Chapter 2

Xiaoqiu's home was on the back street of Yelin Town, where the stable took up most of the space, and there were three small rooms where Old Qiu, Xiaoqiu, and Erqiu lived.

Old Qiu was in his forties, short and sturdy, with a slightly hunched back. He was busy chopping hay, not even lifting his head when his eldest son returned.

Erqiu, who was six years old, stood in the middle of the yard, holding a piece of hard bread in his right hand, sniffing and smiling, saying, "Brother."

Xiaoqiu ignored his younger brother, led the horses into the stable, and then came out to help his father chop hay.

Xiaoqiu handed over the hay, while Old Qiu operated the chopping knife. They worked in perfect harmony, and soon a bundle of green hay was turned into pieces, mixed with beans, and became the horses' night feed.

Usually, the father and son didn't need to speak; silence was the norm in the family. But Old Qiu suddenly stopped and said to Xiaoqiu, who was bringing the second bundle of hay, "Listen, tomorrow Mr. Shen is getting married. You behave yourself."

"Why wouldn't I behave?" Xiaoqiu asked, feeling guilty.

Xiaoqiu was diligent and smart, but in his father's eyes, he had one flaw—being too stubborn, which required frequent correction. "Mr. Shen's eldest son is marrying Mr. Qin's daughter. They are well-matched. If you dare to tell others that Fangfang is your girlfriend again, I'll break your legs."

Erqiu sniffed and giggled, "Hit brother, hit brother."

Xiaoqiu threw the hay in his arms to the ground, "Is it Ershuan who told you nonsense? I..."

Old Qiu pointed to the chopping knife, and Xiaoqiu picked up the green hay again. The father and son worked together, quickly finishing another bundle. Chopping hay was a fast-paced job, and no one spoke during the process.

Old Qiu's mind was slow, and it took him a while to remember what he wanted to say, "Ershuan is a good kid. He always greets me politely. I don't understand why you always quarrel with him."

"It's him who provokes me," Xiaoqiu said angrily.

"Stupid boy, listen. The more you fight when you're young, the better friends you might become when you grow up. I think Ershuan actually wants to be your friend."

Xiaoqiu found this the strangest idea in the world and couldn't think of a proper response, so he got up and walked towards the gate.

"It's almost dark. Where are you going to wander again?" Old Qiu shouted, genuinely feeling helpless in disciplining his eldest son.

Xiaoqiu stopped in front of his younger brother. Erqiu, with his missing teeth, was biting the hard bread, looking up at his brother with a smile.

"Did you hear? Father said, the more you fight when you're young, the better friends you'll be when you grow up." Xiaoqiu slapped his brother's forehead and ran away.

The hard bread flew, and Erqiu fell to the ground, crying loudly. Old Qiu stood up, scolding and chasing, but he couldn't catch Xiaoqiu, who had already disappeared by the time he reached the gate.

"Ah, a troublesome brat," Old Qiu sighed, went back, picked up his younger son, found the hard bread, blew off the dust, and gave it to Erqiu.

When Xiaoqiu ran back to the bridge, it was just getting dark. He was full of anger, and just slapping his brother wasn't enough to vent it. He wanted to find someone to fight, but there was no one on the bridge. Ershuan and his gang were probably at home, pretending to be good children in front of their parents. The strange man was nowhere to be seen.

Xiaoqiu sat by the river, watching the last ray of sunset disappear. His stomach growled, but he didn't want to go home. He'd rather be hungry outside than be scolded by his father.

The sun had set completely, and the night was as gentle as a dream. Xiaoqiu didn't find the darkness scary; instead, he felt a sense of peace, and his anger gradually faded. He picked up a flat, round stone, took aim, and threw it across the water.

It was a perfect throw, and if there were other children around, they would have cheered loudly.

At first, Xiaoqiu counted how many times the stone skipped, but soon he lost count. The stone hopped across the water and fell into the grass on the other side.

