Tang Yutao watched his retreating figure disappear into the distance, suppressing a laugh as he muttered under his breath, "Idiot."
After scolding Li Hui, he said to Chen Yunqi, "Go back to sleep early, you still have to help with work tomorrow, right?"
Chen Yunqi nodded and said, "You're quite calm, why aren't you comforting me?"
"You're so strong," Tang Yutao rolled his eyes at him in annoyance. "You'll forget everything when you see San San tomorrow, so why should I waste my time?"
Chen Yunqi stood up, patted him on the shoulder, and said with a smile, "Brother Tao understands me best. Let's go, everything will be alright when it gets light."
Despite the unpleasant incident, Chen Yunqi slept exceptionally well that night, waking up when the sun was high in the sky. He put on his coat and went outside to find the once crowded playground and rooftop deserted. Several boxes of donated items were haphazardly thrown against the wall outside his door, and food wrappers and tissues were scattered where the tent had been pitched.
Holding a large bowl, San San saw Chen Yunqi carrying a rubber bucket, crouching down and picking up trash on the playground as soon as she entered the school gate. San San missed him and wanted to run over to him, jump up, and have him carry her around in a circle, then have him put her down, hug her tightly, and kiss her.
Chen Yunqi has countless faces—calm, impulsive, wise, melancholic, gentle, and domineering. Of all these, San San's favorite is him right now, just after waking up. He's like a prince who has just awakened from a long sleep, with a touch of dazed weariness and childlike innocence. He rarely shows his vulnerability, making people want to cherish him.
Just then, a group of people passed by outside the school gate. San San suppressed her overwhelming impulse and gently walked behind him, calling out, "Brother."
Chen Yunqi turned around and saw that it was San San. His eyes softened instantly. He looked at the bowl in San San's hand and said with a smile, "You brought me something delicious?"
"No," San San hid the bowl behind her back, stepped forward and got closer, saying, "I missed you, so I came to see you and brought you some food."
As he spoke, his face flushed slightly, shy yet unable to contain himself. Chen Yunqi wanted to pinch his cute cheeks, but hesitated because he was carrying a trash can and it wasn't clean. So he quickly bent down and rubbed his nose against his cheek, laughing as he said, "Go inside and wait for me, it's cold outside. I'll be right back after I take out the trash."
After putting down the trash can and washing his hands, Chen Yunqi was immediately hugged tightly from behind as soon as he entered the room. He didn't turn around to look at San San, but simply held onto San San's hands wrapped around his waist, letting him rub against his back like a cat. After a while, he turned his head affectionately and said, "What's wrong with you today? Why are you being so clingy?"
San San said in a muffled voice, "Um... I don't know, I just miss you so much, I want to hold you like this, I'm afraid you'll disappear."
Chen Yunqi listened to his words as if he had eaten a sweet and sour plum. He gently squeezed San San's wrist to separate his hands, turned around and looked at him, saying, "I won't disappear. I am a tree that has already taken root and sprouted in your heart. As long as San San doesn't cruelly cut me down, I will never leave you."
San San didn't speak, but just stared at him with a bright and captivating smile, more radiant than the early spring sunshine. He pulled Chen Yunqi's hand and made him sit down at the table. He picked a boiled egg from the bowl, gently cracked it open on the windowsill, peeled it, and handed it to him, saying, "Eat quickly, and then you should go back to work."
In early spring, every household begins the new year's spring plowing. In addition to waiting for the precious spring rain to irrigate, they also need to carry the pig manure that has been stored for a long time to the field to dry, so that it can be applied as fertilizer when sowing.
Today was the day for San San's family to carry manure. Since it was Sunday and there was nothing to do at school, Chen Yunqi had planned to go and help out early in the morning.
Tang Yutao and Li Hui were still asleep. Chen Yunqi left them some boiled eggs and corn, put on his rubber boots, and took San San out the door. As they passed the playground, San San suddenly remembered and asked, "Brother, where are Sister Xiaxia and the others?"
"You've already gone back, haven't you?" Chen Yunqi didn't want to tell him what happened last night and add to his troubles, so he brushed it off with a few words and then asked him about carrying manure, thus diverting San San's attention.
