I, The Substitute, Am With The Main Character Chapter 94

Such childish words made He Xulan unable to hold back a laugh, but he suppressed it, considering the boy in his arms was still crying. He hadn’t forgotten how, when he confiscated Xueya’s gold back then, Xueya had said it was his own and even said he hated him, which led to Xueya falling seriously ill.

“Are you really willing to let me use it?” He Xulan pinched Xueya’s cheek.

Xueya sobbed and nodded at the same time. Although he nodded, his face was full of sadness and reluctance.

“And what if I use it all up?” He Xulan asked again.

This question clearly touched on something Xueya hadn’t thought about. He had never considered what would happen once the gold ran out. He Xulan’s reminder made him anxious.

“Use… use it all up? I…” Xueya stammered in panic, but couldn’t get any words out.

Seeing this, He Xulan pulled him into his arms. “Don’t worry about that. By the way, why did you suddenly ask about labor?”

Xueya hesitated for a moment before half-confessing, “Brother, I dreamed that His Majesty captured you and sentenced you to do hard labor.”

“You cried all morning just because you dreamed I was doing labor?” He Xulan tilted his head to look at Xueya. Xueya was resting his chin on He Xulan’s shoulder, with tears still hanging on his eyelashes.

“Mm-hmm.”

As soon as Xueya answered, he felt a kiss on the side of his face. Gentle kisses trailed down to his neck, and Xueya’s face immediately flushed. Just when he thought He Xulan was going to undress him in the carriage, He Xulan stopped.

“Does Xueya have a nickname?” He Xulan asked softly while using a handkerchief to wipe away the tear stains on Xueya’s face.

Xueya’s face was still burning, and for a moment, he forgot about the pain of not living a life of luxury. “My mother called me Guanguan.”

“Does it have any special meaning?” He Xulan hadn’t heard of such a nickname before and couldn’t help but ask.

“My mother hoped I would grow up to be an important official,” Xueya quickly replied, not thinking there was anything wrong with the statement.

He Xulan paused for a moment before laughing and kissing Xueya’s lips. “Guanguan is such a good child.”

Xueya didn’t quite understand why He Xulan suddenly praised him, but he reciprocated the gesture with a quick kiss of his own.

Ever since Xueya had that dream, he didn’t want He Xulan to go to Kangwu County, but no matter what he said, He Xulan showed no intention of changing their destination. Xueya could only comfort himself, thinking that He Xulan was just going to seek refuge with his uncle and wasn’t necessarily planning to rebel.

The weather grew colder, and the animals they could hunt became fewer and smaller. The little bit of meat they caught wasn’t enough to eat, so Xueya had to fill his stomach with dry rations. The dry food was hard and cold, only manageable to swallow with water.

Xueya didn’t have much meat to eat, and He Xulan had none at all. He gave all the meat to Xueya, but whenever Xueya tried to share, He Xulan would refuse, claiming he didn’t want any.

Xueya thought He Xulan was lying—who doesn’t want to eat meat? But since there wasn’t enough to go around, He Xulan wouldn’t eat it, so Xueya could only hope they would reach the next inn soon. Before that, though, he noticed Yi Yefeng eating by himself.

At that moment, He Xulan had gone nearby to fetch water, leaving Xueya in the carriage. After sitting in the carriage all day, Xueya felt uncomfortable and lifted the curtain to get out and walk. As soon as he opened the curtain, he saw Yi Yefeng standing not far away, eating something.

He looked closely and realized it was a chicken leg.

They had hunted a wild chicken the day before, a small and scrawny one. Xueya hadn’t eaten much of it, but he didn’t expect Yi Yefeng to have hidden a portion for himself. All day today, he and He Xulan had only eaten dry food.

Anger surged through Xueya. He jumped down from the carriage and stomped over to Yi Yefeng.

Yi Yefeng had just taken a bite when he heard the commotion. He looked up and saw Xueya approaching, but his expression remained unchanged.

“What are you eating?” Xueya was already in front of Yi Yefeng.

“A chicken leg.”

“Where did it come from?”

Yi Yefeng replied in a deep voice, “From yesterday’s chicken.”

In such cold weather, chicken meat wouldn’t spoil after a day. Xueya looked around and spotted a fire pit that hadn’t fully gone out, further confirming his suspicion that Yi Yefeng was eating in secret.

