He loves Chen Yunqi, and he also loves his hometown and family. But if he were really given the choice, he thinks he would rather follow Chen Yunqi far away and live a completely different life than before. He's willing to do anything as long as he's with him.
Chen Yunqi was probably exhausted; his breathing was heavy. San San resisted the urge to hug him, kiss him, and hold his hand. She turned to look out the window, wondering if everything before her was a vivid illusion or a sweet nightmare.
Sheng Xiaoyan, who was sitting across from them at a small table, was holding a book in her hands. She was looking down at the densely packed pages, but she couldn't see a single word. Instead, she kept glancing at her brother and Chen Yunqi out of the corner of her eye.
Girls her age only have a vague understanding of love between men and women, yet they are filled with beautiful longings. Many of her classmates are engrossed in watching various romance dramas and TV series, and during breaks they would sit together and discuss their ignorant and naive views. Only her family didn't have a TV, nor did they have the spare money to buy her entertainment magazines or internet access. She could only listen casually from the sidelines, trying to remember some things, and then savor them alone behind closed doors, with no one to share them with.
She knew that so-called love usually only happens between a man and a woman, but when she saw her brother and Teacher Chen's eyes meeting every time, and their eyes revealing something that couldn't be hidden or explained, she felt very puzzled. Her intuition told her that something seemed wrong.
She also regarded Teacher Chen as an object of admiration and fantasy, but those were just the thoughts of a young girl in love, fleeting like duckweed, unreliable and short-lived, easily dissipating in the winds of yesterday as time and age increased. Yet she was still somewhat jealous, jealous that her brother could enter the adult world before her, and could speak freely with Teacher Chen without regard to age.
When the two of them were together, the brother's infatuation, care, and consideration for Teacher Chen were just like those dramatic heroines in the classmates' stories, while Teacher Chen was like the male lead, spoiling and indulging the brother in her words and actions.
They treated her like an innocent child, acting so recklessly in front of her, not realizing that the fourteen-year-old girl saw and remembered everything, and gradually became suspicious.
What exactly are they doing? What's wrong with them?
It was late at night when they returned to Tianyun Village. San San's mother had received the news and was already waiting at the foot of the mountain with her horse. Back at San San's house, Chen Yunqi put down his things but didn't even rest. He planned to go to Li Hanqiang's house to see if Li Jun had returned yet, but San San's parents persuaded him not to, saying that Li Hanqiang and his wife were definitely asleep at this hour, and that Li Jun wasn't new to being out there, so nothing would happen to him. Only then did he feel relieved and return to his place.
The holiday had already started, and the school was dark and empty. There were no other teachers besides him. San San's father couldn't bear to see him all alone and neglected, so he persuaded him to stay at home. Chen Yunqi didn't refuse and readily moved in.
He lay on San San's bed at night, counting the days on his fingers. It was already the end of January, and in five days it would be Lunar New Year's Eve. San San's birthday was the tenth day of the first lunar month, which would be February 9th according to the lunar calendar.
After calculating the date, Chen Yunqi started planning what kind of birthday gift to give San San. However, he couldn't find anywhere to buy anything, good or bad. The only thing he could think of was to ask someone to buy it and send it to him. He thought of Yu Xiaosong, wondering when he would be going abroad and if he could help him pick out a gift for him overseas.
Just as he thought of this, he suddenly snapped back to reality and spat at himself several times in the darkness. Why did he have to provoke Yu Xiaosong again? Being with San San had already hurt him again without his knowledge, so how could he have the nerve to add fuel to the fire by asking him to help buy things for San San?
Chen Yunqi felt that there must be something wrong with his brain. He rubbed his temples and quickly suppressed this shameless thought.
He turned over, wrapped himself tightly in the blanket, and suddenly felt that he could still smell San San's scent on his body.
San San was sleeping in the next room, curled up like a kitten. He was wearing what looked like the same gray thermal underwear, the rough fabric clinging to his slender waist. When his eyes were closed, his long, dark eyelashes trembled slightly beneath his wispy hair. During his climax, he would call out Chen Yunqi's name in a daze of passion...
"Brother...Teacher Chen..."
