Before returning home, Hunter Jiang passed by the house of his nearest neighbor, Aunt Hua, which was a hundred meters away. Aunt Hua was in the yard feeding chickens with corn. She didn’t notice his arrival at all, so Hunter Jiang kindly called out to her, “Aunt Hua, feeding the chickens? Your chickens are growing really well.”
When Aunt Hua looked up, she saw a man covered in blood, with a scruffy beard covering most of his face. He was shouldering a wild boar with sharp teeth, and from a distance, the bloody smell emanating from him was almost palpable, making him look like a demon returned from hell.
To Aunt Hua, he truly looked like a demon from hell because she recognized him as the supposedly dead Hunter Jiang—Jiang Zhu’s father!
“Ghost!!!” she screamed, like a crowing rooster. Her hand trembled, causing the bowl of corn to clatter to the ground, spilling golden kernels everywhere. The chickens pecking around were startled by her sudden scream and scattered in all directions.
Aunt Hua quickly turned around and ran into her house, slamming the door shut behind her. She locked it tightly with trembling hands, leaned against the door, her legs feeling weak, and clasped her hands together, continuously begging for Buddha’s protection, praying that the debt-collecting ghost wouldn’t enter her home.
Hunter Jiang stood there stunned for a moment, then touched his bearded face again. He didn’t blame his neighbor for thinking he was a ghost, thinking that it was probably due to his overgrown beard from not grooming it for more than a month that made him look a bit frightening.
Feeling a bit guilty for scaring his neighbor, he raised his voice apologetically towards the inside, “Aunt Hua, I’m sorry for scaring you! It’s me, Jiang Zhu’s dad. I had a little incident in the mountains and couldn’t get back in time. I really appreciate you looking after my son for the past month. I’ve brought back a wild boar, I’ll cut you half a portion of the meat later to thank you. Please don’t be put off! I’ll go home first and shave my beard before coming to see you.”
After saying this, he left. Meanwhile, Aunt Hua, hiding behind the door, widened her eyes in shock. She quickly turned around and peeked through the crack of the door, murmuring in disbelief, “That voice doesn’t sound like a ghost at all. And it’s still sunny outside, how could a ghost come out during the day? Could it be… he really isn’t a ghost?”
She pondered for a long time and concluded that the person she saw earlier must be human. Oh my God, Hunter Jiang was actually alive!
She recalled the wild boar Hunter Jiang had been carrying and felt a surge of greed. But suddenly, she remembered the incident a few days ago when she and those thugs divided his family’s property. Thinking of Hunter Jiang’s ferocity, she couldn’t help but feel a wave of anxiety.
She plopped down on the ground, muttering to herself, “It’s over, it’s over! What should I do? If Hunter Jiang finds out that I not only failed to protect Jiang Zhu but also colluded to rob his family, he definitely won’t spare me or my family. What should I do…”
Outside in the yard, the chickens, having been startled, hid for a while. When they saw there was no danger, they cautiously made their way toward the corn. Before long, they were happily pecking at the corn, completely indifferent to the commotion happening inside the house.
From a distance, Hunter Jiang saw that his front door was open. He thought of his little son, who must have been extremely worried and frightened during this time. He might have been hiding in the house, crying countless tears. His pace quickened, and from far away, he shouted in a loud voice, “Son, Dad is back!”
He expected his lively little son to rush out like a little rabbit, hugging his leg and chattering away about what he had encountered in the mountains, asking why he was so late.
However, the warm welcome he imagined did not come, he didn’t even hear his son’s voice.
“Could he have gone out to play?” he wondered, continuing forward. As he stepped into the house, what he saw was a messy yard, an ajar door, and an almost empty home. The smile on Hunter Jiang’s face suddenly froze.
His heart raced in panic. With a loud thud, he dropped the wild boar he was carrying and rushed into the house, searching frantically. Bedcovers, furniture, money, food, and kitchenware—all the things that could be taken were gone. But the most crucial thing was that his son was missing!
