Bai Xizhou didn’t get to sleep until around four in the morning, and didn’t wake up until the afternoon. His phone kept vibrating on the nightstand, buzzing endlessly and annoyingly. He grabbed it, glanced at the caller ID, and decisively hung up.
Left with no choice after being woken up, Bai Xizhou decided to get out of bed. He planned to head to the center in the afternoon to go over the details for tomorrow’s field visit again.
When he went downstairs, Wen Ruqing was sitting by the window, on the phone. The book Bai Xizhou had given him the night before was sitting on the table in front of him.
“It’s not mine—belongs to a friend. It’s pretty badly damaged. I remember you had something similar at home. I wanted to borrow it to compare the contents.”
He looked up and saw Bai Xizhou, giving him a small wave.
“Alright, thank you. I’ll treat you to a meal when I get back.”
Bai Xizhou walked over and sat across from him. Wen Ruqing chatted a bit more with the person on the other end, then hung up.
The weather was getting hotter. Wen Ruqing had made some lemon water and poured a glass for Bai Xizhou too.
“Heading out?” he asked, eyeing Bai Xizhou’s outfit.
“Yeah, going to double-check the materials for tomorrow’s rural visit.” Bai Xizhou yawned. “You’re coming too, right?”
Wen Ruqing stirred the lemon slice in his glass. He paused briefly at Bai Xizhou’s words, then looked up with some hesitation.
He had almost forgotten—he was now Bai Xizhou’s assistant. Since Bai Xizhou was heading out of town, it made sense he should go too. But when he applied for the position, it was only because he wanted to get closer to Bai Xizhou’s work environment. He didn’t actually know anything about law. What could he even do during the visit tomorrow?
“You just need to help out with logistics. Don’t overthink it.”
Seeing his conflicted expression, Bai Xizhou couldn’t help but smile. He took a sip of the lemon water—sweet and sour with a hint of salt.
“Didn’t your aunt always tell you to get out more anyway?”
“Alright then.”
The first location for their field visit was the somewhat remote Puji Village. Although most residents had moved to the new rural area, a small number of households still lived in their original self-built homes.
This rural outreach event was organized together with other social organizations. Before Bai Xizhou and his team arrived, the aid center had already contacted the village officials and informed them about the legal awareness campaign, making sure every household was notified. This was one of the bigger events in Puji Village.
So by the time Bai Xizhou and the others arrived, many villagers were already sitting on small stools in the open space in front of the village committee office, waiting. Bai Xizhou glanced around and noticed that most attendees were either elderly or children.
This was expected, as the working-age adults mostly didn’t have time to attend such events.
“You and Sister Li can go around handing out the brochures to everyone,” Bai Xizhou assigned the task to Wen Ruqing, then turned to discuss some arrangements with the other team members.
Bai Xizhou wasn’t new to events like this and had some experience. The team also included several law students who were completely inexperienced. Bai Xizhou thought it would be a good chance for them to gain experience, so he assigned them the main speaking roles.
Wen Ruqing and Liu Li handed out the brochures one by one to the villagers. Some seemed to have just finished farm work and had come to watch out of curiosity. They took a brochure but left soon after.
Although not many people had come, handing out the brochures individually was no easy task. Wen Ruqing rubbed his waist and stood up, scanning the crowd until his gaze landed on where Bai Xizhou was standing.
He was with a few young people, dressed similarly but still distinguishable by the different aura they carried.
Suddenly, Wen Ruqing felt something tugging at the corner of his clothes. He looked down to see a little kid.
The child blinked up at Wen Ruqing, then pointed toward Bai Xizhou nearby, smiling like a blooming flower. Wen Ruqing was momentarily at a loss, but the child’s grandmother soon came over to pick him up. However, the little kid stubbornly clung to Wen Ruqing’s sleeve.
“Dou Dou, brother, hehe~” The toddler wasn’t very articulate yet, babbling incomprehensibly.
“Dou Dou wants to be held by brother, right?” The grandmother gently asked, holding Dou Dou in her arms.
