Oddity species
Gu Jiansheng ultimately refused Zhou Lexing's enthusiastic invitation to soap and scrub his back, and simply wiped himself down on a small stool.
Zhou Lexing couldn't help but wonder, "We're all men, what's the big deal?"
While Zhou Ma was out, he swiftly stripped naked in the yard, lathered up with soap, and took a shower in one go.
After taking a shower, Zhou Lexing felt like he had come back to life.
Seeing that Zhou's mother wouldn't be home anytime soon, Zhou Lexing took out the peach shortbread he had bought in town last time, ate two pieces each, and then sat in the yard washing clothes.
"My teacher said I'm sure I'll be able to move up a grade this semester."
"Yes, it's good."
"Daqiang always says I'm not smart, but I'm clearly the top student in the class." (Last place)
"Yes, that's good."
"Mom said she'll take us to town to eat meat buns after she's done with this busy period. My brother will get one, I'll get one, my third brother will get one, and Mom will get one too."
"Yes, it's good."
Zhou Lexing listened to the conversation between Gu Jiansheng and Zhou Shusheng and couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle.
After Zhou Lexing hung up the clothes, Zhou Yuanxiang also returned home. As soon as she got back, she rushed into the kitchen to cook. She only spoke after the dishes were on the table.
“It’s nothing serious, Mr. Jian, don’t worry.”
Zhou Lexing glanced at his mother and knew there was more to the story, but seeing her comforting Gu Jiansheng, he didn't say anything more.
Except for Zhou Shusheng, everyone else ate the meal somewhat absentmindedly.
After dinner, Zhou Lexing escorted Gu Jiansheng home, but when they arrived at the door, Gu Jiansheng slammed the door shut, indicating that he didn't intend to let Zhou Lexing in.
Zhou Lexing asked in surprise, "What's wrong?"
Gu Jiansheng lowered his head: "I'm tired. You should go back and get some sleep too."
Zhou Lexing looked at him for a while before nodding: "Okay. See you tomorrow."
Gu Jiansheng didn't respond. Seeing Zhou Lexing waiting for him, he hesitated before saying, "Goodbye."
Zhou Lexing started walking back, his gaze casually sweeping across the alley to the side before he stopped.
He Huaizhi leaned against the wall, hands in his pockets, and smiled and nodded at him: "What a coincidence."
Zhou Lexing frowned: "What are you doing here?"
Gu Jiansheng peeked out and saw Zhou Lexing standing in the middle of the road, seemingly talking to someone in the alley. Curiosity gnawed at his heart, but his feet seemed rooted to the spot, unable to leave the house. After a while, he saw Zhou Lexing step into the alley.
He stood there for a moment, then finally stepped outside. But before he could even walk out, a hand reached out from the darkness behind him and covered his mouth and nose.
.
“I don’t care where you’re from or what your purpose is in coming to Zhoujia Village, but you better stay away from here and stop loitering around.”
Zhou Lexing really disliked this man, and a bad feeling was raging in his heart, but he couldn't figure out what was going on. So he simply adopted the domineering attitude of the original owner and drove the man away.
Someone who stays up all night, feeding mosquitoes near someone's house, is definitely not a good person.
He Huaizhi's smile was like a mask he wore. He wasn't annoyed by Zhou Lexing's words, but simply laughed and said, "If I don't listen, what are you planning to do to me?"
Zhou Lexing frowned even more. These words sounded strange, and coupled with the person's sticky and slurred tone, everything seemed off. He was completely baffled.
"roll."
He was straightforward and blunt, but his offensive attitude was like punching cotton.
The other person was neither angry nor afraid; instead, they reached out and touched his face.
Zhou Lexing instinctively blocked.
Their arms collided, and He Huaizhi's gentle caress instantly turned into a fierce punch. Zhou Lexing quickly parried, and the two exchanged blows for more than ten rounds. Finally, Zhou Lexing lunged forward to meet the punch, hooking his foot behind him to hook his ankle, and crossed his hands to block the incoming punch, throwing him to the ground.
"hehe."
He Huaizhi was pinned to the ground, and then laughed again, a laugh that gave Zhou Lexing goosebumps all over his body.
Are you out of your mind?
