“But I’m hungry right now.” Zhou Chiyu stuffed the remaining small biscuits into his mouth and brushed the crumbs from his lips. “I wish there were more good things to eat.”
“I think you’re not hungry—you’re just greedy.” Langlang gave an objective assessment.
“You’re the greedy one.” Zhou Chiyu put his hands on his hips defiantly. “I only ate two buns this morning.”
“Little Fish, time to get on the boat.”
The first challenge they faced was crossing the river in a Dugout Canoe, but no one except Gu Yuan knew how to row.
“I’ll row. Everyone just sit steady.”
The stream gently lapped at the boat’s sides as the wooden vessel moved forward slowly.
Zhou Chiyu, being the heaviest, sat in the center to maintain balance. The other kids had already started chattering. Little Mango mischievously scooped water from the lake surface with his palm, humming a nursery rhyme.
Zhou Chiyu stayed very quiet, silently tilting his head up to watch Gu Yuan the whole time.
“Brother, are you tired?”
Ever since his last flu, Gu Yuan could not carry anything too heavy. He worried the oars might be too much and wear Gu Yuan out.
“Let me help.”
Zhou Chiyu extended his two smooth little arms, scooping at the lake water like a crazy electric motor. “Boat, set off!”
Water splashed everywhere with the wooden boat’s movement. Though it did not help Gu Yuan at all, he still curved his lips upward, gazing intently at Zhou Chiyu.
Zhou Chiyu’s little white shoes were embroidered with a lazy kitten—exactly like him.
Ten minutes later, the wooden boat reached the shore.
The safety staff quietly withdrew.
“Let’s rest.”
Zhou Chiyu found a clean rock and pulled Gu Yuan to sit down. Usually, Gu Yuan took care of him; today, he wanted to take care of Gu Yuan.
“Brother, do you want some water?”
Zhou Chiyu held Gu Yuan’s wrist and noticed it had indeed gotten much thinner, especially compared to his own. “Or you could eat an orange.”
He took out the large orange he had won by acting cute from his schoolbag and handed it to Gu Yuan. Sitting cross-legged on the grass opposite him, he started gnawing on a Milk Steamed Bun.
It had to be said that this little bun tasted far worse than the biscuits. Zhou Chiyu’s mouth was picky; after two bites, he put it back in his schoolbag.
“Not enough good stuff to eat.”
Zhou Chiyu scrunched up his chubby little face sullenly. “How many hours left until we get out of the forest?”
“About two and a half hours.” Zhou Junyi tore open his small biscuit and ate a piece. “The staff said minimum three hours. If we don’t find the treasure, it’ll take longer.”
“Ah?” Zhou Chiyu looked woebegone, clutching the only edible apple left in his schoolbag. “Does that mean we’ll go hungry?”
“Little Fish, I’ll trade my biscuit for your orange.”
Zhou Chiyu looked up to see Gu Yuan had already stuffed his own biscuit into his schoolbag.
“Brother, you eat it.”
He grinned embarrassedly, his chubby little hands already grabbing the biscuit and quietly tearing it open in the bag.
Gu Yuan watched Zhou Chiyu’s shy expression, broke off a piece of orange flesh, tasted it, and then fed a piece to Zhou Chiyu. “Sweet?”
Zhou Chiyu squinted in satisfaction, his mouth full of biscuit and orange. “Sweet!”
Langlang watched Zhou Chiyu enviously, unwilling to eat the biscuit in his arms. Gu Yuan was so good to Zhou Chiyu. If he were Gu Yuan’s little brother, would Gu Yuan—
Wait… he was Gu Yuan’s little brother.
Langlang felt even more down.
“Little Fish! Look!” Little Mango had sharp eyes and spotted a wooden sign on the shore right away. “Monsters appear here!”
Before Zhou Chiyu could look, a loud alarm suddenly blared throughout the forest. Gu Yuan reacted first, quickly noticing the thick smoke rolling from the opposite riverbank.
“Little Fish, run!”
Just as he spoke, an NPC dressed in a monster costume paddled a boat from across the lake toward them.
Little Mango burst into tears and ran off wildly with his schoolbag.
“Run!”
Zhou Junyi and Langlang were so scared their shoes nearly flew off. In the chaos, Zhou Chiyu protected his small biscuit, slung on his schoolbag, and flailed his arms as he ran. But after running more than thirty meters, he suddenly realized something crucial.
His brother could not do strenuous exercise!
Afraid, he turned back and saw Gu Yuan had tripped over a rock and lay on the grass, not getting up.
Monsters had already climbed ashore ten meters from Gu Yuan.
“Brother!”
Seeing Gu Yuan still motionless, he rushed back desperately.
“Little Fish! Little Fish, come back!” Little Mango and the others called from behind, but Zhou Chiyu seemed not to hear, charging forward determinedly with his chubby legs.
After the thick smoke cleared, Gu Yuan saw the so-called “monsters” clearly, and his suspended heart dropped. The staff’s acting was too amateurish, and the costumes were not elaborate—it was obvious they were people in disguise.
He pressed his foot and slowly stood up, only to be startled by a shrill scream from behind.
“Brother! I’m here to save you!”
Zhou Chiyu charged up to Gu Yuan in one go, drove off the monster with a stone, and in a flash piggybacked Gu Yuan.
His chubby little legs stamped hard, and he stared seriously toward the safe depths of the forest. “Brother, hold on tight!”
Gu Yuan furrowed his brow in bewilderment, but the words on the tip of his tongue would not come out.
He had wanted to say there was no need to be afraid—these people would not hurt them.
But—
He lay on Zhou Chiyu’s back, looking into those eyes full of protective determination. His fingers curled slightly.
Zhou Chiyu seemed to have grown a lot taller; he could actually carry him now. He frowned slightly, a faint sense of loss hanging over him.
He was the brother; taking care of his little brother was his duty.
“Little Fish.” Gu Yuan wrapped his arms around Zhou Chiyu’s neck and whispered, “Are you tired?”
“Not tired!” Zhou Chiyu was actually panting from exhaustion, but he usually ate a lot and had endless strength. “We’ll be safe soon. Brother, don’t be scared.”
Gu Yuan hummed in acknowledgment, resting his small head in the crook of Zhou Chiyu’s neck and gently rubbing against that soft curly hair. “Little Fish.”
He really wished he could live longer, get better quickly.
“After we grow up, how about I carry you instead?”