Carrying manure is heavy work. Not only is the manure smelly and dirty, but it is also very heavy when mixed with mud. Therefore, there are more people helping out at San San's house today. As soon as Chen Yunqi entered the courtyard, he saw Li Laoqi, San Niang, and the mute father and son, all wearing rubber shoes and waiting by the stone mill.
Amu arrived too, carrying two shovels as he crouched down and crawled out of the woodshed. Upon seeing San San, he smiled and said, "Where have you been..."
Before he could finish speaking, he noticed Chen Yunqi behind him, and Amu's expression changed slightly. However, he quickly pretended to be fine and greeted Chen Yunqi.
"Teacher Chen is here too."
Chen Yunqi nodded and said, "Yes, I'll come and help."
“We have enough people, the few of us can handle it. You are a guest, you can’t do these dirty jobs, it’s too hard, you should rest,” Amu said, seemingly kindly, as she walked over and handed San San a shovel.
Before San San could catch it properly, Chen Yunqi reached out and took it in his own hand. Without even looking at his mother, he said softly to San San, "This is hard work. You go and rest. I'll take care of it."
San San, oblivious to the subtle tension between the two, said to Chen Yunqi with utmost seriousness, "How can that be! Your arm has just healed, don't hurt it again. I'll shovel it, you can help carry it."
Chen Yunqi frowned slightly, like a lion eager to defend its territory, afraid that his silly San San would help the enemy destroy its own morale at a crucial moment. He was so anxious that he didn't even care about his words and lowered his voice to say, "Listen to me, let me do it."
San San wanted to say something, but seeing Chen Yunqi's stern expression, she had no choice but to agree with him: "Alright then, you must be careful. If your arm hurts, rest. Don't push yourself."
"Okay, whatever you say," Chen Yunqi finally breathed a sigh of relief, a satisfied look on his face. He then glanced at his mother, who had been silent to the side. He had chosen the most tiring job, but a strange sense of pride welled up inside him.
The helpers split into two groups. Chen Yunqi, the mute man, San San's father, and Li Laoqi were responsible for shoveling manure in the pigsty, loading it into baskets, and then San San's mother, aunt, mother, and the mute man's father carried it to the fields in trips. The pigsty was small and crowded, and with San San added to the mix, there wasn't enough room to turn around. There were only a few baskets for carrying manure, and there weren't any extras for him, so San San was completely idle. He could only help carry the baskets onto the backs of the helpers while the others wiped the sweat from the sweat of those shoveling manure. Occasionally, he would take turns with his mother and aunt to let them rest, and every now and then, he would check on Chen Yunqi's arm to see if there was anything unusual.
Every time it was San San's turn to carry manure, Chen Yunqi would put very little manure in his basket. When his mother saw this, she said, "Our San San is all grown up and can do a lot. Teacher Chen, please don't treat him like a spoiled brat."
Chen Yunqi's feet were shoveled in the mud, and his shirt was soaked with sweat. He scooped up a shovelful of manure and poured it into his basket. Without bothering to wipe the sweat from his nose, he said without looking up, "San San will always be a child to me."
Li Laoqi was also exhausted and covered in sweat. He slammed the shovel on the ground, rubbed his aching back, and joked, "Haha, Teacher Chen is a cultured man. He knows how to care for people. Mother should learn from him."
"What's there to feel sorry for? What else can a country kid do if he doesn't do these things!" San San's dad wanted to smoke, but his hands were covered in manure and mud. He sniffed and said, "Teacher Chen, don't spoil him like that. With all this studying and dressing him in nice clothes, he might forget his roots in the future."
Chen Yunqi secretly observed his mother's expression and, sure enough, noticed that she looked very displeased when she heard "studying" and "pretty clothes." He had a pretty good idea of what was going on, so he smiled and said to San San's father, "San San won't forget his roots. If I had such a capable and sensible younger brother, I would spoil him even more than he does now."
