This time, he kissed her carefully and earnestly. The faint taste of chocolate still lingered in San San's mouth. Chen Yunqi said indistinctly while kissing her, "I'm not dreaming...you're not dreaming...San San, I'm sorry."
He desperately wanted to tell San San, "I should have done this a long time ago. I should have kissed you, hugged you, and loved you without a second thought. I shouldn't have waited until now and made you sad."
After a reluctant, sweet, chocolate-like kiss, Chen Yunqi took off his shirt without saying a word, quickly bandaged and secured the injury on San San's calf, then easily carried him on his back and started walking back.
San San leaned against his back, holding a flashlight in one hand and wrapping her arms around his neck with the other, whispering in his ear. Chen Yunqi felt a tickle in his ear, but also felt incredibly happy, and gently responded as they walked.
"Brother, how did you get back? How did you find me?" San San clung tightly to Chen Yunqi's broad shoulders. He had regained his energy after eating chocolate, and only now did he remember that Chen Yunqi had already gone down the mountain.
"I didn't leave. I was trying to catch up with you, but somehow I ended up with your parents." Chen Yunqi walked slowly and steadily, afraid of bumping into San San's injury. "But they said you hadn't even arrived yet, so I panicked and followed the path here. They were worried sick too, probably looking for you everywhere. What happened to you? How did you fall there?"
San San told Chen Yunqi about being attacked by a wild boar, and Chen Yunqi gasped in fear upon hearing it. San San couldn't help but deliberately act coquettishly towards him: "Brother, that wild boar was so big and fierce, I was terrified."
Chen Yunqi couldn't see his expression at that moment, and assumed that he was really scared. He gently coaxed him, "Don't be afraid. If it dares to come again, I'll kill it, drag it back, chop it up, and make dumplings for you."
San San laughed out loud, and Chen Yunqi, seeing that he was in good spirits, felt relieved.
They walked for a long time talking like that, and then they saw the faint lights of flashlights in the distance. It was San San's dad leading a group of people to find them.
Chen Yunqi gently lifted San San up a little, and looking at the approaching figure, said gently to him, "It's all in the past, everything will be alright tomorrow."
Chapter Twenty-Six: Liking
The group met in the middle of the path, and for a moment the beams of several flashlights swayed chaotically in the darkness. The hurried questions broke the silence of the night on the mountaintop and dispelled the loneliness in their hearts.
Previously, San San's father guessed that San San might have lost her way before coming up, so he returned to the woods and searched carefully. Finding nothing, he waited in the woods until he met San San's mother, who had returned with Tang Yutao and Li Hanqiang. The group then climbed up to the fork in the road and split into two groups to search. After several twists and turns, they finally encountered Chen Yunqi carrying San San on his back.
Every child in the mountains grows up with bumps and bruises along the way. Seeing that his son was alright, San San's father felt embarrassed to show too much worry and simply asked what had happened. He still had to go back to deal with the kiln and carry the charcoal home, so he asked Li Hanqiang and Chen Yunqi to take San San home first.
Tang Yutao heard that Chen Yunqi and San San were missing as soon as he got out of school. He was so anxious that he jumped up and down and immediately followed San San's mother up the mountain to look for them. When he saw that Chen Yunqi was safe and sound, he breathed a sigh of relief.
The path down the mountain was difficult, so Chen Yunqi had to let Li Hanqiang carry San San, while he and Tang Yutao walked behind with flashlights.
San San was still reluctant to get off Chen Yunqi's back. Li Hanqiang carried him quickly, and San San kept complaining of pain whenever there was a slight bump.
Li Hanqiang, covered in sweat, complained aggrievedly as he walked: "Hey! Why didn't you complain when Teacher Chen carried you? You've ridden in a four-wheeled car, so you can't ride in my broken oxcart?"
