FID – Chapter 1112

Chapter 1112: Mutual Consent

The Dragon Gate Formation drinking contest never actually took place.

During the busy farming season, the elder men were the main workforce. If they all got drunk at night, how could they have the energy to work properly the next day? That would only make the women at home exhausted.

So the Dragon Gate Formation was more of a casual topic during conversations. If there were ever a real drinking contest, it would have to wait until after the harvest—that would be more fitting.

Celebrating the harvest.

By noon, the Liu family returned home for lunch. Just as the food was placed on the table, Liu Zhixia and Fu Yuzheng came back as well. 

They came specifically to help with the work.

Last year, during the busy season, Liu Zhiqiu had spoken out of turn, mocking the prefect as a weak scholar with no strength, and had been sharply rebuked. This year, he dared not provoke the tiger again.

However, proving himself to be capable with actual labor didn’t make things any easier this year either.

The young troublemakers at home weren’t poking the tiger this time—they found other ways to cause mischief.

“Big Brother, this patch is yours. Finish it before dark. I’ll go over there. Move quickly—if you fall behind, the elders will finish their part and come help you. Don’t let anyone laugh at you for being too young to keep up with old arms and legs.”

Liu Zhixia looked at the patch in front of him, which was over an acre by estimation, and then at the younger troublemaker’s patch, about half an acre. “Why is my area doubled?”

“You’re not a weak scholar with no strength. Can’t you finish just over an acre in an afternoon? I’m not taking it easy either; I still need to tie up the bundles when I’m done. Stop complaining and get to work.”

Liu Zhiqiu walked away with his hands behind his back, face full of pride. Last year, worried that his eldest brother wouldn’t work fast enough to keep up, he had taken on most of the labor himself, and in the end, everything had ended in chaos. He hadn’t forgotten that grudge.

As for the chilly, watchful eyes behind him, he didn’t feel them.

Even if he did, he wasn’t afraid. His reasoning was perfectly clear. What could his big brother really do to him?

Of course, that was the thought he told himself. In reality, Liu Zhiqiu didn’t let his guard down for a single moment. He kept an eye out for any underhanded tricks his unscrupulous elder brother might play. Whenever he got a chance while working, he would glance sideways, then glance again.

It was too calm.

Calm to the point that Liu Zhiqiu couldn’t believe it.

What was his brother’s nature? Cunning as a fox, and the quiet kind at that—someone who could make him frantic and flustered with just casual words and laughter.

How could he be so calm? Just obediently harvesting that acre of land?

Impossible. His brother couldn’t possibly not notice that he was taking revenge under the guise of labor. He couldn’t possibly not strike back.

Something was definitely off.

The more Liu Zhiqiu analyzed, the more it felt like the calm before a storm. So throughout the work, he stayed on high alert almost the entire time. By the end of the task, even though the workload had actually decreased, he felt more exhausted than during a normal heavy day.

Liu Zhixia really didn’t put up any resistance from start to finish; he spent the entire afternoon finishing the work that had been assigned.

Though he wasn’t a weak scholar, he hadn’t done such grueling labor in a long time. The fatigue was obvious. By late afternoon, when it was time to head home, he looked like he had been pulled out of water. His clothes soaked through with sweat, his steps unsteady, and as he stepped onto the roadside, he nearly stumbled.

Liu Zhiqiu rushed forward in a single stride and steadied him. “Brother!”

“I’m fine, I just wasn’t paying attention,” Liu Zhixia said with a smile, his lips pale.

“You really, why do you have to show off? I was only joking. You couldn’t have just let me help?!” Seeing him so exhausted, Liu Zhiqiu suddenly felt frustrated.

“You usually handle all the household work alone, and you take care of Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, and Mom. You shoulder responsibilities that should be shared by both of us. I owe you for that. Since I’m finally back to lend a hand, I might as well do as much as I can. Being tired is only temporary. I should have done this from the start—I am your elder brother, after all.”

Liu Zhixia spoke earnestly, reached out and lightly patted Liu Zhiqiu on the head before slowly walking home.

Watching his brother’s exhausted, heavy back, Liu Zhiqiu’s eyes suddenly reddened, and his chest felt tight, as if storm clouds had gathered but couldn’t rain.

After a moment, he strode forward, lifted his flustered brother onto his back, and huffed, “You must have been a fox in your past life, to be this cunning as a human!”

He was genuinely angry. Even knowing that Liu Zhixia’s heartfelt words and deep brotherly affection were part of his elder brother’s psychological strategy, he still willingly fell for it.

Brothers, after all, only have this life, no next life, so if you take a little loss, so be it.

Who could blame him for being soft-hearted? Though he constantly teased his brother, calling him a weak scholar both openly and behind his back, seeing him utterly exhausted and drooping made him feel uneasy first.

Liu Zhixia didn’t refuse Liu Zhiqiu carrying him.

For a grown man to be so worn out from work that he needed to be carried—it was humiliating. Utterly humiliating.

But his younger brother cared about him, and he had to accept that with a clear conscience.

Refusing would only crush the sincere affection of his naive younger brother.

So Liu Zhixia lifted the corners of his lips and, without guilt, accepted it.

By this time, the elder Liu family members had long been sent home by the younger ones. The only ones left were the four young men.

Feng Qingbai and Xue Qinglian walked behind them. Watching this scene, their reactions were surprisingly in sync: one rolled his eyes skyward, the other lifted a corner of his lips in a soft, quiet laugh.

Liu Zhiqiu was a master of playing the pig to eat the tiger, but in front of his own family—especially in front of Liu Zhixia—he would never overturn the Wuzhi Mountain which was ‘Big Brother’ in this lifetime.

Just like Sun Wukong, no matter how powerful, he could never defeat the Buddha.

With a single retreat move to advance, Liu Zhixia had him completely in check. After this harvest, Liu Zhiqiu wouldn’t have to overexert himself anymore.

Seeing the scenes about to unfold over the next few days, Xue Qinglian clicked his tongue and murmured, “Zhou Yu beats Huang Gai, huh?”

One was willing to hit, one was willing to take it.

In this lifetime, Zhiqiu was always like Huang Gai—the one who got beaten.

“You’re the same,” the man beside him said calmly.

Xue Qinglian paused, “What do you mean?”

Feng Qingbai lifted a corner of his lips. “One willing to hit, one willing to take it.”

“I don’t get it. What exactly do you mean? Hey, why are you walking so fast? Stop and explain! Feng Qingbai!”

The four young men bickered and joked on their way home. By the time they arrived, dinner was already on the table, waiting for them.

Seeing Liu Zhixia being carried back by Liu Zhiqiu, the others’ hearts immediately leapt, and they crowded around.

“What’s wrong with Zhixia? Is he tired?”

“You little rascal, be busy with your official duties all you want, but why come back to help with the harvest? Look at how exhausted you are!”

“Tomorrow, you stay home. We don’t need you out in the field!”

The concern from the elders made Liu Zhiqiu feel guilty. If Grandpa and Grandma knew he had deliberately messed with his elder brother, he’d probably get no dinner tonight.

Liu Zhixia at first smiled quietly, saying nothing. Only when the mischievous Zhiqiu, feeling guilty, tried to inch away, did he speak up, “I grew up doing farm work. A little fieldwork like this won’t tire me out. Just now I was joking around and making a bet with Zhiqiu. Otherwise, as a grown man, how could I let him carry me?”

Under the elders’ suspicious gazes, Liu Zhiqiu nodded furiously, his smile bitter and strained.

This was Big Brother’s continuous psychological strategy: first soften his heart, then make him cautious.

Cunning fox!

Even knowing all the reasons, he could only accept it.