Chapter 55

When Jiang Huaiyu woke up in the morning, the blankets were indeed very warm. Lu Mingxiao's body temperature was already high, and the weather in May was gradually warming up. Jiang Huaiyu struggled to get an arm out from under the blankets and lifted them off. The cold morning air crept into the blankets, and the person holding him grumbled unhappily, then closed his eyes and pressed the corner of the blankets back down.

Jiang Huaiyu: ...

He's going to turn into a grilled fish. How strange, isn't Lu Mingxiao the one who hates heat the most?

He reached around Lu Mingxiao's neck and touched the back of his nape; sure enough, the hair was slightly damp.

He tried to get out of bed first, but Lu Mingxiao, like a giant koala, held his legs tightly. He moved a couple of times, but Lu Mingxiao didn't wake up. Instead, little Lu greeted him energetically.

Just as I expected!

Unable to bear it any longer, Jiang Huaiyu shoved Lu Mingxiao out of bed. The kang (heated brick bed) in the guest room of her second uncle's house was quite large. Apart from the place where the two of them slept, which had a mattress on it, the rest of the room was hard and cold. Lu Mingxiao rolled out and cried out "Ouch!" as he woke up.

“Jiang Xiaoyu…you’re trying to murder your own brother…” He sat up, scratched his slightly damp hair, and yawned: “I’ve been covering you with a blanket all night, afraid you’d catch a cold.”

Jiang Huaiyu crawled out of the quilt, feeling refreshed as she left the stuffy bed: "Should I thank you? The temperature is so low now that we don't need to turn on the electric blanket. Can your 37-degree electric blanket cool down on its own?"

"When it's cold, you call me 'Brother Xiao' and ask me to warm your hands and feet, but when it's hot, you kick me away. You're so heartless..." Lu Mingxiao's stretching motion froze, and he quickly pulled the blanket over his obviously shaped area: "Damn! So energetic."

Jiang Huaiyu had already gotten off the kang (heated brick bed), picked up the cup on the table, and went to the yard to wash up. She left with a gloating remark: "Brother Xiao, you've been a bit feverish lately, take care of it yourself."

After he finished washing up, Lu Mingxiao came out to wash his pants.

Jiang Huaiyu's face was damp, her forehead was wet, and she gave him a half-smile.

Lu Mingxiao's ears turned as red as if they had been roasted. Seeing Jiang Huaiyu gloating, he couldn't help but grind his teeth, wanting to bite this wretched little fish.

My second uncle's family has a simple breakfast: white porridge and salted duck eggs with runny yolks. After the meal, the old man goes to work in the fields, leaving the two children to play by themselves.

As soon as the old man left, Lu Mingxiao immediately became restless, nudging Jiang Huaiyu's leg with his knee under the table: "How about we go fishing today? How about we go camping at noon?"

Jiang Huaiyu had already finished the egg yolk and was poking at the egg white: "We didn't bring anything, how are we going to camp?"

“There’s a campsite here that you can rent, but it’s a bit expensive. However, I know the owner, and we have a good relationship. I can ask him to give us a good price.”

Jiang Huaiyu no longer wanted to comment on Lu Mingxiao's amazing connections. If humans were to colonize Mars one day, it wouldn't be surprising to find a Martian standing around with his arm around Lu Mingxiao's shoulder.

Just as he was grumbling to himself, a glistening egg yolk fell into his bowl. Lu Mingxiao took away his egg white and said, "Don't poke it. You'll poke a hole in the shell. Were you thinking about me in your mind just now?"

"How could that be?" Jiang Huaiyu's eyebrows curved into a smile, her eyes gleaming mischievously. "Brother Xiao is the best boyfriend in the world."

Egg yolk, it smells so good!

...

The campsite owner was quite young, looking only two or three years older than Lu Mingxiao and his companion. Hearing that Lu Mingxiao had arrived, he specially drove over in his SUV. Upon seeing him, he warmly gave Lu Mingxiao a hug: "You little rascal! Now you won't even play games anymore. Li Rui said your grades are getting better and better, and you might even get into a top university in the future. You're really promising..."

He turned his head and saw Jiang Huaiyu: "And this is..."

Jiang Huaiyu had just been observing him as well. He was of medium height and build, just an ordinary young man in his twenties. He and Lu Mingxiao met through playing games, and he used to be one of Lu Mingxiao's sugar daddies. The two had always had a good relationship.

Seeing him looking over, Jiang Huaiyu smiled politely and stepped forward to introduce herself. The young man slapped his forehead and exclaimed, "Which No. 7 Middle School's legendary academic genius are you? 728!"