Chen Yunqi coughed nervously behind them. Tang Yutao was wondering why San San, who was usually so unpretentious, was acting so coy now. Suspicion arose in his heart, and noticing Chen Yunqi's unusual expression as he coughed so badly, a thought struck him—he seemed to have caught some clue. He quietly asked Chen Yunqi, "How did you find San San? You guys…"
"Hmm." Chen Yunqi succinctly confirmed his guess with a single word.
Just as he finished speaking, Tang Yutao lost his footing and fell flat on his backside. Chen Yunqi quickly reached out to help him up, frowning as he said, "Be careful. We're friends, why are you so agitated?"
Tang Yutao was shocked again. Before he could even ask anything specific, this guy had already confessed. He slapped Chen Yunqi's hand away, got up, dusted himself off, and saw Li Hanqiang carrying someone and leaving them far behind. Only then did he angrily ask, "What do you mean by 'you two are good'? Good at what? What do you mean?"
Chen Yunqi looked at him with a serious yet surprised expression and said, "Don't you know more about this than I do? Okay is okay, it doesn't mean anything. I like San San, I admit it. San San likes me too."
Tang Yutao was stunned into silence by his bluntness. He froze for a long time before muttering to himself, "Holy crap... what's going on..."
Chen Yunqi ignored him and continued walking. Tang Yutao snapped out of his daze and followed closely behind, then couldn't help but ask, "Are you really done? Aren't you brothers? Aren't you straight?"
Chen Yunqi was eager to get back and examine San San's injuries more closely. He was getting impatient with the questions and said without turning his head, "If you ask again, I'll knock you out and feed you to the wild boars."
Tang Yutao rolled his eyes and remained silent, secretly thinking, "Tsk tsk tsk, look, love really can change a person's temperament drastically! I can't mess with that!"
Li Hanqiang carried San San home and left. Chen Yunqi sent Tang Yutao to fetch the medicine box, helped San San lie down on the bed, and then reached out to help him change his clothes. San San was a little embarrassed, and Chen Yunqi scolded him, "What are you shy about? It's not like it's the first time you've seen it."
His words only made San San more embarrassed. Chen Yunqi then realized something was wrong; his words reminded them both of that night at the Qinghe Town Hotel, and they both felt awkward. Chen Yunqi coughed a few times to break the silence, and gently removed San San's coat and pants. During the process, he kept his eyes downcast, avoiding looking at San San's face, but his gaze couldn't help but linger from his slender collarbone down to his fair thighs.
Not daring to look any longer, Chen Yunqi covered him with the blanket and went to fetch hot water, carefully wiping away the sweat and tears from his face. San San's body had been cold for a long time, and even under the thick quilt, he couldn't warm up for a while and was still shivering slightly. Chen Yunqi used a hot towel to wipe his limbs and whole body little by little, quickly covering each area with the blanket after wiping it, afraid that he would catch a cold.
When he saw the scratch on his left leg, he was immediately overwhelmed with heartache and felt so guilty that he wished he could cut himself too.
San San's lower back was badly bruised, and the bruises looked particularly alarming because of his fair skin. Since there was no traditional Chinese medicine for bruises, Chen Yunqi could only apply a thin layer of Yunnan Baiyao spray to the injury. The medicine was icy cold, and San San couldn't help but shiver. Chen Yunqi, thinking he was in pain, quickly stopped and asked anxiously, "Did I hurt you?"
San San noticed how his cautious demeanor was so different from his usual composed and proper image, which only made her like him more and more. She couldn't help but take the hand that was still holding the medicine, and looked at him tenderly with her eyes wide open, saying, "Yes, it hurts so much. This medicine isn't working."
He blushed slightly, and before Chen Yunqi could react, he took the medicine bottle from his hand, opened his palm and intertwined his fingers with his, and boldly said, "Brother, kiss me again."
Chen Yunqi's bones melted at the sound of him calling him "brother," and a surge of blood rushed to his head. He suppressed his agitation, straightened his expression, and leaned close to San San's face, almost nose to nose. He stared directly into San San's eyes with his naked and cold gaze, until San San's face turned red to the roots of his neck and his heart pounded in his throat.
