The two men looked up, and Lin Qu took a step back, putting some distance between himself and Xu Qiu.
Although he had always felt that someone like Lin Qiong was unworthy of Xu Qiu, he was well aware that Lin Qiong was the legitimate fiancé. In this situation, even though they hadn’t actually done anything, he couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty.
Xu Qiu, however, didn’t think much of it. He didn’t like Lin Qiong, and Lin Qiong, the transmigrator, clearly had no feelings for him either. Besides, his mother had said she would find an opportunity to propose breaking off the engagement again today. If Lin Qiong’s parents hadn’t been so eloquent last time and tricked his mother, the engagement would have been over long ago.
He nodded at Lin Qiong as a greeting and shoved the steamed bun back into Lin Qu’s hand. “You should keep it. I have more at home; I won’t miss these two.”
This time, Lin Qu could not refuse and accepted the bun.
Only then did Xu Qiu look back at Lin Qiong. Even though he disliked the original Lin Qiong, the person standing before him now was a transmigrator. Since they had bumped into each other, he felt he should at least acknowledge him. Hesitantly, he took a pear from his basket. “Lin Qiong, would you like to eat this?”
Lin Qiong scoffed and turned away without a word.
Unlike the original owner, Lin Qiong had long realized that his cousin, Lin Qu, not only resented the original owner for being pampered at home but also harbored designs on his fiancé.
Furthermore, the fiancé wasn’t a good person either. The original owner had loved him and tried to cling to him, but the man had remained distant. That was fine; having inherited the original owner’s memories, he knew the original was truly insufferable, and it was only natural that a normal person wouldn’t like him.
However, he didn’t think Xu Qiu should be acting so intimate with someone else, especially the original owner’s cousin, while still being his betrothed.
Thinking of his cousin’s resentment toward the original owner and the scene he had just witnessed, he could easily imagine what these two might be doing behind the original owner’s back.
Xu Qiu: ” ”
Lin Qu bit his lip. “It seems he misunderstood. Should I go and explain?”
“No need,” Xu Qiu replied. “There’s nothing to explain. We haven’t done anything wrong.” Anyway, the engagement would be over soon enough. “You go ahead and finish your work; I need to go into the mountains to gather herbs.”
“Wait,” Lin Qu called out.
Xu Qiu turned his head. “What is it?”
Lin Qu looked worried. “You’re alone… Why aren’t you with Brother Xu and the others this time?”
Xu Qiu smiled, not wanting to say too much. “It’s fine, I can go by myself. I’m not planning on going too deep, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”
Lin Qu could clearly see through Xu Qiu’s dismissive tone. The other man sympathized with him, but truly regarded him as an outsider. Yet Lin Qu knew deep down that while Xu Qiu made it sound simple, those medicinal herbs weren’t usually found on the outskirts.
He and his family were cutting firewood along this path today precisely because he knew it was the route Xu Qiu took to gather herbs. That was why he had subtly persuaded his parents to come to this spot.
Every month, Xu Qiu would make this trip. The time for this month’s visit was just about right.
For Lin Qu, Xu Qiu was an unattainable existence. Aside from a few limited interactions in childhood, he never dared to speak to Xu Qiu or get close to him. He only dared to occasionally watch from afar in places Xu Qiu might pass by; just catching a glimpse of him was enough to make him content.
The last time they met by the river, Xu Qiu had taken the initiative to speak to him, which had been a huge surprise.
This time, they had actually met, yet Xu Qiu was alone and had even greeted him. He was overjoyed that he could speak to Xu Qiu alone, but he was even more worried about the man going into the mountains by himself. Just yesterday, Xu Qiu had been concerned about his safety and told him to go home early, yet now, the sickly Xu Qiu was heading into the mountains alone.
However, Xu Qiu had no intention of continuing the conversation and turned to leave after explaining himself.
Talking to a young ge’er who adored him, especially when he could never return those feelings, felt rather awkward.
He almost regretted giving away those two buns. What if it made Lin Qu, who already liked him, even more attached?
But then he remembered the young man’s dire situation: those hands covered in calluses and fine cuts from firewood, and that thin, frail frame. He felt that giving him more to eat was the right thing to do.
Compared to Lin Qiong, the contrast between them was striking.
However, he could also see that Lin Qu had good underlying features; surely, with some proper care, he would become quite beautiful.
Meanwhile, Lin Qu watched Xu Qiu’s retreating figure, thought for a moment, and turned to find his father.
Xu Qiu walked at a brisk pace, but after a while, he noticed something strange. Looking back, he saw a middle-aged man following him, head down and panting.
Xu Qiu looked for a moment and found him familiar. He tentatively called out, “Second Uncle Lin?”
The man looked up and replied, “Eh.”
Lin Guangfu walked up to Xu Qiu and gave an honest, awkward smile. “You look frail and often fall ill; I didn’t expect you to walk so fast.”
Xu Qiu asked, “Second Uncle Lin, are you following me on purpose?”
