I Was Just Catching a Chicken
Because Liu Yue’s parents were dragged down by their poor health, they spent all day rushing to hospitals and taking medicine and had long since lost the energy to come make a scene at Ling Li’s doorstep.
With no one living in the neighboring houses on either side, only a single wall away, Su Jingyang felt that ever since he moved here the place had been especially quiet. Leaving aside the nights, even during the daytime there was almost no human noise to be heard. It was so silent it felt like a small world cut off from everything else.
Now a new neighbor was supposed to be moving in. Not only Ling Li, but Su Jingyang as well was extremely curious about what kind of person it would be.
However, after waiting eagerly for several days, there was still no movement next door. Ling Li’s body had gradually improved a lot, and his dizziness was gone. He stood in the courtyard, rose slightly on his toes, and looked toward the neighboring yard that still showed no sign of life. A trace of gloom lingered between his cool, clear brows.
From the kitchen, Su Jingyang poked his head out and took in Ling Li’s expression. There was nothing he didn’t understand.
Su Jingyang set the pan-fried egg flatbreads and the porridge on the table and called Ling Li inside to eat breakfast. He held Ah Xuan in his arms, stuffed a few bites into his own mouth carelessly, and then fed the child.
Su Jingyang’s cooking was honestly not great. It barely reached the level of being cooked through. Even so, when it came to boiling noodles or frying flatbreads, the taste was decent enough to fool people. Ah Xuan especially liked the pan-fried egg flatbreads he made and could eat several in one go.
Ling Li originally wanted to take the child over so Su Jingyang could eat properly, but Su Jingyang refused. Instead, while feeding Ah Xuan porridge, he said to him, “Ah Li, you’re overthinking things again, aren’t you?”
Ling Li could never hide anything in front of him. Hearing Su Jingyang say this, his expression immediately turned a little downcast. He stirred the porridge in his bowl, lowered his eyes, and said softly, “It must have been outsiders who didn’t know the situation that bought the house. Now they probably all know. They won’t come anymore in the future.”
Su Jingyang thought for a moment and then said to Ling Li, “Then let’s make a bet, alright?”
Only then did Ling Li raise his head, looking slightly puzzled. “What kind of bet?”
“Within ten days, someone will definitely move in next door. If I win, then you… then you have to smile at me once every day!”
As soon as Su Jingyang finished speaking, Ah Xuan in his arms started waving his little hands and laughing, giggling happily. His clear, innocent big eyes curved into an adorable arc, looking especially pure and innocent. He probably only understood the word ‘smile.’
Ling Li froze for a moment and then smiled as well. He picked up a cloth and wiped Ah Xuan’s greasy little mouth, then said to Su Jingyang, “Alright.” After a pause, he looked at Su Jingyang again and continued, “Even if you don’t win, I can still smile at you every day.”
After breakfast, Su Jingyang got up to clear the table, preparing to take the bowls to the kitchen to wash them. Ling Li rushed to do it instead. Su Jingyang told him to rest, but Ling Li insisted that his body was completely better and forcibly took the bowls from him.
Su Jingyang led Ah Xuan over and said to him, “You’ve practically been serving me like a young master. Now that you’re injured, you won’t even let me wash a bowl.” Su Jingyang had taken care of Ling Li at home for two days.
On the first day, he was truly dizzy and couldn’t get out of bed, so he handed the household matters over to Su Jingyang. From the second day onward, cooking, laundry, cleaning, and tidying were all done by Ling Li again. He didn’t let Su Jingyang interfere at all. Whenever Su Jingyang tried to help, Ling Li would instead look hurt.
“These were all things I should be doing,” Ling Li said.
Su Jingyang was helpless and rolled up his sleeves to help anyway. “There’s no such thing as should or shouldn’t. Anyone can do them.”
“You work so hard outside every day. When you’re home, you should rest. Besides… this is about all I can do,” Ling Li said as he pushed Su Jingyang out without allowing any argument, telling him to hurry and head to the bookshop.
Su Jingyang knew it would turn out like this. All the money for food, clothing, and daily expenses at home was being paid by him now. Ling Li always felt indebted to him in his heart, so he did everything he could to be good to him.
After walking several steps, Su Jingyang still couldn’t help turning back to glance into the kitchen. Ling Li was washing the bowls, and Ah Xuan was squatting beside him, hugging Ling Li’s calf and not moving at all.
