Chapter 7, The Thoughts of Men

Hey! Fu Kun's eyes went wide; during mealtime, each person had an egg. Today, he had no rice to eat, so his mother gave his egg to Fu Yijie, and this kid actually used it to feed the dog

As he walked away, the puppy stood up again and continued to follow him

He can only keep his head down, allowing the yarn ball to roll in front of him

Xia Fei was delighted, laughing for quite a while while holding a chicken leg. He took out a small hand warmer from his pocket and stuffed it into his arms: "Do you want to eat?"

Fu Yijie stared blankly at the little dog for a long time, then ran over to one of the children and pushed him hard.

He did not understand why the dog wanted to bite him; anyway, that dog would chase him whenever it saw him. He could not outrun the dog and ended up getting bitten. Later, his mother said, "If you don't run, it won't bite you. The more you run, the more it bites." Thus, Fu Kun followed her advice. When the dog chased him again, he stood still and did not move. As a result, the dog did not even need to chase him; it came right up and bit him.

After walking half a street, he suddenly realized that a puppy had been following him all along

"No need," Fu Yijie stopped and glanced back at him, "You can go in now."

The puppy kept salivating while eating, almost wanting to snatch back half a boiled egg.

"That's all." Fu Yijie clapped his hands, indicating that he had no food left.

Mother will definitely not agree to keep a dog at home, not because Fu Kun is afraid of dogs, but because she also did not agree to Fu Kun wanting to raise a rabbit, saying that if you can barely take care of yourself, how can you raise any animals

"I don't want to." Fu Kun lowered his head; the hand warmer filled with small charcoal pieces was very warm. He used to have one, but after inexplicably losing three of them, his mother stopped buying them for him.

I will definitely do it!" Fu Kun gritted his teeth

It is uncertain whether those two children have followed, but Fu Yijie ran for a long distance in the direction of home before finally stopping

"If I say I won't eat, then I won't eat! That's how men are!" Fu Kun held his breath, feeling much better without the smell.

With the sound of this dissolution, Fu Yijie stood frozen in place

He must be very well-behaved

Mother went to deliver food to Father. Afraid that Fu Yijie would take the food, she locked the door from the inside, preventing Fu Yijie from coming out

Indeed! Fu Kun turned his head and ran downstairs, he knew that Fu Yijie was not going to the restroom

Fu Yijie sat for a while, felt cold, and then stood up to start walking back

Although Fu Kun has not yet figured out how his parents, who cannot even take care of animals, managed to bring Fu Yijie back to raise, these concerns are no longer important. What matters now is that Fu Yijie has secretly raised a dog

Fu Kun saw Zhang Qingkai coming out and said: "You are here again?"

The aroma of food had already filled the corridor, and he rushed to the third floor, rolling and crawling, shouting as he reached the entrance of the corridor: "A piece!"

"My sister isn't this nervous." Sun Wei, sitting in the back seat, scratched the ground with his legs, feeling somewhat disdainful of Fu Kun's anxiety

"That's different," Fu Kun lowered his voice, "He has to stay at my house all the time; he is my biological brother. My mother hasn't cared for him in a long time. He just arrived a couple of days ago. He used to cry at the drop of a hat, like a leaky faucet. If I thought of getting rid of him, he would have flooded my house by now"

Fu Kun rode his bicycle down to his home like a bullet, squeezing the brake all the way, and crashed into the wall to stop the bike

"Elder brother..." Fu Yijie called out, "Elder brother."

"Oh, you really don't want it?" Xia Fei sniffed the chicken leg, "It smells so good, if we don't eat it now, it will get cold."

He cannot take the puppy back, as he has only been in this home for two days. Although the people in the house have treated him well, it is best not to create such trouble. He has seen many children in the welfare institution who were returned because their new parents found them troublesome, and there is a chance they could be sent back again

Turning his head to take a look, Xia Fei did not know when he had arrived, holding a chicken leg in his hand

Having learned a lesson at noon, Fu Kun, after school in the afternoon, pulled Sun Wei along, pushing a cart and following the first-grade student line, almost squeezing in to line up with them.

Fu Kun is not at school, perhaps he is at the school gate

Fu Kun slowly stepped back, is Fu Yijie planning to raise a dog here

The corridor is quite cold; standing still for a short while is manageable, but after standing motionless for half an hour, he began to feel a bit numb.

