happened?!

He was just lost in thought, how did he suddenly decide to take a bath with Zhou Lexing in the yard?!