The first
"Uh, don't cry."
Zhou Lexing touched the stubble on his head and saw Liu Wu, a grown man, crying so hard that he couldn't catch his breath and tears and snot were streaming down his face. He felt somewhat helpless.
"Well, let me untie it for you." Zhou Lexing had borrowed this hemp rope from Aunt Zhou at the end of Zhoujia Village. He didn't know if it was the same hemp rope that had been used to pull Zhou Dongqiang before, but Zhou Lexing felt that it had a faint odor.
He disdainfully untied the hemp rope, then turned around and carefully washed his hands by the Tiger Head Creek. When he turned back, well, the person was still crying.
Liu Wu sobbed uncontrollably, his round belly rising and falling with his cries.
Zhou Lexing pursed his lips tightly, forcing himself not to laugh, lest he further damage his already shattered self-esteem.
"Well, I admit I was wrong to do that, and I apologize."
Upon hearing this, Liu Wu sobbed and stared wide-eyed.
Everyone in the area around Zhou Lexing's age knows him well—he's a real troublemaker.
That's ruthless, vicious, and hard-hearted. Things like seeing a large group of people and running away, but then managing to circle back and kidnap their leader, are impossible to associate with the name Zhou Lexing, let alone admitting his mistakes and apologizing.
This is also why Liu Wu was able to think of luring Zhou Lexing to the small warehouse to gang up on him.
Even if he couldn't kill Zhou Lexing, he could at least break a few bones in Zhou Lexing when he faced him head-on, thus venting his anger.
Who would have thought that Zhou Lexing would first slap him in the face and run away, but now he actually wanted to give him a treat and apologized!
Zhou Lexing saw that Liu Wu was so shocked that his eyes almost popped out. Because he was so surprised, Liu Wu's sobs were mixed with a doubtful "Uh?"
Now things are really messed up. Not only can Liu Wu's sobbing not stop, but he's also started hiccuping.
Zhou Lexing held back for a long time, but finally couldn't help himself and burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha..."
He laughed so hard he couldn't stop, clutching his stomach and collapsing onto the grass.
Liu Wu was initially angry, followed by an indescribable embarrassment, but that embarrassment was interrupted by his continuous hiccups.
Liu Wu's face flushed instantly. Thinking about his embarrassing performance and hearing Zhou Lexing's maniacal laughter, he couldn't help but want to laugh as well.
"That's enough! Hiccup, what are you laughing at, hiccup, what are you laughing at, hiccup..."
"Ha ha ha ha……"
.
Zhou Lexing almost died laughing, and it took him a while to barely control his laughter.
He wiped away the tears of laughter and put his arm around Liu Wu's shoulder: "Your move is truly amazing."
Liu Wu's move was truly deadly.
Zhou Lexing laughed until his stomach hurt, and he felt that the shape of his abs seemed to become more defined. He almost couldn't breathe.
“Go back now. If you want to cause me trouble next time, just come find me directly. Let’s arrange a time and place, and don’t involve anyone else,” Zhou Lexing said righteously. “It’s too late now, I need to go home and sleep.”
He carried Liu Wu to the edge of Hutou Creek, not afraid of getting tired, just hoping to clear things up and go straight home.
If he dares to stay out all night, he will definitely be punished with a cane.
After Zhou Lexing finished speaking, he picked up the hemp rope and left.
Liu Wu was naturally still angry, but in addition to his anger, the fear of Zhou Lexing in his heart was still ever-present. However, besides the fear, there was also an inexplicable sense of surprise and joy.
Zhou Lexing apologized to him. This must be the first time in his life that he has ever done this.
He would definitely cause trouble for Zhou Lexing again afterward, but Zhou Lexing actually apologized to him. This is a great honor. He must be the first person to hear Zhou Lexing apologize.
Where should he challenge Zhou Lexing to a fight next time? He definitely can't beat Zhou Lexing, so he'll have to bring his underlings along.
Hehe, if my underlings knew that Zhou Lexing apologized to him, their eyes would probably pop out of their sockets, and they would definitely admire him a lot, right?
That's Zhou Lexing!
Liu Wu sat there for a moment, savoring the scene of the apology. When he looked up, Zhou Lexing was already gone.
He braced himself against the ground, barely managing to lift his two legs, which were trembling with fear, and was about to go home when he looked around and was completely dumbfounded.
Where...where am I?
.
“Strange things happen every year, but this year there seem to be more than usual. What do you think Liu Wu from Lijia Village is doing in our Zhoujia Village? And in the middle of the night no less! If Zhou Mao’er hadn’t seen him while he was out drinking, who knows what he might have done!”
"Yes, yes, do you all remember that fire more than ten years ago? It was the neighboring village that deliberately caused trouble, sending a seven or eight-year-old boy to set off firecrackers in front of our village's grain warehouse. They were heartless! If our villagers hadn't discovered it early, people would have died in that famine!"
Early in the morning, the village was already bustling with activity. Zhou Lexing was pushing his bicycle, with several bags of fertilizer piled on the back seat. He had just gone with Zhou Yuanxiang to collect them at the brigade gate.
Each household can only receive a limited amount of fertilizer each quarter. It's not free, but it's much cheaper than buying it outside, and you're less likely to buy adulterated fertilizer.
That's why there were so many people at the entrance of the brigade this morning.
With more people around, the conversation naturally becomes more lively.