Children always express their likes and dislikes clearly. They want to be close to those they like. The grandmother was at a loss— the speech was about to start soon, but Dou Dou stubbornly refused to let go.
“You go listen first. I’ll help watch him,” Wen Ruqing said.
The grandmother looked at the badge on Wen Ruqing’s chest, confirming he was one of the staff, and only then did she dare to let go and hand Dou Dou over to him.
Wen Ruqing gently took Dou Dou into his arms. The child immediately broke into a smile, pressing his face against Wen Ruqing’s. A child’s skin is like a peeled egg—soft and ticklish against the cheek.
The new law students were still young. Instead of reciting dull legal clauses, they used vivid, relatable examples that the villagers could empathize with, explaining the embedded laws one by one. Some even acted out skits to illustrate the points. Wen Ruqing couldn’t help but admire their creativity, as Dou Dou giggled happily in his arms.
“Dou Dou, do you understand? Why are you laughing so happily?” Wen Ruqing poked the toddler’s soft face.
Dou Dou didn’t understand but still happily grabbed Wen Ruqing’s finger.
Wen Ruqing sighed a little—being a child is easy. There’s no need to worry or carry pressure; everything is just about what makes you happy. Hungry? Eat. Tired? Sleep. No one thinks a child is wrong for that. But once you grow up, everything changes.
After the group presentation, it was time for individual consultations. Bai Xizhou and several other aid lawyers set up a temporary booth. Villagers came one after another with various questions—mostly trivial—but all were answered patiently.
Lunch had originally been prepared by the village secretary, but it was declined, as they had already ordered food elsewhere and needed to leave for the next village after eating.
Only Wen Ruqing knew about Bai Xizhou’s picky eating habits. The ordered meals came in two batches, and by coincidence, Bai Xizhou ended up with the box containing the dishes he liked least.
He sat on a chair at the village entrance, shaded by trees. The others were not far away, eating and chatting. Bai Xizhou had no appetite. He set the boxed meal aside and looked up at the sky.
The sky was a deep, clear blue with not a cloud in sight. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting scattered patches of light. The midday village was quiet. Closing his eyes, all he could hear was the soft rustling of leaves.
This tranquility washed over Bai Xizhou’s weary heart. Just as cracked earth receives rain and buried seeds awaken after a dry season, so too did he feel renewed.
Bai Xizhou liked this place—the escape it gave him, the flowers, trees, and the simple human warmth, He likes…
The icy touch made Bai Xizhou shiver all over, pulling him out of his reverie. He opened his eyes to see Wen Ruqing’s gaze.
“Lawyer Bai, you’ve worked hard. Here, have a bottle of water.” Wen Ruqing pressed the water into his hand and sat down beside him. “There’s no eggplant in my meal. Want to swap?”
Wen Ruqing’s voice stimulated Bai Xizhou’s senses. He turned his head; his eyes, still a bit blinded by the sun, saw Wen Ruqing casually open his lunchbox to eat. As Wen Ruqing raised his hand, Bai Xizhou noticed the watch he had given him.
“Why did you want to kill yourself?” he blurted out— a question he had always wanted to ask. “Why hurt yourself?”
“Lawyer Bai, many times people act without reason.” Wen Ruqing fed himself a bite, not wanting to answer. It was too long a story. “Maybe I cared too much about something, kept trying every way to get close to it, and when I finally looked back, I found I couldn’t find my way back anymore.”
Bai Xizhou let it go, not asking further. They chatted casually, finished their lunch, and then headed to the next village.
The routine was much the same, and the materials were mostly identical. Wen Ruqing lost interest after hearing it once and started wandering around the village.
This village was different from Pujicun; it felt like an old-fashioned rural village, untouched by human intervention.
Wen Ruqing grew up in Yunduan Town but hadn’t been to every village. These two villages were far from town, and if not for following the group, he might never have set foot here in his life.
He came to a vegetable patch where an older man was working. Wen Ruqing greeted him and asked why he hadn’t gone to the legal lecture. The man said their family had sent a representative.
