Atypical Blood Clan Contract - Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Rural Village

At 4:30 AM, the sky was a hazy gray, and the entire mountainous region and fields were shrouded in a thick, white fog.

Wanhong Village lay silent, save for the occasional early-rising farmer carrying tools as they headed into the misty fields to work.

Newly planted rice seedlings needed irrigation, herbicide application, and drainage during rainy days.

Zhang Jianghe, who lived on the western edge of the village, shouldered his hoe and strode steadily along the muddy paths crisscrossing the fields.

The fog obscured his sense of direction, so he relied on memory to navigate to his plot. After walking for over ten minutes, the fog thickened. He frowned, proceeding cautiously, glancing around frequently.

Suddenly, his toe struck something solid, nearly throwing him off balance. He lurched backward to regain his footing, and a nauseating, fishy stench assaulted his nostrils.

Confused, Zhang Jianghe looked down and glimpsed a purplish-blue hand.

“What’s this?”

The fog was too thick, visibility too poor. He lowered the hoe from his shoulder and poked at the object ahead. It struck something large. Summoning his courage, he took a step forward and slowly crouched down, his hands trembling as he groped around.

His fingers brushed against something icy cold—a corpse.

Yes, a corpse!

“A dead man! A dead man!”

—

Qin Xiaoyou woke up to the wailing of police sirens.

The urgent “woo-woo-woo” pierced his peaceful dream, where he had been enjoying cake at Mr. Li’s house. The shrill sirens jolted him awake.

Clutching his blanket, he sat up groggily.

Downstairs, Wang Chunlan’s voice rang out: “Xiaoyou, hurry up! You’re going to be late for school!”

Qin Xiaoyou snapped awake. He glanced at the alarm clock on the table—6:40 AM.

How could I have slept so deeply? he wondered. I didn’t even hear the alarm.

He scrambled into his school uniform, his cowlick sticking up stubbornly, and rushed to the second floor. He burst into the study, grabbed his backpack, which he had packed the night before, and hurried downstairs.

In the kitchen, Wang Chunlan was preparing breakfast. Qin Lin and Qin Feiyue sat at the table, each with a bowl of sweet tofu pudding, accompanied by fried dough sticks and steamed buns, which they were devouring with relish.

Qin Xiaoyou tossed his backpack onto a chair and reached for a bun, but Wang Chunlan slapped his hand with her chopsticks.

“Brush your teeth and wash your face first.”

Qin Xiaoyou shook his stinging hand and protested, “I don’t have time!”

“You don’t have time? You still need to brush your teeth and wash your face!” Wang Chunlan glared.

Qin Xiaoyou stuck out his tongue and hurried into the first-floor bathroom. Less than two minutes later, he returned to the table, his bangs still dripping with water, and eagerly grabbed a steamed bun, taking a large bite.

Wang Chunlan handed him a bowl of tofu pudding sweetened with white sugar.

The tofu pudding was white, tender, and silky smooth, pairing perfectly with the steamed bun and fried dough sticks.

Qin Xiaoyou had only taken two spoonfuls of tofu pudding when Qin Lin finished his meal, stood up, and slung his schoolbag over his shoulder, ready to leave for school.

Wang Chunlan called out, “Xiao Lin, wait for Xiaoyou.”

Qin Lin nodded and pulled out his Chinese textbook from his bag.

Qin Xiaoyou chewed diligently on his steamed bun, swallowed a mouthful, and mumbled, “Mom, why didn’t you wake me up earlier?”

Wang Chunlan glanced at him, her tone exasperated. “You were sleeping like a little pig—I couldn’t wake you no matter what I tried.”

Qin Xiaoyou grumbled.

Why does she always compare me to a pig?

Are there even pigs as skinny as me?

Just then, another police siren wailed outside. Qin Xiaoyou peered through the doorway, his brow furrowed. “Mom, what’s happening?”

Wang Chunlan flicked his forehead with her finger. “Don’t ask so many questions, kid. Just eat your breakfast.”

Qin Xiaoyou pouted, finished his steamed bun, ate half a fried dough stick, and drank his tofu pudding. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he grabbed his backpack from the stool and slung it over his shoulder.

“Brother, let’s go.”

Qin Lin stuffed his Chinese textbook back into his backpack and followed Qin Xiaoyou out the door.

Watching her sons’ retreating figures, Wang Chunlan said to Qin Feiyue with concern, “The village hasn’t been peaceful lately.”

Qin Feiyue slowly sipped his tofu pudding. “Just accidents. Don’t overthink it.”

