Disabled Childhood Sweetheart: A Humble Puppy Begs for the Young Lady's Pity

Summer of 1995, Pingjiang City.

"You two are childhood sweethearts, right?" Song Xianglin looked at the two children in front of him, who were about the same age as him. The girl had big eyes and fair skin; the boy was using a cane, seemingly because his left leg was not very convenient.

"No! He's my brother, I'm his sister!" Wenxi said.

They were in Wenxi, a rural area more than 100 kilometers from Pingjiang City, at their maternal grandfather's house.

Summer vacation is long, and there is still more than a month before the start of the first year of high school.

It was too hot in the city, so Xiang Qin decided to take her two children to the countryside for the summer vacation, and also to go with Wen Zhiting to relax and unwind.

Song Xianglin was an unexpected surprise on Wenxi's trip. His mother was the daughter of her maternal grandfather's next-door neighbor and a good friend of Wenxi's mother. She was also visiting the countryside during the summer vacation.

Upon arriving at her maternal grandfather's house, Wenxi couldn't wait to drag Zhou Jingchen along to see the livestock her grandfather raised—chickens, ducks, pigs, geese, and more.

She pulled Zhou Jingchen towards the pigpen. The old sow in the pen had just given birth, and several pink piglets were huddled under the sow's belly, suckling and purring, looking utterly adorable.

As Wenxi squatted beside the pigpen, Zhou Jingchen's gaze swept over the newly born piglets, and he immediately thought of Wenxi from his childhood.

He vaguely remembered a few images: the chubby Wenxi, with short, thick arms, a plump, rosy little face, and a wiggling bottom in open-crotch pants.

"Hey, what does this little pig look like?" Wenxi asked him.

Like you.

Zhou Jingchen almost blurted it out subconsciously.

He hesitated for a long time, then shook his head. "I don't know."

"You're so silly, of course a piglet looks like its mother pig."

Wenxi chuckled, feeling curious and excited about everything in the countryside.

The two had just left the courtyard when they ran into Song Xianglin and his mother.

"Oh, you must be Little Magpie? It's been years since I've seen you, you've grown so tall!" Song Xianglin's mother ruffled Wenxi's hair, letting the children play by themselves, and went inside to catch up with Xiangqin.

"Little Magpie," Song Xianglin called to her.

"Yes," Wenxi replied.

"Are you also spending your summer vacation at your grandma's house?"

"Yes."

Song Xianglin glanced at Zhou Jingchen, who didn't look much like her, and asked, "Are you together?"

"Yes," Wenxi replied again.

"So you two are childhood sweethearts?"

When Wenxi encountered words she didn't quite understand, she instinctively retorted, "No! He's my younger brother, I'm his older sister!"

Zhou Jingchen leaned on his cane, quietly watching Song Xianglin. The boy was half a head shorter than him, with strong, muscular legs that gleamed with a wheatish hue in the sunlight.

"Oh, so you're siblings." Song Xianglin's eyes darted around, and she asked, "Then why don't you look alike?"

Wenxi pointed at Zhou Jingchen: "He was picked up by Grandpa Zhou."

Song Xianglin felt a headache coming on, and fearing that the more he asked, the less clear the conversation would become, he said, "Want to go out and have some fun?"

He comes to the countryside every year and is more familiar with every plant and tree here than Wenxi and Zhou Jingchen.

In the height of summer, everywhere is a beautiful scene, and all things are full of vitality, overflowing with life.

That summer was an exceptionally happy one for Wenxi and Song Xianglin; they played and frolicked all over the village every day.

Zhou Jingchen followed closely behind the two. The country roads were uneven, so he walked slowly, afraid of falling and embarrassing Wenxi.

He silently watched Wenxi and Song Xianglin, seeing them run together in the fields, climb trees to raid bird nests, collect duck eggs by the stream, and explore the hillside behind the village.

Wenxi smiled happily; she seemed to really enjoy playing with Song Xianglin.

Song Xianglin's legs were quite agile. He carried Wenxi up a very tall poplar tree, like a monkey, moving up and down with extreme agility.

The three of them were always together, but more often than not, he would sit silently by the edge of the field, leaning on his cane, or stand under a tree waiting for the other two.

