After listening to Yu Hezhong’s words, Jiang Le was utterly stunned: “Huh? For me?”  

Yu Hezhong: “Mhm.”  

He said, “Didn’t you say you wanted to eat meat?”  

Just because he mentioned craving meat, Yu Hezhong’s first thought upon catching the little wild boar was to give it to him?  

Jiang Le looked at Yu Hezhong’s expression and knew he was serious. For a moment, his heart felt strangely unsettled.  

Guagua: [He’s really… I’m crying my eyes out.]  

Jiang Le: […]

He didn’t know what to say for a moment and could only reply stiffly, “I can’t take it.”  

Instead, Yu Hezhong seemed hurt by his refusal: “Why not?”  

There wasn’t much he could give Jiang Le—only this lucky catch.  

Jiang Le: “You caught it, so I can’t accept it.”  

Yu Hezhong: “But… you treated my leg, cut my hair, brought me dumplings…”  

Only then did Jiang Le realize that all those small, seemingly insignificant things he’d done, Yu Hezhong had silently remembered them all, even if he never spoke of them.  

Suddenly, his heart felt heavy. He also realized that if he kept refusing, he might end up hurting Yu Hezhong’s feelings.  

So Jiang Le said firmly, “You keep the little wild boar.”  

Before Yu Hezhong could feel disheartened, Jiang Le continued, “Didn’t you say you wanted to repay me?”  

Yu Hezhong insisted, “Not repayment. I just want to be good to you.”  

You were kind to me, so I want to be kind to you. It’s not the same as repayment.

“Alright, so you want to be good to me, right?” Jiang Le said. “Look, if you give me this little wild boar, my family might finish it in ten days to half a month, and then it’ll be gone.”  

Yu Hezhong frowned, wanting to say he could catch more. But then he remembered that the traps he’d used before couldn’t be used anymore, and for a moment, he felt a pang of panic: “I… I’ll think of a way.”  

Jiang Le’s heart ached with tenderness: “What I mean is, of course I’m happy that you want to be good to me. But the first step in being good to me is making sure you are taken care of too. Do you understand?”  

Yu Hezhong thought carefully and then understood: “I see. If I become better, I can give you better things.”  

Guagua couldn’t help but mentally munch on imaginary melon seeds: [Damn, Yu Hezhong is really good at self-directed PUA.]

Jiang Le: [Wuwuwu, Guagua, I can’t take it—I feel like crying.] 

Back when he read the novel, the reason he’d liked Yu Hezhong—aside from feeling they shared similar experiences—was because Yu Hezhong was the classic “beautiful, strong, tragic” archetype.  

But the more time he spent with Yu Hezhong, the more he got to know him. He realized that Yu Hezhong was someone with strong self-respect—he didn’t need anyone’s pity or sympathy.

Yet, despite being such a person, when receiving even the slightest bit of kindness from Jiang Le, he would carefully retract his claws and even go out of his way to please him.  

Was it because, in his life, very few people had ever treated him with pure goodwill? Even his own mother, after remarrying, saw him as a burden and neglected him entirely.  

At this moment, Jiang Le felt nothing but profound shock.  

At the same time, he understood that he shouldn’t argue with Yu Hezhong right now—doing so would only make him more anxious. He would have to guide him slowly, bit by bit, in the future…  

Jiang Le blinked his moist eyes and said, “So, you need to eat well, drink well, and strengthen your body first. Improve yourself, become better, and *then* you can do the things you want to do.”  

Yu Hezhong nodded, accepting Jiang Le’s reasoning.  

Right now, he was still too weak. He couldn’t give Jiang Le anything truly special. So, he needed to become stronger, better.  

Thankfully, Jiang Le didn’t know what he was thinking—otherwise, he’d be moved to tears.  

Though Jiang Le refused the little wild boar, Yu Hezhong still insisted, “I’ll give you some. Whatever we don’t finish, I’ll sell at the black market.”  