Chen Yunqi closed his eyes tightly, and the crazy scenes from last night reappeared vividly in his mind.
Panting, moaning, trembling.
Once he'd tasted the sweetness, he couldn't stop. Chen Yunqi racked his brains but couldn't find any reason to restrain himself. He was trapped in complete darkness, desperately and greedily reaching for his swollen, hard self.
Chapter Thirty-Seven: Slaughtering the Pig
Chen Yunqi brazenly moved into San San's house with his bedding. He took over San San's bed, so San San had to sleep in Sheng Xiaoyan's room, and Sheng Xiaoyan was forced to sleep with her parents.
The morning after returning from Haiyuan County, Chen Yunqi got up early to pick up Xiao San San from Li Laoqi's house. Li Laoqi's three children had also returned home for the holidays. When Chen Yunqi arrived, the three children were playing with Xiao San San at the door.
Li Laoqi's eldest daughter is named Li Qin, and she is already in the second year of junior high school. The second son is named Li Dong, who is only one year younger than his youngest daughter, Li Ye, and they are both in the third grade of elementary school.
Li Dong looked very much like his third aunt, with a short, cropped scalp revealing his dark skin, and even his voice was somewhat hoarse like his mother's. He stood listlessly facing the walnut tree in front of their house, one end of a rubber band tied to the trunk and the other to his leg, while the two sisters were jumping around happily. He stared blankly elsewhere, clutching a wooden toy airplane in his hand, unwilling to be stuck here as a prop for his older and younger sisters, yet afraid to resist, he could only silently pray that time would pass quickly.
Little San San seemed to recognize Chen Yunqi. As soon as he approached, it bleated and ran over to his feet. He bent down and picked it up. The three Li children, not recognizing him, stood there staring at him. Li Qin, being the older girl, was a little shy, but Li Dong and Li Ye were not shy at all and joined in, asking all at once, "Who are you? Is this lamb yours?"
Chen Yunqi could tell who they were just by looking at them, so he smiled and nodded, asking, "Are your parents home?"
"Yes!" Li Dong answered quickly, "My family is slaughtering a pig! My dad and mom are preparing."
These past few days, every household in the mountains has been slaughtering pigs and sheep in preparation for the Lunar New Year. After a year of hard work, families with larger households and better financial situations will slaughter two of their biggest and fattest pigs to render lard, fry crispy pork, make sausages, and smoke cured meat. The cured meat and sausages of Southwest China are renowned for their deliciousness and long shelf life. Hanging in a cool, shady room to be smoked and dried, they don't easily spoil or mold. Making a large batch at once can last a year.
Li Laoqi came out of the house carrying a bucket of water. Seeing Chen Yunqi arrive, he quickly invited him inside. Seeing the three children still playing outside, he called them back as well, introducing them, "This is Mr. Chen, the new teacher at the school. Am I right? Isn't he exceptionally handsome?"
Li Ye nodded vigorously in agreement, took out a piece of fruit candy from her pocket, and handed it to Chen Yunqi, saying, "Teacher Chen, I'll treat you to this candy."
Seeing her polite and courteous manner, Chen Yunqi thought to himself, "Children who study away from home are indeed different; they know how to handle things." He smiled and declined gently, saying, "Teacher doesn't want any; you can keep it for yourself."
Seeing this, Third Sister quickly took out a cardboard box from the cupboard and opened it. Inside were milk candies and chocolates. She grabbed a handful of candies and stuffed them into Chen Yunqi's hand, then grabbed more, saying, "Have some, there's plenty. My sister sent them. We don't like the taste, and it would be a waste if they went bad if no one ate them."
When Chen Yunqi was a child, he loved sweets. His mother told him not to eat too many, but his grandfather would always secretly give him some. Whenever he pestered his grandfather for candy, his grandfather would make Chen Yunqi lie on the wall with his eyes covered so he wouldn't peek. Then his grandfather would hide the candy and tell him to find it himself. Under flowerpots, inside cigarette cans, behind radios—he would always find it. A few pieces of candy would magically appear in those places.
