Yi Yefeng stared at Xueya for a long moment before turning around and walking to the embroidered shoe. He bent down and picked it up. When Xueya saw him retrieve the shoe, his fear vanished, leaving only a sense of pride. So, when Yi Yefeng brought the shoe back to him, Xueya extended his foot.
After a while, Yi Yefeng didn’t make any moves, and Xueya urged, “What are you standing there for? Put it on for me.”
Yi Yefeng looked at Xueya, who barely reached his chest, and slowly knelt down on one leg. As soon as Yi Yefeng knelt, Xueya impatiently placed his foot on Yi Yefeng’s knee.
Tired from standing on one leg and not wanting to dirty his foot, Xueya quickly rested his foot on Yi Yefeng’s knee when he knelt down.
Yi Yefeng’s brow furrowed ever so slightly, but he quickly grabbed Xueya’s foot. His stature was much taller than most, and even his hands were larger, while Xueya’s foot, by comparison, was quite small.
“Xueya? Are you here? The snacks are ready,” came Huang Gonggong’s voice from nearby.
Hearing this, Xueya forgot all about humiliating Yi Yefeng further and tried to pull his foot away immediately, but Yi Yefeng held it firmly, not letting go. Xueya had to lower his voice and scold, “Let go!”
Yi Yefeng raised his eyes and looked at Xueya. He hadn’t uttered a word from start to finish. When Xueya met his gaze, a chill ran down his spine, and his voice softened. “Just… let go. I don’t need you to help me anymore.”
Yi Yefeng lowered his head again, looking at the foot in his hand, and slowly released his grip. Xueya quickly pulled his foot back and snatched the embroidered shoe from Yi Yefeng’s other hand, hurriedly putting it on and walking toward the source of the voice.
He finally let out a breath of relief when he saw Huang Gonggong.
As Xueya washed his hands and began eating the snacks, he couldn’t help but grumble to himself.
That little vixen really knows how to scare people.
The weather in the capital had been particularly strange this year. A snow disaster at the end of the year extended into the beginning of the next. Now, even though it was only late spring, the weather had become unusually hot, as if it were already June in the capital. The lotus flowers in Ningfu Palace had bloomed early, which wasn’t a good sign. Officials from the Department of Astronomy had submitted several reports predicting a long drought this year.
But none of that concerned Xueya.
Xueya had been having the time of his life.
After a period of idleness, Xueya had met a young eunuch named Zhu Qiu. Huang Gonggong, unable to resist Xueya’s pestering, had assigned Zhu Qiu to keep him company.
Although the original idea was for Zhu Qiu to keep an eye on Xueya and ensure he didn’t get into trouble, Zhu Qiu ended up introducing Xueya to many things he had never experienced before.
Xueya had grown up in brothels and pleasure houses, raised to be a courtesan, and had no opportunity to experience the things normal boys would. But Zhu Qiu, a village boy who had grown up catching fish in rivers and climbing trees for birds’ nests, thought Xueya’s childish behavior was amusing and took him along to relive his childhood pastimes. Before long, Xueya was hooked.
***
In the study, He Xulan heard the sound of footsteps running past outside, his brow furrowing slightly. A moment later, the footsteps returned. He quickly got up and walked to the door. As soon as he opened it, he saw Xueya, dripping wet, about to dash past his door.
He Xulan extended a hand and pulled him into the room.
Xueya had just been playing in the water, and his face was slightly sunburned. But his skin, strangely enough, never darkened much, unlike Zhu Qiu, who had tanned considerably from their time together. Xueya’s skin remained as pale as ever.
Surprised by the sudden pull, Xueya was a bit displeased but couldn’t stay mad at He Xulan. He held up a lotus flower he had just picked and showed it to He Xulan. “Brother, do you want a flower?”
He Xulan frowned as he took a good look at Xueya. Xueya had gone into the water to pick lotus flowers, and his clothes were soaked from top to bottom. His hair was half-wet, with loose strands sticking to his pale neck. He had even kicked off his wet shoes and socks, running barefoot, and there were blades of grass clinging to his delicate ankles.
At that moment, Xueya looked like a beautiful wild child.
When He Xulan remained silent, Xueya twisted slightly. “Brother, if you don’t need anything, I’ll go back to—”
Before he could finish, He Xulan picked him up and carried him inside.
He placed Xueya on the bed and tugged at the soaked undergarments beneath Xueya’s robe.
Xueya let out a startled cry and hit He Xulan’s shoulders a few times in protest, but soon gave in.
He Xulan looked down at the boy beneath him, noticing the tears welling in his eyes. He reached for the lotus flower Xueya had dropped and tore off a petal, bringing it to Xueya’s lips.
Still dazed, Xueya absentmindedly bit down on the petal. When he realized he was chewing on a flower, he glared at He Xulan with mock anger.
“That flower was… mmm… the best one,” he muttered in complaint, his voice breaking between breaths.
He Xulan brushed aside the damp strands of hair stuck to Xueya’s cheek and said meaningfully, “Indeed, it was the best.”
***
When He Xulan finally stood up, Xueya laid limp on the bed, unmoving. The window hadn’t been fully closed, and a cool breeze blew in through the crack, gently caressing his body.
At this moment, the wildness of this beautiful wild child had faded, leaving only his beauty, a kind of beauty that one couldn’t look away from.
He Xulan took a few more glances before instructing someone to bring water. When he returned, he found that Xueya had already sat up and was putting on the spare clothes kept in the study.
Ever since that time when Xueya had laid on the desk, He Xulan had made sure to keep clothes prepared for both of them in the study.
“You haven’t cleaned up yet. Why are you getting dressed?” He Xulan’s brows furrowed again.