This time, Jiang Le didn’t refuse. But when he heard Yu Hezhong mention the black market, even though he’d been there himself, he still thought it was better to avoid it as much as possible. What if they were unlucky and ran into the police?  

Yu Hezhong didn’t have a system to rely on.  

After some thought, Jiang Le said, “Let’s not go to the black market yet. Remember last time, when I sold that pheasant? I met someone then. I have his address—we can go ask him first.”  

Yu Hezhong nodded. “Alright.”  

Then he added, “Go back and change first. I’ll divide up the boar, and you can come get your share later.”  

He knew Jiang Le was particular about cleanliness. Right now, he was covered in sweat and dirt from who-knows-where—he must be uncomfortable.  

Besides, he didn’t want Jiang Le to see him butchering the boar. He was afraid it might scare him.  

Strangely, even though Jiang Le was older than him, Yu Hezhong always felt like he needed to protect him carefully.  

Jiang Le didn’t overthink it. He was extremely uncomfortable—not just from the sweat and grime, but also because there was a bit of boar blood on his sleeve, making his skin crawl.  

“Alright, I’ll head back first.” Jiang Le stood up but still reminded him, “Remember to collect the blood in a bowl with some salt in it.”  

Yu Hezhong nodded. Once Jiang Le left, he closed the door, his expression turning cold again. He took a knife from the kitchen and began sharpening it on a whetstone.  

The little wild boar, which had been lying weakly on the ground, seemed to sense the impending danger and started struggling frantically.  

But it didn’t last long. A thin, strong hand pressed down on it—then, with one swift motion of the blade, the boar went still.  

Yu Hezhong naturally knew that pig’s blood was edible. But since Jiang Le had specifically mentioned it before leaving, he figured he must really like it.

He took out a clean, large bowl and carefully collected the pig’s blood, his eyes fixed intently to prevent any dirt from falling in.  

The little wild boar wasn’t very big to begin with, and it had likely already lost a fair amount of blood, so in the end, he only managed to collect half a bowl. Yu Hezhong added salt, and the fresh blood quickly coagulated.  

He placed the bowl of blood on the cupboard and began dividing the pork.  

He didn’t dare give Jiang Le too much, afraid he might refuse. He portioned out just over twenty *jin*, kept five *jin* for himself, and stored the remaining fifty or sixty *jin* in a cool, shaded spot.  

By the time Jiang Le returned, the yard of the Yu household had been thoroughly cleaned by Yu Hezhong, with no trace of blood left.  

Yu Hezhong packed the twenty *jin* of pork and the bowl of blood into a bamboo basket. “I’ll carry it to your house for you.”  

Jiang Le said, “Bring yours too. I’ve already talked to my grandma—we’ll cook it all together.”  

Truthfully, when Grandma Jiang heard about this, she absolutely refused to take the meat from Yu Hezhong—that boy had such a hard life as it was.  

But after Jiang Le persuaded her, the old woman thought it over and eventually agreed. If she refused, the boy probably wouldn’t accept any help from them in the future either.  

Better to be open and honest, helping each other out. That way, they could also look after Yu Hezhong a little.  

When Jiang Le mentioned that Yu Hezhong wasn’t much of a cook, Grandma Jiang immediately said, “Tell him to bring his meat over. I’ll cook it for him.”  

Hearing Jiang Le’s words, Yu Hezhong added his five *jin* of meat to the basket as well.  

Jiang Le looked at the heavily laden basket and felt a pang of guilt, as if he were exploiting child labor. “Maybe I should carry it instead?”  

As soon as he said this, Yu Hezhong effortlessly lifted the basket with one hand. “What did you say?”  

The actual weakling Jiang Le: “Haha, never mind.”  

Yu Hezhong followed Jiang Le all the way to the Jiang family’s doorstep, then set down the basket and turned to leave—only for Jiang Le to stop him. “You’ve been carrying this the whole way. Come in and have some water.”  

Yu Hezhong didn’t feel the least bit tired, but as Jiang Le tugged at him, he stiffly followed inside, still holding the basket.  

