ventilated vest
Zhou Lexing had no idea about Zhou Baoshan's plans.
The group walked a short distance and encountered two more companions who had become separated from them.
Once the two sides met, they couldn't stop talking.
Everyone chattered excitedly, spitting as they described the perilous encounter with the giant snake.
The two men were terrified upon hearing this, and when they saw the snake's body, which was divided into several bamboo baskets for several people, they clicked their tongues in amazement.
You guys are really lucky to be alive!
"Who can argue with that!"
With something to talk about, everyone stopped feeling tired and chatted non-stop along the way, occasionally calling out to find someone. Before they knew it, they had completed the planned route and were heading back as originally agreed.
"Are those three people alright?" Zhou Lexing and the other older brothers who had gathered around him excitedly recounted the heroic scene from his perspective, accepting the praise openly before finally asking.
"It's alright, they probably came down the mountain yesterday."
The enthusiastic older man waved his hand, not taking it to heart.
It seems that with the snake problem eliminated, the burden on my heart has been lifted.
For them, this is a road they have traveled many times, and they might actually be afraid and descend the mountain overnight.
Zhou Lexing didn't say anything more and followed the crowd down the mountain. Compared to the others, he and Gu Jiansheng talked less and didn't have the same joyful spirit as when they went up the mountain. The others, on the other hand, were very happy. With this giant snake, they were sure to make a lot of money.
As we descended the mountain, the sun was already half-hidden, and the sky had darkened.
The villagers, young and old, who usually sit under the big banyan tree chatting, have all moved to the field ridges not far down the mountain to chat. As soon as they see people coming down the mountain, they immediately come to greet them.
"How did it go this time? You weren't hurt, were you?"
"Ouch! Are you bleeding?!"
What's in this basket?
Everyone started talking at once.
Zhou Yuanxiang, along with Zhou Shusheng, stood in the crowd. She immediately spotted her son holding Gu Jiansheng's hand and standing to the side. After nodding and exchanging a few words with Zou Baoshan, she stepped out of the crowd.
Zhou Yuanxiang quickly led her people to greet them: "Are you alright?"
Zhou Shusheng hugged Zhou Lexing tightly, his voice sweet and cuddly: "Brother—!"
Zhou Lexing rubbed his head a few times and replied, "It's nothing, what could possibly happen to me? It's just that I didn't gain much."
Everyone was eager to get home as they descended the mountain, and they didn't stop for long. Apart from the snake, the harvest was nothing compared to the ascent.
Zhou Yuanxiang glanced at the two people's half-empty baskets and waved her hand dismissively: "Just consider it an opportunity to broaden your horizons."
Gu Jiansheng watched Zhou Lexing chatting casually with his family the whole time. The emptiness in his heart hadn't even had a chance to spread outwards when Zhou Lexing turned his head and smiled at him, and it all closed up again in an instant.
"Come on, let me take you home to put your things away."
Gu Jiansheng looked at Zhou Yuanxiang and then realized that Aunt Zhou had been watching him with a smile the whole time.
That gentle smile, unique to elders, carried its own warmth, causing Gu Jian to abruptly look away and lower his head. Completely devoid of the carefree joy and confident demeanor he exuded, he appeared timid and gloomy once again.
Zhou Yuanxiang knew that a person's change was not something that could be achieved overnight, but seeing how well her third son and Gu Xiaozi got along, and how Gu Jiansheng seemed to be getting more and more energetic every day, she couldn't help but feel emotional.
They are all unfortunate people. If Jian Sheng can stand up for himself, then Lan Hua will have hope.
Zhou Yuanxiang didn't say much, but patted Zhou Lexing's shoulder hard: "Go on, we'll have winter melon and pork ribs tonight to cool you down."
Zhou Lexing agreed and left with an extra little follower.
Zhou Lexing: "School's starting soon, right? What did Teacher Chen say?"
Zhou Shusheng pouted: "No school."
Zhou Lexing: "What are you going to do if school doesn't start?"
Zhou Shusheng: "Play."
Zhou Lexing: "Hey, you're pretty self-righteous, aren't you?"
Gu Jiansheng wasn't wary of Zhou Shusheng. He had always looked dull and simple-minded, but only fools are innocent. In Gu Jiansheng's eyes, Zhou Shusheng was a truly pure person.
With no elders or outsiders around, Gu Jiansheng visibly relaxed again, kicking his feet and sending a small pebble flying, rolling forward a distance before stopping.
Zhou Shusheng's eyes lit up immediately, and he eagerly stepped forward to take over, kicking the opponent even further away.
