Halfway through the journey,
Wang Dazhu had already fallen far behind, panting heavily.
He'd eaten well in recent years and had grown broad and thick.
Unlike the Wang brothers and Xia Youmi, who often hunted wild animals in the mountains and had nimble bodies,
he was far from agile.
Making it this far was already no small feat.
"Yi..."
"Brother Yi, I—I can't go on. You go on ahead. What's happening at home sounds important."
His face was flushed red with embarrassment, and he couldn't bring himself to lift his head.
The group stopped in their tracks.
"Dazhu, take a breather first."
Wang Shaoyi turned back to support him, frowning as he thought things over.
Leaving him alone here didn't feel right.
He was planning to stay behind and rest with him for a while.
Wang Dazhu's face turned redder. He scratched his head in frustration,
but finally made up his mind and said:
"No worries. You all go on ahead!"
"This is the main road from the county to the village. Nothing dangerous here."
As he spoke, he was taking deep breaths and subtly clutching his stomach.
Wang Shaoyi, feeling responsible as the eldest among them, grew anxious.
He glanced up at the sky—dusk was fast approaching.
Xia Youmi stepped forward and took her cousin's pack, offering to help lighten the load.
It was clear now that Wang Dazhu couldn't keep up at this pace.
In fact, he might not even be able to walk much further.
He had always been frail and got hungry easily.
And today, Wang Shaoyi had been held back an extra half hour at school for failing a teacher's quiz, delaying lunch for everyone.
Usually, when traveling home during short holidays, they'd always fill their stomachs in town first and then walk at a relaxed pace.
This time, however, they had no idea what urgent matter awaited them at home.
Even when asked, Xia Youmi couldn't say exactly what it was—only that all three of them needed to be there.
It wasn't ideal to leave someone behind to accompany Dazhu either.
Just as they were at a loss—
A distant creak creak sound drifted toward them.
Their eyes lit up.
A bullock cart hauling cargo was slowly making its way in their direction.
Beside the cart walked a stooped old man.
As he drew closer, the group was able to make out his features.
Wang Dazhu immediately stepped forward and respectfully bowed.
"Grandpa Liu! Please wait a moment—I'm Wang Dazhu from the Wang household nearby."
"I have a favor to ask."
The old man pulled the reins and stopped the cart, looking the group up and down.
He gave a small nod, but didn't speak.
Before Wang Shaoyan could step forward to negotiate, Wang Dazhu bowed again and spoke up:
"I was on my way home during our school break."
"Would you be willing to give me a lift? I suddenly have a terrible stomachache and can't walk."
"If you do, when I return home, my father will send two taels of good wine to thank you!"
Wang Dazhu eagerly bargained, promising compensation.
The old man smacked his lips thoughtfully, then nodded again.
With the issue resolved, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Wang Dazhu settled into a cleared corner of the cart and called out once more:
"Brother Yi, Brother Yan, Sister Xia—go on ahead!"
"Sorry for holding you up today. Next time, I'll treat you to lamb stew in town!"
"And Da Huang too!"
"Got it! See you next time!"
Now that the problem was handled, Xia Youmi and the others didn't waste more words.
They said their goodbyes and picked up the pace, rushing toward home.
Looking back, they realized their speed had doubled compared to before.
So the first half of the trip had actually been them slowing down for Wang Dazhu.
—
Back when they had stopped to rest, Wang Shaoyan had removed the satchel from Da Huang's neck and carried it himself.
He had inherited Xia Youmi's father's role as the family's dog trainer, known for his gentle nature.
While he couldn't quite train dogs into hunters, all those under his care were clever, loyal, and almost human-like in their understanding.
With the bag off, Da Huang was able to run freely again and happily bounded ahead.
After settling Wang Dazhu, the three felt more at ease and even had the energy to joke around.
"Ah-Mi,"
"That look on your face earlier—what was that about?" Wang Shaoyi teased.
He had noticed Xia Youmi's confused and surprised expression when Wang Dazhu was talking to Grandpa Liu.
"I was just... shocked!" Xia Youmi admitted.
"I've never seen Brother Dazhu be so proactive."
"And so articulate."
"Pffft... hahahaha!"
The two cousins burst into unrestrained laughter.
Rejoicing over the beautiful misunderstanding.
"You don't know, little sister."
"Brother Dazhu is actually the brightest among the three of us.
Even in the entire academy, he's considered a top student," Wang Shaoyan praised sincerely.
"Huh?"
"Really?" Xia Youmi was surprised.
"I always thought you were the most studious, Brother Yan."
She rarely paid attention to school affairs—so she'd made that assumption without thinking.
Though the three of them were different in age, they studied in the same classroom.
By logic, the youngest, Wang Shaoyan, should've had the most talent.
And with his prodigy-like looks and exemplary manners, he was widely admired.
It was common knowledge in Wangjia Village:
Yi was the troublemaker, Yan the well-behaved scholar.
But apparently, that was all just a rumor.
Wang Shaoyan smiled modestly.
Wang Shaoyi chimed in, "That's just judging by appearances."
"Dazhu's family background is solid, and he's always been diligent."
"Unless I or Brother Yan drag him out to play, he's always reading at home."
"Think about it—Brother Yan and you, you two run off to the mountains every few days."
"Climbing trees, catching fish—always up to something."
"Sometimes settling scuffles between village boys, or even getting into scraps yourselves."
"Then there's our monthly training at Uncle Qing's—horseback riding, archery."
"Brother Yan even takes care of the kennels, putting in effort to train his treasured dogs."
"As for me, I gotta keep practicing my grilled meat skills, right?"
"..."
"Ahem!"
Wang Shaoyi had been listing their 'accomplishments' with growing pride—until he inhaled too much dust and started coughing.
So the trio paused to catch their breath.
Xia Youmi gently patted his back and explained:
"I get it now."
"And besides—"
"It's not about who's better at studying. Everyone knows my brothers have talents beyond that."
"It's just that whenever I see Brother Dazhu, he always comes across as quiet and honest. He rarely speaks."
"So I got curious."
The two cousins exchanged a sly smile, then explained with mock solemnity:
"Dazhu?"
"He only acts that way around girls."
"Otherwise, he's a master debater in class!"
"Even the teacher says it'd be a shame if Wang Dazhu doesn't go into Confucian studies!"
"Hahahaha!"
Xia Youmi finally understood.
Even though she was dressed as a boy and always running around with her cousins,
some people, like her mother, still saw her as a girl deep down—and treated her with proper courtesy.
She really had been raised well.
Unlike ordinary village girls.
None of them knew that this goodbye… would turn into years of separation.
And that promise of lamb stew— would come back around in such an extraordinary way.