Chapter 132 Extra 1

"Ayuan, why don't you get up? Be careful not to catch a cold if you fall asleep outside."

A familiar yet unfamiliar voice came to his ears. Zhang Fangyuan moved his fingers and wanted to open his eyes, but he felt his eyelids were very sticky. It took him a while to open his eyes.

What he saw was a fenced yard made of dead trees. Zhang Fangyuan rubbed his eyes, thinking he was dreaming, but his eyes were sore from rubbing, and the surrounding scenery and objects did not change at all.

"What's wrong? Is there sand in your eyes?"

Zhang Fangyuan heard the voice close to his head. He raised his head slightly and suddenly looked surprised: "Mom!?"

The woman with the gray cloth apron tied in front of her smiled and hugged the basin in her arms tighter: "Child, it seems that your mother is frightened of you. If you are sleepy, go to the house and take a nap. It's still early. Your mother will go to the river to wash your father's clothes."

"Your father went to the city today. When he left in the morning, he said he would buy two pounds of pork. Mom will cook meat for you tonight."

Zhang Fangyuan was a little dazed when he saw the gentle smile on the woman's face, and nodded blankly.

"Then the mother is gone."

Seeing the woman leave the yard and disappear into the distance, Zhang Fangyuan suddenly came to his senses and jumped up from the two long benches that were made into a wide bench: "He Ge'er, He Ge'er!"

He called out for a long time, but no one answered him except the old adobe house with black tiles and a few chickens and ducks penned in the corner of the yard that were clucking.

Zhang Fangyuan went into the kitchen and subconsciously wanted to crouch down and lower his head to enter the house, but he never thought that this was of no use. He found that he was at least two heads shorter than before, and his hands and feet became smaller and shorter. He was so surprised that he quickly jumped out of the house again. When he saw his appearance in front of the water tank in the yard, his eyes were as big as copper bells.

He rubbed his face hard. It was not only soft but also round. He looked like he was in his teens when his parents were still alive.

Seeing this scene, he felt a little excited and a little disappointed.

He was happy to see his parents again, but also worried that his wife was gone.

He twisted and turned like a caterpillar in front of the water tank for a long time. Seeing that it was spring, he did not go out of the yard, but instead jumped over the fence with his hands.

"Zhang Fangyuan!" Just as he stood firm, a kid about his age came running over from a distance. It was Chen Si, who said excitedly, "Do you want to go to the mountains to hunt pheasants? It's spring now, and the wild animals in the forest are all out looking for food. They are fat and big!"

"No."

Zhang Fangyuan walked forward alone. Chen Si did not give up and followed behind him, leaning his head and asking, "How about going fishing? The water has risen a bit, there must be a lot of fish and shrimp!"

"No."

"Go, go." Chen Si begged, "Xu Shaochun went to the river to wash clothes today. It's very lively over there, with many people. If we go to catch fish and shrimp, we can still see Xu Shaochun."

Zhang Fangyuan said: "I'll see what she does."

After saying this, he suddenly realized something and stopped walking: "You said there were a lot of people over there? Who are they?"

Seeing that Zhang Fangyuan was interested, Chen Si hurriedly said, "Wang's brother, Zhao's little girl..."

Zhang Fangyuan listened to people talking for a long time but didn't hear the name he wanted to hear. He was even less interested. However, Chen Si's eyes were shining: "There are so many girls and boys. With so many people, we can play the game of landlords. How about you be the landlord? This time, let me be the housekeeper!"

Zhang Fangyuan had no interest in the games that children liked, but thinking that Xu Shaochun was also at the beach, he still wanted to try his luck and see if he could meet Xu He.

Thinking about He Ge'er's childhood, he felt inexplicably excited.

"Let's go and take a look."

Chen Si jumped up excitedly, pulled Zhang Fangyuan and ran towards the river.

In spring, flowers bloom in the countryside, and the spring sowing and autumn harvest times are the most lively.

The weather was warm. Besides a group of laundry women, there were also many children who had taken off their shoes and socks and were playing in the water and fishing. Fearing that they would be scolded by their parents, they played in the hidden places of bamboo baskets so as not to interfere with the parents who were washing clothes.

Seeing Zhang Fangyuan and Chen Si coming over, the boys who were playing with watering the plants seemed to have gained a backbone. They came out of the river and rushed to shout Zhang Fangyuan's name.

