Chapter Four

Seeing the hen fluttering toward him, Fu Weichen was so startled that he momentarily forgot to defend himself and just stood there, dazed, facing the oncoming bird.

“Sir, watch out!” Qin Xiaoyue immediately stepped in front of Fu Weichen, swiftly grabbing the hen’s body and firmly pinching its wings so it couldn’t move anymore.

“Ouch, my bones feel like they’re about to fall apart.” Xu Duowen’s voice came from the ground.

He was lying sprawled like a monkey, waiting until the commotion died down before speaking.

Taking advantage of the moment, Qin Xiaoyue pressed the hen’s head to the ground, grabbed a pen from the table, and drew a vertical line in front of the bird’s head.

Before she could finish, the hen’s body suddenly went limp on the ground, completely motionless.

“What kind of trick is this, girl?”

“It’s something Grandma taught me. Xiaoyue doesn’t know what it’s called either, so let’s just call it the ‘Confuse the Hen Technique’.”

Looking at Xu Duowen lying on the floor, his expression awkward and embarrassed, Fu Weichen suddenly felt amused, a soft smile playing on his lips.

“Fu Weichen! How dare you laugh? Girl, could you at least knock before coming in? Look, you just barged in without knocking!”

“Forget it, even if you knock, that hen would still go crazy. Fu Weichen, come help me up quickly, stop laughing.” Xu Duowen stretched out a hand.

Feeling guilty for causing the gentleman to fall, Qin Xiaoyue hurried to help Xu Duowen up, while Loli dusted off the dirt from his clothes.

“Sir, sorry about that. Xiaoyue is just used to it.”

“No problem, silly girl...” Xu Duowen was about to say more but then noticed how skillfully Qin Xiaoyue handled everything. He thought to himself that this girl didn’t seem mentally deficient after all.

Her movements were practiced and her thinking logical; her eyes were clear and bright, without a trace of confusion.

Waving off the matter, Xu Duowen steadied himself and walked to the table. His gaze then fell on the meal Qin Xiaoyue had brought, and suddenly his pain seemed less severe.

“Girl, what delicious food did you make today? Let me see.”

He opened a bowl wrapped in floral cloth, but before lifting the lid, Qin Xiaoyue stopped him.

“This isn’t the one.”

She gently pushed another bowl in front of him.

Xu Duowen looked at the two bowls, which were the same size, but the cloth on this one was a bit old and plain.

“Girl, you’re biased. Why do I have to eat this one? I even took the time this morning to copy your school lessons for a whole week!”

“Xiaoyue put chili in this one on purpose. Grandma said Mr. Xu is from western Hunan, and their food is very spicy. I also know Mr. Fu is from Hong Kong and doesn’t eat much spice, so this one is mild.”

Then she slowly handed the floral cloth bowl to Fu Weichen. “Sir, please.”

So that’s how the colors were divided. Xu Duowen opened his bowl and was immediately hit by the familiar spicy aroma.

“Hmm, yes, the spiciness is just right. Silly girl, you did your homework well.”

Fu Weichen accepted the bowl with a smile and took out a textbook, handing it to Qin Xiaoyue.

“Thank you, Qin girl. I also copied some, but my handwriting isn’t good, please forgive me.”

When he called her “Qin girl,” his tone faltered slightly.

“Come on now, your handwriting isn’t good? Then I must be a chicken claw having a spasm. You’re too modest, Mr. Fu.”

Xu Duowen began eating heartily.

“The taste is good. Did you make it all by yourself, girl?”

“Yes.”

“Not bad. Did you learn from your grandmother?” Fu Weichen asked, breaking his usual silence.

Qin Xiaoyue snapped back to herself, thought for a moment, and a hint of sadness flickered in her eyes.

Fu Weichen watched her expression shift so quickly that, if not paying close attention, one could hardly notice.

“Yes. When I was little, my mother couldn’t cook either. It was Grandma who taught us. Father had to eat on time, or else there would be scolding again.”

As she spoke, Qin Xiaoyue glanced briefly at the corner of Fu Weichen’s mouth, which was always curved into a graceful smile.

She noticed his gaze, pressed her lips lightly, and smiled with the usual dimpled sweetness.

Xu Duowen observed their quiet exchange and then saw how Qin Xiaoyue looked at Fu Weichen. Suddenly, he understood—she had taken a liking to him.

Several young girls who came to send their little siblings to school this morning had been paying close attention to Fu Weichen, their eyes almost glued to him. That was not surprising. But this silly girl—who had supposedly been dull since childhood—how could she develop such feelings?