Sensing Su Jingyang’s gaze, Ling Li turned his head to look at him. His eyes curved as he smiled gently and said, “Come back early tonight for dinner.”
“Mhm! Got it!” Su Jingyang nodded and left. The thought he had been brewing in his heart became even firmer.
When Su Jingyang arrived at the bookshop, he found that Liang Lu was also there and had taken his spot. As soon as Su Jingyang walked over, Liang Lu consciously stood up and gave the seat back to him.
This was already Su Jingyang’s third day taking over the shift, and he had no idea why Liang Lu was still coming by.
After Su Jingyang sat down, Liang Lu didn’t leave. Su Jingyang noticed that there was now an extra small table beside him, with tea, snacks, and fruit placed on it.
Liang Lu asked him, “How is it? Do you like it? I had someone arrange it. When there’s nothing to do, you can drink some tea and eat some snacks. Comfortable, right?”
Su Jingyang was tidying up the storybooks on the counter, frowning as he thought. He didn’t respond. Liang Lu found it strange and asked what was wrong. Su Jingyang put the book in his hand down, and his dark, bright eyes stared at Liang Lu without blinking for a long while.
Liang Lu was staring back in confusion when Su Jingyang finally spoke with a bit of seriousness, “I want to open a restaurant. You’ve got a lot of experience doing business. Could you give me some advice?”
Liang Lu froze for a moment before asking, “You’re serious?”
“Of course,” Su Jingyang said. He was more serious than he had ever been. From the moment he received those five hundred taels of silver, he had already started planning. One reason was to find something for Ling Li to do, so he wouldn’t stay at home all day feeling depressed. Another reason was to give Ling Li a stable income. That way, when he left this world in the future, he could feel more at ease.
Liang Lu didn’t waste any more words and agreed readily. After chatting with him for a while, understanding his ideas and budget, he promised to help him look for a shop location and said he would definitely give him an answer within three days.
Su Jingyang had sought him out precisely because he knew Liang Lu had many connections, but he still didn’t expect him to take it so seriously. “Will three days be enough? It doesn’t actually have to be that urgent.”
Liang Lu said confidently, “With me handling it, three days is already generous. Just wait. I’ll go take care of it for you right now.” As he spoke, he called over his attendant and hurriedly left the bookshop.
Su Jingyang craned his neck to watch Liang Lu’s figure disappear quickly and couldn’t help sighing. This guy’s execution really was impressive. Thinking about how things would soon make progress, his mood lifted a great deal.
That night, when Su Jingyang returned home, he found Ah Xuan lying on the floor of the main room, kicking his legs wildly and crying out in anger. Ling Li sat beside him, frowning helplessly and letting out a soft sigh.
Seeing Ling Li repeatedly touch his shoulder, Su Jingyang asked and learned that Ah Xuan had bitten him.
Ah Xuan wasn’t good at expressing himself. Normally, when nothing was wrong, he was quite well-behaved. Once he had a strong desire that wasn’t satisfied and he couldn’t say it properly, he would get so anxious that he stomped his feet and threw a tantrum, or cried and shouted to express his protest. Despite his small size, once he got angry, Ling Li had no way to deal with him.
Today, Ah Xuan wanted to eat candy and didn’t get his way. When Ling Li went to pick him up, he bit Ling Li hard.
Su Jingyang lifted the clothing on Ling Li’s left shoulder and saw a very clear bite mark on his fair shoulder, with blood seeping out. It was obvious how hard the child had bitten.
Su Jingyang grabbed Ah Xuan, gave his butt a few light smacks, and then picked him up, preparing to scold him a bit. Ah Xuan seemed not to understand what he had done wrong. With teary eyes, he pouted his lips and looked at him pitifully as he called out, “Uncle.”
Su Jingyang’s heart softened all at once. Faced with such a child, there was really no way to scold him.
Su Jingyang found some ointment and applied it to Ling Li. After fussing all day without getting any candy, Ah Xuan only ate a few bites at dinner. When it was time, he climbed onto the bed and fell asleep, looking aggrieved.
Ling Li sat by the bed, looking at Ah Xuan’s sleeping little face with worry. “This child’s temper is really getting worse and worse. He never used to bite people.”
At that time, Su Jingyang, who had silently agreed, never imagined that late at night, he himself would also get bitten.