Wang Chunlan broke off a piece of her steamed bun and shook her head in disagreement. “One accident is one thing, but two? I need to talk to the Village Chief about organizing a village patrol team, just in case.”

Seeing his wife’s determination, Qin Feiyue didn’t object.

As the sun rose, the fog dissipated, leaving only a faint white mist clinging to the distant mountain peaks.

Passing by the threshing ground, Qin Xiaoyou spotted a police car. The Village Chief and several cadres were gathered around four police officers, their expressions animated as they spoke.

Curious, he tried to approach, but Qin Lin grabbed his wrist. “Hurry up, we’re going to be late.”

Faced with Qin Lin’s stern expression, Qin Xiaoyou pouted and reluctantly let himself be pulled along.

Qin Lin strode forward without looking back, forcing Qin Xiaoyou to jog to keep up.

The two brothers rushed through the school gate at 6:58 AM.

Qin Lin released his younger brother’s hand and headed toward the fifth-grade classroom.

Qin Xiaoyou scratched the back of his head and turned to go to his own classroom. As he entered, he noticed groups of classmates huddled together, whispering mysteriously.

“What are you guys talking about?” Qin Xiaoyou asked, settling into his seat and turning to Shi Dahai, who sat behind him.

Shi Dahai cupped his hand over his mouth and whispered, “Another person died in the village.”

“Another death?” Qin Xiaoyou’s confusion quickly turned to shock.

“Did you see the police car parked in the threshing ground?” Shi Dahai asked.

Qin Xiaoyou nodded. “I did.”

“I heard from Auntie next door that Uncle Zhang, who lives on the west side of the village, found a body while working in the fields.” Shi Dahai paused, then gripped Qin Xiaoyou’s wrist, his face pale with horror. “That body… just like Sister Ah Lan, was missing half its blood.”

Qin Xiaoyou’s pupils constricted. A sharp pain shot through his temples, and blurry images flashed through his mind like scenes glimpsed through a veil.

“Do you know who died?” Shi Dahai’s voice trembled slightly.

“Who?” Qin Xiaoyou asked instinctively.

Shi Dahai glanced toward the front left corner of the classroom. “Li Bao’s dad.”

Qin Xiaoyou whipped his head around, staring at the empty seat in the third row on the left.

Ring—

Li Bao still hadn’t appeared when the bell rang for class.

Class Monitor Li Yue, clutching a stack of homework notebooks, approached Qin Xiaoyou’s desk. “Classmate Qin, your homework.”

Qin Xiaoyou pulled his notebook from his bag and handed it over.

Li Yue collected his homework and glanced at Wang Yan, hesitating.

Wang Yan ignored her, sketching idly in her blank notebook with a pencil.

Homework?

Of course she hadn’t done it.

Wang Yan remained unapologetic.

Li Yue walked away silently, placing the notebooks on the teacher’s desk.

Wang Yan twirled her pencil smugly and leaned toward Qin Xiaoyou. “Li Yue and Li Bao are cousins. The dead man was her eldest uncle. But look at her—does she seem even a little sad?”

“Oh,” Qin Xiaoyou replied absently, ignoring the sarcasm in her voice. He tapped his head, feeling like he’d forgotten something important but unable to recall what it was.

Homeroom Teacher Xu entered the classroom, glanced at Li Bao’s empty seat, sighed, and walked to the front of the room.

“Class, let’s begin.”

After the first period, Teacher Xu announced, “Teacher Huo is on leave. Today’s Xiluo Language and Music classes will be replaced with Chinese and Math.”

“Ah? Seriously?”

“Teacher Huo’s on leave? No way—”

“Can we switch to gym class?”

“Oh! No!”

“When is Teacher Huo coming back?”

The classroom erupted in chaos, the students wailing in despair. Teacher Xu offered a helpless smile.

Before Teacher Huo arrived, we only had Chinese and math, right? It’s only been half a month, and they’ve already forgotten? When Teacher Huo finishes his teaching assignment and returns to the city, these kids will be heartbroken!

Teacher Xu offered a few words of comfort, then left the classroom with the homework assignments.

The students continued their noisy protests, but Qin Xiaoyou breathed a sigh of relief.

Teacher Huo is taking leave?

This is perfect!

With Teacher Huo away, Mom won’t be able to talk to him about the soccer team.

“Xiaoyou,” Shi Dahai poked Qin Xiaoyou’s back.

“Hmm?” Qin Xiaoyou turned around.