Grandma Jiang was sitting in the yard mending clothes when she heard them. She immediately looked up and broke into a warm, kindly smile. “Oh my, is this Xiao Yu?”  

Yu Hezhong nodded. Grandma Jiang cheerfully brought over a stool for him to sit on, then swatted Jiang Le lightly. “You little rascal, making Xiao Yu carry everything. Don’t you have hands?”  

Jiang Le: “…”  

Yu Hezhong quickly interjected, “I wanted to carry it.”  

Grandma Jiang turned to him, her smile returning. “Oh, you silly boy, always so earnest. Aren’t you tired? Next time, don’t do everything yourself!”  

Yu Hezhong shook his head, then nodded. “Not tired.”

Jiang Le went to pour Yu Hezhong a glass of water, deliberately adding a big spoonful of fruit jam to it. Yu Hezhong held the cup and drank it all in one go.  

He wanted to say goodbye and leave. The Jiang family was nice, and Grandma Jiang was kind, but he still had to return to his own home.  

Grandma Jiang had already rolled up her sleeves, ready to cook the pork. Faced with such a large piece of meat, she thought for a moment and decided to braise it all—it would be quicker, and the flavor would be better. Wild boar had a stronger gamey taste compared to domestic pork, and braising would help mask that.  

Remembering that Yu Hezhong had no adults at home and wasn’t the type to ask for help easily, Grandma Jiang turned to him and asked, “Xiao Yu, why don’t you come over and learn with me?”  

Yu Hezhong paused, then nodded and walked over to her side. “I’ll help you.”  

Not to be outdone, Jiang Le chimed in, “I’ll help too!”  

Grandma Jiang smiled and directed Jiang Le to start by chopping the seasonings, while Yu Hezhong was handed a needle to poke holes into the meat—this would help it absorb the flavors better.  

With the tasks divided, the kitchen soon filled with the rich aroma of braising broth. Grandma Jiang first cut Yu Hezhong’s five jin of meat into chunks and braised them. As for their own portion, the pot couldn’t fit it all, so the rest would have to wait for the next batch.  

Braising took time—the longer it simmered, the more flavorful the meat would be. Knowing that Yu Hezhong might feel awkward with her around, Grandma Jiang took off her apron and said, “You two keep an eye on the fire—just let it simmer on low heat. I’ll step out for a bit.”  

With only Jiang Le and Yu Hezhong left in the house, Jiang Le kept muttering every now and then, “Shouldn’t it be done by now?”  

The smell of the braised meat was intoxicating, and he couldn’t help but swallow his saliva. He was starting to realize—no matter what his grandma cooked, it always smelled amazing.  

“Grandma Jiang said to wait until she comes back,” Yu Hezhong reminded him.  

Jiang Le pouted. “Fine, fine.”  

Yu Hezhong couldn’t help but chuckle. He found the way Jiang Le spoke amusing.  

Jiang Le decided to step outside—out of sight, out of mind. But who knew he’d run into something even more annoying? From next door, Wang Shitou’s youngest son, Sizhu, seemed to have caught a whiff of the delicious scent. Taking advantage of his small size, he had half-squeezed himself through the fence.  

When he spotted Jiang Le and Yu Hezhong, Sizhu gulped nervously, but then had the audacity to yell at Jiang Le, “Hey, short-lived devil! I want meat!”  

Guagua cursed from afar: [Eat sh*t, you little brat!]  

Truthfully, if it were a well-behaved child asking, Jiang Le might have given them some. But he had no goodwill toward this Sizhu kid.  

No—actually, he had no goodwill toward anyone in the Wang family next door.  

Seeing Yu Hezhong’s face darken as he stepped forward, Jiang Le quickly held him back. “Don’t go over. People might think we’re bullying a kid.”  

Sizhu, probably counting on his age to shield him from consequences, rolled his eyes mischievously, looking for a chance to sneak into the kitchen.  

Over in the Wang family’s yard, Sanya—his sister—also wanted meat. But she was too timid to step into the Jiang family’s yard, so she quietly urged her brother to get some for her.