Chapter 4: Inside and Outside the Wall

When Tianye looked up, their eyes met.

All they saw was a pair of shining eyes, and Tianye almost exclaimed in shock. There were eyes peering out from a hole in the wall, which was terrifying. Has farming become this scary?

Luckily, Mrs. Zhu next door was still chattering away, which helped Tianye calm down.

Realizing that they were still undressed, Tianye quickly grabbed a towel and covered their chest, muttering curses under their breath. Then, they realized their mistake and flung the wet towel towards the hole in the wall.

With swift and precise movements, the wet towel blocked the eyes on the other side of the wall.

If it weren't for the fear of retaliation from the Zhu family, Tianye would have wanted to kick the person on the other side and drag them out to vent their anger.

The hole in the wall was small, so the wet towel thrown by Tianye definitely couldn't reach the other person's face. However, the water from the towel splashed onto Zhu's face as he was carrying firewood.

The cold water on his face brought Zhu back to his senses. He couldn't believe that the person he had just seen was the wild girl from next door. His older brother had been arguing with their mother about not marrying the "black monkey spirit" next door, but what he had just seen was a lively and beautiful girl, and she wasn't even dark-skinned.

Zhu was momentarily stunned, and his mind went blank. Could it be that he had been bewitched by a demon? He closed his eyes in fear.

Instinctively, he wiped the cold water off his face. Despite the refreshing feeling the cold water should have brought in this weather, he felt an inexplicable burning sensation, making his heart race.

Tianye quickly stood up and stood against the wall, making sure to cover themselves completely. They threatened the person on the other side of the wall in a low voice, "If you dare to speak of this, I will report you to the authorities for being a hooligan."

Hearing the threatening voice from the other side, Zhu finally came to his senses. He realized that the person he had seen was not the beautiful girl, but the "black monkey spirit" from next door. He must have been dizzy from hunger and had seen wrong.

Zhu raised his eyebrows and snorted, "Bald black monkey spirit," then he heard the sound of firewood being carried.

Tianye was almost infuriated. "You're the bald black monkey spirit," they gritted their teeth.

Fortunately, both of them knew that what had just happened was not something to be spoken of, so they kept their voices down.

Their father, Zhu San Dan, who was always around, said, "Second brother, who are you talking to? It's time to add firewood."

Zhu instinctively stood in front of the hole in the wall. "I know, I'm coming."

Tianye, on their side of the wall, listened intently to the conversation next door, fearing that Zhu might say something offensive.

The Zhu family was always in chaos, but Zhu was the quiet one. However, Tianye knew that he was sly and not to be provoked easily.

After a while, when there was no sound from next door, Tianye finally relaxed. They had committed a hooligan act, so Zhu probably wouldn't say anything.

It took Tianye a while to calm down.

As for being seen bathing, Tianye didn't care much. After all, they were still wearing a vest and shorts. If this had happened in modern times, it wouldn't have been a big deal to go out in public. Besides, Zhu was just a young boy, and in Tianye's eyes, he didn't understand anything. However, his shining eyes were hard to ignore.

Today was not a good day to go out. Tianye regretted not staying in their room. Why did they eavesdrop and get themselves worked up?

Picking up the wet towel from the ground, Tianye quickly composed themselves. If Zhu said anything to belittle them, they wouldn't admit it. They would just say that Mrs. Zhu next door was plotting against their house and had come up with a trick.

At this moment, Zhu didn't have as many thoughts as Tianye had imagined. He was blushing and didn't know what to do. His steps were heavier than usual, and he was lost in thought. He had never seen such a scene before, and he felt embarrassed.

He muttered, "Mom, the water is boiling."

Mrs. Zhu replied, "You all just want something from me. If the water is boiling, why don't you throw in the rice gruel? Do you want me to feed you?" She then dropped the topic and went into the house to cook.

Zhu Lao'er had a black face, didn't say a word, and squatted in front of the stove to make a fire. Finally, the topic came to an end.

Glancing sideways in the direction of the next room, Zhu Lao'er's face was red, whether from the firelight or embarrassment, it was hard to tell.

Looking up, he saw the courtyard full of flowers, and then looked at his eldest brother sitting on the doorstep gnawing on dried sweet potatoes, and his mother chattering away, Zhu Lao'er's expression turned ugly.

In this family, he had no status. His older brother had always been favored by their parents. Despite his brother's young age, their parents always consulted him on family matters. Whenever there was food, it was always for his older brother.

The third brother was the apple of their mother's eye. Although Zhu's mother would scold and hit him, she never ordered him to do any work. He was always indulged.

As the second son, Zhu Lao'er was neither favored by his parents like his older brother, nor indulged like his younger brother. He had grown up without even a decent name.

Zhu Lao'er had known since he was young that although his parents didn't intentionally mistreat him, they had never focused their attention on him. He never provoked his older brother, knowing that he would be the one to suffer. He had understood this principle since he was young.

If he hadn't been sensible and aware from a young age, and hadn't stood up to his older and younger brothers, he might have ended up like their youngest brother, bullied by the third brother and ignored by their parents.