The stove showed that no fire had been lit here for several days. He hurried out, heading toward the places where Jiang Zhu usually played. After searching for a long time, he found not even a shadow of a person.
At this moment, the thing that he had been unwilling to acknowledge finally surfaced in his mind. Something might have happened to his son.
But how could this happen? Hadn’t he asked Aunt Hua to help take care of his son and his house? Why had things turned out like this?
Thinking of Aunt Hua, he rushed out and almost ran to her house.
When Aunt Hua saw him, there was a hint of fear in her expression, and she seemed somewhat defensive and fearful of him. He assumed it was because of his unkempt beard, so he didn’t pay it any mind. However, later, when he recalled that moment, he wished he could go back in time and slap himself a few times.
He asked, “Aunt Hua, is my son here? Did something happen at my house? When I got home, everything was gone!”
Aunt Hua’s expression grew somewhat flustered. However, upon realizing that Hunter Jiang still didn’t know about the incident, an idea popped into her mind. “Oh, your son? Alas! Something terrible has happened. A few days ago, everyone in the village thought you were dead, so those good-for-nothing thugs went to your house to rob it and even beat your son. That poor child! We tried to reason with them, but you know those thugs even attacked this old body of mine—there’s no law anymore! We couldn’t protect anything for you. I’m really sorry…”
As soon as Hunter Jiang heard that his son was in trouble, he became extremely anxious. Seeing Aunt Hua in front of him still chattering on but not mentioning his most concerned issue—his son—he could no longer contain himself and urgently asked, “Aunt, I’ll deal with everything else later. Just tell me, where is my son? Is he hurt?”
Hearing that he would deal with everything later made Aunt Hua feel a bit panicked, so she hurriedly composed herself and approached him, pretending to soothe him while cleverly justifying her actions.
“Hunter Jiang, don’t panic. Let me explain. Your son is fine, but he’s not at my house right now. When I went to protect your son, there was a misunderstanding. He only listened to part of what I said and thought our family was also bad people. He didn’t want to come stay at my house and ran away when he saw me. I really did my best regarding your family’s situation, I even got hit by those thugs! Look here, it’s all bruised,”
As she said, she rolled up her sleeve to show him.
Hearing that his son was okay eased Hunter Jiang’s heart somewhat, but he still needed to know where his son was, so he remained uneasy. Trying to calm himself, he replied:
“That’s good to hear. Once I find my son, I’ll definitely have him apologize to you and clear up the misunderstanding. I really appreciate that you did your best. But what happened after that? Where could my little son have gone?”
Seeing that he believed her, Aunt Hua relaxed her expression and said, “Oh, he was coaxed away by that wasteful kid, Qu Qing. We went to get some things back from Er Mazi’s mother, and I don’t know what Qu Qing said to him or what nonsense he fed him.
He took all those things and gave them all to Qu Qing. After that, I heard he stayed at Qu Qing’s house, eating and drinking all day, mixing with Qu Qing. You know the saying, ‘If you follow good people, you learn to be good, if you follow a witch, you learn to practice witchcraft.’ Your son is hanging out with that good-for-nothing, he might just be led astray, and you should…”
Hearing Qu Qing’s name made Hunter Jiang nearly jump out of his skin. “Aunt, stop talking! Where is Qu Qing’s house? I’m going to find my son right now!”
Aunt Hua pointed him in a direction, and he quickly ran towards Qu Qing’s house. As he left Aunt Hua’s doorstep, her son ran in from outside. He subconsciously felt that the clothes this child was wearing looked somewhat like those of his son, Jiang Zhu. This suspicion only flickered across his mind before he stepped away, glancing back at the child one more time, though this second look nearly made Aunt Hua break out in a cold sweat.
At this moment, Hua Zizhou happened to be walking into the village when he saw a burly man approaching from the distance. He looked like a savage and aggressive, as if he was ready to fight. He quickly moved aside to let the man pass, giving him a couple of extra glances, feeling that this person looked somewhat familiar but unable to recall who he was for a moment.
