Zhao Wei caught a glimpse of Liu Qian's mouth twitching slightly, and the subtle tremor was like ripples under the ice.
He knew the time was right, and he stroked the edge of the enamel pot with his fingertips, deliberately letting his voice be wrapped in a smile.
"That big cat was also beaten to death in the end. Why are you afraid of him?"
"If you're angry that it scares you, I can take you up the mountain and capture all its descendants."
"It's no big deal to dig out the bones of its eighteen generations of ancestors and soak them in medicinal wine. It's just a kitten slightly bigger than Little Wild Hunt. It can't be killed by a single shot!"
…
As Zhao Wei continued to describe, Liu Qian inevitably let out a breathy sound from his throat, like a pigeon with its neck strangled.
His knuckles turned white as he gripped the armrest of the recliner, reminding Zhao Wei of a time when, as a child, he stole apricots from Aunt Wang's house next door and was chased all over the village. In the end, he panicked and knocked over a bamboo plate where peppers were drying, and the red pepper seeds splattered all over both of them.
"You were such a little bully when you saw a beast? Aren't you afraid that your former classmates would hear you and laugh their heads off?"
"You must have someone you care about, right? If they saw you like this, they would probably scold you when you go back!"
This sentence was like a thorn, piercing Liu Qian's tense nerves.
He sat up straight suddenly, a cloudy flame rose in his eyes, but it was instantly extinguished into ashes when it met Zhao Wei's calm gaze.
"No...can't...tell..."
He wanted to say that he was not allowed to say another word to his classmates. He was no longer in the county and had nothing to do with these people anymore.
Zhao Wei said, "You are so confused. The school is on summer vacation now. All the young people in the surrounding area have gone home."
"At the latest tomorrow, they will come to our village to dig a canal. Then, you will definitely meet your classmates."
They are all teenagers in their teens, and many of them can do farm work. At this time, they have to help their families with the work.
This made Liu Wei increasingly uneasy.
He is so fragile now. If these people really find out his true identity, he will really have no desire to live anymore.
"Cousin... help me... I don't want to see them... please..."
Liu Qian still has a strong desire to survive.
Zhao Wei did not let him go and continued to press him, "Cousin, I have official business to attend to. I have to take people up the mountain to dig wild vegetables. I really can't stay with you alone. Tomorrow, you will be alone at home!"
Liu Qian grabbed his hand and squeezed it tightly: "No... You can't leave me alone, I... I I I... cough cough..."
Because he was too excited, he choked on his own saliva.
After a long while, he finally recovered a little and continued, "Cousin, I would rather go up the mountain with you than stay at home."
If he were in the village, his classmates would be so crazy that they would dig him out by the thousands.
He used to be such a bad guy and bullied many people in school.
Now... he regrets it to death. He really can't bear the consequences of this.
"But...if there's a tiger on the mountain and it scares you, then..."
"No, what tiger? It's just a big cat. I believe that with my cousin here, it's just a paper tiger. There's nothing to be afraid of!"
Liu Qian didn't realize that after the stimulation, his ability to express himself was completely different from when he first appeared in front of Xiangyang Commune.
But this is not something to celebrate.
He said earnestly, "Cousin, you will soon be an adult. In the future, you will be the pillar of a family and a man of integrity."
"In the future, a man must be able to handle things. Let alone a tiger, even if he encounters a giant python, it is just a piece of dead meat. What is there to be afraid of?"
The willow whistle outside the window stopped at some point, and was replaced by the enthusiastic voices of the villagers in the distance.
They seemed to be discussing the division of work and were quite busy.
He pointed at the crowd outside the window and said, "Look, everyone is fighting hard to survive. How can they be frightened by a temporary setback?"
Liu Qian's eyes followed the light spots unconsciously, and his Adam's apple rolled with difficulty.
Zhao Wei took the opportunity to pull out an oil-paper bag from his arms and unfolded it to reveal a few pieces of dried animal meat: "Try it? Aunt Wang specially reserved some hind leg meat for you, saying that she always craved her smoked bacon."
When the dried meat was handed to Liu Qian, he smelled a familiar smoky smell - exactly the same as the aroma wafting from the stove.
Zhao Wei watched him eat it, then patted him on the shoulder and said, "Don't be scared! You have so many people who care about you behind you. Any difficulty will be defeated."
These words made Liu Qian tremble all over. When he raised his head, Zhao Wei saw tears in his eyes, but it was no longer fear, but a kind of resurgent stubbornness.
Zhao Wei stared at his cousin's red eyes and suddenly shouted, "Let's go! Let's go see what everyone is busy with. There are no cowards or deserters among the men in Yushudun. It's time for you to get to work."
Liu Qian raised his head suddenly, and a discordant sob came out of his throat: "Okay... I'll go..."
Outside the house, the dusk stretched the shadows of the two men very long, and they happened to bump into some teenagers who were passing by carrying tools.
"Hey, Liu Qian, are you okay?"
The pigtailed Xiao Cui's crisp voice pierced the silence, "I heard that you peed your pants because of being scared by a bobcat?"
The crowd burst into laughter, Liu Qian's face instantly turned purple, and his legs felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead.
Zhao Wei suddenly let go of his hand, allowing Liu Qian to stagger and stand firm.
After Liu Qian shook his head, his strong self-esteem made him fight back without giving in.
"If anyone dares to gossip again, I will smash his mouth!"
The laughter stopped abruptly, and everyone said awkwardly: "Don't be angry, we were just joking with you!"
"By the way, I was once chased by a goose raised in the commune. My God, I ran for five miles crying like a fool, haha..."
"And me, I was scared by a mouse once and fainted. Now there is a scar on the back of my head. It's so embarrassing, cough cough..."
…
The teenagers were kind-hearted and shared their past embarrassing experiences in an attempt to get Liu Qian not to take it seriously.
Liu Qian's Adam's apple rolled twice, and he gritted his teeth and said, "Hmph, don't call me a coward again in the future, otherwise, I will know all your secrets!"
"Oh my, I'm so scared, hehe..."
"Don't be angry, come on, I'll take you to some fun places later. We found a place with a lot of insects that glow..."
Liu Qian unexpectedly integrated into the youth circle of this village. It was a place he wanted to join but was too embarrassed to do so. Now it was like a new world suddenly opened up for him, and his heart was filled with joy.
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