Crying so bitterly that Zhao Rencheng almost thought he had beaten Er Gouzi to a pulp: “What are you crying for? Weren’t you having fun just now?”

“I’ll never dare to do it again, wuwuwu…”

Er Gouzi was afraid his legs would be broken. Although he had many family members, uncles, and brothers, none of them could beat Zhao Rencheng.

He was only eight years old. Without legs, he’d be done for. Wuwuwu, his future was truly dark, pitch black.

Zhao Rencheng put him down on the ground, letting him continue to wail, and asked Zhao Mo, “What are you here for?”

“I came to bring you firewood.” Zhao Mo pointed to a bundle of firewood and a bundle of leaves, not forgetting to add, “I’ve prepared some for my aunt too. Tomorrow, I’ll bring you wild vegetables or fruits.”

Zhao Rencheng frowned, “No need. Just take it to your aunt. Coming here disturbs my peace.”

What he was doing now wasn’t suitable for frequent visitors. It could easily put him at a disadvantage!

Er Gouzi, still crying, squinted his eyes and asked, “Uncle Zhao, do you find me noisy?”

Zhao Rencheng nodded.

Er Gouzi: “Wuwuwuwu…”

Not only was he going to be beaten, but he was also being disliked.

He was so pitiful.

Zhao Rencheng told Zhao Mo to leave, warning, “Don’t bring Er Gouzi here to play again.”

Zhao Mo nodded gloomily, unwilling to give up, and asked, “Uncle Zhao, is there anything you need me to help with?”

“No.” Zhao Rencheng picked up Er Gouzi and placed him at the path leading down the mountain. “I’ll let you off this time, but next time, I’ll break your legs in front of your dad.”

Er Gouzi’s legs went weak.

He quickly grabbed Zhao Mo and hurried down the mountain.

As soon as they were out of Zhao Rencheng’s sight, Er Gouzi immediately returned to normal. “Oh my heavens, that scared me to death. I thought my legs were going to be broken.”

Zhao Mo was a bit disappointed, “We can’t go to Uncle Zhao’s place anymore.”

Er Gouzi sighed, “Yeah, what a shame.”

He really liked that hammock!
Swinging on it was so much fun. You could see the mountains, the village, the fields, and even the little river in their village.

“Let’s go.” Zhao Mo carried the firewood and leaves down to find her aunt.

Er Gouzi followed Zhao Mo to the female知青 dormitory. He wasn’t afraid of Zhang Yunxi. She was Zhao Mo’s aunt, so she definitely wouldn’t beat him to death.

Zhang Yunxi was cutting fabric. Zhao Mo was about to start school soon, and she wanted to finish making her clothes before then, preferably even a small shoulder bag.

“Auntie!” Zhao Mo called out at the door, carrying the firewood.

“Why are you here?” Zhang Yunxi stood up, seeing her carrying the stuff, and asked, “Did your dad make you do this?”

“No, I gathered these for you.” Zhao Mo carried them into the kitchen. “This way, you won’t have to go gather them yourself.”

Her aunt’s hands were so beautiful. Zhao Mo didn’t want them to become rough.

“You…” Zhang Yunxi shook her head with a smile. “This time is fine, but don’t do it again. You’ll have to focus on studying soon.”

“Oh.” Zhao Mo was disappointed.

Zhang Yunxi turned and met a pair of round, big eyes.

Er Gouzi, seeing Zhang Yunxi looking at him, flashed her a toothy grin, “Hi, Auntie.”

Zhao Mo’s aunt was his aunt too!

“Who are you?” Zhang Yunxi wasn’t very familiar with the people from the Zhao village.

“I’m Er Gouzi, Zhao Mo’s good friend,” Er Gouzi said.

Zhang Yunxi raised an eyebrow.

Er Gouzi was Zhao Mo’s true childhood friend. They had played together, worked together, and roamed the mountains and rivers. But Er Gouzi’s fate was truly tragic.