Shaking his head, Hua Zizhou continued toward his destination and soon arrived at Grandpa Dong’s house, the village doctor. The door was open, so he stood at the entrance and respectfully called out, “Grandpa Dong!” Almost immediately, a hoarse and aged voice responded from inside.
“Come in—!”
Hua Zizhou walked into the yard, and soon an elderly man, lean with a goatee, a few wrinkles on his face, and half-black hair that still held a spark in his eyes, appeared, followed by a half-grown child still wearing split-crotch pants.
Seeing Hua Zizhou, the old man thought for a moment and said, “Oh, it’s you, Gou’er! What brings you to my house? I heard you got married. How’s life with your husband?”
This old man had once helped Hua Zizhou treat Mao’er when everyone else regarded it as an omen of bad luck, but he’s the only one willing to lend a hand without charging any fees. Therefore, Hua Zizhou held great respect for him. Out of gratitude, he would occasionally gather firewood from the mountains to bring to the old man, but apart from that, they had little interaction.
“Yes, Grandpa Dong. I married Qu Qing. He treats me and Mao’er very well and even gave us new names. I’m no longer called Gou’er, I’m now called Hua Zizhou, and Mao’er’s name is changed to Qu Xin.”
Grandpa Dong noticed the slap mark on his face and, without commenting, invited him in, and poured him a cup of tea. He then sat across from him, holding his grandson, and asked, “Did he hit you?”
Hua Zizhou then remembered the marks on his face that might have caused a misunderstanding, quickly waving his hand to explain to Qu Qing, “He treats me extremely well, he hasn’t even scolded me, let alone hit me.”
He then recounted what had happened yesterday.
“Is that so?” Grandpa Dong nodded. “Did he really let Mao’er take his surname?”
Hua Zizhou hurriedly replied, “He did, and he has been treating Mao’er like his own child over these past few days.”
Grandpa Dong remarked, “That’s truly wonderful. Even among ordinary families, not everyone would be willing to raise someone else’s child. When I looked at him back then, I saw him as a poor little boy without a father or mother, just like my own grandson. So, I helped him as much as I could. This Qu Qing not only raises the child but is also willing to let the child take his
surname, which shows his sincerity. He is a good person, and you must cherish him well.”
With a hint of shyness on his face, Hua Zizhou firmly said, “There’s no need to say that. As long as he doesn’t kick me out, I’ll follow him for the rest of my life, even if it means I have to work like an ox or horse.”
Seeing the happiness radiating faintly from his face, Grandpa Dong understood that Hua Zizhou was not lying and that he was genuinely doing well. He felt glad for him. After all, in this era, most people were struggling. Hua Zizhou, who had taken in a child, was particularly unfortunate, which made him seem even more pitiful in the eyes of an outsider.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Hua Zizhou hesitated for a moment and said, “I came here today to ask if you could take a look at the pimples on my face and see if there’s any way to treat them. As for the payment, would this be enough?”
He pulled out three pieces of high-quality candy from his pocket. The little boy playing on the ground, wearing split-crotch pants, immediately perked up at the sight of the candy. He stood up, waddled over, and leaned against his grandfather’s leg, looking eager yet hesitant to ask for it, his eyes wide with anticipation as he glanced up at Grandpa Dong.
Grandpa Dong felt a bit embarrassed to take the candy, but when he saw the look on his little grandson’s face, he hesitated.
Although his family wasn’t considered poor, he was very reluctant to spend money on unnecessary things.
His wife had passed away years ago, and his son had died on the battlefield. After hearing the news, his daughter-in-law remarried and left Huajia Village, leaving him alone to raise his little grandson. Worried about dying young, he scrimped and saved to build a small nest egg for his
grandson and future granddaughter-in-law, so even though he felt heartbroken, he couldn’t bear to spend a single coin on buying the child two pieces of candy, he had to save every penny coin he could find.
At this moment, seeing his grandson’s eyes light up at the sight of the candy, his nose running and drool forming as he looked up with such longing, Grandpa Dong felt a pang in his heart. He reached out and took the candy, causing his little grandson to excitedly shout “Grandpa!” with eager eyes. When he finally got the candy in his mouth, he bounced up and down, saying how delicious it was.
