Naturally, the Wan family had no idea what Wan Dongyang was thinking, because he was too embarrassed to say it.

In front of the Wan family’s house ran a large ditch. The water flowed down from the mountains; since its source was unknown and the volume was substantial, it was used for irrigation, winding its way through various parts of the village.

Wan Dongyang walked to a low-lying bend in the path. A droplet of water splashed onto his face from the stream flowing down from the high ground beside the road. Listening to the tinkling sound of water in the ditch, he slapped his own face, then wiped the droplet away with a bit more force. He glanced at the wild peach blossoms in full bloom by the roadside and sighed silently.

His heart was pounding louder than the flowing water beside him. It was the first time in his life he had done something wrong, and it felt truly unbearable. He had wronged someone today.

Regarding today’s incident in the rice paddy, he hadn’t believed Liu-ger’s story at first.

At first, when the man surnamed Wang claimed that the Liu family’s ger had pushed him into the paddy field, he had believed him.

He knew the Liu family had their sights set on Wan Changqing, hoping to marry their son to him, but Wan Changqing had no interest in Liu-ger. Instead, he was chasing after the man surnamed Wang, fawning over him. Liu-ger must have been jealous and took it out on the man surnamed Wang, which is why he’d pushed him into the paddy field.

At first, when he had this misunderstanding, he didn’t intend to do anything to the Liu family’s ger, because he knew his mother was very fond of the ger—if he were to punish him, his mother would be upset. But what was infuriating was that later, when he found out it was the man surnamed Wang who had stirred up trouble, he still couldn’t do anything to him.

The moment he was pushed into the rice paddy by the young ger, he knew the truth: the man surnamed Wang must have been lying. The truth was surely exactly as the ger from the Liu family—that the man surnamed Wang had simply chosen to sit in the paddy field himself.

How did he know? It was simple: the posture was all wrong.

He hadn’t thought much of it at first, but once he’d fallen into the paddy field himself, he realized that sitting down in the mud was different, so the splash they made was naturally different.

That Wang fellow wasn’t that skilled; he couldn’t possibly have landed so calmly after being pushed into the paddy in a panic. Even he, when he was pushed in, ended up looking a complete mess.

After he fell into the paddy field, he crushed a large patch of rice seedlings; his arms, lower back, buttocks, and legs all hit the ground. His face and hair were covered in muddy water. But that Wang fellow wasn’t like that—he’d simply squatted down on his butt. When he compared their appearances, how could he not know?

But even though he knew the truth, he couldn’t say it out loud. He had to save face—not for that Wang fellow, but for his uncle, Wan Changqing.

Although he and Wan Changqing were of different generations, they were close in age and shared a similar temperament. Since childhood, they had been closer than brothers. He held Wan Changqing in high regard. Right now, Wan Changqing had his eye on that Wang fellow, and he wasn’t sure if, by telling him about Wang’s character, Wan Changqing would give up on the match.

He had already made up his mind: if he told others about this and Wan Changqing still didn’t back down, then today’s incident would be the last favor he did for Wan Changqing—saving face for the young ger he admired. But from then on, he would no longer maintain a close relationship with him; they would simply interact as ordinary relatives.

But if his uncle were to give up on that Wang fellow, then that Wang would have nothing to do with him anymore. He would have to find an opportunity and would certainly not let that Wang-ger get off scot-free.

Still, no matter which path he chose, he had wronged Liu-ger today, and that weighed on his conscience. He wanted to make amends.

As for whether Liu-ger really did push him and smash his rice seedlings—well, he deserved it. Who told him to falsely accuse others? So, keeping things separate, he still had to compensate the man.

The Liu couple were heartless enough to run two separate households, leaving the old man and child in the Liu household unable to enjoy a decent meal even twice a year. So he simply called them over to his house, had them do some odd jobs, and treated them to a good meal—that would even the score.

With all sorts of thoughts swirling through his mind, he arrived at Wan Changqing’s house in the blink of an eye. Just as Wan Dongyang was about to push the door open, it swung open on its own.

“Dongyang, you’re here to see your uncle, aren’t you? He went over to Jiujiu’s place and hasn’t…” 

“He’s back.”

Just as Wan Dongyang was speaking with Wan Changqing’s mother, Wan Changqing’s voice rang out from the bamboo grove nearby—he had just returned.

Wan Changqing’s mother was named Yang Shengfang. Coincidentally, Wan Dongyang’s mother also bore the surname Yang. It was unclear whether their families were related by blood or if there was another reason, but though Wan Dongyang and Wan Changqing were distant relatives—more than five generations removed—they bore a striking resemblance: both had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, with a clear, handsome appearance.

Yang Shengfang knew her younger son was close with Wan Dongyang, so she didn’t bother asking if anyone needed anything—after all, the two of them were always hanging out together even when they had nothing to do. She simply walked out the door and headed over to her second son’s house next door.

Just as Yang Shengfang stepped through the gate of her second son’s courtyard, Wan Changqing arrived at his own doorstep. Without a word, Wan Dongyang grabbed him and dragged him toward the bamboo grove nearby.

Wan Changqing was being dragged back and naturally grumbled, “You’re something else. Why didn’t you just call out to me earlier? Now I have to go all the way back and forth.”

“It’s just a few steps. You’re such a lazybones.” Wan Dongyang was in a foul mood and didn’t bother with formalities, speaking rather sharply. But Wan Changqing wasn’t about to put up with it either; he gave him a sharp nudge on the head. “What’s wrong with you? Did you eat gunpowder today?”

“I didn’t eat gunpowder—I’m just fed up. And it’s all because you’ve got two eyes but can’t see a thing. You’re practically blind as a bat.” Wan Dongyang felt that the frustration he’d endured today was ultimately Wan Changqing’s fault; he’d only put up with that Wang guy for his sake.

