Chapter 144
After that young man left the blacksmith’s shop, he headed north all the way.
Xiaozhuang locked the shop door and originally intended to go straight home. However, after walking a stretch, he felt that something was amiss.
Although he came from a poor family with many siblings, his parents never neglected any of their children, always striving to provide them with the best they could afford. As he grew older, he was chosen by his master to become an apprentice.
His master was kind and generous, ensuring that they never went hungry, although they were not wealthy. With time, Xiaozhuang became skilled at crafting ironware, earning more money, and life improved.
From childhood to adulthood, Xiaozhuang had not endured much hardship. He didn’t study much, but he understood things, had a good heart, and was clever without losing his master’s kindness.
Therefore, when others encountered such troublesome situations, they would likely avoid them as much as possible. But when Xiaozhuang recalled the way the young man had left earlier, his heart couldn’t settle, and he couldn’t ignore it.
Thus, as he walked along the road, Xiaozhuang suddenly stopped and turned back. He retraced the direction he had last seen the young man.
It had been quite some time, and when he returned, he didn’t see the slender figure of the young man.
Xiaozhuang ran towards the direction of the neighboring village, searching as he went. He looked out across the barren land between the two villages but couldn’t see anyone. The young man was short, and even if he walked fast, he couldn’t have returned to the village so quickly.
After thinking for a while, Xiaozhuang turned back and instinctively headed towards the riverbank.
Originally, he was planning to test his luck, but as soon as he reached the riverbank, he saw the slender young man standing there, staring blankly at the flowing river.
Xiaozhuang took a step forward intending to approach, but hesitated and stopped.
He made up his mind silently to secretly observe the young man here. If he stayed for a while and then returned to the village, Xiaozhuang would leave him alone and go home.
But if the young man really couldn’t bear it, he would intervene. As for what to do after intervening, he hadn’t figured it out yet and would decide when the time came.
He waited for nearly an hour.
As he watched the sky darken completely, lamps lit up in nearby houses, and the sounds of animals and birds echoed from distant mountains. Despite being strong, standing for so long and constantly watching the young man made Xiaozhuang feel tired, and his stomach growled with hunger. His body felt cold from inactivity.
The young man stood motionless in the wind. If Xiaozhuang hadn’t noticed his body trembling slightly, he would have almost thought he was a statue.
Xiaozhuang couldn’t help but yawn silently and rubbed his face with his hand.
But at that moment, he heard hurried footsteps ahead, followed immediately by a splash in the water.
Xiaozhuang’s face changed, thinking, “This is bad!”
He dropped his hand and ran hurriedly towards the riverbank, anxiously searching. Sure enough, there was no one on the bank.
He could see a head bobbing up and down in the water. Xiaozhuang’s heart nearly jumped out of his chest. He quickly reached the riverbank, ignoring the muddy ground and his icy wet shoes, and reached into the water to grab the person.
But he fell a little short.
When Xiaozhuang tried to go further into the water, he found that the river suddenly became deeper, and it was filled with mud. One step in and he would easily sink. The river didn’t look wide, but even during the hot summer without rain for a long time, the water level wouldn’t decrease much.
Xiaozhuang, like most northerners, couldn’t swim. He dared not go deeper into the water, anxiously looking around. He broke off a long piece of tree branch from a small tree on the bank.
When he returned to the riverbank, the head had disappeared from the surface of the water.
Xiaozhuang had seen drowned people when he was a child, and in a short time, the person was gone.
Xiaozhuang was anxious, his eyes red. Standing on the riverbank, he stretched out the tree branch to reach.
After several attempts, just as he was about to plunge into the water himself, he finally managed to hook a corner of the robe floating on the water’s surface with the springy tree branch. With a strong pull, he pulled the robe and the person attached to it back onto the shore.
After rescuing the person and helping him expel the water, Xiaozhuang was almost exhausted.
But now, the young man, drenched and struggling, said he wanted to go back.
Having narrowly escaped death, he was heading towards another dead end.
Xiaozhuang knew that if this person continued on his current path, even if he survived tonight, he would eventually be tortured to death in those kilns where no one was treated like a human.
The customs in Liuxi Village were considered upright, but there were also men who secretly went to the kilns in town or the county to do shady business.
Recalling the faces of those men from earlier and now seeing the young man walking farther away, Xiaozhuang felt an inexplicable disgust and a piercing pain in his heart. It made him extremely uncomfortable, almost nauseous.
The young man walked in the cold wind, his head spinning, and his body already numb from the cold. When his eldest sister was sent away by his so-called father, he knew things wouldn’t quiet down so easily. Sure enough, the next day, the creditors came knocking on the door.
Seeing Xiaozhuang bring so many men over, he was afraid that someone would rush in and beat him up, so he hid in the house, shivering in fear. After everyone left, his father came in and slapped him, cursing him for being unlucky.
This usually stingy man, who wouldn’t part with a single penny, was now so distressed over the money he had spent that he vented his anger on his wife and foster son at home.
A few days later, his father said he would marry him off to that family for his eldest sister. Xiaozhuang left a strong and fierce impression on him. He was afraid that he would be beaten to death if he went there.
But his father kept saying recently that he would sell him to the kiln for money. Even if he was beaten to death, it would be better than being abused there every day.
Therefore, even though Xiaozhuang had driven him away with a shovel, he still secretly ran out of the house to beg the other party to marry him.
But Xiaozhuang wasn’t the person he thought he was. Although he looked strong and fierce, he was actually very kind-hearted, with a soft inner nature. If it were someone else, upon meeting him, they would not only drive him away but probably spit on him to vent their anger.
Although Xiaozhuang refused him, he always did so kindly. He was a good person, and he was the troublemaker. He shouldn’t have come to find him.
As he walked along the road, his head was dizzy and heavy. He realized he hadn’t thought things through enough. It was indeed inappropriate for him to die in this river. Perhaps his father would come to trouble Xiaozhuang.
He thought to himself, “Go back. When I return to that so-called home, I won’t bring trouble to anyone who treats me kindly.”
As he thought this, despite almost fainting, he still persisted in walking towards the neighboring village.
Just then, he heard footsteps behind him.
A young man’s voice called out from behind, “Wait.”
His steps instinctively paused, but he quickly reacted and didn’t stop. Instead, he quickened his pace.
This made his head even dizzier, and he stumbled, about to fall.
At that moment, a rough, big hand grabbed his arm. He was supported and forced to stop.
Xiaozhuang frowned tightly, gripping his arm, and walked up to him angrily, saying, “I told you to wait, didn’t you hear me?”
He kept his head down and said nothing, swaying in the cold wind.
The man across from him didn’t continue to get angry but sighed softly instead.
Then, his arm was released, and after a rustling sound, a warm robe was draped over his shoulders.
Surprised, he looked up and saw Xiaozhuang’s young face filled with helplessness and evident hesitation.
But Xiaozhuang still spoke, “Don’t go looking for death. I promise to marry you.”
