“Knock knock.”
“Brother Hu, I brought my wife to see you!” Mo Li shouted at the top of his lungs.
After a while, the wooden door finally opened. A little girl around six years old hid half her body behind the door and timidly looked at Luo Wangshu. The moment Luo Wangshu looked back at her, she quickly withdrew her gaze, panicked like a little rabbit.
“Miaomiao, where’s your father?” Mo Li squatted down and rubbed one of the girl’s little pigtails.
Li Miaomiao wrapped one arm around Mo Li’s neck as if she had found someone to rely on. Tears swirled in her eyes. “Dad went to the back mountain to look for tasty food. He hasn’t come back.”
Mo Li frowned instinctively. “When did he leave?”
“Before dawn.” As Li Miaomiao spoke, tears streamed down her face.
Luo Wangshu took out a handkerchief from his sleeve and asked, “Her mom… mother?”
Li Miaomiao seemed to have heard a strange new word. “Uncle, what’s a mother?”
Mo Li also looked confused. “Don’t know.”
Luo Wangshu: “…”
Two kids who had never had a mother.
“Good girl, Miaomiao, don’t cry. I’ll go find your dad. Follow Auntie to Uncle’s house, okay?” Mo Li directly used his sleeve to wipe her tears, rubbing her little face red.
Luo Wangshu silently put the handkerchief away. Wait… was that “auntie” what he thought it meant?
“Okay.” Li Miaomiao rubbed her eyes herself, then obediently opened her arms toward Luo Wangshu.
It was the first time in both his lifetimes that a child had asked him for a hug. Luo Wangshu stiffly picked her up.
Mo Li carried the basket on his back and said to Luo Wangshu, “Wife, walk slowly with Miaomiao. I’m going back first to grab some things.” After saying that, he strode away without even turning his head.
Luo Wangshu’s “Be careful on the road” got stuck in his throat and eventually turned into a helpless sigh.
Li Miaomiao nuzzled against Luo Wangshu’s neck. “Auntie, you smell so nice.”
Luo Wangshu almost stepped into empty air when he heard that. There was no body wash or shampoo in this place, so where would any fragrance come from? After being out all day, he probably smelled more like sweat.
“I like Auntie.”
Like… him?
Luo Wangshu didn’t know what he was feeling. It was the first time someone had ever said they liked him. So… he was someone people needed too, right?
The sun gradually sank behind the western mountains, but the person still hadn’t returned.
Luo Wangshu stared at the basket of bitter cold vegetables, completely lost on what to do. How was this supposed to be cooked? Add water first or oil first?
Li Miaomiao propped up her little head and watched Luo Wangshu, occasionally asking strange questions.
“Auntie, why are you so pretty?”
“Because I eat well.” Luo Wangshu casually answered her.
Li Miaomiao blinked her eyes and asked innocently, “Really?”
“Mhm.” So how exactly was this cooked? Luo Wangshu struggled over it for a long time. Just as he finally gathered the courage to add water first, Mo Fang coolly asked, “Did you wash the vegetables?”
Li Miaomiao nodded in agreement. “You wash the vegetables first, then light the fire. Dad taught me!”
Embarrassed, Luo Wangshu went to the water vat to scoop water and wash the vegetables. Was she showing off that she had a good dad?
Luo Wangshu, who didn’t have a good father, could only endure the looks people gave him as if he were an idiot and continue working hard.
Mo Fang held his forehead. He couldn’t even compare to a little girl. Bringing him home really was like worshipping some honored ancestor.
Since Mo Li wasn’t home, Mo Fang had originally planned to cook. But under Luo Wangshu’s eager gaze, he handed the opportunity over to him. He regretted it almost immediately.
Couldn’t light a fire. One handful of dry leaves nearly burned the house down.
Couldn’t wash vegetables. They even crunched with dirt while eating.
Couldn’t cook either. The vegetables were cooked, but—so much oil! Mo Fang’s heart ached terribly. Did he think oil was free and didn’t cost silver?
Luo Wangshu silently ate his coarse steamed bun and the greasy bitter vegetables. No matter how much Mo Fang hated wasting oil, he still didn’t want a second bite. Li Miaomiao wanted some, but Mo Fang stopped her. What if it made her sick?
Luo Wangshu picked up a bite himself. The burnt taste mixed with the oil flavor…
Alright. He didn’t want a second bite either.
Considering how horribly awful the bitter vegetables were, even though Mo Fang felt heartache over the wasted oil, he didn’t dare force Luo Wangshu to finish them.
At night, Li Miaomiao slept with Mo Fang. After washing up, Luo Wangshu blew out the oil lamp and lay on the hard wooden bed. Moonlight spilled through the window as if it cost nothing. People always said looking at the moon made one homesick, but as he stared at the bright moon, the person he thought about was Mo Li.
There were no flashlights in this era, and the animals in the mountains hadn’t been heavily hunted. Going into the mountains at night was much more dangerous. What if he ran into wolves or wild boars?
The more he thought about it, the less sleepy he became. The excitement of having the bed all to himself gradually turned into anxiety. Left with no choice, he put on his clothes, carefully opened the wooden door, moved a small stool outside, and sat there counting stars with his chin propped up.
Mo Fang had noticed Luo Wangshu sneakily leaving the room and followed behind him, wanting to see what he was up to. Then he saw him sitting at the doorway muttering something under his breath while his eyes drifted toward the entrance every now and then.
“Ahem!”
Luo Wangshu turned around and looked at Mo Fang in confusion. “Did I wake you up?”
Mo Fang didn’t answer. He took out a smoking pipe from his waist, lit it with a fire starter, took a heavy puff, then slowly exhaled. The air quickly filled with the smell of tobacco. Luo Wangshu frowned and unconsciously moved farther away.
