After a busy morning, without waiting for the mealtime, Tong Xiaosong was ready to go home.
He wanted to go back early to cook for his sister, otherwise, she would be busy again after returning home.
Wiping off the mud from his shoes in the field, he walked towards home.
Upon returning home and opening the courtyard gate, the fragrance of food wafted out.
Tong Xiaosong was stunned, looking at the various dishes in the bamboo pavilion in the courtyard, he asked in confusion, “Sis? Why did you suddenly make so much food?”
As he spoke, Tongs Mother voice came from inside the house, “Your sister hasn’t come back yet.”
“Then who made…” Before he could finish his sentence, he saw Zhi Xian, supporting his own mother, coming out of the house.
Zhi Xian had a smile on his face and said, “I made it. If you’re hungry, go ahead and eat. I saved some for Yan-Jie.”
Tong Xiaosong stood there in a daze, feeling a mix of emotions, and said, “How did you come here?”
“I went to help Tang Yuxin deliver offerings to the temple. After finishing at the temple, I hurried back to help here,” he walked to Tong Xiaosong’s side, helped him unload the basket from his back, and said, “Hurry up, wash your hands, and let’s eat.”
“I thought…” Tong Xiaosong’s eyes instantly reddened, unable to hold back a smile. He thought Zhi Xian had ignored him.
Zhi Xian raised an eyebrow, “Thought what?”
“Nothing.” Tong Xiaosong hesitated to speak, feeling embarrassed. Then, he remembered that Zhi Xian said he came to help, and he didn’t want Zhi Xian to do dirty work. He quickly said, “There’s really nothing that we need help with.”
“Nothing to help with?” Zhi Xian said with a smile, “Then who was burning paper and cutting themselves, and who put the copper basin against the door last night?”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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Now, when Tong Xiaoyan looked at Zhi Xian, she couldn’t help but feel good about him.
As for the fact that her younger brother liked men, she didn’t think it was a problem at all.
Having someone who cares for her brother, with a seemingly gentle personality, was even better.
***
At the dining table, Mother Tong and Zhi Xian were engaged in conversation. Surprisingly, during their exchange, Mother Tong seemed no different from a regular person.
Tong Xiaoyan, with a smile, whispered, “I don’t know if it’s just my imagination, but I feel that since Zhi Xian talked to Mom, Mom has had fewer episodes of illness. Her spirits have improved a lot, and my mood has also been much better. I haven’t been so tired during this period…”
Tong Xiaosong pursed his lips, realizing once again how formidable Zhi Xian was. It seemed that many difficult things became less challenging when he was around.
He picked up a piece of fish for his sister and said, “Sis, you and Mom should eat more. Zhi Xian has added some health-enhancing ingredients to the dishes, the ones I brought back. Eating them is good for the body.”
Tong Xiaoyan couldn’t help but smile, “Alright, I know he cares for you.”
Tong Xiaosong:…
He couldn’t help but glance at Zhi Xian, and their eyes met. The smiling eyes of Zhi Xian felt like an electric shock, making him instantly flustered. He quickly lowered his gaze.
***
After finishing their meal, Tong Xiaosong and his sister were about to go back to work in the fields.
Zhi Xian stopped Tong Xiaoyan and said, “Sis, let me and Xiaosong handle it. I have more strength and can do more work. You stay at home, tidy up a bit, and you can take care of dinner.”
Tong Xiaoyan couldn’t help but laugh, “Who needs to make dinner? Just heat up the leftovers from earlier. I’ll come with you guys; I’m used to being in the fields every day.”
Unexpectedly, Zhi Xian hesitated and said with a shy smile, “Sis, I want to be alone with Xiaosong, you see…”
Tong Xiaoyan burst into laughter, “I’m not working in the same field as you guys. Alright, I know you don’t want me to work. Go ahead, both my brothers are so considerate. I’m truly blessed.”
Tong Xiaosong, his face turning red from the small argument between the two, didn’t say a word and just turned around and walked away.
***
Walking side by side to the field, Tong Xiaosong had already started working.
Zhi Xian glanced at the field, approached Tong Xiaosong, and spoke while working, “We definitely won’t be able to go back to school within ten days. After subtracting the travel time, we can stay at home for five or six days. Within that time frame, I can surely finish the work in the fields. Before we leave, I’ll help Yan-jie with the household chores. When we’re gone, she won’t have to do anything besides cooking every day. By the time there’s more work, we’ll be on vacation again, and we can come back to help her.”
