The sun was strong. After the yellow ox finished plowing the field, it was tethered under the camphor tree. Jiang Shi was also sitting under the same tree. The rope was a bit short. The yellow ox impatiently pawed at the ground, sniffing around, and bit Jiang Shi’s jacket that he was sitting on.

Jiang Shi was startled by the ox’s movement and, looking at the close proximity of its head, nervously rescued his sleeve from its mouth. He pulled his jacket and moved away from the ox, his snacks spilling all over the ground.

Jiang Shi picked up the jelly, the spicy strips, and the milk candy. Gao Xinhuo, carrying cow dung, stopped in front of him. “Little cousin…” His resentful gaze was almost tangible. Jiang Shi couldn’t stand being looked at like that and took out a pack of snacks from his pocket. “Do you want some?”

Gao Xinhuo held up his hands, stained with dung. “Do you think I can eat with these?”

Jiang Shi: “…” If he wanted to.

There was no other way. Jiang Shi peeled a milk candy, adjusted the straw hat that was a bit too big for him, and, with obvious distaste, approached Gao Xinhuo, quickly popped a candy into his open mouth, and then moved away.

As soon as he sat back in his original spot, he heard Jiang Xue talking to Cheng Ye.

“Xiao Cheng, what are you doing? You don’t need to help.”

“It’s fine.” Cheng Ye’s honey-colored muscles stretched in the sun. “Anyway, I don’t have anything else to do.”

Jiang Shi glanced at Cheng Ye. The boy’s arms were strong and smooth, and he effortlessly hoisted a bag of fertilizer onto his shoulder. He walked a few steps with his head down, then seemed to sense something and stopped, looking towards Jiang Shi. From a distance, Jiang Shi noticed that his face was also very striking. His skin was dark from the sun, and vibrant blood, like that of the earth, flowed through his body. His Yi ethnic genes gave him deep features, like a leopard walking in the mountains.

Cheng Ye, truly wild.

Jiang Shi retracted his gaze and peeled a candy for himself. The familiar taste melted on his tongue. This time, the candy tasted the same as before, yet somehow different.

After twelve o’clock, the air gradually became muggy. Along with it being mealtime, the group decided to go back for lunch. Jiang Xue had already stewed cured meat in advance. When they returned, she cooked porridge and casually stir-fried two dishes for a makeshift lunch. Her cooking wasn’t particularly good; to Jiang Shi, the dishes were barely palatable. However, as someone eating someone else’s cooking, he had no right to be picky.

Jiang Shi wasn’t keen on the stir-fried dishes, and the cured meat was too salty after one bite. Fortunately, it was hot, so the porridge was alright. Gao Xinhuo sat next to Jiang Shi, eating like a little pig foraging for food, while Jiang Shi slowly sipped his porridge. Cheng Ye, sitting beside him, watched him for a long time without finishing half a bowl of rice and frowned slightly.

They were still going to work in the fields in the afternoon, but this time everyone insisted that Jiang Shi not come along. Cheng Ye looked down at the red mark on his neck. It hadn’t gotten better after all this time; in fact, it looked redder. He pushed Jiang Shi, who was standing in the sun, into the shade. “You stay home. I’ll go help.”

Hearing this, Jiang Xue felt very apologetic. “Oh, how can that be? Besides, don’t you have fields at home? Why help me…”

“The fields at home won’t be planted,” Cheng Ye said. “I plan to rent them out to others.” He had indeed intended to plant the fields when he came back. He had promised Jiang Shi he would return to school, and without an income, farming was the only way he could think of to make money. However, farming required too much labor, had a long cycle, and offered poor returns. Plus, his time didn’t allow for it, so Cheng Ye thought it over all night and had to give up on his family’s fields. Although he still had over nine thousand yuan, raising a precious little bird like Jiang Shi, that amount was simply not enough. He had to find other ways to earn money.

Jiang Shi had no idea what Cheng Ye was thinking. Although he felt he wasn’t that useless, since they all told him not to go, protesting further would make him seem ungracious. After standing all morning and being in the sun all morning, Jiang Shi’s whole body ached, and his nape was still burning, painful and itchy. He scratched it, not paying much attention, and went back to his room for a nap.

He was woken by the shouts of hawkers at the door. Jiang Shi, clutching his big red blanket, was a bit disoriented. The intermittent sounds from the doorway were hard for him to understand, but he could tell that things were being sold. He shuffled in his slippers and opened the door, finding a small truck parked on the roadside below, filled with dried goods and fruits. Several elderly women were gathered around, buying things.

Jiang Shi watched for a few seconds, then went back to his room to find the pocket money Jiang Xue had given him. This season was pineapple season, cheap and fresh. Jiang Shi bought two, asked the vendor to peel them, went home and clumsily cut them into pieces with a knife, and then soaked them in salt water.

Half an hour later, he carried the pineapples to the fields. Without his participation, the planting progressed quickly, and by the time he arrived, they were in the final stages. From afar, Gao Xinhuo waved to him. “Little cousin, why are you here?” Jiang Shi shook the bag in his hand. “Bringing you something to eat.”

The soil in the field was too soft, and Jiang Shi had just changed into clean shoes, so he didn’t want to step in it. He just stood at the crossroads and shouted loudly, “I bought pineapples! Does anyone want some?”

The first to respond was Gao Xinhuo. Jiang Shi handed him a bamboo skewer, pretending very casually to glance at Cheng Ye. The boy had his back to him, the sun casting a golden glow on his black clothes. They were almost finished planting, and no one was in the mood to eat, preferring to finish everything in one go.

