surprise

Zhou Lexing is troubled.

Zhou's mother was unwilling to gossip about other widows behind their backs, and no matter how he tried to get information out of her, he couldn't find out who Gu Jiansheng's father was.

In the novel, the male protagonist Gu Jiansheng's father was a young man sent to the countryside. During his time in the countryside, he married his mother and had Gu Jiansheng. When Gu Jiansheng was seven years old, his father took the college entrance examination and went to the city, after which they disappeared without a trace.

If even his parents' circumstances match up, then he has definitely transmigrated into that melodramatic historical novel.

Although Zhou Lexing rarely reads this type of melodramatic romance novel, he at least knows the protagonist's law: if you can't afford to offend them, can't you at least avoid them?

Even if Zhou's mother felt bad, he still had to be the bad guy who distanced himself from the situation.

The problem is that in the original book, Gu Jiansheng realized his sexual orientation and couldn't get over it. After his suicide attempt failed, he was sent to his uncle's house in the city by Zhou Lanhua, which is how he ran into He Huaizhi in the city.

Zhou Lexing waited and waited, until his second brother was about to go home, but he still hadn't heard anything about Gu Jiansheng going to the city.

It's well known that it's not easy for villagers to go to the city. They often have to borrow a bicycle or tricycle from someone in the village to get to the station. If someone says they're going to the city, the whole village will know the moment they say so. But Gu Jiansheng didn't leave. Not only did he not leave, he even came out of the clinic. As for how he knew...

"Hello."

Because Gu Jiansheng is standing right in front of him.

Zhou Lexing never knew he was a person who judged people by their appearance, but now he not only knows it, but he also deeply understands it.

"Hey, what brings you here?"

Zhou Lexing awkwardly raised his hand and touched the back of his neck.

This feeling of being cramped was a very unusual experience for Zhou Lexing.

He was a social butterfly from a young age. After graduating from university, he relied on his silver tongue and thick skin to secure a lot of sponsorships. With those substantial sponsorship fees, the game studio he and his friends co-founded was able to come to fruition.

"My mom asked me to come and deliver some boiled peanuts."

Gu Jiansheng still maintained his calm and composed demeanor, speaking politely and gently. Although his clothes were old, they were clean and tidy, a stark contrast to Zhou Lexing, who had just been playing in the vegetable garden.

"Ah, I see..."

Zhou Lexing then noticed that the refined man was carrying a plastic bag, which probably contained boiled peanuts.

Strangely enough, it would have been better if Gu Jiansheng hadn't mentioned it, as he hadn't even noticed the bag. But once Gu Jiansheng pointed it out, he felt that the plastic bag was pressing against his fair fingers, looking rather heavy and quite noticeable.

"Give it to me."

Zhou Lexing reached out and took it directly, skipping the formalities of polite conversation and refusals.

"Want to come in and have some water? Your lips are dry." Zhou Lexing said casually, carrying the boiled peanuts inside. "My mom went to the car to pick up my brother, she probably won't be back for a while."

Gu Jiansheng naturally knew, and that's why he came.

Even though Gu Jiansheng had been reborn more than ten times, he knew about Zhou Yuanxiang's family situation without having specifically looked into it.

Today was supposed to be the day Gu Jiansheng was sent by his mother to his uncle's house in the city. He would meet Zhou Yuanxiang at the station, who was there to pick up Zhou Lixing. During his mother's conversation with her, Gu Jiansheng learned that she had locked her third son in the house.

The conversation was repeated more than a dozen times, making it difficult for Gu Jiansheng to forget it even if he wanted to.

"Brother, is Mom back?"

Inside the house, Zhou Shusheng shouted excitedly and ran out of the house.

Hey! Don't come out yet!

Zhou Lexing tried to salvage the situation, but as soon as he finished speaking, he rushed into the yard.

"Waaah! I'm a big tiger! The big tiger that eats my brother!"

Gu Jiansheng: "..."

Zhou Shusheng's usually pristine face now had three dark charcoal marks on each side, and the character "王" (king) was written on his forehead with soot. His lips were smeared with rouge from who-knows-where, and he was wearing a blanket, which he was holding up in the air with both hands, making a threatening gesture.

Zhou Lexing originally wanted to give his family a surprise. He even went to the vegetable field to pick a few cucumbers, intending to use them to make music by banging on a stool. After banging them, he could also use them to make cucumber salad.

Unexpectedly, this turned out to be a 'surprise' for me.

He dug his toes into the ground, but still managed a forced laugh: "Hehe, I was just joking around with my brother."

Gu Jiansheng: "...I can see that."

Zhou Shusheng belatedly realized he had encountered an unfamiliar person, and feeling a little shy, he wrapped himself in a blanket and shrank behind the door, only peeking out his head to ask softly, "Brother, shall we continue chewing?"

Since Zhou Lixing rarely returned home, Zhou Lexing had already informed Zhou Shusheng that he would pounce on Zhou Lixing and kiss him on the face as a sign of his enthusiasm.

However, Zhou Shusheng dared to provoke his own second brother, but he didn't dare to provoke this cold-faced young man.

Zhou Lexing touched the back of his neck again: "No, no, you go back to your room first. I'll call you when they come back."

"good!"

