A Divine Farmer

C5 – Thunderbolt

The next day, the rain continued to pour. Undeterred, Lu Xiaoya cut short her vacation and braved the rain to hurry back to Yanjing, hoping to catch a car.

Meanwhile, Zhang Xiaoloong, with his determination to become the top farming scholar, found himself being chased around the yard by his father, Zhang Daniu, who wielded a broom.

“Alright, both of you are soaked. What if you catch a cold again? Spare me the worry!” Liu Mei looked at the father and son duo and helplessly brought two bowls of hot soup into the house, calling out.

“You little rascal, drink the soup before I give you a thrashing!” Feeling the chill in his own body, Zhang Daniu was concerned that his son would feel even colder. Muttering to himself, he retreated back into the room first.

“How dare you? My son just woke up, and you’re so quick to resort to violence! If you really want to beat Xiaoloong, you’ll have to go through me first!” Fuming with anger, Liu Mei snatched back the bowl of soup. “You hit my son and then expect me to make soup for you? If you’re capable, make it yourself!”

“It’s all your fault, isn’t it?” Zhang Daniu, seething with rage, had nowhere to vent his frustration. He slammed the table and yelled.

“Yes, it is. So what?” Liu Mei showed no intention of backing down, confronting him with a firm tone.

Seeing his attempt failed, Zhang Daniu quickly softened his stance and mumbled, “If you want to back out, then go ahead. It’s not like you haven’t backed out before. You’re the boss, after all.”

Liu Mei burst into laughter and swiftly pushed the bowl of soup towards her son. Simultaneously, she called out, “Xiaoloong, come back inside quickly. Your father won’t dare to do anything to you. Otherwise, I’ll teach him a lesson!”

Zhang Daniu wanted to retort, but when he saw Liu Mei’s stern expression, he cleared his throat and buried his face in the bowl of soup.

The couple had been quite happy these past few days. Their son had recovered, and Lu Xiaoya, that girl, also pleased them. The only issue was that Zhang Xiaoloong refused to go back to school. He insisted on being a top farmer, which greatly angered Zhang Daniu. That’s what led to the scene just now.

Zhang Xiaoloong noticed his father had stopped pursuing the matter, so he reluctantly returned inside the house. He took the hot soup bowl from his mother and took a few sips.

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“Xiaoloong, why don’t you want to return to school? Are you feeling unwell?” Liu Mei watched her son affectionately as she asked with concern, “If you feel unwell, let’s go to the big hospital for a check-up. Don’t worry about expenses; we have plenty of money at home.”

“Well…” Zhang Xiaoloong thought it wasn’t right to keep evading the issue, so he needed to come up with a suitable excuse.

Thinking quickly, he came up with an idea. “Actually, I am feeling a bit unwell. I visited the doctor the other day, and he said it’s due to overusing my brain, causing some damage to my spirit and energy. My brain is weak and needs rest for a while; otherwise, it might lead to nerve damage…”

“What? Brain damage? Is it that serious?” Zhang Daniu and his wife, though not highly educated, couldn’t help feeling anxious upon hearing about their son’s condition.

Liu Mei wiped her tears. “Why didn’t you tell us earlier, my child? Even if the top university invites us, we wouldn’t consider it, let alone some mediocre one.”

She glared at Zhang Daniu, as if blaming him for hitting their son earlier.

Zhang Daniu also became flustered. “Let’s not worry about that for now. How should we treat him? Tomorrow morning, we’ll go to the county hospital. No, let’s go today. If the county hospital can’t handle it, we’ll head to Yanjing!”

Zhang Xiaoloong felt embarrassed hearing this. He had casually mentioned the brain condition, but he hadn’t expected his parents to be so frightened. He quickly reassured them, “Don’t worry. The doctor said it’s not that serious. I just need to rest my brain, and there’s no need for any medication. The rest of my body is fine, but I didn’t want you both to worry, so I said I’d take a year off and rest at home. I’ll see if I should return to school next year.”

“Take your time, no need to rush,” Liu Mei said hurriedly. “As long as you’re healthy, you can stay at home forever. Your dad and I will support you.”

“Mom, don’t say that. I’m perfectly fine and strong. How can I stay home all day?” Zhang Xiaoloong chuckled. “Besides, the doctor said working more and using the brain less is better than any medicine, so I thought if I work from home for a year, maybe I’ll recover from all kinds of ailments. Then, I can head to Yanjing and attend university. Wouldn’t that be great?”

“Really?” His parents asked at the same time.

“Of course it’s true. Have you ever known me to lie?” Zhang Xiaoloong had never lied before, so he felt incredibly vulnerable now. Despite this, he forced himself to stay strong and endure.

Rumble…

An explosion echoed through the sky, and the rain outside intensified.

Zhang Xiaoloong’s heart, which had been quiet for the past two days, suddenly surged with emotions again.

“I need to take a rest!” Sensing the shift, he promptly placed the bowl down and turned to leave the room.

Watching his son’s peculiar behavior, Zhang Daniu hesitated and whispered, “Do you really think what Xiaoloong said is true? It feels a bit odd to me.”

“If our son says it’s true, then let’s believe him,” Liu Mei responded unhappily. After a long pause, she mumbled, “Although… I also find it a little peculiar…”

“What do you suggest we do then?” Zhang Daniu inquired immediately upon hearing her uncertainty.

“What else can we do? Let’s just trust him,” Liu Mei shot another eye roll at her husband. “Xiaoloong has been a sensible child since he was young. Even if he lied, there must be a reason. If he doesn’t want to go to college right now, then we won’t force him. Our son will attend university when he’s ready. Which option do you think we should choose?”

“Of course, it’s the university… Bah,” Zhang Daniu saw his wife’s fierce look and quickly added, “Of course, I want our son to go. As long as Xiaoloong is doing well, I don’t need to worry about anything… But if he can become the top scholar, that’d be even better.”

“Didn’t Xiaoloong say he’ll go to college after a year if he feels better? Let’s give him some time. Maybe he’ll outshine the current top scholar a hundredfold,” Liu Mei suggested.

“Why are you saying such strange things? What can be better than being the top scholar? It’s such an honorable achievement, but it got disrupted by a lightning strike. What a setback,” Zhang Daniu couldn’t help but complain.

……

Inside the room, Zhang Xiaoloong pushed the door open from the inside and immediately noticed the shadow of the small black cauldron emerging from his chest. This time, it was even more distinct than before.

When Zhang Xiaoloong first woke up, the small cauldron would appear three times a day. On the second day, it appeared once. But this time, it hadn’t shown up for two consecutive days. Zhang Xiaoloong thought he had fully recovered. Who would have imagined that the phantom would be even more vivid than before?

Rumble…

Thunder rumbled loudly in the sky, and the shadow of the small cauldron on Zhang Xiaoloong’s chest seemed to be exhilarated. The dense yellow light became even more intense, slowly drifting towards the roof.

Zhang Xiaoloong gaped, witnessing the unbelievable scene, when suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck from the sky, creating a big hole in the roof. The lightning directly aimed for the top of his head, and in an instant, his entire body was numbed by the powerful surge of energy.

“Oh my god, I, Zhang Xiaoloong, haven’t done anything wrong. Last time was fine, but isn’t this going a bit too far?”