As Chen Yunqi spoke, a sense of smug satisfaction crept into his heart. He simply noticed that Amu also liked San San, and let his possessiveness take over, causing his words and actions to become somewhat deliberate and childish. However, he underestimated the power of jealousy and the wickedness of human nature. What he failed to see was that the moment Amu turned her back, her expression had become cold and inhuman.
By sunset, they had finished carrying all the manure. Everyone was covered in a foul stench and so exhausted they could barely stand. They all dropped their tools and went inside to wash. There were both men and women in the group, and it wasn't convenient to stand in the room. So Chen Yunqi borrowed San San's tin bath tub, intending to fill it with water to take back to school to wash and change.
San San was boiling water in the kitchen when Chen Yunqi sneaked in and startled him from behind. San San was quite frightened and angrily pushed him away, complaining, "It stinks! Get away!"
"Don't you dare look down on your husband who's shared your hardships!" Chen Yunqi was pushed back a few steps, but he wouldn't let it go, still clinging to San San despite knowing he wasn't clean, and even pretending to pinch his cheek with his dirty hands. San San laughed and dodged, but before he knew it, he was cornered against the wall and kissed a few times, saying breathlessly, "Stop...stop it, hurry up and get some water to go back and wash up..."
“Okay,” Chen Yunqi replied, but he didn’t move an inch away. The kitchen door was still open, and listening to the laughter and chatter of the people in the next room, he boldly kissed San San’s lips and said softly, “I’m really dirty today, and my arms hurt. I’ll have to trouble Lan Yanshan to help me wash them properly later.”
Just as their emotions were reaching their peak, there seemed to be some movement outside the door. San San glanced over but didn't see anything, so she quickly pushed Chen Yunqi away and whispered, "Stop fooling around, what if someone sees us? Let's go back to school quickly."
San San's father and the mute father and son had finished washing up and were sitting by the fire, drinking and waiting for dinner. San San's mother, while slicing cured meat, told Chen Yunqi, who was carrying the bath tub, and San San, who was carrying the kettle, to come back for dinner as soon as they finished washing up. Chen Yunqi responded and went out the door, quickly taking San San back to school.
The rising moonlight was alluring, the door was tightly shut, and inside came the sounds of heavy breathing and running water. After a nearly hour-long bath, not daring to linger any longer, Chen Yunqi finally used a towel to dry San San's flushed body, pulled out one of his own shirts for him, and hurriedly got himself ready without pausing. When he turned around after putting on the shirt, he realized it was too big; San San was so big he couldn't even see his hands. Without even having time to put on pants, he looked like a little boy wearing his father's clothes, standing helplessly at the table, staring at the cuffs in frustration.
Chen Yunqi looked at him and laughed. He walked over, bent down, picked him up, and gently placed him on the table. He then spread his legs and stood in front of him, carefully folding his sleeves.
With three folds in her sleeve, San San's wrist was finally revealed. Chen Yunqi was putting down one hand and picking up the other when suddenly a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the door.
The footsteps approached from afar, moving so fast he couldn't react in time. Then, with a loud bang, the door was kicked open, and the already flimsy lock instantly shattered into pieces, scattered all over the floor.
Outside the door, San San's father, his eyes red, held a wooden stick and stared menacingly at the two disheveled people inside. Standing behind him were San San's mother, who looked completely bewildered, and his mother, whose face was gloomy.
"What are you doing?!"
San San's father went berserk and charged forward, roaring.
Chen Yunqi only remembered that at that moment he turned around and hugged San San tightly in his arms, and all he heard was an angry roar.
"Chen Yunqi! I'll fucking kill you!!!"
Chapter Fifty-Eight Foolishness
Amshar squatted in the corner, smoking one cigarette after another. His baby face, though only in his early twenties, was filled with a heaviness and gloom that belied his age.
He, who never smoked, was now anxiously flicking ash from his cigarette while listening intently to the constant roars and slaps coming from inside the room, his heart filled with mixed emotions. He gritted his teeth, cursing inwardly, "Serves you right! Who told you to like that person and do that kind of thing with him!" Then, a pang of regret struck him; "If only it were that person being beaten up inside!"
Or rather, how wonderful it would be if the person you liked was me...
