Pingxiang Village was Fang Zichen’s own project. And when it came to getting people riled up, no one could beat him. Even the old grandpas listened with fiery enthusiasm and emotional fervor, they kept shouting that they wanted to enlist. The village kids were even more fired up, but they knew that sort of thing was only for grown-ups. So when they hung out with Guaizai, they'd sigh and say they wished they could grow up fast and become great heroes who ride horses and kill enemies to defend the motherland. Guaizai told them he could go, and all his little friends believed him.
Now Wang Dagou asked in puzzlement: "Didn't you say you had special privileges?"
Guaizai's face flushed red with embarrassment, but he was proud and stubbornly held his ground: "Yeah, but Guaizai can't go."
"Why?"
"Guaizai has to stay home to take care of little brothers and Father. They can't do without me."
His friends were now full of question marks.
A son taking care of his father?
Back in the day, it was their own parents who took care of them! But in the last couple of years, they'd grown up and didn't need looking after anymore—they already knew how to pull down their pants to pee, how to go home when hungry, that mud wasn't for eating. Lord Fang was way older than them!
"Lord Fang still needs you to take care of him?"
"Yeah!" Guaizai said. "Father always forgets to bring the wooden stick when he goes to the outhouse. Every time, it's Guaizai who finds it for him. If Guaizai leaves, who's going to hand him his stick?"
The villagers were always praising Fang Zichen, saying how sharp and clever he was, practically worshiping him. The kids heard it all the time and thought Fang Zichen was amazing and all-powerful. But now, this all-powerful Lord Fang couldn't even find a wooden stick to wipe his own butt? Even they could do that! Lord Fang wasn't even better than them!
Wang Dagou puffed out his chest a little: "If you're not here, your daddy can do it!"
Guaizai shook his head. "Father says that the sticks Guaizai picks make his butt-wiping fragrant, while the ones Daddy picks have no flavor and aren't satisfying at all. Father needs looking after, and little brothers need me too. Without Guaizai, this family might fall apart. So Guaizai isn't going. If Guaizai can't be a real man, then so be it! If you can't take care of your own home, how can you take care of anything bigger?"
Hearing this, Wang Dagou sighed and tried to comfort him: "It's okay, Guaizai. Don't be sad. We'll take you to dig out a wasp nest! Last time we went up the mountain to pick raspberries, we found a hornet's nest. It should be ready to harvest about now."
In winter, wasp nests usually contain larvae, and most of the wasps leave their nests during the cold season. But Anping County was in the south, where the climate was relatively warm. Typically, the wasps in the nests would just go into hibernation—they were still there, but not as aggressive as in summer.
The village kids knew this stuff inside out.
A few of the little friends piped up: "Yeah, yeah! Digging out a nest is so much fun!"
Guaizai had some trauma from wasps. "What's the point of digging out a nest? Is it dangerous? Wasp stings hurt like crazy!"
One of the little friends said: "We fry them! We'll dig out the nest, then I'll sneak a pot from home, and we'll fry them until they're crispy and crunchy—they're delicious! The wasps are all asleep now, no worries. We've got experience."
This counted as meat. For kids who rarely got anything savory, it was a real treat. Guaizai watched his friends swallow their saliva as they talked, and immediately took Gungun and Dandan by the hand and followed along.
---
Back home, Fang Zichen was busy with official documents when a villager came running up in a panic, having lost one of his shoes along the way.
"My Lord! My Lord!"
Fang Zichen poked his head out the window. "What is it? Did my Black Whirlwind chase you?"
"No, it's—" the villager pointed outside, "—it's Young Master Guaizai and the two little young masters Gungun and Dandan—they've been stung by wasps!"
Fang Zichen: "..."
Where on earth do wasps come from in the dead of winter?
Outside, there was a huge commotion, and from far off he could hear both adults and children wailing.
Such a ruckus...
Zhao Ger came out of the kitchen, his face pale: "Husband!"
"Go get two bundles of straw." Fang Zichen gave the order hurriedly, then went inside to grab a quilt, picked up a large bamboo basket from the corner of the yard, and dashed outside.
Following the noise to the west end of the village, he saw a dozen or so people running wildly, clutching their heads. Above them, a dark, ominous cloud of wasps filled the sky, their buzzing enough to chill anyone to the bone. Several children were being carried in the adults' arms as they ran for their lives.
But could they outrun them?
They ran along the narrow ridges between the rice paddies, weaving left and right—but the wasps flew in straight lines...
Fang Zichen scanned for his three sons while telling Zhao Ger to start a fire. After searching for a while, he finally spotted them. Guaizai was at the very back with his little brothers, the three of them howling like they'd lost their parents, faces covered in snot and tears. Guaizai's face, which had been no bigger than a steamed bun before, was now larger than his dinner plate. If it weren't for Gungun and Dandan beside him, and the fact that he was still wearing the same clothes as this morning, Fang Zichen never would have recognized him.
He hadn't abandoned his brothers and run off on his own. As strong as he was, if there had been just one, he could have slung him over his shoulder and taken off without breaking a sweat. But there were two of them—and they were just about his size—so there was no way he could carry both. Dragging one in each hand all the way down from the mountain had already worn him out. Now, seeing the wasps still chasing them, and Gungun and Dandan crying so hard they could barely breathe, calling out "Brother, brother, save us!" he quickly took off his shirt to shield their heads.
Fang Zichen ducked low and reached them, flung the quilt over the swarm to drive them off, then dropped the big bamboo basket over all three boys. He crouched down and hid beneath the quilt himself.
"Father, boohoo..." Guaizai called out to him, his voice thick with tears.
Fang Zichen's voice came muffled through the quilt: "Son, are you okay?"
"Father, Guaizai hurts so bad!" Guaizai said, his words slurred.
His heavy breathing was loud enough for Fang Zichen to hear—he must have been exhausted.
"Fa-father..." Gungun and Dandan were also crying for him. Fang Zichen lifted the edge of the quilt a crack, reached his hand out, pushed up the basket slightly, and slipped three pieces of candy inside.
After giving them the candy, he quickly covered the basket back up.
The three little foodies, having gotten their treats, instantly forgot all about crying.
The wasps were afraid of the fire and didn't dare come near it. Not far off in the field, there was a pile of firewood—probably left by villagers who'd been cutting it on the mountain earlier, then dropped it in the paddy when the wasps attacked. Zhao Ger grabbed a few sticks and tossed them onto the fire, shouting for the panicked people who were running in all directions to come over to the fire.
Other villagers arrived too, and they lit several more fires until finally the wasps were driven off.
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