Ji Mian's feelings for Mu Yu Man became a laughingstock for this group of shameless guys, but Duan Zhuang was relatively "kind" and instructed Sun Qi not to tell Mu Yu Man about it.
They laughed, but he didn’t actually regard Ji Mian’s feelings as a joke.
Ji Mian had carved the cat for two weeks. Duan Zhuang still hadn’t returned it, and he didn’t know where he might throw it away.
Just thinking about this made Ji Mian a bit gloomy.
He never considered the possibility that Duan Zhuang would keep it; Ji Mian thought that probability was less than or equal to zero.
In reality, Duan Zhuang initially didn’t plan to keep it either.
That night, after washing up and getting ready for bed, he felt something hard in his pocket and suddenly remembered that he had taken Ji Mian’s cat earlier that day.
Ji Mian's skills had indeed improved significantly compared to before.
Duan Zhuang rubbed the head of the wooden cat carving with his fingers; the finely carved fur had a somewhat three-dimensional fluffiness. It was already quite detailed, but the technique was still not very mature.
“Better return it to that kid,” Duan Zhuang thought.
After staring at the fluffy head of the wooden cat for a few more moments, he suddenly thought of Ji Mian’s soft, fluffy brown short hair, and his quiet, obedient personality, and he felt that this little wooden carving bore some resemblance to Ji Mian.
“……”
The cat carving turned twice in his hand before Duan Zhuang pulled open the drawer of his desk and casually tossed it inside.
-
In August, Ji Mian had spent a whole year in Duan Zhuang’s shop and finally began to take on some more challenging tasks, or rather, more important ones.
“Come help me with the delivery,” Duan Zhuang said, standing outside the shop and tapping on the glass door.
Ji Mian, holding a small chisel and shaping a piece of wood, looked up and asked, “What are we delivering, Brother?”
“Two wooden carvings that the customers ordered.”
“Oh. What about Brother Sun Qi?”
It was usually Sun Qi who made the deliveries.
At that moment, Sun Qi appeared at the door with a not-thick plaster bandage wrapped around his right wrist, looking dejected.
“Brother Sun Qi? What happened to your arm?”
Sun Qi’s lips twitched but remained silent.
Duan Zhuang scoffed. “What else? He got into a fight with some local thugs.”
Sun Qi’s face turned red. “Those punks were getting handsy with a girl! I couldn’t just stand by and watch!”
“Did you call the police?”
“Well, we’re somewhat well-known around here, so calling the police… would be embarrassing.”
Listening to their conversation, Ji Mian walked out of the shop and immediately saw a simple three-wheeled cart at the shop’s entrance. This was the cart Duan Zhuang usually used for deliveries, but it wasn’t used often since most of the orders were small to medium-sized, which were easily delivered using Duan Zhuang’s old Volkswagen.
Only for large wooden carvings, which wouldn’t fit in the car’s trunk and could get damaged in the back seat, would this small three-wheeler be used.
Sure enough, in the open cargo area of the three-wheeler lay two enormous wooden carvings, wrapped in thick kraft paper and cotton cloth to prevent damage during transit.
The two carvings nearly filled the bottom of the cart, leaving only a small space at the front for a stool for Ji Mian to sit on.
Duan Zhuang stepped onto the cart's driver’s platform, swung his leg over, and sat down. He turned to Ji Mian and said, “Get in and hold the materials.”
“Okay.” Ji Mian reached to grip the edge of the cart, but before he could jump in, the hot temperature of the metal edge made him pull back.
It was still the height of summer, with the sun blazing down, making everything on the ground scalding hot, especially the metal.
Duan Zhuang’s brow furrowed slightly, but it wasn’t because he was annoyed with Ji Mian’s slow movements.
Over the past year, Ji Mian had changed a lot. His once-exaggerated "trendy" hairstyle had been cut into a crew cut, and he had trimmed it a few times since.
Ji Mian had straight hair that was thick but soft, and it easily fluffed up.
Now that his hair was longer, it had become soft and puffy on his head, resembling a cat’s fluffy fur. Anyone who looked at him couldn’t help but want to ruffle it.
After spending a year in the wooden carving shop, Ji Mian had become even paler, several shades lighter than when he first arrived. Standing there, he looked like a human reflector.
