CHAPTER 4 - Fateful Encounter in the Forest
[PART 5]
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RongCheng cast a glance at Yan Si from afar, and after a moment of hesitation, he asked, "How's your wound?"
Yan Si shook his head lightly, drew in a deep breath, and quietly pressed medicine onto the wound. The gash would surely leave behind an ugly scar. Though there were ways to heal it cleanly, he didn't see the point.
"It's not like there's anything beautiful left of me anyway—what's the point in mending a single scar?" he muttered inwardly. "Why bother fixing one scar?"
And who would even care to look?
Not wanting to dwell on it further, Yan Si let himself collapse onto the bed of dry leaves. His body, already weary beyond words, quickly sank into sleep.
RongCheng said nothing. All he could do now was silently watch the boy's every movement.
Four days passed like that. RongCheng's injuries steadily improved, and once he could manage to walk a little, he decided to find food himself.
At the break of dawn, while Yan Si was still asleep, RongCheng carefully limped out of the cave. When he returned at sunrise, he carried a small rabbit in his hand.
As Yan Si stirred awake and saw RongCheng enter, his eyes landed on the rabbit and he stammered, "Y-You… what are you going to do with that?"
RongCheng lifted the rabbit by its ears and answered plainly, "Cook it, obviously."
"Cook it?" Yan Si bolted upright, clearly flustered. "No—don't! Don't hurt it. Let it go, please."
"You—" RongCheng was nearly speechless with frustration. He had spent no small effort catching this plump rabbit, and now he was being told to just let it go?
Yan Si pointed to the dried wolf meat and said, "There's still plenty over there. Just reheat it and it's fine. Why do you need to eat this poor little rabbit?"
"It's not for me," RongCheng replied without hesitation. "It's for you."
"For… me?" Yan Si looked utterly stunned. RongCheng had hunted a rabbit—for him?
That… that couldn't be right. Something was definitely off.
Anyone who started off by being kind always ended up tormenting him in the end. The thought made his skin crawl, and he quickly shook his head. "No, I don't want it. Let it go."
RongCheng's brows furrowed. "Then tell me, what have you been eating these past few days?"
"I… I've eaten too many things to remember."
That answer nearly made RongCheng choke on air. "Too many things? Haven't they all been wild leaves and bitter fruits?"
There were even days when he noticed the boy didn't eat at all, only slept. No wonder his body looked so frail and sunken.
Even without parents to care for him, did he really have to treat himself this cruelly?
"Well… yes, that's true, but…" Yan Si walked over, gently grasping RongCheng's wrist—the one holding the rabbit—and said softly, "That's already enough for me. Please, just let it go. Alright?"
RongCheng suddenly let out a sigh and loosened his grip, giving Shi Yan Si the chance to snatch the rabbit away.
The moment he grabbed it by the ears, Shi Yan Si clutched the small creature to his chest and gently stroked it. "Poor little thing… You're hurt, aren't you? Let me take a look."
He immediately felt along its injured leg where the trap had snapped down, then began rubbing it carefully. Sitting down, he pulled out his herbs and started applying medicine to its wound.
"…Poor little thing?" RongCheng sat down beside him and asked, "Is it more pitiful than you?"
At that moment, Shi Yan Si was still bare-chested—his thin frame nothing but skin and bones.
"Me?" Pitiful? He was the one pitiful? He simply shook his head and changed the subject. "Back then, when I got lost in the forest, it was a wild rabbit that kept me warm… stayed with me… so…"
No matter what, he refused to eat rabbit meat.
Realizing the reason behind it, RongCheng only sighed. Seeing someone suffer so much yet still possess such a kind heart… he couldn't help but feel a strange ache in his chest. "Alright then, will you eat the wolf meat at least?"
Understanding his intent, Shi Yan Si immediately nodded. "Yes. I'll eat it."
He hadn't wanted to before—not because he didn't want meat, but because he feared it would run out quickly, and then he'd have to go hunting again… which was dangerous and exhausting. But now, he had no choice but to listen to him.
"Strange little thing…" RongCheng muttered, half amused. Who would've thought the tables would turn—now it was his turn to be the one making Shi Yan Si behave.
Satisfied, he suddenly took off his outer robe and gently draped it over Shi Yan Si's shoulders. "I promised you a new set of clothes… but this is all I have here. Just wear this for now."
Caught off guard, Shi Yan Si looked down at the robe now cloaking his body, still faintly warm with RongCheng's scent. Something squeezed tight in his chest, and before he knew it, tears were falling from his eyes.
To cry… just because someone was kind?