Grandpa Dong took the remaining two pieces of candy inside and set them aside for later, planning to save them for the child. Afterward, he checked Hua Zizhou’s condition.
After a while, he said to Hua Zizhou, “Your condition is actually due to not taking good care of yourself during your growth. The best remedy is medicine, and you’ll need quite a bit. My suggestion is not to treat it now, people today hardly have that kind of spare money. It’s better to save up for later. If your husband truly treats you well, have him take the money to buy some herbal medicine for you.”
Hua Zizhou nodded, feeling a bit dejected. He then stood up to take his leave, and Grandpa Dong consoled him, “I know you want to look beautiful for your husband, but from my perspective, if you look like this and he treats you well, he probably isn’t someone who cares too much about appearances. Focus on living well with him, everything else is secondary, understand?”
“Thank you, Grandpa Dong,” Hua Zizhou thanked him. Just as he was about to leave, he noticed a familiar face passing by the door.
It was the thug he had threatened with a sickle yesterday. He had taught two others a lesson that day, but it wasn’t until later, just before falling asleep, that he realized the person he had threatened with the sickle hadn’t really suffered at all. If he had known, he would have given him a cut back then.
He already regretted not teaching that person a good lesson yesterday, so seeing him today made him somewhat concerned.
Grandpa Dong also saw it and pulled Hua Zizhou aside to say a few more words: “The thugs who tried to rob your house yesterday, is that person who just passed by also involved?”
Hua Zizhou nodded.
Grandpa Dong looked disdainfully at the door and spat, then turned to him and said, “What a disgraceful and shameful thing! Do you know what he’s up to now?”
“What’s he doing?”
“You were just a child before you got married, so I wouldn’t usually discuss such dirty matters with you. But now that you’re married, I can tell you: this thug goes to the Wang family’s daughter-in-law to have an affair every single day, and he does it while her husband goes to town to buy things, only coming back the next day. He spends one or two hours there each time.”
Hua Zizhou exclaimed, “Isn’t anyone in the village telling Wang Daniu about this…” Before he could finish, he suddenly remembered Wang Daniu’s character and instantly wore an expression of realization.
Wang Daniu was not a good person, he had a bad temper and would often get into fights. He loved to take advantage of others and frequently bullied people, making him quite unpopular in the village. He was most notorious for beating his wife, whenever he did, the cries of his woman could be heard throughout the entire village.
Seeing the expression on Hua Zizhou’s face, Grandpa Dong knew he understood: “Exactly, a person like Wang Daniu is the subject of private mockery in the village. No one would bother to tell him he’s wearing a green hat, bah, they’re all just no good.”
After they finished discussing the two men with disdain, Hua Zizhou left thoughtfully. As he walked, he pondered the village’s layout and Grandpa Dong’s earlier words.
On the way out of Wang Daniu’s house, there was a narrow path beside a water ditch that was waist-deep. If that bastard came back from his affair, he would definitely pass by there.
After realizing this, a plan slowly formed in his mind.
While walking home, he suddenly remembered the aggressive man he had encountered not long ago. He thought he looked familiar but couldn’t quite recall who he was.
He mentally went through the list of people he knew, but there was no one that matched. Then he thought of people in the village he was somewhat familiar with, and suddenly it struck him—wasn’t that the father of Jiang Zhu?
Yes, it must be him. The only person he didn’t know well in the village was Jiang Zhu’s father, who was often not home, and they lived far apart, so they rarely had the chance to meet. He had only seen him from a distance a few times and had never spoken to him.
If he had returned, he must have known that his son, Jiang Zhu, was being bullied and was likely looking for someone to settle the score. But wait, the direction he was going wasn’t toward those thugs’ houses.
Ah, it seemed like he was heading… toward his own house?
Suddenly, he remembered the murderous aura that Hunter Jiang had displayed and recalled the ghostly behavior of his neighbor. He could roughly guess what might happen when Hunter Jiang returned.
