CH 23.2

translator: baumkuchen  editor: ellabells

He saw Li Xiaoyu, who should have long been home, sprawled on the ground with his butt up in the air, writing something. Xiao Hei and Xiao Hua were sitting on their hind legs next to him, their heads lowered, looking at something with Li Xiaoyu. But this wasn’t the most shocking thing. The most shocking thing was that from their mouths actually came human words; their voices soft and delicate like that of a three or four year old child, currently seriously discussing something with Li Xiaoyu. 

He didn’t know if it was because he was influenced by Bai Yuehu, but Lu Qingjiu’s first reaction after seeing Xiao Hei and Xiao Hua speaking was: Dang it, I really can’t eat them now.

“Who’s there?” The little black pig, Big Bro Xiao Hua’s hearing was incredibly sharp, allowing him to hear the sound of the things in Lu Qingjiu’s hands dropping to the ground. He bravely jumped up to shield in front of Xiao Hei and Li Xiaoyu.

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“It’s me,” Lu Qingjiu stepped out from the corner, “What are you guys doing?”

Upon seeing that it was the person rearing him, a hint of panic appeared in Xiao Hua’s eyes. Then he laid down on the ground and rolled around, an appearance embodying “what are you saying I don’t understand”.

Lu Qingjiu, “…Your acting is too fake. I heard everything just now.”

Xiao Hua, “…”

Xiao Hei hid behind her older brother. She said weakly, “We’re not monsters. Can you not chase us out?”

Lu Qingjiu said, “Alright, I won’t chase you guys out. Here, I saved some cabbage for you two from when I cooked earlier, quickly eat.” 

Hearing this, Xiao Hei and Xiao Hua both had an equally incredulous expression on their faces. Clearly, they never thought that Lu Qingjiu would actually accept the reality of pigs being able to speak so quickly. 

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Xiao Hei’s entire body shook. She used wary eyes to stare at Lu Qingjiu and said, “You… You’re just accepting it like this?” She had thought that upon discovering this fact, the human before her would at least have to go through a series of psychological struggles rather than accepting it so easily.

“Or else?” Lu Qingjiu said, “How else should I react?”

Xiao Hua said, “Scream a few times?” 

Lu Qingjiu said, “Forget it.” He looked over at Li Xiaoyu. Currently, there was a nervous expression on the child’s face. In a trembling voice, he called out “Lu-ge”.

“Xiaoyu.” Lu Qingjiu walked over to Li Xiaoyu’s side. He directed his gaze onto the item below their bodies — it was surprisingly a textbook. Upon seeing this, he couldn’t help but let out his astonishment, “Xiaoyu, what is this?”

“It’s… it’s Math Olympiad questions.” Li Xiaoyu seemed a little embarrassed. He hung his small head, and his ears turned red. His voice was as soft as a mosquito, “Lu-ge, I’m doing my homework here.”

Lu Qingjiu said, “Why are you doing your homework here?” 

“Xiao Hua can teach me how to solve the questions,” Li Xiaoyu explained in a small voice, “He’s really smart.”

By the side, Xiao Hua, upon being praised, puffed out his not-at-all buff chest.

Lu Qingjiu said, “Oh, solving math questions. Why didn’t you come ask me? I can also help you.” He thought, even if it was Math Olympiad, in the end, it was just an elementary school’s Math Olympiad. It shouldn’t be that difficult.

Li Xiaoyu said, “I was worried about wasting Lu-ge’s time…” 

“I usually don’t have anything on at night,” He half-crouched, and said, “Which question are you having problems with?”

Li Xiaoyu pointed at the textbook, “This one.”

Lu Qingjiu took a close look at it. On the textbook was written: Fill in the blank. An archer makes 10 successive shots at a target. X represents the number of times, out of 10 independent shots, the arrow hits the target. It is already known that the probability of hitting the target is constant, at 0.4. Find E(X²) = ____. 

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Lu Qingjiu, “…” Holy shit, which elementary school’s Math Olympiad question was this? This was clearly an advanced math question that you only learn in university. After graduating from university, he had already returned all his knowledge on advanced math back to his teachers. Faced with this complicated question, he could only stare blankly, his round eyes bulging from their sockets. 

“Lu-ge?” Li Xiaoyu, seeing that Lu Qingjiu’s expression wasn’t right, quietly called out from beside him.

Lu Qingjiu, “…” He was silent for a moment, before picking up the textbook and placing it beside Xiao Hua, saying, “You can teach him first, I’ll bring over some snacks for you guys to eat.”

Xiao Hua never thought that not only would Lu Qingjiu not feel any malice towards them, he would even kindly make them snacks to eat. For a time, he didn’t dare to believe it. He looked at Lu Qingjiu, incredibly skeptical, “Why are you being so nice?! You aren’t trying to find an excuse to sell us off, are you?”

Lu Qingjiu asked, “It’s so late already, who would I sell you guys to?” 