Wen Ruqing was smooth-talking, saying things people liked to hear. He complimented the man’s vegetable patch, and the man happily gave Wen Ruqing a cucumber. Feeling satisfied, Wen Ruqing continued his stroll.
Free-range chickens and ducks strutted arrogantly in the middle of the road, completely ignoring Wen Ruqing. Feeling playful, he ran a few steps into the flock, watching the birds scatter, laughing joyfully.
He had planned to wash the cucumber by the pond but saw a group of geese spreading their wings at the water’s edge and decisively gave up on the idea. He didn’t want to be chased by geese like when he was a child.
Wen Ruqing felt as if he had returned to his childhood days in the village. He hadn’t felt this rural peace in a long time. Having lived away for years, his visits back lasted only a few days each year, never quite enough. But this land that gave him life always held something that made him feel at ease.
He should have come out earlier, but now, it wasn’t too late.
After a good walk, Wen Ruqing felt very happy. Checking the time, it was almost over. As he prepared to head back, he noticed that besides the chickens, ducks, and geese on the way in, he hadn’t met any other creatures — until now, when a dog blocked his path.
Bai Xizhou stretched his sore, stiff body—he’d been sitting too long, and his waist ached a little. The day’s activities were basically over. Bai Xizhou stood up and looked around but didn’t see Wen Ruqing.
Since the afternoon’s events began, he hadn’t seen Wen Ruqing.
[Lawyer Bai, help!]
Just as he thought this, Wen Ruqing sent a message.
\[I’m by the bridge, a dog is blocking me (╥╯﹏╰╥)ง]
Bai Xizhou couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time. That emoji really seemed to capture the mood—miserable but somehow funny.
“Lawyer Bai, once you’re done packing up, we can head back,” said another organizer of the event.
“Wait a moment, I’m going to find someone.” Bai Xizhou patted the organizer on the shoulder and strode off.
When he arrived at the bridge, Wen Ruqing was clutching the railing, desperately shrinking back, while the so-called “blocking dog” was just a small local mutt about the size of a Chihuahua.
These kinds of small mutts aren’t afraid of people and like to rub against them, but if the person resists, they’ll bark a couple of times. Although not dangerous, for someone afraid of dogs, it was enough.
Bai Xizhou walked over, crouched, and petted the little dog’s head, then shooed it aside. At that moment, Wen Ruqing quickly ran over to Bai Xizhou’s side. The two walked forward for a while, but the dog followed again. Wen Ruqing’s expression stiffened, and he quickened his pace, leaving Bai Xizhou behind to hold back the dog.
After following for a bit, the dog stopped, turned back, wagging its tail as it went, looking very happy. Bai Xizhou jogged a few steps to catch up with Wen Ruqing.
“I thought you were surrounded by some big dog. But it’s so tiny—are you really afraid?” It was rare to see such a big guy scared of such a small dog.
“I was bitten by a dog as a kid. Got a psychological shadow,” Wen Ruqing said, feeling a bit embarrassed, picking up his pace.
“Your life is really full of stories,” Bai Xizhou laughed. “But I’m curious—why were you bitten? It can’t have been for no reason.”
“I was stupid as a kid. I saw two dogs fighting and wanted to break it up, but not only did I fail, I got bitten,” Wen Ruqing didn’t shy away from the embarrassing memory. “It was a dog about this size that bit me.”
Since then, Wen Ruqing couldn’t stand any dog, big or small. Wherever he went, if he saw a dog, he would avoid it.
“Thank you, Lawyer Bai. You’re the second person besides my family to shoo away a dog for me.” Once away from the dog, Wen Ruqing regained his usual spirit, turning around with his back to the sunset glow. “As payment, I’ll give you half of this cucumber. I wiped it with paper, but if you think it’s dirty, you can wash it again.”
Bai Xizhou took the half cucumber from Wen Ruqing’s hand, momentarily speechless. He bit into the cucumber, and the fresh fragrance spread through his mouth—sweet, crisp, and refreshing. He uncontrollably glanced at Wen Ruqing, who was already briskly walking toward the car with his back turned. Suddenly, something dawned on him.
What did he mean by “the second person to shoo away a dog for me”?
