Chapter 11 – Setting Off
The day his brother returned was a rainy one. Xia Lu Nong’s waist still hurt, so he stayed home, sleeping in bed.
Half-asleep, he smelled a warm scent, faint and similar to the smell of soap, warmed by body heat.
It got closer and closer.
He suddenly opened his eyes and saw a familiar figure in the dim light.
Sure enough, it was his brother.
Xia Lu Nong smiled at him.
His brother leaned over, his rough, slightly cool hand touching Xia Lu Nong’s forehead. “Are you sick?”
“No, no, I’m fine.” Xia Lu Nong hurriedly threw off the blanket and sat up, but the movement pulled at his waist, and he let out a hiss of pain.
In the few breaths it took for his eyes to adjust to the darkness, he saw his brother’s dark expression as he reached out to feel his waist.
Xia Lu Nong grinned, showing no further signs of discomfort.
When his brother finished checking, Xia Lu Nong said, “I already saw Dr. Ou earlier, and she said it’s nothing serious. I wasn’t pushing myself.”
His brother, Xia Huo Qu, had just pulled back his hand but, hearing this, knocked Xia Lu Nong lightly on the forehead. “If this isn’t pushing yourself, then what is?”
Xia Lu Nong gave him a silly smile, looked around, and asked, “Where’s Xi Nian?”
“He’s at home.” Xia Huo Qu replied, irritated, “If you wanted to do base tasks, you didn’t have to pick one so tough. This time nothing happened, but luck might not always be on your side.”
Xia Lu Nong listened quietly and didn’t argue back.
Base tasks were tiring for everyone, and there was always a risk of something going wrong. Besides, if he couldn’t handle tasks within the base, there was no point in thinking about assignments outside. He had to take this step sooner or later to prove himself.
When his brother finished speaking, Xia Lu Nong got up and brought him a cup of warm water. “Brother, have some water. Are you hungry? What would you like to eat? I’ll make something for you.”
“Not hungry. No need to trouble yourself.”
“Are you tired? How about we go for a bath? I can scrub your back.”
Xia Huo Qu was about to decline, but then he agreed and pointed at him, “Alright, let’s go take a bath. I want to see how bad your injuries are.”
Xia Lu Nong inwardly sighed and wished he could slap himself for bringing it up.
Since he had already said it, he couldn’t go back on his word now. So he gathered his things and went to the bathhouse with his brother.
He originally wanted to go next door to call Yan Xi Nian, but his brother stopped him. “Your Xi Nian brother is really tired, let him sleep.”
“Oh,” Xia Lu Nong responded, then asked, “Did you guys find the generator unit?”
“We found part of it, but some units were damaged and corroded too badly to use. We’ll have to keep looking.”
Xia Lu Nong glanced at him and circled back to the real concern. “None of you got hurt, right?”
Xia Huo Qu paused for a moment. “I didn’t get hurt.”
Only then did Xia Lu Nong truly relax, smiling with relief. “That’s great! Ever since you guys left, I’ve been on edge.”
Xia Huo Qu ruffled his hair. “We’re experienced. If nothing else, we know how to escape, so you don’t need to worry too much.”
“But you’re my brother, how could I not worry?” Xia Lu Nong replied, looking at him. “Besides, when Xi Nian brother said he wanted to go, didn’t you think it was too dangerous? You even argued with him.”
Xia Huo Qu hadn’t expected such reasoning and couldn’t help but shake his head. “I can’t win with you.”
“That’s because I’m right,” Xia Lu Nong said. “Brother, after I scrub your back really well, let’s have a nice dinner tonight. There are two bamboo shoots at home. Maybe we can trade them for some meat and have stir-fried pork.”
“Where did the bamboo shoots come from?”
“Brother Quan gave them to me,” Xia Lu Nong explained quickly. “It’s Liao Quan Nan. He was the squad leader during the base task this time and really looked out for me.”
Xia Huo Qu glanced at his brother’s delicate, porcelain-like face, feeling a pang of unease. He subtly probed, “Why is he giving you bamboo shoots for no reason?”
“It wasn’t exactly for no reason,” Xia Lu Nong replied. “He was just being kind. I’ve been thinking of how to return the favor.”
“Yesterday, when I was picking up food, I saw his grandmother struggling to carry four or five meal boxes. She was moving slowly and looked tired, so I helped her take them home. To thank me, he gave me two bamboo shoots. I couldn’t turn them down.”
Xia Huo Qu relaxed a bit but still looked his brother in the eyes and gave him a stern warning, “Food is precious. Don’t accept it lightly, and remember, as a young man, you need to stay safe.”
Xia Lu Nong knew this already. Since childhood, he had always been attractive, and many had admired him—at least a third of those who had written him love letters were boys. He had even been harassed by a creepy older man once.
He had always been cautious.
Hearing his brother remind him again, he nodded seriously. “I understand.”
“As long as you know,” Xia Huo Qu said, feeling more at ease and giving him a rare smile. “Alright, let’s go take a bath.”
Xia Lu Nong hadn’t seen his brother in a while and had a lot to talk about. He chatted excitedly all the way, while Xia Huo Qu listened, occasionally responding.
As they walked along the main road, they ran into some familiar faces. Sometimes they stopped to chat briefly, other times they just exchanged greetings.
When they reached the bathhouse, Xia Lu Nong offered to fetch water, but his brother stopped him.
Xia Huo Qu went to get the water, and when he returned, the brothers undressed and prepared to bathe. Suddenly, the atmosphere turned heavy.
Xia Huo Qu looked at Xia Lu Nong’s body, covered in bruises, especially his shoulders, where blood had pooled, and the skin had even peeled off.
He sighed deeply, his face showing unspeakable sadness. “Xiao Nong, you don’t have to work so hard. I can take care of you.”