Chen Yunqi suddenly became serious, his usually amiable face now showing a hint of coldness, yet brimming with dangerous allure. San San was both afraid and attracted, his breathing quickening. He parted his lips slightly, boldly meeting Chen Yunqi's gaze. Chen Yunqi looked at him for a long time without kissing him, finally saying in a serious tone, "Lan Yanshan is quite bold, daring to flirt with even a teacher. Looks like you're not in pain anymore. Then I'll go back; you should rest well."
San San was instantly overwhelmed with shame and indignation. She pulled the blanket up to cover her burning face and mumbled, "Goodbye!"
Chen Yunqi couldn't help but laugh. He found San San's little tantrums particularly endearing, making him want to hug her and give her a big kiss. He reached for the blanket, but San San held on tightly. Chen Yunqi said, both amused and exasperated, "Are you trying to suffocate yourself?"
San San's angry voice came from under the covers: "So what if I die? I don't need Teacher Chen's help!"
Chen Yunqi didn't want to hear him say such angry words, so he suddenly pulled off the blanket, leaned down and pressed his upper body against him, pinched his cheek with one hand and said hatefully, "If you talk nonsense again, I'll beat you up!"
San San's ribs were still aching, and when Chen Yunqi pressed down on her, she couldn't help but frown and groan softly. Chen Yunqi reacted quickly, his fierce aura vanishing instantly, and he transformed back into a big cat whose fur had been stroked. He apologized repeatedly, feeling guilty: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I got a little carried away for a moment. Are you alright?"
This time it really hurt. It took San San a while to recover. She looked at him with a wronged expression. Chen Yunqi shook his head helplessly, lowered his head and gently kissed San San's lips, then raised his eyebrows and asked, "Are you feeling better now?"
San San licked his lips, pretended to think for a few seconds before nodding. Chen Yunqi flicked his nose hard and said, "Little classmate, you look harmless, but how come you have so many tricks up your sleeve? Teacher really can't do anything with you."
After saying that, he ignored the mischievous San San and took out iodine and cotton balls to treat the wound on his calf. The wound was long but fortunately not deep enough to require stitches, so Chen Yunqi could manage it. However, the area of abrasion was quite large, and San San's eyes welled up with tears from the pain while cleaning and applying the medicine. She lost all interest in teasing Chen Yunqi.
After finally treating all of San San's injuries, big and small, Chen Yunqi was exhausted. It was getting late, and San San's parents had already carried some charcoal home. Chen Yunqi coaxed San San to sleep, packed up his medical kit, sat down by the fire to warm himself up, took the cigarette offered by San San's father, and took a deep drag.
His emotions fluctuated throughout the night. First, he frantically searched for people, then he desperately tried to save them. Fortunately, he found San San and brought her back, finally allowing his tense nerves to relax. Now, he felt utterly exhausted, and his cold symptoms returned. His palms were burning from being rubbed raw by the thick rope; he hadn't eaten since noon and was starving.
He still couldn't help carry the charcoal back, but at least he saved someone. San San's father solemnly thanked him. Chen Yunqi politely replied that it was nothing, but in his heart he thought, "If you knew what I did after saving that person, you probably wouldn't be so grateful..."
Seeing that San San's father was very respectful to him, he had a sudden idea and decided to tell them about his plan to send San San back to school. San San's parents were both stunned for a moment. They had not expected Chen Yunqi to care so much about this matter, and they had obviously never intended for San San to continue her studies. When they heard Chen Yunqi say that he would cover both living expenses and tuition, they came to their senses and said that there was no need to trouble themselves.
San San, whose birthday is in February, will turn 18 after the New Year. His family has been eagerly anticipating his coming of age. Amu, the eldest son of Sheng Xuelin's family in Group 3, spent the last two years learning to operate an excavator at a technical school in the county. Now he has a job on the riverbank, earning a considerable amount each month to supplement the family income. If it weren't for Sheng Xuelin's excessive drinking and Amu's gambling addiction and inability to save money, his salary would certainly be enough to support the family of three.