Duan Zhuang stared at him for a while before suddenly telling Sun Qi, “Go find an umbrella.”
“Huh?” Sun Qi was confused.
Is it going to rain? The weather forecast didn’t mention it!
Duan Zhuang shot him a cold glance.
“Oh, oh!” Sun Qi quickly went to find one.
On this side, Ji Mian tugged at the hem of his short sleeve, using the fabric to cushion his grip against the sharp edge of the metal before finally getting up.
His waist was exposed, slender and strikingly pale.
Duan Zhuang, who had been lazily leaning back, turned his head away when he saw Ji Mian get into the vehicle through the rearview mirror, no longer watching.
Ji Mian let go, and the hem fell back down, covering his glaringly white waist.
After a short while, Sun Qi returned, holding a thin rain umbrella.
The umbrella was of very poor quality, looking like something bought for a few yuan. It was clearly something a rough man would use.
“Get another one,” Duan Zhuang said calmly, “one that can block the sun.”
“Huh? A sun umbrella?” Sun Qi said, holding the rain umbrella with one hand. “I don’t have one!”
“Go borrow one from your sister Mu.”
Ji Mian watched this scene with confusion, thinking the same thing as Sun Qi: “Brother, is it going to rain today?”
He didn’t get an answer.
So, Ji Mian fell silent.
When Sun Qi returned again, he was holding a light green, plain sun umbrella with a black coating inside.
“This one is definitely right! I got it from Sister Mu.”
Duan Zhuang replied with an “Mm” and turned to Ji Mian, saying, “Hold it up.”
“……”
Why does he have to hold the umbrella?
But what his brother said, he had to listen to. Ji Mian always kept this in mind.
【Hehe.】 The system suddenly let out a cold laugh.
Ji Mian felt puzzled: 【What’s wrong with you?】
All that responded was a single sound: 【Hmph.】
Ji Mian ignored the system. He took the umbrella from Sun Qi and opened it. The scorching sunlight was immediately blocked, and it felt like the air had cooled a few degrees.
Sun Qi scratched his head. “You really have some patience, actually carving wood for a whole year.”
He had done this work before when there was a big order, and Duan Zhuang had called him to help. After two days, he was begging to leave.
His mind was filled with thoughts of how he would rather face a mountain of knives or a sea of fire than carve wood again!
He looked at Ji Mian, hidden beneath the umbrella, and sighed: This might be the patience of a pickpocket.
After all, to steal something, being impatient wouldn’t work.
The three-wheeled cart slowly started, and the hot summer day was now accompanied by a breeze, making it feel cooler.
Ji Mian sat quietly in the cart.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to talk to Duan Zhuang; it was just that his brother’s aura was almost the opposite of Mu Yu Man’s. Ji Mian felt that if he spoke too much, he would be disliked.
So whenever he was alone with Duan Zhuang, he unconsciously remained silent. It was only after he spent the New Year at Duan Zhuang's house last year that he began to speak a little more.
Duan Zhuang, wearing a short-sleeve shirt, drove in front, a freshly lit cigarette dangling from his mouth.
The smell of smoke wafted back toward Ji Mian.
Ji Mian turned his body, feeling a bit bold: “Brother, smoking is bad for your health.”
In truth, he just hated the smell of smoke; it was quite pungent.
“Oh.”
“……” Knowing that his brother wouldn’t listen to him, Ji Mian could only silently close his mouth.
The sun completely broke through the clouds, and the midday sun was indeed scorching.
Ji Mian thought for a moment, leaning his body slightly back and tilting the umbrella toward Duan Zhuang.
A patch of shade appeared above him; Duan Zhuang glanced in the rearview mirror and saw the youth in the cargo area straining to lean toward him, gripping the umbrella handle with both hands.
But Duan Zhuang had long gotten used to the sun and didn’t really need it. After staring for a few seconds, he ultimately didn’t say anything.
“Cough…”
Ji Mian held the umbrella, but being too close to Duan Zhuang, he accidentally inhaled a mouthful of smoke.
He quietly shifted his position, trying to hide the back of his head behind Duan Zhuang’s head to block the smell of smoke.
After a while, perhaps after finishing that cigarette, Duan Zhuang stubbed it out and didn’t light another one the entire way.
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