Chapter 127

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Protagonist:

Lin Xiyu

Guben returned to Grandpa's house, got a set of his own clothes for Li Liang, and made the round trip; another half an hour had passed.

The group formally said their goodbyes and left the airfield; by then the clock already pointed to four in the afternoon.

Fu Zheng saw them off. After training ended he did not go home, but drove to a place instead.

His girlfriend had practiced ballet since childhood, and even after her vocal cords were damaged she did not give up; as an adult, with the help of the Disabled Persons' Federation, she opened a ballet training class teaching children to dance.

The training class was near her home, a bit far from the Flight Brigade — driving took more than half an hour.

Every time Fu Zheng went he would park the car across the street from the training class, and through the first-floor window glass he would silently watch her.

He would wait until class ended, the children all left, then help her lock the door and send her home.

This time was no exception.

When he arrived at the training class, class had not yet ended; children's cheerful laughter drifted out through the door crack.

He stopped the car and looked toward the window opposite. Through the anti-theft mesh, a graceful silhouette could be faintly seen.

The woman wore white dance attire, like a white swan, holding her elegant neck high, rotating her supple waist to the rhythm of the music.

Her pure and innocent posture seemed to become a messenger of light dancing with the notes; every tiptoe leap was an interpretation of elegance.

Fu Zheng leaned against the car door, quietly watching this scene, as if time had stopped.

In his deep ink-black eyes there was nothing but her reflection; he could no longer see anyone else.

——

West Suburb Nursery.

"There's a knack to digging cicada exuviae — you have to find this kind of small hole that looks irregular in shape, the surface is very thin; pry it open with a tree branch and the hole opening will enlarge, and eight times out of ten there's a cicada exuvia inside."

Guben did not go back on his word; he took Xu Yi into the woods and taught him the technique for digging cicada exuviae.

Xu Yi did as instructed, took a small tree branch, pried open the small hole on the muddy ground, and sure enough the hole opening enlarged, revealing a hole the thickness of an adult's thumb.

"Don't rush at this point."

Guben taught by word and deed, pulling him back a few steps: "Wait a moment, observe — see if a snake might crawl out from inside."

"Mm-hmm."

The moment Xu Yi heard "snake" he instantly lost his nerve, and obediently retreated a few steps back.

A few seconds of silence passed; the hole remained as quiet as before, without any movement.

"All right."

Guben nodded, signaling Xu Yi to come over: "Now you can dig."

"Hehehe."

Xu Yi rubbed his fists and wiped his palms, stuck his bottom out, and used the tree branch to wildly scrape at the ground.

The originally thumb-thick small hole was actually dug by him into a rice-bowl-sized small pit.

Fortunately the effort wasn't wasted; he dug less than ten centimeters and really unearthed a cicada exuvia covered in mud from the bottom of the pit.

The cicada exuvia lay in his palm, stretching its claws, uneasily wriggling a few times.

Being able to move meant it was alive; the digging hadn't been in vain.

"Sister, Sister, I dug up a cicada exuvia."

The little fairy jumped three feet high with excitement.

"You really dug one up?"

Lin Xiyu ran over from under a tree not far away, her brows and eyes shining: "Good, Grandma's drinking snack for tonight is settled."

"Me too, let's dig."

Seeing Xu Yi dig up a cicada exuvia, Wu Meng also got fired up, picked up a tree branch from the ground.

"Spread out, don't cluster together."

Guben waved his hand, signaling everyone to disperse.

"Let's have a contest — see who digs the most...."

Li Liang grabbed Wu Meng's arm and walked toward the willow grove.

"Hey hey."

Wu Meng didn't want to go: "Didn't you say there are more cicada exuviae under the poplar trees?"

"Just walk, follow along......"

Li Liang gave her a meaningful look, signaling her not to stay and be a third wheel.

"Uh, okay."

Wu Meng finally understood and gave up the pointless struggle.

"Grandma likes to drink?"

Guben heard "drinking snack" and his mind stirred.

"Yes."

Lin Xiyu smiled with her brows and eyes: "Her alcohol tolerance is pretty good too; she'll have a few sips during holidays and festivals."

"Grandma's drinking snack — can't just perfunctory it."

Guben rallied his spirits, preparing for a big job: "Looks like I have to bring out some real skill; I must stir-fry a plate at least."

"It's already four o'clock; will there be enough time?"

Lin Xiyu was a bit concerned: "If we don't get home before dark, Grandma will worry."

"We'll make it, watch me."

Guben was full of confidence, walking alone toward the depths of the forest.

Lin Xiyu glanced at her younger brother, then at the direction he left, fell silent for a few seconds, and chose to chase after his retreating figure.

"Tsk."

Wang Fan saw both childhood friends were paired off, leaving only him alone, tsked, and jealousy welled up in his heart again.