Should I tell Mom

But should he wait here for Fu Kun, or should he return by himself

What are you doing," Fu Kun turned his head to glance at him, "Hey you...

Fu Kun protected his head and did not dare to move. Normally, he would definitely run away, waiting for his mother to calm down before sneaking back. However, today, even if his mother were to hit him with a cutting board, he could not move.

"What a man's way of eating." Xia Fei chuckled and turned to go back inside.

My mother is a person of her word; when she says there will be no food today, there will indeed be no food.

With no pursuers behind him, he sat down on the steps by the roadside, panting for a long time, his hat askew.

Fu Yijie nodded, but soon shook his head again

He touched the egg, just as he was about to take it out to eat, a burst of laughter came from behind him, mixed with some kind of moaning sound

Hmm. Fu Yijie nodded.

He can remember the way back; it is his habit to note down the paths he has taken. He fears that one day he might be left in a strange place again

Fu Kun instinctively shrank his neck; it turned out to be a dog

Is it cold?" Xia Fei waved the chicken leg under his nose again

Oh dear, someone inside also shouted, "Why are you shouting so loudly? I almost wet my pants."

According to the teacher's instructions, Fu Yijie pulled the strap of the classmate's backpack in front of him, looking around as he followed everyone out of the school gate, but no matter which direction he looked, he could not find Fu Kun's shadow.

He could only clap his hands again, spreading them open to show the puppy: "There really is nothing left."

However, there is none.

I was wrong, "Fu Kun lowered his head, "I won't do it again in the future, I promise."

You are a man, no matter how small! A man must follow through on his words!

Only after finishing his meal did he return to the room. Fu Yijie, holding his stomach, was just about to go outside when he paused and asked, "Are you having diarrhea again?"

Fu Kun ran to the restroom and shouted inside: "A piece!"

Based on my years of experience in not doing good deeds...

You scared me to death! My mother's voice sounded from behind.

Fu Yijie did not dare to linger, seizing the moment when he bent down while holding his forehead, he ran over, picked up the little dog, and turned around to dash away.

Finish eating before saying "It's a man!"

Hmm, I just got off work to check in, are you looking for your brother?" Zhang Qingkai smiled and said, "I haven't seen him come in.

Will he still not be taken back?

Attention! The squad leader in front shouted, "Dismissed!"

Xia Fei! Fu Kun was very angry, "You are truly ruthless."

Brother, please eat something. Fu Yijie looked at him eagerly, sniffed a bit, and wiped his eyes with his hand

Ah! What are you doing! Are you crazy! That child was almost pushed to the ground by him and angrily threw the stone in his hand at him, while another child came over and pushed him hard.

Behind the building lies a piece of wasteland, with a row of old storage rooms. Due to the passage of time, they have become dilapidated and are no longer in use. In summer, the area is overgrown with weeds, while in winter it is filled with dry grass. When the snow melts, it turns into a muddy mess, making even a child like Fu Kun, who loves to "explore," reluctant to go there

As a man, he does not want to make Fu Yijie sad, nor does he want to put his mother in a difficult position

While waiting in line, the senior students from upstairs kept running out from the stairway. He saw Sun Wei but did not see Fu Kun

"If you don't eat, you'll cry," Xia Fei said with a smile

He quietly poked his head out the door and saw Fu Yijie clutching his stomach, running quickly towards the restroom, but he stopped at the stairway.

After each class, he would run outside to look upstairs, but he never saw Fu Kun. He also did not see him during the break exercises, which left him somewhat disappointed

Since then, Fu Kun has avoided dogs, choosing to walk around them. He is unwilling to receive vaccinations anymore, having had them twice a year. He believes that the vaccines severely affect his growth and development, as that year, all his newly grown teeth were lying flat.

Fu Yijie felt uncomfortable sitting in the classroom, as the pace of the lessons at Sanxiao was faster than that of his previous school, making it somewhat difficult for him to understand

"Is it tasty?" Fu Yijie crushed the egg and placed it on the ground, watching the puppy finish eating before standing up. "I am leaving now, don't run around here."

Play cards! Play cards! His mother hit him several times, saying, "You won't be having dinner today, just go play cards!"