“By the way, this textbook is a copy I’ve marked with phonetic symbols. There’s also a basic phonetic translation version here. Take it first; I’ll teach you some simple reading later. If you don’t understand, just ask me. Remember to read more at home.”

Xu Duowen took out a notebook from the drawer. It was dark-colored and smelled of age.

“‘Bu Suan Zi: Ode to the Plum Blossom, the wind and rain send spring...’” Qin Xiaoyue flipped over the phonetic page, saw the familiar lines, and read them aloud before realizing something was wrong. How could a silly girl from the countryside know the poems of great men?

Xu Duowen was so shocked by Qin Xiaoyue’s casual recitation that he dropped his chopsticks to the floor without catching them. He didn’t even bother to pick them up, his eyes wide as he stared at her.

Fu Weichen stopped as well, quietly watching her.

“Girl, a genius!” Xu Duowen put down his bowl and chopsticks, took the notebook, and read it repeatedly. Yes, the poem was indeed written there.

“This was taught to me by my mother. When I was little and had nothing to do, she would write it on the ground with a brick to teach me to recognize it. She especially liked this poem. Xiaoyue is slow, but she memorized it in a whole year.”

Xu Duowen opened his mouth wide and nodded. “My goodness, your mother knew all this? And she married so far away? She must have endured many hardships. It must have been true love! Comrade Qin, tell us your story!”

Fu Weichen interrupted, “She’s already left.”

“Left?” Xu Duowen slapped his forehead. Right, on the first day, the village chief’s younger son said she ran off with the older brother.

Fu Weichen’s indifferent remark shifted the conversation in a new direction.

Xu Duowen nodded, curiosity growing. “Right, she left. Seeing how much your mother knew, she definitely wasn’t just a village girl. Girls nowadays have their own dreams and ambitions, especially educated women. Your father and mother didn’t really match. Wait—your father must be hiding some talent too, right? But last night, your grandmother said your father was illiterate.”

Qin Xiaoyue looked troubled. The things her mother taught her and her mother’s story were secrets she never shared with anyone but her grandmother. She hadn’t expected to let something slip so quickly.

“Not easy to say?” Fu Weichen looked at her with concern.

“Yeah, I don’t really want to talk about it. Let’s just keep it Xiaoyue’s secret.” She nodded, her expression quite pitiful. Looking at Fu Weichen’s calm face made her feel even worse.

Fortunately, the children from school had all gone home for lunch, and the room was quiet.

“My father never liked my mother talking. He always looked coldly at me, and if I said something wrong, he’d even raise his hand. Grandma couldn’t stop him and could only hold me.”

Everyone in the village who knew the truth also knew this. It wouldn’t hurt the two gentlemen to know it as well.

“There are still husbands like that in the world. Now that liberation has come, it’s shocking that such violence still exists.” Xu Duowen slammed the table. He felt uncomfortable hearing Xiaoyue’s words. No wonder she left. “Your mother did well to go — better to be free than suffer here.”

“Did your mother take you with her?”

“I fell off the cart. The village chief took me back.”

“I see.” Xu Duowen felt awkward and exchanged a glance with Fu Weichen.

“Silly girl, it’s okay. Everything is fine now.” Fu Weichen’s expression was resolute, as if he would see through Qin Xiaoyue in the next moment.

Qin Xiaoyue did not dare raise her head. She whispered, “Yes, thank you, sir. You really are a good person. Grandma was right.”

The girl smiled softly, a small sound, but her previously tense expression eased.

Xu Duowen stood up, his face softening as he patted Qin Xiaoyue’s head.

“It’s okay. Grandma says your mother is free now, and your father is gone. These years have been peaceful. Xiaoyue may be slow, but her life is not.”

Suddenly, Qin Xiaoyue raised her hands, gave the two gentlemen a thumbs-up, as if a switch had been flipped, and burst into laughter.

Her laughter drowned out the clucking of the old hen nearby.

Fu Weichen stared at the girl laughing foolishly before him. Beneath the clear eyes was an indescribable strength and stubbornness.

This girl reminded him somewhat of the sensitive mimosa in his old courtyard—thriving wildly whenever there was light, shyly closing up when touched, and flourishing again when alone, year after year.

Admiring it, he had it moved to the windowsill so he could see it anytime and touch it...

“Sir, what are you thinking about?” Qin Xiaoyue’s voice interrupted his distant thoughts.

“Nothing. You did very well, girl.” He looked into Qin Xiaoyue’s big, innocent, and intelligent eyes.

“Finally, you praise me. You always scare me half to death when you speak. There, satisfied?” Xu Duowen joked, shifting most of the blame away, as if they hadn’t both been curious earlier.