The incident with the Wan family’s rice paddies today had caused quite a stir, and Wan Changqing had naturally heard about it. With his quick wit, he figured it out in an instant and gave a sheepish chuckle. But the more he laughed, the angrier Wan Dongyang grew inside.

The two had grown up together, so they knew each other’s temperaments well. With that chuckle from Wan Changqing, Wan Dongyang saw right through him. His uncle was a lost cause—he’d taken a shine to a troublemaker. It was up to him to rescue his uncle from this mess. “Stop laughing. That guy’s no good.”

Wan Dongyang spoke without lowering his voice, clearly not afraid of being overheard, and his expression held not a trace of jest. Wan Changqing, too, grew serious, but before he could ask for an explanation, Wan Dongyang blurted out everything that had happened that day, along with his own analysis of the situation.

After that, both fell silent. It wasn’t until quite some time later that Wan Dongyang tentatively spoke up: “Do you really like him that much?” Wan Changqing shook his head gloomily. “It’s not that I like him that much—I just think he’s good-looking.”

“They’re not bad, but they’re no gods or goddesses. There must be better ones out there.” Wan Dongyang thought the two Wang brothers were indeed handsome, but that was only because they dressed up in all their finery every day. Without those fancy clothes to hide behind, they were no different from the other boys in their village—nothing to write home about.

Wan Dongyang felt half-relieved at that moment, but he noticed that Wan Changqing was still frowning. He couldn’t quite put his mind at ease, so he watched Wan Changqing’s face carefully.

“No wonder I felt something was off earlier. I’d assumed he took a liking to me and didn’t treat me like an outsider, which is why he accepted the gift so readily.” Wan Changqing spoke again, his tone tinged with self-deprecation.

“What’s going on?” Why did he accept the gift? Could his uncle have been taken advantage of? Wan Dongyang suddenly grew anxious.

Wan Changqing’s face was completely devoid of any smile at that moment; in fact, he looked somewhat annoyed. He had given away the pastries he’d made, only to be told by the recipient that the pastries from another shop tasted better.

Upon hearing this, Wan Dongyang glanced at the Wang family’s roof in the distance and let out a cold laugh.

“He doesn’t just treat you like an outsider—he doesn’t treat you like a human being at all. He sees you as a sucker. Those pastries from Baiwei Zhai cost fifty or sixty wen a box. If he wants to eat Baiwei Zhai pastries, he can go eat shit!”

Wan Dongyang was so enraged that his chest heaved violently. He shot Wan Changqing a fierce glare. Where had his usual sharp wit gone? How could he let some ger lead him around by the nose like that? Was he so desperate to find a fulang he’d lost his mind?

Of course, Wan Dongyang didn’t voice these thoughts aloud. Though he was the younger of the two, he was still a bit older—he’d turn twenty-two this May, while Wan Changqing wouldn’t turn twenty until the end of the year. He usually looked out for Wan Changqing more, and given that the man was likely still deeply heartbroken, he had to show some consideration.

Wan Changqing had no room for any other emotions right now. He couldn’t even care what Wan Dongyang was saying; he was completely listless and had absolutely no energy left. He’d finally found someone he liked, but why was this person so two-faced? He looked so gentle, yet he was casting his net everywhere—it was infuriating!

Wan Dongyang was such a sharp guy. Just by looking at Wan Changqing’s expression, he knew the other had figured everything out. He understood why that Wang guy had gone to all that trouble today—it was all to hit on him. Otherwise, why would he go out of his way to hassle some unremarkable ger and put on such a show right in front of him?

But…

“Did… Did you buy the pastries from Baiwei Zhai?” Wan Dongyang felt that was the real issue now. As soon as the words left his mouth, he fixed his gaze on Wan Changqing’s dejected face.

When Wan Changqing nodded, Wan Dongyang’s eyes lit up instantly, and he said without hesitation, “Then give them to me.” As he spoke, he even held out his hand with his palm open.

Wan Changqing looked up in disbelief, his face contorting with frustration. After a long moment, he reached out and gave Wan Dongyang’s outstretched palm a hard thump, muttering resentfully, “You really won’t take a single loss, will you?”

It wasn’t until Wan Dongyang was walking away with the pastry that Wan Changqing noticed the straight knife tucked at his waist. Startled, he hurriedly called out to him, pointing at the knife at his side, but unable to form a coherent sentence for a long moment.

“You, you, what do… do?” Wan Changqing’s face had turned green with shock.

“Nothing. My old man’s carrying frame broke, so I’m going to chop down a couple of curved branches to make him a new one.” Wan Dongyang glanced toward the mountains as he spoke.

With that, Wan Changqing relaxed. He’d been letting his imagination run wild, thinking Wan Dongyang was going to chop off the Wang family’s eldest ger’s head and shove pastries down his throat—it had nearly scared him to death.

“Hahahaha.” Thinking of the worry that had flashed through his mind just a moment ago, Wan Changqing couldn’t stop laughing. He must have been crazy—Dongyang wasn’t the type to act so impulsively. He’d just been wronged today and was looking to make things right.

Given that kid’s temper, if it weren’t for saving face, he would’ve definitely given Wang-ger a good beating today. Since he’d swallowed his anger, it was only fair to compensate him with a little something.

It was just a bag of pastries—might as well give it to him. It made no difference to either of them who ate it.

While Wan Changqing was mulling this over in his mind, Wan Dongyang had already headed toward South Mountain. When he’d come down earlier, he’d spotted the old man and the boy from the Liu family in the wild vegetable patch on South Mountain.