"That's right! Hey, when Zhou Mao caught Liu Wu, did he take him to the village committee?"
"It was already past midnight, and the village committee wouldn't be open then."
"That's true, but we can't just let that brat go back like that. I heard he's been causing trouble with a bunch of people lately, he's definitely up to no good! Didn't he beat up Li Wangchun's eldest son the other day?"
Zhou Lexing obediently followed behind his mother, listening to a lot of gossip. He couldn't help but marvel, realizing that the chubby guy was indeed no good.
That makes sense, if it were a good item, it wouldn't have bothered the original owner.
Zhou Lexing didn't dwell on whether what Liu Wu said last night was true or false; he had no interest in getting involved in the original owner's past conflicts.
In his view, these thugs, who beat each other up today and tomorrow, were pointless. Besides, he had long ago decided never to follow the original owner's old path and to be a model young man who could put Zhou Ma's mind at ease.
Unfortunately, Zhou's mother was not at ease at all.
She thought of Zhou Lexing, who had returned home late last night. The grass clippings and dust on his body couldn't lie; he must have been rolling around somewhere, and who knows, he might have even been in a few fights!
Zhou Yuanxiang became increasingly alarmed as she thought about it, her face growing paler and paler. Just as she was contemplating how to teach her third son a lesson when she got home, she saw her third son's eyes suddenly light up, and he pushed the cart and ran forward.
"Jian Sheng! You've come to collect the fertilizer?" Zhou Lexing smiled brightly, his sincere smile so dazzling in the sunlight that it was impossible to look away.
Gu Jiansheng seemed to be burned by that smile, and immediately lowered his eyes and responded softly.
"Then I'll go with you! You can put the fertilizer bag on the back seat of my car and I'll deliver it to your home."
Zhou Yuanxiang watched from behind and felt that something was off. Then she realized that the third brother was just like the big yellow dog in the village who always came up to her with a smile.
Look at how arrogant he was when he saw Gu Xiaozi, he was practically begging for a tail to wag behind him.
Zhou Yuanxiang shook her head with a smile and walked over as well: "I think it's fine. Lexing, you can help out here. Later, pile up our fertilizer in the yard. I'll go to the vegetable garden to get busy. Don't forget to pick up Shusheng from Teacher Chen's house for lunch."
Yes, Zhou Shusheng, a primary school student who repeatedly failed his exams and was forced to repeat a grade, now has to go to Teacher Chen's house for tutoring.
There weren't many tutoring classes back then, but Teacher Chen had taught Zhou Shusheng for three years, so the bond between them was special. Teacher Chen didn't want him to waste any more time in the third grade; he had to finish elementary school eventually, right?
Teacher Chen didn't think of Zhou Shusheng as a fool. In his opinion, Zhou Shusheng sometimes said things that contained profound and insightful truths. Of course, Zhou Yuanxiang also played a part in this.
Zhou Shusheng's difference was very obvious even when he was a child, so the villagers naturally didn't think highly of him.
At that time, Zhou's father was often away from home, and Zhou Yuanxiang supported the family on her own. Even so, Zhou Yuanxiang still managed to raise Zhou Shusheng well. Now, Zhou Shusheng can do everything from watering and fertilizing to catching fish, and he can also wash dishes, clean, and do housework.
With this, Teacher Chen gained some confidence. In addition, Zhou Yuanxiang was a straightforward person. Before the tutoring session, she had discussed it with Teacher Chen in private. They didn't talk about money to avoid hurting their relationship. They only said that they would send two ounces of meat to Teacher Chen's family every week.
Don't underestimate the small amount of meat; at this time of year, it's a top-notch "fat spot."
They were only able to offer this condition because Zhou Lixing now has a job in the city; otherwise, they probably could only send some seasonal vegetables, which people might not even be interested in.
"Okay, I understand."
Zhou Lexing readily agreed and followed Gu Jiansheng, pushing his bicycle.
Looking at him, Zhou Yuanxiang couldn't help but shake her head with a smile: "This child will definitely be the kind of person who forgets his mother after he gets married."
Zhou Lexing had no idea about the rumors his mother had spread about him. He was still excitedly talking to Gu Jiansheng about the mop: "We need to collect more cloth strips. If you have any worn-out rags at home, don't throw them away. The more cloth strips you have, the easier it will be to use the mop."
Since he had agreed to make a mop for Gu Jiansheng, he naturally started preparing as soon as he accepted. However, fabric was hard to come by these days, and it was always in short supply.
Zhou Yuanxiang didn't object to Zhou Lexing's agreement and even gave him a few small pieces of cloth that she couldn't bear to throw away, as a way to increase his 'start-up capital'.
Gu Jiansheng silently signed his name, paid the fee, and was about to bend down to get the fertilizer bag when Zhou Lexing had already taken the lead, picked up the fertilizer bag, and put it on the back seat of the car.
"Come on, you hold this end for me."
The fertilizer piled up in one place is quite heavy, so the bicycle inevitably leans a bit.
Zhou Lexing was strong and could hold up the fertilizer bags with one hand, so he didn't feel overwhelmed. However, when Zhou Lexing saw that Gu Jiansheng looked helpless in crowded places and didn't know where to put his hands, he simply found him something to do.
Zhou Lexing gestured for him to grab the front of the vehicle, and then deftly untied the rope that had been tied to the fertilizer, tied it securely together with the newly added fertilizer, and then kicked the kickstand up.
Let's go!
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