Jiang Huaiyu: "...Thank you, I'm at 730 now."

...

Lu Mingxiao's friend was very generous, renting out all the equipment at the lowest price. Thanks to the name "Wild Donkey Campsite", there weren't many people camping here during the holidays. Lu Mingxiao squatted on the ground to look at the tent installation instructions, while Jiang Huaiyu tied the hammock between two trees.

The bright yellow tent was quickly set up, the small table was set up, the portable stove was lit, and after the water in the small pot boiled, a piece of hot pot base was added, and the spicy and fragrant aroma quickly wafted out.

The two sat on a picnic blanket, with the misty hills as a backdrop, chatting and enjoying hot pot.

“The lamb slaughtered in town is so delicious. It’s hard to buy such good lamb in the city.” Lu Mingxiao poured Jiang Huaiyu a glass of lemon soda and handed it to her. Looking at Jiang Huaiyu’s lips, which were red from the spiciness, he rested his chin on his hand and laughed: “Jiang Xiaoyu, I remember you used to have a rather bland taste. You could eat spicy food, but only a little bit. Now you can.”

Jiang Huaiyu took a sip of his iced soda, feeling about 80% full. He put down his chopsticks, propped himself up with his hands behind his back, and leaned back comfortably: "I feel like my tastes have changed quite a bit this year..."

Lu Mingxiao was still eating when he put down a packet of instant noodles. Seeing Jiang Huaiyu staring blankly at the distant hills, he smiled and asked, "What's wrong? Want to go hiking again?"

"I think if Dayelushan were renamed, the number of visitors would probably increase."

"Then let's not. This is fine as it is." Lu Mingxiao also turned his head to look at Xiaoshan, picked up the noodles in his bowl and blew on them: "That ugly donkey pendant at the entrance of the scenic area sells for thirty-five yuan each. If this becomes a popular spot for taking photos, they dare to sell it for sixty yuan."

Jiang Huaiyu also remembered that ugly-cute donkey doll, which was now hanging above his bed in his bedroom in Shanghai.

“You thought the donkey plushie was too expensive back then, but you still bought it in the end and secretly stuffed it into my suitcase. I only found out when I got home.” Jiang Huaiyu recalled the scene of taking the little donkey out of the suitcase, and the corners of her lips still couldn’t help but turn up: “At that time, I was actually thinking that Lu Mingxiao was a really good person, and I was a little reluctant to leave, so I came back later.”

Lu Mingxiao didn't really think much of it at the time, but he noticed that Jiang Huaiyu's gaze lingered on the ugly donkey stall for a long time. He didn't expect that something that cost only thirty-odd yuan could catch the young master's eye, and looked at Jiang Huaiyu with some surprise: "You like that donkey that much?"

Jiang Huaiyu: ...

This person is really something else; he's clearly gay, yet sometimes he's infuriatingly straight.

“I don’t like the doll…” Jiang Huaiyu had to explain clearly: “I like the person who gave me the doll, maybe at that time…”

Before he could finish speaking, Lu Mingxiao's eyes were already shining like a tiger's, staring at him until his cheeks burned.

"Anyway, that's how it is." Jiang Huaiyu got up, turned around and crawled into the small tent: "I'm sleepy, I want to take a nap."

He lay in the bright yellow tent. Besides the smell of hot pot, there was also the refreshing scent of grass and trees in the wind. A moment later, Lu Mingxiao also crawled in and pulled the tent shut.

Having eaten her fill, Jiang Huaiyu was already feeling sleepy. Hearing the sound, she frowned slightly: "Muffled..."

“It’s not stuffy. Open the screen window above. Aren’t you afraid someone’s dog will crawl in if you leave the door open?” Lu Mingxiao knelt down and opened the window above his head. After he finished, he took out a thin blanket and covered Jiang Huaiyu with it.

Jiang Huaiyu lay face down, his head resting on his arm. A red mark was pressed against his soft, white cheek. Lu Mingxiao folded his coat and stuffed it under Jiang's head. The young master Jiang was disturbed from his sweet dream. After eating hotpot, his lips, which had become a bit more vibrant, muttered a few words.

Lu Mingxiao couldn't help but reach out his finger and gently pinch it: "What's the little duck muttering? I can't understand it, I want to kiss it."

This is her boyfriend; he can kiss her whenever he wants.

Thinking about this made him feel incredibly happy. He lowered his head and slowly leaned in to kiss Jiang Huaiyu on the lips.

The small tent was unusually quiet. Lu Mingxiao lay down on his side, resting his head on his arm, and looked at the sleeping Jiang Huaiyu.

He sometimes worries about what to do in the future.

