“Mm!” Feng Ge’er was deeply moved; no one had ever cared for him this much. Gu Linchen saw that he couldn’t walk anymore, so he turned around, squatted in front of Feng Ge’er, and said, “Climb on my back. I’ll carry you.”

Feng Ge’er didn’t move. Gu Linchen urged, “How are you going to walk like this? We might not make it home before dark. You need to go see Dr. Li and get some medicine for your foot so it heals faster.” Only then did Feng Ge’er reluctantly climb onto his back.

Gu Linchen stood up, carrying him effortlessly. Feng Ge’er was so light that he barely felt his weight. When he shook slightly, Feng Ge’er, startled, immediately clung to his neck. Gu Linchen smiled and walked quickly down the mountain. It took them about half an hour to reach the place to drop off the firewood.

Gu Linchen set Feng Ge’er down, tied the two chickens to the edge of the basket, and picked up another load of firewood. He walked over to Feng Ge’er, then scooped him up in his arms.

“Ah!” Feng Ge’er was startled by the sudden move. Before he knew what to do, he heard Gu Linchen say, “Hold onto my neck, this way you won’t fall. Let’s get home quickly.”

“Okay.” Feng Ge’er’s face turned as red as a cooked shrimp.

Gu Linchen wasn’t in the mood to enjoy the scenery anymore. He hurriedly walked down the mountain. As they neared home, they could see a small figure sitting in front of the door from a distance. Xige’er had been waiting for them. When he saw them return, he wiped his eyes and ran toward them, calling out “Mom, Dad” as he ran.

When he got closer, he cried out, “Mom, Dad, you’re back!” Xige’er had been so sad earlier, but now that he saw them, he was happy again. He had opened his eyes but didn’t see Amu in the house, nor did he see her outside. Normally, Amu always took him with her wherever she went.

Gu Linchen’s mother was inside making a quilt, and when she heard the noise, she came out and saw Xige’er standing in the yard, his eyes full of tears, and his clothes not properly put on. She took him back inside, dressed him, and told him that Mom and Dad had gone up the mountain to gather firewood and would be back soon.

Xige’er thought to himself, “Firewood? I can do that. I want to help Dad and Mom gather firewood!” and he ran toward the door. Gu Linchen’s mother quickly grabbed him and asked where he was going.

“I’m going to help Dad and Mom gather firewood,” he replied.

Gu Linchen’s mother scolded him, “It’s too dangerous for a child to go up the mountain. What if a big bug comes and eats you? You can’t go.”

Xige’er sat at the door and waited, but after a long time, he still hadn’t seen them return. He became worried that they might have encountered a big bug and couldn’t come back. Thinking this, he started crying as he sat there.

When Gu Linchen saw him with red eyes and tears on his face, he gently said, “Xige’er, be good. Amu is injured. We need to go back quickly.”

Upon hearing that his Mom was hurt, Xige’er immediately turned and ran back. Gu Linchen couldn’t help but feel that children really had so much energy.

As Gu Linchen entered the house, carrying Feng Ge’er, he saw Xige’er dragging a chair that was much bigger than he was. When Xige’er saw them, he became excited, but the chair was too heavy for him. It took him a long time to bring it out, but he wanted to place it in the yard.

“Put it over there. Dad will bring it,” Gu Linchen said, as he carefully set Feng Ge’er down, removed the basket, and walked over to take the chair. He placed it behind Feng Ge’er. “Sit down. Take your time.”

Gu Linchen’s mother heard the voices and came out of the house. “What happened to Feng Ge’er?”

“Mom, Feng Ge’er twisted his ankle,” Gu Linchen explained.

His mother walked over and asked with concern, “Is it serious?”

“There’s a big bump on the ankle.” Feng Ge’er moved his lips. He wanted to say that it wasn’t as serious as Gu Linchen had said. He had twisted his ankle many times before when going up the mountain, and just using cold water to compress it for a few days always helped it heal. “Mom, I’m feeling much better now.”

“I’ll take a look.” She said as she went to remove Feng Ge’er’s shoes and socks. Gu Linchen, worried that she might hurt Feng Ge’er, anxiously said, “Mom, be gentle.”

“…I know.” Now realizing the pain Gu Linchen was feeling, His mother looked at Feng Ge’er’s ankle. “It’s not serious. It will get better in a couple of days. We still have some medicinal wine at home. I’ll go get it, and you can massage it for Feng Ge’er.”

Gu Linchen was happy to hear that they had medicinal wine at home. “Alright, thank you, Mom.”

His mother went into the house and soon brought out a small jar. This was the medicinal wine she had made earlier, after hearing Dr. Li say that soaking the herbs in alcohol could relieve sprains, back pain, and sore muscles. Since people were always tripping and stumbling, she had thought of buying some herbs and making the wine. She had been keeping it for Gu Linchen’s father, but since he couldn’t drink alcohol right now, she put it away, and it had been sitting there for a while.

Gu Linchen took the jar, and as he bent down, he heard Feng Ge’er say that he could manage on his own. Gu Linchen frowned and didn’t say anything.

Feng Ge’er, realizing that he had upset Gu Linchen, said in a soft voice, “I’m sorry, it’s troubling you.”

Gu Linchen relaxed his brow and crouched down to massage Feng Ge’er’s ankle. “Does it still hurt?”

Feng Ge’er looked at him, and as Gu Linchen carefully applied the medicine, his heart warmed. His husband was so good to him, far more than he had ever imagined. With a hoarse voice, he replied, “It feels much better than before.”

Xige’er ran into the house and brought out a stool. “Dad, sit here!”

“Thank you, Xige’er.” Gu Linchen took the stool and sat down. How was it that his son was so thoughtful and filial?

Soon, Xige’er returned with two bowls of water from the kitchen and brought them for them to drink.

Gu’s mother watched Xige’er busying himself and said, “Xige’er is such a good child. When he woke up this afternoon and didn’t see you two, he cried so sadly. I told him that you two went up the mountain to gather firewood and would be back soon. He even wanted to go up the mountain to find you, saying he wanted to help you gather firewood.”

Upon hearing his mother’s words, Gu Linchen paused his movements and pulled Xige’er over with a stern expression. “Xige’er, children can’t run up the mountain. It’s dangerous. There are tigers up there, and they can eat people. Also, if you run around, we might not be able to find you. Your Dad, Mom, Grandma, and Grandpa would all be very sad. Do you want to make us sad?”

Xige’er looked at his father’s scary expression and realized he shouldn’t have wanted to go up the mountain. He hurriedly grabbed Gu Linchen’s arm, trying to make amends. “Dad, I understand now. I don’t want to make you and Amu sad.”

Gu Linchen softened when he saw his son’s earnest expression. “You’re a good, obedient child. Go sit on the stool over there and rest. Tonight, Dad will make chicken soup for you.”

“Linchen, do you want to eat chicken? I’ll go catch one in the backyard.” Although Gu Linchen’s mother was reluctant, her son wanted it, so she had no choice but to go to the backyard and prepare to catch one.

Gu Linchen quickly stopped her, saying, “Mom, don’t catch the chicken from the backyard. Feng Ge’er and I caught two wild chickens, and they’re hanging in the basket behind. Feng Ge’er got hurt while trying to catch them.”

Upon hearing this, Gu Linchen’s mother turned to look at the basket, and sure enough, she saw the two chickens lying motionless. Were they dead? Just as she was about to ask, Gu Linchen explained, “On the way back, they kept making noise, so I knocked them unconscious.”