Chapter 104: Awkward

Chapter 104: Chapter 104: Awkward

"Oh, we trust you, we trust you! Thank you so, so much." Wen Xiu felt like she’d been thrown a lifeline. The more she looked at the man before her, the more she liked what she saw. Zhang Dazhuang and Zhang Minzhen were also full of gratitude, thanking him over and over.

Not one of the three even considered that the man before them could be a bad person. It was mainly because he was not only handsome and proper, but his gaze was also exceptionally clear and righteous.

Zhang Dazhuang thought to himself, ’How embarrassing. He already explained the way twice, but I still don’t really get it. I used to think the paths in the mountains were hard to tell apart, but now that I’m in the city, I see that these sprawling streets and alleys are way harder to navigate. We’re really lucky to have run into such a kind-hearted person today.’

Wen Xiu’s thoughts were quite similar. ’When I get back, I have to tell everyone in the village that there are plenty of good people in the city,’ she thought. The more she considered it, the more she liked the look of the man before her. She couldn’t help but grab a cob of corn and, with a warmth that brooked no refusal, tried to shove it into his hand. "Here, young man, have some corn. I grew it myself in my own field. It’s delicious."

"No, no..." The man’s face immediately flushed red. He quickly took a step back, waving his right hand to decline. "I just ate. I’m too full to fit another bite."

"It’s just one cob of corn, it’s barely a mouthful! How can you be too full?" Wen Xiu wouldn’t give up. Seeing him keep refusing, she unexpectedly reached out to grab his left hand, which he had been keeping behind his back, intending to force the corn on him. The man probably hadn’t expected her to be so enthusiastic, and he couldn’t dodge in time. In that instant, Wen Xiu actually succeeded in grabbing his hand.

The moment she did, it wasn’t just Wen Xiu’s expression that changed—everyone’s did. The Zhang family was horrified to find that the man’s left hand had only a thumb and an index finger.

As if startled, Wen Xiu let go of his hand, abashed. "...I’m sorry. I didn’t know."

"Did I scare you?" A flicker of discomfort crossed the man’s face. He pulled his hand back and placed it behind him again. His face showed no anger, but rather a hint of embarrassment and apology.

"No, no. It was my wife, she was being too tactless."

Seeing that he didn’t seem to mind, all three members of the Zhang family felt terrible. Zhang Dazhuang even shot Wen Xiu a harsh glare. He had noticed from the beginning that something was off about how the man kept his left hand hidden, and he couldn’t believe his wife had been so unobservant. Wen Xiu was already full of regret, hunching her shoulders and silently blaming herself.

Zhang Minzhen stole a glance at the man, worried he might fly into a rage out of humiliation and lash out. But when she saw his reaction, she felt ashamed for thinking the worst of him. Thinking again of his hand, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy.

Although the man didn’t look too bothered on the surface, the atmosphere had become awkward. They walked a whole street in silence before Wen Xiu finally couldn’t help but ask out of concern, "Your hand... were you born like that, or was it an injury?"

"...My ex-girlfriend. Her little brother got into some trouble, and we happened to be there... I was accidentally injured," the man hesitated, but seeing that Wen Xiu’s concern was genuine, he gave a bitter smile.

"Ex-girlfriend? So... are you married now?" Wen Xiu asked, surprised. Even Zhang Dazhuang and Zhang Minzhen couldn’t help but look over.

The man walked on with his head down, silent. After a long moment, he answered bitterly, "Not yet."

Back then, it was all because his ex-girlfriend’s brother had gotten into a hot-headed argument, which ended up attracting a dozen or so desperados armed with knives and steel pipes.

A few of those men had even trained in Kung Fu, but he had held them all off, single-handedly and bare-fisted. Seeing they couldn’t gain an advantage, the other side had already softened their tone to sue for peace. It seemed the conflict was about to be resolved amicably.

But his ex-girlfriend’s brother wouldn’t let it go. Seeing that he could fight, the brother ran out and started provoking the thugs again. In the end, his hand was crippled when he took a knife for the boy. Because of this, his ex-girlfriend and her family came to despise him for being a cripple, and she eventually left him.

