mood

After dinner, we went out to digest, and on the way home, none of us looked too happy.

Zhou Lexing looked at this and then at that, touching the short stubble on his head, not quite understanding.

"Something happened at the front?"

When Zhou Shusheng found that his third brother was still the same as usual, he resumed his affectionate state and was now sitting next to Zhou Lexing, playing with his shadow under the streetlight.

After hearing Zhou Lexing's question, Zhou Shusheng first shook his head, then thought for a moment and nodded.

Zhou Lexing was speechless: "What does this mean?"

Zhou Shusheng answered crisply, "Mom said she's going to break your legs."

Zhou Lexing: "?!"

Zhou Lixing took a shower in the yard and came out in his slippers when he saw Zhou Lexing sitting on the threshold, looking like he was questioning his existence. His wet stubble was still dripping water, which ran down the back of his neck and soaked his newly changed vest.

Zhou Lixing frowned, stepped forward and pressed his head down: "You have a head injury, have you forgotten?"

Zhou Lexing snapped out of his daze: "It's the middle of summer, I can't stand not washing. It's okay, as long as I don't scratch the wound."

Zhou Lixing twitched his lips, but didn't say anything more. He tossed the towel hanging around his neck onto the man's head and said, "Dry yourself off."

Zhou Lexing: "Oh."

It's almost 9 o'clock now, and the country lanes are quiet. Under the streetlights not far from the door, only mosquitoes are still tirelessly hovering.

After a long silence, Zhou Lexing finally spoke, "Brother, what do you think I can do?"

He had felt a strange mix of emotions when he listened to Zhou Shusheng mimicking his words.

To be honest, Zhou Lexing had suffered hardships. As a child, he was an illegitimate son of the Zhou family who was not respected, and he was raised in the countryside. However, he did not need to do any work in the countryside. He was often forgotten and had to go hungry for a few days. Later, he learned to be eloquent and beg for food at the village entrance.

As he grew up, he was taken back to the Zhou family, where he was provided for in every way. Zhou Lexing gradually forgot the feeling of hunger. But somehow, the habit of interacting with everyone as soon as he arrived at a new place had become ingrained in him. However, no matter how he joked and laughed with others, his detached nature would still be hidden beneath his cheerful smile, occasionally popping up to prick him for no reason.

At that moment, he could feel a slight sourness seeping into his chest, which was fleeting. But now, this feeling was ten or a hundred times stronger, lingering and making him feel lost. He instinctively wanted to make some changes to alleviate this discomfort.

But what can he do?

What does a mother want from her child?

Zhou Lexing has not even bothered to conceal his nature and behavior, which are different from the original owner's.

In his view, if this time travel has an end date, then when the original owner returns, there will be no need to explain anything. If this time travel is indefinite, then he can only act for a while, not forever, so there is no need to bother to cover anything up.

But the attention and care Zhou Yuanxiang has been giving Zhou Lexing lately has left him feeling confused.

His adoptive mother in his previous life hoped that he would not interfere in the affairs of the Zhou Group, and he did so. So what does this mother want from him?

Does he need to pretend to be her biological son? Doesn't her biological son's behavior make her sad and troubled?

Zhou Lexing didn't understand. The more he thought about it, the more his brain felt like a pot of paste, and the more he stirred it, the less he could understand it.

Zhou Lixing turned to look at him, a smile unconsciously creeping onto his lips. He couldn't resist reaching out and ruffling Zhou Lexing's uneven stubble.

"elder brother!"

When Zhou Lexing's head was touched, the swollen bump on the back of his head jolted him awake, pulling him out of his rare moment of melancholy. He immediately protested loudly.

Zhou Lixing: "Haven't you been doing very well these past few days?"

Zhou Lexing: "?"

Zhou Lixing: "Just be a good brother to me, why think so much?"

He thought for a moment and added, "If you don't want to farm, you can always hire a helper during the busy farming season. Just don't cause trouble. Do you think I can't support you?"

Zhou Lexing looked at his brother for a while, then suddenly grinned and said, "Then I want to eat pig's trotters and lamb skewers."

Zhou Lixing chuckled: "Alright, I'll buy it for you when I get my wages at the beginning of next month."

Zhou Lexing: "Then I also want to eat vinegar and pepper fish and twice-cooked pork."

Zhou Lixing: "Get lost! You're really pushing your luck, aren't you?"

Zhou Yuanxiang stood in front of the door, watching the two brothers laughing and joking at the entrance. She shook her head with a helpless smile, thought for a moment, and decided not to disturb them. She went back to her room to sleep first.

The next day, around four o'clock, before dawn, Zhou Lixing quietly moved his two younger brothers' hands and feet off him, got up, packed his things, and went to the station with Zhou Yuanxiang.

When Zhou Lexing was woken up by Zhou Shusheng, he was still not sure where he was.

"Where is my second brother?"

He yawned and forced himself to stay awake.

Zhou Shusheng: "Brother went to earn money to buy candy."

Zhou Lexing was even more confused: "What time is it now?"

There's an old-fashioned clock at home. The pendulum that used to swing at the bottom is now just a bare stick, so it won't chime on the hour anymore. But if you wind it up occasionally, the clock will still work.

Zhou Shusheng answered crisply, "It's 6 o'clock!"

He was very proud of his ability to tell time, standing proudly by the bed with his chin held high.