Long-distance relationships aren't the problem; the problem is getting past the parents' objections.

However, after much thought, I've come to a conclusion:

As long as Li Qing doesn't kill him, he'll still go home for the New Year. That's what brothers are like; no matter what, they'll celebrate the New Year together.

...

The afternoon nap, accompanied by the gentle breeze and the fragrance of flowers, was exceptionally comfortable. When the two of them opened their eyes, it was already three o'clock. They packed up their things together, returned the camping equipment to the shop, and then slowly strolled to the bonfire party venue.

Having slept for too long, Jiang Huaiyu was a little dazed, and the two unruly tufts of hair on her head stood up again, which Lu Mingxiao tried to press down several times without success.

This is probably Jiang Huaiyu's stubborn streak.

When she reached out to press it again, Jiang Xiaoyu, who had gotten angry, grabbed her hand: "Why do you keep touching my head?"

"It feels so good. You said the rest of your hair is quite soft, but those two tufts of hair always get all frizzy." Lu Mingxiao grabbed his hand and shook it gently. "Why are you walking so dazed? Are you still half asleep? You've been sleeping for so long, I was worried you wouldn't be able to sleep at night."

"I'm probably just feeling groggy because I slept for too long."

Lu Mingxiao let go of his hand, took two quick steps, and squatted down in front of Jiang Huaiyu: "Come on, aren't you confused? I'll carry you on my back, just don't accidentally fall into the ditch by the roadside."

They were approaching the bonfire party venue, and occasionally cars sped past on the country road. Jiang Huaiyu was a little embarrassed: "I won't fall. Get up, hurry up, people are watching."

"Let him look." Lu Mingxiao said matter-of-factly, "I'm carrying my own brother on my back. It's just brotherly love. Whose business is it?"

Are they brothers who suckle and hold hands?

Jiang Huaiyu was amused by his shamelessness and finally leaned on Lu Mingxiao's shoulder.

"Let's go, brother."

The soft breath brushed against Lu Mingxiao's earlobe, causing a tingling, itchy sensation. Lu Mingxiao's legs went weak, and he almost couldn't stand up.

Jiang Huaiyu raised an eyebrow and continued to tease, "Young people should be moderate. If you do too much of that in the morning, what will you do if you have backaches and weak legs later?"

Lu Mingxiao: ...

He was teased twice today for standing at attention this morning. If he doesn't teach this little fish a lesson, he's not Lu Mingxiao!

So, he took off running!

Jiang Huaiyu was on the thin side, but still of normal weight. He had never imagined that carrying him would give him the feeling of riding a horse. At this moment, he was genuinely afraid that Lu Mingxiao's legs would give way and they would both fall into the puddle. He didn't care about manners or composure anymore, and clung tightly to Lu Mingxiao's shoulders, raising his voice several decibels: "Lu Mingxiao! Have you taken the wrong medicine?!"

Lu Mingxiao was actually quite at ease, and even casually weighed the person behind him: "So timid, don't be so quick to talk. I'll give you another chance, is your brother Xiao okay?"

Jiang Huaiyu pursed her lips.

Lu Mingxiao: "So I sped up?"

"Fine! You've got it!" Jiang Huaiyu angrily ruffled his hair. "Put me down, or I'll pluck you bald!"

This threat is terrifying. Lu Mingxiao suppressed a laugh, put the person down, turned around and poked Jiang Huaiyu's face: "Are you awake now?"

Jiang Huaiyu narrowed her eyes: "Lu Mingxiao, you really live up to your name. The character 'Ma' in your name is so fitting."

"How so?" Lu Mingxiao raised an eyebrow slightly, his smile carrying a touch of dashing roguishness: "It's only for you to ride."

Jiang Huaiyu: ...

The young master turned and left, while Lu Mingxiao chased after him with a smile.

...

As darkness fell, the bonfire party officially began. Lu Mingxiao and Jiang Huaiyu had already strolled around the surrounding stalls, which were mostly run by elderly villagers. To be honest, they were full of local flavor, but hygiene was hard to guarantee. Since the two of them weren't very hungry at this time of day, they only bought a skewer of candied hawthorn.

In May, the sugar on the candied hawthorns couldn't stick anymore and started to melt. Jiang Huaiyu was afraid of getting it dripping onto her hands, which would feel sticky and uncomfortable. Lu Mingxiao held the candied hawthorns with a tissue underneath and handed them to the young master whenever he wanted to eat one. He also ate one or two himself.

Jiang Huaiyu's pale cheeks puffed out, but he maintained his usual indifferent expression, which made him look somewhat cute. Lu Mingxiao turned his head to look at him, his eyes sparkling with starlight.

