Free-range chickens and factory-farmed chickens
Zhou Shusheng's educational problems are neither major nor minor, but they are still quite troublesome to discuss.
His family didn't expect him to amount to anything. They sent him to primary school because no one else in the family could take care of him.
At that time, my three older brothers were either in the army or studying.
Zhou Lexing, who later graduated from high school, couldn't find a job, but he looked down on his younger brother and was still busy with his own troublesome affairs, so he naturally didn't care about Zhou Shusheng.
Zhou's mother was busy from morning till night, and could only send Zhou Shusheng to the primary school, so that at least someone would look after him.
But with repeated grade repetitions, the teachers inevitably had to say a few words.
When it comes to primary school, Zhou Shusheng also has his own thoughts.
"Brother, can I skip school?"
Zhou Lexing was rolling up Zhou Shusheng's trouser legs by the Hutou Creek when he casually asked about summer homework. Zhou Shusheng then asked in a pitiful tone.
He glanced up and saw that Zhou Shusheng's mouth was so wide it could hold an oil bottle, so he couldn't help but laugh and say, "What? Is someone bullying you at school?"
His words were just casual remarks. After all, although Zhou Shusheng was only 17 years old, his physique was considered robust even among adult men, let alone among a third-grade kid.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Shusheng's round eyes welled up with tears.
Zhou Lexing: "...Did your classmate bully you?"
Zhou Shusheng gave a pitiful "hmm," clutching the hem of his clothes with both hands, looking like a saw-mouthed gourd again.
"What? Is there something you can't tell your brother?"
Zhou Lexing stood up and pinched his round cheeks again.
"Mom told me not to say anything more; she told me to call back myself."
Zhou Shusheng muttered to himself in a low voice.
Zhou Lexing thought about it and realized that it made perfect sense.
Although Zhou Shusheng is already 17 years old, which is not considered a child by law, everyone in the village knows about his special circumstances.
If adults get involved in children's affairs, the nature of the situation changes, and the two families will inevitably fight, which will turn into enmity.
"Then why didn't you fight back?"
With Zhou Shusheng's physique, he could probably take down a kid with a single punch.
When Zhou Shusheng heard this question, he remained silent.
Zhou Lexing didn't expect to solve the problem immediately, and seeing that he was unwilling to talk about it, he didn't force him: "Go ahead. Didn't you say you were going to catch a fish for me as an extra meal?"
The stream they came to wasn't rushing; it was just shallow, barely reaching their ankles. The clear water shimmered like sparkling crystals in the sunlight, and upon closer inspection, they could see many small creatures in the clear water.
When Zhou Shusheng heard his third brother say that, he looked at him for a while, and seeing that Zhou Lexing really didn't intend to ask about it, he became happy again: "Hmm!"
Seeing that he had gone off to play happily, Zhou Lexing turned around and went to find Zhou Lixing.
But before he could even reach Zhou Lixing's side, he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure in the distance.
Zhou Lexing looked closely and indeed it was Gu Jiansheng, the one who had unsettled him yesterday.
He walked alone, without carrying a basket or tools, and went straight into the mountains.
Zhou Lexing frowned.
"What? You got bitten again?"
Seeing him stop there, Zhou Lixing called out a question, casually put the cut wormwood into the bamboo basket, and took out the herbal ointment he had prepared in his pocket.
"...Thanks, bro."
Zhou Lexing didn't refuse and took it to wipe the newly sprouted mosquito bites on his arm.
"Brother, do you know Gu Jiansheng?"
"Gu Jiansheng?" There really was only one person with the surname Gu in the village. Zhou Lixing nodded and said, "Of course I know him. What's wrong? Did you marry him?"
How come he's the one who hired someone else?
He is a truly honest and exemplary young man.
Zhou Lexing protested inwardly, but didn't dwell on the question aloud: "Then do you know where his father went?"
Zhou Lixing: "I think he died? What exactly do you want?"
Zhou Lexing: "It's nothing. Didn't Mom ask me to take good care of him yesterday? So I have to find out a bit about him so as not to offend him."
Zhou Lixing smiled slightly, revealing his sly nature again: "Our mother? You can have her?" The unspoken sarcasm in his words was palpable.
It's not surprising that Zhou Lixing views his younger brother this way; his third brother has been a bad influence ever since graduating from high school, spending his days hanging out with a bunch of hooligans.
Zhou Lixing was worried that one day he would have to go to the town's police station to pick up his people. He just hoped that his father wouldn't beat him up, let alone offer any special care.
Zhou Lexing: "Hey, hey, bro, that's not fair of you. What did I do? I treated him to cucumber salad yesterday."
Although the knife broke, we didn't get to eat it.
Speaking of this, Zhou Lexing finally remembered something he had forgotten yesterday. He had completely forgotten to mention the boiled peanuts that Gu Jiansheng had brought, because he was distracted by the feather duster incident.
Zhou Lixing gave a noncommittal reply, picked up his bamboo basket, and headed to find wild fruits nearby.
Zhou Lexing followed behind him: "Brother, do you know why he couldn't think straight?"
The news of Gu Jiansheng cutting his wrists spread throughout the entire village that very day, and even Zhou Lixing, who had just arrived yesterday, found out about it today.
