Sean Cooper put down that full, slender leg, waved her sleeve to brush off the rice porridge, and smiled slightly, “Don’t you like using knives to hack at people? I’ll allow you to get a knife, but don’t say I bullied you.”

Ethan Grant whipped his head around, eyes flashing with fire. “You really think I wouldn’t dare?”

Sean Cooper stepped aside, making way.

“Just you wait.”

Ethan Grant spat out these harsh words and immediately rushed out.

…!

And then, he never came back.

Sean Cooper stood at the doorway, looking up at the bright moon in the sky, and suddenly let out a chuckle. “At least you’re smart.”

……

……

The late summer moon was already especially bright, its silvery light casting a hazy sense of mystery over the land.

On a slope at the edge of Mei Village, a figure was tossing and turning.

“Ow, ow, it’s not that I’m too weak, it’s that woman is too strong. Ow, it hurts so much.”

This person was Ethan Grant. He was rubbing his stomach with one hand and his nose with the other, muttering nonstop. “See, I told you, marriage is a grave. I’m just lingering at the door of marriage and I’m already this miserable. If I really went in, wouldn’t I be dead for sure? How embarrassing, getting beaten so badly by a woman that I can’t even go home. But can you blame me? This isn’t my body, it’s this body that can’t keep up with my rhythm. If I kept fighting, I’d just be asking for more pain. If you can’t win and don’t run, aren’t you just a fool?”

Just as Ethan Grant was feeling frustrated, he suddenly heard footsteps behind him.

Could it be that crazy woman chasing after me?

Ethan Grant was so startled he whipped his head around. In the bright moonlight, a thin figure approached. Though he couldn’t see the face, there was a hint of lonely desolation.

“It’s you?”

As the person drew near, Ethan Grant cried out in surprise.

It was Wild Child.

Wild Child just looked at Ethan Grant with a silly grin, then suddenly stretched out his right hand, three fingers pointed at Ethan Grant.

Again? What did I do to deserve this!

Ethan Grant was all too familiar with this gesture and was about to cry. He hurriedly said, “Wait a second.”

Wild Child looked momentarily confused.

Ethan Grant clutched his stomach and said, “I’m injured right now. Taking advantage of someone’s weakness isn’t what a gentleman does.”

A trace of disappointment flashed in Wild Child’s eyes, but he lowered his hand.

Ethan Grant breathed a sigh of relief. He’d just said it offhand, but it actually worked. He glanced at Wild Child again, curiosity piqued. “Why are you here?”

Wild Child didn’t speak, but suddenly jerked his head toward Ethan Grant.

“You’re asking why I’m here?”

Ethan Grant asked, uncertain.

Wild Child nodded.

“Well, it’s because my family—sigh… forget it, it’s embarrassing to talk about.”

Ethan Grant shook his head, then said, “Oh, my name is Ethan Grant. What’s your name?”

Wild Child shook his head.

Right, he doesn’t seem to have a name. Ethan Grant thought for a moment and said, “Then I’ll call you Little Wild.”

Wild Child blinked, then nodded vigorously.

By the moonlight, Ethan Grant looked at his young, innocent face and couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. He’s so young, yet he’s already lost his future. Ethan Grant couldn’t help but think of his own childhood, wandering the streets alone at night just like this. All his hostility toward Wild Child vanished without a trace. He asked, “You can’t speak, can you?”

Wild Child said nothing.

Looks like he really can’t. In Ethan Grant’s memory, he’d never heard Wild Child speak. He blurted out, “Sorry.”

Wild Child stared at Ethan Grant in surprise, eyes wide.

Did I say something wrong? Ethan Grant really didn’t understand and asked blankly, “Did I say something wrong?”

Wild Child nodded, then shook his head.

Ethan Grant was even more confused, but didn’t bother to guess. “Whether I did or not, I really mean no harm.”

Wild Child nodded, then suddenly rummaged in his clothes and pulled out a blackish lump, handing it to Ethan Grant.

Ethan Grant took it curiously. It was a bit soft, kind of like a piece of dried meat.

Then Wild Child took out another piece for himself and started eating it in big bites.

It really is meat!

Ethan Grant hesitated. He hadn’t eaten any meat since coming here, but who knew what kind of meat this was, or how long it had been kept?

Wild Child suddenly looked at Ethan Grant, as if asking why he wasn’t eating.

To hell with it, I don’t belong here anyway. A little defiant, Ethan Grant took a big bite, and his eyes lit up. “This is actually really tasty!”

Wild Child grinned again.

Ethan Grant took another bite, smacking his lips. “Tsk tsk, delicious. Good kid, I didn’t expect you to be living better than me, happier than I was as a child. If only there was a little wine, that’d be perfect.”

Wild Child nodded vigorously several times.

“Don’t tell me you really have some?”

Ethan Grant looked at him with a hint of hope.

Wild Child suddenly took a small gourd from his waist and handed it to Ethan Grant.