Zhou Lexing glanced at him, his steps seemingly lazy, but as soon as he got close to the pebble, he immediately exerted his strength and kicked it into the air.
"Ha! Record broken!"
Gu Jiansheng was speechless, but when it was his turn, he didn't hesitate.
The three of them kicked the innocent little stone back and forth until it reached the Gu family's doorstep.
Zhou Lexing: "Shoot!"
Zhou Shusheng: "Yay! Brother won!"
Gu Jiansheng: "..." Childish.
Gu Jiansheng thought to himself, but a smile inadvertently crept into his eyes.
The long-closed gate was unlocked and slowly opened. Gu Jiansheng looked up and was surprised to find that the weeds growing in the corners of the yard had become much more lush.
"I have arrived."
Gu Jiansheng stood behind the threshold, showing no intention of inviting the person in.
Zhou Lexing looked inside; the room was quiet. He couldn't help but ask, "Where's Aunt Lan?"
Gu Jiansheng lowered his head, gripping the door with both hands, neither closing the door nor answering.
That stubborn streak resurfaced.
Zhou Lexing resisted the urge to rub his head and was about to speak when he heard a loud greeting from next door.
"Little Gu's back? He wasn't back last night, was he?" Aunt Zhou splashed dirty water at the gate and asked casually, "How did it go? Any luck? It must have been tough getting into the mountains."
This Aunt Zhou is none other than Zhou Yanzi, the mother of Zhou Meifen, who helped Zhou Lexing knock on the door last time and lent Gu Jiansheng a carrying pole.
Gu Jiansheng kept his head down, still showing no intention of responding.
Zhou Yanzi was used to Gu Jiansheng's introverted nature, but since it was rare for Gu Jiansheng to go out, and he even went into the mountains with the villagers, she couldn't help but ask him a few more questions.
“It’s not easy,” Zhou Lexing replied naturally. “I just got back and haven’t even had dinner yet.”
Aunt Zhou sighed, "It's not easy! Hurry up and go home for dinner!"
Zhou Lexing exchanged a couple more polite words, but Aunt Zhou's fire was still burning on the stove, so she didn't exchange any more pleasantries and quickly hurried inside.
Zhou Lexing turned his head and saw Gu Jiansheng looking up at him. After receiving his gaze, Gu Jiansheng turned his head away again.
"Don't fight!"
Zhou Shusheng looked at this and then at that, his mind automatically superimposing this scene with the scene of his second and third brothers arguing earlier, and immediately began to accuse them indignantly.
"Third brother is bullying people! Mom will spank him!"
Zhou Lexing almost choked on his own saliva.
That brat!
"I think you're itching for a kick!" Zhou Lexing said, lifting his leg and giving Zhou Shusheng's butt a light kick.
Zhou Shusheng instinctively covered his buttocks, and after finding that it didn't hurt at all, he shook his head, with a hint of smugness: "My buttocks don't itch at all, I wash my buttocks carefully every day!"
Zhou Lexing was completely at a loss with this increasingly arrogant brat.
Seeing his expression, Gu Jiansheng couldn't help but smile, and the previous inexplicable confrontation immediately vanished.
He thought for a moment, then finally spoke: "My mother went to the city."
Zhou Lexing breathed a sigh of relief, but didn't show it on his face: "Then come to my house for dinner tonight. You've had a long day. By the time you're done, it'll be dark, and you should go to sleep."
Gu Jiansheng wanted to refuse, but Zhou Lexing simply picked him up around the waist and carried him from behind the doorstep to the outside.
His face immediately turned bright red, and he stared at Zhou Lexing in shock.
Zhou Lexing didn't think much of it at all. With a wave of his hand, he had a bit of a bandit king vibe: "Let's go! I'm starving if we don't eat soon."
Zhou Shusheng perked up at the mention of food and skipped ahead, shouting, "Let's go, let's eat meat!"
Zhou Lexing pushed Gu Jiansheng's shoulder forward. Zhou Shusheng looked back, quickly ran back, put his arm around Zhou Lexing's bamboo basket, and started playing with the toy train behind him.
Gu Jiansheng immediately abandoned any further attempts to persuade Zhou Lexing and shouted repeatedly, "My door isn't closed yet!"
By the time the three of them got home, the last rays of the setting sun had burned out. The few sparse streetlights in the village were still off, and the warm yellow light shone from inside the house, carrying the salty aroma of food that made one's internal organs groan in protest.
Zhou Yuanxiang was not surprised to see Gu Jiansheng. She warmly invited him to sit down and quietly added bowls and chopsticks to the table, saying, "Just make yourself at home."
