YGOF Chapter 6

Zhang Orion’s family lived at the end of Lujia Village, not very close to Xie Yuqing’s home. Zhang Orion had moved to Lujia Village later, so his house was farther from the village center, closer to the mountains and forests. The entire yard was surrounded by tall walls made of yellow mud.

Just as Grandma Liu had mentioned, they had dog. Even before Xie Yuqing entered, he could hear the dog barking inside the walled yard.

Xie Yuqing looked at the mud walls with envy. Even though it was just yellow mud surrounding the yard, it provided both privacy and security. With a dog around, no one would dare to sneak in and steal things.

Xie Yuqing thought to himself that since the owner of this yard often went into the mountains for hunting, the house would be left unattended. Although Lujia Village was considered wealthy, there were still idle people who might sneak around to steal chickens or dog. It was understandable to build higher walls for security. Moreover, living off the land meant having a lot of game at home, so precautions were necessary.

Xie Yuqing had many thoughts in his mind, but in reality, it was just a fleeting moment. He withdrew his gaze and reached out to knock on the closed yard gate. “Is Zhang Orion at home?”

Not long after, he heard some movement from inside. A clear male voice asked, “Who is it?”

Xie Yuqing was startled by the voice. Even though Zhang Orion had saved his life, he was unconscious at the time, and much of what happened was recounted by others. He couldn’t remember what his savior looked like. He had imagined Zhang Orion to be a rough and bold man, like the heroes of Liangshan.

Xie Yuqing stopped his wild thoughts, cleared his throat, and said, “It’s me, Xie Yuqing from Grandma Liu’s house. You saved me from the mountains that day, remember?”

The barking gradually stopped, and Zhang Orion must have settled his “gatekeeper” dog. Xie Yuqing thought to himself.

The yard gate was opened, catching Xie Yuqing off guard as he got a clear look at Zhang Orion.

Zhang Orion wasn’t the rough and bold man he had imagined, with a face full of bristly beard. In fact, he was much slimmer than Xie Yuqing had imagined, although he was a hunter, he had an air of scholarly refinement about him. His sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes gave off a sharp aura, yet when he lowered his eyes to look at Xie Yuqing, he inexplicably gave people a sense of deep affection.

“What’s the matter?” Zhang Orion asked.

Xie Yuqing blushed, realizing he had been staring and his speech was stumbling. He handed the basket forward. “Um… these are dishes freshly made at our home. Grandma Liu said you just came back from the mountains and might not have had time to cook, so she sent me to bring some over. They are just some home-cooked dishes, please accept them.”

Zhang Orion instinctively took the basket. The dishes seemed to have just come out of the pot, as steam still wafted from them, warming the basket.

He had indeed just returned from the mountains, with many game animals in the yard still to be dealt with, and he hadn’t had time to start a fire and cook.

Looking down, Zhang Orion saw that although there were only two dishes in the basket, they were packed full and quite substantial. One of them was chicken blood stew, a hearty dish. He instinctively wanted to refuse, “This… there’s no need, I…”

Before he could finish speaking, Xie Yuqing interrupted him, “Don’t say you don’t need it. You saved my life, and I haven’t properly thanked you yet. Last time, you didn’t accept the chicken Grandma Liu sent. How come you’re refusing two dishes now? They’re just home-cooked dishes. If you don’t take them, Grandma Liu and I won’t finish them, and they’ll go bad. Just consider it helping out, okay?”

Seeing Zhang Orion take the basket, Xie Yuqing didn’t give him any chance to return it. He said everything in one breath, cutting off Zhang Orion’s attempt to refuse, then turned and walked away quickly, afraid Zhang Orion might catch up and return the basket to him.

“Eat slowly! I’ll come back in the afternoon to pick up the basket and bowls. Don’t waste them!”

After saying this, Xie Yuqing hurried off, not even looking back to see Zhang Orion’s expression.

Before Zhang Orion could react, Xie Yuqing had already walked a considerable distance. Holding the basket, he stood within his own courtyard walls, neither going forward nor back, until he heard the dog barking, and then he withdrew his gaze from where Xie Yuqing had disappeared.

Seeing that Xie Yuqing’s complexion was much healthier than when he had been brought back from the mountains, Zhang Orion figured he was mostly recovered. But in Zhang Orion’s eyes, he still looked thin and should eat more to look better.

Why was he suddenly concerned about his Ge’er’s physique? Realizing his thoughts, Zhang Orion awkwardly coughed a couple of times to shift his attention.