Xia Lu Nong cheerfully dipped the cloth in water. “It’s fine, I’m a man too.”
Xia Huo Qu sighed again. “You’ve grown up.”
Xia Lu Nong nodded seriously. “Exactly, brother. You need to start seeing me as an adult. I’m already a man and can take on my own responsibilities.”
Xia Huo Qu stared at him with his deep, dark eyes, remaining silent for a long time. Finally, he gently patted Xia Lu Nong on the shoulder. “Alright, let’s get cleaned up.”
After the bath, Xia Lu Nong urged his brother to rest while he ran to the kitchen with the bamboo shoots. He used them to make stir-fried bamboo shoots with cured meat, along with steamed eggs and stir-fried soybeans, and brought back three dishes and a big pot of rice.
When he got home, he went next door to wake Yan Xi Nian for dinner.
But when he saw Yan Xi Nian, Xia Lu Nong froze.
There was a long, bloody scar on Yan Xi Nian’s face, stretching from his forehead to his chin. It was hard to tell what had caused it, but it made his once refined and handsome face look terrifying.
If that scar had been just a bit off, cutting across his eyelid, his eye might have been blinded.
Clearly, the situation during their trip was much more dangerous than Xia Lu Nong had imagined.
Yan Xi Nian noticed Xia Lu Nong staring at his scar and smiled as he reached for the bowls and chopsticks. “Stop staring, let’s eat.”
“Brother Xi Nian, did you…” Xia Lu Nong glanced at his brother’s dark expression and swallowed the words he wanted to ask, changing it to, “Have you seen Dr. Ou?”
“It’s already been treated,” Yan Xi Nian said, giving both brothers a piece of cured meat and urging softly, “Eat up.”
Xia Lu Nong nodded, not asking any more questions, and obediently started eating.
The interactions between Xia Huo Qu and Yan Xi Nian seemed normal, at least on the surface.
Xia Lu Nong had originally wanted to ask about what had happened outside, but now he couldn’t.
Feeling a bit dejected, he thought back to his brother’s promise before leaving to find the generator unit. He had said that if Xia Lu Nong did well, he could take him out one day. Now that idea seemed hopeless.
With the scary scar still visible on Xi Nian’s face even after treatment, who knows how bad it had been before. His brother must have been shaken, and any thought of going out was off the table for the foreseeable future.
For the next few days, Xia Lu Nong was in a bit of a slump, unable to muster enthusiasm for anything.
His brother noticed but didn’t say much.
Then, on a day in early April, just after it had rained, Xia Lu Nong picked up a hoe, intending to go weed the fields.
His brother, wearing a bamboo hat, came back from outside, casually took the hoe from his hands, and said, “Tomorrow, I’m going out with Liao Cheng and the others to collect some supplies. Want to come?”
Xia Lu Nong’s eyes lit up instantly. He turned to his brother with excitement. “Brother, are you serious?”
Xia Huo Qu said nonchalantly, “Just teasing.”
Xia Lu Nong had already caught on and leaped onto his brother, bursting with joy. “Haha, it’s real! You’re the best! What should I prepare for the trip? I’ll start getting ready today!”
“There’s nothing much to prepare. Just bring some dried food, matches, and basic medicine. We’re collecting supplies nearby, so we’ll be back in two days at most.”
“No problem!” Xia Lu Nong said excitedly. “I’ll pack up a bundle today. Should we bring seasonings? Will we be able to find anything edible out there?”
Xia Huo Qu nodded.
Xia Lu Nong felt the excitement of going on a spring outing, leaning in and whispering, “Should we bring weapons too? Let’s hurry to the field and come back quickly so we can sharpen the knives at home.”
Xia Huo Qu didn’t object, simply watching his brother’s enthusiasm.
That day, Xia Lu Nong was particularly energetic, weeding, sharpening knives, and packing. He stayed busy until nightfall.
As they were about to go to sleep, Xia Lu Nong suddenly remembered, “Brother, who are we going with?”
“Your brother Xi Nian and Liao Cheng.”
“Just the two of them?”
“Who else were you expecting?”
Xia Lu Nong thought for a moment and realized that this trip was likely something his brother planned just to amuse him. Worried for his safety, he’d even brought along the dependable brother Xi Nian to take care of him.
The next morning, as they prepared to set off, Xia Huo Qu didn’t take most of the things Xia Lu Nong had packed the day before. He simply dressed Xia Lu Nong in long sleeves and pants, wrapped his legs with cloth, tied up his sleeves, and put a sun hat on him. Then, they brought along matches, seasonings, two large bottles of water, and a small knife before heading out.
Xia Lu Nong wasn’t used to being dressed so tightly yet looking so neat. He glanced at his brother, “Brother, why aren’t you wrapping your legs?”
“We’ll be shifting into our animal forms soon. Wearing too much makes it inconvenient.” Xia Huo Qu lifted his chin. “Go call your brother Xi Nian; we’re ready to leave.”
Excited, Xia Lu Nong slung his backpack over his shoulder and ran next door to knock. “Brother Xi Nian, are you ready? My brother says it’s time to go!”
“Ready.” Yan Xi Nian’s voice grew closer until the door opened with a creak. He appeared in a gray tracksuit, carrying his backpack, and smiled, “Let’s go.”
Xia Lu Nong glanced at him enviously.
His brother Xi Nian had broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long legs, radiating masculine energy.
Yan Xi Nian lightly tapped his forehead, “Are we going or not?”
“Let’s go, let’s go!” Xia Lu Nong nodded quickly, turning to call his brother, “Brother, we’re ready to go!”
His brother, who also had a narrow waist and long legs, looked even more handsome. Of course, his brother was the best-looking!