"What are we going to do today? Catch some fish or shrimp?"

Zhang Fangyuan glanced around and saw that Xu He was not there. He was slightly disappointed and said indifferently, "How can we catch fish without a basket or trap?"

"Then let's play the landlord game, there are more people today!"

Zhang Fangyuan was too lazy to pay attention to anyone and started to leave. As he reached the edge of the field, he caught a glimpse of a group of children washing clothes upstream of the river. They were all girls and boys.

He craned his neck and took a few steps closer.

"Shaochun, your pearl flower is so beautiful, can you let me wear it?"

"I have plenty of pearl flowers like this. It's okay to lend them to you for a while."

"Your hands are so white and tender, did you use hand cream?"

Several girls and boys were talking and laughing in low voices, and the atmosphere was harmonious. However, there was a boy wearing a grey coarse cloth who had his head buried and did not join in the conversation. He was just rubbing the clothes in the basin, looking a little out of place among the group of children.

Even though he only glanced at the back of the head, Zhang Fangyuan's heart was still pounding as he recognized at a glance the person he had been with day and night for decades.

He subconsciously wanted to call for help, but suddenly two boys ran by the river, trying to attract the attention of the girls and boys inside. They held up bamboo water guns and sprayed water, but they were reluctant to spray the water on the girls and boys they liked, but they didn't dare to bully the fierce ones. After patrolling for several times, they saw Xu He, who was unknown nearby.

Two streams of icy cold water drew an arc in the air and landed accurately on Xu He's head and the back of his neck. Although the spring weather was warmer, the boys and girls were not as thick-skinned and not afraid of the cold as boys. They were slacking off and treading water. The boys and girls only came to wash clothes when the weather was good.

The water unexpectedly poured over his back, making Xu He shiver with cold. He was startled and jumped up quickly. He breathed a sigh of relief when he realized it was just water, and then quickly wiped the cold water off his head and neck.

When everyone saw Xu He wiping the water like a monkey scratching its head, the instigator laughed: "Look at Xu He, he looks like a big fool!"

The girls and boys nearby also laughed softly when they saw the boy laughing behind them, and then they started to complain softly, "Li Erdan, Zhou Xiaohu, you two are so mean."

Originally, the boys and girls who were not together came to watch the fun and soon became friends. However, Xu He, the instigator, was left aside and ignored, and he was alone to tidy up his half-wet clothes.

Zhang Fangyuan walked over and asked, "Are you okay?"

Xu He was already used to such teasing and bullying that could happen at any time, but he didn't expect anyone to care about him. He looked up subconsciously and saw that it was the little bully in the village. His heart skipped a beat.

Zhang Fangyuan was delighted, and looked carefully at the boy in front of him who was half a head shorter than him. He was very thin, but because he was tall, his frame was bigger than that of ordinary children, so he did not look petite. However, it was precisely because of his big frame and lack of flesh that he looked very thin.

Although he is not very old, children from poor families have to grow up early. Xu He has already started to share a lot of work at home. He is a little tanned and does not look very good from a distance, but when you look closely from close up, you can see that his eyebrows and eyes are very straight and delicate.

Zhang Fangyuan felt that his wife's bone structure was quite similar to that of Xiaoli when she was a child, but the boy was a rich boy, who was brought up surrounded by jewels and jades and was very beautiful, but his father had a difficult childhood, which was why he was ignored.

Xu He felt the gaze above his head was somewhat hot, and his back was cold. This feeling of hot and cold made him feel uncomfortable all over. He was afraid that Zhang Fangyuan wanted to punish him. He felt that it was a new round of pranks. He stepped back a little, turned a deaf ear to Zhang Fangyuan's words, pretending that this man had never said anything.

Zhang Fangyuan touched his nose awkwardly. It had been many years since he had seen Xu He treat him like this. He had to admit that he was a little uncomfortable.

"Zhang Fangyuan!"

Chen Si ran up again: "Didn't you say that you wouldn't catch fish or play games? I thought you were gone."

Zhang Fangyuan retracted his gaze from Xu He and suddenly said, "The weather is good, I changed my mind. You guys want to play the landlord game, right? Come over here, Chen Si, you can click."

Chen Si jumped three feet high: "Okay!"

It is the nature of children to love playing, and they are even happier when they can play together. All the boys ran over and surrounded Zhang Fangyuan: "Me, me! I want one too!"

