Small pieces of firewood burned up quickly. This winter was particularly cold, and charcoal was expensive. Fang Zichen was a refined person with a delicate constitution, a serious aversion to dirt and disorder, and his own particular sensitivities.
Zhao Ger knew that if they lit a fire in the bedroom, soot would drift through the air and settle everywhere. The quilts would inevitably absorb the smoky smell. While this did not bother Zhao Ger much, he was certain Fang Zichen would find it unbearable.
Therefore, Zhao Ger planned to buy some charcoal for use at night. During the day, they could simply warm themselves by the kitchen fire.
This meant they needed to prepare a substantial amount of firewood. He intended to use the smaller branches for cooking, while the larger logs could be split and stacked in reserve for when they had no time to chop fresh wood. Furthermore, this particular type of wood was known to burn slowly and last longer.
After the trees were felled, they still had to be dragged out. Zhao Ger chopped off the small branches and then organized them into piles.
The two adults were extremely busy. Guaizai, holding his clay dog, sat under a tree when he suddenly spotted several wild fruits on a branch.
These fruits were delicious, sweet and delightful. Seeing that Fang Zichen was resting, Guaizai ran over to him. First, he hugged his neck, rubbing his face against his father's cheek, then pointed at the fruit on the tree in a childish, milky voice, saying those fruits were tasty and he wanted to pick some for his father to eat, but he couldn't climb up.
Fang Zichen was speechless.
He said it nicely, but it was obvious he wanted to eat them himself.
If he really picked them, and his son watched with eager eyes while he ate, could he really eat them all by himself?
But then he thought: My son is something else! So shrewd, just like me.
The tree had a bare trunk, with branches only beginning to sprout after over three meters. This made it difficult to climb.
Furthermore, the fruit did not grow directly from the tree itself, but from vines that had coiled around the higher branches.
Zhao Ger often took Guaizai to the mountains to cut firewood and had seen many of these, but they were hard to pick. Sometimes if they were lucky and found some growing lower, they could pick and eat them.
This one was high up, and the branch was small. An adult couldn't step on it to pick them. How could they get them?
It was also too dangerous.
Fang Zichen didn't recognize that wild fruit, so he asked Zhao Ger first. Zhao Ger said it wasn't poisonous and was edible. Only then did Fang Zichen throw down the hatchet.
He took a few running steps, whooshed over, then wrapped his arms and legs around the trunk and shimmied swiftly up the tree.
Zhao Ger was dumbfounded.
He truly hadn't expected that a young master like Fang Zichen would even know how to climb a tree?
And by the looks of it, he seemed quite proficient.
Once he was in the tree, Fang Zichen estimated that the slender fruit-bearing branch would not support his weight. He had to climb back down to a lower, sturdier position and instructed Zhao Ger to hold onto that branch to steady it.
Zhao Ger had never considered this method, and his eyes lit up.
Fang Zichen, afraid that Zhao Ger would copy him and try this method by himself when gathering firewood in the future, immediately said: "Professional maneuver, do not imitate!"
There were only a few fruits. Zhao Ger waited until Fang Zichen was down, letting him pick the fruit himself, while he first carried a bundle of firewood down the mountain.
Guaizai helped by pulling. Previously blocked from view by Zhao Ger, and now obscured by leaves, Fang Zichen hadn't seen him. After finishing picking the fruit, he subconsciously let go of the branch. Without the force holding it down, the branch sprang back. Guaizai was still holding on, and being light, was flung directly into the air.
"Ah......"
Watching his son flung into the sky, Fang Zichen broke out in a cold sweat instantly, and the few peanut-sized fruits in his hand dropped.
His mouth went dry, and only two words flashed in his mind... It's over.
An instant was brief, yet in that fleeting moment, a vivid image of his future flashed through his mind: a deranged and limping version of himself, forced to beg for food on the streets with Zhao Ger, facing a lonely and destitute old age.
The thought was absolute. If his son were gone, he knew he would truly, irrevocably, go mad.
Fang Zichen sprinted, using the fastest speed of his life, and charged over.
Zhao Ger hadn't gone far. Hearing the commotion, he looked back and saw his son flying through the air, limbs splayed.
His soul nearly fled from fright. He dropped the firewood and ran back up the mountain.
When he reached the chopping area, he saw Fang Zichen holding Guaizai tightly. After chopping wood for so long earlier, he hadn't broken a sweat, but now his head was drenched.
Guaizai laughed heartily, "Hahaha..."
He hadn't realized he had just taken a trip to the gates of the underworld, he thought Fang Zichen was just playing with him.
Though young, he was still a boy and liked exciting games.
Zhao Ger, panting, asked: "What happened?"
Having nearly caused the demise of his own dear son, Fang Zichen stammered, not even daring to look at him: "It... it was just... playing."
Guaizai exclaimed loudly: "So much fun, Father! Guaizai wants to play again!"
Fang Zichen: "......"
If they did it again, he estimated he would die on the spot from shock. Fortunately his heart was strong enough, otherwise, Zhao Ger might have become a widower at a young age.
Zhao Ger picked up the wild fruits that had fallen on the ground. There were nine of them, not very big. The inside was sticky and looked rather disgusting, but Guaizai liked them.
Guaizai took the fruits and asked Fang Zichen and Zhao Ger if they wanted any. Seeing them both shake their heads, he then obediently sat to the side, holding the fruits.
For the entire afternoon, Fang Zichen just chopped and chopped. However, even after all the work, they hadn't managed to prepare much firewood.
He instructed Zhao Ger to wait until his next day off to come and chop more.
However, he only had four days off per month, and he was scheduled to leave for the prefectural city for the examination in a few days. Waiting for his return to chop more wood was not a practical option; they would likely have to wait until the following year.
Fang Zichen quickly realized this as well. The thought of Zhao Ger venturing up the mountain alone with the child to chop wood was something he truly couldn't bear.
In the end, they decided to spend some silver and just buy it from He Xi instead.
The next day when he reported for work, the boss of Yahang sought him out.
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