Outrun The World

Chapter 34

"You should've let me in on it," He Tian was pouting the next day when he slyly maneuvered the conversation back to the Christmas decorations. He dramatically kicked a mound of dirt and immediately regretted it when his foot was swarmed with angry red ants furiously defending their ruined home. "Ah, fuck!"

"That's not how surprises work," Mo Guan Shan answered with a roll of his eyes as he held a branch out to a bleating goat who immediately munched on the young leaves. He reached out to scratch its cheek and the goat paid him no mind. It had gotten used to these guys stopping by to feed them. He Tian stomped around while groaning and scattering the flock of goats until several males challenged him with their pointed horns.

Mo Guan Shan only laughed, shaking his head at all the ruckus until He Tian finally returned to his side to complain about the ant bites all over his feet.

"It's still different. I wanted to decorate the house with you," He Tian grumbled and squatted next to the other guy as he impatiently scratched his foot. And venting his irritation by pulling grass and trying to push away Mo Guan Shan's branch from out of the goat's reach.

"Bro, Christmas isn't cancelled next year," Mo Guan Shan answered, frowning. He Tian continued pouting, just trying to mess with the guy and hopefully gain a favor later. But the promise of next year almost made him smile. "You're starting to look like a goat."

"Shuuuuut uuuuuup!" He Tian bleated to mimic the goats and received a friendly smack on his arm. "Ahh, my feet are so itchy, Little Mo~"

"Aww, itchy? Poor little Tian Tian."

They huddled by the side of the road, squatting like a couple of kids as they inspected the taller guy's swelling patches. Mo Guan Shan poked one bump before gently scratching He Tian's toe with an index finger and quickly slapped his hand as he scratched his skin impatiently. Almost with gritted teeth and a flaring nose.

"Stop it. You'll get them infected."

"Better ouchy than itchy," He Tian answered and caught Mo Guan Shan's hand before taking it to his lips. "Smells like goat poop."

"So that was an elaborate ploy to get a kiss out of me?" The red-headed guy caught the other's nose between his index and middle fingers curled like two pincers.

"I just felt like it."

Mo Guan Shan was first to stand up, picking up a heavy cooler filled with soft drinks in one and half liter bottles. Exasperated by He Tian's pathetic state, he sighed, extending a hand towards him.

"Come on. Let's hurry up before they finish husking everything."

"Naw, they're still picking," He Tian answered, letting Mo Guan Shan help him up.

They left the goats and ambled down the sloping grassland lined neatly with the tallest coconut trees Mo Guan Shan had ever seen. Rows and rows of what seemed like an endless stream of coconuts dominated the view, littered with tiny nipa huts and houses made with coconut wood and bamboo.

The former owner specifically pleaded for these residents to keep their places and they did. He Tian didn't have a reason nor the slightest desire to drive them away, anyway.

He surveyed the view while shading his eyes with a hand until he saw a man expertly balancing an impossibly long bamboo pole up towards one coconut tree. He noticed Mo Guan Shan watching in awe as a kid, acting like an assistant, handed another shorter but stouter bamboo pole to the "manguluhit" and the man connected it to the base of his already long pole as an extension.

"Holy crap, that takes some superb skill, my dude. Like, you gotta be an expert in this field to wield such a specialty weapon," Mo Guan Shan whispered in awe as they watched. The man would step back and forth to balance the freakishly long pole, tugged and down came a rain of mature coconuts.