Shen Qing sat on a stone pier in the backyard, holding half a basin of rice bran mixed with cabbage stalks in his hand, feeding the baby in a disjointed manner. A group of chickens had finished eating the food on the ground, and seeing that Shen Qing was reluctant to throw down new food, they circled around him anxiously.
A few cat calls were heard outside the wall, and then a ginger-colored tabby cat lightly jumped up the high wall that even an adult man could not climb. However, when the cat saw the chickens in the yard clucking at it, its fur suddenly stood up, it let out a rapid breathing sound, and backed away, almost falling off the wall.
Shen Qing recognized that this was the cat from Aunt Guixiang's house, and the cat used to be very close to Aunt Guixiang. Perhaps the cat came to his house because his owner had not returned for a long time. However, when this cat was still a kitten, it was pecked by a village chicken and a finger on its hind paw was pecked off. Since then, its fur would stand on end when it saw a chicken. By this time, its tail had exploded into a thick string and it didn't even bother looking for its owner. It meowed, jumped off the wall and ran away.
Shen Qing threw the basin of rice bran to the ground and let the chickens fight over it. He was very depressed: wasn't he just like this cat?
The word "fear" completely woke Shen Qing up. If he was worried about how many relatives Song Kaiji had in the past, now Li Aiguo is dead and only Zhang Sujuan is left. Song Kaiji even gave him this jade pendant. What is he still worried about?
Only at this moment did Shen Qing realize that no matter how moved he was, he was unwilling to truly accept Song Kaiji. It was not only because of external concerns, but also because of the fear hidden deep in his heart that he himself was not aware of.
Of course he was afraid that his secret and the entrance to the cave would be exposed; of course he was afraid that his world would be known by the people of the end times; of course he was afraid that the disparity in technology and military power between the two sides would be irresistible... But in the final analysis, the only person who knew his secret was Song Kaiji, and as long as Song Kaiji didn't tell anyone, all his fears would not come true. All of this actually stems from his lack of trust in Song Kaiji.
Shen Qing touched the pendant on his chest again. But only then did he realize that his distrust of Song Kaiji was not Song Kaiji's problem.
Shen Qing knew very well what kind of person Song Kaiji was. Clear, simple, kind, soft-hearted, he has stood in front of me at the critical moments of life and death several times, and he will never say what he promised not to tell me.
To this day, Qu Weiwei and others, including Zhang Sujuan, do not know that they will not be attacked by zombies. Song Kaiji had clearly guessed that I might not go back, but he still gave me this jade pendant. How could he prove his sincerity to Shen Qing? Take out your heart?
Shen Qing laughed at himself. Perhaps he really needed to have his heart cut out and become a dead man, where his heart would stop beating and would never change again, before Shen Qing could truly believe in him.
He couldn't trust Song Kaiji, not because Song Kaiji was not good enough, but because he himself didn't dare to trust men, and was even more afraid of handing himself over to another person without reservation.
Shen Qing was afraid that he would end up like Miao, and that even if Song Kaiji was willing to die for him at the moment, things would change one day. He became as hateful as Shen Zhigao, and as heartless as those men who remarried right after their wife died. He couldn't bear it, and he didn't dare to face the result that Song Kaiji had changed, and he couldn't bear such a blow.
If he would never be with Song Kaiji and disappeared from Song Kaiji's world at this moment, Song Kaiji would never change and would never have the chance to change. He would always be the boy in his memory who would die for him and whose eyes were full of him.
If you never entrust someone with something, you will never be let down. This was the hurt and shadow that Shen Zhigao brought to Shen Qing, which made Shen Qing like the cat. After the stress, he subconsciously put up a line of defense, ran away when he saw those chickens, and protected himself strictly.
Even if a fight really breaks out, chickens may not be a match for today's strong cats with sharp claws and fangs.
People who have been hungry will hoard a lot of food. Even if they cannot finish it in a short time and it becomes smelly and spoiled after two or three days, they will regret the loss, but they will not be able to change the habit of hoarding.
Because only by doing so can he feel safe and at ease. What's wrong with that?
If Shen Qing had not fallen in love with Song Kaiji, this would naturally be the most appropriate approach, and Shen Qing would not have to struggle and suffer because of it.
But he has fallen in love with Song Kaiji.