"Young Master, am I your long-term servant?" he asked with a smile.

With a candied hawthorn skewer stuffed in her mouth, Jiang Huaiyu glanced at him with her slightly upturned eyes, giving him only a look and letting the farmhand understand on his own.

Lu Mingxiao laughed out loud.

Young Master Jiang is always the "other people's child". He is ambitious and wants to do everything perfectly. He is polite and considerate to others, making it impossible for anyone to find fault with him, yet he is difficult to approach.

However, only in front of him could Jiang Huaiyu be completely unrestrained, showing her spoiled side, which made him quite happy.

If he were a long-term employee, he would hope that the employer would hire him for life.

When the young master finished the last few candied hawthorns, he refused to eat anymore. The farmhand, Lu Mingxiao, had no choice but to finish them without complaint and then wiped his sticky hands with a wet wipe.

The wood for the bonfire had already been piled up. Someone took a burning stick and approached the pile of wood. Tourists gathered around from a distance and cheered the moment the flames rose.

Acrobats entered the arena, performing various difficult stunts, to the cheers of tourists.

Everyone was watching the acrobatic performance. Lu Mingxiao, in the crowd, took Jiang Huaiyu's hand and pulled her forward a little: "There are a lot of people, don't get lost."

The two people were tall with long legs and excellent eyesight, so they could see the show clearly even from the back row. The acrobats were performing in front, while several chefs dressed in professional chef's uniforms had already set up the grill. Three marinated sheep were placed on the grill one after another, and the aroma of fat wafted out under the blazing fire.

“That’s really interesting…” Lu Mingxiao separated Jiang Huaiyu from the people behind her, and whispered with a smile in Jiang Huaiyu’s ear, “Next time, as Li Hua, when writing about holidays for foreign friends, you can write this: How do you say roast whole lamb? Roast… Hmm!”

Jiang Huaiyu covered his mouth: "Brother Xiao, when we're relaxed like this, don't bring up anything that spoils the mood."

The whole roasted lamb was sold after being cut into different parts. Jiang Huaiyu and Lu Mingxiao bought some lamb leg meat. The two of them held their lunch boxes and sat on the tables and chairs by the venue to eat the meat. The acrobatics had ended, and in the middle was a lively song and dance performance. They even invited a pair of unknown crosstalk performers to perform a crosstalk routine. In order to promote the town, they told a "love legend of Dayelushan" in a humorous way.

Intrigued, Jiang Huaiyu asked Lu Mingxiao, "That stone he mentioned, the 'Stone of Proof of Fate,' is it really here?"

"What is it..." Lu Mingxiao lowered his voice: "This stone originally existed. It was quite beautiful, shaped like a heart, with patterns on it. It was formed naturally. I saw it when I was a child. Later, it was eroded by wind and rain and became deformed. It's no longer heart-shaped."

Jiang Huaiyu asked curiously, "Then why are you still using this as a selling point? I think if someone wants to go and check it out, and then finds out the rock has collapsed, they'll complain about false advertising, right?"

"Yes, so the town built another 'certificate of fate stone,' made of cement."

Jiang Huaiyu: ...

The grand finale was the iron flower performance.

As the night grew cool, Lu Mingxiao took his jacket out of his backpack and handed it to Jiang Huaiyu. The two of them, wearing matching sports jackets, waited for the staff to get ready.

As people began clearing the area and making sure the tourists kept their distance, Jiang Huaiyu felt like he saw two familiar figures when Lu Mingxiao pulled him back. But there were too many people, and they only flashed by, so he didn't pay much attention to them.

Everything was ready at the venue. An experienced worker was talking to two young men in a dialect from another region. People around them had already taken out their phones to record the conversation, and Jiang Huaiyu was no exception. She turned on her phone's camera to high-definition night mode, intending to record it for her parents.

To his shame, he had been to many countries abroad, but had never seen his own intangible cultural heritage techniques. A deep and penetrating shout pierced through the night, and the crowd fell silent.

"Open the gong—!!!"

A brilliant flame suddenly burst open in the night sky, like stars falling to earth, brighter than falling fireworks and more dazzling than a sparse constellation of stars.

The east wind at night releases a thousand trees of flowers, and blows down stars like rain.

The romance in the poems was brought to life before their eyes at this moment, illuminating the bright eyes of the two boys.

This is a different kind of awe-inspiring sight from the Northern Lights of Northern Europe. Among the thousands of falling stars, the glorious years recorded in history books fall down, both lightly and heavily.

It wasn't until the performance ended that Lu Mingxiao, who was usually very talkative, finally murmured, "They really went all out, Jiang Xiaobao. We made the right choice coming here. This place will definitely be packed with people next holiday."