It wasn’t Ah Xuan who bit him, but the man pressing down on top of him. Things were already over, and Su Jingyang was limp and powerless. The person on top of him rubbed his head against his neck. Su Jingyang was completely unguarded when the man suddenly opened his mouth and bit down hard on his shoulder. A piercing pain shot through him. Su Jingyang really wanted to curse. What madness had gotten into this person!
Su Jingyang directly snapped out of the dream and returned to his own bed. He touched the spot that had been bitten and felt a faint imprint of teeth. Thankfully, he had run fast enough. Otherwise, like Ling Li, he would have been bitten until he bled.
Damn it, Su Jingyang thought angrily. At the beginning, that man had been so eager, panting as he hugged him, touching and kissing him for a long time until his lips were swollen. Su Jingyang had thought the man remembered how he had coughed up blood last time and was going to be gentler and more considerate with him.
Who would have thought that not only was that not the case, but his movements were even more frantic and rough than before, just short of tearing his bones apart, and in the end he still took a bite out of him for no clear reason.
Su Jingyang got up early the next morning feeling listless. He dragged his sore, weak legs as he walked, yawning as he went outside. Ah Xuan had gotten up even earlier than him and was running wild in the courtyard. The chickens that had just been released from the coop were chased into a desperate sprint, feathers flying everywhere.
Ling Li had already prepared breakfast. Su Jingyang squatted in the courtyard to wash up. Just as he splashed cold water on his face to wake himself up, he suddenly heard a flapping sound by his ear. Su Jingyang turned his head and happened to see a chicken, unable to withstand the chase, fly over the not-very-high wall and into the neighboring yard on the right.
If no one lived next door, it wouldn’t matter if a chicken flew over. Now that the place had been cleaned and set up by new residents, if the chicken went over to make trouble or leave droppings, that wouldn’t do. That would ruin the new owner’s good mood.
Su Jingyang decided he should hurry and catch the chicken back. He brought over a ladder and set it against the wall. Seeing that his movements climbing the ladder weren’t very steady, Ling Li gently tugged on his sleeve and said, “Jingyang, let me do it.”
Su Jingyang said no, no. Enduring the burning pain in that area, he still climbed up and straddled the wall. Then he prepared to pull the ladder up and move it to the other side so he could climb down.
“Be careful!” Ling Li said anxiously, stretching out his hands below to catch him, afraid he might fall. Ah Xuan copied Ling Li’s movements and opened his arms too, tilting up his little head and calling out nervously, “Uncle, uncle.”
Su Jingyang could already hear the escaping chicken clucking nearby. He was climbing down smoothly when he suddenly felt something slam hard into the back of his knee. His whole body went numb and lost its strength. He cried out in alarm and fell backward uncontrollably, hitting the ground with a heavy thud.
Ling Li shouted anxiously from the other side, “Jingyang, Jingyang? What happened to you???”
After the intensity of the previous night, Su Jingyang was already uncomfortable. Now that he had fallen flat on his back, he felt like his soul was leaving his body.
Just then, a shadow fell over him.
Unable to get up from the pain, Su Jingyang stared up in shock.
A youth with a tall, slender build stood beside him, looking down at him. He was wearing snow-white inner clothes, his hair slightly messy, his face full of just-woken irritation.
When Su Jingyang saw that strikingly handsome face, he was shocked out of his wits. His eyes widened immediately. “Wh-why is it you?” That guy who always insulted him between the lines and looked down on him.
Su Jingyang had thought that meeting on the street last time was their final encounter. Who would have thought they would meet again like this? What a narrow road for enemies.
When the youth’s cold, ink-black eyes clearly took in his face, they flickered slightly. The killing intent hidden within gradually faded. Looking at Su Jingyang’s miserable posture, the youth’s slightly hoarse voice carried a trace of mockery. “I should be the one asking you. Why are you sneaking over my wall into my house? What ulterior motives do you have?”
It turned out his guess was right. This person was the new neighbor. When had he moved in? There hadn’t been the slightest noise at all. Thinking about having to live next to such a petty guy from now on made Su Jingyang’s head start to ache.
Supporting himself with one hand on the ground, Su Jingyang struggled several times before finally sitting up with difficulty. He looked up at the person standing beside him against the light and explained in a low, aggrieved voice, “I really had no ulterior motives… My chicken flew over here. I was just catching a chicken.”
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