Hua Zizhou’s heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly ran home, feeling extremely anxious. He hoped that Hunter Jiang would consider that Jiang Zhu was doing well and not listen to the bad people’s slanders, rushing in to take action. After all, Qu Qing had only been injured yesterday, and given Hunter Jiang’s size, it would be difficult for an ordinary person to resist him.
In a panic, he ran home, his mind flashing with various images of Qu Qing getting hurt and the children getting frightened. However, halfway there, he was taken aback to see Qu Qing and Hunter Jiang happily chatting together, walking side by side toward him, leaving him momentarily stunned.
When Qu Qing spotted Hua Zizhou from afar, he greeted him, “Zizhou, did you handle your business well?”
Hua Zizhou nodded randomly, looking at Hunter Jiang curiously as he asked, “So, where are you guys heading?”
Qu Qing realized that he still didn’t know the current situation and pointed to Hunter Jiang, introducing him: “This is Brother Jiang, Jiang Zhu’s father. You should know him. He just returned, and we’re planning to help him move some things. Do you want to come with us?”
“Move things?”
“Yes, I just chatted with Brother Jiang for a bit and found him to be a nice person. He thinks I’m good too, so he wants to move closer to our house. It would be good to look out for each other since he often goes hunting and doesn’t feel comfortable leaving Jiang Zhu alone at home. If we hadn’t run into each other, Jiang Zhu might have really been in danger.”
“But…” As the words were on the tip of his tongue, he immediately stopped. He initially wanted to say that Hunter Jiang’s house should have been emptied out, but he realized that saying such a thing wouldn’t be appropriate, so he refrained.
Hunter Jiang guessed what he wanted to say and replied, “I still have my hunting gear, and the wild boar I brought back today is still there. I could handle it alone, but Brother Qu insisted on helping, so we decided to go together.”
“Oh, I see. I… I saw you striding over with such aggressiveness earlier and thought…” Hunter Jiang laughed, “You thought I was looking for trouble, right?”
Hua Zizhou hadn’t expected that this seemingly burly man would speak so politely.
“Now I understand. I think I’ll pass. Are the two kids home alone? I should head back to keep an eye on them, just in case something happens.”
Qu Qing also thought it made sense and let him return home.
Hunter Jiang watched him leave and said to Qu Qing, “He’s a ge’er, is he your husband?”
“Uh…” Qu Qing felt a bit troubled, but since they had been sharing a bed recently, it wouldn’t be good to deny it, so he replied, “Sort of.”
Hunter Jiang asked with some curiosity, “Why do you seem unsure? Is he not your legitimate husband?”
Qu Qing knew that Hunter Jiang was an outsider who had come to the village relatively late. Moreover, he was poor and often away hunting, so he didn’t know much about the village’s affairs, especially regarding Qu Qing’s past.
Qu Qing said, “You’ve seen my situation. If it weren’t for the unexpected meeting with your son, we would have run out of food in a month. With my circumstances, how could I legitimately
marry a wife? It’s just that he came, and we’re living together, that’s all.” He somewhat blurred the information he himself didn’t know.
The two of them, feeling like old friends, continued their conversation. As they passed by Aunt Hua’s house, Qu Qing noticed that the door was closed, with a slight crack, and it seemed someone had flashed by inside.
Hunter Jiang noticed it too and sneered, continuing to lead Qu Qing forward. “That poisonous woman, during the day, she tricked me into thinking my son misunderstood them. If I hadn’t seen that her son was wearing my son’s clothes later, I might have believed her.”
Qu Qing asked him curiously, “Aren’t you going to find trouble with them?”
Hunter Jiang snorted coldly, his eyes showing fierce intent. “Not for now. I want them to experience the feeling of being on edge. When the time is right, I won’t let any of them off the hook.”
Qu Qing gave him a thumbs up.
The two of them headed out together, with the hunter carrying the wild boar while Qu Qing took the remaining bag, and they walked on.
