Chapter 2: The Lazy Educated Youth (2)

Chapter 2: The Lazy and Good-for-Nothing Educated Youth (2)

Chen Deqiang pulled himself together, quickly carried the basin inside, and said to He Yubin, "Yubin, come rinse your hands off."

He Yubin's hands had been scalded by hot water, and if he didn't rinse them soon, they'd blister up.

As soon as he walked over, Luo Chengxing grabbed the basin out of his hands.

Both of them froze. Chen Deqiang looked at his empty hands, figuring that even though he didn't know Luo Datou well, the guy was solid. He must feel bad about accidentally nailing He Yubin.

Luo Chengxing's scowl deepened. Since meeting He Yubin, he felt like he'd been hexed.

But since he'd already grabbed the basin, he tilted it slightly. "Hands."

He Yubin grudgingly stuck out his hands, and Luo Chengxing slowly poured cold water over them.

"Hiss..." He Yubin sucked air through his teeth.

Luo Chengxing frowned, noticing this guy seemed like the type to whine over a little pain.

Cold water splashed onto the ground, soaking dark spots into the packed dirt floor.

After rinsing his hands, before Chen Deqiang could reach for the basin, Luo Chengxing bent down again, holding He Yubin's ankle with one hand and the basin, which still had plenty of water in it, with the other, slowly pouring the water over his foot.

Chen Deqiang watched, dumbfounded. Why was Luo Datou fussing over He Yubin like he was waiting on his own dad? What the hell?

He Yubin was also stunned. He hadn't expected Luo Datou to rinse off his hands and feet with cold water.

Luo Chengxing's baggy undershirt hung loose as he moved, and from He Yubin's angle, he could see Luo Chengxing's solid chest and midsection, with a few veins popping out on his arms from the effort.

For the first time, He Yubin felt the urge to yank his foot back because someone was holding his ankle.

"Done." Luo Chengxing straightened up.

Chen Deqiang took the basin from Luo Chengxing and set it on the ground, then tried to play peacemaker: "Datou, I think Yubin's fine. You should head back and eat, don't hold up your work. I'll look after Yubin."

Chen Deqiang was actually saying this for He Yubin's own good. He didn't know what had happened, but seeing He Yubin like this, it was better to just let it drop. They didn't know how many more years they'd be stuck in Shanbao Village, so there was no point making enemies.

"No!" He Yubin frowned. "Luo Datou, you hit me out of nowhere..."

He clearly wasn't going to let it slide. Chen Deqiang interrupted him: "Yubin, Datou already said sorry."

"He messed up my stomach!" He Yubin shouted.

Luo Chengxing listened to the two of them bicker, then said to Chen Deqiang, "Tell you what: I'll take him to the clinic at the edge of the village. After he gets checked out, he can stay at my place for a few days. I'll cover his work shifts until he's better, then he can go back to the youth compound."

What could possibly be wrong with him! Chen Deqiang's temples were pounding.

He Yubin was just trying to use this as an excuse to get out of work. Luo Datou's offer hit the nail right on the head.

Sure enough, He Yubin jumped in, afraid he might change his mind, "Fine, let's do that."

He'd talked about going to complain to the commune leader, but he didn't really have the guts. Before approaching Luo Fang, he had already done his research: the commune leader was Luo Fang and Luo Datou's third uncle on their dad's side! If he actually went to complain, he wouldn't get anywhere.

If Luo Datou wanted to play the fool, even better.

He Yubin thought to himself, feeling pretty smug. Even though he hadn't seen Luo Fang and had taken a punch, things had turned out about how he'd expected.

"Ah." Chen Deqiang didn't know what else to say.

When the folks at the youth compound heard from Chen Deqiang that He Yubin was leaving, they were thrilled.

But then they saw a big, burly guy carrying a pair of rubber shoes in one hand and someone face-down on his back, and they all jumped. What had happened?

"Oh my god, what happened to Yubin?" Jiang Hong had just finished washing clothes, holding a basin of laundry against her right hip.

The other youths crowded around too, some still holding cornbread.

They all looked worried. They didn't like He Yubin, but they didn't actually want anything bad to happen to the guy. It was that bad? He was getting a piggyback ride!

Anyone else being carried around and gawked at like this would've been mortified, but He Yubin lazily raised his head and said, plain as day, "My feet got scalded, I can't walk."

Everyone looked at the quiet, hardworking guy and felt sorry for him: Why even bother with a guy like He Yubin!

Luo Chengxing took the back roads to carry He Yubin home. He held the guy on his back, feeling how He Yubin was clinging to him like a limp noodle, making his back tingle in a weird way.

Luo Chengxing remembered that time a mosquito got stuck in his pants, biting him all over, leaving him itchy everywhere but not knowing where exactly.

"Aren't we going to the clinic at the edge of the village?" He Yubin asked, puzzled.

Luo Chengxing was silent for a moment. "You're not sick. Why would you go to the clinic?"

"If I get a note saying you're fine and turn it in to the commune, you'll have to go work the fields."

He already had He Yubin's number.

He Yubin lay face-down, quiet, feeling uneasy, wondering what Luo Datou was planning.

Was he taking him home to beat him again? Where nobody would hear him scream for help?

Luo Chengxing found it funny that such a shameless guy could be at a loss for words.

Both lost in their own thoughts, Luo Chengxing walked in silence, carrying He Yubin without a wobble.

He Yubin, being the petty type, naturally figured Luo Datou was cooking up something bad, and didn't dare make a peep. His arms were wrapped tight around Luo Chengxing's neck, and now he was starting to panic.

There weren't many people around; everyone was out in the fields working at this hour.

Luo Fang had twisted her ankle and couldn't work, so she was sitting in the yard drying chilies. She saw her brother coming from a ways off, carrying someone on his back.

"Bro, who's that?" Luo Fang set down the chili basket and asked.

Luo Chengxing shot a glance at his sister. Luo Fang wore a dark blue cloth jacket, her face a healthy wheat tan, with thick eyebrows. She had the classic look of a country girl, with bright, dark eyes and a thick black braid hanging over her left shoulder.

Luo Chengxing couldn't imagine his good sister turning into that white-haired woman with the weathered, tear-streaked face from his memory.

He'd already talked himself into it on the way here. Why bring He Yubin home? The guy was sneaky and sly. He couldn't leave him at the youth compound, where he'd have no idea what he was up to. He should keep him right under his own nose. If he so much as touched Luo Fang, he would...

Luo Chengxing's hands tightened without him realizing it, and the guy on his back flinched in pain.

Luo Chengxing snapped out of it and said to his sister, "He's from the youth compound. He hurt his foot, so I want him to stay with us for a few days."

"Oh, his foot's hurt too?"

Luo Fang was surprised and tried to get a look, but Luo Chengxing turned aside.

She never argued with her brother's decisions. She couldn't help clean the room right now, and Luo Chengxing didn't ask her to, just told her to stay in the yard and dry the chilies.

Luo Chengxing carried He Yubin on his back into his own room and set him down on the kang.

He Yubin's eyes hadn't stopped darting around since he came in—this was way better than the mud-brick place he'd been staying in at the educated youth compound. It had a window that, when opened, made the whole room bright and airy. The kang was neat and clean, and the room was simply furnished, with a large wooden cabinet against the wall.

"You sleep in this room," Luo Chengxing said, opening the wooden cabinet and pulling out a floral quilt.

"Then where do you sleep?" He Yubin asked.

Luo Chengxing glanced at him. "This is my room," he said.