Ger, So Proud

Chapter 4: Lin Yu

The visitor was Lin Yu.

He wore a coarse cloth jacket with a green cloth belt tied around his waist. Although his frame was a bit thin, his skin was noticeably lighter than others. His cheeks glowed with a faint redness under the sunlight. He had long, slender eyebrows and a pair of peach blossom eyes that tilted slightly upwards at the corners, resembling a crescent moon. Even without a smile, there was a vague allure about him.

Standing there, it was hard to imagine that this was a hunter who often went up the mountains.

Seeing such a beautiful ger, it was no wonder that the word “gorgeous” came to He Ze’s mind even at the brink of death.

Lin Yu’s sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, revealing porcelain-white wrists with visible blue veins, starkly contrasting with the chicken in his hand. He seemed completely unaware of the striking image he presented.

Every time He An saw him, he would be momentarily dazed. But today, he immediately went up to him. Lin Yu, hearing He An’s voice, stopped and handed the chicken and basket to him. “Here, take this.”

The chicken was still alive, its feet bound with string. It was slightly larger than a regular chicken, with gray and black feathers, a long tail, and a bright red comb. It was a wild mountain chicken.

With autumn approaching, wild birds were scarce on the mountains. This chicken could fetch at least forty to fifty coins at the market.

“Hurry up and take it!” Seeing He An hesitate, Lin Yu directly shoved the basket into his arms. “The basket has some wild chicken eggs and dried mountain delicacies. You can cook them for Uncle He and your brother to nourish their bodies.”

“Brother Lin, I can’t accept this. You should take it back!” He An said, looking troubled. “Your dad isn’t in good health either. It’s hard for you to climb the mountains; you shouldn’t give everything to us.”

The person he mentioned was Lin Yu’s dad, Zhang-shi, who had been bedridden for years. Dad and son depended on each other, and being a ger, Lin Yu’s life was undoubtedly tough.

He couldn’t accept these gifts.

“Take it. My dad asked me to bring it over. If you don’t accept it, I’ll just leave it here.” Lin Yu glanced at He An, his gaze sweeping around the courtyard. Then he strode over to the kitchen door and placed the mountain chicken on the ground. The entire series of actions was fluid and uninterrupted.

The chicken tried to stand up, but its wings flapped uselessly, and it rolled on the ground, getting covered in dust, clucking a couple of times.

He An looked at the chicken and then at Lin Yu. “Brother Lin, you…”

“It’s no big deal. Where are Uncle He and your dad?” Lin Yu seemed impatient.

Seeing him like this, He An felt it was inappropriate to refuse further. “They went out. Brother Lin, do you need something?”

“No,” Lin Yu shook his head. “Since they’re not here, just give them my regards. I’ll be heading back.”

With that, he turned to leave.

“Brother Lin, why don’t you come inside and sit for a while? I’ve made some food, you can eat with us. My brother is awake now. If it weren’t for you that day… my brother would certainly want to thank you in person,” He An tried to persuade him.

“No, the sun is already up. It wouldn’t be good if the villagers saw me here. You haven’t even gotten engaged yet. I don’t want to cause any trouble… No, I really need to go.”

“Brother Lin—”

“Wait!”

“Brother, why are you out here?” The sudden voice made both He An and Lin Yu turn their heads. He Ze had somehow already stepped out of the house, leaning against the doorframe. He An quickly went over to help him.

Leaning on He An’s arm, He Ze took a couple of steps closer to Lin Yu, but then he found himself staring blankly at Lin Yu’s face.

He hadn’t gotten a good look that day in the forest. Now, up close, Lin Yu’s features were even more exquisite than the top celebrities before the apocalypse, and all-natural at that.

Such a handsome face, but it’s a man… He Ze still hadn’t quite wrapped his head around the concept of a ger.

“What’s the matter?” Lin Yu frowned as he noticed He Ze’s intense gaze.

Seeing his expression, He An quickly nudged his brother with his elbow. He Ze finally snapped out of it. “Nothing… Lin Yu, thank you for that day.”

The original He Ze had encountered Lin Yu a few times in the village, so he could recognize him.

If it weren’t for Lin Yu, He Ze would have been dead.

Over the past few days, he had been cared for by the He family as another “He Ze.” While he was grateful, there was still a sense of unfamiliarity in their interactions. But with Lin Yu, the simple gratitude of a life-saving bond made He Ze feel more at ease.

Lin Yu didn’t respond immediately. He just gave He Ze a suspicious look, seeing the sincere expression on his face, and finally relaxed a bit. However, he still didn’t give much ground, “No need to thank me. I just happened to be there that day.”

The implication was clear—don’t overthink it, I didn’t save you on purpose.

Hearing this, He Ze felt a bit awkward. From his memories, the original He Ze didn’t seem to have any conflict with Lin Yu. So why did Lin Yu seem to dislike him?

He Ze instinctively touched his nose. “…Regardless, you saved me. This thank you is well-deserved.”

Whether Lin Yu accepted it or not was one thing, but expressing his gratitude was another.

Especially for saving his life.

“…Alright then, I’ll accept your thanks. Xiao An, take good care of your brother. I’m leaving now.” Lin Yu clearly didn’t want to talk much with He Ze.

