Tomb raiders: You stole my little Qilin?

As dusk fell, the barbecue grill was already set up in the courtyard.

The charcoal fire in the tin stove was burning brightly, its orange-red flames flickering in the twilight, casting the shadows of the three people into varying lengths.

Wu Wei stood in front of the stove with the skewered meat in his hand, striking a very confident pose, but his movements as he flipped the meat were clumsy.

The first batch of grilled meat skewers had a charred edge, turning black, and the bamboo skewers were bent in half from the heat.

He took a bite, chewed it, frowned, and mumbled, "It tastes awful."

One skewer was given to Zhang Qiling and Hei Xiazi, one for each of them.

The two took it and tried it. Black Bear finished chewing it without changing his expression and said, "It tastes good."

Zhang Qiling nodded as well: "It's alright."

Wu Wei looked at them speechlessly: "Don't exaggerate, it's not like I didn't eat it."

When Hei Xiazi saw that his insincere praise had been exposed, he stopped pretending.

He burst into laughter, his shoulders shaking: "It is a bit hard to eat."

Zhang Qiling also smiled and added, "It's edible."

Wu Wei didn't give up, taking a few more skewers of raw meat from the plate and putting them on the grill, stubbornly saying:

"Whether it tastes good or not is not important, what's important is that it's cooked through."

Zhang Qiling bent down and put a few more pieces of charcoal into the stove. The flames shot up and made the meat skewers on the rack sizzle and drip oil.

Wu Wei frantically flipped the meat over, and this time he finally grasped some of the tricks. Although the meat still didn't look very appetizing, at least it wasn't burnt.

He tried a skewer himself, and his eyes lit up: "This one's not bad."

After grilling several more rounds, my skills gradually improved. The meat skewers were grilled until they were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Sprinkled with cumin and chili powder, they tasted delicious.

After the three of them had almost finished eating, Wu Wei suddenly remembered the wine he had bought that day, so he got up and went to fetch the bundle of bamboo tubes.

He set aside the pot with the red label, and took the remaining three pots to the stone table.

Unlike the slender wine jugs found in restaurants, this bamboo tube is quite thick, wide, and short, making it heavy and capable of holding a considerable amount of wine.

Wu Wei gave one to Zhang Qiling and one to Hei Xiazi, and kept one for himself.

Unscrew the cap and lift it up.

"Celebrating our meeting."

Black Bear immediately raised his bamboo tube, a smile playing on his lips: "Let's celebrate our meeting."

Zhang Qiling also raised his glass with them, his voice earnest: "Celebrating our meeting."

None of the three looked for cups; instead, they grabbed the bamboo tube and took a big gulp.

Wu Wei felt a spicy sensation rush to his throat, choking him so much that he quickly took a bite of the grilled skewer to suppress it.

Black Bear put down the bamboo tube, leaned back in his chair, and spoke with a touch of emotion:

"When we first met, I never imagined we'd be sitting together drinking like this now."

Wu Wei couldn't help but smile when he recalled their first meeting:

"The first time I met you guys, the first thing Blackie said was, 'Wu Xie, are you cold?' and he just threw his clothes at me."

"At the time, I thought, how come this person can't even recognize all the employers before taking on jobs?"

Black Bear pushed up his sunglasses, speaking with an air of self-righteousness:

"Then you can't blame me. You look even younger than Wu Xie. Isn't it normal for a blind person to mistake someone else?"

"And what about me?" Zhang Qiling rarely took the initiative to ask a question.

Wu Wei turned to look at him, her peach blossom eyes curving into a smile:

"Hey bro, the first time I saw you, I thought, this guy is like a statue, sitting there without saying a word, cold and handsome."

Zhang Qiling's lips curled up slightly as he picked up the bamboo tube and took a sip of wine.

The three of them would exchange a few words and then take a sip of wine, and before long, the bamboo tubes in their hands were empty.

Wu Wei gulped down the last mouthful and tried to stand up to get the chicken wings from the grill.

But his feet felt unsteady, and he swayed, dropping the bamboo tube in his hand, which rolled to the ground under the pomegranate tree.

Zhang Qiling reacted quickly and caught him.

Black Bear bent down, picked up the bamboo tube, brought it to his nose, and smelled it. His brows furrowed. "This is strong liquor."

Wu Wei clung to Zhang Qiling, grinning foolishly and shaking his head as he said:

"No, the spirits weren't taken out. I—"

He pointed inside the house, "It's inside."

Judging from his condition, it's obvious he's drunk.

Zhang Qiling wanted to remove him from her body and help him into the room.

