sweet

Zhou Lexing dodged left and right, but he was afraid that Zhou Yuanxiang would chase him and make him fall again. He hesitated for a moment, but in the end he could not escape the fate of suffering a fall on his butt. He really became a salted fish on the bed, only able to roll left and right, unable to lie flat or lie down.

"Oh, my life is so miserable..."

As Zhou Lexing ate the tribute that Zhou Shusheng had given him, he pretended to lament.

"Brother, it's not bitter, it's very sweet!"

Hearing this, Zhou Shusheng, who was sitting next to him, became anxious and spat out the candy he was holding in his mouth, making a gesture to exchange the candy with Zhou Lexing's mouth.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! It's sweet, sweet, sweet, super sweet! Why are you picking at my mouth like that?!"

Zhou Lexing was determined to protect the purity of his mouth, so he rolled onto the bed, only to bump his scabbed forehead again, causing him to scream once more.

"Ugh, what a debt collector."

In the kitchen, Zhou Yuanxiang was slicing cured meat with her neighbor's cleaver. Listening to the sounds of children playing inside, she couldn't help but sigh, but there was no worry on her face. If you looked closely, there was even a smile on her lips.

Zhou Lixing couldn't help but laugh: "The third one has become much more lively."

His words were actually quite subtle; he was not just much more lively, he was practically reborn.

Normally, Zhou Lixing would clench his fists involuntarily when faced with his third brother's sinister gaze and sudden sneer. Now, however, the man no longer uttered those rude, demanding words, and always wore a smile, making him look even more handsome.

Zhou Yuanxiang didn't respond at first, but quietly cut the cured meat. After a long while, she suddenly spoke up: "Second son, Mom knows that your job at the factory is not easy. If you are really unhappy with it, why don't you come home? I can't manage the fields by myself. It would be good if you came back to help out."

"Life is better now. We have hands and feet, how can we starve to death?"

Zhou Lixing listened to Zhou Yuanxiang's words in silence. It would be a lie to say he wasn't moved, but he knew that his mother had pulled a lot of strings and spent a lot of money to get him this job at the factory.

These days, although people have heard that reforms have been implemented in coastal areas, creating plenty of job opportunities and making a fortune by going there to seek their fortune, for people in their small mountain village, it's all just talk. Nobody ever thought of spending the money they had painstakingly saved over a month to buy a ticket to go to such a faraway place to try their luck, fearing that they might go but not return alive.

During this period, the third son always looked for opportunities to cause trouble. He felt that Zhou's mother was being unfair to Zhou Lixing because she was going to great lengths to help him get a job at the factory, and that the family owed him something, so he wanted to turn the house upside down.

Zhou Lixing couldn't possibly lose his good job just because of other people's harassment. Who knows what kind of trouble the third brother, who had finally calmed down, would cause again? Besides, wouldn't quitting just please those mean-spirited people in the factory?

Zhou Lixing: "Mom, how can that be? My monthly salary is much more reliable than farming, and there's a chance for a promotion at the end of the year. My salary will increase again then. I can't quit just for the money."

"Besides, that job isn't difficult at all; it's easy once you get the hang of it. You didn't know, did you? Zhang San and Li Si from our factory got into a fight yesterday over a vacant position in the security department..."

With the gossip in mind, Zhou Yuanxiang quickly put aside the topic of quitting her job and marveled at Zhou Lixing's dramatic narration.

"It's true what they say, 'In a big forest, you'll find all kinds of birds.' How can someone be so shameless? Does he think everything in the factory belongs to him? And their team leader is way too soft-hearted..."

Dinner included cured meat and gossip, and everyone was very satisfied with the meal.

There's not much entertainment in the village at night, so everyone goes to bed early.

Zhou Lexing's family has three beds, but one of them collapsed last year when Zhou Shusheng jumped on it. Since Zhou Lixing rarely comes home, he hasn't bothered to build another bed. Now, the three men are crammed into one room and sleep side by side.

"Smack!"

As soon as the clock struck midnight, Zhou Lexing had no choice but to start working. He slapped his hand so hard it made a loud thud, but he couldn't land a hit. This angered him and made him even more sober.

Zhou Lixing looked speechlessly at Zhou Lexing, who was busy beside him. If Zhou Lexing hadn't finally let out a triumphant villainous laugh, almost standing up and cheering, Zhou Lixing would have thought that he was being deliberately tormented.

"You little brat, now that you've fallen into my hands, I'll tear your wings off... Hmm, I'll nail you right here, you all see, see, if you dare bite me again, this is what will happen!"

Oh no, my third brother is going to be driven crazy by mosquitoes.

Zhou Lixing, both amused and exasperated, pressed the person back onto the bed: "Alright, I'll go get some herbs tomorrow morning to fumigate it, or if that doesn't work, I'll put some pesticide on it and hang it on the door. Let's not bother with it tonight."

Zhou Lexing protested, "Brother, it's these mosquitoes that are bothering me. Look at my body, there's not a single good spot left."

It was pitch black, and I couldn't see anything.

But Zhou Lixing still responded with "uh-huhs," and with his eyes closed, he touched his arm and actually felt a series of mosquito bites.

He kept his eyes closed as he scratched Zhou Lexing's itch, coaxing him by mimicking Zhou Lexing's words: "Okay, tomorrow I'll teach these mosquitoes a lesson. I'll scratch your itch, you should go to sleep now."

