Ch23 - The confrontation of the two men

After Jian Mei sent the message, his whole body could be said to be refreshed. It was as if he had opened up the two lines. There might be some things that Jian Mei himself wasn’t aware of, but after Lu Xingwang enlightened him, he suddenly figured out a lot. In the past, his brother always avoided him, but now it was different. There was a holiday for ten days, Jian Changjia had to stay at home for five or six days. Also, the village was so big that he wouldn’t be able to escape wherever he wanted. Wasn’t this a good opportunity for him?

Only… 

He didn’t what to do to make his brother not hate him that much.

In the evening.

While Jian Mei was eating downstairs, a wind blew outside the courtyard. The autumn had already arrived and the weather slowly began to get colder, especially the gust of wind that would shake the wooden doors.

The old man glanced outside and said, “It might rain tonight.” 

Jian Mei knew that he was going to move. “Then I’ll go and put away the dried herbs in the backyard.”

“Go ahead.” The old man said to the two little ones sitting. “Changjia, go take Meimei along to move the shelves back to the pharmacy and lock the doors and windows, okay?”

Jian Changjia frowned. “I can go alone.”

The old man waved his hand. “So much to say, let your brother give you a hand to help you out. Hurry up!”

Jian Changjia still wanted to refute, but when he turned around, he met the enthusiastic Jian Mei, who had put down the bowl for eating and looked very excited, and his refusal became stuck in his throat.

Jian Mei hurriedly recommended himself. “Brother, take me along. I am very familiar with the pharmacy!”

“Do whatever you want.” Jian Changjia stood up and walked out unhappy. “Just stay away from me.”

“Okay, okay.” 

“I told you to stay away from me, why are you so close to me?”

“I’m not very close to you.” Jian Mei compared the distance with the palm of his hand. “It’s still very far away.”

Packing herbal medicine required skills. Fortunately, Jian Mei was used to doing these things since he was a child and was very quick in doing things. Only, placing the herbal medicine on the shelves was a bit laborious and cumbersome. He wanted to help to carry them but Jian Changjia pushed him away. He lifted up the shelves and said to him in disgust, “Don’t get in the way, move your own herbs.”

Next to him, Jian Mei looked at him worriedly. “This is very heavy, I’ll help you.” 

“You think everyone is a little chick like you.” Jian Changjia glared at him. When the youth arrived during the day, he was wearing a shirt with a low neckline. For some unknown reason, he changed to a high neckline which covered more than half of the terrible scar, but his mouth was still as fierce as during the day. “Just take care of yourself.”

Jian Mei came back to move the lighter herbs.

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

The wind at night was getting colder and colder, and he had a weak physique. When another cold wind blew, he couldn’t help lowering his head and sneezed softly, “Achoo!”

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Jian Mei rushed up to him and said, “I’ll do it.”

Jian Changjia didn’t let him do it. “Stay aside, your efficiency looks so strenuous.”

He moved the things ahead, but after taking a few steps, he didn’t hear Jian Mei’s answer. He hesitated for a moment but couldn’t help turning back his head and saw the child standing under the vine staring at him. The wind in autumn was slightly cold, but he still showed a sweet smile to him. “Brother, thank you.” 

Jian Changjia choked, and the fierce youth stood in his place in a daze. Fortunately, it was dark and his red ears couldn’t be seen. As he left, he said, “You’re really annoying,” as if he was fleeing.

It seemed like two people worked, but in fact, Jian Changjia did all the work alone by himself because Jian Mei had to go back to the house to check the doors and windows. The tabby cat who was always wandering outside seemed to feel that a storm was about to come, so it ran back to the house and closed the door of the house. The old man fell asleep very early when he got older, Jian Mei could only run back to his room.

As expected, the wind gusted. It wasn’t until half an hour later that watermarks began to spread on the windows then it started raining.

Because Jian Mei had to get up early for school, he also go to sleep very early at night. He had difficulties sleeping on a bed that wasn’t his own. It was his first time sleeping in an unfamiliar bed and couldn’t sleep properly. All of a sudden— 

“Rumble”

A muffled thunder rang out loudly. The rain pitter-pattered on the glass and the shadows of the tall trees in the backyard stretched out due to the lightning. When the lightning had stricken, the shadows fell on the floor of the house. At first glance, it looked like a monster with teeth and claws.

Jian Mei became a little scared. He cautiously took out his phone from under his pillow to look at it. It was past eight in the evening. The village had fallen into silence, only the sound of the rain from the outside seemed to be clamoring silently. He just had some nightmares in his dream, in addition to the shadows when he woke up, it scared him out of his wits.

He unconsciously clicked on WeChat and sent a message to Lu Xingwang. [Are you asleep?] 

He might be busy over there and didn’t reply on time.

Jian Mei courageously sent him a message. [I’m a little scared now. Really.]

“Rumble”

Another sound of thunder came from outside. 

Jian Mei shivered in fright. His phone fell on his quilt and it was unknown where it slipped. The room across was Jian Changjia’s room. He hesitated for a while before quietly picking up the phone. He got up on the bed on tiptoe and quietly opened the door. After that, he started knocking on the other door of the room. He wasn’t sure if his brother was already asleep but still knocked on the door with some hope. In the past, his parents were very busy at work. Father Jian worked overtime all night to operate on patients and Shen Meina couldn’t come back from the crew.

Sometimes, the nanny at their house had to go home when there was something to do. When it rained occasionally, he would quietly run to find his brother to sleep. After that incident, Jian Changjia stopped taking him to sleep and ignored him.

