Otherworldly Space: A Tale of Love and Growth

Lin Xiaohe sat in Song Ci’s embrace, his head deeply buried in Song Ci’s chest, one hand sweating profusely yet clutching tightly at Song Ci’s lapel. At this moment, his face was redder than a deep-fried prawn, more vivid than a monkey’s bottom, almost as if it could bleed. Lin Xiaohe could hear his own heart pounding, feeling a mix of excitement from being cherished, unspoken anxiety, and the shame of committing to a lifelong bond with someone in private. Various emotions surged within him, leaving his mind completely blank for a moment.

He was, after all, still a young man with a thin skin, unable to bring himself to promise that he would marry Song Ci if Old Lady Song agreed. Song Ci felt a bit disappointed but was not particularly angry. After all, Lin Xiaohe was now obediently in his arms. One cannot rush things; it was necessary to give him some time to adjust.

The two of them just sat there quietly, embracing each other, oblivious to everything around them. One was too agitated to speak, while the other was too shy. Neither felt bored or annoyed. Occasionally, Song Ci would gently touch Lin Xiaohe’s hair, remove a blade of grass that had stuck to him, or pat the dust off his clothes. Lin Xiaohe, rigid and motionless, didn’t know where to place his limbs, but he would still steal a glance at Song Ci when the latter wasn’t looking, only to see his chin each time.

They held each other for nearly two hours before reluctantly parting. Song Ci wanted to stand up and stretch, only to find that half of his body had lost sensation. Holding someone dear in one’s arms truly was a bittersweet experience. After the numbness in his body passed, Song Ci stepped on the footholds on the wall and nimbly climbed up with a leap. He then turned around and extended his hand to Lin Xiaohe, who was still in the pit, “Xiaohe, grab my hand, I’ll pull you up.”

Lin Xiaohe reluctantly extended his hand to Song Ci. Seeing Song Ergou’s previous behavior, Lin Xiaohe knew that Song Ergou had been teasing him all along! Song Ergou could easily get out himself but had feigned helplessness and told him he was afraid of being gored by a wild boar. If a wild boar really came, it was uncertain who would gore whom.

Lin Xiaohe and Song Ci faced each other, each holding one of Song Ci’s hands. With the pull Song Ci provided, Lin Xiaohe stepped on the trap wall and climbed out step by step. Once Lin Xiaohe’s feet were firmly on the ground, he forcefully let go of Song Ci’s hands and jogged towards his home. It was unclear whether he was running out of embarrassment, anger, or using anger to mask his true emotions.

Song Ci, on the other hand, stared at his empty hands, feeling a wave of confusion. What was going on again? It was said that women’s minds were hard to fathom, but this young man was no different. This future wife of his seemed to be here specifically to teach him a lesson.

Song Ci did not chase after him. Instead, he picked up some dead branches, decaying leaves, and dug up some turf from around, and began to painstakingly repair the trap they had damaged earlier.

In the evening, accompanied by Sheng, Song Ci went to Zheng Fang’s house to apologize. He had heard that the traps in that area were initially set up during the drought to prevent wild animals from coming down the mountain and were the first line of defense. Song Ci felt that this was a matter of great importance and that an apology was necessary.

Zheng Fang’s house was located on a mound near the village entrance, closer to the mountains, and was the only house in the vicinity. When Song Ci and Sheng arrived, the Zheng family’s door was tightly shut, with a rusty copper lock hanging lonely on the closed door, symbolically rejecting these uninvited guests on behalf of the owner.

“It’s almost this time, Zheng Fang should be back soon, Brother Ergou, let’s wait,” Sheng suggested.

“Alright, we’ll wait a bit longer,” Song Ci agreed.

An apology should be made with the right attitude. Moreover, in this place, people followed the custom of going to bed at sunset and rising at sunrise. After the sun set, birds returned to their nests and travelers went home. People’s daily activities essentially came to a halt, with sleep being the only major activity left.

The county town was a bit better, with night markets on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month, making the streets lively. In the mountains, however, people went to bed early, leaving the area pitch black. Those with timid hearts could even be frightened by the need to get up at night.

“Brother Ergou, Zheng Fang is really amazing. Take the wild boar he hunted last year, for example. Its tusks were broken, its mouth was full of blood, and it had several holes in its body. It was clear that they had a fierce battle. Yet Zheng Fang was completely unscathed, not a single drop of blood on him,” Sheng recounted.

“Such extraordinary skills. Did he really learn them from an old hunter?” Song Ci was puzzled. This ancient era was truly full of hidden talents. A mere hunter had such remarkable abilities, comparable to the instructors he had trained with in the past.

“Of course. The old hunter was a soldier in his youth and had seen battles. He had great skills. Zheng Fang was an orphan he found in the mountains while hunting, and he taught him everything he knew,” Sheng explained.

While waiting, Song Ci and Sheng chatted intermittently.

Most of the time, Sheng did the talking, and the central figure of their conversation was Zheng Fang, whose trap Song Ci and Lin Xiaohe had destroyed.

Zheng Fang’s capabilities were widely acknowledged in Daping Village. After all, no one would dare to claim that they could single-handedly catch a wild boar weighing four to five hundred pounds.

The ambitious young men in the village were all striving to emulate Zheng Fang. In terms of hunting skills, there was no need for comparison; even if there were, they couldn’t match him. At the very least, they shouldn’t fall too far behind him in terms of providing for their families.