Zhou Jingchen tilted his head back, staring longingly at the two of them, imagining himself as the boy sitting comfortably on the tree trunk with Wenxi, swinging his legs...

Song Xianglin used a small wooden stick to write his name on the ground, stroke by stroke.

"Song, Xiang, Lin," Wenxi said with a smile, "your names are really nice."

Zhou Jingchen's eyes dimmed as he stared at Wenxi's beautiful, cherry-like lips. He said, "Song Xianglin, your name is so lovely."

She never said, "Zhou Jingchen, your name is so nice."

With a blade of grass clinging to his hair, Wenxi rested his chin on his hand and gave the man a simple, honest smile: "May I call you Xiang Lin?"

The other person said, "Of course."

Later, Wenxi often called him: Xianglin, Xianglin, Xianglin...

"Xiang Lin, look at that butterfly!"

"Xiang Lin, let's go pick wild strawberries!"

"Xiang Lin, wait for me!"

Her voice was clear and bright, with a touch of coquettishness and sweetness, like a little magpie on a branch, each call pecking at Zhou Jingchen's heart, pecking until his skin was torn and bleeding.

Zhou Jingchen slumped his shoulders and sighed. She had never called him "Jingchen" so affectionately before.

Sometimes she called him by his full name, "Zhou Jingchen," and sometimes she called him "Little Dog," her tone domineering and fierce.

The sky was high and the clouds were wide, the wind carried the fragrance of grass and wildflowers, and the greenery covering the mountains and fields was so lush that it seemed impossible to tear it away.

Song Xianglin and Wenxi had a race on the hillside, with Zhou Jingchen as the referee. The thin boy stood alone at the finish line, leaning on his crutches.

He watched as Wenxi started running rapidly, her legs swinging fast; she was even a little faster than Song Xianglin.

The wind lifted her ponytail, and stray hairs flew around her temples. She ran happily toward him, and as she crossed the finish line, she didn't stop, but pounced on Zhou Jingchen.

The two of them fell backward together, sinking into the soft, thick grass.

"Little dog, am I fast?" Her chest heaved, her breathing quickened, and her eyes shone brightly with laughter.

The wilderness was serene and beautiful, and the boy's heartbeat was deafening.

Song Xianglin lost the competition, but he kept his promise and took Wenxi and Zhou Jingchen to one of his secret bases.

It was a winding stream hidden in a grove of trees behind the village, with the sound of flowing water and chirping birds.

The two rolled up their trousers and stood in the stream catching fish. They would catch one and throw it onto the bank. Zhou Jingchen gathered the small fish together and was responsible for guarding their spoils.

Wenxi, being mischievous, was catching a fish when she suddenly scooped up a handful of water and splashed it on Song Xianglin's face. Not to be outdone, Song Xianglin scooped up water and splashed it back at her. The two of them played around and had a great time, their laughter echoing through the woods.

Zhou Jingchen crossed his arms tightly to his chest, sat on the shore, silently looked away, pursed his lips, and looked down at the little ants beside him.

That little ant has six legs, carrying a seed or something, and it runs very fast.

Zhou Jingchen pulled up a blade of grass to block its path, but it immediately went around it and continued on its way.

He placed a large rock in front of it, which stood like a mountain across the ant's path.

Undeterred, the ant continued to circle to the side, its steps unwavering, as if no difficulty could defeat it.

When Zhou Jingchen looked up again, he saw that the two of them had already walked ashore.

He concealed the disappointment in his eyes and gazed quietly at Wenxi. His previously cold eyes now seemed to be filled with starlight.

The stones by the stream were slippery and covered with a layer of green moss. Wenxi lost her footing, stumbled, twisted her ankle, and fell into the stream, splashing water everywhere.

She cried out in pain, and the fish in her hand flew away.

"Wenxi!" Zhou Jingchen's heart clenched instantly. Ignoring the slippery road, he staggered towards the stream, leaning on his crutch.

But he was still a step too slow. Song Xianglin had already jumped into the water with lightning speed, pulled Wenxi out of the water, and helped her steadily walk ashore.

Wenxi's ankle was swollen and frighteningly red.

