Standing right in front of her now, he was even more striking than when seen from afar.
But none of them could say a word.
Which of those words would they dare let her hear?
One by one, they hung their heads, wiping the blood from their faces with their sleeves, wishing they could shrink their heads into their chests.
Xu Anhao looked around.
Xiao Feng had several bruises on his face, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth onto his collar. His clothes were torn open in a large gash, revealing a big patch of bruising on his arm.
The other three were worse off—one had an eye swollen into a slit, another's nose was still bleeding, and the third was crouched on the ground clutching his stomach, unable to get up for a long while.
There were also two bystanders who had gotten pulled into the fight, their faces marked with injuries, grimacing as they rubbed their arms.
She looked at Xiao Feng, then at the three.
"What's going on with you all?"
No one answered.
Xiao Feng didn't want Xu Anhao to hear those filthy words, so naturally he wouldn't speak.
The others, at this moment, wished they could find a crack in the ground to crawl into—how could they possibly say anything?
Xu Anhao stood there, waiting a few seconds.
No one spoke.
She didn't press further.
"It's almost time to knock off," she said. "You all should… go take care of your wounds first."
The few of them were stunned for a moment.
If the team found out they'd fought like this, they'd be in for a harsh scolding tonight—not being united, brawling and fighting, deducting work points would be the least of it.
They nodded at Xu Anhao and practically ran off.
Xu Anhao turned around and looked at Xiao Feng.
"Let's go."
Xiao Feng froze.
"To my place. Wash your face, take care of the wounds. Otherwise Grandma will worry when she sees you like this."
Everyone in the village knew Xiao Feng's story.
That year, his father was building the reservoir when a flash flood hit upstream. He tragically gave his life saving others. His mother remarried and moved to another village, never coming back.
He'd grown up with his grandmother.
Fortunately, his father was posthumously recognized as a martyr, and there was a monthly subsidy. His grandmother scrimped and saved to put him through school.
He did well academically and got into high school. But that year, his grandmother's health declined, and perhaps he also figured that even after finishing high school, he'd still have to come back and earn work points, so he simply didn't go.
But Xu Anhao knew in her heart that part of the reason was that the original owner of this body hadn't gotten in, so he chose not to go either.
The two families lived close by. He and the original owner had grown up together, closer than biological siblings.
"Xiao Feng?"
Xiao Feng's Adam's apple moved.
He didn't speak, just kept his head down and followed.
Xu Anhao walked in front, Xiao Feng behind, two or three steps apart.
The old yellow dog had run out at some point, trotting by Xu Anhao's feet, tail wagging back and forth.
Neither of them spoke the whole way.
Xiao Feng kept his head down, looking at the little white shoes on her feet that he'd never seen before, then at his own worn cloth shoes caked with mud.
The shoe uppers were worn through, the tops split open, his big toe almost poking out.
He tucked his feet back a little.
Suddenly, an indescribable feeling welled up in his chest.
Those words those men had said—he didn't want her to hear a single one. He didn't regret throwing the punches—if he heard them again, he'd beat them just the same.
But now, walking behind her, watching her slender back, he was thinking about something else.
What exactly had she been through in the city?
Was that man good to her?
If he was, why did she come back alone?
Why was the light in her eyes different from two years ago?
He wanted to ask, but didn't dare.
When they reached the courtyard gate, Xu Anhao pushed it open and turned back to look at him.
"Come in."
Xiao Feng stood at the door and didn't move.
Xu Anhao looked at his bruised and swollen face, at the way he stood at the door with his fists clenched.
Those eyes were red, yet stubbornly refused to look away.
She suddenly remembered all the ways this youth had appeared in the original host's memories.
When she was little and got bullied, he stood up for her. When he came back after a fight, he would stand in front of her just like this, panting heavily, asking her, "Are you still crying?"
Back then, when she looked at him, her eyes were full of reliance.
Now, watching him stand there stiffly, a thought suddenly flashed through Xu Anhao's mind—could he tell something was different?
But on second thought, she felt it was impossible.
She was Xu Anhao, from head to toe, every drop of blood in her body was. It was just that the core inside had changed.
Even if he noticed something, he would probably just think that people change over time.
With that thought, she felt much more at ease.
So she cracked a joke:
"What, do I have to bring the water out to you?"
Xiao Feng was stunned for a moment, and the tips of his ears slowly turned red.
"No need."
He answered in a muffled voice and stepped through the courtyard gate.
Xu Anhao turned and headed for the kitchen. He followed behind. When he reached the jujube tree, his footsteps paused for a moment.
The old yellow dog was lying there. It lifted its eyelids to glance at him, then lazily closed them again.
Xiao Feng looked at it and remembered how, when he was little, this dog had still been a little yellow puppy, following him and Xu Anhao around all day. Back then, they would go up the mountain to pick wild jujubes and down to the river to catch fish, and the dog would pace anxiously on the bank, barking.
In the blink of an eye, the dog had grown old, and the people had changed too.
"What are you standing there for?" Xu Anhao's voice came from the kitchen. "Come in."
Xiao Feng withdrew his gaze and walked into the kitchen.
Xu Anhao was scooping water from the vat and pouring it into a washbasin, then adding some hot water from a thermos. She reached out to test the temperature, then set the basin on the stove.
"Come here."
Xiao Feng walked over.
Xu Anhao dipped the towel in the water, wrung it out, and handed it to him.
"Wipe yourself."