There seemed to be some movement in the grass, and Xiaoqiu stood up abruptly, feeling an urgent need to check. He jumped into the waist-deep water and walked towards the other side.

After taking three steps, something strange happened. A bird, or something that might not be a bird, suddenly flew out of the ordinary-looking grass. Xiaoqiu only saw a green light, and before he could make out its shape, it disappeared.

Xiaoqiu felt an indescribable panic. He was known for his bravery among his peers, but this panic rose from the depths of his heart, giving him no time to prepare.

Xiaoqiu scrambled back to the shore.

Nothing chased after him.

"Stay away from demons," Xiaoqiu remembered the strange man's warning. He shook his head, mocking his own fear. There were indeed many strange things in the world, but Yelin Town was safe. According to the elders, the biggest danger the town had ever faced was a pack of hungry wolves that came one winter, but that was a legend from decades ago.

"Crazy," Xiaoqiu muttered to himself, looking at the other side. The grass, taller than a person, swayed gently in the night breeze, showing no signs of anything unusual. He rubbed his eyes, unsure if he had really seen the green light.

The night grew deeper, and the residents of Yelin Town went to bed early. Occasionally, a dog barked, but everything was peaceful. Even the stray cats didn't come out to cause trouble. The only person with ulterior motives in the entire town was probably Xiaoqiu.

None of his friends who had agreed to meet at the bridge showed up.

Disappointed and a bit angry, Xiaoqiu felt betrayed. At his age, he had very high standards for loyalty among friends.

He walked towards the town, deciding to act alone.

"Brother Xiaoqiu?" A tentative voice came from under the eaves.

Xiaoqiu hadn't walked far in the town and stopped, his heart suddenly feeling lighter. "Why are you here? We agreed to meet at the bridge. Where are the others?"

Daliang came out and shushed Xiaoqiu. The street was pitch black, and he was afraid of the dark. He had mustered up a lot of courage to leave his house. "Don't go to Fangfang's house. Ershuan and his gang are waiting there."

"How come?" Xiaoqiu asked, surprised.

"I don't know. Maybe the news leaked, or maybe Ershuan guessed. Anyway, I heard he's waiting near Mr. Qin's house, ready to beat you up."

The wind suddenly picked up, and Xiaoqiu raised his hand to hold his straw hat. "Then let's fight. I'm not afraid of him."

Daliang blocked his way. "No, Ershuan has adults helping him. We can't win. Besides... besides, we won't be able to save Fangfang this way."

The last sentence deflated Xiaoqiu. He took off his straw hat. "What should we do?"

"There's nothing we can do," Daliang said, spreading his hands helplessly. "Anyway, you didn't really promise anything. What you said before was just a joke. No one takes it seriously. You don't owe her anything. Just let it go. We'll find a chance to beat up Ershuan later. He's always spreading rumors..."

"Okay, I understand," Xiaoqiu said reluctantly. The situation was more complicated, but he didn't know how to explain it to his good friend.

Daliang sighed with relief. "I have to get home quickly. Remember the strange man by the bridge? My father said he's not crazy; he's a Taoist priest who takes children. He takes whoever he likes and doesn't tell their families. They might not come back for ten or twenty years, or never. I don't want to go with him. You should go home too."

"Fangfang would rather go with the Taoist priest," Xiaoqiu said.

Daliang was stunned for a moment. "That's actually a good idea, but I don't know if the Taoist priest would like her. I have to go..." Daliang ran down the street, occasionally looking back, as if the strange Taoist priest was hiding in the shadows.

Xiaoqiu didn't go home immediately. He ran to the school instead. Daliang was right; a group of people were patrolling nearby, including Ershuan and his gang, and about seven or eight adults. From their conversation, they weren't waiting for Xiaoqiu but were following a custom to drive away bad luck.

Xiaoqiu went home, ate the leftover rice from the pot, and lay down on the bed. He thought he wouldn't be able to sleep, but he soon fell into a deep sleep.

The next day, Xiaoqiu was gloomy while herding horses in the forest. The other herd boys felt guilty and brought him many fresh wild fruits, but no one mentioned Fangfang.

