Chapter 54: He Sacrificed Himself
"Jiajia, come visit the capital when you have time. We’ll host you, you must come," Meng-Three-Year-Old waved goodbye reluctantly to Yang Jiabo.
Xu Chen added, "Don’t forget to bring food when you come. The capital has plenty of delicious dishes, you should try them."
"Foodie, you just want Jiajia to bring you snacks, don’t you?" Chang Jin immediately called him out. This guy was always looking for an argument.
Xu Chen shot him a glance and said to Tang Yu, "Dump this guy. I’ll introduce you to a better boyfriend."
Tang Yu smiled. "I’ll consider it seriously."
"Breaking up couples invites lightning strikes," Chang Jing glared at Xu Chen before instantly switching to a fawning expression toward Tang Yu. "Tangtang, a boyfriend as good and outstanding as me is rare, you should cherish me."
Amid the noisy banter, the group boarded the car. Ren Boying smiled and bid farewell to Yang Jiabo. "Jiajia, thanks for your hospitality. Hope to see you in the capital."
"I will." Yang Jiabo smiled. He would definitely visit the capital, it was the nation’s capital, after all. He had to see it at least once.
"Little boss, you’ve never been to the capital, have you? The capital and this place are like two different worlds. You should go and broaden your horizons," Qin Rong said softly, but her words rubbed Yang Jiabo the wrong way.
Zhang Yunwei and Qin Ruiwen also bid farewell politely. Yang Jiabo waved as their car slowly left the farm. With this lively group gone, the world felt peaceful again, and he could return to his quiet life.
"They’ve all left. When are you heading back?" Yang Jiabo turned to Wei Jing.
"Day after tomorrow. Come with me to my place tomorrow afternoon, my mom wants to treat you to a meal."
Wei Jing was leaving, and Song Yufang wanted to thank Yang Jiabo for taking care of him.
Yang Jiabo: "Sure, no need to buy ingredients, we can bring some from the farm."
Wei Jing: "Alright, I’ll call and let her know."
After lunch, Yang Jiabo and Wei Jing went up the mountain to feed the chickens.
"Jiajia, staying cooped up all the time isn’t good. Why not come to the capital with me? My grandfather has always wanted to meet you," Wei Jing tried to persuade him to get out more.
The idea did tempt Yang Jiabo. After some thought, he said, "You’ll be busy this time, right? You won’t have time to show me around. Let’s wait until you’re free then I’ll visit, and you can be my tour guide."
"Fine. Once I settle my work, come find me in the capital," Wei Jing didn’t push further.
As they chatted, they reached the chicken coop on the mountain. Yang Jiabo scattered a small bag of corn where the chickens gathered. Instantly, feathers flew everywhere as the chickens flapped their wings, scrambling for food.
"Woof woof woof—" Dahei and Xiaohei suddenly appeared, circling Yang Jiabo’s feet.
"These two dogs are well-raised—their coats are shiny and smooth," Wei Jing reached out to pet them, but the dogs dodged. They sniffed around him, as if memorizing his scent.
"Of course. They’re Yang Qing’s ‘dog sons.’ My dad has a ‘cat son,’ and now he’s also taking care of a myna. He’s always happy about it. That tabby cat of ours is so fat it looks like a pig. It loves sunbathing on high spots all day, barely moving, the laziest cat I’ve ever seen."
"Pets can help you relax. You should get one you like," Wei Jing watched the clever dogs. He stretched his hand toward Dahei. "Dahei, come."
Dahei trotted over, sniffed, then placed a paw in Wei Jing’s hand.
"He wants to shake hands. Yang Qing plays this game with him often."
Wei Jing shook Dahei's paw. Xiaohei eagerly approached and offered his paw too. Not wanting to play favorites, Wei Jing shook Xiaohei's paw as well. Then, Dahei fetched a dirty baseball, excitedly nudging Wei Jing’s leg.
"He wants you to play fetch with him?" Wei Jing looked at Yang Jiabo for confirmation.
"Yeah. That ball looks disgusting, doesn’t it?" Yang Jiabo knew Wei Jing was sharp enough to understand, but the slobbery, grass-stained, mud-caked ball was hard to ignore.
"You caught me," Wei Jing frowned at Dahei. Xiaohei then trotted over with another baseball in his mouth, equally eager to play.
"No need to struggle, here." Yang Jiabo handed Wei Jing a glove. He did the same thing often.
Yang Jiabo liked animals too, but he was a bit of a neat freak, so he preferred letting others take care of them while he played occasionally.
Wei Jing put on the glove and started playing fetch with the two black dogs. They were hyperactive, as if pumped with adrenaline. Yang Jiabo usually surrendered after half an hour, but Wei Jing handled them effortlessly.
"Brother, you’ve got great stamina, you work out often, huh? Dahei and Xiaohei have too much energy. I usually admit defeat."
"Yeah, I’ve kept up with exercise." Ever since Yang Jiabo got hurt protecting him, Wei Jing had trained consistently, even learning some combat skills.
Yang Jiabo poked Wei Jing’s arm. "So firm."
"All from training," Wei Jing glanced at Yang Jiabo’s soft, pale frame. "You should exercise too. With your sweet tooth, you’ll gain weight sooner or later."
"Who says I don’t exercise? I work in the fields every day, that counts!" Yang Jiabo retorted indignantly.
After feeding the chickens, the two wandered the mountain, picking vegetables for dinner. Near the chili field, they saw Yang Jianjun in old clothes, weeding with others. As they approached to greet him, a strange voice rang out.
"The east is red, the sun rises…" Yang Jiabo spotted a myna in a cage under a tree, hopping around and repeating the line. "Dad actually taught it to sing. Wonder how long it’ll take to learn the whole song."
"Jiajia, it’s too sunny now, why are you out?" Yang Jianjun paused his work when he saw them.
Yang Jiabo scolded, "If you know it’s hot, why are you working now? You should rest when it’s time to rest."
"I’m used to it, and I can’t sit idle anyway," Yang Jianjun smiled, knowing Yang Jiabo cared.
"Jiajia! Jiajia—" The myna stopped singing and began screeching Yang Jiabo’s name instead.
Wei Jing walked over and said to the bird, "Jiajia, little rascal."
"Jiajia, bite poop!" The myna immediately mimicked.
Yang Jiabo: "Wei Jing, don’t teach it nonsense!"
Wei Jing: "It learns fast."
"Learns fatsh," the myna garbled.
"Xiaoba is getting smarter," Yang Jianjun said proudly.
"Smart, my foot. Call it smart when it learns the whole ‘East Is Red.’ Though if it does, maybe it can perform at the restaurant," Yang Jiabo mused.
The two spent the day leisurely playing with animals. The next day, Yang Jiabo prepared vegetables, fruits, a fish, and a chicken before heading to the Wei family home with Wei Jing.
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