What Qu Qing said actually carried a bit of sting. He thought that, even if the other party didn’t get angry, they might be a bit displeased. Unexpectedly, the other person took a puff from his pipe, exhaled some smoke, and looked him up and down. Then, with a slightly appreciative glance, he said, “We haven’t seen each other for a few days, and I didn’t expect you to really have changed. Just looking at the worn skin on your palm, I believe you. This time, you really want to turn over a new leaf [1]“Turn over a new leaf” means to make a fresh start or change one’s behavior for the better, often after realizing past mistakes. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3338706_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3338706_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });.”
Hua Zizhou, who stood three steps behind Qu Qing with his head respectfully bowed, couldn’t help but glance at the small part of Qu Qing’s palm that was exposed. His heart was immediately filled with both distressed and guilt.
The village chief glanced at the small Qu Xin, who had only opened one eye and was hiding behind a tree in the distance when he saw him. Quickly shifting his gaze. He then looked at Hua Zizhou and then turned to Qu Qing and said:
“Supporting a family of three is neither too hard nor too easy. However, you still have three acres of land. As long as you work hard, you definitely won’t go hungry. This is how it should be. Otherwise, if you lose these three acres of family property, you’ll really become a poor household in our Huajia Village. It’s only early spring now, and the farm work has just started. With only one hoe at home, how will you manage? I have some work that will take about three days to finish. When I’m done, you can borrow my ox for a couple of days.”
It would be a lie if Qu Qing said that he’s not surprised. Although he didn’t know much about the village chief, he was touched that the chief was willing to lend him the ox. The sting he had felt earlier immediately disappeared, replaced by gratitude. After all, many people are willing to add icing to the cake [2]“Icing on the cake” refers to something extra that makes a good situation even better. It describes an additional benefit or pleasant feature on top of something that is already positive. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3338706_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3338706_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, but few are willing to offer timely help. Regardless of the chief’s intentions, this kindness would be remembered.
He sincerely expressed his thanks: “Thank you, village chief. Your help is truly invaluable. If there’s anything I can do to help you in the future, please let me know.” Without the ox today, he could only work himself to exhaustion. Now that he could have the ox, it was certainly better. After all, who would want to be treated like an animal if they could be treated as a human?
The village chief came over and patted his shoulder: “You look much better now, young man. Work hard. The past is the past. As long as you have ambition, you can recover your lost family wealth. But don’t be too hasty. Don’t neglect your health. Look at your hands. You’re still like a young master who’s never worked. It’s good to face the reality, but you need to take it slow. Adapt slowly. Once your hands develop thick calluses, it will be better. For now, let your Ge’er
do more work. He’s used to farm work from a young age, so it won’t be a big deal. Don’t be too hard on him. Spoiling him isn’t a good thing.”
Qu Qing was at a loss for words. Different views on this matter meant that confronting it directly was unwise. Just as he was about to give a vague response, Hua Zizhou chimed in: “Yes, I’m used to it. The head of the family used to be a scholar and shouldn’t be so hard on himself like this.”
The village chief looked at Qu Qing in surprise and asked “You used to study?”
Qu Qing had no choice but to nod: “Just studied a bit, but I haven’t read books for many years and don’t know how much I remember now.”
“No wonder you don’t know anything about farm work. Considering your parents’ former wealth, it’s normal that you could afford education. It’s a pity… But it’s great if you really studied. You’d be the first scholar in our Huajia Village. Did you come up with these new names too? They’re quite good, not bad.”
Qu Qing quickly downplayed his own achievements, not daring to let them praise him too much. Otherwise, if he couldn’t live up to these expectations, it would be awkward.
The village chief, seemingly having nothing better to do, sat down with them in the field and chatted for a while. He then suggested Qu Qing take the rusty hoe to the blacksmith in the village for repair and, if there was extra money, to buy a new hoe. Noticing Qu Qing’s embarrassed expression, the village chief realized he was currently out of money.