Chen Yunqi's sugar addiction was almost extreme. If there was no sugar, he would scoop out a spoonful of cooking sugar from a jar and eat it. He would also need to have a piece of sugar in his mouth after brushing his teeth before he could fall asleep. From a medical perspective, this might be a physiological or psychological condition. Later, all his teeth became decayed. A bus driver at his mother's workplace would call him "Little Black Teeth" whenever he saw him.
When his toothache flared up, he would roll on the ground, clutching his cheek, and shout that he would never eat candy again. But after getting his tooth filled and returning home, when the pain subsided, he would cling to his grandfather's lap and whine for candy.
My grandfather had a small cabinet that was usually locked, and only he had the key. After he passed away, when his family was sorting through his belongings, everyone saw for the first time what was locked inside—besides some odds and ends, there was a large bag of candy, the kind of candy he used to perform magic tricks for Chen Yunqi.
That bag of candy weighed as much as half a bag of rice. Chen Yunqi took it all home and placed it by his bedside. He ate it every day until much of it expired, melted, and went bad before he finished it all, leaving not a single grain.
Since then, he has rarely eaten sweets. Occasionally, Yu Xiaosong would suddenly slip a candy into his mouth while he was doing homework or watching a movie, or ask him to share his afternoon tea desserts. If he refused, Yu Xiaosong would chase after him with a small spoon, trying to feed him. Yu Xiaosong led a refined life; he was keen on buying all sorts of chocolates and expensively packaged imported candies. He often emphasized the benefits of eating chocolate to Chen Yunqi, such as improving memory, promoting dopamine secretion, and enhancing sexual happiness, but he never asked him the real reason he didn't eat it. Chen Yunqi had several porcelain veneers, and Yu Xiaosong naturally assumed it was because he had developed a psychological aversion to dentistry from childhood, as he avoided dental checkups every year, even avoiding areas near the dentist.
That day in Haiyuan County, he inexplicably bought two pieces of chocolate, which later came in handy at a crucial moment. San San ate half a piece on the mountaintop, and one day he casually gave the remaining half to Huang Yelin. Huang Yelin took a bite and threw it aside, spitting out the half he was already eating, saying it tasted awful. Children in the mountains rarely eat dairy products, let alone imported goods like chocolate. They think milk candy has a fishy smell, and chocolate is bitter and strange. Only San San could get used to it.
So Chen Yunqi used the other piece to feed San San. San San was sitting at the table, deep in thought about a math problem, when suddenly a small piece of something slightly bitter and sweet was stuffed into his mouth. He turned to look at Chen Yunqi with the chocolate in his mouth, and Chen Yunqi raised his eyebrows and said to him, "Chocolate helps improve intelligence. Eat it and you'll be able to do the problems faster."
They were clearly spoiling him, but they had to find a high-sounding reason. San San was sweet-talking, and even sweeter inside. He quickly solved the problems, each one accurate, and after receiving affirmation and praise from Teacher Chen, he proudly leaned closer, tilted his head back, and said, "Then I want more."
"What do you want?" Chen Yunqi sat down next to him, put down the exercise book, casually flicked the tip of his nose, pinched his chin and kissed his lips, and asked after a moment, "Do you want this?"
San San's eyes were wet from the kisses. She licked her lips and said in a feigned dissatisfaction, "Who wants this? I want to eat chocolate."
So naughty... my chocolate sweetheart... my little fox...
Third Sister was still putting candy into his pocket. Chen Yunqi's mind was filled with San San's playful little face. He made up some vague excuses, but his heart was already wandering elsewhere. He kept saying that he didn't like sweets, took the candy out of his pocket and put it back in the box, but quietly kept a few pieces, placing them in the inner pocket of his coat against his chest.
He had intended to pick up Xiao San and head back, but Li Laoqi insisted he stay for lunch. He put the butcher's knife in a bucket, pulled Chen Yunqi towards the back of the house, and said as they walked, "What's the rush? We're not in a hurry to go to class. You help me butcher the pig, and I'll cook you some meat! Come on!"
Slaughtering a pig is hard work; it takes at least four people, and two people can't handle it. When Chen Yunqi got to the back of the house, he found the mute man and the village secretary, Sheng Xuewen, had also arrived, both eager to try. Chen Yunqi followed their example, taking off his coat and rolling up his sleeves. Just as he was pondering how to slaughter the pig, he heard Secretary Sheng instruct him, "Teacher Chen! You'll be in charge of pulling the pig's tail!"
