Gu Linchen noticed Xige’er suddenly became quiet and asked, “Xige’er, don’t you want to share the candy with other kids?”

Xige’er stayed silent for a while before whispering, “I don’t have playmates. They don’t want to play with me. They say you’re a bad person, and they even hit me.”

Feeling heartbroken, Gu Linchen pulled his son into his arms and gently patted his back. This poor child had suffered too much. He comforted him softly, “It was Dad’s fault before, making our cute Xige’er have no friends. That won’t do. Dad has changed now. They will want to play with you. How about I go with you later to find some playmates, okay?”

Hearing this, Xige’er looked up and nodded.

“Now, you have candied hawthorn and candy to eat, something none of the other kids have. Isn’t that great?”

“Yes!” Xige’er beamed with a wide smile.

“How happy are you?” Gu Linchen teased and started tickling him, making Xige’er giggle uncontrollably in his arms.

Xige’er’s joyous laughter echoed through the house, and those working in the yard couldn’t help but smile too. The warm sound of a child’s laughter made the home feel cozy and lively. Their hands moved faster with their tasks, enjoying the positive energy.

When Xige’er finally came out of the house, his cheeks were rosy, and he held a bright red candied hawthorn stick in one hand. His little pouch was also bulging with treats as he ran happily to Feng Ge’er.

“Mom, eat this!” He held up the candied hawthorn to him.

Feng Ge’er shook his head gently. “Mom won’t eat it. Give it to Grandma instead.”

Xige’er then turned to Gu Linchen’s mother, saying sweetly, “Grandma!”

Gu Linchen’s mother set down her sewing, lovingly patting his head. “Grandma won’t eat it either. Xige’er can enjoy it himself.”

Xige’er thought for a moment. Since both of them refused such a delicious treat, he would have to eat it himself. He took a small bite, savoring the sweetness. Not only did he have candied hawthorn, but he also had candy in his pouch! But Father said too much candy could cause tooth decay, so he could only eat one piece a day. The rest was meant to be shared with kids who would play with him. Soon, he would have new friends!

“Why isn’t Dad coming out yet?” Xige’er wondered while finishing his second candied hawthorn piece. Just as he was about to go back inside to check, he saw Gu Linchen finally coming out and ran happily to greet him.

Gu Linchen held Xige’er’s hand and walked over to Feng Ge’er, handing him a wooden hairpin. Though made of wood, it was finely crafted from high-quality ebony with elegant carvings. “I passed by a shop selling hair accessories today and noticed you didn’t have a proper hairpin, so I bought this for you.”

Feng Ge’er instinctively touched the simple wooden stick securing his hair, feeling a bit self-conscious.

“Linchen knows how to care for people now,” Gu Linchen’s mother teased with a smile. “Feng Ge’er, take it quickly.”

Feng Ge’er accepted it carefully, holding the hairpin as if it were a precious treasure. “Thank you, Lao Gong.”

Gu Linchen then turned to his mother, presenting a headband. “Mom, I bought this for you too.”

“Oh, I get a gift too?” She chuckled while examining the headband. “It’s lovely, but I’m old now. It might not suit me.”

“That’s not true! The color isn’t too bright, just elegant enough. It suits you perfectly,” Gu Linchen reassured her, noticing how much she liked it.

“You sweet child,” Gu Linchen’s mother laughed, carefully putting the headband away after admiring it once more.

Finally, Gu Linchen spread out a packet of candies. “Mom, I also bought some sweets today. Here, try them.”

“You even bought candy? With both pastries and candy, you must have spent quite a bit of silver,” Gu Linchen’s mother said, feeling distressed about the money spent. Her son was really generous with spending. However, she still took a piece and tasted it. “Mmm, this candy is really sweet.”

Gu Linchen then handed one to Feng Ge’er. “Here, Feng Ge’er.”

“Thank you, Lao Gong,” Feng Ge’er replied, putting down her work and taking a candy. However, instead of eating it, he glanced at Xige’er.

“Don’t worry about him—he has a whole pouch full of treats. You can eat this one yourself,” Gu Linchen said, chuckling.

Only then did Feng Ge’er eat the candy, thinking, ‘Wow, it really is sweet and delicious.’

Gu Linchen wrapped up the remaining candies and handed them to Gu Linchen’s mother. “Keep these for snacks later.” Then, he took Xige’er out for a walk around the village.

The father and son held hands, smiling happily. They hadn’t gone far when a young man, around seventeen or eighteen, came rushing down from Dongling Mountain, his clothes stained with blood.

Gu Linchen recognized him—it was He Shu, who lived on the west side of the village. A few years back, he and his parents were assigned to live here by the authorities. Seeing his panicked face, Gu Linchen stopped him and asked, “What happened?”

“We… we encountered a wild boar! Gu Shui was injured by it. He told me to come down and find the village chief.”

“A wild boar?” Gu Linchen’s eyes lit up with excitement. Jackpot! “Where is it?”

“On the bamboo path, near halfway up the mountain,” He Shu answered, though something felt odd about the way Gu Linchen reacted.

“Go quickly and find the village chief!” Gu Linchen said, releasing He Shu. Then, he swiftly picked up Xige’er and dashed back home.

As soon as he entered, he set Xige’er down and rushed into the kitchen, grabbing a cleaver before hurrying back out.

Gu Linchen’s mother and Feng Ge’er were stunned. What was he doing? He had just gone out and already seemed to be getting into a fight? And with a knife?

Gu Linchen’s mother quickly followed him out, calling, “Linchen, what are you—” But he had already run far ahead.

“Grandma, Daddy went to catch a wild boar!” Xige’er chimed in cheerfully.

“A wild boar?!” Gu Linchen’s mother patted her chest, relieved it wasn’t a fight but still worried.

“In the big mountain! A man from the mountain told him just now,” Xige’er explained.

“Mother, do you think my husband will be in danger?” Feng Ge’er asked anxiously, his earlier excitement turning into worry. The mountains were full of danger.

Xige’er, seeing both his mother and grandmother worried, started feeling scared too.

“Don’t overthink it,” Gu Linchen’s mother reassured, though her hands trembled slightly. “Linchen has a knife. He’ll be fine… He’ll definitely be fine.” She tried to continue her sewing but couldn’t focus anymore. “Let’s go check near the mountain base.”

Meanwhile, Gu Linchen had already reached the mountains, following He Shu’s directions. The sight before him was shocking. Gu Shui’s clothes were torn, bloodstains visible, and one pant leg was missing. His calf had been bitten by the wild boar, blood still dripping as he clung to a tree branch while the massive boar rammed the tree below, grunting furiously.

‘This wild boar is really aggressive!’

Judging by its size, it had to be at least three or four hundred pounds. Gu Linchen smirked. ‘That’s a lot of wild boar meat.’

Raising the cleaver, he charged forward. The boar, sensing the threat, turned and charged straight at him instead.

“Careful!”

Gu Linchen sidestepped swiftly, grabbing the boar’s ear as it passed him and leaping onto its back. With one powerful swing of the cleaver, blood splattered everywhere, drenching him completely.

‘Damn, I shouldn’t have done it this way. My clothes are ruined… and they were new too. I wonder if Feng Ge’er can still wash this clean?’

He felt regret deep in his bones.