“By the way, girl, the hen hasn’t moved at all. Should we release her? As long as she doesn’t make trouble.”

Fu Weichen was thoughtful.

“Yes, yes, let’s lift the spell,” Xu Duowen slapped his forehead, realizing he’d forgotten. The hen was curled up limply in the corner, looking rather pitiful.

“Just erase the line.” Qin Xiaoyue lightly brushed her foot over the line in front of the hen’s head.

Instantly, the hen lifted its head, and soon stood up again.

“Amazing. Girl, you really know a lot.”

Xu Duowen turned and noticed there was a fried egg in Fu Weichen’s bowl.

“Wait, wait, wait.”

He picked up the egg and sniffed it carefully.

“Girl, you said you weren’t biased, but how is this fair?”

“I’m not. There’s more meat in the gentleman’s bowl. Besides, the old hen only lays a few eggs each day, and we save them to trade for grain in town. Today, we could spare one.”

“So you gave it to Fu Weichen?” Xu Duowen looked at Qin Xiaoyue’s explanation in disbelief and teased, “I get it. Is it because I’m not as handsome as Mr. Fu?”

He pinched Fu Weichen’s face, looking at his sharp features, then squeezed his cheek.

“If I had that face, I’d surely mesmerize all the girls at Huishi School and wouldn’t be stuck here.”

As he spoke, Xu Duowen’s hands kept gently stroking Fu Weichen’s cheeks.

“Too bad you don’t want to focus your thoughts on girls.”

Fu Weichen pulled Xu Duowen’s hands away with a faint smile, tinged with irony.

“With a face like this, who knows? You might come around sooner than expected.”

Qin Xiaoyue watched their playful banter and felt a bit embarrassed. She quietly looked up and met Fu Weichen’s gaze.

The man looked at her calmly, with no words, no change in expression—just a faint, perhaps mournful, sadness.

It was the same sorrowful look her mother once had.

Only then did she realize that beneath Fu Weichen’s kind and gentle eyes lay a trace of coldness.

She shook her head, thinking she must be too sensitive.

Picking up the textbook Xu Duowen had copied for her, Qin Xiaoyue smiled softly and slipped the book back into her bag, returning to her usual simple demeanor.

“Sir, you two talk. Xiaoyue will head home now. I’ll review the lessons these next couple of days before coming back to school.”

Fu Weichen stopped her as she turned to leave.

“Wait, I have another copy here.”

She took the book and flipped it open.

“Numbers!”

“Yes, numbers. You know this too? Also learned from your mother? We have to learn not just writing but math as well. If you don’t understand anything, just ask.”

Xu Duowen draped his arm around Fu Weichen’s shoulder, unintentionally drawing the man closer.

Qin Xiaoyue was surprised by their intimacy.

“Okay, thank you both, sirs.” Her cheeks flushed lightly as she gripped the copied book tighter and hurried out.

“She disappeared in a flash. What a ghostly girl.” Xu Duowen shook his head and immediately sat back down.

“Not hugging her goodbye?”

“Hey, don’t look down on me. I’m just protecting you from her charms. I see she’s taken a liking to you.”

“Liking me? And you’re protecting me? You want this story to become the village gossip and dinner table talk tomorrow, don’t you?”

Fu Weichen bit into the fried egg firmly.

“Sorry, I was too forward. Don’t pretend to be dense; you’re too sharp not to notice. That girl probably liked you since yesterday. Since we’re going back to Shanghai eventually, if you don’t like her, better to make it clear early to avoid misunderstandings.”

“That’s kind of sweet. Sugar from Guling Village isn’t easy to find.” Fu Weichen looked at the egg in his hand.

“Sweet? I want to try too. I wonder if I’ll get to eat this again.” Xu Duowen reached to grab it, but Fu Weichen pulled it away.

“Eat the meat in your bowl.”

“Did you hear what I just said? Forget it, I can’t figure you out.”

Xu Duowen crossed his arms and looked up at the quiet little gecko crawling along the eaves.

“Sir!” Qin Xiaoyue poked her head out from behind the door.

Xu Duowen stared at the head suddenly appearing, then sighed.

“Girl! How many times are you going to scare me today?”

“No, sir. Xiaoyue just wanted to ask if you like the food?” She flashed a goofy grin showing eight big teeth.

“Delicious, delicious! Go home quickly!” Xu Duowen pretended to be angry as he waved his chopsticks. “Silly girl.”

Qin Xiaoyue chuckled a few times and disappeared behind the door.

Life in the village went on quietly, rising with the sun and resting with its setting, peaceful and steady.