Zhou Shusheng readily agreed, then shrank back and disappeared.

"Have some water first."

Zhou Lexing went into the room, poured him a cup of water from the thermos, and pulled up a stool to place behind him.

"Sit down," Zhou Lexing said, grabbing a bowl from the large red basin in the yard and scooping a bowl of cold water from the bucket by the well, which he then drank in one gulp.

This inexplicable sense of unease was driving him crazy!

In just a short while, his back was soaked.

But since the person is still here, we can't just neglect them.

Zhou Lexing wiped his sweat, mustered his courage, and turned around. But as soon as he met Gu Jiansheng's gaze, he felt his brain skip a beat, and his mouth became uncontrollable: "Um, do you want some cucumber salad?"

Gu Jiansheng: "No need to trouble yourself."

Zhou Lexing: "No trouble at all, everything is readily available, it'll be ready in no time!"

As he spoke, he dashed into the kitchen as if a tiger were chasing him.

But once inside the kitchen, Zhou Lexing felt uneasy. He shuffled around, his ears perked up, wanting to hear more of what was happening outside, and ideally, to peek out.

"This is really weird..."

Zhou Lexing wiped his forehead again, avoiding the scabbed area on his forehead, and then ran his fingers back, the shaved stubble pricking his palm.

When Gu Jiansheng reached the kitchen door, he saw him with one hand on his head and the other on his hip, staring bitterly at the cucumbers in front of him.

Gu Jiansheng: "..."

This person is indeed very strange.

But this strange fellow may be the key to his escape from the cycle and manipulation.

"Do you need any help?"

Gu Jiansheng's clear and sharp voice startled Zhou Lexing so much that he almost jumped up on the spot.

"No need! It'll be ready in a minute!"

He hurriedly picked up the kitchen knife and slapped it directly onto the cucumbers used for performance on the cutting board.

The cucumber splattered juice everywhere, and before it could even utter a sound, it was torn to pieces. The cutting board made a loud thud as if it couldn't bear the weight. The cleaver, in the process, flew off its handle, which had bound it for many years, and stuck straight into the bamboo winnowing basket hanging on the wall.

Zhou Lexing: "Holy crap!"

Gu Jiansheng: "..." It's confirmed, this person is the problem.

Once Gu Jiansheng had made up his mind, he left early without lingering, not even eating the cucumber that had suddenly died.

Zhou Lexing stood at the door watching the person walk away, then couldn't hold back his smile and squatted down in front of the door with a sigh.

It's over.

The kitchen knife is gone.

Is the feather duster far behind?

.

Not far.

"I'll beat you to death, you brat! I bet you're itching for a beating if you don't cause me trouble every day! After messing with your own brain, now you're messing with the things in the house! Is that kitchen knife something to play with? Do you have a death wish?!"

"Mom, I'm sorry! I just accidentally dropped it! Be careful! Don't fall! Ouch! Brother! Help!"

Zhou Yuanxiang wielded the feather duster with great skill, while Zhou Lexing ran around the room, howling as he was hit.

With two bright teeth marks on his face, Zhou Lixing put his arm around Zhou Shusheng's shoulder and led him out, seemingly humming a tune as he did so, appearing to be in a rather pleasant mood.

Zhou Shusheng's round face was wrinkled with worry, and even when his second brother took him to the village store to buy candy, it couldn't dispel his worries.

"Why did you suddenly decide to dress up as a tiger?"

Zhou Lixing was still wearing the factory's blue uniform. Although he looked refined, he was a big man. When he put his arm around Zhou Shusheng and walked out, it looked like he was carrying a little chick.

The little chick replied shyly, "I wanted to be the tiger, so my brother let me be."

Zhou Lixing didn't doubt these words, but he was somewhat surprised: "He doesn't mind you anymore."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Shusheng smiled broadly, somewhat smugly: "My brother is so good to me now, he lets me go wherever he wants."

Zhou Lixing chuckled and reached out to wipe his bloody mouth: "Where did this come from?"

Zhou Shusheng put his hand to his mouth and whispered, mimicking Zhou Lexing's manner, "It's the crayon on Mom's desk, but I won't tell her."

Zhou Lixing's smile deepened, vaguely resembling that of a fox. Upon hearing this, he simply let out a long "oh" and offered no further comment.

Zhou Shusheng couldn't see the deeper meaning behind that smile. He looked at the smiling Zhou Lixing from left to right, and then covered his mouth and secretly laughed along.

Zhou Lixing rubbed his head: "What's wrong?"

Zhou Shusheng blinked his big, round eyes and didn't hide anything from him: "Brother, every time you come back I'm afraid you won't recognize me. Brother, letting me take a bite of you really worked."

After Zhou Shusheng finished speaking, he covered his mouth and chuckled to himself, thinking he was being discreet, his round eyes crinkling with laughter.

Zhou Lixing's smile froze when he heard these nonsensical words.

As one of the few people with rural household registration in the factory, Zhou Lixing's life at the factory was not easy. He would inevitably show his temper when he got home after being mistreated outside.

He himself didn't realize it, but his family members were unjustly affected by his actions.

“…Silly boy.” Zhou Lixing hugged Zhou Shusheng’s shoulder tightly. “You are my own brother. I will never forget you, no matter who else I forget.”