Jiang Shi broke off a branch and sat by the edge of the field, waiting to go home with them. The sun wasn’t as scorching then, feeling warm on his skin. He squinted and basked for a while. A prickly sensation came from his nape, and he couldn’t help but scratch it again.

“Don’t scratch.”

A voice suddenly appeared beside him, interrupting Jiang Shi’s action. He turned his head and found that Cheng Ye was standing behind him at some point. “How did you get here?”

Cheng Ye sat down beside him. The sun was setting in front of them, and behind them was the fragrance of soil. Being closer, Jiang Shi could even smell the sweat from Cheng Ye’s labor. To be honest, it didn’t smell good, but his hands were propped on the ground, his sweat-soaked clothes clung to him, and the outline of his muscles was very clear. When he turned his face to look, Jiang Shi inexplicably sensed a hint of sexiness.

He paused, then reached out and poked Cheng Ye’s arm. “Can you move further away from me? You stink.”

With his slender fingers, Cheng Ye’s solid muscles weren’t much affected, but his own hand hurt. Cheng Ye didn’t move. “Young Master, I’m helping you with work, and you’re complaining about me instead.”

Jiang Shi pursed his lips. “I didn’t ask you to help me.”

“Mm,” Cheng Ye said calmly. “I just couldn’t bear to see Young Master suffer, so I shamelessly begged to help.”

Jiang Shi: “…” He said, “Cheng Ye, aren’t you annoying?”

Cheng Ye smiled, straightened up, and turned to face Jiang Shi. “Didn’t you say you wanted to eat pineapple? Jiang Shi, feed me a piece.”

Jiang Shi wanted nothing more than to throw the bag of pineapples at his face. “Don’t you have hands yourself?”

The boy opposite him spread his hands, covered in yellow mud, in front of him. “They’re dirty. I’ve done too much work, no strength.”

Jiang Shi: “…” Seeing him not move for a long time, Cheng Ye said softly, “Young Master, how heartless.”

The next second, a piece of pineapple was shoved into his mouth. In a fit of anger, Jiang Shi disregarded the etiquette he had been taught since childhood. Holding the pineapple in one hand and clamping Cheng Ye’s jaw with the other, he forcefully shoved it in. “Even food can’t shut your mouth!”

Cheng Ye didn’t move for a long time. Only when he was about to choke on the pineapple did he chew and swallow it in two or three bites. He raised his hand and touched his jaw, his throat tight. “Jiang Shi…”

Jiang Shi glared at him. “Go away, I don’t want to talk to you.”

Cheng Ye immediately became obedient. “I’m sorry.”

“…” Always just ‘I’m sorry’. If ‘I’m sorry’ worked, what would we need the police for?

---

After finishing planting this field, Cheng Ye didn’t go back with them but went to the street. He went to the pharmacy to buy medicine, and then to the convenience store to buy oil and seasonings before returning.

That night, the Jiang family ate the same dishes as in the morning. The leftover porridge from the day was also eaten for dinner. The second meal of porridge was clearly not as good as the first. Jiang Shi took two bites and couldn’t eat anymore. He put down his bowl and chopsticks and went to sit in the courtyard. Soon after, Cheng Ye also came out. In the same chairs, the other person sat a head taller than him.

Cheng Ye tilted his head and looked at Jiang Shi’s nape. He kept scratching it, and it looked even worse now. He reached out and touched it. “I told you not to scratch, but you didn’t listen.”

Jiang Shi hissed when he was touched and retorted, “But it’s itchy; I’m uncomfortable if I don’t scratch.”

Cheng Ye, “Scratching will make it worse.”

The next second, a cool, icy sensation touched Jiang Shi’s neck. He turned his head to look but was pushed back by a hand. “Don’t move, I’m putting medicine on you.”

Jiang Shi was stunned. “Where did you get the medicine?”

“Bought it.” Cheng Ye withdrew his hand and handed him the ointment. “Apply it again before you sleep tonight, and also when it’s itchy. Don’t scratch; you’ll break the skin if you do.”

Jiang Shi held the ointment, and it took him a while to realize. “You disappeared just now to buy this?” He added, “Why are you so good to me?”

Cheng Ye thought, if he spoke his true thoughts, the little rabbit would probably vanish in an instant. He rubbed the lingering ointment on his fingertips and said honestly, “Because you gave me money. You bought me for twenty thousand yuan, so of course, I have to think of everything for you.”

Without waiting for Jiang Shi’s reply, Cheng Ye looked at the sky. “It’s getting dark, Young Master, will you see me home?”

Jiang Shi: “…” Is there any justice in asking such a thing of a young master?

But in the end, Jiang Shi went anyway. Cheng Ye’s house was still very dilapidated, but under Jiang Shi’s direction, most of the clutter had been thrown away, making it look much cleaner. Cheng Ye got a chair for him to sit on and bent down to make a fire. The firelight illuminated his eyes. He asked Jiang Shi, “No meat right now, but there are potatoes and radishes at home. Do you want some?”

Jiang Shi then realized he was cooking for him. He instinctively refused, “I already ate…”

“You didn’t eat enough,” Cheng Ye interrupted him, taking out a sausage someone had given him from the cupboard. “There’s still a little meat. Do you want claypot rice?”

“Young Master, why do you look like you’re hesitating?”

“Don’t worry, I won’t let you leave my house hungry.”