Born without a mother, his father became a formal worker at a factory when he was around ten years old and took him to town. But within two years, his father died from an electrical accident at night.

This left twelve-year-old Er Gouzi without parents.

Originally, he was supposed to return to the Zhao village, but coincidentally, his grandparents fell ill and couldn’t take care of him. His uncles and aunts kept passing him around, and at twelve, a sensitive age, he ran away in anger and ended up getting involved in the black market.

He even took the fall for the black market boss, who promised him 10,000 yuan after ten years, with an additional 1,000 yuan every year, totaling 20,000 yuan.

But Er Gouzi never received the money while in prison. Sensing something was wrong, he escaped, went to the black market boss’s house, and in 1981, ran off with over 100,000 yuan.

At that time, Zhao Mo was being sold, and he tried to chase after her. It wasn’t about romantic feelings; he simply couldn’t bear to see the only important person in his life end up as miserable as him.

Sadly, he didn’t catch up to the car and instead was met by a police car.

After escaping from prison and being caught a third time, he was ultimately sentenced to death.

When Zhang Yunxi read the novel, she felt deep regret for Er Gouzi. Now, seeing him so naive and silly, she couldn’t compare him to the later troublemaking demon king he would become. “Here, have some candy.”

She handed Er Gouzi a piece of White Rabbit Creamy Candy.

Candy with wrappers was considered expensive.

Er Gouzi accepted it generously, “Auntie, don’t worry. In the Zhao village, I’ve got your back!”

Zhao Mo: “…”

Zhang Yunxi: “…”

You really dare to say that.

“Thank you.”

“Hey, we’re family. No need to be polite.” Er Gouzi felt incredibly heroic, ruffling his bowl-cut hair, about to show off.

Just then, a man with a scholarly appearance walked in and said to Zhang Yunxi, “Come here!”

His tone was very demanding.

Er Gouzi frowned, “Who do you think you are!”

In the entire village, aside from fearing Uncle Zhao who lived on the mountain, he wasn’t afraid of anyone. “Are you a new educated youth? Don’t you know men aren’t supposed to just walk into the female dormitory? You grew up in the city, yet you don’t even know basic manners!”

Wu Donglin glanced down at Er Gouzi, annoyed but unwilling to argue with him. He continued to speak to Zhang Yunxi, “The captain of our dormitory told me to cook, but I don’t know how. You come and help me.”

Er Gouzi: “Are you stupid? Who do you think you are, asking my aunt to cook for you? Did you pay her?”

Zhang Yunxi: This kid is awesome, a real mouthpiece.

Not only is he likable.

That mouth of his is even more likable!
Great, I like him!

Wu Donglin couldn’t ignore Er Gouzi anymore and looked down at him, “Kid, don’t cause trouble. Don’t think I won’t teach you a lesson just because I haven’t done anything yet!”

Er Gouzi put his hands on his hips, “Come on then! I’m not afraid of a pretty boy like you. I’ll have you know, I’ve got dozens of uncles, brothers, and cousins who can beat you so badly your own mother won’t recognize you. Get lost!”

He was young.

But he wasn’t blind!

This guy was clearly treating Zhang Yunxi like a servant.

He didn’t care whether Zhang Yunxi liked Wu Donglin or not. He had said he would protect his aunt, and as a man, he had to keep his word!

Wu Donglin was infuriated by the child for the first time and raised his hand to strike, “Ow…”

A sound more piercing than a pig’s squeal came from Wu Donglin’s mouth.

“My hand, blood, so much blood…”

Wu Donglin fainted.

Zhao Mo retracted her hand, stunned.

Was there really someone so fragile in the world?

She had just seen him about to hit Er Gouzi and swiped at him with a branch. The blood beads from the scratch would have disappeared if he hadn’t squeezed them out.

She looked at her aunt in confusion.

Zhang Yunxi: “It’s fine. Just say he tried to steal my money!”