Zhou Lexing offered a perfunctory compliment, then got out of bed, slipped on his slippers, and walked towards the yard: "Hmm? Did you just leave?"

He touched the stubble on his head, walked to the kitchen, and saw steamed buns and stir-fried vegetables in the pot. He knew the answer.

They must have been walking for quite a while now.

There was no other way. As the only adult in the family, he led Zhou Shusheng to wash up and eat breakfast. Then, he took a bucket of farm tools that Zhou Yuanxiang had washed and placed in the corner of the yard and prepared to go out.

This fertilizer bucket is fully equipped with sickles and hoes. Zhou Yuanxiang would rinse it clean with water after each use and put it in the bucket. She was very particular about it. This big yard was also washed twice a day.

Zhou Lexing even suspected that his mother might have obsessive-compulsive disorder related to cleanliness.

The two went out one after the other, only to find that the whole village had already woken up, and many people passing by greeted them.

Although everyone secretly looked down on Yuanxiang's third son, they were still fellow villagers and maintained a facade of harmony. However, when they glanced at the fertilizer bucket he was carrying, they couldn't help but have some doubts.

Is Yuanxiang's third son going to help with the housework?

Is the sun rising in the west?

No, wait, is he planning to take something to the fields and cause trouble?

No, they need to go to the fields and keep an eye on things right away!

So, Zhou Lexing had just nodded and greeted them, and before he could say anything more, he saw the aunties and uncles he met on the road hurrying ahead of him and heading towards the fields.

Zhou Lexing: "...You're really energetic."

Zhou Lexing remarked on how robust the middle-aged and elderly women were these days, and led the bouncy Zhou Shusheng to follow.

Although Zhou Lexing didn't know much about how to tend the fields, he could still water the plants, pull weeds, and pick the vegetables for the day. Plus, there was Zhou Shusheng, who had been perfectly trained by Zhou Yuanxiang. Don't underestimate him just because he's simple-minded; he knows more than Zhou Lexing.

"Mom said this is for sale, we can't eat it."

"Mom said that green beans have small bellies and shouldn't drink too much water."

"Mom said to only leave three leaves for it, and then more leaves will grow and we can eat them."

Zhou Lexing learned his lesson and diligently fetched water from the nearby pond to water the vegetables. He noticed that the old lady next to the vegetable field was staring at him, so he smiled at her and greeted her.

"Auntie, is there anything I can help you with? Is there anything I can do for you?"

Although Zhou Lexing's buzz cut was uneven and close to his ears, his clean and handsome face was fully revealed, and his cheerful smile was still very endearing.

The woman relaxed her guard a little and tentatively asked, "Are you helping with chores around the house?"

Zhou Lexing: "Yes, I didn't realize it before, but now I find that there are quite a few things to consider when growing vegetables."

Upon hearing this, the woman's interest in the conversation grew stronger: "That's right, don't be fooled by the seemingly simple work in the fields; there's a lot more to it than meets the eye..."

When Zhou Yuanxiang returned from the station and rode her bicycle toward the vegetable field, she found Zhou Lihua, who used to look down on her third son the most, patting Zhou Lexing's hand affectionately and talking to him with great enthusiasm.

Zhou Yuanxiang parked her bicycle and hurried a few steps, just in time to hear Zhou Lihua say, "...If this child can change, then he is a good kid. Don't worry, your Aunt Li will definitely help you talk to them. These men and women are all gossipy. Just treat what they say as farts and don't take it to heart."

Zhou Lexing smiled innocently and nodded obediently in agreement.

Zhou Yuanxiang: "...?"

"Oh, Yuanxiang, you're here! Your third son is doing well. He brought Shusheng to work in the fields early this morning. I was thinking of inviting him to my house for lunch!"

Seeing the two elders come to blows, Zhou Lexing quietly withdrew, keeping his achievements and fame hidden.

"Brother, can we still go slacking off later?"

Yesterday, Zhou Shusheng caught a few small fish about the length of a thumb, which made him very happy. He is still keeping them in a basin at home.

Seeing that there was nothing more for him to do, Zhou Lexing picked up the bucket and agreed: "Okay, put the things back first, then I'll take you fishing."

The two informed Zhou Yunxiang, and this time they went back and came out again, which led Zhou Lexing to see the person he had failed to catch yesterday.

Not far away, Gu Jiansheng was carrying a bamboo basket and looked like he was heading towards the fields near the mountain pass at the other end of the village. Zhou Lexing was about to go up and say hello when he saw someone move faster than him and appear in front of Gu Jiansheng, blocking his way.

"Xiao Gu, I haven't seen you these past two days. Have you thought through what I told you earlier?"

As the man spoke, he smiled, revealing a set of teeth blackened and yellowed by cigarette smoke, and reached out to touch Gu Jiansheng's arm.

Gu Jiansheng dodged to the side, his face cold as he said, "Uncle Dong, I don't know what you're talking about."

Zhou Dongqiang's face fell, and he was about to say something when he saw Zhou Lexing standing behind him. He swallowed his words and said with a forced smile, "Okay, you don't know what I'm talking about now. Uncle Dong will explain it to you in detail later."

After Zhou Dongqiang finished speaking, he gave Gu Jiansheng a once-over before leaving.

The greasiness and filth emanating from those eyes were palpable even to Zhou Lexing, a straight man, who was disgusted by the sight from a distance.