In the past, there were many accidents at the construction site, and now the management is strict, so they dare not use child labor. At the beginning of the year, Amu promised that when San San turned 18, she would take him to the construction site to find work and teach him to operate an excavator.
Going back to school means waiting many more years before being able to work. At San San's age, he's old enough to be a wife in the village. San San's parents are getting old, and he's their only son. The whole family is counting on him to get married, start a family, continue the family line, and shoulder the responsibility of supporting the family. Although the cost of his education isn't a concern, San San's father still secretly considered the options and concluded that for people like them, going out to work as soon as possible is the best way out.
However, he couldn't refuse Chen Yunqi's kind offer, so he politely said that he didn't want Teacher Chen to spend money. He knew very well whether his son was academically inclined or not, and he was afraid that he would disappoint Teacher Chen's good intentions.
Chen Yunqi, completely unaware of his thoughts, quickly pressed on, saying, "Uncle, I've been tutoring San San lately, and I've discovered that he's actually very smart. He learns quickly and understands very well. If he doesn't have any burdens in life or in his mind, I believe he'll be fine."
San San's father was unaware that Chen Yunqi was tutoring his son, and was somewhat surprised to hear this. Chen Yunqi continued, "If San San can get into a junior college or even a university in the future, he can find a better job and earn more money. He also hopes to be able to provide a good life for all of you. Once he has a degree, none of this will be impossible, don't you think?"
What constitutes a good life? The good life that San San's father can imagine is having fresh meat and bottled wine at every meal, having herbal tea and melon seeds in the summer and cotton-padded clothes and shoes in the winter, and having a large and prosperous family with fat pigs and strong horses. As for anything more, he has never seen or knows anything about it, and he dares not even think about it.
Having said that, he couldn't refuse any longer, so he nodded and said, "Alright, I hope he can make you proud. If his grades are still not good, Teacher Chen, you shouldn't bother with him anymore. Let him go find a job as soon as possible."
Chen Yunqi smiled and looked at San San's father with confidence, saying, "He's not doing this to make me proud, but for himself and for you."
San San's father took a sip of strong liquor and said with a worried look, "Oh dear! If he really cared about me, he wouldn't be so shy and timid all the time. Not to mention whether anyone would want him if he went out to work, he doesn't even have the courage to talk to women anymore. I really don't know if my wife and I will ever have a grandson!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Yunqi's beaming face vanished instantly. He chuckled awkwardly and said dismissively, "No...no way...this...can't be rushed..."
The leisurely days in the mountains passed by one by one, and Chen Yunqi suddenly realized that he seemed to have gained weight. Although there wasn't much good food in the mountains, the ingredients were all natural, pesticide-free, and hormone-free. After winter set in, Chen Yunqi's appetite increased significantly, and he could eat two bowls of rice in one meal. Whenever he ate at someone's house, he would secretly leave some money for the meal, but the host would often find out and return it. He felt too embarrassed to eat for free, so every few days he would go from house to house to help with chores.
San San's injuries gradually healed, and he still came to school on time every day to get tutoring from Chen Yunqi. Occasionally, he would eat and chat with everyone at school, and watch movies on Tang Yutao's bulky laptop. His favorite movie was "Once a Thief," and he loved Leslie Cheung's portrayal of Ah Zhan. When he saw the scene where Ah Zhan turned back and smiled at the foreign man who was drawing his portrait on the bridge, he couldn't help but marvel at Leslie Cheung's stunningly beautiful appearance.
Chen Yunqi rested one hand on the back of the chair behind him, frowned as he stared at the computer screen, and said, "Is it really that exaggerated? I think he's alright, just has regular features."
Tang Yutao rolled his eyes and said, "Well-proportioned features? What kind of old-fashioned description is that? Now they call it 'divine beauty'!" He nudged San San, who was staring blankly at the screen, with his shoulder and said, "Stop looking! Someone's jealousy factory is about to explode!"
