MLH | Chapter 19

They came looking for you, and you turned around and came looking for me. Looks like they were coming for me after all.

Fang Zichen curled his lip. “What do they want now?”

The village chief then told him about Ma Dazhuang’s plan.

Guai Zai had shadows over these three people, especially Ma Dazhuang. As soon as he heard the name, he was so scared that his whole body shook. His little hands clutched tightly at Fang Zichen’s clothes, and he lay in Fang Zichen’s arms, not nearly as cheerful as before.

A faint sound came from outside. Something had been blown over by the wind. The village chief did not pay it any mind, and asked, “What do you think, tell Uncle the truth.”

Fang Zichen glanced toward the door. The rain outside was gradually getting lighter, like it was about to stop, but the sky was still dark and heavy. Tonight was probably going to be another thunderstorm.

Guai Zai’s whole body had gone rigid. He no longer held Fang Zichen’s clothes, and instead wrapped his arms around his neck. He seemed very frightened, and only like this could he feel at ease.

“······Father.” He called in a low voice, sounding very uneasy.

Guai Zai was three years old and could understand human speech. The Ma family was not a good place, and he did not want to go back to the Ma family.

Fang Zichen copied Zhao ge’er and gently patted his back, again and again. “What’s wrong, Guai Zai?”

Guai Zai buried his head in the crook of his neck and said muffledly, “······Don’t like Grandpa.”

At first Fang Zichen did not react, then he realized the grandpa he was talking about meant Ma Dazhuang.

Seeing that he did not speak, Guai Zai lifted his face and rubbed against him, softly calling him “Father.” When Fang Zichen turned to look at him, he smiled, showing a row of little white teeth.

Fang Zichen’s heart melted completely.

Such a small, such a well-behaved, such a beautiful child called him father. Whoever tried to take him, he would fight them to the death.

“Uncle, you don’t need to worry about this.”

The village chief asked, “Then what are you planning?” He also could not tell whether Fang Zichen would agree.

By his own reckoning, compared with three taels of silver and a ge’er who had been married before and came with a child, a normal person would choose the three taels of silver.

Even a clean and proper girl’s betrothal gift was only about that much. Wasn’t this better than marrying someone who had been married before?

Besides, from the very beginning Fang Zichen did not want to marry. Later, he truly could not bear to let someone so pitiful go, so he married her back

Fang Zichen glanced outside again, thought about it, and said, “I think Zhao ge’er is pretty good, obedient, well-behaved, and hardworking too.”

Before he came to Xiahe Village, he had not even been eighteen yet. He always felt that marriage was still very far away from him. In later years people generally married late, and he had never imagined what his future other half should be like. When his mom had time to chat with him, she often asked, “What kind of girl does our Xiao Fang like? Tell Mom, Mom will keep an eye out for you later.”

His answer was very ordinary, “Anyone who looks good is fine.”

Zhao ge’er’s skin was a little dark, but he was very pretty, and counted as good-looking. His personality and temperament were also to his taste, but if it was to say he liked him, it seemed like it still fell a little short.

If he had to define it, it would be that he was currently at the stage of having a good impression of him.

Hearing him say this, the village chief knew he would not send Zhao ge’er back. At once he inexplicably felt relieved.

“If you want to keep Zhao ge’er, then you’d better quickly send those three taels of silver to the Ma family, to avoid any more trouble. Ma Dazhuang and Ma Erzhu may be arrogant, but their brains are simple. Ma Laosan is different, this person counts as having a bit of brains.” The village chief said, “It’s better to redeem Zhao ge’er’s deed of sale early, then you can be at ease sooner. Do you have the silver? If not, I can front it for you first.”

Fang Zichen shook his head. “I don’t have it right now.”

The village chief stood up. “Then I’ll go back and get it for you. You can pay me back when you have silver later.”

“No need.” Fang Zichen refused at once.

“You don’t need to be polite with Uncle!”

“I’m not being polite!” Fang Zichen said. “I don’t have it now, but I’ll have it tomorrow after I get paid!”

He had only worked at the dock for half a month, and he wanted to settle three taels of silver as wages. Was he not dreaming!

The village chief opened his mouth, and Fang Zichen looked outside again, then suddenly said, “Village chief, it seems like it’s going to be a huge downpour.”

You’d better hurry home!

“······”

After seeing off the village chief, Fang Zichen carried Guai Zai into the kitchen, and saw Zhao ge’er standing there blankly with a bowl of water in his hands, not even noticing that he had come in.

Looking like this, he must have heard what the village chief said just now.

Before, Fang Zichen had even felt lucky that Zhao ge’er had been abused for over ten years in the Ma family, yet his personality had not become twisted. But after spending time with him, he realized that although Zhao ge’er’s personality had not twisted, the whole person was extremely sensitive and self-abased. He had no sense of security, and the slightest movement or disturbance could make him panic.

Just like this morning when he ran to the dock in the rain. If he had not come out, he could have stood in the rain for a whole day, then snuck back later.

“Zhao ge’er?” he called softly.

Zhao ge’er lifted his head, his eyes soft and fragile.

“You······” He suddenly reached out and grabbed Fang Zichen’s wrist. “Husband······ don’t send me back, I, I don’t want to go back, please, I beg you, I beg you.”

This was the second time he had said that. He had said it once before, and seeing that Fang Zichen did not seem to like it very much, he had never called him that again after that.

His hand was extremely cold, and the whole person was terribly flustered. Fang Zichen had not expected him to react so strongly, and for a moment he froze. Seeing that he was not speaking, Zhao ge’er let go of his hand, painfully bent over, and held his head with both hands.