Jiang Huaiyu rubbed his sore neck and sincerely suggested, "The town should pay attention to food hygiene and the safe evacuation of people. If they put up another makeshift team next time, it could easily lead to a major incident."

After seeing the iron flower performance, the subsequent shows were rather unremarkable. An old man was performing a monkey show, but the departing crowd didn't stop to watch. Lu Mingxiao and Jiang Huaiyu showed their support for a while, and Jiang Huaiyu even took a photo with the little monkey.

Not far from the bonfire party venue, Lu Mingxiao suddenly pulled Jiang Huaiyu into a side path.

Rural infrastructure has improved in the past two years, and even remote areas have streetlights. Jiang Huaiyu glanced at the furtive Lu Mingxiao and slowly said, "My second uncle's house is in another direction."

If he didn't have absolute trust in the police, he would have called them right now.

"I know, before we go back, let's go somewhere first..." Lu Mingxiao walked around a few small trees: "We're here! We're here!"

Jiang Huaiyu looked at the half-shattered heart: "...A Fate-Witnessing Stone?"

“Yes.” Lu Mingxiao nodded and pointed to the small puddle behind him: “Moon Fairy Lake.”

What a huge lake.

Jiang Huaiyu almost lost control of her micro-expressions: "Did we come here... to feed the mosquitoes?"

Lu Mingxiao came prepared, taking out floral water and spraying it all over Jiang Huaiyu from head to toe.

"Ahem... well, you know, that legend..." Lu Mingxiao was a little embarrassed: "Couples whose fates are witnessed in front of the Proof Stone will stay together for a long time... until they grow old together..."

As he spoke, his ears turned red again, and Jiang Huaiyu's face also felt slightly hot as he stared at her with his bright and stubborn gaze.

"Cough... I didn't expect it to be so abandoned. No wonder the town is rebuilding it with cement. I thought no one would be here..." Lu Mingxiao felt incredibly stupid for what he was doing, awkwardly digging his toes into the ground. He grabbed Jiang Huaiyu's hand: "Well... it's all just a legend anyway. Let's go back, there are so many mosquitoes..."

"Lu Mingxiao." Jiang Huaiyu didn't move, but instead pulled Lu Mingxiao's hand and pulled him back.

He stood on tiptoe and kissed her.

Let them bear witness, it doesn't matter which deity is watching.

Lu Mingxiao only came to his senses when that wet tongue wrapped around him like a little fish. His heartbeat became increasingly uncontrollable. He turned his head, pressed down on the back of Jiang Huaiyu's neck, and responded more forcefully and passionately. Jiang Huaiyu took two steps back, her legs feeling weak from the lack of oxygen, and leaned against a small tree, panting heavily.

The moonlight shimmered on the small pond, and the beautiful patterns on the half-broken stone were still faintly visible.

Lu Mingxiao parted his lips slightly, giving the oxygen-deprived fish a chance to surface for air, and chuckled hoarsely, "The gods have witnessed it."

Jiang Huaiyu's eyes were slightly red at the corners: "Mm."

Lu Mingxiao couldn't help but kiss him gently again.

...

Outside the grove, two tall figures had just parted the weeds.

"Is this the place Lu Chuan was talking about? It really is the 'Stone of Proof of Fate,' honey, slow down."

The woman gently scolded, "How old are you? Are you here to feed the mosquitoes? Oh? There are people ahead..."

Jiang Lan pulled Song Jingliang along, and the two of them instinctively squatted down in the bushes.

“It’s two young people…” Jiang Lan covered her face awkwardly, her ears turning bright red, and whispered, “It would be so embarrassing if those young people saw us.”

Song Jingliang, holding her hand and bending over, stealthily moved her towards the door: "Let's go out first, and after they come out, we'll go find a deity to witness it. These two young people are kissing way too passionately..."

Jiang Lan didn't move.

Song Jingliang turned around in confusion: "Wife?"

Jiang Lan began to tremble.

Song Jingliang: "Xiao Lan?"

Jiang Lan incredulously extended a slender, pale finger: "...These are two boys."

Song Jingliang: "Oh, so what? We may not understand this niche sexual orientation, but we respect it..."

Jiang Lan looked up at her husband in despair: "Those two sports jackets are limited editions."

Song Jingliang was still preoccupied with getting a marriage certificate with his wife in front of the gods, completely unaware of the problem. Before his mind could process what was happening, his ears had already picked up on the next sentence.

"Last month, I bought one for Mingxiao and one for Huaiyu each."

Song Jingliang: "Haha."

There's nothing I can do but laugh.