Lin Guangfu nodded and said dryly, “Qu said it wasn’t safe for you to go into the mountains alone, so I came to check. I was delayed at home grabbing a few things, which is why I’m only catching up now.” He gestured to the tools and an insect-repellent pouch he held.
Lin Guangfu had learned a bit of hunting and possessed decent strength, so he wasn’t afraid of the mountains. Hearing from his son that Xu Qiu was heading up alone, he had been shocked and rushed home to get his gear.
All he had for woodcutting was an axe and a curved sickle, which wouldn’t be very effective if he encountered a real predator.
While worrying about his child was one thing, he certainly wouldn’t disregard his own safety.
He knew the two other Xu men were away in town during the day, so he didn’t bother going to the Xu house. As for the others, given Lin Guangfu’s temperament, he wasn’t particularly close to anyone else anyway.
Xu Qiu could roughly guess what happened and didn’t know what to say. Second Uncle Lin was the “old workhorse” of the story; though cowardly, he wasn’t a bad person, on the contrary, he was a kind soul. He stood there staring at Lin Guangfu for a long moment before asking, “What about Second Aunt and Lin Qu? It’s probably not safe for them to stay there alone.”
Lin Guangfu waved his hand. “They went down to the fields to work first and will come back to cut wood later.”
Although this wasn’t the season when large beasts came down from the peaks, the villagers were always cautious and didn’t act recklessly.
Hearing this, Xu Qiu breathed a sigh of relief. Since the man was already here out of kindness, he couldn’t very well tell him to go back. He could only say, “Then I’ll have to trouble Second Uncle Lin.”
“No trouble, no trouble at all,” Lin Guangfu replied quickly.
The two walked together. Lin Guangfu was dull and not good with words, so he remained silent along the way, only answering when Xu Qiu asked him something.
Xu Qiu didn’t know what to chat about with Lin Guangfu; there wasn’t much to say regarding the Lin family’s situation.
They stayed silent. When Xu Qiu saw medicinal herbs, he would squat down, dig them up, and put them in his basket, while Lin Guangfu watched from the side and kept an eye on their surroundings.
With Xu Qiu leading the way, they naturally didn’t run into anything dangerous. They finished gathering the herbs smoothly and even picked some wild fruits.
The region had plenty of sunlight and rain, producing many sweet fruits. Few people came this far up, and the fruit was large, making it perfect for taking home.
After picking them, they walked back in silence.
By the time they reached the bottom of the mountain and walked halfway along the path, they arrived at the Lin family’s fields.
From afar, Xu Qiu spotted a figure peeking toward them. As they drew closer, the person seemed to recognize them and called out happily, “Father!”
Lin Qu was genuinely happy. When he was small, he had seen wild boars come down from the mountain and gore several villagers, one so badly that their stomach was pierced open, so he was terrified of the mountains.
The two people who had gone up today were his father and the person he harbored secret feelings for.
Although he knew his father was strong and had hunting experience, and Xu Qiu possessed excellent archery skills, he couldn’t help but worry until he saw them return safely.
Lin Qu ran over, looking them over. “Father, you’re both alright, right?”
Lin Guangfu’s wife, Wang, came over as well.
Seeing the concern on his wife and son’s faces, Lin Guangfu smiled. “I’m fine. We didn’t run into anything. I even caught two rabbits and picked some fruit for you all.”
He took off the basket from his back and took out the largest, best-looking fruits, giving them to his wife and son.
He knew that if he didn’t give them to them now, once they got home, the best ones would be kept by Old Madam Lin for Lin Qiong.
With so many people in the house, they would likely only get one each, and the rest would belong to Lin Qiong. If Lin Qiong couldn’t finish them and they started to rot, maybe then they would be handed out.
Wang and Lin Qu accepted them.
Wang shared Lin Guangfu’s personality; they were cowardly in front of Old Madam Lin and dared not resist, but in private, they weren’t entirely spineless.
Seeing them talking, Xu Qiu prepared to leave. “Thank you for today, Second Uncle Lin and Lin Qu.”
After they both replied that it was nothing, he smiled politely and said, “Then you go ahead with your work; I’ll be heading back.”
Lin Guangfu hesitated, then said, “This… these rabbits… wouldn’t you like to take them back?”
Lin Guangfu’s archery wasn’t great and he wasn’t fast, he just had raw strength. These two rabbits had been shot by Xu Qiu, yet Xu Qiu had given them to him.
Xu Qiu shook his head. “No. I didn’t tell my mother I was going up the mountain today; if I bring these rabbits back, she’ll know immediately and will definitely worry. Plus, thanks to you risking your life to help me today, a couple of rabbits is nothing. Please, Second Uncle Lin, keep them.”
They had actually discussed this on the mountain. Lin Guangfu had been uneasy about taking advantage of others, but after Xu Qiu had insisted, he had agreed.
He wasn’t a firm character; he tended to shrink back when faced with someone strong-willed. This time, he was just feeling guilty about profiting from the situation, which kept him indecisive.
Lin Guangfu and Wang couldn’t articulate much, so once Xu Qiu finished, they could only nod in agreement.