The crowd gathered on the street grew larger. Li Ting stood among them with a complicated gaze. He had not expected Wang Juaner to be so ruthless; his words earlier had only been meant to sting her into waking up from her despair.
Now, with Wang Juaner’s hand rising and falling with the blade, the only sounds were the sharp intake of breath from the onlookers and Xu Wu’s agonized wails. Blood had pooled on the ground before someone finally remembered to fetch Doctor Chang. In the interim, Xu Wu rolled on the ground in pain. Wang Juaner, her hands stained with blood, looked at the wretched man and finally let out a long breath of relief.
She scanned the crowd. Her gaze swept over Li Ting without lingering before settling on a specific elderly woman. She stepped forward and returned the sickle to her, regardless of whether the woman was too terrified to hold it, and turned to go home. Not long after, she emerged in clean clothes, carrying a small bundle, and returned to the crowd.
“Wang Juaner, where are you going?” someone asked, their curiosity outweighing their fear.
Wang Juaner simply said she was returning to her parents’ home. She looked for Li Ting’s figure one last time, but the young man was already gone.
Xu Wu finally saw Doctor Chang rushing toward him. Even then, he did not forget to roar at Wang Juaner’s retreating back, “You poisonous woman! You viper!”
“Serves you right.”
It was unclear who said it, but the people who had briefly pitied Xu Wu remembered his past actions. Their sympathy vanished, replaced by the feeling that justice had been served.
Li Ting knew nothing of what followed and had no desire to know. He was currently walking back to the courtyard with Gao Ke, who had also witnessed the spectacle. Gao Ke could not stop clicking his tongue in amazement. Seeing Li Ting’s expressionless face, he did not dare voice his thoughts aloud, only saying, “Boss, my brother will handle this matter. You do not need to worry.”
“I do not care about that, but your brother is indeed hardworking,” Li Ting replied. At the front gate, he looked back at Gao Ke, who knew this was a cue to leave. “Then I will head back, Boss. If you need anything, just send someone to let me know!”
He had only walked a few steps when Li Ting called him back.
“There should be a piece of land under Xiao Qiu’s name. Please ask your brother to check if anyone has tampered with it,” Li Ting instructed. Gao Ke nodded repeatedly, committing the request to memory. Before leaving, he pulled a letter from his robe. “I almost forgot. Before I met you, a messenger brought this to the yamen. My brother asked me to bring it to you.”
Li Ting took it. Seeing the words “To be opened by my son,” he knew it was from Li Dongtang. Calculating the time, his father would arrive in Dongxu Village soon. Li Ting thanked Gao Ke and sent him off before pushing open the gate. As soon as he entered, he froze at the scent wafting through the air.
He remembered only going out for soy sauce and being forced to watch a scene. He did not remember cooking anything. Where was this fragrance coming from?
Walking further in, he saw the chicks in their pen pecking at cabbage leaves. None were missing, meaning Xu Yanqiu had done a good job. The ground was also clean. The bedroom door had not moved, so the scent could only be coming from the kitchen.
Li Ting’s eye twitched. Although Xu Yanqiu had claimed he could cook, seeing the evidence made Li Ting worry the boy might have hurt himself.
He carried the soy sauce bottle into the kitchen and found the little blind boy sitting on a small stool by the stove. He was focused on the crackling fire and the bubbling pot, adding dry wood to the furnace. Perhaps because he was so focused, he did not hear Li Ting enter.
Li Ting hesitated. He did not want to stay silent, but he also did not want to startle the boy. Fortunately, Xu Yanqiu stood up and heard the soy sauce sloshing in the bottle. He asked with delight, “Brother Li, is that you?”
The smile on his face struck Li Ting’s heart like a heavy blow. The fox’s breath hitched. When he did not respond immediately, Xu Yanqiu opened his mouth to call again, but the sound of the pot forced him to turn back to the meal. He missed the sound of Li Ting taking a deep breath.
“I will help you.” Li Ting stepped forward, set down the bottle, and moved Xu Yanqiu to the side. He took the spatula and lifted the wooden lid to see a pot of green vegetable and egg porridge. The rice was boiled soft, and the colors of the vegetables and eggs were quite pleasing.
A small body pressed against his back. Li Ting paused but did not push him away. He let Xu Yanqiu scramble upward until he found a position where he was half-hanging off Li Ting’s shoulder. The boy laughed. “Brother Li, how did I do? You came back so quickly; I could only manage this. I originally planned to make another dish.”
The boy’s warm breath brushed against Li Ting’s neck. Li Ting sighed silently and lowered the flame to a simmer. He did not make Xu Yanqiu get down; instead, he carried him on his back out into the courtyard. He said softly, “Get down now. Are you not afraid of falling?”