The shy girls and boys also looked eagerly at Zhang Fangyuan, the tallest among the group of children, for fear that they would be left out.

Seeing that everyone was very active, Chen Si counted all the people present: "There are twelve people."

Zhang Fangyuan nodded: "Then I will assign positions."

Chen Si looked at Zhang Fangyuan with sparkling eyes and opened his mouth to hint: Butler, butler!

"Chen Si is the housekeeper, Lu Zi is the accountant, Liu Wu and Xiao Xi are the guards..." Zhang Fangyuan nodded and looked at the two boys who had bullied Xu He before: "Li Erdan and Zhou Xiaohu are the chores."

"Ah? A handyman."

The two boys had been waiting for such a servant for a long time, and pouted their lips unhappily. The two tall and strong guards standing next to Zhang Fangyuan quickly got into the role and said fiercely: "If you dare to contradict the master, believe it or not, I will slap you in the face!"

Li Erdan and Zhou Xiaohu immediately didn't dare to speak.

"Ayuan, there are so many boys and girls this time, do you want to choose one to be your husband or wife?" Chen Si suggested: "Last time we played, there was no hostess or husband."

Zhang Fangyuan's eyebrows twitched slightly. This kid Chen Si has been really smart since he was young.

"Yes, yes! It would be no fun if it weren't for that. Landlords usually have three wives and four concubines."

"Okay, pick one then."

The girls and boys were all excited and expectant when they heard this, but they still had to act embarrassed.

Zhang Fangyuan looked at the girls and boys, his fingers passing over their heads. Xu Shaochun bit her lower lip slightly, thinking secretly about what she should do to command her companions if she became the hostess later. Then she heard Zhang Fangyuan say, "Let's pick him."

"ah?"

Everyone exclaimed in surprise. Xu Shaochun looked up and saw that Zhang Fangyuan was pointing at Xu He who was standing beside him.

"Ayuan, you must have pointed at the wrong person!" Chen Si asked the question that was on everyone's mind.

"Yes, it's him. The others will just be maids and servants."

Xu He was suddenly stared at by everyone. The boys thought that Zhang Fangyuan had a problem with his eyes, and the girls stamped their feet in jealousy. He didn't know how to deal with it: "I, I didn't say I wanted to participate..."

Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by Zhang Fangyuan: "Hurry up and start. Chen Si, take two people back to the house to get the fish nets and traps so that we can catch fish later."

Seeing Zhang Fangyuan so into the role, the boy immediately forgot about choosing the hostess and jumped up happily: "Yes, Master!"

"Two people go and prepare a seat for the master."

The man who received the order happily ran to cut some banana leaves and put them on the edge of the field. Zhang Fangyuan sat on it and waved to Xu He, who was standing at the end and looked a little bewildered: "Come and sit next to me."

Xu He had seen other children in the village play this kind of house game, but that was all he had seen.

When Zhang Fangyuan was playing around, he was also a landlord. He always asked people to bring dishes and tools from home. He would hunt in the mountains and catch fish by the river. He had good skills and could always get something.

After collecting the ingredients, he would arrange for people to cook, make some wild vegetables, fish soup, and in the mountains there would be roasted pheasants and rabbits and so on. Playing house is very real, and those who play with him can actually eat meat that they may not be able to eat at home. For this reason, everyone is very keen to play this game with him.

Although he had never participated in it, children are all playful. Even though he had never played before, he was curious and yearning when he saw his second sister and everyone else reluctant to leave every time the show ended. He also imagined what role he would be assigned if he went too.

He thought that he was so unpopular that even if he had the skill of cooking, he would probably just be an unknown firewood collector if he went there.

Now he actually participated and was chosen as the host. He was at a loss for what to do for a moment.

Zhang Fangyuan had never chosen a hostess or husband when he played before. He waited for the opportunity with great difficulty, but in the end he was not chosen. Although the girl and the boy felt regretful, they did not indulge in dissatisfaction for too long. They just started playing. Having played before, they were able to get into the role well.

Two young men came up and said, "Let us help your husband over there."

Xu He swallowed his saliva, and then was supported by two enthusiastic "slaves" on both sides and sent to Zhang Fangyuan. He sat next to Zhang Fangyuan, not daring to look at the person next to him. He was so nervous that his back was straight.