Xueya hurriedly finished putting on his clothes. “Zhu Qiu is still waiting for me, I need to go find him.”
He glanced at the lotus flower on the bed; both the flower and the bed were a mess after all the commotion. He planned to go pick another flower. But just as he walked past He Xulan, he was lifted up again.
“Brother!” Xueya protested.
He Xulan set him back on the bed, his voice low, “You haven’t cleaned up down there, and you’re running around. Do you want someone to see you like this?”
Xueya’s face instantly turned red, but he still thought about playing, “But… but Zhu Qiu is waiting for me.”
“You can play with him tomorrow, no more playing today,” He Xulan said.
Xueya puffed out his cheeks, clearly unhappy.
He Xulan’s gaze darkened slightly, but his tone remained gentle. “If you go now, you won’t feel comfortable, right? Take a bath, eat something, and rest for a bit.”
After coaxing him for a while, Xueya finally agreed not to go play with Zhu Qiu, but he insisted that He Xulan tell Huang Gonggong to let Zhu Qiu know not to wait for him.
After eating a little, Xueya was taken back to the study. The bed had been cleaned up, and He Xulan moved his work over to the bed while Xueya played with a tangram puzzle beside him.
He quickly solved it, but with nothing else to do, Xueya climbed into He Xulan’s lap of his own accord.
Xueya glanced at the book He Xulan was reading and found that he didn’t recognize most of the characters, making him even more bored. “Brother, don’t you find it boring to read this stuff all day?”
Reading seemed dull, and He Xulan never went out to play. How boring.
He Xulan wrapped one arm around Xueya while turning the pages with the other. His expression was calm as he responded, “Not really. Xueya, look at this sentence: ‘Following desires will lead to failure, while few achieve success by having others follow their desires.’ Do you know what it means?”
Without even looking at the sentence He Xulan was pointing to, Xueya shook his head. “No idea.”
It was clear he didn’t care about the meaning of the sentence either, and He Xulan noticed this, choosing to let the topic drop in silence.
Nestled in He Xulan’s arms, Xueya soon became sleepy. He yawned lazily and crawled out of He Xulan’s embrace, finally falling asleep leaning against He Xulan’s leg.
***
Since he hadn’t played to his heart’s content today, Xueya was eager as he prepared for bed, determined to call Zhu Qiu first thing in the morning. Zhu Qiu had promised to take him to watch a cricket fight.
“Brother, can you wake me up when you get up tomorrow?” Xueya asked He Xulan.
He Xulan was standing by the bed, taking off his outer robe. Hearing this, he turned to glance at Xueya. “Why?”
Already lying down and ready to sleep, Xueya replied, “I want to wake up early tomorrow to watch the cricket fight. Brother, have you ever seen one? Zhu Qiu says it’s really fun.”
Zhu Qiu, Zhu Qiu again.
In just half a day, Xueya had mentioned Zhu Qiu countless times in front of him.
He Xulan sat down by the bed. “I’ve seen one, and I even raised crickets myself. Back in the day, my cricket won first place in the capital’s cricket fighting tournament.”
Xueya’s eyes immediately lit up. “Really?”
“Of course. Why would I lie to you?” He Xulan said.
Xueya quickly sat up, hugging He Xulan’s arm. “Brother, tell me more. What was your cricket’s name? How did it win first place?”
He Xulan, a former top scholar, had a natural flair for storytelling. As the sole listener, Xueya was drawn into the tale, feeling as though he were right there. When He Xulan described how his cricket lost a leg before the finals, Xueya’s heart tightened.
“And then? What happened next?” he asked eagerly.
He Xulan glanced at the hourglass before drawing the bed curtains. “We’ll finish the story tomorrow. It’s time to sleep.”
Xueya was at the most suspenseful part of the story and wasn’t ready for bed yet. He clung to He Xulan, pleading for him to finish the tale, even calling him “husband.” But He Xulan remained firm, insisting the rest would have to wait until tomorrow. Left with no choice, Xueya finally said, “Then you must tell me first thing when we wake up.”
“Alright.”
“Brother, promise to wake me up!”
“Alright.”
The next morning, Xueya predictably overslept. He didn’t stir at all when He Xulan woke, not even when He Xulan pinched his cheek a few times.
“Xueya?” He Xulan called softly, but there was still no response.
He Xulan smiled slightly, withdrew his hand, and went to the outer hall to get dressed and freshen up. After finishing breakfast, he told Huang Gonggong, “Bring Zhu Qiu here.”
***
By the time Xueya woke up, the sun was already high in the sky. He rubbed his eyes and heard He Xulan’s voice nearby.
“Now that you’re awake, get up.”
Xueya lingered in bed for a while before slowly crawling out. He then flopped into He Xulan’s lap. “Brother, carry me to wash up.”
He Xulan looked at the boy clinging to him, his brows raising slightly. But then he reached out and picked him up.
Xueya seemed to have forgotten all about last night’s story. While washing up, he only asked about breakfast. Seeing that Xueya didn’t bring it up, He Xulan didn’t mention it either. After they finished breakfast together, He Xulan was about to head to the study when he overheard Xueya talking to Huang Gonggong.
“Huang Gonggong, has Zhu Qiu finished breakfast?”
Huang Gonggong glanced subtly at He Xulan. “Zhu Qiu has eaten, but he won’t be able to play with you today.”
“Why not?” Xueya’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Zhu Qiu has work to do today. The weather is getting warmer, and there are many cicadas in the trees. Zhu Qiu needs to catch them, or else they’ll disturb your afternoon nap,” Huang Gonggong said.
Without thinking, Xueya replied, “Then I’ll go help Zhu Qiu catch the cicadas.”
Huang Gonggong glanced at He Xulan again.