Zheng Fang was also an idol in Sheng’s heart.

However, Zheng Fang had a rather independent personality, and he only interacted regularly with a few families. Sheng had previously only greeted Zheng Fang with a nod, but now, because of his brother Ergou, he found himself interacting with Zheng Fang every few days. Sheng felt quite pleased about this.

Nevertheless, although Zheng Fang was generally easygoing, he could be very shrewd when he wanted to keep something hidden. No one in his family knew about his admiration for Zheng Fang, and even if they did, they would consider it quite natural.

Song Ci, apart from detecting Sheng’s admiration for Zheng Fang from his tone, didn’t notice anything else. Of course, he didn’t have the time or inclination to ponder over his young cousin’s thoughts.

Recently, Zheng Fang had spent a great deal of effort to catch a pair of live geese. The geese were specifically requested by the county’s Huang Yewai for his son’s wedding celebration. Huang Yewai’s son was marrying a young lady from a scholarly family. The Huang family, though wealthy, had never produced any scholars, so they placed great importance on this marriage and were extremely meticulous in every aspect. They were particularly keen on acquiring geese to enhance the prestige of the bride’s family, even offering a high price for them.

For the sake of these geese, Zheng Fang had been going out early and returning late, focusing solely on this task and putting everything else on hold. He had caught them yesterday and immediately delivered them today.

Fortunately, his efforts were well-rewarded. The Huang family’s young master, pleased with the geese, gave Zheng Fang thirty taels of silver and invited him to dine in the Huang residence’s kitchen.

As a result, he returned home late.

When Zheng Fang arrived back in the village, he saw the two figures standing in front of his house from a distance and quickened his pace.

“Song Ergou? Song Sheng? What brings you to see me?” Zheng Fang asked with three consecutive questions, highlighting the somewhat distant relationship among them.

“Actually, today when Ergou was in the mountains, he accidentally damaged the trap you set up there. We came to apologize,” Sheng explained.

“We truly apologize. I’ve already made some repairs to the trap. You can check it out another day,” Song Ci added.

“It’s alright. As long as you’re fine, that’s what matters. I’ll take a look at it tomorrow.”

“That’s good to hear. I was worried because I heard it was quite important.”

“It hasn’t been effective for several years now. I’ve been planning to check the traps in that area recently. Don’t worry about it.”

“These egg and chive buns were made by my aunt. Zheng Fang, you keep them. Ergou didn’t know what else to bring as an apology. We thought you might not have a hot meal when you get home, so we brought you some food,” Sheng quickly handed over the basket he was carrying to Zheng Fang after Song Ci finished speaking.

“There’s no need. It’s not a big deal. You can take these back,” Zheng Fang declined, feeling a bit overwhelmed by the enthusiastic Song Sheng.

“It’s just a small token of our appreciation. It’s not worth much. You don’t have to be so polite. In the future, when Sheng sells game, we’ll need your support,” Song Ci said, then pulled Sheng away.

Zheng Fang glanced at the basket, which contained about seven or eight white flour buns, and a thought crossed his mind. In the past, his traps had been damaged before, but aside from Song Ergou, no one had ever come to apologize. It was considered good manners just to inform him. Sometimes, people even took the game from the traps without a word.

If he hadn’t seen Song Ergou’s previous mischievous behavior, he would have thought the stories about him were just rumors.

However, the reformed Song Ergou was much more considerate and sensible than most people.

Zheng Fang found himself looking forward to what Song Ergou would become in the future.

Song Ci also realized that one’s reputation doesn’t always match their true character. Zheng Fang was described as a big man because he was tall and well-built, with healthy wheat-colored skin and well-developed muscles. He might even have had a six-pack. Such a physique was truly enviable. Despite his independent nature, he seemed to have a clear mind and was a very perceptive person.

Of course, as a hunter who often dealt with blood, Zheng Fang’s presence was impossible to ignore. Someone with a soft nature like Dabao might be scared to tears by just a sneeze from Zheng Fang.

He looked like someone who could fight, having learned from someone who had been on the battlefield. Compared to his own skills, Song Ci felt he was overshadowed.

——

A few days later, in the afternoon, when Song Ci returned, Old Lady Song was not outside but was in the courtyard feeding the chickens.

She saw her beloved second son, Song Ergou, returning in a disheveled state. His trousers and shoes were covered in dirt, and his face and hands were grimy, with black mud even under his fingernails. There wasn’t a single clean spot on him.

Song Ergou was holding his swollen abdomen with his hand. As soon as he got home, he furtively looked around outside, making sure no one was around, and then carefully closed the front door.

Judging from Song Ergou’s behavior, Old Lady Song, based on her past experience, knew that he must have done something wrong.

“Song Ergou, have you been out stealing?!”

Startled by Old Lady Song’s outburst, Song Ci was taken aback, and a white cloth bundle fell out of his stomach. The bundle was equally dirty, not much better than the rest of him.

Song Ci quickly picked it up and hurried to Old Lady Song, covering her mouth and saying, “My dear mother, keep your voice down. These are treasures. If others find out, we’ll be in trouble.”

Then, Song Ci led Old Lady Song to her room, placed the bundle on the bed, and slowly untied the knots he had made earlier.

When the true appearance of the items was revealed before her eyes, Old Lady Song was left speechless and stunned.