Xiaoqiu didn't mention her either.

After herding, Xiaoqiu picked a flexible willow branch as a whip, drove the horses to meet his friends, and they returned to the town together.

No one was on the bridge today. Erliang couldn't keep his mouth shut and said, "Right, today is the Shen family's wedding, so Ershuan didn't come out."

In Yelin Town, the bride was supposed to enter the groom's house at dusk, and it was almost time.

After crossing the bridge, the herd boys went their separate ways. Daliang said before leaving, "Brother Xiaoqiu, let's find a chance to teach Ershuan a lesson tomorrow, so he won't laugh at you anymore."

"Okay," Xiaoqiu replied gloomily, chasing the horses ahead.

At the town entrance, Xiaoqiu heard the distant sound of music, indicating that the Shen family's new bride was about to enter the house.

The horses automatically turned towards the back street. Xiaoqiu rushed to the front, stopped them, and walked to the main street. He thought, "I can at least take a quick look, right?"

The Shen family was the wealthiest in town, and half the town was invited to the wedding, while the other half stood on the street, watching enviously.

Sixty-year-old Grandpa Zhang shook his head and sighed, "What a waste, but poor Fangfang, she's so young..." He saw Xiaoqiu and the horses, raised his cane, and pointed at Xiaoqiu, "Mud monkey, what are you doing here?"

"Looking."

"Looking won't change anything. Fangfang is the Shen family's bride now. Do you think she can come back with you?"

The neighbors laughed, shifting their gaze from the Shen family's gate to the herd boy.

Liu Er, a troublemaker in the town, was not invited to the wedding and was quite unhappy. He said, "Xiaoqiu, why didn't your father arrange a marriage for you? Now Fangfang belongs to Shen Dasha. Aren't you going to cause a scene?"

Grandpa Zhang hit Liu Er with his cane, "You brat, Xiaoqiu is just a child. What are you talking about?"

Xiaoqiu silently jumped onto the chestnut horse, making up his mind.

"Neighbors!" Xiaoqiu shouted, his voice still a bit childish, not carrying far, and not drowning out the music from the Shen family, but the nearby people heard and looked up, surprised, "Make way for me!"

There was a lead horse in the herd. Xiaoqiu raised his whip and struck the horse's buttocks hard.

The lead horse reared up, neighing in surprise and dissatisfaction. When the second whip came, it was frightened and galloped forward frantically. The other horses followed, but the chestnut horse remained under Xiaoqiu's control.

Only then did the neighbors understand what Xiaoqiu meant. Grandpa Zhang dropped his cane, Liu Er ran away, covering his head, Aunt Li picked up her child, Uncle Zhao fell on his butt... chaos ensued on the main street of Yelin Town.

Xiaoqiu rode the chestnut horse, following the frightened herd, and ran to the Shen family's gate, under the astonished gaze of the townspeople.

The crowd at the gate cleared a large space. The fat matchmaker fell to the ground, the flowers on her head trembling. The musicians remained in their playing positions but made no sound.

Everyone looked at Xiaoqiu on the chestnut horse, unsure if this was a prank or a new custom of the Shen family.

Xiaoqiu even saw his father in the crowd. Old Qiu was stunned, never expecting his eldest son to do such a thing. All his warnings had been in vain.

Xiaoqiu saw the sedan chair and a small figure in front of it. He bent down on the horse, extended his right hand, and said in a hollow voice, "Get on, let's go."

(Yesterday, I accidentally posted a chapter while applying for a book number. I apologize to the readers who asked about the release time. I didn't mean to hide it; it was just an accident. The official release will start from today, with one chapter posted every morning from 8-9 AM and one in the evening from 6-7 PM. I welcome all readers to share their thoughts and opinions in the comments section.)

(The book cover was provided by Muzi Jen. I thank them for their contribution.)

(Congratulations to the first patron, Hai Lan Zhu, and thank you to every reader who has supported the book.)

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