"Brother Fan, don't mind it, I'm still here keeping you company."

Xu Yi, young but crafty, tiptoed and patted his shoulder like a little adult.

"Hey, you brat......"

Wang Fan laughed in anger: "Who's keeping whom company? If it weren't for me here, would your sister be able to leave with such peace of mind?"

"That's true......"

Xu Yi hehe'd with a grin, stopped clowning around, and put his energy back into digging for cicada exuviae.

"Searching like that, when will you ever find any? Watch me......."

Wang Fan had no patience to carefully distinguish, found a tree branch about a meter long, and poked at every hole he saw, prying up the nearby ground in a messy frenzy.

Not saying it's not true, this way the speed really is fast.

Although most were empty holes with nothing inside, it wasn't zero harvest either — he actually lucked into a few cicada exuviae.

"This is fun, I'll join too."

Xu Yi couldn't resist the itch, copied him, picked up a long branch and poked around on the ground.

The two were very fast; in no time they'd flipped the ground within a ten-meter radius upside down like peeling sod.

"So boring, just this many cicada exuviae?"

Xu Yi looked at the few cicada exuviae in the plastic bag, feeling a bit unsatisfied.

"There are lots of snakes and bugs inside the forest, better not go in......"

Wang Fan had no interest in digging cicada exuviae, used his branch to knock and tap around, preventing snake and bug bites.

"I want to go......"

Xu Yi blinked his big watery eyes, looking at him longingly.

"I'm really done in by you."

Wang Fan, a playboy, just happened to have zero resistance to cute little kids.

Xu Yi merely pouted his little mouth, pretended he was about to cry, and his heart softened.

"Let's get this straight: the forest has everything, if you get bitten by a snake you're not allowed to cry."

"Deal, I definitely won't cry."

Xu Yi got his wish, his little gaze instantly lit up.

"Sigh."

Wang Fan saw he changed faces faster than flipping a book, could only resign himself and sigh.

——

Guben's high IQ isn't just talk, his observation is also exceptionally sharp — almost every hole he pried open had a cicada exuvia inside, never coming up empty.

Lin Xiyu followed behind him, the two cooperating seamlessly, one responsible for digging, one for bagging.

In under an hour, they dug up several dozen, filling more than half a plastic bag.

"About enough, right?"

Lin Xiyu saw him pry another cicada exuvia from a hole, happily picked it up: "It's almost 5, we should head home."

"What about Wang Fan and Xu Yi?"

Guben straightened up, moved his shoulder.

"Just now we could still hear them talking."

Lin Xiyu looked around in a circle, didn't find anyone, a bit puzzled: "Where'd they run off to now?"

"Ah, there's a snake......."

Words barely fell, from the forest depths came Xu Yi's terrified scream.

Guben grabbed a thick wooden stick from the ground, lunged forward in a single sprint.

"Wait for me."

Lin Xiyu worried for her younger brother, followed close behind him.

The two rushed over one after another, saw Wang Fan holding a branch, in a standoff with a snake.

That snake was a good two meters long, tail hooked on a tree branch, head dangling down, by sheer bad luck hanging right in front of his eyes.

Wang Fan held the branch, not daring to move, afraid of provoking the snake into giving him a kiss of death.

"Whoosh."

Guben swung the wooden stick, threw it at the snake.

Aim was good, dead center.

The snake's head was knocked aside by the stick, fell from the tree, Wang Fan didn't dare delay, grabbed Xu Yi and turned to run.

Guben followed right after, one foot stomping on the snake's seven inches. The snake struggled desperately, coiled around his right leg.

Lin Xiyu didn't think, picked up a large stone, used all her strength, smashed it at the snake's head.

Once, twice, three times, the snake convulsed violently a few times, then moved no more.

"Enough, stop smashing, it's dead through and through."

Guben pulled the dead snake off his leg, threw it aside.

"Ugh......"

Only now did Lin Xiyu's taut nerves finally relax; looking at the snake head smashed to a pulp, her eyelids twitched violently a few times, and she ran to the side, leaning against a tree trunk as she vomited.

"Drink some water, settle the shock."

Guben took a bottle of mineral water from his backpack and handed it to her.

Lin Xiyu rinsed her mouth with the water; only after a long while did she manage to suppress the nauseous feeling.

"All better now?"

Guben's eyes showed concern.

"Scared me to death."

Lin Xiyu reacted belatedly — the snake was dead before the after-fear set in; her eyes reddened and she threw herself into his arms.

"You did well, very brave."

Guben patted her back soothingly: "A bit of a martyr's child bearing — calm in the face of danger, fearless bearing."

Damn, forgot about that part.

Hearing the word "brave," Lin Xiyu's heart gave a jolt, and a surge of vexation rose up.

Grandma had always told her to play weak; acting too fierce in front of men, like some mannish woman — wouldn't that fail to arouse their protective instinct?