At some point, the cat came back. Perhaps because it was too eager to find its owner, the cat walked carefully around the chicken coop along the wall. However, the chickens still discovered it. Perhaps there is a kind of nature between animals. The chickens found that the more afraid the cat was of them, the more they wanted to go further. They even ignored the rice bran in the food bowl and flapped their wings to fly to the top of the wall.
The yellow cat cried out in fear a few times and fell off the wall again.
Shen Qing watched quietly.
It's not just Song Kaiji. Maybe in the future, even if Shen Qing meets a better man in this world, she won’t have to worry about caves or secrets. That man is ten times better than Song Kaiji, ten times more sincere than Song Kaiji, and ten times safer than Song Kaiji, but Shen Qing is still afraid of him. She is afraid that he will change his mind, that he will covet her money, and that Shen Qing will find fault with everything. Because the problem is not with others, but in Shen Qing's own heart.
But Shen Qing didn't want this to happen anymore. It’s for Song Kaiji, but not just for Song Kaiji.
Instead, he wanted to completely get rid of the shadow cast by Shen Zhigao. He had already left the old Shen family, so why couldn't he leave completely in his heart? He had gone to the mountains to hunt since he was a child. He had killed wild boars, zombies, and now even people. He was so brave and had always advocated bravery, so why should he be cowardly about this matter? He was becoming more and more powerful, and he had money, mansions, mountains, servants, and he ate the best fish and meat and could wear silk clothes. He deserves and can have the best things in the world, so why can't he have the man he likes!
He has to overcome this fear and become a truly strong person. He wanted to eliminate any trace of cowardice in himself, so that nothing could hurt him, and he shouldn't be afraid of being hurt.
The space in the jade pendant contained traces of the life of Song Kaiji's family of three, and he had seen every detail of it. Li Aiguo loved Zhang Sujuan so much that he was willing to marry her even if she was married, and even if she had a son with another man. When Li Aiguo died, Shen Qing was by his side. He saw it with his own eyes and he couldn't hold on any longer. He wanted to take one last look at his beloved and touch her hair before he died.
Not every man in this world is like Shen Zhigao, right?
There are also people like Li Aiguo and Lian Shi - he shouldn't question Lian Shi's sincerity towards Zhao Yu, nor should he speak ill of the future of Wang Dagu's daughter. They all have the courage to fight for their future, and naturally they will get what they want and deserve a happy future.
Shen Qing stood up.
If there is someone in this world who can get the love of a partner who will never let him down for the rest of his life, it could be Zhang Sujuan, it could be Zhao Yu, and why couldn't it be him, Shen Qing.
He is very good, very good. He had no choice in his birth, and having such a father was his misfortune, but it should not become his shackles. He was blessed by God and was able to appreciate the scenery that a farm boy would never be able to see in his entire life. He should not be timid and cowardly and complacent. He deserves all the beautiful scenery in this world, so why can't he get Song Kaiji's lifelong loyalty?
Shen Qing walked out of the door. The yellow civet cat was still circling around the wall stealthily. Shen Qing grabbed it by the scruff of the neck, brought it into the house, and handed it to Aunt Guixiang. The yellow civet cat went from being dazed, frightened, and struggling at the beginning to purring comfortably in Aunt Guixiang's arms.
"Qing'er, how did you get it here?" Aunt Guixiang scratched the neck of the yellow civet cat.
Shen Qing smiled and said, "I saw it wanted to come to see Auntie, but it lacked a little courage, so I wanted to help it." He turned to look at Miao and said, "Mom, I have something to say to you later."
Aunt Guixiang stood up holding the cat. He joked, "Then I'll go back first, so as not to interrupt your conversation. Seeing how serious Qing'er is, it must be a big deal." Then he said to Shen Qing, "Qing'er has decided on the workshop. Come to our house anytime to discuss it with your uncle."
Even Second Aunt's family also stood up with good sense. Lian Rong had been listless all day, but now she was obediently carried on Lian Shi's back, while Lian Qiao was held in the arms of Zhao Yu. The group said goodbye and walked out. Unexpectedly, as soon as they reached the door, they saw Uncle Li walking towards them quickly. He saw Aunt Guixiang and hurriedly stepped forward to grab her: "Finally I found you. Come with me to take a look. The old Shen family's mother-in-law and daughter-in-law are fighting at the village entrance!"