So, in a fit of anger, he stretched out his hand. “Give it to me!”

Yi Yefeng lowered his gaze to the soft, white hand in front of him, then looked at the chicken leg in his own hand.

Seeing that Yi Yefeng wasn’t handing it over, Xueya’s fox-like eyes widened in frustration. “Hurry up!”

At that, Yi Yefeng placed the chicken leg in Xueya’s hand, but just before it touched him, Xueya pulled his hand back.

“Wait.” Xueya took out a handkerchief and placed it in his palm before grabbing the chicken leg.

Satisfied with his “loot,” Xueya returned to the carriage, intending to give the still-warm chicken leg to He Xulan. However, the chicken leg smelled too good, and Xueya couldn’t help but stare at it. As he stared, he licked his lips.

Maybe just one bite wouldn’t hurt?

Just a small bite.

After taking a small bite, Xueya wrapped the chicken leg back in the handkerchief and placed it beside the warmer, hoping it would stay warm for a little while longer.

When He Xulan returned, Xueya eagerly presented the chicken leg. “Brother, have some chicken.”

He Xulan’s expression was normal at first, but when he saw the chicken leg, his lips pressed into a thin line. “Where did you get that?”

Xueya, not noticing He Xulan’s change in expression, proudly said, “I took it from Yi Yefeng. I caught him eating alone, so I took it. Brother, you should eat it. I only took a small bite.”

He pointed to the small bite he had taken, next to the large bite from Yi Yefeng.

Seeing the two bites, He Xulan’s face didn’t just change—it darkened significantly. Xueya, a bit slow to pick up on the tense atmosphere, thought He Xulan was angry at Yi Yefeng and continued to complain, “Brother, look at how big a bite Yi Yefeng took compared to mine.”

He leaned in, wanting He Xulan to see more clearly.

In the next moment, the chicken leg was snatched from his hand. Before Xueya could react, He Xulan threw it out the window. Shocked, Xueya rushed toward the window but was pulled back by his arm.

“Brother, why did you throw it away?” Xueya was furious.

He had worked so hard to get that chicken leg, only for it to be tossed out.

He Xulan’s eyes darkened further, and he didn’t say a word, simply staring at Xueya.

Seeing this, Xueya tried to shake off He Xulan’s grip to retrieve the chicken leg, but before he could step outside, he was pushed down onto He Xulan’s lap.

For a moment, Xueya was stunned. Just as he was about to ask what He Xulan was doing, his outer robe was lifted.

Then, a hard slap landed on his backside.

The slap was so forceful that Xueya nearly jumped off He Xulan’s lap, but He Xulan held him down tightly, preventing him from escaping. All Xueya could do was cry out, “Brother, stop! It hurts… please…”

But He Xulan didn’t stop until Xueya was crying with tears streaming down his face.

Afterward, He Xulan lifted him up, his expression still grim. He took out a handkerchief to wipe Xueya’s tears, but Xueya turned his face away.

Xueya was angry, his cheeks puffed up, and his fox-like eyes full of grievance.

Seeing this, He Xulan grabbed Xueya’s chin and made him turn his face back. “Guanguan, do you know why I punished you?”

Xueya glared at him. “I know—it’s because of Yi Yefeng.”

He Xulan was just about to say “yes” when he heard Xueya’s next words.

“You just think I bullied Yi Yefeng and are standing up for him, right?” Xueya was fuming, feeling utterly betrayed by He Xulan. “You told me before that there’s nothing between you and him, but there clearly is! I just took a chicken leg from him, and you hit me. What exactly do you like about him? Is he better looking than me?”

This was completely unreasonable, and He Xulan frowned. “You’re overthinking it. There’s nothing inappropriate between Yi Yefeng and me.”

“Liar! You just want to enjoy the best of both worlds! Jerk!” Xueya, feeling even more wronged, started to sob again, especially after the spanking he had just received. He tried to wriggle out of He Xulan’s arms. “I don’t want to be with you anymore… boohoo…”

He Xulan sighed softly and tightened his hold on the boy who was trying to leave. “I did punish you because of Yi Yefeng. You really shouldn’t have taken his food. Yi Yefeng’s body is different from ours. He needs to eat a large amount of meat every day. If he doesn’t, over time, his health will decline, and he’ll become no stronger than an ordinary person. Even though we haven’t encountered any pursuers yet, we can’t afford to lower our guard. If Yi Yefeng’s health worsens, it will be much harder for all of us to survive.”