No, she had to salvage it; she had to make him feel guilt.

"I don't want those empty titles; I was just scared."

Thinking this, she pretended to be overly frightened, pinching her voice to mutter softly, with a touch of coquetry.

"Hahaha."

Guben watched her delicate, affected little expression and couldn't hold back a laugh.

"You're still laughing?"

Lin Xiyu's fine brows knitted slightly; dissatisfied, she punched him once.

"Our spoils, how to dispose of them?"

Guben's smile deepened, and he felt the urge to tease her again.

"What spoils?"

Lin Xiyu was a bit baffled.

Guben pointed with his chin at the dead snake: "That's it."

"What would we want a dead snake for?"

Lin Xiyu was indeed stimulated again; her stomach heaved in another wave of nausea.

"Throwing it away would be too much of a waste."

Guben gave a teasing smile: "This is the spoils we two gained from our first close cooperation; not keeping it as a memento would be too much of a waste."

"Let's go, let's go, hurry home, or it'll be dark before we get back."

Fearing he really would pick up the snake, Lin Xiyu no longer bothered with affectation; she shoved him hard, pushing him out of the woods.

"Sister, you're finally out."

Xu Yi waited outside the woods, still shaken: "Where's the snake? Where did the snake go? Did it hurt you?"

"With your sister here, what's a mere snake? Your sister is......"

Guben had just wanted to crack a few jokes when Lin Xiyu clamped a hand over his mouth.

"What's wrong with Sister?"

Xu Yi had been listening with relish; interrupted, he felt an itch of curiosity.

"Wouldn't it be that the Study Committee Member beat it to death?"

Wang Fan spotted something fishy and gave a cheeky grin: "Oh my, a woman fiercer than a snake — a proper tigress; Guben, from now on you're in for it — one unhappy moment and you'll get the deluxe kneeling-on-the-washboard treatment."

Lin Xiyu's face darkened instantly; she glared at him annoyed.

"Tigress, I'll own it."

Guben held back a laugh, pried away the hand covering his mouth, and gently clasped it in his palm: "As for kneeling on the washboard, I believe in myself — I won't make such a low-level mistake as to give my wife that kind of opportunity......"

"Pah, who's your wife?"

Lin Xiyu's ear roots burned; both ashamed and angry, she spat at him.

"Grandpa and Grandma have already agreed."

Guben spoke with righteous conviction: "If you're not my wife, who is?"

"Your mom hasn't agreed yet."

Lin Xiyu laughed, needling him: "That's the hardest fortress to take; you keep dragging your feet, afraid to let me meet her — just scared your mom will spray you, right?"

"My mom's gate is hard to pass, I admit......"

Guben didn't deny it: "She's too stubborn, her temper too bullheaded; even my dad has trouble persuading her, but no matter — take it slow; given enough time she'll lose her temper."

"You don't plan to hard-clash with your mom?"

Wang Fan was a little disappointed.

No hard clash means no good show to watch.

He still wanted to watch the excitement.

"Not necessary."

Guben had his own plan: "Taming a hawk still takes a while; my mom's temper — the more you oppose her the more bullheaded she gets; can't force it, have to stroke her the right way."

"You don't want to be like Li Liang and settle the marriage early?"

Wang Fan covertly egged him on, seemingly for his sake but actually wanting to see a good show.

"I do."

Guben pinched Lin Xiyu's soft, tender little hand and gave a teasing smile: "I can't wait to take my wife home right now."

"Dream on."

Lin Xiyu's heartbeat skipped a beat from his teasing, and in a mix of shyness and annoyance she shook off his hand.

"Engagement requires both parents' consent."

Xu Yi blinked his big eyes and suddenly said: "My mom hasn't agreed yet?"

"Uh?"

Guben was embarrassed, only now realizing he seemed to have forgotten the most important thing.

He had been busy currying favor with his grandmother and forgotten his mother-in-law.

His position as son-in-law was still in name only!

"Pfft."

Lin Xiyu rarely saw his embarrassed state, couldn't help herself, and laughed so hard she sprayed.

—

Donghua Street No. 9 Courtyard.

Before nightfall, the group returned home smoothly.

Xu Yi was greedy for food and couldn't wait until the next morning; once home he pestered his grandmother to fry him a plate of cicada exuviae.

Freshly caught cicada exuviae were delicious; fried in oil and sprinkled with salt, they were crispy and crunchy, so tasty it was indescribable.

Xu Yi ate one after another, the aroma almost making him bite his own tongue.

"Stop eating, eating too much at night is bad for digestion."

Chen Xiulan couldn't bear to see her son looking so unsuccessful, and when Xu Yi picked up the eleventh cicada exuvia with his chopsticks, she unhappily slapped his hand away.

"I want to eat, I want to eat."

Xu Yi was unhappy, pouting his cheeks in protest.