“Don’t worry. He’ll be fine. A whole pack of wolves couldn’t tear him apart before. That brat’s life is tough.”
Luo Wangshu casually asked, “Did he become stupid after running into wolves before?”
For once, Mo Fang smiled at him. “So you think he’s stupid too?”
Luo Wangshu didn’t answer. Sometimes he really was stupid, but most of the time he was pretty reliable. He truly couldn’t tell whether the guy was pretending to be dumb or genuinely dumb.
“We’re both duckweed without roots. Being able to meet is a blessing. Cherish it.” After saying that, Mo Fang dusted off the ash on his clothes and slowly walked back inside. “Go to sleep early. Tomorrow has its own troubles.”
Duckweed without roots?
Luo Wangshu only half understood. He could understand it if Mo Fang was talking about him, but Mo Li too?
After waiting a while longer and feeding plenty of mosquitoes, Luo Wangshu finally couldn’t hold on anymore and went back inside to sleep. However, in the middle of the night, loud noises outside woke him up.
“Doctor Mo! Open the door!”
The knocking grew heavier and heavier. Luo Wangshu frowned in his sleep. When he opened his eyes, he saw light outside the door and was startled. Throwing off the blanket, he jumped out of bed, quickly dressed, shoved his feet into his shoes, and ran outside.
Generally speaking, oil lamps were expensive. People avoided using them at night whenever possible, even eating dinner using the last traces of sunlight. So if a household kept lights burning through the night, it meant something had happened. Anyone who saw it would hurry over to help.
When he opened the door, three men stood outside. The one in the middle, who was being supported by the others, was gravely injured and barely conscious. Blood continuously poured from the wound in his abdomen, as if he had been gored by something.
“Is Doctor Mo here? Brother Hu got hit by a wild boar. Hurry and bring him inside!” one of the men said anxiously after recovering from his shock.
Luo Wangshu steadied himself and stepped aside. “Bring him in first.”
At that moment, Mo Fang also came out of the room. Looking at the wound, he frowned and asked, “What happened?”
The man answered honestly, “We ran into a wild boar. If Ali hadn’t arrived in time, the three of us probably would’ve died on the mountain.”
The moment Luo Wangshu heard the name “Ali,” his heart sank. He hurriedly asked, “Where’s Mo Li?”
Another slightly chubby man replied, “He went after the wild boar.”
After hearing that, Mo Fang cursed, “That damn brat! I’ll deal with him when he comes back!”
“You, hurry and boil water. You, grind some medicine.” After giving orders, Mo Fang looked at Luo Wangshu beside him. “You go back to sleep.”
Luo Wangshu opened his mouth, then helplessly closed it again. Right, he was useless. He might as well go back and sleep.
Back in the room, the medicine room on the other side of the wall constantly echoed with the man’s painful screams. They didn’t have anesthetics, did they?
Unable to sleep no matter what, Luo Wangshu focused his mind and entered the space. He dug out two medicinal herbs. He didn’t actually know what they did. Whenever he had headaches or fevers, he ate them anyway. They worked fairly well for internal injuries, but for external wounds, their effect was mediocre.
Pushing open the door, while the person grinding medicine went to fetch water, Luo Wangshu added the herbs into the medicine, then sneaked back to his room on tiptoe, acting like a thief after doing a good deed.
For the entire second half of the night, Luo Wangshu barely slept. Mo Li still hadn’t returned. Chasing a wild boar—how did he even think of doing that? What if he got lost in the mountains?
Bah bah bah! He’ll be fine. Yeah, definitely fine…
Luo Wangshu waited and waited. Finally, the man returned wrapped in the first rays of morning sunlight. He was filthy all over. Other than a few scratches on his face from tree branches, he didn’t seem to have any other injuries.
The tension in Luo Wangshu’s nerves instantly loosened. Raising his hand, he smacked Mo Li on the head.
“So you still know how to come back? Why didn’t you just die out there? You have no idea…” no idea how worried I was about you.
Mo Li reached out and pulled him into his arms, grinning widely. “Wife, we get to eat meat today.”
Luo Wangshu’s eyes felt hot. He pushed him away. “Who wants meat?!”
“I do! I wanted meat, hehe~”
“Idiot!”
“Mhm, I’m here.” Mo Li answered tiredly.
The wild boar ignored at the entrance only had breath going out and none coming in. Meeting a terrifying monster like this man could only be blamed on its bad luck.
Only after hugging him for a while did Luo Wangshu notice the smell on Mo Li’s body. Instantly, he switched into disgust mode.
“Why are you so filthy? Hurry and wash up and change clothes. You got me dirty too!”
“Okay, I’ll listen to Wife.” Mo Li still wanted to hold him. He really wanted to just fall asleep like this.
“Alright, alright. Sit down first. I’ll boil some hot water for you.” Luo Wangshu wriggled free from Mo Li’s arms and returned to his usual lukewarm attitude. Only he himself knew that something inside him was quietly changing.
No matter how hot noon became, mornings still carried a chill. By the time Luo Wangshu finally managed to boil the water, the man had already rinsed himself off with cold water and collapsed onto the bed, fast asleep, with water still dripping from his hair.
Luo Wangshu had really wanted to angrily drag the man up, but when his hand reached over, it instead turned into wiping his hair dry with a cloth. He had been busy all day yesterday, then spent the night searching for people and chasing wild boars. Even iron men would get tired.
“If you do this again, I’ll beat you, hear me?” Luo Wangshu threatened viciously, though his voice was very soft.
After stitching up the wound, Mo Fang washed his hands. Through the crack in the door, he saw what was happening inside the room. The corners of his lips curved upward slightly as he shook his head and went to deal with the wild boar the brat had brought back.
Mm. There’d be meat to eat now.