He paused for a moment before adding, “Also, Yi Yefeng had already eaten from that chicken leg. You shouldn’t have taken a bite from it. I care about that a lot.”

Xueya still felt wronged. Although he had stopped threatening to leave, he refused to look at He Xulan, keeping his face turned away.

At this moment, Yi Yefeng came back to the carriage. “Shall we go?”

“Let’s go,” He Xulan replied to Yi Yefeng before turning back to Xueya. Seeing that the boy was still pouting, He Xulan thought for a moment and asked, “Do you want me to check if you’re hurt?”

Xueya immediately tightened his grip on his waistband. “No way!”

He Xulan had no choice but to let it go for the moment. Later that night, when Xueya had finally fallen asleep, He Xulan gently pulled down his pants. It was only slightly red, likely because Xueya’s skin was so pale, but He Xulan still applied a layer of ointment on it.

While applying the ointment, Xueya suddenly woke up. He turned his head and saw He Xulan putting medicine on him. Furious, he immediately tried to cover his butt. “Don’t touch it! It’s mine!”

He Xulan glanced at the carriage’s curtains and then, in a low voice, said, “I’m almost done. Be good and move your hand.”

Xueya noticed that He Xulan had looked towards the curtains and heard his hushed tone, as if he was afraid someone would hear them. There were only three of them here—him, He Xulan, and Yi Yefeng.

He Xulan was so concerned about Yi Yefeng overhearing, yet he claimed there was nothing between them.

Hmph! Does he think I’m stupid?

Xueya’s eyes darted around as he plotted. He decided to make Yi Yefeng jealous, so he loosened his grip and allowed He Xulan to continue applying the ointment. While He Xulan was focused, Xueya deliberately teased him in a soft, coy voice, “Brother, is my butt white?”

He Xulan’s hand paused.

Seeing no response, Xueya turned around and, placing his foot on He Xulan’s shoulder, continued, “I remember Brother praised it before. You said my butt was nice to touch, softer than a steamed bun, and sweeter than a peach.”

These lewd lines were things he’d overheard at the Red Moon House, but that didn’t stop him from using them here.

After Xueya said those words, silence fell both inside and outside the carriage. He glanced at He Xulan’s darkening expression and, starting to feel a bit scared, bit his lip and quietly pulled his foot back.

For the next day and a half, Xueya didn’t dare to act up.

On the second night, they finally came across a household.

It was a hunter’s family living in the mountains. Yi Yefeng explained that they had gotten lost while traveling to visit relatives and asked if they could exchange some silver for a hot meal and some water.

The hunter sized up Yi Yefeng and glanced at the carriage behind him before accepting the string of coins and letting them in.

Excited about the prospect of a hot bath, Xueya was about to rush out of the carriage, but He Xulan pulled him back. “Wait, put this on.”

He Xulan helped Xueya put on a cloak, which had a large hood rimmed with animal fur. Once Xueya pulled the hood up, most of his face was obscured.

“Brother, why do I have to wear this?” Xueya disliked the hood as it blocked his view.

He Xulan adjusted the hood on Xueya’s head. “Just in case. Let’s go.”

The hunter’s family had prepared hot water, but the food would take a while. So, Xueya went to take a bath first. After finishing, he realized He Xulan hadn’t come in yet, so he got dressed and went looking for him.

In the courtyard, Yi Yefeng was chopping wood, and He Xulan was in the kitchen with the hunter, who was talking to him incessantly. The hunter’s eyes seemed glued to He Xulan.

Feeling jealous, Xueya hurried over. “Brother!”

He Xulan turned around. “Dinner isn’t ready yet. Go wait in the room. It’s cold outside.”

The hunter, hearing Xueya call He Xulan “Brother” and seeing how small and covered up Xueya was, asked, “Is this your little brother? Why is he wrapped up so tightly? Can’t even see his face!”

He Xulan calmly replied, “My younger brother isn’t in good health. He can’t handle the wind.” He then turned to Xueya and said, “Xueya, go back to the room.”

Being dismissed twice, Xueya reluctantly left the kitchen, but he didn’t want to go back to the stuffy room. Instead, he wandered around and eventually made his way to Yi Yefeng.

“You overheard that day, didn’t you?” Xueya said as he approached Yi Yefeng.