As they passed under the wall of Aunt Hua’s house, a person peeking out immediately hid upon seeing them. Aunt Hua, feeling suspicious, opened the door and called out to Hunter Jiang, “Didn’t you say you were going to give me half a pig? It’s so late now, where are you carrying that pig off to? And why are you hanging out with Qu Qing? Didn’t I tell you before?”
Hunter Jiang looked at her with a half-smile and said, “Aunt Hua, your son is wearing my son’s clothes, and they seem to fit quite well.”
Aunt Hua’s expression froze instantly, and she felt a wave of anxiety. “What… what clothes? Don’t slander people randomly, those clothes were made from new fabric I bought in town this month. They just happen to be made of the same material. Did you fall for Qu Qing’s tricks and misunderstand us? Oh, ask your conscience if I’ve ever been anything but sincere to you in these past two years!”
Hunter Jiang didn’t even give her a second glance and called out to Qu Qing. The two of them only left each other with their backs.
Aunt Hua turned around to her family, pointing at the back of Hunter Jiang’s departing figure and asked, “What do you think he means? Does he know we took his things?”
The whole family started to discuss in hushed tones.
Old Man Hua said, “It shouldn’t be. Given this person’s character, if he knew, he wouldn’t be so friendly while speaking today. But something does seem off. Didn’t we agree on half a pig? Do you think he plans to bring it to us tomorrow?”
A group of children, who hadn’t tasted meat in over a month, swallowed their saliva and asked, “Dad, does that mean we can eat meat tomorrow?”
Aunt Hua, feeling a bit upset inside, smacked her hand down upon hearing the children. “Eat, eat, eat! Are you a reincarnation of a starving ghost? All you think about is food!”
The child was scolded for no reason, felt wronged and looked ready to cry.
That night, when Old Man Hua and Aunt Hua went to bed, they kept talking about Hunter Jiang, tossing and turning with worry, unable to fall asleep even in the middle of the night.
Meanwhile, as Qu Qing and Hunter Jiang were heading back, Qu Qing curiously asked Hunter Jiang, “Why did you leave so urgently just now? Are you afraid of them?”
“Afraid?” Hunter Jiang snorted coldly, gritting his teeth as he said, “I am indeed afraid. I’m afraid I won’t be able to hold myself back from tearing that vicious woman’s face apart. But even so, that would be too easy for them. Don’t worry, I will never break the law, I’ll just make sure they remember that my son is not someone to be bullied.”
When the two returned to Qu Qing’s house, they cut a piece of meat from the wild boar in the yard. It was the first time they had ever heard of hot pot. Qu Qing prepared the hot pot base, sliced the meat, arranged the vegetables, and moved the iron stove from the corner to the yard. With the makeshift torch Hunter Jiang made, they all gathered around and started eating hot pot.
When the meat reached their mouths, everyone except Qu Qing ‘opened’ the door to a new world.
The little Mao’er, having burned his mouth, wiped away the tears that sprang from the corners of his eyes, exhaling as he struggled to swallow. Finally, he looked at Qu Qing and said, “Father, it’s so delicious!”
Meanwhile, Hunter Jiang busily served meat to Jiang Zhu while also putting it into his own mouth. Jiang Zhu was devouring the food with such enthusiasm that it looked like he would swallow his tongue. Even Hua Zizhou, who had been a bit distracted at first, widened his eyes at the enticing aroma.
The meat that had just been added to the pot wasn’t fully cooked yet, but it was almost entirely snatched up.
Qu Qing thought they were being a bit excessive, so he picked up a piece of meat to taste. It was indeed very good—the wild boar meat was fresh and delicious, but it wasn’t that exaggerated, was it?
He was beside them, adding more meat and vegetables to the pot.
He has to say, when there are more people, the food is really delicious.
In the end, the pot was cleaned out, and everyone was full and satisfied, with their bellies round. After resting for a while, the full moon was shining brightly in the sky, illuminating the road below.
