Foster Son, Don’t Be So Crazy (14)

Xiang Feng propped his chin with one hand as he listened to the teacher, his eyes looking absently out of the window.

He had long since lost interest in these 'lectures', knowing that most of them were misconception and false beliefs. Xiang Feng had complete trust in Song Jia's words, and was in total disdain how the teacher was currently teaching them that diseases came from 'evil air' or miasma.

He couldn't understand why Song Jia stubbornly persisted in sending him off to school. He would rather stay at home with her, and learn interesting new things.

At Xiang Feng's right was a group of girls giggling and whispering while stealing glances at his side profile. Even when young, they have already learned to appreciate pretty things. Although his scar frightened them, they also knew that he had a lovably beautiful face, unlike the rest of the coarse boys in their village. Those who were slightly older started thinking if they could persuade their mothers to take him in as their concubine, once he grew up a bit more.

The thoughts of the boys were extremely opposite from that of the girls. They thought that a boy with Xiang Feng's frail appearance was shameful. How could that even be called a man! And the fact that all the girls were sneaking glances at him had wounded their pride. They often excluded Xiang Feng during playtime, and found many reasons to bump against him and throw him to the ground. They also made fun of him behind his back, the words 'sissy', 'portioned peach', and 'brokeback' being frequently used. [1]

Xiang Feng didn't pay attention to any of them. He only attended school because Song Jia wanted him to. He kept to himself most of the time, and only replied when spoken to. He was indifferent to their varying opinions about him.

As usual, after his class in the morning ended, Xiang Feng picked up his things and hurried back home for lunch. Because the abandoned castle was inside a dense forest, he had to trudge for a bit before reaching the priest's house. The three of them unanimously decided not to leave a path, so it would be hard for anyone to follow them. To anyone not familiar with the geography of the forest, it would be easy for them to get lost.

Xiang Feng tapped the trunk of the tree that he recognized as the halfway mark to the priest's house. He was about to continue walking when he heard a rustle from somewhere up ahead.

One had to know, Xiang Feng's ears were very keen. An ordinary person wouldn't be able to hear it, but he could. When he closed his eyes, he could almost imagine the clothes that fluttered as they ran, the sound of their rough panting, and the sweat that dripped down their temples.

One of them stumbled and fell; a small cut opened in his right arm where a sharp twig had poked him.

Xiang Feng inhaled sharply. When he opened his eyes, his dark eyes almost glinted red.

His small body moved fast, his expression turning cold. He had pinpointed where they came from, and it was from the priest's house where they had left Song Jia alone.

He clenched his fists as he thought of those five boys that had passed him by. He didn't have time to deal with them yet, but if they touched her...

Even if it was only the thought of it, it cannot do.

Xiang Feng entered the house, immediately searching for Song Jia. He followed her unique flowery scent to the kitchen, where he found her peeling potatoes. A discarded white veil was dumped over one of the chairs.

Song Jia looked up when she heard the sound of footsteps. Seeing Xiang Feng, her lips automatically formed into a warm smile. She stood up from her chair to welcome him.

"School's already over?"

Xiang Feng studied her. She didn't seem to have any injuries, and her expression was relaxed. But...his hand shot forward and grabbed her wrist, gently turning it over. There was a small graze on her milky white skin, looking particularly eye-catching because of the blood that slowly trickled from it.

Xiang Feng froze. He stared at that wound, and the intoxicating scent of flowers that seemed to fill the whole room. His head dipped down, his eyes carrying a hint of rarely revealed darkness.

"Xiao Feng?" Song Jia's delicate eyebrows furrowed. His height was short even for a ten years-old, so when he bent down like that, the whorl on his head was the only thing that she could see.

Xiang Feng broke away from his trance. His long eyelashes fluttered as he blinked at her. "Who did this?"

His hand was still holding her wrist, his thumb stroking her skin in what almost seemed like a lover's caress.

Slightly unnerved by this adult-like gesture, Song Jia retracted her hand from his hold. She hid her hand behind her back and said nonchalantly, "Oh, this? It's nothing. I just scared a bunch of children by pretending to be a ghost."

Most of them had been scared off when Song Jia came out of the house wearing white from head to toe, using her anti-gravity boots to chase them. But the bravest of them had picked a pebble from the ground and threw it at her. Fortunately, Song Jia quickly shielded her face with her hand.

If this grandma's beautiful face had gotten injured, see if she doesn't reveal her fox tail now [2] and teach all of them a lesson!

Xiang Feng gave her a troubled look. His voice that still had a trace of a milky tone sounded anxious when he asked, "Does it hurt?"

His small and thin hands clutched the edge of his shirt, looking ill at ease with her injury. It was as if the one who had gotten hurt was him, not Song Jia.

Song Jia laughed, and the hands that she hid behind her back cupped his face. Unable to resist the urge, she pinched his tender white cheeks.

"It's just a small wound, what are you so afraid of? Could it be that Xiao Feng's afraid of blood?"

Song Jia was unaware that at the return of her touch, Xiang Feng's entire body relaxed. When she rejected him, a sense of panic welled up in his chest. He was afraid that because of what he did, she would hate him.

Thankfully, once he returned back to his usual attitude, Song Jia's unease towards him completely disappeared.

Xiang Feng felt the urgent need to grow up quickly. Song Jia had told him to call her "yimu" once or twice in the past three years, but he always refused even when his heart ached at the sight of her disappointed expression.

Xiang Feng leaned his cheek against Song Jia's hands, pressing it closer to his skin. His dark eyes looked up at her, swirling with intense emotions that Song Jia could not understand. Only her face was reflected on his pupils, as if the rest of the world didn't exist.

Slowly, his thin and red lips moved, speaking with a slightly ambiguous tone, "Mmm, very afraid."

Song Jia smiled and continued pinching his cheeks. In her heart, she shook her head in amusement. A future killer afraid of blood? How laughable.

Xiang Feng pulled Song Jia back to her chair to bandage her hand. The boy's careful and meticulous actions towards her had touched her heart. It seemed that he was really worried about her injury.

"It's nothing serious, really. A few days and it would completely scab over," Song Jia reassured him.

But Xiang Feng pressed his lips together and continued bandaging her hand. While his hair covered his eyes, the previous timid expression that he wore had already melted into a frosty look.

He was originally planning to ask Song Jia if he could ditch an afternoon of school, but it seemed that he needed to go back to the village after all.

[1] In case you didn't know, these are euphemisms for homosexual men.

[2] Reveal one's evil nature or intentions