After such a commotion, Zhang Xiuhua no longer had the energy to keep an eye on the Jiang family, nor did she dare spread rumors about Zhao Meilian anymore. Now, the villagers only laughed at her—who would believe what she said?  

As soon as she finished work, she hid at home and avoided going out, doing her best to keep a low profile. Occasionally, Jiang Le could hear Wang Shitou and Zhang Xiuhua arguing at their place. Even if these two continued living together, how could there not be resentment between them?  

But Jiang Le couldn’t be bothered to care. As long as Zhang Xiuhua didn’t cause trouble for his family, that was enough.  

In high spirits, Jiang Le found a glass jar at home and filled it with jam, planning to bring some for Yu Hezhong to try.  

A couple of days ago, he had mentioned cutting Yu Hezhong’s hair, but family matters had kept him busy until now. He asked Grandma Jiang for scissors, intending to give Yu Hezhong a haircut while he was at it.  

When Grandma Jiang heard Jiang Le was packing jam for Yu Hezhong, she didn’t stop him. Instead, she told him to pack more: “That child is so thin, it’s heartbreaking to see.”  

Kind-hearted and with several grandsons of her own, she couldn’t bear to see other children suffer.  

Jiang Le agreed and stuffed the full jar into his little basket, adding the scissors before heading off to find Yu Hezhong.  

On the way, a villager teased him, “Jiang kid, off to see the Yu boy again? Since when did you two get so close?”  

Jiang Le smiled sweetly. “Ah, Uncle, my apologies. I forgot to report to you when I started playing with Yu Hezhong.”  

Others nearby laughed. “Report what? Who does he think he is, acting like some big shot in front of a kid?”  

The man flushed with embarrassment. “I was just making conversation. No need to make me out to be some official.”  

Jiang Le kept his gentle tone. “Yeah, Uncle, I was just joking. I know you didn’t mean it that way. It’s just… none of the other kids in the village want to play with me. Yu Hezhong’s the only one who’s willing, so he’s all I’ve got.”  

Hearing this, the man suddenly felt guilty. “Jiang kid, you’re plenty well-behaved. If those brats can’t get along with you, that’s their problem.”  

Jiang Le gave a “forced” smile. “Thanks, Uncle. I’d better get going.”  

Watching Jiang Le walk away, the man sighed and smacked his own mouth. “Ugh! Why do I always shoot my mouth off?”  

His wife had always scolded him for running his mouth, but he never admitted it. Now, seeing how his thoughtless words had upset Jiang Le, he was actually reflecting on himself.  

Guagua cackled. [Host, you’re something else. I bet that uncle’s gonna wake up tonight and slap himself in regret.] 

Jiang Le’s eyes curved into crescents as he walked up to the Yu family’s door and knocked loudly. “Hezhong, it’s me! Open up!”  

He peered through the crack in the door but saw no one. Thinking Yu Hezhong hadn’t heard, he knocked again. “Hezhong, Hezhong, open the door~”  

“I’m here,” a voice suddenly came from behind him.

Jiang Le was startled but quickly turned around, pretending to be calm. There stood Yu Hezhong, carrying a basket filled with firewood and wild vegetables—he must have just come back from the mountains.  

“No wonder no one answered the door,” Jiang Le muttered. “Hezhong, aren’t you tired? Put the basket down first.”  

He was a little worried—what if the weight was stunting Yu Hezhong’s growth?  

Yu Hezhong glanced at him—it had been days since they last saw each other—and said, “No need.”  

Jiang Le scratched his cheek. [Why does Hezhong seem so much colder now?] 

Guagua: [Wasn’t he always kind of cold?]  

Jiang Le: [……]  

Yu Hezhong walked inside, then turned back when he noticed Jiang Le still standing there. His lips pressed together slightly. “Come in.”  

“Oh! Coming!” Jiang Le snapped out of it and hurried in after him.  

He set his basket down and pulled out the jar of jam. “Look, I made this jam—sweet and tangy. You can mix it with water, and it’ll taste really good.”  

“I also brought scissors to cut your hair later,” Jiang Le said, eyeing Yu Hezhong’s overgrown bangs. “Your hair’s covering your eyes—doesn’t that itch?”  

Yu Hezhong didn’t know how to respond to such unconditional kindness. His fingers curled slightly at his sides, but he didn’t want to push Jiang Le away either. “…Thanks.”  