After knocking on the door for a while but no one came to open it, Jian Mei became a little discouraged. Just as he was about to give up, there was a “click” and the door of the room opened. Jian Changjia was still in his pajamas and drowsily looked at the person outside the door. “What are you doing not sleeping in the middle of the night?”

Jian Mei was half a head shorter than him. He shrank a little, with there was anxiety written on his face. “I want to sleep with you.” 

?

Jian Changjia was in disbelief. “What did you say?”

Jian Mei’s lips pursed and pursed. Finally, he said it. “I…I said I want to sleep with you.”

Jian Changjia refuted immediately. “No way!” 

“Wh…Why…”

“There’s no reason.” Jian Changjia leaned against the door with no expression. “I’m different with our parents. I won’t spoil you. You can sleep wherever you like today, just don’t come to me.”

What he said was blunt and decisive without the slightest bit of mercy.

Jian Changjia felt very imposing, but when he lowered his head, he met Jian Mei’s eyes, showing full-dependence on him. At this moment, there was some bit of hurt inside his eyes. For some unknown reason, his face was a little pale. The child in front of him seemed to open his lips, wanting to say something, but in the end, he didn’t say anything. 

In the end, Jian Mei merely said softly, “I see.”

Jian CHangjia’s gaze moved down suspiciously. “Where are your shoes?”

Jian Mei lowered his head and saw his bare feet then he replied honestly, “I forgot to wear it.”

“Do you have a pig brain?” Jian Changjia’s scold came showering down. He angrily said, “Don’t you know what kind of body do you have? Why did you come out without shoes?” 

Jian Mei was dumbfounded by his yell. He dazedly stood in his original place for a few seconds, then his eyes gradually turned red. He resisted the shivers with great difficulty and said, “I’m sorry.”

“Rumble”

Another flash of lightning had stricken across the sky.

The shadows of the trees outside swayed frantically through the glass windows in the corridor. Jian Mei shivered from head to toe from nervousness. He instinctively stepped forward and grabbed Jian Changjia’s arm and stick himself to it, like a small animal seeking support. 

Jian Changjia’s body stiffened. He was a bit far just now and didn’t notice it, but when he got closer to Jian Mei, he realized that his body was trembling slightly. He said in hesitation, “Are you still of the thunder?”

Jian Mei nodded obediently.

Jian Changjia sneered and said to him, “Useless.”

This couldn’t be entirely blamed on Jian Mei. Jian Changjia’s elementary school was a dorm school when he was young. At that time, Jian Mei was at home and because his parents were busy at work, the nanny took care of Jian Mei. Everyone didn’t expect that the nanny wasn’t good as the introduction stated. On the contrary, when it rained, she’d go out without permission because she had something to do. In order to prevent Jian Mei from being lost, she locked the child in the house and warned him that if he didn’t listen, he’d be taken away by the monsters. 

Coincidentally, the thunderstorm was too heavy that day, and there was a power outage in the community.

Jian Mei was standing in the corridor. He pulled on the corners of Jian Changjia’s clothes and called out, “Brother…”

“What are you doing?”

“I’m a bit cold.” 

“Nonsense. If laozi didn’t wear shoes, I’d be cold.”

Jian Mei wanted to say something else, but all of a sudden his eyes changed. He was fetched up and hugged. Jian Changjia exercised all the year round and carried him as if he was a little chicken and threw him on his bed crudely. He said, “Don’t stand outside and catch a cold then blame it on me tomorrow. By that time, Mom and Dad will be nagging endlessly again. I’d get sick and tired of it!”

Jian Mei got into the quilt skillfully and exposed his head to look at him. “Not at all, not all. I’m not that weak.”

Jian Changjia glared at him fiercely and suddenly realized that if Jian Mei used his own quilt to cover himself, then he’d have no quilt to use. This idiot came to sleep with me without taking his quilt and pillow. So stupid! 

After thinking about it, he still told Jian Mei to stay here behaved once he went out to the next room to get the quilt. Although it was separated by a wall, Jian Mei’s room was obviously smaller. The quilt inside the room was wrapped like a ball as if a small animal had built its safe nest due to its fright. A smile rose up on Jian Changjia’s lips then he came to get the quilt.

“Patter”

Something fell on the floor— it was a phone.

Jian Changjia hesitated before picking it up. The screen of the phone was lit up at this moment and there was a message notification from WeChat. 

[What’s wrong?]

[Where are you?]

Because Jian Mei had only sent a few words that he was really afraid that it made things ambiguous. Lu Xingwang who saw the message, couldn’t figure the bottom of the things out. He remembered that the last time he was lost in the mountain, he was also like this and so he thought there shouldn’t be any accidents, but the child never replied, which made him worried. After hesitating, Lu Xingwang pressed the dial button to call.

The phone vibrated when a call from WeChat came. Jian Changjia, who was holding the phone was wondering who Dazhuang was. It didn’t look like a classmate’s name, right? Does anyone really have this name? Or was it possible that it was an online scammer who’d deceived younger boys? Sending a message in the middle of the night could only be harboring ill intentions. The older brothers in this world might have a ‘protecting younger sibling’ mentality because they’d always suspect it when they see unidentified people. 

At last, the call was connected.

Jian Changjia’s tone held a little suspiciousness. “Hello, who are you?”

Lu Xingwang’s originally calm expression instantly became cold and his eyes became dark and deep as an ink. If someone saw his current appearance, they’d definitely panic. It was like the terrifying aura of a dangerous beast when its territory was invaded. He said with a cold voice, “Who are you?”