San San snapped out of her daze and hurriedly explained to Chen Yunqi, "Brother, don't misunderstand. I don't think he's better looking than you. I just really admire how he looks."
Chen Yunqi was both amused and exasperated. He glared at Tang Yutao, who was making faces and stirring up trouble, then looked at San San with tender eyes and said, "That's not true. Don't listen to his nonsense."
He raised his finger and gently stroked San San's chin. "You're prettier than him in my eyes. Don't underestimate yourself."
San San blushed upon hearing this.
Tang Yutao, who was standing to the side, watched the two of them being so lovey-dovey that they were oblivious to everyone else. He slapped his forehead and exclaimed that he was going to die.
"What did I tell you? San San was going to turn you gay sooner or later! But I really didn't expect you to be gay so quickly and completely! Can't we even watch the movie in peace!?"
Ever since Chen Yunqi and San San started their openly ambiguous relationship, Li Hui rarely spent time with them anymore, spending his time either sleeping or visiting other people's homes for drinks. Unlike Tang Yutao, he wasn't indifferent to Chen Yunqi and San San's affair. Although he didn't explicitly express his support or opposition, and besides, the matter itself had nothing to do with him, Chen Yunqi could still clearly sense his discomfort. Therefore, when Li Hui was around, he tried to restrain his words and actions, not wanting to embarrass Li Hui as a friend.
After the coal-carrying incident, his relationship with San San seemed to have progressed further, but like Tang Yutao and Song Feifei, it remained ambiguous to the extreme, yet neither of them made it official. This wasn't Chen Yunqi's style. He had always wanted to find an opportunity to formally confess his feelings to San San, to give each other an explanation of their current relationship and how they should get along in the future, so that he could feel at ease and have a legitimate reason to treat San San well.
San San has changed a lot since then. He is no longer as cautious as before when he is with Chen Yunqi. He often secretly holds Chen Yunqi's hand when no one is paying attention, and when no one is around, he boldly and proactively hugs him and asks him to kiss him.
Given Chen Yunqi's personality, he would have avoided such intimate behavior in the past, but he felt no discomfort with San San at all; on the contrary, he quite enjoyed it. He watched as San San gradually transformed from a shy boy who blushed at the mere sight of him into someone whose behavior became increasingly bold, somewhat arrogant and willful, and he not only felt no aversion to it but was also quite pleased with it. He even felt that he and San San had a bit of a relationship like that of a tyrant and his favored concubine.
三三变得不一样了，而他又何尝不是。现如今的他对三三说起话来，动辄不是揍你就是打你，三三的一举一动都牵动着他的心，让他一向波澜不惊的内心多了各种各样的情绪。他做梦也没想过自己有一天会莫名其妙地因为一部电影吃醋，这些因爱而生的细微的变化让他感到既新鲜又不可思议。
He still often thinks of Yu Xiaosong, wondering if Yu Xiaosong was really the right person for him.
With the Lunar New Year just two weeks away, Chen Yunqi and San San made plans to go down the mountain together before the New Year to buy New Year's goods for their families. They also planned to take Huang Yelin and Huang Xiaoya along, buying them some good food and new clothes.
San San also asked to see a movie; he knew there was a very small cinema in the county town. Chen Yunqi granted all of his little requests.
Tang Yutao and Li Hui were both going home for the Spring Festival, but when asked about Chen Yunqi's plans, he said he hadn't decided yet. He hadn't been home for the Spring Festival for many years, and he wasn't used to the lively atmosphere of the holiday, nor did he want to face the concern of his entire family for his studies and life. After hesitating for a long time, he finally decided to stay in the mountains for the Spring Festival. Besides not wanting to go home, he was also worried about Huang Yelin and Huang Xiaoya, and San San wanted him to stay for the New Year's Eve dinner. He couldn't bear to refuse, and he also couldn't bear to be separated from San San.