He had been traveling all day and was now feeling tired.

Zhou Lexing also noticed that this guy was different from Zhou Shusheng, who was sleeping soundly, so he had to force himself to stay still. But as he endured it, he actually fell asleep.

The next day, when he saw the sun high in the sky, Zhou Lexing was still somewhat dazed.

"mom."

Zhou Lexing yawned as he walked to the door.

Zhou Yuanxiang, who was busy in the yard, glanced at him and said, "The food is on the table, go and eat quickly."

Zhou Lexing: "Oh."

He shuffled back into the house and, sure enough, saw a plate of steamed buns and a plate of smashed cucumbers inside a mosquito net covering the table.

Although the cucumber salad caused Zhou Lexing some mental distress yesterday, it did not affect his stomach, and he still ate it with relish.

When Zhou Lexing reached for the steamed bun, he noticed that in addition to the water droplets left from washing up, there were several patches of green ointment on his arms, and even on his legs.

The swollen mosquito bites were reduced to just a few red spots this morning, and they weren't as bad as they were yesterday.

Surprisingly, he was sleeping soundly and didn't even feel anyone applying the medicine to him.

As Zhou Lexing ate, he sighed with emotion. After swallowing what was in his mouth, he raised his voice and asked his mother outside, "Mom, where's my brother?"

Aunt Zhou splashed the dirty water out of the basin: "They've been busy in the fields for ages. If everyone slept in like you, our family would starve!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she realized she had spoken too quickly.

Her second son had injured his head and needed to rest, but she couldn't bring herself to say anything kind. In the end, she just said stiffly, "Eat quickly, so I can smell the house properly."

Zhou Lexing didn't seem to think anything of it, and squatted down on the doorstep to eat his steamed bun: "My brother's back from weeding?"

Zhou Yuanxiang: "What weeding? These days, people don't do that. I still have half a box of mosquito coils at home that I haven't finished using. They produce a lot of smoke, so I usually put them away."

Zhou Lexing listened with great interest, then followed Zhou Yuanxiang into the inner room, where she rummaged through a dresser and found a box of Rooster brand mosquito coils.

"Alright! Stop following me around like that, what a mess! Hurry up and eat! We can fumigate the house after you finish eating." Zhou Yuanxiang rummaged through the discarded iron box, nagging as she did so: "You were bitten by mosquitoes at night, and you didn't even say anything. You're really hopeless, you're so clueless..."

When Zhou Lexing heard this, he almost spat out his drink. Now he really didn't dare to follow Zhou Yuanxiang around teasing people anymore, and obediently sat down at the table and devoured the cucumber salad.

"Mom, I'll go help my brother." Zhou Lexing collected the two plates, rinsed them by the well, and as usual put them in the basin in the yard to dry. He shook his hands, poked his head into the house, and called out.

"Let's go, let's go quickly, I'm going out later too, no one can stay in this room."

These days, mosquito coils are very strong and produce a lot of smoke, so people usually don't stay indoors and get smoked by them.

Once Zhou Lexing received confirmation, he turned and ran.

Although he didn't have all of the original owner's memories, those fragmented memories were enough for him to figure out the layout of Zhoujia Village, not to mention that Zhou Shusheng had taken him to play in his family's vegetable field yesterday.

"elder brother!"

From afar, Zhou Lexing saw Zhou Lixing carrying a bucket of water and walking back.

Zhou Shusheng walked beside him, following closely like a little chick.

"Why are you back? Are you done?"

Seeing that the water stains on Zhou Lexing's clothes from washing up were still wet, Zhou Lixing knew that he had just gotten up not long ago: "Okay, go back and put your things away. I'll take you to pick some mugwort."

Zhou Lexing: "Mom's smoking the house."

Zhou Lixing: "I know. This is for hanging by the bed at night. Are you coming or not?"

I definitely have to go.

There's not much entertainment in the village, no cell phones, no computers. If it weren't for Zhou Shusheng keeping him company these past two days, Zhou Lexing wouldn't know how he would have spent his time recovering. Besides, going to the mountains is good, he still has things to take care of.

"Brother, do you know where I hit my head?"

Zhou Lixing glanced at him: "I don't know. Mom said you were taken in by the old headhunter's family, and it's a miracle you're still alive."

He thought for a moment and added, "We'll pick them right here at Hutouxi, we won't go into the mountains."

Tiger Head Creek is a winding stream that surrounds Zhoujia Village. It is said that when viewed from the high mountain, it looks like a tiger's head, and the name gradually spread. However, it is unclear whether there is any exaggeration in the name.

Zhou Shusheng was so excited when he heard that he could go to Hutouxi to play that he jumped up and down and ran ahead, urging everyone to walk faster.

Looking at Zhou Shusheng's carefree appearance, Zhou Lixing then looked at Zhou Lexing, who was somewhat lost in thought, and said, "You're staying home to rest during this time, so I won't ask you to do any heavy work for Mom. But Shusheng will have to repeat the third grade after this summer vacation, so if you have time, please teach him more and at least make sure he doesn't have to repeat the grade again."

Zhou Lexing, who was still trying to recall the original owner's memories before he fell into a coma: Huh?!

His younger brother is still in the third grade of elementary school!