“Tomorrow’s Saturday! Let’s go play on the mountain in the afternoon!” Shi Dahai asked eagerly.

Great Ming Mountain loomed near Wanhong Village, rich in natural resources. Every household had a garden on the mountain, where they grew everything from sweet potatoes (like Qin Xiaoyou’s family) to orange trees (like Shi Dahai’s).

Every May and June, when wild raspberries ripened, the village children flocked to the mountain.

The raspberries were tart and sweet, utterly delicious.

Qin Xiaoyou’s heart quickened at Shi Dahai’s suggestion. “Sure! Who else is going?”

“Xiao Hei and Ah Zhong,” Shi Dahai replied. “They want to have a picnic too.”

Great Ming Mountain was lush with vegetation, featuring waterfalls, streams, and uniquely shaped rocks, making it a scenic spot perfect for picnics and outdoor adventures.

“Can I join you guys?” Wang Yan interjected from nearby.

Shi Dahai and Qin Xiaoyou exchanged glances and shook their heads firmly. Wang Yan had a difficult personality, and no one wanted to hang out with her. Besides, they were all boys, and having a girl around would just be awkward.

Wang Yan scoffed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Shi Dahai flinched and looked pleadingly at Qin Xiaoyou for help.

Because Wang Yan’s mother was the principal, many students feared her. Apart from her sycophantic little follower, the rest of the class kept their distance.

Qin Xiaoyou was one of the few who didn’t fear Wang Yan. Under her furious glare, he calmly rubbed his nose and said, “There are snakes in the mountains. Are you sure you want to come with us?”

The word “snake” drained the color from Wang Yan’s face.

As a child, she had been bitten by a venomous snake and nearly died. Fortunately, the village’s barefoot doctor knew how to administer the antidote, saving her life. The traumatic experience had left her terrified of snakes.

“Forget it. I wouldn’t want to hang out with you smelly boys anyway,” Wang Yan spat through gritted teeth.

Qin Xiaoyou shrugged indifferently at being called a “smelly boy.”

At noon, Wang Chunlan went to the school to find Teacher Huo, but he wasn’t there.

“The soccer team?” Teacher Xu, who received Wang Chunlan, asked in confusion after hearing why she was looking for Teacher Huo. “I haven’t heard anything about that from him!”

“Huh?” Wang Chunlan was confused. If even the homeroom teacher didn’t know about the soccer team, was her son lying?

Her face flushed with embarrassment. “I must have misheard… Heh, lying at such a young age instead of studying properly! Don’t worry, Teacher, I’ll give him a good spanking after school!”

Seeing the fierce glint in Wang Chunlan’s eyes, Teacher Xu gently advised, “Perhaps he wasn’t lying. Teacher Huo left in a hurry, and I didn’t see him. I’ll ask him when he returns.”

Wang Chunlan nodded repeatedly. “Okay, okay, thank you for your trouble, Teacher Xu.”

Teacher Xu smiled. “You’re welcome.”

After thanking her repeatedly, Wang Chunlan stepped out of the school gate, already planning to find the thickest stick in the woodshed.

That little rascal’s skin must be itching for a beating!

Qin Xiaoyou, completely unaware that his mother was already plotting his punishment, was the first to bolt out of the classroom when the dismissal bell rang.

“Xiaoyou, wait for me!” Shi Dahai scrambled to sling his backpack over his shoulder and chased after him.

The two boys raced out of the school gate, quickly reaching the narrow path winding through the fields.

Seeing Qin Xiaoyou running in the opposite direction from home, Shi Dahai called out, “Xiaoyou, aren’t you going home?”

Qin Xiaoyou slowed down and turned back. “I have something to do. I won’t be going home yet.”

He hadn’t been to Mr. Li’s house in days, and he was determined to go today no matter what.

Shi Dahai grabbed his hand, hesitating. “Today… maybe you shouldn’t wander around? After all—someone in the village died.”

Qin Xiaoyou froze, stopping in his tracks.

A dead person.

Dead—

Just like Sister Ah Lan, half the blood was gone from the body.

A chilling sensation surged up from his feet, and Qin Xiaoyou shivered involuntarily.

Memories flooded back like a Pandora’s Box had been opened.

The river channel choked with water hyacinths, the bloated corpse floating in the water, hair as black as the hyacinth roots, the mangled, tragic face…

Images that had long been blurred now flashed vividly in his mind. Overwhelmed, Qin Xiaoyou retched violently, vomiting onto the ground.