"He was probably bullied," Zhou Lixing said casually, then suddenly felt that this case was perfect for admonishing his third brother, so he added, "I saw him being surrounded by those hooligans in the village alley earlier, and it didn't look like the first time. He's soft-hearted, and maybe he felt hopeless about life, so he simply wanted to die." So, one shouldn't take pleasure in bullying others or doing things that are morally reprehensible; you never know when you might commit murder.
Zhou Lixing didn't say what came next; everything was left unsaid.
Zhou Lexing, recalling Gu Jiansheng's innocent, rabbit-like appearance surrounded by a group of thugs, felt a surge of anger and pressed, "Did you help him, brother?"
Zhou Lixing: "No."
Seeing Zhou Lexing's shocked and disappointed expression, he pursed his lips and said, "I can help him once, and I can help him a second time, but not a third time? If a person doesn't stand up for himself, no one can help him."
At first glance, this statement seemed quite reasonable, but for some reason, in Zhou Lexing's memory, Gu Jiansheng's figure walking into the mountains was inexplicably shrouded in a layer of resolute and bitterness.
The more Zhou Lexing thought about it, the more panicked he felt.
Could it be that Gu Jiansheng ran off to the mountains to commit suicide?
In these deep mountains and forests, few people visit.
If the man had really died inside, he wouldn't have had the luck of being discovered by the old hunter; if he were ever found again, he would probably just be a pile of bones.
Zhou Lexing couldn't stand it any longer when he thought about how Gu Jiansheng's youthful and handsome appearance had turned into a skeleton the next day.
"Brother, I have to go now! Keep an eye on Shusheng!"
After Zhou Lexing finished speaking, he turned and ran away, not even bothering to look at his brother's face, which turned ugly in an instant.
"You brat! Get back here!"
Judging from his flustered manner, nothing good is going to happen.
But when Zhou Lixing saw the figures catching fish over at Hutou Creek, he had no choice but to stop.
"This kid..."
Zhou Lixing gritted his teeth.
If Zhou Lexing dares to cause trouble again, he will definitely not let him off easily this time.
Zhou Lexing had no idea that his second brother was figuring out how to deal with him.
He ran along the dirt road where he had seen Gu Jiansheng, but once he entered the mountains, he was completely lost.
"Gu Jiansheng—!"
Zhou Lexing could only use the most basic methods to find people, hoping that even if the other party wanted to harm him, they would at least show some sense of ceremony.
Otherwise, given Gu Jiansheng's taciturn nature, he would probably be dead by now.
But instead of receiving a response from Gu Jiansheng, Zhou Lexing encountered an unexpected person.
"Huh? It's you?"
The man who emerged from the woods was wearing a slightly yellowed white shirt, and his hair was styled with gel. He had two dark circles under his eyes, and his face was oily and covered in fine sweat.
He frowned and questioned Zhou Lexing as soon as he saw him.
But after the man's gaze swept over Zhou Lexing, it became sticky again, and he deliberately lowered his voice and said.
"Not Gu, it'll be you. I knew you had feelings for me, and you'd been hiding it all along. How could I not understand?"
Zhou Lexing: "???"
"Hehehe, what are you shy about? Come here and let me give you a hug."
Zhou Lexing: "!!!"
"ah--!"
The visual impact and psychological attack of a greasy-faced, powder-haired man rushing towards you are still considerable.
Before Zhou Lexing could even search for any trace of this person in the original owner's fragmented memories, he reflexively kicked out.
That kick was something else entirely.
The man, who weighed at least a hundred pounds, was sent flying. A scream pierced the sky, followed by a muffled thud. He crashed into a tree trunk and slid down, motionless.
Zhou Lexing: "..."
He looked at his outstretched foot, then at the man who had been thrown out. Even if yesterday's cleaver incident hadn't made him realize the truth, he was starting to understand now.
Although the original owner and he were not exactly alike, they were at least 70% alike. This was one of the reasons why Zhou Lexing felt so close to the original owner's family. Even though he maintained a habit of exercising in the gym every day after work, his strength was still no match for the original owner who had been rolling around in the fields and mountains.
So, is this really the difference between free-range chickens and factory-farmed chickens?
Zhou Lexing was stunned by the original owner's power. Seeing that the person was indeed still, he cautiously stepped forward.
"Hey." Zhou Lexing kept a safe distance and casually picked up a twig to poke the other person's head.
It's not that he's cautious but careless; the guy's crazy behavior just now really scared his straight heart.
Even if he didn't realize the meaning behind the man's words at the time, they were both men, and he had seen trash before. He quickly realized that the other person was flirting with him!
If the kick hadn't been so powerful, Zhou Lexing would definitely have fought this person to a standstill with his fists.
Seeing the person slumping their head and not responding, Zhou Lexing couldn't help but click his tongue, feeling uneasy.
Anyone who's walking along and suddenly gets harassed by a greasy guy, only to have him back down before they even have a chance to retaliate, is bound to feel uncomfortable.
But Zhou Lexing still remembered the purpose of his trip into the mountains. Seeing that the man wouldn't wake up anytime soon, he simply got up and prepared to continue looking for Gu Jiansheng.
Unexpectedly, as soon as Zhou Lexing turned around, he saw the figure he had been searching for standing not far behind him. The figure had no expression on its fair face, but a pair of bright black eyes were staring straight at him, which startled Zhou Lexing at first, but then he gave a big smile.
"Gu Jiansheng! I've finally found you!"
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