The three members of the Zhang family fell silent. Seeing her mom was about to speak again, Zhang Minzhen quickly pulled her back. ’Why is she grilling him like this?’ she thought. ’We just met!’

"We’re here. That’s the place." The man led the three of them to a spot where they could see the bicycle shop in the distance, then stopped and went no further.

Before leaving, however, he kindly reminded them, "Usually, the last bus from the city to the countryside towns leaves at four o’clock. There are no more buses after that.

It’s one o’clock now. The bus station is some distance from here. If you walk, even if you know the way and walk fast, it will take at least forty or fifty minutes.

Taking the public bus would be faster, but the bus stop is still a short walk from here. If you want to take it, just ask the people in the shop or a passerby; they’ll definitely know the way.

But you should also be aware that the public buses aren’t always on time. It’s common to wait ten or twenty minutes, sometimes even half an hour."

"Thank you, thank you." The three Zhangs were truly grateful to this kind-hearted man, thanking him profusely as they watched him leave.

"Such a good person. Why do good people never seem to meet the right one?" Watching him hurry away as if fleeing, Wen Xiu couldn’t help but think of his maimed hand and sighed.

"Honestly, you... He kept that hand hidden because he didn’t want people to see it. Why did you have to— and even after you saw it, why did you keep pestering him with question after question?"

Zhang Dazhuang shook his head helplessly, not knowing what to say about his wife. He’d never seen her be so tactless before.

"I really didn’t notice at first! He was being so kind, going out of his way to show us the way. Why would I do something like that on purpose?"

Wen Xiu felt awkward. Seeing that the man had retraced his steps for them, she knew he was a genuinely good person, going out of his way to guide them just because they were lost.

She had made him uncomfortable, and even though it wasn’t intentional, he hadn’t gotten angry or minded. He’d even kindly reminded them about the time before he left so they wouldn’t miss their bus.

’Kind-hearted people like that are getting rarer and rarer these days. A person like him can’t be bad. He looks about the same age as our daughter, too. If only fate had brought them together, what a great match they would have been!’

"Dad, Mom didn’t do it on purpose. Don’t be so hard on her."

Zhang Minzhen also had an excellent impression of the man and felt sorry for him. But then she thought about the dignified air he maintained from beginning to end and felt that a man like him would surely achieve great things if given the chance. ’What’s a small disability? What’s there to fear from being a dragon temporarily stranded in shallow waters? That ex-girlfriend and her family were truly short-sighted.’ Then she said sincerely, "Mom, I believe good people are rewarded. And really, he’s just missing a few fingers. You can’t even call that a disability."

"That’s true. What’s the big deal about a few missing fingers? His arms and legs are still there. From what I’ve seen of his character, he’s the kind of person who’d proactively help even powerless country folk like us when he sees we’re in trouble. You have to be a good person before you can be a successful one. Even heaven wouldn’t make things difficult for a man like that. I refuse to believe he won’t have a good future."

"Let’s hope so. Good people get good things," Zhang Dazhuang agreed with a nod.

Wen Xiu sighed, "You know, why couldn’t our Minzhen have met a good man like him? If it were someone like him, I’d be willing to marry my daughter to him even if he were missing a few fingers."

Zhang Minzhen’s face flushed red. "Mom, what are you talking about? He just showed you the way, and you’re already trying to marry me off?"

"I’m just saying it’s a pity! When you’re judging if a man is good or not, you don’t need to look at anything else first. The most important thing is his character," Wen Xiu said with feeling.

"But people aren’t that simple. A kind-hearted and righteous man isn’t necessarily a good fit for everyone. The most important thing is to see how responsible he is to his own family, to his wife and children. That’s what’s truly crucial." Zhang Dazhuang nodded along, a realization he’d come to after what had happened with his daughter.

By the time the three of them reached the entrance of the bicycle shop, their attention and the topic of conversation had naturally shifted. Gradually, none of the Zhangs mentioned the kind man they had met on the road again.

At that moment, whether it was the three members of the Zhang family or the man who had already left, they all saw it as nothing more than a chance encounter, a brief crossing of paths. None of them thought they would ever meet again. Many years later, when they all looked back on this day, every one of them would marvel at how incredible the workings of fate and destiny could be—