But Wu Wei wouldn't cooperate, wriggling around like an eel, trying to break free from Zhang Qiling's grasp and get his bamboo tube back.

Zhang Qiling pressed down on his shoulder and said in a low voice, "Don't move."

The drunk Wu Wei blinked, taking a beat to realize that the person was talking about him.

He was silent for two seconds, his mind hazy, and the fear of being transported to another world that had been suppressed in his heart was released under the influence of alcohol.

A strange sense of grievance welled up inside me.

She raised her head, her peach-blossom eyes glaring at Zhang Qiling, and accused him, "You're so fierce."

Zhang Qiling choked for a moment.

Black Bear stood by and mocked mercilessly:

"See? I told you not to talk all day, and now look what's happened. Even Wu Wei thinks you're fierce."

Zhang Qiling ignored him, paused, and softened her voice as much as possible before speaking to Wu Wei:

"I'll take you to your room to sleep."

Wu Wei shook his head, "Where's my wine? Give me my wine..."

Seeing him so drunk, Zhang Qiling naturally wouldn't let him drink anymore.

He stopped trying to reason with the drunkard, simply picked him up and carried him to the room.

The two were about the same height, but Zhang Qiling was incredibly strong. Even though Wu Wei struggled, he was still steadily placed on the bed.

The pomegranate tree's shadow fell on the bear's face; his sunglasses covered his eyes, obscuring his expression.

A moment later, he looked away and picked up the bamboo skewers, plates, and bamboo tubes scattered in the yard one by one.

Zhang Qiling took a towel soaked in cool water and wiped Wu Wei's face.

He had never done this before, so his movements were clumsy yet meticulous.

Wu Wei was startled by the chill and suddenly became quiet.

She lay quietly on the bed, her eyes fixed on Zhang Qiling, as if trying to identify him.

Zhang Qiling sat on the edge of the bed, turned the towel over, and continued to wipe his hands.

Then Wu Wei suddenly spoke up.

"Brother won't be alone anymore." The voice was muffled, and his tongue was a little tied, but he spoke every word very seriously.

"I will stay with you."

Zhang Qiling's hand froze.

The towel dangled down and rested on the back of Wu Wei's hand, its coolness seeping into his skin little by little.

The brain didn't seem to fully understand the sentence; it simply stopped moving and stared motionlessly at the person on the bed.

Wu Wei hadn't stopped talking when he started talking about Hei Xiazi again: "Even if he's blind, he'll stay with you."

He frowned, as if he had remembered something important, trying to retrieve the memory from his muddled mind.

I vaguely remember being able to cure the divinely inspired, but I can't explain it clearly. I just keep repeating the same things over and over:

"The young man will get better and won't lose his memory again..."

Wu Wei smiled foolishly at Zhang Qiling.

"Even if I lose my memory, it doesn't matter, I will find Brother..."

The alcohol made Wu Wei listless; he closed his eyes, but his mouth didn't stop.

"I will find the chieftain and stay with you forever."

Zhang Qiling put the towel in his hand aside and silently watched the drunk Wu Wei.

No one knows how he feels at that moment.

Moved, pained, yearning, confused—so many complex emotions were mixed together, leaving this person, who never showed his emotions, unsure of what expression to wear when facing Wu Wei.

Fortunately, Wu Wei had his eyes closed and couldn't see the blankness that seemed to freeze on Zhang Qiling's face.

No one said they would stay with him forever.

He was the last Zhang Qiling of the Zhang family, but the Zhang family was his responsibility, not his final resting place.

He also thought of himself as a person without a home.

But now someone says they'll stay with him forever.

Always.

These two words were a promise Zhang Qiling had never received before.

The immense emotional shock caused Zhang Qiling to temporarily lose the ability to organize her thoughts.

He raised his hand, his slender fingers touching Wu Wei's closed eyes very lightly and slowly.

Wu Wei grunted, his eyelashes trembling as he was touched.

In a daze, he took Zhang Qiling's hand off his face, tucked it under his cheek, and used it as a pillow.

The warm touch traveled through Zhang Qiling's fingertips, and she was reluctant to pull away.

After a moment, Wu Wei stopped moving, his breathing gradually became steady, and his eyes were closed, as if he had fallen asleep.

Zhang Qiling sat for a while longer before gently withdrawing his hand.

After adjusting the air conditioner temperature, I glanced at Wu Wei one last time, remembering the "goodnight" Wu Wei had once said to me.

"Goodnight, Wu Wei," Zhang Qiling said in a hoarse voice to Wu Wei, who had his eyes closed.

He closed the door and left the room.