Without a word, Song Xianglin squatted down, picked up Wenxi, and headed home. His steps were steady as he walked through dense woods, across bumpy country roads, and past villages with wisps of smoke rising from their chimneys, all the way with ease and without the slightest strain.

Zhou Jingchen followed behind, his pace, leaning on his crutches, not even as fast as Song Xianglin carrying the person on his back.

He was filled with anxiety and worry for Wenxi, while at the same time he felt as if his heart was blocked by a dense thicket of weeds.

When the three children entered the hospital, Wen Zhiting and Xiang Qin were terrified, thinking something had happened to their daughter.

The barefoot doctor at the village entrance came to our house, took a look, and said there was nothing seriously wrong.

He poured some baijiu (Chinese white liquor) into a small white porcelain dish, lit a piece of paper, and the baijiu instantly burst into flames. He then reached his hand into the blue flames, dipped it in the hot baijiu, and quickly applied it to Wenxi's ankle, massaging it in until absorbed.

Wenxi leaned against Wen Zhiting's chest, hugging her father's neck, crying out in pain as the affected area was pressed, tears streaming down her face.

Xiang Qin felt sorry for her, but scolded her playfully, "You're getting more and more spoiled as you get older."

Wenxi sniffed, stuck out her tongue at her mother, tears still clinging to her eyelashes, looking both pitiful and adorable.

Fortunately, the injury wasn't serious. In just five days, the swelling in Wenxi's ankle went down, and she was able to run and jump around the yard again.

-

That night, she shared a room with Zhou Jingchen. There were two small beds in the room, which were used by Wenxi's two cousins ​​who were in college when they came back.

In Wenxi's hometown, he feared nothing except one thing: rural ghost stories.

My grandparents always loved to sit under the old locust tree in the yard and tell those old, strange tales and some supernatural ghost stories. She was timid, but she loved listening to them and found them fascinating. However, at night, she was so scared that she wouldn't even dare to go to the toilet by herself.

So many nights, she would lie in bed, wake Zhou Jingchen first, and wait for him to turn on the light for her. Then, leaning on his small cane, he would accompany her to the toilet.

On a dark and windy night, the occasional bark of a dog could be heard from afar. The leaves rustled in the wind, and the chirping of insects rose and fell, amplified infinitely in the silent darkness, sending chills down one's spine.

Wenxi stood close to Zhou Jingchen, her arm linked with his, and he escorted her to the restroom.

In the countryside here, there are dry toilets with sitting latrines, and a curtain is hung at the door for privacy.

Wenxi took off her pants and suddenly shouted nervously, "Zhou Jingchen, you're not allowed to leave!"

"I haven't left, I'm right here." Zhou Jingchen stood not far from the door waiting for her.

After she finished her lesson, the two of them went back to the courtyard together. The dim yellow light at the gate of the courtyard was faintly lit, and it was very dark all around. Wenxi was on tenterhooks, her eyes not daring to wander, and she held tightly to Zhou Jingchen's arm.

"Wenxi, why are you so timid?" Zhou Jingchen asked.

Wenxi reached out and pinched his waist, gritting her teeth as she said, "It's not that I'm a coward, it's just that... I like having someone with me when I go to the toilet."

"I did that at school too. I always had to call Jiang Xiaoya and the others to go to the bathroom with me."

She snorted and pushed him away. "If you don't want to come with me, I won't invite you next time."

Zhou Jingchen quickly explained, "No, that's not what I meant."

Wenxi, who was deliberately being stubborn, felt a little smug upon hearing his explanation and warned, "Don't you dare say I'm a coward again!"

"Then can you please stop pinching and twisting me in the future?" he asked.

Wenxi glared at him, and said matter-of-factly, "No way!"

That summer vacation slipped away day by day amidst such laughter and playfulness.

On the day they left, Song Xianglin came to see them off. "Next summer vacation, bring your younger brother to play again, and I'll take you fishing!"

Wenxi smiled broadly, her eyes crinkling, and nodded vigorously, "Okay, okay! It's a deal!"

Zhou Jingchen stood beside her, quietly watching her radiant smile.

The wind rustled through the locust tree leaves.

The summer breeze that day carried a hint of sweetness, and a touch of bitterness...