“Dad-dad～” Seeing him like this, Guai Zai broke free from Fang Zichen’s arms, ran over to hug him, and sniffled, “Dad-dad don’t cry, Guai Zai will behave, Dad-dad don’t cry～”

The father and son cried without making a sound, only faint sobs, but tears kept dropping one after another.

Fang Zichen was at a loss. He felt that there were three people in the family, and two of them were huddled together crying, while he was the only one standing there. It seemed a little out of place.

Should he go over and cry too, just to show some support??

“I said before, I won’t leave. Even if I do leave, I’ll take you and Guai Zai with me. You call me husband, he calls me father, then I have a responsibility toward you. This is the last time I’ll say it.”

A familiar voice sounded. Zhao ge’er lifted his head and saw Fang Zichen crouching in front of him, his expression very serious, completely different from his usual unserious manner.

“You are my furen. As long as you don’t betray me, I won’t not want you. If you still don’t believe me, then from now on wherever I go I’ll tuck you into my waistband, okay?” Fang Zichen put on a show of it, touching his head like he was coaxing a child. “If anyone bullies you in the future, you just tell me, and I’ll stand up for you. This is the last time I’ll say it, do you remember?”

Zhao ge’er wiped his eyes, and only after a good while did the mist before them disperse. “······Really?”

Fang Zichen had given such assurances more than once. When it came to Zhao ge’er, he showed unprecedented patience. “Really. A gentleman’s word is worth a thousand taels of gold, once spoken it must be kept. If I can’t do it, then the next time you see me, you can call me your grandson.”

Zhao ge’er held his breath. “You’re not allowed to lie to me.”

“Mm! I won’t lie to you. If I lie to you, I’m a dog.” Fang Zichen said, “Such a big poisonous oath, do you believe me now?”

“It also has to be struck by five thunderbolts from the sky.” Zhao ge’er said.

Fang Zichen: “······”

They said a woman’s heart was the most poisonous, but this ge’er’s heart was pretty poisonous too.

“Fine, fine.” Fang Zichen pinched Zhao ge’er’s nose. “I’ll listen to everything you say, okay?”

Zhao ge’er’s nose hurt from being pinched, but he did not stop him. He laughed once, and tears were about to fall again. He finally held them back. “Mm.”

“Don’t do this next time,” Fang Zichen let go of him, took Guai Zai into his arms, and his gaze fell on him, softening without him noticing. “You scared our son, and besides, I’m too lazy to coax you again.”

Just as Zhao ge’er was about to stand up, he heard Fang Zichen say again, “You’re a year older than me, and you start crying at the drop of a hat. Aren’t you ashamed?”

Zhao ge’er: “······”

Fang Zichen: “Anyway, if it were me, and I was nineteen and still crying my eyes out, I personally would think that was pretty embarrassing.”

“······”

“Are you embarrassed? You probably aren’t. I see that your face isn’t even red, but some people, when they’re embarrassed, their face doesn’t go red, their butt does. Turn around, pull down your pants and let me have a look.”

“······”

Fang Zichen saw Zhao ge’er’s face looking increasingly ugly, as if he might explode and hit someone the next second. He chuckled and took a few steps away. Only after keeping a safe distance did he say, “I’m teasing you. Men cry, cry, it’s not a crime. Cry however you want. I won’t laugh at you.”

Zhao ge’er’s face was just about to ease up,

“But, do you even count as a man?”

Fang Zichen’s expression changed, as if he were very puzzled.

Zhao ge’er heard his voice lower a little, muttering with Guai Zai, “Son, did you see your dad······”

He could not make out the rest very clearly.

By now, Guai Zai understood many things. His eyes were wet, and he still had two little tear pools in them. His voice even carried a crying tone. “Yes, I bathed with Dad-dad before.”

“Is that so.” Fang Zichen glanced back at Zhao ge’er, then turned his head again. He thought he moved fast enough that Zhao ge’er would not see it,

“Next time I’ll secretly take a look. I’m kind of curious, but would that be very perverted?”

Zhao ge’er: “······”

He had never seen anyone like Fang Zichen. When he was warm, he was really warm, and when he was infuriating, he was really infuriating too. Just now he had been speaking kindly and coaxing people, and the next moment his mouth was teasing again.

Every time Zhao ge’er was just done being moved, he would get angry at him again.

This Fang Zichen really was······ terribly bad.

At night, there really was a thunderstorm, even fiercer than the one at noon. Fang Zichen moved a wooden board, and the three of them slept in the main room.

This house had been built by the village chief’s grandfather’s generation. By now it had been at least several decades. The rain was heavy, and very noisy. Fang Zichen did not sleep soundly the whole night. In the second half of the night, the rain lightened a little, and only then did he fall asleep in a daze.

So the next day he got up late.

Zhao ge’er brought over a bowl of noodles. Fang Zichen hurriedly changed clothes. “I’m not eating, you two eat!”

Zhao ge’er was puzzled. “You didn’t get up especially late today, you can eat the noodles before you go.”

“The boat foreman told me yesterday to go earlier today.”

“Then remember to buy a steamed bun to eat when you get to town.” Zhao ge’er said.

Fang Zichen answered aloud, but once he got to town he headed straight for the dock. It had rained and the road was hard to walk, and he had gotten up late too, so how could he still have the nerve to waste time.

He was only thinking about those three taels of silver!

Fang Zichen felt his heart ache. He had originally thought that after earning three taels of silver he would treat himself to a good meal, but as it turned out…

Damn it, after work he had to go make a trip to the Ma family and beat the shit out of all of them.