Chapter 3

Chapter 3

When I asked, the little girl’s eyes darted around, but she didn’t say a word, continuing to stand there motionless.

“Mom, Sister is being creepy again! Mom, come quick!”

Wang Yangyang immediately rushed to the stairwell and started shouting. A moment later, Sister Wang hurried up the stairs, grabbing the girl by the ear and dragging her out.

“Get back to your room and stay there!”

“I’m so sorry, my daughter isn’t quite right in the head.”

Sister Wang gave me an apologetic smile. I didn’t think much of it, but after I finished my shower, Wang Yangyang was back at my heels, refusing to leave my side.

Curious, I asked him, “What’s wrong with your sister?”

Wang Yangyang clapped his hands. “My sister is going to marry a Wild Man!”

?

It really was impossible to have a normal conversation with a kid in his ‘chuunibyou’ phase. No matter where I went, Wang Yangyang followed me with wide-eyed curiosity until I couldn’t take the annoyance anymore.

“Do you like playing with water?” I asked.

“I love it!”

“Do you like playing with mud?”

Wang Yangyang’s eyes lit up, and he nodded vigorously. “I love that too!”

“Then go scrub my hiking boots. Look, they’re covered in mud.”

I shoved the boots toward Wang Yangyang, tossed him a brush, and then shut the bathroom door, leaving him inside to scrub my shoes.

Finally, a moment of peace.

I looked down from the hallway window and saw Sister Wang and Brother Wang standing by the main gate. They seemed to be arguing; Sister Wang was crying, while Brother Wang paced back and forth irritably.

“There’s nothing I can do! These are the village rules. What’s the point of crying?”

“You think you’re the only one who’ll miss Tiantian? I’ll miss her too! But we can’t exactly find someone else to take her place!”

Because the rain was so heavy, their conversation came through in disjointed fragments, making it hard to hear clearly. As I stared at them, they both seemed to realize they were being watched. They suddenly turned in unison to look up at the third floor. Startled, I gave them a quick wave.

“Jiang Haoyan, have you noticed that the people in this village seem to be in incredibly good shape?”

“It was raining so hard, and we weren’t talking very loudly when we arrived, yet Wang Yangyang could hear us perfectly from under that tree.”

“Also, it’s pretty cold today. Look at what you’re wearing, but Brother Wang and his wife are downstairs in short sleeves. Brother Wang is even barefoot.”

Jiang Haoyan had just finished his shower and was pulling on a light jacket. Hearing my words, he stopped mid-motion, his handsome face flushing slightly.

“Qiao Moyu, I’m in great shape too.”

As he spoke, he took the jacket back off, tossed it onto a nearby table, and even lifted the hem of his T-shirt to show me his abs.

I rolled my eyes. “Fine, fine, fine. I’m the only weakling here. Why are you showing off?”

Jiang Haoyan: “…”

After a while, Sister Wang called us downstairs for dinner.

There was a bowl of preserved meat on the table, glistening with oil and stir-fried with garlic sprouts. The aroma was incredibly enticing, practically begging to be eaten.

Wang Yangyang was gulping down his saliva, yet he didn’t dare reach his chopsticks toward the plate. Brother Wang and Sister Wang didn’t move their chopsticks either; instead, they watched us with expressions of nervous anticipation.

I picked up a piece of the meat and chewed. The texture was exceptionally firm and springy, with a strange, unique fragrance that didn’t taste like pork.

I ate several pieces in a row.

“This is delicious. Sister Wang, what kind of meat is this?”

Sister Wang and Brother Wang exchanged a glance. Sister Wang smiled, the crow’s feet at the corners of her eyes crinkling.

“It’s Wild Man Meat.”

I thought I had misheard her. “What kind of meat?”

Brother Wang looked at me solemnly. “Wild Man Meat.”

“Qiao Moyu, once you’ve eaten Wild Man Meat, you have to become a Wild Man’s bride.”