Yong-ge felt embarrassed, so he didn't show it in front of Cheng Duo. He acted as usual. However, after finishing the planting, he sewed much faster, and he firmly refused to sew clothes anymore. When Cheng Duo asked for the reason, he replied with an ambiguous tone, "It's not good if others see it."
Cheng Duo pondered, wondering if the older ladies and young women in ancient times were familiar with needlework, and if Third Aunt misunderstood and came to ask him?
Yong-ge must have overheard their conversation and knew that his sewn clothes were recognized by Third Aunt, which made him angry and ashamed.
In this case, Cheng Duo couldn't force Yong-ge anymore. Fortunately, he had a set of modern clothes that he brought with him. Although they didn't fit the era, it wouldn't be a big problem as long as he didn't leave the village. He had enough for changing and washing.
Cheng Duo was past the age of dressing up, and after struggling for ten years in the post-apocalyptic world, clothes were only necessary as long as they were wearable. Luxurious clothing held no meaning for him.
However, there was one thing he might need to sew for himself—underwear. Otherwise, it felt uncomfortable with nothing down there, swinging in the wind.
So, after dark that day, Cheng Duo sat under the oil lamp and clumsily sewed underwear for himself. But while Yong-ge found sewing easy, Cheng Duo seemed to lack coordination between his hands and eyes. Even though his eyes were focused on one spot, the needle would end up in another place…
Looking at the crooked stitches he sewed, Cheng Duo felt that it was more difficult than climbing a mountain to catch a tiger. With a little force from his hands, the needle and thread would break on their own.
Feeling frustrated, Cheng Duo simply threw away the two pieces of fabric and went to bed.
The next day, Yong-ge came looking for the sewing basket and saw the fabric cut open by Cheng Duo, with traces of stitches that had been undone. He wondered what Cheng Duo was planning to do.
But at this moment, he was too lazy to criticize Cheng Duo for being wasteful. After all, it wasn't his own home that was being wasted. Why should he worry about it?
It was Cheng Duo who felt a little embarrassed when he saw Yong-ge staring at the fabric. Firstly, he secretly sewed the clothes, and now Yong-ge discovered his poor imitation skills. Secondly, the purpose of making those things was a bit hard to mention…
Fortunately, Yong-ge didn't ask further questions, which relieved Cheng Duo.
Apart from this difficulty, Cheng Duo was making progress quickly in repairing the house. He didn't demolish the original mud walls but reinforced them with wooden stakes. He mixed clay and crushed wheat stalks to patch the walls, giving them a fresh coat. He also raised the parts that needed to be higher and made them solid.
Just as Cheng Duo was preparing to work on the roof the next day, there was a sudden heavy rain that night.
Actually, spring was a season with frequent rain. Although there was less rain in Wudu County, there had been two light showers before. So every night, Yong-ge would help Cheng Duo move things that couldn't get wet into the kitchen, the only place with a roof. Tonight was no exception.
But Cheng Duo himself slept outside, so he was caught off guard and got thoroughly soaked by the heavy rain.
"Damn!" Cheng Duo wiped the rain off his face and cursed the tricky weather, but it was met with a flash of lightning and thunder.
Cheng Duo didn't dare to curse anymore. He had already experienced traversing to another world. Who knew if there were immortals in this world?
As Cheng Duo busied himself tidying up his bedding and bringing the recently bought wheat stalks into the kitchen, a figure hurriedly approached holding a broken umbrella. Through the rain curtain, he called out, "Cheng Duo!"
"Why are you here?" Cheng Duo looked at him surprisingly, then said, "You came at the right time, help me bring the wheat stalks inside!"
Yong-ge agreed and, finding it inconvenient to hold the umbrella, simply threw it away and went to help collect the wheat stalks.
Actually, it had been raining for a while, and the upper part of the wheat stalks had already been soaked. But the two of them still braved the rain and carried all the stalks into the kitchen.
In the end, the kitchen was packed full, and they couldn't squeeze anything else inside. Both of them ended up standing under the eaves like two drenched chickens, pitifully hiding from the rain.
Cheng Duo noticed that Yong-ge was not wearing a headscarf today. His usually messy hair was also soaked by the rain, swept back, revealing a very handsome face.
Although his skin was still not fair, the rainwater had dampened the tiny cracks on his face, making his skin appear unusually smooth. His brow bones and eye sockets were truly beautiful, with a straight and upright nose and a slightly upturned tip. Due to the cold rain, his cheeks and lips had a slight reddish hue.
Yong-ge noticed that the person beside him seemed to be staring at his face in the dark, so he uncomfortably turned his head away. Although he knew it was too dark for Cheng Duo to see, for a brief moment, he couldn't help but feel a glimmer of anticipation…
Yong-ge thought he was being foolish. After all, Cheng Duo had mentioned waiting for his fiancée. He had actually felt regret just now. Regret that the sky was too dark and his disguise hadn't been washed away. If Cheng Duo saw his face clearly, he might change his mind…
But he quickly dismissed this thought. It was evident that Cheng Duo was very fond of his fiancée, and even if he temporarily snatched him away, once he regretted it, Yong-ge's life would definitely be miserable.
Besides, what if the girl was also waiting for him? If he did this, wouldn't he be just like those villains in plays who separate lovers?
Yong-ge lowered his head in distress, no longer daring to indulge in random thoughts.
