"Rongyuan, how about we have a game of wrestling? There's no point in hiding like this!" Seeing that neither of them could hit the other, Fu Weiting simply suggested wrestling with Zhang Rongyuan.
However, Zhang Rongyuan remained silent this time, searching for a better hiding place among several large rocks.
Seeing no response, Fu Weiting tried calling out again, but still no one answered. The two remained locked in this stalemate, neither daring to reveal their hiding place to the other. But the summer sun was scorching; despite hiding behind a large rock, they were both hot and thirsty.
"Rong Yuan, Rong Yuan!" Fu Weiting called out twice more, but there was still no response.
Could it be that he left quietly? Fu Weiting wondered to himself. He couldn't help but stick his head out to look at the rock where Zhang Rongyuan had been hiding, and then called out a few more times, but there was still no response.
The deathly silence inexplicably stirred a sense of panic in Fu Weiting.
Driven by fear, he instinctively stepped out from behind the rocks and headed towards the spot where Zhang Rongyuan had been hiding. When he suddenly reached the place where Zhang Rongyuan had been hiding, slingshot in hand, he found no one there. It was indeed empty.
At this moment, Fu Weiting became even more certain of his thoughts: Zhang Rongyuan had quietly left. A sense of relief washed over him, and his previous guard instantly relaxed. He also put down the slingshot in his hand.
What a coward! He just ran away like that!
Fu Weiting was talking to himself, but before he could finish his sentence, he felt a sharp gust of wind beside his ear, and a small stone flew from above and struck him in the heart with a "thud." Instantly, blue dye powder gushed out of the bullet and stained his clothes.
"Brother Weiting, who are you calling a coward!" Zhang Rongyuan's voice came clearly from the upper left.
Fu Weiting looked in astonishment towards the sound, only to see that hateful face emerging from behind a large tree. This tree was nearly two hundred years old. The Fourth Prince's mansion was originally built on the site of a former Ming Dynasty official's residence. It was precisely because of the garden and this large tree within it that the Fourth Prince chose this location. The tree's trunk was so large that it would take Zhang Rongyuan and Fu Weiting holding hands to encircle it, so Zhang Rongyuan climbing the tree and hiding behind it truly allowed him to avoid being seen.
"You actually deceived me, deliberately remaining silent to lure me into revealing myself!" Fu Weiting glared angrily at Zhang Rongyuan, who was all smiles, as if he had suddenly forgotten the little boy who used to follow him around. Because Fu Weiting was two years older than Zhang Rongyuan, and their families were close friends, Zhang Rongyuan had often followed Fu Weiting around. In Fu Weiting's eyes, he had always treated Zhang Rongyuan as a child, which was why it was Fu Weiting who spoke up in protest when Da and A insulted them.
“Brother Weiting, Sun Tzu’s Art of War says ‘all warfare is based on deception.’ I didn’t really deceive you. You were just too careless and thought I was no match for you, which is why you lost to me!” Zhang Rongyuan said seriously, then slowly climbed down from the tree.
Fu Weiting kept staring at Zhang Rongyuan, as if he didn't recognize his little brother. The latter walked up to him, grinned, and said, "Brother Weiting, don't be angry. I won this time, but you are still my Brother Weiting."
Fu Weiting wasn't a petty person after all; he had only been momentarily stunned and annoyed with himself for being so careless. Now, he had recovered from the frustration of defeat and said with an awkward laugh, "I underestimated you! Next time, you won't be so good."
Meanwhile, Lanqin was unaware that her two good comrades had already "fallen in battle," and she was simply running towards the water source.
Suddenly, a figure flashed past in front of her, and before she could dodge, a bullet was fired at her. Coincidentally, Lanqin had been in a panic and hadn't paid attention to her footing. She tripped over a small stone and fell to the ground, narrowly avoiding the bullet.
Before she could even cry out in pain, the figure flashed out from the artificial hill in front of her again; it was Da and A.
"Aunt Niu, are you alright?" Since Da Yu and Lan Qin stopped arguing, he was no longer as arrogant as before. In reality, he was a very honest boy, possessing only a strong sense of justice and straightforwardness. Seeing Lan Qin fall to the ground seemingly hit by his bullet, he assumed he had fired too hard. Because he had quickly hidden behind a rock after firing, he hadn't had time to see how Lan Qin had fallen.
"I'm fine, but you're in trouble now!" Lan Qin had just stood up from the ground when she raised the slingshot in her hand, and then pulled back with her other hand, solemnly shooting a bullet into Da Yu'a's chest.
“Aunt Niu, you—” Da and Aben wanted to say that she was a scoundrel, but they found that Lanqin had no dye on her at all, which meant that the bullet he had just fired had not hit Lanqin.
"It's extremely dangerous to expose yourself to the enemy without confirming whether they've lost their ability to attack. Da Yu, do you understand?" Lan Qin patted her knee, which had just bumped into the ground; it still hurt a little.
"I've got it." Da and A were completely convinced and "fell in battle."
Lanqin patted Da and A on the shoulder, then turned and left.
At the water source, Su Peisheng and his men stood in the scorching heat, without even a shady spot, yet dared not move an inch. Honghui hid not far from them, waiting for a long time, but still no one appeared. Several times, he wanted to go out and get some water, but each time he restrained himself. What if there were enemy soldiers lying in ambush on the other side? If he went out, wouldn't he become easy prey?
When Honghui rejected Lanqin's suggestion to follow his mother's wishes, he was conflicted and torn. Children naturally love to play, but his mother always made him study, never noticing the casual laughter and playfulness he shared with his mother and Aunt Niu. Although Aunt Niu was a woman his mother disliked, Honghui found it difficult to truly hate her.
When Honghui put on the field uniform designed by Lanqin, heaven knows how excited and happy he was. With his father's involvement, he seemed to have transformed, brimming with curiosity and energy. Even now, lying here motionless, enduring hunger and thirst, he still felt joyful.
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