Zhou Lexing wasn't actually insulting anyone; it was just that the other person's reaction sounded too much like someone with a mental illness.
Hearing his sincere question, He Huaizhi burst into laughter again, making Zhou Lexing even more speechless. He simply let go of him, stood up, and distanced himself from him.
He Huaizhi: "You're very good."
Zhou Lexing: "..." Which mental hospital did this weirdo escape from?
He Huaizhi: "I'll remember you."
Zhou Lexing: "..." Goodbye.
This kind of deliberately lowered, pretentious tone of voice is really awkward in real life.
He Huaizhi: "I've never met anyone as unique as you."
Zhou Lexing: "..." His fist hardened.
He Huaizhi: "Actually, I..."
Zhou Lexing, unable to contain his anger any longer, clenched his fist and slammed it into the other man's face: "Shut up! You son of a bitch! This is the first time I've ever seen someone so pretentious! Are you choking on phlegm or have you got a flare-up of laryngitis?! Pretend! I'll teach you to pretend!"
He Huaizhi seemed certain that his words would move Zhou Lexing, and was completely unprepared. However, after taking a punch, he immediately lost the initiative and was forced to retreat.
In the past, Zhou Lexing wouldn't have resorted to such violence. However, as the original owner's memories gradually returned, he was still somewhat affected by the original owner's volatile temper. It's just that others dared not easily step on his landmines. In addition, after encountering this strange man today, he had been on edge, feeling something was off. The more he couldn't understand it, the more anxious and restless he became. After listening to this man's rambling pretense, he couldn't stand it anymore.
Zhou Lexing didn't hold back at all, beating the man until his face was a mess. Finally, he lifted the man up and warned, "Stay away from the Gu family. If I see you staking out here again, I'll cripple your legs!"
It must be because this man is too lewd that he is reminded of Zhou Dongqiang, who tried to climb over the Gu family's wall before, which is why he feels uncomfortable all over!
He Huaizhi struggled to lift his swollen eyelids, stared at Zhou Lexing for a while with what he thought were deep eyes, and finally smiled, making Zhou Lexing gasp in pain: "...You're very good."
Zhou Lexing: Here we go again!
Zhou Lexing wanted to continue hitting him, determined to subdue this man who had designs on the Gu family once and for all, when he suddenly heard a scream coming from the direction of the Gu family.
Zhou Lexing was stunned for a moment, then threw the person heavily to the ground and ran towards Gu Jiansheng's house.
The door to Gu Jiansheng's house was still half open, and you could hear pushing and shoving sounds coming from inside if you got close.
Zhou Lexing roared in anger, "Who?! Which bastard dares to touch my people!"
These were his trusted brothers-in-arms!
They simply don't take Zhoujia Village, the local tyrant, seriously at all!
He gripped the door frame and braked abruptly, turning to look into the dark room. The people inside looked up at the sound and froze in place. In that instant, Zhou Lexing was able to see the situation clearly.
"You guys..."
The people inside were none other than Zhou Bobo and others whom Zhou Lexing had been waiting to recruit after he came down the mountain.
Zhou Bobo and the others frantically tried to hold Gu Jiansheng down, but they never expected this seemingly weak boy to struggle so frantically. It is said that the soft fear the hard, the hard fear the ruthless, and the ruthless fear the reckless. Gu Jiansheng was that reckless one!
Caught off guard, Zhou Bobo was pinned to the ground by Gu Jiansheng, who nearly bit off the flesh from his hand. The scream he had just heard was from him.
After Zhou Lexing came down the mountain, he asked them about the situation, but Zhou's mother couldn't find anyone staking out the area near their home. He had also circled the village all day but hadn't seen anyone. He thought they were just conscripted for the busy farming season and was thinking of finishing the wall today to prevent people from breaking in. Unexpectedly, an incident occurred, and they succeeded.
Of course, Zhou Bobo and others do not agree with this statement.
Whoever succeeded ended up in this terrible state!
At first glance, it's hard to tell who the victim is!
With Gu Jiansheng pinning Zhou Bobo down, he felt as if the flesh of his hands was being devoured. Ignoring his boss's terrifying expression, he opened his mouth and screamed, "Brother Le, help! Ah—!"