The pitter-patter sound of the rain surrounded the two of them, as if this corner of the world was the only place left, tranquil and peaceful… Suddenly, Cheng Duo remembered an experience of being trapped in a gas station during a heavy rain while searching for supplies.
At that time, the group had split into several factions, and no one trusted each other. As a lone ranger, Cheng Duo couldn't gain anyone's trust and could only be assigned to guard the door, alone and lost in thought, gazing at the city under the curtain of rain.
He had really wished for someone to be by his side at that time, even if they didn't speak, just to experience the feeling of companionship…
Snapping back to reality from his reminiscence, Cheng Duo suddenly felt inclined to chat, "Why did you suddenly come over?"
"I heard the rain outside the window and got a little worried…" Yong-ge stopped himself in time, feeling that he was being overly concerned. Cheng Duo was a grown man, what could possibly go wrong? Why did he rush over in the middle of the night?
Cheng Duo also thought about it, "I was planning to work on the roof tomorrow, I don't know if the rain will stop. If it continues for several days, it would be troublesome…"
"That's true, these wheat stalks will get moldy if they stay wet like this."
"No, I meant that without a kitchen, it would be inconvenient to cook. After finally eating normal meals for two days, I don't want to go back to eating bland food without salt or seasonings." Cheng Duo made a joke, recalling the various random dishes he made back in the cave.
Yong-ge couldn't force a smile. Cheng Duo was always like this, saying and doing things that made him misunderstand, even though there was no ulterior motive.
This person kept his distance from him, never approaching, never making any advances. But at certain times, it seemed like he forgot he was a ger?
"I'm going back now." Yong Ge suddenly said gloomily, then rushed out to pick up his umbrella and swiftly disappeared into the rain.
Left alone in the rain, Cheng Duo muttered to himself, "…"
Yong-ge eventually noticed that Li Da and Li Er had gone missing. Although his two elder brothers often stayed away from home, they would still come back every few days to change their clothes. It had been more than ten days this time, and he hadn't seen any dirty clothes in their room.
Yong Ge told Li Wang about this, but Li Wang didn't pay much attention. "Those two troublemakers probably went off somewhere again. Don't worry about them!"
Despite saying that, the next day when Li Wang had some free time, he still went to the places Li Da and Li Er often frequented, even swallowing his pride and asking their friends.
But until Cheng Duo's roof was completed, Li Wang hadn't found any news about Li Da and Li Er. Yong-ge felt something was amiss and suggested, "Father, should we inform Village Head Li and ask him to send people to help search?"
"No need." Li Wang insisted.
Yong-ge suggested that he would also go and search, but Li Wang still disagreed. Frustrated, Li Wang coldly said, "I am their father, and I owe them! But you don't owe them, and neither do the people in this village!"
"Father, what are you saying? Regardless, they are my own brothers…" Yong-ge found this statement a bit strange.
Li Wang snorted coldly, "When those two bastards bullied you, why didn't you mention that they were your own brothers? Yong-ge, don't interfere in this matter! Let me tell you honestly, I don't even expect to find them alive. If we can bring back their bodies and bury them, it would be enough to fulfill our father-son bond!"
"Father, don't say that. Big brother and second brother might be fine. What if… what if they just forgot to come home?" Yong-ge actually wanted to say, "What if they went to the gambling den again?" A few years ago, there was a time when they didn't come home for more than ten days. But after that incident, all their land was taken away by the gambling den… In order to avoid making dad angry, he had to change his wording.
Li Wang shook his head, "They have no money or belongings. Our situation is not the same as before, and those gambling dens wouldn't keep them for so long. Yong-ge, rest assured, I have made preparations. Nothing serious will happen."
"Father, don't always think of the worst…"
Li Wang sighed silently. It wasn't that he always thought of the worst. He had searched all the places those two bastards frequented, and even their friends didn't know anything.
Li Wang stared blankly at the entrance, his face gradually showing a hint of sadness. He remembered when those two children were young, they were actually very well-behaved and cute. But their mother died, and he brought Yong-ge back from outside when he returned.
At that time, Yong-ge was already three years old, and his wife had only been dead for less than three years. So the people in the village said that he had brought a child from outside when his wife was sick, which was why he was unwilling to spend money on her treatment. But he didn't know why he didn't bring back the mother, only bringing back one child.
Since then, those two children changed and began to resent him and resent Yong-ge.
What could he do? Jin Tigu repeatedly urged him before his death not to reveal Yong-ge's identity. Those two children were too young, and he was afraid they would blurt out and let the villagers know.
Yong-ge's appearance was too distinctive, and if those people from the foreign ethnic groups came looking, they would recognize him at a glance.
But when those two children grew up and became like that, he couldn't speak anymore.
Li Wang was just an uneducated commoner. He didn't understand the concept of not being able to have both loyalty and righteousness. But every time his two sons bullied the child of his benefactor, he felt immense pain.
In fact, Li Wang had thought a couple of times about revealing Yong-ge's identity to resolve the father-son grievances. But those two children had already gone astray, even sharing a woman between them. If they found out that Yong-ge was not their real sibling… Li Wang really didn't dare to think about what those two scoundrels would do.
That's why he taught Yong-ge to keep his true identity hidden and didn't tell him about his own background, for fear that he would accidentally let it slip.