“Then, Brother Lin, I won’t see you off.”

“Mm.”

The two brothers in the courtyard watched Lin Yu leave, only speaking once his figure had disappeared into the distance. He An finally asked, “Brother, what’s going on between you and Brother Lin?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean…” He An pouted as he helped He Ze back into the house, continuing as they walked, “Brother Lin seems to act a bit… strange towards you.”

“Really? You’re overthinking it.” Strange wasn’t the right word; He Ze felt that Lin Yu’s gaze was filled with undisguised dislike when looking at him.

Who knows what the original He Ze did to provoke such a strong reaction.

“…Alright,” He An was clearly unsatisfied with this answer, his face falling. But then he suddenly brightened up, looking quite excited, “Brother, did you know? That day, Brother Lin carried you back all the way. When he knocked on our courtyard door, Dad and Father were scared to death when they saw your condition.”

“Carried?”

He Ze immediately latched onto this detail, stopping in his tracks. He hadn’t been carried by anyone since he was ten.

“Yes, carried. The path down the mountain is so long, but Brother Lin carried you all the way home without even panting,” He An’s voice carried a note of admiration.

Lin Yu was not only known as the most handsome ger in the village but also incredibly strong. He could easily lift a log weighing hundreds of pounds. At thirteen, he had single-handedly hunted a bear, earning fame throughout the surrounding villages. No man could match him.

With such strength and hunting skills, Lin Yu managed a few plots of land on his own, frequently going hunting and always bringing something back, enough to cover his dad’s medical expenses and support their life together.

What a great person. It’s just a pity…

“Enough about that. I’ll go get your meal,” He An suddenly seemed to lose interest, his excitement fading. He helped He Ze to the table and then headed out.

He Ze watched his brother’s hurried steps and just shook his head. Still a child, so impatient.

He had been an only child growing up. Now, having a younger brother felt… not bad.

Time passed quickly. Perhaps because he had slept for half the day yesterday, He Ze felt quite energetic and had no desire to sleep. He simply sat in the courtyard, basking in the sun, watching He An bustle around.

Fifteen. What had he been doing at fifteen? Skipping classes to play video games? Helping a classmate chase after a girl? Those distant memories flashed through his mind, giving him a sudden sense of nostalgia.

“Brother, what are you thinking about?” He An walked by, carrying a large bundle of firewood that nearly obscured his entire face. From He Ze’s angle, he could only see his brother’s knees bending with each step.

This bundle of firewood was too heavy for him. But his practiced movements showed he did it often.

He Ze touched the wound on his head, feeling an increasing sense of guilt.

If he hadn’t woken up in “He Ze’s” body, perhaps this family would be better off.

He knew his injury wasn’t minor. Seeing the doctor, getting medicine, all cost money. Even the food they’d been eating these past days must have cost quite a bit… He had taken over their son’s body, so it was his responsibility to support this family now. But with his current health—in a village where a single illness could ruin a household—he was only a burden.

If only his abilities were still intact. With his wood-based powers, he could harness the life force of plants to heal himself. If he could just heal this injury…

“The transformation from human to superhuman might lie not in the body, but in the soul.” This thought suddenly popped into He Ze’s mind.

“Brother? Brother!” He An was already standing in front of him, waving his hand.

“Hm?”

“What were you just thinking about!” He An’s face was full of curiosity.

Unbeknownst to them, the usual barriers between them seemed to have vanished.

“…Nothing,” He Ze shook his head, suddenly grabbing He An’s arm and standing up, “Help me a bit.”

“What’s wrong?”

He Ze didn’t answer, just looked around, finally stopping at the stack of firewood He An had just piled up. Among them, there was a branch with a few green leaves, clearly still alive.

He An followed as He Ze slowly walked over.

“Brother, what are you doing?”

He Ze still didn’t answer. He reached out, pulling the branch out with effort, and lightly touched the leaves. After a few moments, a faint but perceptible cool sensation flowed from the leaves into his body.

This was the energy of life! Which meant… his abilities were still there!

Really!

A smile gradually spread across He Ze’s face, almost reaching his ears.

He then remembered where he had heard that thought before.

In the apocalypse, there was a period when he traveled with a researcher from a base’s lab. During their conversations, the researcher had mentioned that the transformation of humans into superhumans might not be in the body but in the mutation of each person’s unique magnetic field—what could be broadly defined as the soul.

At that time, he dismissed it as nonsense. But now, this was the only explanation that made sense!

This was… unbelievable.

“Brother! What’s wrong with you?” He An, seeing his strange actions, followed by inexplicable grinning and then zoning out, grew increasingly concerned. Could it be… his brother really had a brain injury? “Brother, are you okay? Should I get the doctor?”

He An looked worried.

“I’m fine, don’t worry.” He Ze shook his head, glancing at the branch in his hand before putting it back with a light chuckle.

In the sunlight, the leaves seemed a bit yellow.

“Brother, are you really okay? I…”

Before He An could finish his sentence, he was interrupted. From the courtyard gate, He Youcai and Dad Li entered with a man in his fifties or forties. Dad Li, smiling, called out to He An.