Jiang Le immediately beamed and patted his shoulder. “What’s there to thank? We’re good friends!”  

Yu Hezhong froze. “We’re… good friends?”  

Jiang Le instantly put on a wounded expression. “Wow, so you don’t consider me a friend?”  

His acting was terrible—his face practically contorting—but Yu Hezhong still panicked. “N-no… I do. You’re… my good friend. Don’t be sad.”  

Jiang Le had only been teasing and hadn’t expected a response. So when Yu Hezhong said that, he froze—overwhelming joy flooding his heart. [Guagua! Did you hear that?! Did you hear that?! Yu Hezhong said I’m his friend—not just any friend, but a good friend!]

Guagua scoffed at his shameless excitement. [Yeah, yeah, I heard.]

Jiang Le couldn’t suppress his grin. “Haha, I’m not sad at all.”  

Maybe he got a little too carried away, because he couldn’t resist pushing his luck. “If you call me ‘big bro,’ not only will I not be sad, I’ll be super happy.”  

Yu Hezhong: “…”  

Jiang Le hadn’t actually expected Yu Hezhong to call him that—this was a future big shot, after all. The thought alone was almost too much to imagine.  

“Alright, let’s find a brighter spot so I can show off my skills!” Jiang Le said enthusiastically, waving Yu Hezhong over.  

Yu Hezhong nodded, moving a chair into the yard. Jiang Le had him drape an old shirt over his shoulders to keep the cut hair from itching his skin.

The tools were rudimentary, and Jiang Le wasn’t aiming for anything fancy—just trimming Yu Hezhong’s hair enough to keep it out of his eyes. Otherwise, over time, it could affect his vision.  

A short while later, the ground was scattered with hair clippings. Jiang Le brushed the stray strands off Yu Hezhong’s neck, and the moment his fingers grazed the skin, Yu Hezhong stiffened. It had been so long since anyone had touched him.  

“Whew, done! Let me see, let me see!” Eager to check his handiwork, Jiang Le hurried around to face Yu Hezhong.  

With his hair shorter, Yu Hezhong’s brows, eyes, and ears were now fully visible. Even though Jiang Le remembered the original novel describing Yu Hezhong as *extremely* handsome, seeing his face clearly for the first time still left him stunned.  

Right now, Yu Hezhong was painfully thin, his face almost gaunt. On most people, that degree of thinness would be unsettling at best—but Yu Hezhong’s bone structure was that good. Even with hollowed cheeks, he was striking.  

Especially those eyes. Jiang Le had never seen such beautiful phoenix eyes before—even the creases of his eyelids were perfect. Though Yu Hezhong was still young, his eyes slightly rounder, Jiang Le could already imagine how breathtaking they’d be when he grew up.  

Noticing Jiang Le staring, Yu Hezhong shifted uncomfortably and stood. “Is it done?”  

Jiang Le snapped out of it, cheeks warming at how creepy he must’ve looked. He cleared his throat. “Y-yeah. Hezhong, I just realized—you’re really good-looking.”  

The blunt praise made Yu Hezhong’s ears turn red. He splashed water on his face to wash away the loose hair, hiding his reaction.  

“So? Doesn’t it feel way better without hair poking your eyes?” Jiang Le was pretty proud of his work.  

(Though, realistically, Yu Hezhong’s face was probably carrying the entire haircut.)  

“Yeah. Much better.” Yu Hezhong almost said *thank you* again but swallowed it back.  

Sure enough, Jiang Le broke into a huge grin, puffing up with pride. “Y’think if I set up a stall in town cutting hair, I could make some decent money?”  

Private businesses were technically forbidden as “speculative trading,” but small services like haircuts—earning meager wages through manual labor—usually flew under the radar.  

Jiang Le was just rambling in his excitement, but Yu Hezhong took it seriously. After a thoughtful pause, he nodded. “Yeah. You could try.”  

Jiang Le: “…Haha.”  

Yu Hezhong blinked, confused.  

Jiang Le changed the subject. “You got a mirror at home? Wanna check it out?”  

Yu Hezhong: “No.”  

Instead, he filled a basin with water, studying his reflection in the rippling surface. “You did a good job.”  

No one had ever cared before if his hair irritated his eyes. Even without a proper mirror, he could tell it felt infinitely better—how could it not be good?  

Jiang Le paused, then smiled.