Because in all his life since birth, no one had ever truly treated him kindly. No one had ever said words like that to him.
"Am I dreaming…?"
His voice was barely audible, but RongCheng heard it. Reaching out, he lightly smacked the top of his head. "Dream what, you fool…"
And just like that, without realizing it, the distance between the two seemed to close just a little more.
Ever since getting the rabbit, Yan Si had become completely attached to it—he even held it in his arms to sleep at night.
Its fur was soft, and hugging it was warm, so Yan Si truly adored it. Still, he told himself that it'd only be for two or three days. Once its leg healed, he'd definitely set it free.
The next morning, RongCheng went out hunting again. By noon, he returned to the cave and walked straight to Yan Si.
"Did you eat anything this morning?"
Yan Si was already up and feeding wild grass to the little rabbit.
Hearing the question, he immediately nodded—intending to lie his way through—but RongCheng flicked his forehead and scolded, "Still lying, huh?"
Even now, he still thought RongCheng might take the rabbit to roast? RongCheng suddenly brought a wild chicken up to Yan Si and said, "Look."
Yan Si blinked at him in surprise. This man… really was something.
"You're still not fully healed—why are you moving around so much?" What if the wound tore open again? He'd be the one stuck treating it.
RongCheng just laughed. "The more I move, the faster it heals."
Yan Si snorted softly and muttered, "Do as you like," then went back to stroking the little rabbit, treating it as if it were the most delicate treasure in the world.
"Oh, right," RongCheng suddenly remembered something. He reached into his robe and pulled out a few wild apples, placing them into Yan Si's hands. "I found these earlier. They looked nice, so I brought them for you."
Yan Si stared down at the apples in his hands, then looked back at RongCheng. Something flickered in his eyes—something unsure, something hesitant.
"For me… really?"
RongCheng nodded gently. "Mm. Go on, eat."
Yan Si no longer hesitated and bit into one—immediately, his eyes lit up. "Wow…"
The apple was sweet and crisp, completely different from the sour, bitter wild fruit he usually ate.
"Where… did you pick this?" he asked, eager.
Seeing Yan Si enjoy it, RongCheng smiled. "You like it? Tomorrow, I'll take you there. There's plenty more."
Yan Si nodded right away. "Alright!"
Now that he knew about that tree, he wouldn't have to worry about food as much.
RongCheng took one more look at him, chuckled, and turned to leave.
Watching him limp off with a chicken in hand, Yan Si couldn't help but find it all a little ridiculous. "There's still dried wolf meat, isn't there? Why go through the trouble of hunting again?"
"Truly hard to understand…" he muttered, then glanced at the apples in his hand. He decided to eat just one more, and stash the rest. Carefully, he tucked them away into a hollow beside him.
Over an hour passed before RongCheng returned again—this time holding a large bundle of steaming leaves. He approached Yan Si and said, "Put the rabbit down and hold out your hands."
"Huh? Why?"
Yan Si was confused and didn't want to comply. RongCheng narrowed his eyes. "Be good now… hands out."
"Be good?"
What was he, a child?
How old did this guy think he was?
To RongCheng, though, Yan Si really did seem like a child—naïve, thin, small. His words carried no scolding, yet still managed to make Yan Si feel nervous. He immediately put the rabbit down and held out both hands, obediently.
RongCheng placed the leaf bundle into his hands and said, "For you."
"Again… for me?" Yan Si blinked. Though it was steaming, the bundle only felt warmly comforting in his palms. When he opened it, he saw a roasted chicken inside, golden and fragrant.
Stunned by RongCheng's gesture, Yan Si stammered, "W-Why would you give this to me? You're the one who needs strength to recover…"
RongCheng shook his head firmly. "Who said I need it? You're the one who needs to eat more. Now hurry and eat, before it gets cold."
Seeing how Yan Si lived while he was bedridden—barely eating, always weak—had irritated RongCheng to no end. Now that he could move again, he wasn't going to sit by.
Yan Si looked down at the chicken in his hands and muttered, "But… it's too big for me to finish…"
"Why don't you eat it with me, then? Just the two of us. No need for one to eat while the other starves."He laid down a large leaf and began tearing the meat, then handed some over. "This… this is yours."
RongCheng didn't refuse. He looked at Yan Si with a gaze that held something close to approval.
This boy… I wasn't wrong about him.
And just like that, RongCheng began to care more and more. He watched over Yan Si's meals, his rest, slowly guiding him out of his frail, neglected way of living.
From now on, Yan Si could no longer live like a ghost in the dark.