"Let's see how long you can hold on." Sun Wei curled his lips, knowing that Fu Kun was not a patient person, and his temperament was quite impatient. With the kind of stubbornness he was showing today, akin to a protective mother cow, it was uncertain how many days he could maintain it.

Do not eat! Fu Kun actually wants to snatch it and eat, but he is currently undergoing punishment. He is a man, so he cannot eat

He quietly followed along, what is this kid up to

Today, mother did not trouble him; she simply asked him to stand here and reflect on what it means to take responsibility

Are you still standing?" Xia Fei waved the chicken leg in front of his eyes and then took it away

It was all given to the dog

Not at the intersection, could it be a little further up on the roadside

Fu Yijie was somewhat dazed by the slap, swaying slightly

He does not want to return to the welfare institution; he wants to have a home

He quickly retracted his head, and when he peered out again, Fu Yijie had already vanished

Ah—" Fu Kun raised his hand to protect his head, "I was just playing cards in the classroom..."

He quickly got up, said nothing, and picked up a small piece of brick that had been thrown into the tree pit beside him

He turned around in place somewhat bewildered, as adults who had finished work walked back and forth around him, with no one paying attention to him as they passed by. A few students, having just finished school, ran past him while playing and bumped into him, causing him to stumble a few times and nearly fall.

Forgotten

There is an egg in his pocket, which his aunt gave him to prevent him from going hungry. He has not eaten it yet, and this habit of saving good things to enjoy slowly has been cultivated for many years.

He fixed his gaze on every person he could see, hoping that Fu Kun would suddenly appear riding a bicycle

"It is really delicious, my Aunt Xu's cooking is truly excellent," Fu Kun said indistinctly while munching.

"Forget it, forget it, everyone is back, it's fine, stop fighting." Several neighbors rushed over to pull them apart and persuade them

The scolding was manageable; after all, he had grown accustomed to it and was not short on time. The key issue was the aroma of the dishes in his father's bowl, which relentlessly wafted into his nose. He had to hold his breath several times just to get through it.

Why are you crying again, I ... ...

"You hit someone! Do you want to die!" A child nearby rushed over and slapped him across the face.

Fu Yijie pressed his hand against the glass, and even through the two layers of glass, one could see the tears shimmering in his eyes. Fu Kun felt a pang in his heart, overwhelmed with discomfort. Was Fu Yijie standing alone by the roadside waiting for him like this today?

At lunch, there was no portion for Kun, and he stood against the wall beneath the window of his own home

This fellow is likely hiding something under his belly

Dog

The classmates behind him all took different paths to their respective homes, leaving only him standing by the roadside

Dad came to the door holding a bowl and scolded him for another ten minutes

He placed the puppy on the ground, hesitated for a moment, then took out the egg from his pocket, peeled it, and threw it in front of the puppy

Um. Fu Yijie covered his stomach and ran out from beside him.

Fu Kun ascended the stairs slowly, and upon reaching the third floor, he made up his mind that he could not tell his mother about this matter

Thinking about it again, I feel that something is a bit off; Fu Yijie holding his stomach looks somewhat strange

After calling out a few times, Fu Yijie saw a dirty little yellow dog emerge from the pile of dry grass, wagging its tail as it ran to his feet

After Fu Yijie turned around, he stopped in his tracks, and Fu Kun quickly hid in the corner of the wall

The puppy wagged its tail and sat down

Today, it is my fault ... ... '' Fu Kun was about to say something more when he suddenly caught a whiff of a fragrant aroma, and he nearly drooled, quickly covering his mouth.

His mother wants him to stand until the afternoon before he can move to go to school

Before the two children could react, Fu Yijie had already slammed the brick onto the face of the child who was pushing him

"After eating, you go to the bathroom, don't your intestines bend?" Fu Kun chased after him, a man should accompany his younger brother to the restroom, "Do you want me to go with you?"

He turned around and saw Fu Yijie’s face pressed against the glass

He turned around and saw two children slightly taller than him, who were throwing small stones at a little dog huddled beside a snowbank.

Fu Yijie finally released the hand that had been holding his stomach and took out two eggs

Fu Yijie turned around, squatting face to face with it, and stared blankly for a long time before finally picking it up: "Let me hide you."

His originally good mood gradually faded, yet he still turned his head to look around

The teacher arranged him in the line according to his home address, placing him in the second position, with a little girl in front of him who kept turning back to look at him

"A moment, I haven't asked you yet, how did you come back?" Fu Kun smiled and asked, "Do you know the way?"

