Chapter 8: Truly Unwell
1180 Words
As night descended, the townsfolk retreated to their dwellings—those with houses bolted their doors tightly, while those living in makeshift shacks pulled their curtains snugly shut. On his way back that evening, Ren Xiaosu overheard a grim rumor: a man returning from his shift at the glue factory had been stabbed to death. Supposedly, someone learned of his habit of saving money and was driven by greed.
The people in the town often preferred to live communally—friends, brothers, couples taking turns to keep watch at night, believing it offered some measure of safety. That was how Ren Xiaosu and Yan Liuyuan had begun living together. Yet, there were others who ended up harmed by the very people they had chosen to trust. The perpetrators, blinded by short-sightedness, failed to understand a simple truth: once you betray your companion, no one will ever trust you again. Such traitors often ended up alone—and rarely did loneliness offer a good end.
Inside his shack, Ren Xiaosu unwrapped the cloth bandage from his hand. As he examined the wound, his brows furrowed—redness and swelling had appeared, clear signs of infection. At that moment, Yan Liuyuan walked in, prompting Ren to quickly rewrap his hand.
“Brother, is your wound alright?” Yan Liuyuan asked.
“I’m fine,” Ren Xiaosu replied calmly.
“I don’t believe you. Let me see,” Yan Liuyuan said, already reaching to undo the bandage again.
“I said I’m fine,” Ren Xiaosu pushed his hand away. “If anything's wrong, I’ll go get medicine.”
“Don’t lie to me. Last time you tried to tough it out too,” Yan Liuyuan protested, his voice tinged with grievance.
Ren Xiaosu sighed. “Don’t worry. I’d never joke around with my life.”
In the animal kingdom, predators rarely risk injury while hunting, for even the smallest wound could mean death. Beasts understood this instinctively—how could Ren Xiaosu not?
“Hey, brother, look! Two potatoes and three pills hidden under the chair! Are these the anti-inflammatory meds you wanted to buy? They look just like them!” Yan Liuyuan exclaimed with delight. “Did you put them there?”
“I didn’t,” Ren Xiaosu shook his head and examined the pills. “But yes, they’re ordinary anti-inflammatory drugs.”
“Then it must’ve been Sister Xiaoyu! I only told her about your injury,” Yan Liuyuan beamed as he handed Ren a pill. “She’s so kind to you—why not just be with her?”
Ren Xiaosu nearly choked. “You change faces faster than flipping pages—praise her when there’s food, bully her when there’s not.”
“Hehe,” Yan Liuyuan chuckled, munching happily on the potatoes. The two of them typically skipped dinner—Ren insisted on a good breakfast, a full lunch, and light or no food at night. It was an old saying from before the Cataclysm. Yet deep down, he knew the real reason was far simpler: poverty.
“Brother…”
Ren Xiaosu turned his head. He noticed Yan Liuyuan lowering his gaze, voice somber.
“What is it?” he asked curiously.
“Do you remember last year, when you survived the wolf pack attack? Someone secretly left us a few pills. That’s what saved you,” Yan Liuyuan said.
“Of course. I’ve been trying to find out who it was ever since,” Ren replied.
“I think it might have been Sister Xiaoyu,” Yan Liuyuan murmured. “The place the medicine was hidden—it's exactly the same as today.”
Ren Xiaosu fell into silent contemplation.
Suddenly, footsteps echoed outside. Many of them.
It was rare to hear such movement on the streets at night. But Ren Xiaosu instantly realized who it must be—and what they wanted.
…
The band had to cross through Border Mountain, just as Ren Xiaosu had suspected. The mercenaries accompanying them had other tasks: the rulers of Stronghold 113 had found evidence suggesting Border Mountain was formed by massive tectonic activity, and that remnants of pre-Cataclysm civilization might lie hidden within.
From Old Wang at the general store, they had learned of Ren Xiaosu. Despite initial skepticism about his “mental condition,” they had questioned others, only to discover that nearly everyone believed Ren was the best guide they could hope for.
Some even wondered aloud: what made this teenager so special that he had become a minor legend in the settlement?
Their curiosity finally led them to a hazy truth—Ren Xiaosu was allegedly the only person in Town 113 who had survived a wolf pack attack and returned alive.
When Ren came back from hunting last year, he had been utterly exhausted, his body bearing deep claw marks. As ruthless as the town could be, no one stooped so low as to harm a dying boy. People simply watched coldly.
Yet, when everyone assumed he would perish, he somehow survived. And not only survived—he was now living well.
The band members asked how he had lived through it. Old Wang grinned, “All thanks to Yan Liuyuan, who went door to door begging for food. And maybe someone left him a few pills—though no one knows who.”
Everyone in town knew Ren Xiaosu had pulled through—but since then, something about his mind had been… off.
“Oh right, Wang Fugui,” one of the band members turned to Old Wang. “When you said his brain’s not right, what exactly did you mean?”
“Oh, it’s nothing, really,” Old Wang replied with a toothy smile, wrinkles folding in around his eyes. “Nothing serious. We’re almost there.”
Only when he was among these well-dressed visitors from the refuge strongholds did Old Wang dare stroll the streets at night. He raised his voice deliberately, as if wanting the whole town to know just how well-connected he was with these highborn guests.
“Xiaosu! Come out! We’ve got honored guests!” he shouted cheerfully.
Suddenly, the shack’s curtain was flung open.
Ren Xiaosu burst out, radiant with joy, grabbing Old Wang’s hand enthusiastically.
“Congratulations!” he exclaimed. “Mother and son are safe! Six pounds, six ounces!”
Old Wang: “???”
The band: “???”
The mercenaries: “???”
The band’s staff stared at Ren Xiaosu, then turned to Old Wang. “You call this nothing serious? He’s clearly unhinged! And what’s with the ‘mother and son are safe’? Isn’t it mother and child?”
The staffer snarled, “Wang Fugui, do you understand the consequences of deceiving us? This is what you call ‘no problem’?!”
Without another word, the band members turned to leave. Just moments ago, they had harbored expectations about the fabled Ren Xiaosu. Now, they realized they’d been introduced to a lunatic.
No wonder everyone in town whispered that he had a screw loose. Who could deny it now?
- Writer