After chatting for a while, the village chief’s pipe ran out of fire, so he bid the two men a farewell and went home.
After he left, Hua Zizhou suddenly found himself alone with Qu Qing. He suddenly remembered that in his excitement, he grabbed Qu Qing’s hand last night. Although he had quickly let go and Qu Qing didn’t seem to mind, Hua Zizhou felt a mix of awkwardness and shyness. After all, it was his first time being so close to a man. Soon, he remembered his own face and made an effort to suppress his shyness and feelings.
Qu Qing didn’t notice Hua Zizhou’s inner worries. He waved to Qu Xin, who was hiding behind the tree in the distance. When little Qu Xin saw his gesture, he happily ran over, calling out to ‘father’.
When Little Qu Xin approached, Qu Qing picked him up and asked, “Why were you hiding just now? Did the village chief treat you badly?”
Little Qu Xin shook his head violently. Normally, he would answer Qu Qing’s questions, even if he didn’t know the answer. But this time, he said nothing, which made Qu Qing feel puzzled. He
squinted slightly, put Little Qu Xin down, crouched to his level, and asked earnestly: “Did the village chief bully you? Did he hit you? Or mistreat you?”
Little Qu Xin shook his head again: “No, Uncle village chief didn’t hit me or scold me. I was hiding because… because…” At this point, he suddenly couldn’t continue speaking.
Qu Qing could clearly sense that Little Qu Xin had something he couldn’t say but seeing that neither Hua Zizhou nor Little Qu Xin seemed willing to speak, he decided not to press the issue. Instead, he gently patted Little Qu Xin’s head and said, “Qu Xin, you must remember, you have a father now. If anyone dares to bully you, tell me, and I’ll make sure they get what’s coming to them, understand?”
Qu Qing’s right eye sparkled, and his face showed a lively expression. Looking at the imposing man, Little Qu Xin nodded heavily and responded energetically, “Okay!”
Hua Zizhou watched the affectionate father-son interaction with envy, feeling a pang of sadness and loss. He touched his own face and then quickly looked away, getting up to grab the hoe. With a slightly awkward demeanor, he said to Qu Qing, “Master, your hands are already like that. You should rest today. I’ll go work for a while, alright?”
Qu Qing glanced at his chapped hands, which were shaking with exhaustion and burning pain. His pampered body had almost reached its limit. Knowing that the village chief would lend him the ox in a few days, his sense of urgency eased somewhat. He nodded in agreement, allowing Hua Zizhou to continue working but resolved to monitor him closely to ensure he rested enough.
After watching Hua Zizhou’s diligent figure for a while, Qu Qing turned to Little Qu Xin and gently touched his right eyelid. The eye that was always closed looked perfectly normal. When Qu Qing touched it, he even noticed some movement beneath the eyelid, just like a normal person’s closed eye.
“Little Qu Xin, tell me about this eye. Is it blind? Or has it been injured?”
In fact, little Qu Xin had flinched slightly when Qu Qing touched his eye. But because of the trust he had developed over the past few days, he didn’t pull away. When Qu Qing asked about his eye, he realized that Qu Qing still didn’t know about it.
‘So… this is why he’s being this kind to me?’
Little Qu Xin began to feel fear in his heart. In the past, other children were willing to play with him, but when their elders saw his other eye, they developed strong disgust. Not only were they forbidden to play with him, but he was even pelted with stones and called a monster whenever he entered someone’s home.
Little Qu Xin was very young, only four years old, but he understood far more than children his age. He knew well how much people abhorred his unusual eye. He didn’t doubt that if his father discovered what his other eye was like, not only would he lose his name, but he might also be ruthlessly driven out of the house.
Having finally found a warm, safe home with his dad, he couldn’t bear to lose it and he didn’t want to return to his previous situation!
His small mind was focused on one thought: he must never let his secret be discovered!
Suddenly, he forcefully broke free from Qu Qing’s hand and stumbled over to Hua Zizhou, hugging his leg tightly and hiding behind him, just like he had when he first met Qu Qing.