Xiao Hua said, “That’s true…”

Lu Qingjiu said, “In the future, when you guys are going over homework, come into the house. Don’t squat in the pigsty anymore.” Although this place was usually kept really clean, in the end, it was still a pigsty. Children had weak immune systems, if he spent the entire day squatting here, he would definitely fall ill.

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

As Lu Qingjiu returned to the house to prepare some fruits, Xiao Hua, Xiao Hei and Li Xiaoyu watched his back disappear into the distance, their eyes filled with admiration.

“Lu-ge is a really good person.” Li Xiaoyu reached out his hands, and pulled Xiao Hua into his arms to scratch his soft, warm belly. 

Enjoying the scratches, Xiao Hua nodded his head and said, “Indeed, he’s a good person.”

“Yeah,” By their side, Xiao Hei was in complete agreement, “When he heard us speaking, he actually didn’t find it at all strange, and even didn’t stop us from tutoring Li Xiaoyu despite clearly being able to do it himself…”

Hearing this, Li Xiaoyu was moved to tears. He said that he would definitely study hard, and score well enough to get into a good school in the future to repay Lu-ge’s kindness. Xiao Hua used his little pig hooves to pat Li Xiaoyu on the head comfortingly, in his heart grateful to Lu Qingjiu for not depriving them of their time with Li Xiaoyu. He’d never considered…

“Nowadays, elementary school questions are too motherf*cking hard.” Fruits in hand, Lu Qingjiu muttered to himself, “I clearly understand every word. Why is it that when they’re put together, I don’t understand what they’re trying to say…” Of course, he was just speaking to himself. After all, grown-ups had their pride. If he had to admit that his intelligence was less than that of the two little pigs he raised in his home… Upon thinking up to here, Lu Qingjiu let out an expression of wanting to die. 

However, Li Xiaoyu never brought up the matter of wanting Lu Qingjiu to tutor him again. Lu Qingjiu handed the oranges in his hands over to them. As he watched them dig in happily, he casually asked about their current situation.

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Ignorant before asking, shocked once knowing. Only now did Lu Qingjiu learn that Li Xiaoyu had been studying with Xiao Hei and Xiao Hua for a long time now, and was planning to skip a grade.

“My dad says there’s no point in me going to junior high.” Li Xiaoyu ate his orange, becoming a little unhappy upon talking about this, “So I thought that if I can’t go to junior high, I would just go directly to senior high.”

Hearing this, Lu Qingjiu sighed, the way children thought was too naive, but this childishness held a cuteness that melted one’s heart. He patted Li Xiaoyu’s head and said seriously, “Don’t worry, just focus on learning. If your dad isn’t willing to pay for your education, gege will pay.” 

Upon hearing this, a look of pleasant surprise appeared on Li Xiaoyu’s face, but he also seemed a little embarrassed. Lu Qingjiu immediately assured him, telling him to first focus on his studies. When the boat reached the bridge edge, it would naturally straighten.

Li Xiaoyu nodded happily.

Xiao Hua and Xiao Hei sat by the side, waiting for Li Xiaoyu to peel oranges for them to eat. Under the care of Li Xiaoyu, the two black pigs became more and more picky. When eating oranges, it even had to be peeled first. The ragweed they ate needed to be cooked first and seasoned with a little salt. They occasionally even had some vegetables from the fields as a side dish. Their little lives really had some flavour. It was no wonder their attitudes towards Li Xiaoyu were so good. Without Li Xiaoyu, this full-time keeper, they wouldn’t be able to live such comfortable lives.

After Xiao Hua and Xiao Hei were done eating, Lu Qingjiu saw that it was about time, and sent Li Xiaoyu back next-door. He reminded him to not go to the pigsty when he came over to study from now on and just bring Xiao Hei and Xiao Hua over to the house. 

Li Xiaoyu obediently made a noise of agreement.

Only then did Lu Qingjiu let out a sigh of relief and turn back home. Upon returning to the courtyard, he saw Bai Yuehu sitting in his chair, cooling off in the shade. His eyes weren’t closed, staring out at the bright moon hanging in the sky, looking as if he was thinking about something.

Lu Qingjiu walked over to his side, and naturally helped rock his chair. He asked, “Bai Yuehu, can I ask you something?”

Bai Yuehu didn’t even turn his head upon hearing this, replying, “They’re not ordinary pigs.” 

Lu Qingjiu, “…” So it turns out you already knew. He asked, “Then what are they?”

“Their academic name seems to be Dang-kang,” Bai Yuehu said, “The taste is alright.”

Lu Qingjiu, “…” How many of these kinds of creatures have you eaten. 

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“Let’s not eat the ones in the pigsty.” Even though he didn’t usually see Bai Yuehu kill anything, in order to prevent a tragedy like what had happened with the original Xiao Hua from Yin Xun’s home, he still reminded his family’s fox spirit, “They’re really smart, they can speak and even teach children math.” 

Bai Yuehu asked, “They can teach people math with such low IQs?”

Lu Qingjiu, who couldn’t even understand the math problem, felt like he’d been insulted, but didn’t dare express his inner sorrow because it was too embarrassing. He said, “In short, don’t eat them, if you eat them, that kid will cry.”