Seeing that they were not getting anywhere, Zhou Lexing's emotions gradually calmed down.
He stepped forward, and everyone except Zhou Bobo, who was pinned down, immediately retreated.
Zhou Lexing didn't call out to them, but slowly walked up to Zhou Bobo and squatted down: "Are you scared now?" How could the brothers he had taken in be easy to bully?
As Zhou Lexing pondered, he completely forgot his panicked state just now, but he didn't even take into account the fighting strength of the brothers he had taken for granted.
Zhou Bobo burst into tears: "Brother Le, I was wrong! Waaah..." Why is he always the one who gets hurt?
Gu Jiansheng finally snapped out of his extreme fear. The ringing in his ears hadn't subsided, but the familiar voice still vaguely reached his ears. He felt a familiar embrace around his waist, pulling him back, and he obediently opened his mouth.
"Go and fetch a glass of water."
Zhou Lexing gently pinched Gu Jiansheng's chin to keep him from closing his mouth. In the dim light, he couldn't see clearly, so he put his fingers into Gu Jiansheng's mouth to check if his teeth were loose. Seeing that everything was fine, he finally relaxed.
With Zhou Lexing around, none of them dared to utter a single word.
Zhou Xiaoxiao, being the most astute, immediately took on the task, running to the water vat to scoop water, only to find it empty. He scratched his head, then had no choice but to go to the well to draw water, carefully handing over the water ladle.
Zhou Lexing glanced at him but didn't say anything. He took the bag and let Gu Jiansheng rinse his mouth.
Gu Jiansheng was still trembling a little, and after a while he obediently lowered his head.
"Alright, you can go back now."
These people were the brothers that the original owner recognized. Zhou Lexing would naturally not follow the original owner's old path, but he would not mistreat them either.
But since things had already happened, Zhou Lexing decided to temper their arrogance and hostility.
What kind of underling would stake out someone just because their boss is on good terms with someone else?
If this temper isn't curbed, it'll probably cause even bigger trouble in the future.
Sure enough, upon hearing his words, the group was even more uneasy than if Zhou Lexing had directly attacked them.
The long-haired man, Li Cheng, was the first to jump out: "Brother Le, this was my idea, hit me! Hit me however you want, I'll take it! Don't distance yourself from the brothers!"
Zhou Bobo, with tears in his eyes, said, "Brother Le, I betrayed you before, but you still punish me."
Liu Hainan and Li Dagang looked depressed. They had also contributed ideas to this matter, but judging from Zhou Lexing's attitude, they knew that although this young Gu had arrived late, he definitely held more weight in Brother Le's heart than they did.
Sure enough, this young Gu was no simpleton. But no matter what he thought, Li Dagang still chimed in, "Brother Le, don't be angry. We'll all listen to you. Don't abandon us."
Mushroom-headed Zhou Xiaobing just wiped away his tears. He had just been terrified by Gu Jiansheng, and now he was stunned by Zhou Lexing.
He didn't like fighting or causing trouble at all; he just wanted to be able to act with these brothers no matter what. But Zhou Lexing's words made it sound like he wanted to drive them away forever.
Zhou Xiaoxiao, though small in stature, was quite shrewd. Seeing that everyone else had spoken up but the eldest brother remained unmoved, he rolled his eyes and said, "Eldest brother, you haven't been taking care of us lately. Li Wu from the next village has started bullying us. We're having a hard time right now."
"Actually, we're not trying to do anything to Gu. We just want to have a good talk with him and tell him to stop clinging to you. We're your little brothers too. Why can he be with you, Brother Le, every day, while we're stuck wandering around the village by ourselves? Brother Le, you have no idea how anxious we are when we don't see you. We used to be inseparable, we'd even share the same farts and poops. Now..."
Zhou Xiaoxiao kept talking, while the others stared at him blankly, and Zhou Lexing even got goosebumps all over his body.
Why is tonight so eerie?
Why does everyone talk so in a sticky, incoherent way? It's disgusting.
Fortunately, it was Zhou Xiaoxiao who said those words. Because he is young, the impact was much milder. Otherwise, if someone else had said those words, Zhou Lexing probably would have been unable to resist throwing his slipper at them.
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