"Who?" Before Aunt Guixiang could say anything, Miao in the room suddenly stood up and rushed to the gate of the yard in a few steps.
Uncle Li said, "Who else could it be? Li Jiaofeng is still in the county hospital! It must be Old Lady Shen and Zhao Aiye. Old Lady Shen is also crazy. She went to Zhao Aiye's house to beat her up. Can the people in the Zhao family just watch? Several women went up to vent their anger on Zhao Aiye, and beat her all the way from the Zhao family to the village entrance. No one in the Shen family can help stop them. If Guixiang doesn't go, then Old Lady Shen will be beaten to death!"
Aunt Guixiang was very angry: "It's New Year's Day! They just keep causing me trouble every day!" She was the village chief's wife, and she had to take care of the affairs of the women in the village. Even though she was annoyed with Old Shen's family, she had to walk quickly towards the village entrance.
Miao pursed her lips, and without caring about anything else, she followed. Shen Qing shouted twice from behind. Although he didn't understand why Miao wanted to join in the fun, he had no choice but to follow.
However, when she arrived at the village, the situation was different from what Miao had imagined: she had long been suspicious and thought that it was Zhao Ai Ye who had harmed Li Jiao Feng, and even the child in her belly was killed by Zhao Ai Ye. Now that it was discovered by Old Lady Shen, this happened.
She thought that the speculation that had been bothering her was finally going to be solved.
But before she could rush over, she heard Zhao Aiye's mother complaining to Aunt Guixiang: "... our Aiye has been treated like a slave by her for the past few months. She has left all the dirty and tiring work at home to Aiye and Juanzi. She doesn't feel sorry for her, but we do! Isn't it that after the second day of the Chinese New Year, Aiye and Juanzi will stay at her mother's house for a few days? Can't they relax a little? She came to my house and beat Aiye in front of us! If I don't fight back, am I still worthy of being a mother?"
There were several bruises on Old Lady Shen's face and her body was in pain, so she sat on the ground. Hearing this, she spat, "Now that she's married into our family, she's a member of our Shen family. As a mother-in-law, I have the right to teach my husband a lesson no matter how much I say! He's a married man, and instead of working hard at home, he comes to his parents' house to be lazy. He deserves a beating! If he wasn't at home and no one was working, why was there no one shoveling the ice this morning? How could the guy from the old house fall down? It's all his fault, this lazy guy. I'm going to beat him to death!" Then she took her shoe and threw it at Zhao Ai Ye.
The Zhao family members were about to go up and beat her again, but Aunt Guixiang pressed her brows and shouted several times, "Stop it!" before they managed to stabilize the situation.
Zhao Aiye had been beaten several times by Old Lady Shen before, and her face was stained. At this moment, she was holding Shen Xiaojuan from behind, covering her face and crying. The Zhao family was furious: "The village head's family, listen to what she said? Without our mugwort, the Shen family wouldn't even have an ice shovel? Can Li Jiaofeng blame our mugwort for her fall?"
Aunt Guixiang was getting a headache from the noise, and Miao's face turned pale: "Why, when Li Jiaofeng got into trouble, Zhao Aiye wasn't at home?"
The people watching the fun saw that it was Miao and explained to her enthusiastically: "Yes, you haven't been in the village recently, so you don't know! Li Jiaofeng took advantage of her big belly to bully others at home every day. Old Lady Shen was angry and took it out on Zhao Aiye, which forced Zhao Aiye into a dead end. After the second day of the Chinese New Year, she stayed at her parents' home and didn't go back."
The man lowered his voice and said, "Listen to what the old woman of the Zhao family said, she seems to love my son so much. It was because of the pig-killing dinner before the New Year that the Shen family gave the Zhao family a lot of face, which made the Zhao family very angry. That's why she deliberately urged Zhao Aiye to stay for a few more days. This is to save the Shen family's face and wait for Shen Zhiwei to come and beg. If she wants to take my son back to his mother's home, the son-in-law must bring something to the door. Who knew that Li Jiaofeng would fall today? This old woman Shen is really shameless. She put the blame on Zhao Aiye and even went to the Zhao family's door to beat people. Who else should the Zhao family beat if not her?"
The more Miao listened, the heavier her heart felt. Zhao Aiye was not at the Shen's house when the incident happened, so it was impossible that he was the one who did it. Was it really an accident?
Or... someone else?
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