Touched by what was said, Tong Xiaosong’s eyes teared up. He bit his lip and whispered, “You’re really amazing. In the past, even if I worked hard after coming back, I couldn’t do much. Yan-jie is like a mountain, supporting me.”
Zhi Xian chuckled, “As I told you before, your lack of physical strength isn’t your fault. It’s because you ate too little and lacked nutrition. Look at how much work you’ve done this time after coming back. Your strength has improved. You even dared to shed the blood of the people at the village entrance. Isn’t that impressive?”
“How do you know everything?” Tong Xiaosong, feeling embarrassed, couldn’t look at Zhi Xian and busied himself with work. “You didn’t come back with me this time.”
Zhi Xian laughed lightly, “You brought my copper basin, and it ended up covered in blood. How could I not know?”
“That copper basin!” Tong Xiaosong suddenly remembered and asked in confusion, “Do I have to drip two drops of blood every day and burn paper as an offering to you?”
Zhi Xian replied, “No need for blood. Just make a wish in front of it, and I’ll help you fulfill it. Of course, making wishes directly to me works even better.”
Hesitating for a moment, Tong Xiaosong asked, “Why do you… like me?”
Zhi Xian sighed helplessly, “How do I put it? I told you last time, you got scared and ran away like a rabbit. Are you planning to run away again this time?”
Tong Xiaosong said, “I ran away last time because of a misunderstanding.”
Zhi Xian sneered, “There was indeed a misunderstanding. From the moment I confessed to you, the misunderstanding arose. I don’t know what you imagined, but your reaction really makes me hesitate to speak freely now, afraid that I might say something wrong, and you turn into a little hedgehog again.”
Tong Xiaosong also knew he was in the wrong and whispered, “I didn’t expect you to look exactly like Gu Xuan and appear at the same time. When you were talking, I didn’t know it was you; I thought it was Gu Xuan. Later, I thought you and Gu Xuan were in cahoots, intentionally setting a trap for me…”
“No wonder you kept avoiding me and resisting me.” Zhi Xian sighed, “Do you think I want to look exactly like him? I have no choice. This is how I look ever since I gained consciousness. It’s because I’m the paper substitute that he used to suppress evil spirits. It’s really unfortunate…”
Bringing up this topic, Tong Xiaosong perked up his ears and whispered, “What exactly are you? Are you a student who was killed by Gu Xuan in the past?”
“I am a paper person, the paper person you saw in Gu Xuan’s house when you stole the copper basin,” Zhi Xian casually explained while working. “Originally, things like paper substitutes are possessed by resentful spirits or evil creatures. They shouldn’t emerge on their own. But blame it on Gu Xuan, who killed too many people, all students. He used paper people to block evil spirits, not knowing that he was actually blocking not some evil spirit, but those thirteen students.”
Taking a pause, he continued, “Although those thirteen students had intense grievances, their souls were pure. Due to the unique circumstances of their deaths, they still retained the aura of the living. Under their influence, my consciousness emerged. At first, I was just like any other evil spirit in this world, a bundle of energy filled with negative emotions. But gradually, I felt like I was being purified. All the vitality from those thirteen students transferred to me. Eventually, they slowly dissipated, and I gradually gained all of their memories. It’s like I became the child of those thirteen students. Of course, they don’t know about my existence, and I don’t have much connection with them. But that’s how I came into being.”
Tong Xiaosong’s working pace slowed down. So, is this the reason why Zhi Xian looks so much like a human?
He straightened his back, massaged his slightly sore waist, and tilted his head to ask, “Earlier, Gu Xuan mentioned that he once asked you that he wanted to have me. Is that why you like me?”
“Haha.” Zhi Xian chuckled, amused. He also stood up, and in his sharp eyes, there was a hint of a smile. “What’s he worth? When I found you, he was happily showing off a brand new limited edition pair of sneakers all over the world!”
Tong Xiaosong blushed, “Then when did you realize you liked me?”
So that’s the reason why he looks like Gu Xuan🤔🧐, it wasn’t his choice, now everything makes sense.
I like ur username fri 👍
Oh thanks for the compliment ☺️
Ohhh so in a way we gotta give gu xuan credit for bringing zhi xian into this world huh 🤔 gu xuan is still a scumbag tho