Bai Yuehu asked, “If it’s cooked very tasty the kid might not cry?” He said this very seriously, completely not joking.

Lu Qingjiu buried his face in his palms. Thinking of that year’s Yin Xun, who had cried and screamed but ultimately had sold his soul for a bite of red braised pork… Even though he didn’t dare admit it, Bai Yuehu’s words were actually had some truth to them… 

“I’m joking.” Thankfully, in the end, Bai Yuehu didn’t trouble Lu Qingjiu and gave up on the matter of eating Xiao Hei and Xiao Hua, “If you want to keep them, then just keep them.”

Just as Lu Qingjiu let out a sigh of relief, he then heard his next line, “I’ll find something else to raise.”

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Lu Qingjiu, “…”

“I’ll find something with lower intelligence,” Bai Yuehu got up from his chair, and let out a lazy yawn, his eyes half-closed, his entire body emitting an air air of alluring indolence. He said, “Something that can’t speak.” 

Lu Qingjiu thought of his family’s coop of chickens and added, “Can you find something that isn’t strong either?”

Bai Yuehu nodded, seeming to agree.

Bai Yuehu entered the house while Lu Qingjiu rested on his beloved rocking chair for a while. Today’s weather was good, there weren’t any clouds in the sky, only a bright, shining moon. After the sun had set, the temperature had also gradually dropped. Occasionally, a slight, cool breeze blew across the courtyard. It was a pleasure to idle away the time like this. No wonder Bai Yuehu liked this rocking chair so much.

As Lu Qingjiu laid on the chair, he almost fell asleep. The most mysterious thing was that their home practically had no mosquitoes. The moment Yin Xun, with that particularly mosquito-attracting body of his, arrived at Lu Qingjiu’s home, he wouldn’t get a single mosquito bite. This was probably one of the reasons why Yin Xun liked being at Lu Qingjiu’s house. However, the main reason was probably because Yin Xun was living all on his own. 

Lu Qingjiu visited Yin Xun’s home before. Yin Xun’s home didn’t have any internet or television. There were practically no means of entertainment whatsoever. Before Lu Qingjiu came back, his life seemed to just be farming. One single person eating, one single person sleeping, one single person managing everything. Only until after Lu Qingjiu returned, was his life finally stained with the smoke and fire of the secular world. 

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

When Lu Qingjiu saw this, he understood why in his heart, and so he never asked Yin Xun about it. There were some matters that didn’t need asking about, just by looking at them, one would know the answer.

As the night gradually darkened, Lu Qingjiu got up from the chair, and returned to his bedroom. After washing up, he sank deeply into the world of dreams. 

At dawn, the rays of the sun shone through the window, waking Lu Qingjiu from his dream. He yawned as he walked over to the outer courtyard and saw his two pigs, who were supposed to be in their pigsty, sprawled out in the yard, soaking in the sun. Next to them, the fierce flock of chickens which had offed two thieves were running around wildly in the courtyard, pecking at grass seeds and stones. The entire courtyard was the image of vitality. 

Yesterday, the tomato-hoarding big spender Chao Qianyu had sent Lu Qingjiu a message, letting him know that he would come over today to transport the tomatoes. Lu Qingjiu had expressed that there might not be enough time, because they needed at least one day to harvest the tomatoes.

After hearing this, Chao Qianyu expressed that there was no problem. He could call someone over to help harvest them and Lu Qingjiu didn’t need to worry about it, he could just wait to receive the money.

Lu Qingjiu felt a little unsuited to his reverent and respectful attitude, but he could tell that the reason why Chao Qianyu cared so much about these tomatoes was because they had been the result of Bai Yuehu’s efforts.

So after a moment of hesitation, he wasn’t polite with Chao Qianyu, saying, “Alright, just find a time to come over.”  

Chao Qianyu agreed with an “okay”.

As Lu Qingjiu brought breakfast over to the table, he heard the sound of a car horn outside the house. His first reaction to hearing the horn was, is it my pickup truck calling? However, a moment later, there was a knock on the gate to the courtyard. The sound of Chao Qianyu’s voice also drifted over, “Mister Lu, we’ve arrived.”

It was only a little after eight, Lu Qingjiu thought, why so early? But he still went over to open the gate for Chao Qianyu.

Chao Qianyu stood outside with two men behind him. He smiled broadly as he greeted Lu Qingjiu, “Hello, Mister Lu.” 

To tell the truth, Chao Qianyu was quite good-looking, gentle and refined, as if he was from a scholarly family. It was just because of what had happened before that Lu Qingjiu’s impression of him was rather so-so. Thus, he just casually nodded back, saying, “Good morning, Mister Chao. So early?”

Chao Qianyu said, “Yes, we set out at about 5 am.”

“Have you had breakfast?” Lu Qingjiu made some polite conversation with them.

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“No.” Who knew that Chao Qianyu would actually answer Lu Qingjiu’s cursory question. He stared at Lu Qingjiu with bright eyes, “I don’t know if I could have the honour of trying Mister Lu’s cooking?”