In her memory, San San was always that soft-spoken little boy who would cry easily if bullied. Amu vaguely remembered that as a child, San San couldn't run fast, and he couldn't do any of the mischievous things that other children his age did with ease. The other children in the village didn't want to play with him, but Amu took extra care of the frail little San San.
At that time, Amu himself was still a young boy, and San San often followed behind him like a little tail, calling out "Amu Wuwu" repeatedly, begging him to tell stories, follow him to ride horses and climb mountains, and catch tadpoles in the stream.
When exactly did that handsome little boy grow up? Was it during the years I was away working? Am realized she had never noticed.
When did I first notice San San's feelings for that person?
It was probably the first time he saw him standing with that person, on that snowy day, in the chaotic Achuoqubi house, that he saw the adoring look in San San's eyes and the gentle tone in his voice when he spoke to that person—things he had never seen or heard before.
It was something he had never received before.
Looking at San San's tender eyes, Amu realized that San San had grown up during the years he was away from home. He had not only become more and more handsome, but had also begun to understand matters of love. At that moment, he only felt that he had been temporarily replaced. After the New Year, San San would go out to work with him. He was confident that once they were away, San San would still depend on him as much as when he was a child, following him everywhere. At that time, his little shadow would return.
Until that night, when he was invited to sing at the school, he overheard that person arguing with the teachers outside the school gate. Then, on the day he was carrying manure, he personally heard that person's doting on San San, the beautiful future he promised him, and the many things he couldn't give San San. When that person arrogantly declared his dominance in front of him, Amu realized that he hadn't just been replaced, but had completely lost.
He was consumed by jealousy. When he caught that person pinning San San against the wall and kissing her, his heart and reason shattered. He didn't know how he could have said those words to San San's father; he only knew that he had gotten his momentary pleasure, but now he felt no joy whatsoever, as if his entire being had been hollowed out.
This feeling finally made him realize that he had completely lost San San.
Chen Yunqi stood guard outside San San's house all night. Tang Yutao and Li Hui stayed up with him all night as well.
He sat under the withered tree at the gate of the courtyard like a lost soul, not uttering a word all night. He didn't wear an overcoat and didn't even smoke a single cigarette.
"Sigh, what on earth happened? How did we get caught?" Tang Yutao's thighs were sore and numb from squatting all night. He stood up, looked at the first light of dawn on the horizon, sighed, and glared at Li Hui, saying, "You didn't tell on me, did you?"
"Damn it, don't wrong an innocent person! I would never do such a despicable thing!" Li Hui was very dissatisfied with Tang Yutao's unfounded accusation. After quickly clarifying, he added, "It's not Yan Ge's gang, is it?"
“Impossible, they didn’t go to San San’s house. Besides, they left yesterday. If it was them who said it, why would Uncle Lu wait until today to cause trouble?” Tang Yutao said, pacing back and forth with his hands in his pockets.
"Then...could it be Li Jun? Third Sister and Seventh Brother?" Chen Yunqi wouldn't say, so Li Hui could only guess wildly. He was so anxious that he squatted down in front of Chen Yunqi and stared at him, saying, "Besides us, who else knows about you and San San? Have you told anyone else? Oh my God, please say something! What are we going to do?! Sigh!"
“Stop guessing,” Chen Yunqi finally opened his lips, which were almost stuck together, raised his head and looked at the tightly closed door of San San’s house with empty eyes, and said hoarsely, “It’s Amu. He likes San San.”
"What?" "Huh?"
Upon hearing this answer, Tang Yutao and Li Hui both widened their eyes and asked in unison.
“He likes San San,” Chen Yunqi repeated to himself without looking at them, his head down.
"Are you sure?" Li Hui looked at Chen Yunqi in disbelief. "He likes San San? If he likes San San, how could he have hurt her like this!?"
Tang Yutao seemed to accept the answer quickly. He walked over to Chen Yunqi and sat down again. Looking at Li Hui, who was squatting to the side, he said, "It's not surprising. Jealousy and desire are enough to turn an angel into a devil. What Chen Yunqi did to San San was something he dared not even think about or dare to do. He is a typical 'if you can't have it, destroy it' type."