I am telling you, Fu Kun!" Mother pointed at him, "I haven't held you accountable for other matters, and I haven't really managed you as you have grown up like a wild boar! But today is different! This is a responsibility! Do you understand? You took your younger brother out and promised to bring him back! And then what happened?"

Fu Kun went downstairs and immediately saw Fu Yijie clutching his stomach as he turned to the back of the building

Have you been waiting for a long time

The brick in his hand was still there, and without a moment's thought, he forcefully threw the brick, striking the child on the forehead.

The window behind was gently tapped twice by someone

Diu Diu? Fu Kun was taken aback, who is Diu Diu?

Fu Kun is afraid of dogs; he has been bitten by a dog before, specifically the large black dog that is kept in the bus company's parking lot. He has been bitten twice.

Fu Yijie squatted by the roadside, feeling a bit cold and hungry

Fu Kun did not know what method Fu Yijie used to manage to stuff the egg into his clothes without eating it, but he felt that since it had been saved, he should at least share one with him

At the end of the corridor, a small figure ran out from his house. When he clearly saw that it was Fu Yijie, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief, and suddenly found himself unable to run any further. Supporting himself on his knees, he panted while pointing at Fu Yijie: "You scared me to death..."

Fu Kun was already hungry; let alone a chicken leg, he could finish an entire chicken without leaving a bone. Now, seeing Fu Yijie pitifully begging him to eat, he immediately cast aside his resolve of being a "man" and grabbed the chicken leg, taking a big bite.

The puppy licked its lips and sat down

He wants to finish school quickly, eager to see Fu Kun. In the suddenly unfamiliar home and school, only Fu Kun and his warm palms can make him feel at ease in his heart

However, by the time school was over, he was full of energy again. Fu Kun said he would wait for him after school

What should he do

Xia Fei tapped on the window and smiled at Fu Yijie, who was pressing his nose flat against the glass: "Yijie, let your brother have a chicken leg; he is going to starve to death."

Oh. Fu Kun turned his head and went back into the room

I walked all the way to the gate of the bus company, and the puppy was still behind me

Not at the school gate, perhaps at the intersection ahead

Fu Kun did not appear, and he did not know what he should do

Why did Fu Kun not come

dog

Sun Wei lowered his head, carrying his backpack, kicking as he walked towards the school gate. Fu Yijie was somewhat anxious, asking, "Where is Fu Kun?"

The puppy devoured the egg voraciously, looked up at him, and wagged its tail vigorously

Then let's keep it a secret

Is there something wrong

Fu Yijie, who is of short stature, was pushed to the ground by someone.

Fu Kun had a chicken leg for lunch, and in the afternoon after school, he bought some snacks on the way. With little in his stomach, he squatted outside the door during the family meal, and it was quite frustrating for him

Stand at the gate and go!

The classmates were not keeping their distance from him as before, but the one in the back seat, named Jiang Song, was constantly pulling at the pom-pom on his hat, which annoyed him greatly

Moreover, every teacher who enters the classroom will say, "Which one is the new student Fu Yijie?" and then ask him to stand up and be recognized. This leaves Fu Yijie, who is already a bit nervous about changing schools, even more flustered, making him want to curl up and hide in the corner.

Fu Yijie exerted a bit of force, and although the brick was not thrown too hard, the child still burst into tears after a moment of stunned silence.

He did not see Fu Yijie all the way back, and was so anxious that he broke into a sweat despite the biting northern wind

Hmm. Fu Kun turned his face away, as Xia Fei always enjoyed teasing others

If it weren't for the dog over there, Fu Kun would really want to rush out and question Fu Yijie right now

"I have never seen such an unreliable person as you!" Mother exclaimed as she threw a large cabbage at his head. "You complained about me being nagging this morning! Even though I nagged, you still let your younger brother come back alone! Where have you been wandering off to!"

"Brother," Fu Yijie called out to him

"Diu Diu," Fu Yijie called softly towards the pile of dry grass, "Diu Diu, come out."

Before he could turn around, his mother had already kicked him in the back, causing him to kneel directly on the ground

The puppy is yellow, its fur very dirty, possibly frightened, curled up and not running away, allowing the two children to throw stones at it, merely emitting low whimpers and trembling.