A few days ago, his mother called. Instead of immediately questioning when he was coming home, she brought up the matter of sponsoring impoverished students that he had mentioned before. Chen Yunqi said that it could be implemented after the New Year and gave her a detailed breakdown of the expenses required for the sponsorship. His mother immediately said that it was no problem and told him that many of her friends were also willing to participate in the sponsorship, and that Chen Yunqi could arrange it as he saw fit.
After thanking her, Chen Yunqi brought up the topic of the Chinese New Year. Although his mother was unhappy with his decision, she didn't say anything more. After hanging up, Chen Yunqi called his grandmother, feeling deeply guilty as he listened to her caring words. He told her he still couldn't come home for the New Year and asked her to take care of herself. His grandmother repeatedly said she understood how busy young people were, how congested the traffic was during the Spring Festival, and how tiring it was for someone so far away to travel. She assured him she was fine and told him not to worry.
As Chen Yunqi agreed, he secretly resolved that after leaving the mountains, he would go back to see his grandmother no matter what, or bring her to live with him so that he could take care of her and keep her company in place of his grandfather.
In the days to come, she will still be here, and San San will still be here. Just thinking about it makes Chen Yunqi feel fearless.
Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Little Lamb
There's good news in Tianyun Village recently: the mute man from Group 3 got married.
The new bride was a young woman, just twenty years old, who had married into the family from the second group. It was said that her family hadn't originally planned to marry her off, and no one knew when the two had become involved. No one expected that the usually honest and simple-minded mute man would secretly carry on their affair, turning a sham into a real relationship without anyone noticing. The mute man's parents rushed over to apologize and propose marriage again, verbally abusing him but secretly overjoyed, praising their son's abilities behind closed doors.
That afternoon after school, Chen Yunqi, Tang Yutao, and Li Hui were invited to the mute man's house for dinner. Neither of the two men in his family could speak, and his new wife was still pregnant and her pregnancy was unstable, so they didn't have a big wedding banquet; they simply set up a few tables of food and invited the villagers to join in the festivities. The teachers had been unable to attend that day due to teaching, so today they were going to make up for it.
On their way to the mute man's house, they happened to run into him returning from herding sheep. The group chatted and laughed as they walked home together. Tang Yutao and Li Hui, taking advantage of the mute man's honesty and inability to speak, kept teasing him about his new marriage. Chen Yunqi, walking beside him, watched as the mute man's face turned red with frustration, unable to do anything about it. He helplessly tried to persuade the two to stop, but suddenly heard what sounded like sheep bleating behind him.
The voice was short and weak. He turned around and looked around but saw nothing. Just as he was wondering what it was, Li Hui suddenly pointed at his feet and exclaimed, "Hey? What's that next to your feet?!"
Chen Yunqi looked down and saw a lamb had somehow appeared at his feet.
The lamb was clearly a newborn, barely able to stand, and was leaning precariously against Chen Yunqi's ankle, bleating softly.
Chen Yunqi squatted down and stroked the lamb's head. Looking around but not seeing its mother, he reached out and picked the lamb up. The lamb seemed to feel safe in his arms and nestled obediently in Chen Yunqi's embrace, no longer bleating.
The mute man seemed to recognize the lamb, pointing at it and gesturing to Tang Yutao while making "uh-huh" sounds. However, no one could understand what he was saying, only guessing that he was telling Chen Yunqi not to hold it.
Chen Yunqi thought that the lamb might have gotten lost and it would be pitiful to leave it on the roadside, so he said to the mute man, "This lamb is too small. It might freeze to death if left outside. Why don't we ask who lost it and return it to them?"
The mute man couldn't understand through gestures, so he gave up trying to persuade him. Chen Yunqi unbuttoned his coat, wrapped the lamb in his arms, and took it to the mute man's house. As soon as he entered the yard, the mute man's mother came out of the house to greet him. Seeing the lamb in Chen Yunqi's arms, she asked curiously, "Teacher Chen, where did you get this little lamb?"
Chen Yunqi said, "I found it on the way. I don't know if it was lost. It's quite pitiful."