Zhang Fangyuan was very happy and said, "You two did a great job. If you catch any fish later, I will reward you with one each."

The two little brothers jumped for joy, and even in their joy they did not forget to bow to each other: "Thank you, Master and husband."

Seeing that there was a reward, everyone worked harder.

Zhang Fangyuan crossed his legs and ordered people around like a master: "Li Erdan, Zhou Xiaohu, the two of you go wash your husband's clothes."

"Men also need to do laundry?"

"How dare you talk back!" Zhang Fangyuan's guard said, and immediately handed the master a bamboo water gun filled with water. Zhang Fangyuan immediately used the water gun to spray the two men. The two boys ran away with their heads in their hands. Everyone chuckled and said, "Are you going or not?"

"Go, go, I'll go right away."

Li Erdan and Zhou Xiaohu begged for mercy again and again, braving the water stains to carry Xu He's clothes to be washed. Zhang Fangyuan said again: "Guards go and keep an eye on those two slaves, and make sure that the husband's clothes are washed clean."

The loyal guards immediately went to guard it.

"Are you cold?"

Zhang Fangyuan tilted his head to look at the person sitting quietly beside him. Xu He shook his head slightly. Even so, Zhang Fangyuan still took off his coat and put it on Xu He.

Xu He had never been treated like this before. Some people helped him wash his clothes, and some people took off their clothes to keep him warm. Seeing that everyone was looking at him, his face immediately turned red. He felt very uncomfortable and didn't know what to do.

Zhang Fangyuan glared at the man who was looking at Xu He and laughing, and said in a fierce voice: "What are you looking at! Did I do something wrong?"

Chen Si came back jumping, holding a bunch of tools: "The master and the husband are just like this, everything the master does is right!"

The boys and girls immediately envied Xu He even more, and thought that they must be the hostess and husband next time.

Zhang Fangyuan took a ground trap and placed it in a deep water place. He put some fish food in a basket and put it into the river to attract fish. Then he arranged for some boys to move stones to catch crabs. He also took two boys to the empty fields to catch loaches. The group of children were very happy.

Xu He was called to follow Zhang Fangyuan not too far away, and was responsible for carrying the basket. He saw Zhang Fangyuan jumping around in the field with his back bent. He caught a fat loach as long as his index finger, and then a long eel as big as a small snake. Seeing the fruitful results, his brows relaxed and his eyes sparkled.

In just one hour, they caught more than a dozen loaches and eels. Everyone happily carried them back to the base camp and picked up the ground traps that had been put out earlier. The two-inch long river fish were jumping around in the traps, and there were also many shrimps and crabs. Everyone exaggerated at how far they had caught them.

Everyone was looking forward to cooking outside today when a voice came from the bridge in the distance: "A Yuan, it's time to go home!"

Zhang Fangyuan stretched his neck and saw that it was his father who had returned from the market in the city with a lot of things. His heart warmed: "I know, I'll be right back!"

"Ayuan, are you going home? You're not cooking outside today?"

Everyone hasn’t had enough fun yet, and they still feel unsatisfied after playing the most important process, cooking.

Zhang Fangyuan said, "Let's play next time."

He gathered together today's spoils and said, "I'll give you some to take back."

The children were happy again because they had something to share.

"Butler, take the loach and eel back."

"Guards get the shrimp."

"Maids and servants, bring some small fish and crabs."

"Li Erdan and Zhou Xiaohu, come here, one small crab each."

Everyone got something, even if the distribution was uneven, but everyone was happy to get it for free. They waved goodbye to Zhang Fangyuan who was carrying the things home, and made plans to have fun together next time.

Xu He silently looked at the two river fish weighing three pounds that he was given. Zhang Fangyuan was afraid that it would be difficult for him to get the fish home, so he left him a basket to put them in. He looked at the fish in the basket, then looked at Zhang Fangyuan's back who didn't keep anything for himself, then lowered his eyes and pursed his lips.

Everyone was a little envious: "Xu He, Zhang Fangyuan is so good to you. I wish I could be his husband next time!"

Xu Shaochun was a little unhappy when he saw everyone going to talk to Xu He, but when he thought about having fish to eat in the evening, he felt much better.

She walked over triumphantly, as if Zhang Fangyuan had left the fish for her: "He Ge'er, it's time to go home."

Xu He carefully lifted the fish and glanced at the direction Zhang Fangyuan left: "Yeah."