Rebirth Married The Control group Fulang Chapter 132 Part 1

Chapter 132 Extra Zhang Fangyuan 

    "Ah-Yuan, why aren’t you up yet? Sleeping outside like this, you’ll catch a chill."  

    A somewhat familiar yet distant voice reached Zhang Fangyuan’s ears. His fingers twitched. He wanted to open his eyes, but his eyelids felt sticky, and it took him a while before he managed to pry them open.  

    Before him was a fence courtyard made of withered trees. Zhang Fangyuan rubbed his eyes, thinking he was dreaming. But even after rubbing them until they ached, the scenery around him remained unchanged.  

    "What’s wrong? Got sand in your eyes?"  

    The voice was now so close it seemed right in front of his forehead. He tilted his head slightly and suddenly stared in shock: "Mom!?"  

    The woman in front of him, wearing a gray apron, smiled gently and adjusted the basin in her arms: "Silly child, acting like I startled you. If you’re tired, go sleep inside for a while. It’s still early, I’m heading to the river to wash your father’s clothes."  

    "Your father went to town today. Before he left this morning, he said he’d buy two pounds of pork. I’ll cook it for you tonight."  

    Zhang Fangyuan stared blankly at the woman’s gentle smile before nodding dumbly.  

    "Then I’ll be off."  

    By the time the woman had left the courtyard and disappeared into the distance, Zhang Fangyuan finally snapped back to reality. He leapt up from the wide bench made of two long stools: "He ge’er! He ge’er!"  

    He called out several times, but aside from the old earthen house with its black-tiled roof and a few chickens and ducks clucking in the corner of the yard, no one answered.  

    Zhang Fangyuan ducked into the kitchen, instinctively lowering his head to enter - only to realize he didn’t need to. He found himself at least two heads shorter than before, with smaller hands and feet. Startled, he rushed back out and saw his reflection in the water vat in the yard. His eyes widened like copper bells.  

    He pinched his cheeks - soft and round. He had somehow reverted to his ten-year-old self, back when his parents were still alive.  

    The sight filled him with both excitement and melancholy.  

    He was overjoyed to see his parents again, but his heart ached at the thought of his wife being gone.  

    After twisting and turning in front of the vat like a worm for a while. He glanced around, seeing that spring was in full bloom. Instead of leaving through the gate, he vaulted over the fence in one leap.  

    "Zhang Fangyuan!" A boy about his age came running over - Chen Si, grinning eagerly: "Wanna go hunt pheasants in the mountains? It’s spring, the wild animals are all out foraging, fat and big!"  

    "No."  

    Zhang Fangyuan walked ahead alone, but Chen Si didn’t give up, trailing behind him and pestering: "Then how about fishing? The water’s risen, there’s gotta be plenty of fish and shrimp!"  

    "No."  

    "Come on, come on," Chen Si begged. "Xu Shaochun’s at the river washing clothes today. It’s lively over there, there are lots of people. If we go fishing, we might even see her."  

    Zhang Fangyuan said, "Why would I care about seeing her?"  

    Then, as if realizing something, he stopped: "You said there are a lot of people there? Who?"  

    Seeing Zhang Fangyuan’s sudden interest, Chen Si quickly listed names: "The Wang family’s ge’er, the Zhao family’s little girl..."  

    Zhang Fangyuan listened as Chen Si rambled on, but he didn’t hear the name he wanted. His interest waned again, but Chen Si’s eyes sparkled: "There are so many girls and ge’er! With so many people, we can play the Landlord game again. You can be the landlord, and this time, let me be the steward, okay?"  

    Zhang Fangyuan had no interest in childish games, but since Xu Shaochun was by the river, he thought he might as well go and see if he could catch a glimpse of Xu He.  

    The thought of Xu He as a child made him inexplicably excited.  

    "Fine, let’s go take a look."  

    Chen Si cheered and dragged Zhang Fangyuan toward the riverbank at a run.  

    Spring in the countryside was a riot of blooming flowers, and the season of planting and harvesting was always the liveliest.  

    The weather was warm, and by the river, aside from a group of women washing clothes, there were children who had taken off their shoes and socks to splash in the water or catch fish. To avoid scolding from the adults, they played in hidden spots among the bamboo groves, keeping their distance from the washers.  

    When the boys saw Zhang Fangyuan and Chen Si approaching, they scrambled out of the water like they’d found their leader, calling out Zhang Fangyuan’s name eagerly.  

    "What are we playing today? Are we catching fish?"  

    Zhang Fangyuan scanned the area but didn’t see Xu He. Disappointed, he replied flatly: "We didn’t bring baskets or traps. How are we supposed to catch fish?"  

    "Then let’s play the Landlord game! There are so many of us today!"  

    Zhang Fangyuan ignored them and turned to leave, but as he stepped onto the field ridge, he spotted another group of children further upstream - mostly girls and ge’er, also washing clothes.  

    He craned his neck and took a few steps closer.  

    "Shaochun, your pearl hairpin is so pretty! Can I try it on?"  

    "I have plenty of these. You can wear it for a bit if you want."  

    "Your hands are so soft and white, do you use hand cream?"  

    The girls and ge’er chatted and giggled in low voices, the atmosphere harmonious, except for one ge’er in coarse gray clothes, head bowed, silently scrubbing clothes in his basin. He stood out awkwardly among the lively group.  

    Even from the back of his head, Zhang Fangyuan’s heart pounded. He recognized the person he’d spent decades with at a glance.  

    He almost called out, but just then, two boys dashed past, trying to get the girls’ attention. They waved bamboo water guns, splashing water - too shy to aim at the girls they liked, too scared to pick on the fierce ones. After some hesitation, they settled on the quiet, unnoticed Xu He.  

    Two streams of cold river water arced through the air, landing squarely on Xu He’s head and the back of his neck. Though spring was warm, ge’er and girls weren’t as tough as boys who played in the water all day. They only came to wash clothes when the weather was nice.  

    The sudden cold water made Xu He jolt. He jumped up in alarm, then relaxed slightly when he realized it was just water. He quickly wiped the droplets from his head and neck.  

    The others burst into laughter at the sight of Xu He flailing like a startled monkey. The culprits - Li Erdian and Zhou Xiaohu, pointed and jeered: "Look at Xu He! What a dumb oaf!"  

    The girls and ge’er nearby giggled too, though they feigned mild scolding: "Li Erdian, Zhou Xiaohu, you two are so mean!"  

    The commotion drew the two groups together, and soon they were all chatting and laughing - except for Xu He, who was left alone, quietly wringing out his damp clothes.  

    Zhang Fangyuan strode over: "Are you okay?"  

    Xu He was used to being teased and bullied, but he hadn’t expected anyone to care. He looked up in surprise, and froze when he saw it was the village troublemaker.