The group worked together to clean up. Qu Qing and Hunter Jiang got along very well and decided to chat a bit longer while the two children went to sleep. After Hua Zizhou finished tidying everything up, he lowered his head, hesitated for a moment, and nervously walked over to Qu Qing, fidgeting with his fingers, and said, “Head of the family, I want to go outside for a bit. I’ll be back soon.”
Qu Qing thought he wanted to go to the bathroom, but was it a bit strange to come to him for that?
After thinking for a moment, Hunter Jiang, noticing Qu Qing’s concern, said, “There could be some wild animals out at night. If you’re worried, it’s better to go out and take a look.”
Qu Qing recalled hearing animal howls at night and agreed with Hunter Jiang’s suggestion, so he decided to go out. After a while, he rushed back and told Hunter Jiang, “It seems he went down the small path and is getting farther away. I think it’s a bit strange. I’m worried and want to go see. I’ll let you know when I get back.”
Hunter Jiang immediately stood up and said, “I’ll go take a look too. As long as the door at home is locked, nothing should happen. I think he must have something important to do in the village, otherwise, he wouldn’t go out at this late hour. After all, the village near the mountains is very dangerous at night, he should know that.”
After hearing this, Qu Qing became even more worried. After they secured the door, they went outside together, and Hunter Jiang grabbed his bow and arrows on the way.
The two of them carefully followed Hua Zizhou without calling out to him.
When Hunter Jiang was halfway there, he suddenly realized that this guy was going out at such a late hour… could he be sneaking off to have an affair?
But when he looked at Qu Qing’s serious expression, which seemed completely focused on worrying about the other’s safety rather than catching someone in the act.
Then he thought again: with Qu Qing’s husband looking like that, it was unlikely he’d be having an affair.
After walking for a while, they saw Hua Zizhou reach one side of the village and then hide in the grass along a small path.
Qu Qing thought he had discovered that he was being followed and subconsciously pulled Hunter Jiang down to hide as well.
Hunter Jiang, who had been holding back his thoughts, finally couldn’t resist and poked Qu Qing, whispering, “Hey, brother, you’re not bringing me here to catch him committing adultery, are you?”
“What…?” Qu Qing almost exclaimed in surprise but quickly stopped himself and replied quietly, “How could that be? We’re just roommates living together for now. If he could find a good place, I definitely wouldn’t stop him. I really came out just to see if he was okay. After all, we’re family now, right?”
Hunter Jiang nodded doubtfully, “That’s true, but don’t you think we look a bit like we’re here to catch him cheating?”
“Okay, I admit it. At first, I was worried about him, but now I’m just curious about what he’s doing here, acting all mysterious. Don’t tell me you’re not the least bit curious.”
Hunter Jiang conceded, so the two of them continued to wait.
The three of them, each hiding in the grass at different distances, were on watch. After a while, the door of the house in the distance suddenly opened, and a man stepped out, hands in his pockets, whistling as he leisurely walked down the small path toward them.
Qu Qing was a bit surprised, feeling shocked as he thought: Hua Zizhou can’t really be sneaking out for a secret meeting, can he? My God.
The man approached Hua Zizhou step by step, while the two people hiding behind kept their eyes fixed in that direction.
He was getting closer, just a few steps away.
Just as Hunter Jiang and Qu Qing were anxiously waiting for some unknown event to unfold, something surprisingly thrilling actually happened next.
Just as the man was about to pass by the grass where Hua Zizhou was hiding, Hua Zizhou suddenly stood up. Before the two watching from behind and the passing thug could react, he
lifted his leg and kicked the man into the ditch. Then, he grabbed a wooden stick he must have found somewhere and began to beat the person in the ditch. For a moment, all that could be heard were the cries of the man.
Qu Qing and Hunter Jiang agreed that if they were holding anything at this moment, it would definitely have fallen to the ground in shock.
Listening to the solid thuds of the blows, Hunter Jiang nervously swallowed and looked at Qu Qing with sympathy, saying, “Is your husband… always like this?”
Qu Qing was completely at a loss for words, and feeling confused as he replied, “I’m not sure, I don’t know. Don’t ask me.”