Thank you gift
When Chen Bozhou limped back home, it was already noon.
"What's wrong with you?" Seeing his miserable appearance, Shen's mother hurried over, not even having time to put down the needlework in her hands.
"I accidentally twisted my ankle, it's no big deal." Chen Bozhou waved his hand and sat down on the stone bench in the yard.
Chen Bozhou's brother, Chen Boyuan, walked out of the house. Seeing him like this, he frowned slightly and said, "Going to the mountains again? I've told you many times that the mountains behind are dangerous and you shouldn't go too deep."
"Brother, I'm fine." Chen Bozhou didn't care, but the thin figure appeared in his mind, "By the way, do you know the child of Grandma Yun? Her name is Yunwu."
Mother Shen was checking his injuries. When she heard this, she looked up and said, "Yunwu? That child is a loner and rarely interacts with others. Why are you asking about him suddenly?"
Chen Bozhou briefly recounted his experience of being in danger in the mountains and being saved by the clouds and fog. At the end, he added, "His herbal medicine is really effective. After applying it for a short time, the swelling has gone down a lot."
Chen Boyuan seemed to be thinking, "The Yun family's kid does know some herbs and often goes to the town's medicine shop to exchange them for money. But his family is poor and his grandmother is bedridden all year round, so life is difficult."
Chen Bozhou looked down at his neatly bandaged ankle. The thin strip of cloth had been washed white, but it was exceptionally clean and soft. He suddenly felt a little uncomfortable.
The next morning, Shen Bozhou's foot injury had mostly healed. He picked up the hares and pheasants he had hunted the day before, picked the fattest one, and headed straight for the west end of the village.
The Yun family lived at the westernmost end of the village, near the foot of the mountain. It was a dilapidated thatched house with low walls that barely enclosed a small courtyard.
Chen Bozhou stood outside the yard and could see that the yard was tidy. There were a few unknown medicinal herbs planted in the corner of the wall and some wild vegetables drying in the sun.
He was just hesitating about how to speak when the wooden door creaked open. An old lady with silver hair came out with a cane and was slightly startled when she saw him.
"You are..." Grandma Yun squinted her eyes and looked at him.
"Hello, grandma. I am Bozhou from the Shen family." Shen Bozhou hurriedly stepped forward and handed over the hare in his hand. "Yunwu helped me the day before yesterday, and I came here specially to thank him."
Grandma Yun looked at the hare in his hand and shook her head: "Wu'er should help you. This gift is too great to accept."
"Grandma, this is just a little gift from me..." Before Chen Bozhou finished speaking, he caught a glimpse of a thin figure returning home with a bamboo basket on his back on a small road in the distance.
Yunwu obviously saw him as well, paused slightly, and then continued walking, but stopped not far away, looking at this side quietly, without moving forward.
In the morning light, he looked even thinner, his washed-out clothes swayed gently in the wind, and his eyes remained calm.
Chen Bozhou waved at him: "Clouds and mist!"
Yunwu nodded slightly as a response, but still stood there.
Grandma Yun sighed, "Child, we appreciate your kindness. But Wu'er is a very independent person and is not used to receiving favors from others."
Chen Bozhou wanted to say something, but seeing that Yunwu had no intention of approaching, he had no choice but to put the rabbit on the stone pier at the gate: "Then I'll put the rabbit here, you must accept it."
After saying this, he smiled in Yunwu's direction and turned to leave. After walking a dozen steps, he looked back and saw that Yunwu had walked to Grandma's side, lowering his head and saying something, but he never touched the hare.
Chen Bozhou felt a little disappointed, but he also became more determined to get closer to this young man.
Over the next few days, Chen Bozhou would frequently visit the Yun family, sometimes bringing a bundle of freshly chopped firewood, sometimes a pheasant he had hunted, and each time he would simply drop it off and leave without staying for long.
Yunwu always avoided seeing him, either going up the mountain to collect herbs or staying indoors. Only once did Chen Bozhou see him drying herbs in the yard from a distance. Just as he was about to say hello, Yunwu turned and went back into the house.
That day, Chen Bozhou was chatting with a few young people under a big tree in the village and inadvertently mentioned the clouds and fog.
"That guy is really weird. He never interacts with people," a young man said with a sneer. "Last time I wanted to buy some herbs from him, he didn't even bargain. He just gave me the best ones, as if he didn't care about money at all."
Another person added, "My mother said he was stupid. Grandma Yun is sick. It would be great if she could get more money to buy some good supplements for her health."
"He's not stupid," an older woman shook her head. "Last time, when my child had a fever, he sent me herbs to reduce the fever overnight, free of charge. He's just not a talkative person."
Chen Bozhou listened silently, and became more and more curious about the clouds and fog.
Two days later, Shen Bozhou's foot injury was completely healed. He went up the mountain early in the morning and deliberately went around to the place where he was in danger last time. Sure enough, on the cliff not far away, he saw Yunwu collecting herbs.
Yunwu, a hemp rope tied around his waist, was suspended in mid-air, carefully using a small medicinal hoe to dig out a herb growing in a crevice. The sun shone on him, and beads of sweat formed on his forehead.
Chen Bozhou didn't dare to make a sound to disturb them, and stood under the tree watching with bated breath.
Suddenly, the rope rubbed against the rock and made a harsh sound. The knot tied to the tree was loosening!
"Be careful!" Chen Bozhou rushed forward and pulled the rope tightly before it completely loosened.
Yunwu was startled. When she looked down and saw that it was him, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, but then she regained her composure and, with the help of his strength, climbed to the top of the cliff swiftly.
"Thank you." Yunwu said softly. This was the first time Chen Bozhou heard him express his gratitude in full.
"I should be the one thanking you," Chen Bozhou grinned, "If it weren't for you last time, I would have become a meal for the wild boar."
Yunwu shook her head slightly and began to pick up the herbs scattered on the ground.
Chen Bozhou helped him pick up a few plants and asked casually, "Did you eat the wild rabbit I gave you?"
Yun Wu paused and whispered, "Grandma refused to take it, so I left it at Aunt Li's door. Her daughter-in-law just gave birth and needs to replenish her body."
Chen Bozhou was stunned. He never expected him to do this.
Yunwu looked up at him, her eyes clear. "We appreciate your kindness. But grandma said that we shouldn't expect anything in return for our kindness, so we shouldn't accept things for nothing."
"What if it's a gift between friends?" Chen Bozhou blurted out.
Yun Wu was visibly stunned, his long eyelashes trembling slightly, as if he had never considered such a possibility. After a long moment, he whispered, "I don't have any friends."
These words were said calmly, but they made Chen Bozhou's heart tighten.
"Now I have it." Chen Bozhou patted his chest, "I, Chen Bozhou, have decided to make you my friend."
Yunwu did not respond, but did not refuse either. He just silently picked up the bamboo basket and prepared to go down the mountain.
Chen Bozhou followed him, constantly telling him interesting stories about the village and occasionally asking questions about herbs. Yunwu was mostly silent, but occasionally he would give a brief reply.
When they were near the Yun family, Chen Bozhou stopped knowingly and said, "I'm going to town tomorrow. Do you want to come with me to sell herbs?"
Yunwu hesitated for a moment and nodded slightly.
Chen Bozhou was delighted as he watched Yunwu walk into the dilapidated thatched house. He suddenly felt that this seemingly cold boy might be softer at heart than anyone else.
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