Xu Yanqiu slid down, but his feet were unsteady when they hit the ground. He grabbed Li Ting’s sleeve to stay upright. Li Ting said helplessly, “You almost fell, did you not?”
“No. As long as Brother Li is here, I will not fall,” Xu Yanqiu said confidently. He kept his grip on the sleeve but did not move any closer. He did not know if Li Ting could hear it, but his own heart was pounding so loudly he feared he was about to die from the sound. He was afraid that if he got any closer, Li Ting would discover his secret.
When he had pressed against Li Ting’s back just now, he had used every ounce of his courage. But he did not regret it. After everything he had been through, he had decided that if he wanted to do something, he should do it boldly.
He liked Li Ting. He would like him boldly.
This was not a sudden feeling; he had finally realized that his affection for Brother Li was not merely brotherly. He understood why his heart raced every time Li Ting was near, yet he feared that if Li Ting found out, he would choose to leave.
Xu Yanqiu felt shameful. Brother Li had helped him so much, yet he was greedy for more. He lowered his head to hide his expression, unaware that Li Ting had already seen the indecision on his face.
What was wrong with the little fellow today? Li Ting rubbed his head but did not ask. He told the boy to wait outside while he stir-fried two more dishes. “Tell me before you enter the kitchen next time.”
“Mm,” Xu Yanqiu answered. He thought for a moment and then asked, “Brother Li, the oil and grain shop is very close. Why were you gone for so long?”
“I ran into a fight and could barely get through the crowd.” Li Ting did not tell him about Wang Juaner. It was not that he thought the boy would be afraid, but simply that it was unnecessary. Xu Yanqiu had decided to have no further contact with them; whether they lived or died was no longer his concern.
Xu Yanqiu did not ask further. The sun was pleasant, but his legs were starting to ache from the mountain path earlier. He leaned against the table and swung his feet to relax. When Li Ting emerged with the porridge and side dishes, this was the scene he found.
The boy was lying sideways on the table with his eyes closed, quietly swinging his feet. If his feet were not moving, Li Ting would have thought he had fallen asleep. “Xiao Qiu, go wash your hands for dinner.”
Xu Yanqiu sat up and gave a deep stretch. The little fox could not help himself; he reached out and touched the boy’s waist, which had gained a little bit of weight.
Both of them froze. Li Ting withdrew his hand and cleared his throat, making an excuse. “There was a leaf on your clothes.”
Xu Yanqiu nodded stiffly. “Brother Li, I am going to wash my hands.”
He walked toward the water vat step by step. The sound of the water muffled the pounding of his heart. His waist felt as though it were on fire. Li Ting’s large, hot palm felt as if it were still there, burning him through his clothes.
The little blind boy was at a loss. Did Brother Li understand his heart or not? He dried his hands and made a decision: no matter the outcome, he would keep trying to let Li Ting know his thoughts.
Gao Cheng knocked on the courtyard gate as evening turned to night. Seeing that Li Ting was still in his casual clothes, Gao Cheng sighed in relief. “I was afraid I had come at an inconvenient time and disturbed your rest.”
“Did you come about the matter I asked Gao Ke to check?” Li Ting asked directly. The last of the sunset faded, and the sky began to fill with darkness. “Is there any news?”
“Do not worry. There is indeed a piece of land under Xu Yanqiu’s name left to him by his father. I have brought the deed with me. You can keep it safe; I have kept a copy at the yamen.” Gao Cheng pulled the deed from his robe and handed it over. “However, there is something I am not sure if I should say.”
Li Ting examined the deed carefully. Once he confirmed it was correct, he folded it and put it away. “Please speak freely, Senior Brother.”
“Then I will be blunt,” Gao Cheng said. “The location of that land is not very good. The person responsible for dividing the land back then disliked Old Man Xu and gave him the worst plot in the village. It is in the back mountain area. A bit further past it is the communal graveyard. Take my advice and let me find a better place for you next year.”
Gao Cheng meant well, but Li Ting realized that the place where they had collected nectar that morning was likely the plot in question. If that was the case, it actually worked out perfectly for them.
“Thank you, Senior Brother. We will go take a look in a couple of days before deciding.” Li Ting did not reject the kindness immediately. After sending Gao Cheng off, he prepared to discuss it with Xu Yanqiu. However, when he entered the bedroom, he saw Xu Yanqiu with his head stuck in his shirt. He was twisting and turning his bare torso, unable to get the garment off.
Hearing the footsteps, the blind boy turned quickly and called out, “Brother Li! Brother Li, help me! I cannot get it off!”
Li Ting was met with the sight of a pale little torso and a brief glimpse of two pink spots.
The little fox was silent. What exactly was the boy trying to do?