Without thinking, Chen Yunqi responded with a "Yes!" Li Qin and Li Ye laughed so hard they were bent over, making Chen Yunqi laugh along, puzzled. He asked, "What's so funny?"
Li Qin and Li Ye looked at each other, seemingly exchanging glances about who should explain the funny incident to Teacher Chen. Finally, Li Qin pursed her lips and said, "Teacher Chen, pulling pig tails is a child's job. They're just teasing you!"
"Oh, I see," Chen Yunqi suddenly realized. Secretary Sheng, somewhat embarrassed by being exposed, gave him a few awkward laughs and then said tactfully, "Just kidding, Teacher Chen, don't be angry."
Chen Yunqi wasn't angry at all. He said very generously, "I've never slaughtered a pig before. You are all my seniors. I'll learn from you. I should be responsible for pulling the pig's tail. I guarantee I will complete the task assigned by the organization excellently!"
With everything ready, Li Laoqi and the mute man were the first to enter the pigpen. Their target was a large, fat boar. Although it looked clumsy and slow, it was actually quite difficult to catch as it charged around. They needed to drive the pig into a corner before laying it down, tying its limbs, and then carrying it to an open area outside the pigpen to slaughter it.
The mute was clearly a master. With shouts of "Yo-ho yo-ho," Li Laoqi herded the frightened pig, which was running around wildly, behind the pen gate. He then silently jumped up and mounted the pig. Seeing this, Li Laoqi quickly grabbed the pig's front hooves and turned to Chen Yunqi, shouting, "Quick, go!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Secretary Sheng strode over and helped hold down the pig's hind legs. Chen Yunqi followed closely behind and worked on the pig's rump for a long time before finally managing to grab its thin tail, which was swinging wildly from side to side, and pulled hard to prevent it from escaping.
The boar struggled a few times before resigning itself to its fate and lying motionless. The mute man climbed off the pig, picked up a thick rope, and tied it up tightly. Together, the men carried the pig out.
Li Laoqi gave Chen Yunqi a thumbs up: "You've got a good tail to pull! Just like Li Dongping!"
Chen Yunqi glanced at Li Laoqi's face. He had unfortunately slipped and fallen flat on his face while catching the pig, leaving a large stain on his face that was hard to tell whether it was mud or dung. Chen Yunqi pointed to the black stain on his cheek and retorted, "You even have to dress up in camouflage for field combat just to kill a pig. You're quite the professional."
The actual slaughtering process was quite cruel. The pig's screams were deafening. Chen Yunqi didn't stand by and watch. He went to the side to smoke a cigarette. After the blood was drained and the pig had completely stopped screaming, he came back and asked, "What's next?"
"A dead pig isn't afraid of boiling water anymore!" San San's mother came out carrying a big pot of boiling water, pointed at the pig and said to him, "It's time to blow air into it, Teacher Chen, would you like to give it a try?"
"Blow air?" Chen Yunqi immediately pictured several people squatting on the ground blowing air into a pig, not understanding the purpose of this.
Li Dong, standing to the side, was waving a tree branch and practicing some unknown kung fu while making muttering "humphs, hah, hoho" sounds. Hearing this, he explained to him, "It's about blowing up a pig into a big balloon!"
Chen Yunqi was even more puzzled, so he squatted down and observed carefully. He saw the mute man pick up a sharp knife and make a half-finger-long cut on the pig's hind leg. Li Laoqi said mysteriously to Chen Yunqi, "Watch closely, it's about to blow!"
The mute man held the pig's hind leg, inserted a hollow bamboo stick into the flesh, loosened it a few times, then bit the tube, puffed out his cheeks, and blew hard. Being fat and with a large lung capacity, he used all his strength, his face turning a liverish color. Sure enough, the pig visibly swelled up, eventually becoming a huge ball.
"The pigskin is too thick, with too many wrinkles, and the hair is hard to pluck. You have to blow it to scrape it clean," Secretary Sheng explained while smoking a cigarette. "The mute man is quite particular about his wife. In the past, people would just blow it with their mouths."
