Chapter 3

Chapter 3: 3

As Xiao Jingting takes stock of his meager belongings, a sound from outside informs him that his male wife has returned.

Xiao Jingting was gay in his previous life, but he had remained single for fear of being discriminated. Naturally, he is both thrilled and a bit bashful when he finds out that he has married to a good-looking male wife in this life.

The previous Xiao and his male wife had a poor relationship. Even though the couple lived under the same roof, they rarely shared much of a conversation, and even if there was one, it was far from being amicable.

Xiao Jingting decides not to get chummy with the man so suddenly. Instead, he stays in his room and keeps her ears open.

Following a call of “Xiaodong” from Xu Mu’an, the door is heard being opened.

“Are you hungry?” Xu Mu’an walks in, asking his two skinny boys apologetically.

“No,” Xiao Xiaofan raises his hand, answering loudly.

Xiao Xiaodong casts a glare at his younger brother, which makes the little one recoil.

Xu Mu’an looks at Xiao Xiaofan curiously. Being mentally disadvantaged, his younger son almost never lies. Usually, every time he is back, the starved boy would get clingy and ask for food. Therefore, Xu Mu’an has reason to believe that his little boy must have eaten after he said he’s not hungry.

“Has you brother eaten already?” The dad asks Xiao Xiaodong.

The boy nods, saying, “Yes. That man cooked porridge and my brother ate with him.”

“I also had steamed egg. It was delicious.” Xiao Xiaofan licks his lips once again.

“Did he beat you?” Xu Mu’an asks.

“No,” Xiao Xiaofan answers.

“I’ve told you to stay away from him. I won’t pity you if he beats you to death some day,” Xiao Xiaodong scowls at his bother.

Xiao Xiaofan, pouting and fiddling his fingers, talks back with a wronged look, “But, he is our father!”

Seeing the pitiful look on his brother’s face, Xiao Xiaodong decides not to remind him of the truth that their so-called father has never once treated them like they are their sons.

“Dad, do you think he is up to something?” Xiao Xiaodong asks vigilantly.

Xu Mu’an shakes his head and replies in an exhausted voice, “I’m not sure.”

“Dad, that bastard got addicted to gambling and I heard he has been taking Happy Powder. He has sold almost all the farmland. I think next he is going to sell this house and all of us,” Xiao Xiaodong says furiously.

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Xu Mu’an keeps his head lowered, looking upset and worried.

In this wild world they live in, most of the people live off their farmlands. People here are categorized in a five-element, hierarchical system of metal, wood, water, fire and earth. Among them, those from the wood group are capable of facilitating the crops’ growth; those from the water group are able to keep their crops irrigated; the earth group is known for keeping their farmlands fertile, while the metal group can leave the land barren and the fire group can hurt the crops. People from the latter two groups are considered a lot inferior to the other three groups.

After being confirmed to be one of the fire people, Xu Mu’an was sold by his parents to others.

Xiao Jingting, on the other hand, is said to belong to the water or wood group, which makes him advantageous in farming. Unfortunately, this spoiled and lazy childe had never once gone to the farmland.

Leaning against the door, Xiao Jingting keeps eavesdropping on the dad and sons next door. From the previous Xiao’s memory, he already knows Xiao Xiaodong is quite intelligent. Now he’s learned that his elder son is also capable of such forethoughtfulness.

In this world, there are men, woman and androgynous people. Androgynous people, who can get married to either a man or a woman, have a rather inferior social class. After Xu Mu’an was sold to the Xiao family, he was required to sign an indenture. Therefore, if Xiao Jingting wanted to sell his sons, Xu Mu’an couldn’t do anything about it.

A sense of hopelessness starts to rise in Xu Mu’an’s heart.

The man now has level three spirit power. Had it not for these two boys, he would have joined the mercenaries or become a security guard for an influential family. Either would have sufficed to provide him with the essentials he needs in life. However, the reality is that he has two children and one of them is mentally disabled.

Xu Mu’an, with his head lowered, feels at a loss for the future.

“Dad, what are we going to eat today?” Xiao Xiaodong asks expectantly.

“Wild veggies,” Xu Mu’an says apologetically.

Almost instantly, the look in Xiao Xiaodong’s eyes dim. Both Xiao Xiaodong and Xiao Xiaofan are developing and in need of nutrition. However, Xu Mu’an is unable to provide what his boys need the most. Sometimes, he is lucky enough to capture a wild animal, but those are very rare occasions.

Xu Mu’an takes a sad sigh. The man has trepidations to go deep into the forest, because he knows if he ends up dead, Xiao Jingting won’t bother to raise the boys and will just let them die as well.