Even so, Gu Jiansheng still felt like shrinking away completely, unable to explain why he had followed Zhou Lexing in such a muddled way.
Zhou Lexing led the people to wash their hands by the basin, then led them back and they sat down together.
He knew Gu Jiansheng was uncomfortable, so he didn't try to make him talk. He just added more rice and vegetables to his plate.
The dinner table was unusually quiet. Seeing his two older brothers eating seriously, Zhou Shusheng also buried his face in his bowl and shoveled rice into his mouth.
"It's busy with farming these days, and if you're late, you won't even see a speck of meat in the butcher shop. I figured you'd arrive tonight, so I got up early this morning to buy some meat. Things are better these days; before, even if you had money, you couldn't buy any meat, but now there aren't those kinds of restrictions..."
As Zhou Yuanxiang ate, she chattered on and on, and the atmosphere became increasingly relaxed with her friendly voice.
Gu Jiansheng finally lifted his face from the rice bowl.
He secretly glanced at Zhou Yuanxiang's expression. She seemed to sense his gaze, looked up at him, and showed no displeasure whatsoever. She even smiled and served him food.
"Eat more. Look how thin you are. When you sit next to Lexing, he's almost twice your size."
Zhou Lexing: "Mom, your word choice is too crude. I'm expressing a strong and powerful physique, okay?"
Zhou Shusheng: "I know, I know! It's vanity!"
Zhou Lexing was shocked.
This little cotton-padded jacket has become a tattered vest with drafts coming through after just a few days of neglect!
It's not entirely Zhou Shusheng's fault. He still idolizes his third brother like a hero. However, lately, Zhou Lexing has been arguing with Zhou Yuanxiang and others, and often brings Zhou Shusheng along. In the midst of their banter, Zhou Shusheng has picked up on his brother's annoyance and learned a thing or two about his third brother's skills.
Gu Jiansheng was caught off guard and almost spat out his drink.
Seeing his two older brothers react so strongly, Zhou Shusheng took it as an affirmation of his straight man act, and he was so proud of himself that he almost flew to the sky.
Helpless, Zhou Lexing picked up the last egg pancake that Zhou Shusheng loved with his chopsticks and shared it with Gu Jiansheng, showing no brotherly affection whatsoever.
Zhou Shusheng had no idea about his third brother's little "retaliation," and happily picked up another piece of pork rib, so delicious that he shook his head.
Zhou Lexing's family was peaceful and harmonious, and he enjoyed his meal to the fullest.
The atmosphere at the village chief's house, however, was somber.
The old hunter led his men directly to the old village chief's house after descending the mountain, intending to bring up the matter of the large snake.
In previous years, if the villagers were lucky enough to hunt a wild boar or catch a venomous snake together, as long as it was a collective effort, they would inevitably come to the village chief and ask him to take charge of reselling the snake and distributing the profits.
An experienced hunter doesn't get involved.
This kind of business, which involves money, can easily get you into trouble once it's done. He's not willing to do this thankless task. Of course, for someone with ulterior motives, it might not be a bad job at all. For example, the village chief's sons made a big fuss over this job, which became known throughout the village.
The old hunter looked down on the village chief's family, but there was nothing he could do. The village chief was the oldest and most senior member of Zhoujia Village, and this generation's position fell to him.
Upon entering the house, the old hunter immediately sensed the strange atmosphere, but he remained calm and simply told the village chief about the matter in a formal manner. He instructed someone to place the baskets containing snake meat in the village chief's yard, and then left without even drinking a cup of tea.
The village chief's family knew his temperament. Although they were unhappy and thought the old hunter was arrogant, they still had to rely on him as long as he had some brains. This business of trading wild animals could make a lot of money.
Just as the old hunter was about to go out, he saw the village chief's second son leading a tall man toward them.
It was getting dark by then, but the old hunter had sharp eyes and immediately recognized the man as an unfamiliar face. Judging from his sophisticated attire—a shirt, trousers, and a watch—he was clearly a city dweller, and a wealthy one at that. A quick glance back revealed that the man had noticed his gaze and was looking over.
At first glance, the old hunter had a feeling that this man was not simple. Seeing the old village chief's second son fawning over the man, he shook his head inwardly, but remained silent and quickened his pace to brush past the man.
“Brother He, just stay here and relax! The people of Zhoujia Village are the most honest and kind, and the scenery is beautiful. Go sketching here…”
The old hunter was far away, and his voice gradually faded away with the evening breeze, becoming indistinct.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com