Hearing this, the mute man lowered his head and smiled shyly. Li Laoqi, standing to the side, exclaimed exaggeratedly, "The mute man's mouth can't just blow whatever he wants now! It has other uses too!" He put down the knife in his hand, blinked, and nudged the mute man, who was engrossed in scraping pig bristles, with his shoulder. "Don't you think so? If your mouth smelled like dead pig, and you went back to kiss your wife, do you think she would hit you?"
The mute man's face turned red, and he shook his head frantically, turning away to continue his work and ignoring him. Secretary Sheng, a cigarette dangling from his mouth and his hands red from the scalding water, deftly scraped the pig bristles, squinting as he said, "What are you afraid of? If you don't like the smell, don't kiss the top, kiss the bottom!"
Several children were still nearby. Chen Yunqi quickly turned to look at them and found that they didn't seem to understand. They were just busy stuffing pebbles into the pig's nostrils. Only then did he feel relieved and patted the mute man's shoulder, saying, "Don't pay attention to them. They're all scoundrels."
Secretary Sheng said dismissively, "Yes, yes, we're all scoundrels. Teacher Chen, do you city folks brush your teeth before kissing?"
Before Chen Yunqi could answer, Li Laoqi blurted out, "Does Teacher Chen have a girlfriend?"
When Chen Yunqi heard him ask this, he thought to himself, "Of course I have!" But he couldn't say it out loud, and he didn't want to lie, so he could only put on a smiling face and not answer.
Li Laoqi then said, "If you don't have one, then become my son-in-law!"
Before Chen Yunqi could scold him, he added, "Is it settled then? From now on, I'll call you 'little son,' and you'll call me 'father-in-law,' hahaha..."
Chen Yunqi ignored him, letting him keep calling him "little son" and "good son-in-law." He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, so he turned around slightly to take it out and look at it.
Tang Yutao, who had already returned home, texted him to ask how he was doing alone on the mountain. Chen Yunqi replied without hesitation: "I'm doing very well, thank you for your concern."
Tang Yutao replied as soon as Chen Yunqi sent the message. Since Chen Yunqi had nothing else to do, he started texting and chatting with him.
Tang Yutao: I'll be back after the seventh day of the Lunar New Year. Is there anything I need to bring?
Chen Yunqi: So early? Don't you need to spend time with your family? It's San San's birthday, I want to buy her a gift, but I haven't decided what to get her yet.
Tang Yutao: It's so annoying! They ask me every day when I'm getting married. I don't want to spend another day with them. Tell me when you've thought it through and I'll go buy it for you. What's the progress between you two?
Chen Yunqi: It's none of your business.
Tang Yutao: ...
Tang Yutao: What about you? Do you need anything?
Just as Chen Yunqi was about to reply "I don't want anything," he suddenly noticed Li Ye leaning close to him, staring at his phone screen, and abruptly asking, "Teacher Chen, do you know where the mouth is down there? How do you kiss?"
For some reason, after being asked that question, Chen Yunqi's mind was immediately filled with thoughts of San San.
Below.
Of course I know... I not only know, I've also kissed him...
Chen Yunqi thought to himself, smiled, and said sarcastically, "I don't know either. They're just talking nonsense. Don't pay them any attention. Want some candy?"
After saying that, he took out a piece of candy from his pocket and handed it to Li Ye, using this action to cover up his guilty expression.
After dismissing Li Ye, he looked down at Tang Yutao's last message, hesitated for a moment, and typed a few words in reply.
Wet wipes, safety condoms.
Having received no reply, Chen Yunqi put his phone back in his pocket and continued watching the pig slaughter with great interest.
A good ten minutes passed before my pocket vibrated again.
Tang Yutao:
Chapter Thirty-Eight: Milk Candy
The fire in the hearth was burning brightly. Third Aunt poured a basin of fresh meat chunks marinated with salt, chili powder, and Sichuan peppercorn powder into the fire pit, spread them out evenly with a chopstick, and soon the aroma of roasted meat mixed with the fragrance of seasonings filled the whole house.