He reached out and put his hand on Chen Yunqi's shoulder, pressing it gently to comfort him, and then asked, "Your situation is so special, how could you still be so careless?"
"Yeah, how could I be so careless..." Chen Yunqi murmured to himself, as if lost in memories, "...I wanted to hug and kiss him anytime, anywhere, and whenever I saw him, I wanted to pull him into my arms and into my heart, wishing the whole world knew he was mine..."
He lowered his head, bitterly mocking himself, saying, "...I was so stupid. I clearly sensed that Amu liked San San, yet I kept provoking him because of my ridiculous vanity and possessiveness. I gave him the opportunity to get revenge. I oversimplified everything."
Chen Yunqi remained silent for a long time, but once he started speaking, he seemed unable to stop: "I'm not regretting it, because I knew this day would come sooner or later. I even anticipated their reactions long ago, so I prepared every day. I thought I had considered all the possibilities..." At this point, Chen Yunqi seemed unable to contain his emotions any longer, "...but I never expected this silly child..."
He covered his face in anguish, the heartbreaking scenes of the previous night flashing before his eyes once more.
From the moment San San's father appeared, Chen Yunqi was prepared to be beaten. He told himself that he had to grit his teeth and bear it, and let San San's father vent his anger, because whether he accepted it or not, he was determined to be the villain who wanted to kidnap his son.
But to his utter surprise, just before the stick fell, San San mustered all her strength to push him away, rushed forward, and tightly hugged her father's arm, pleading loudly, "Dad! Don't hit Xiao Qi! We didn't do anything!"
Enraged, Sheng Xuelu forcefully shoved San San away and slapped him across the face, causing him to bleed from the corner of his mouth and fall to the ground.
Suddenly, everything went black before San San's eyes, and she couldn't hear anything because of the deafening roar in her ears.
"You didn't do anything? What were you doing hugging and cuddling when I came in? And what were you doing in the kitchen earlier?!" Recalling his mother's description, San San's father became even angrier and raised his foot to kick San San hard again.
Chen Yunqi lunged forward to block the kick, then hugged San San and pleaded with his father in a low voice, "Uncle, no...it's not like that...please listen to me...don't hit San San...if you're angry, take it out on me..."
The more Chen Yunqi tried to explain himself, the angrier San San's father became. He roared at Chen Yunqi, "Get the hell out of my way! You try touching my son again! I'd rather beat him to death than let you two do those shady things together!!"
He turned to San San's mother, who was pounding her chest and wailing, and roared, "Stop crying! Go and call Sheng Xueshu! Tell him to call the police and arrest this beast! If the police don't come, don't blame me for killing him today!"
The scene before them stunned Tang Yutao and Li Hui, who had come out after hearing the commotion. It took them a while to recover and try to reason with them, but before they could even open their mouths to reason, San San's father roared at them again, "Get the hell out of here! No one can help you today!!"
"Dad...please don't do this, Dad..." San San trembled and curled up in Chen Yunqi's arms, crying and pleading with Sheng Xuelu again, "It's not Brother Xiaoqi's fault..."
San San's father kicked him in the face again, saying, "If you utter another word, I'll tear your mouth apart!"
Chen Yunqi held San San tightly, each punch and kick landing solidly on his body. San San's father roared at him to let go of San San, threatening again that he wouldn't let him touch San San even if he killed him and threw him off a cliff. Suddenly, he couldn't bear it any longer. He leaped up and punched Sheng Xuelu, shouting angrily, "You're the one who should let go!! Let go of my San San!! I'm taking him away today!! Who dares to stop me!!"
People who had heard the commotion rushed over and witnessed Chen Yunqi and Sheng Xuelu wrestling in front of the house. Amid the chaos, San San cried out and tried to stop them, while San San's mother stood by, wiping away tears and wailing, "What a tragedy..."
Everyone was watching the spectacle with great interest. When San Niang arrived later, she rushed forward and pulled San San out of the melee and hugged her. Tang Yutao, along with Li Hui, Li Laoqi, and others, hurriedly separated Sheng Xuelu and Chen Yunqi, holding them tightly to prevent them from fighting again.