Qu Qing was momentarily stunned, watching him run away. Then he felt a strong sense of disappointment mixed with sadness. Over the past few days, he had genuinely cared for Little Qu Xin and liked his obedience. He thought that Little Qu Xin had already let down his guard and developed trust in him. The atmosphere had been so good a moments ago, but suddenly the child had turned hostile. Was he really being too intrusive?
Or… did Little Qu Xin never trust him at all? Neither about the village chief nor his eye, the two of them were unwilling to share even a word, making him feel like an outsider.
Hua Zizhou saw Qu Xin suddenly run over, paused his digging, and turned to look at Qu Qing in surprise. However, Qu Qing’s deep gaze was fixed on Qu Xin, and the smile that had been on his face was gone, replaced by an inexplicable sense of distance. Then, Qu Qing picked up the sickle and walked off to the side, seemingly to gather wild vegetables. This time, though, he didn’t greet Hua Zizhou as he had before, nor did he ask Qu Xin to join him.
Hua Zizhou saw Qu Xin suddenly run over, paused his digging, and turned to look at Qu Qing in surprise. However, Qu Qing’s deep gaze was fixed on Qu Xin, and the smile that had been on his face was gone, replaced by an inexplicable sense of distance. Then, Qu Qing picked up the sickle and walked off to the side, seemingly to gather wild vegetables. This time, though, he didn’t greet Hua Zizhou as he had before, nor did he ask Qu Xin to join him.
At this point, even a fool could tell that something unpleasant had just happened between the two, with Qu Xin hiding and Qu Qing to be obviously upset.
Seeing Qu Qing like this, Hua Zizhou felt anxious and a bit angry. He bent down, grabbed Qu Xin’s hand, and looked at him with disappointment and frustration, saying, “Why did you hide from him just now? He’s been so good to you, letting you take his surname and raising you as his own. Is this how you repay him?”
Snap—
After falling countless times, being cut and bleeding from stones, and getting seriously injured by others without shedding a tear, little Qu Xin now faced Hua Zizhou’s questioning, and his tears flowed so quickly. One of his eyelids remained tightly shut, but tears kept pouring out from the gap between his eyelids.
“Father… Dad…”
Hearing his small sobs, Hua Zizhou’s eyes also stung with emotion, but the rising anger inside him grew even stronger. He flung Qu Xin’s small hand away, turned his back, picked up the hoe, and resumed his work on his own. In a cold voice, he said, “Don’t call me Dad. I’m not your Dad.”
Little Qu Xin, who had been silently enduring his tears, could no longer hold back. He opened his mouth and sobbed, his small hands cautiously tugging at Hua Zizhou’s pant leg. He explained in a broken voice, “Dad… I’m sorry… I really… didn’t mean to… He, he asked me… about my eyes. I was scared… I was afraid he would hate me like Er Niu’s parents did, hate me, take back my name… chase me away, and never let me call him Father again… I really didn’t mean to upset Father. I didn’t… I just… didn’t want him to know… about my eyes, so… so I hid.”
After hearing the explanation, Hua Zizhou dropped the hoe, turned around, and tightly embraced Qu Xin, rubbing his face vigorously while slightly choked up. He said, “Dad just misunderstood you earlier. I’m sorry, please don’t blame Dad. I’m sorry… What you did was right. You should keep your secret well, you absolutely must not let him know about your eyes. Even if you can’t hide it forever, at least not right now…”
Though he said this, Hua Zizhou felt an immense worry in his heart.
What should he do if he makes him angry? What should he do…?
The place where Qu Qing was digging wild vegetables was a hollow in the mountains, near a flowing creek. The view here was narrow, and he couldn’t see the fields of his home, but he faintly heard the cries of little Qu Xin. This only deepened the frustration in his heart, and he couldn’t help but wonder if he had done something overly harsh to him just now, enough to make a child who usually wasn’t afraid of bleeding cry?
References[+]