The food in the bowl was indeed fragrant. It not only aroused Zhang Orion’s appetite but also distracted his wolfdog, which was all over him, begging for food.

Zhang Orion closed the door, patted the dog’s head with one hand, and said, “Always thinking about eating.” Despite his words, he picked out a chicken leg from the bowl and gave it to the dog.

The dog grabbed the chicken leg, barked happily, wagged its tail, and ran off to gnaw on the bones.

Zhang Orion’s stomach growled at the right moment. He rubbed his belly, washed his hands, poured the food into his bowl, cleaned the sea bowl, and then took out the dry bread he had prepared earlier, eating it dipped in the soup.

The dry bread was tough and hard, but breaking them into the soup made them much more palatable than just gnawing on them. Not to mention, the two dishes sent over were delicious and warm.

The blood clots were more tender than tofu, slipping down his throat effortlessly. The greens were crisp and fresh, and the chicken was firm, chewy, and juicy. It was much better than the food he made himself. In the blink of an eye, he had eaten half of the dry bread dipped in the soup!

—

Xie Yuqing jogged for a while before slowing his steps. Whether it was from the jogging or the conversation with Zhang Orion just now, he felt his heart beating fast, and his face was flushed red.

Who would have thought that this Zhang Orion not only spoke nicely but also looked good? What’s more, he was a great person who had saved him!

When Xie Yuqing first came to this world, he hadn’t thought about marrying anyone. But now, if the prospective partner was Zhang Orion, it wouldn’t be unacceptable.

Xie Yuqing patted his flushed face, trying to cool himself down a bit and regain his composure. Calmly, he realized he didn’t even know Zhang Orion’s full name! He could ask when he came to pick up the bowls in the afternoon.

Once his heartbeat had settled somewhat, Xie Yuqing started walking home again. Fortunately, there weren’t many people near the end of the village, and it was lunchtime, so no one witnessed Xie Yuqing’s slightly agitated state.

There was a small stream passing through the Lujia Village, where people usually washed vegetables and clothes. To get back to his house, Xie Yuqing had to pass by this stream.

As he was returning, Xie Yuqing saw someone with their back to him, squatting by the river and washing clothes. The more he looked, the more familiar the person seemed. When he got closer, wasn’t that person Liu Shui?!

Why was Liu Shui washing clothes here during lunchtime? Wasn’t his house closer to the downstream?

Xie Yuqing was puzzled, but he couldn’t be bothered to think about why Liu Shui was doing this. Surely it couldn’t be to coincidentally meet him.

Liu Shui had deceived him into going up the mountain, leading him to a remote place and deliberately leaving him alone. Xie Yuqing hadn’t told anyone about that incident, but that didn’t mean it was forgotten.

Moreover, didn’t Liu Shui give him a push at that time? Otherwise, why would he have sprained his ankle and rolled into a mountain ditch?

Xie Yuqing’s eyes darkened slightly. This account needed to be settled!

One push for another, wasn’t that fair?

With no one around to give him away, Xie Yuqing calmly approached Liu Shui, lifted his foot, gestured behind him, and then pushed with force, sending Liu Shui plunging into the river.

With a splash, a large water rippled out. Immediately, there was a scream like a slaughtered pig.

“Ah—!!! Ahh! So cold!! Who is it! Who pushed me into the river! Are you blind! Ahh!!”

Liu Shui was like a drowning quail. Today, he had planned to dress up nicely, wash clothes by the river, pretend to be virtuous, and greet Liu Shan when he returned to the village, exchanging some words. But unfortunately, he hadn’t counted on this turn of events. Now he looked completely drenched, with disheveled hair sticking to his head and constant curses spewing from his mouth.

After pushing Liu Shui, Xie Yuqing took a few leisurely steps back, avoiding getting splashed by the water.

The river water in late autumn was not to be trifled with; it was chilling to the bone. Being soaked through made him shiver even more.

The stream was shallow, so Liu Shui splashed a few times in the river and managed to stand up. However, he was completely soaked, with his hair in a mess and continuous curses coming from his mouth.

After pushing Liu Shui, Xie Yuqing felt relieved. He couldn’t be bothered to stand there and listen to him curse like he was being punished.

After glancing several times at Liu Shui’s disgruntled appearance, Xie Yuqing clapped his hands in satisfaction and happily returned home for dinner.

He deserved it. He didn’t think today would turn out like this. Thinking of Liu Shui, Xie Yuqing hummed a little tune as he walked back, feeling even better than before.