Chapter 104

Dahuang, the dog from Grandma Zhu's house, was holding a big bone in his mouth and lying on the ground, staring at Lou Sheng silently.

Ying Zhisheng was also staring at Lou Sheng.

When Lou Sheng went to talk to Gao Xinhua, he heard his mother ask, "What were you busy with last night?" He was so embarrassed that he wanted to float away from the window to a place where there was no one.

"Brother Sheng, you've just made it official." Assistant Tao had so much to say, but every time he spoke, it was bad news. "There's been a huge uproar online. Some people opened the box and said your marital status is still single. Others said the country hasn't passed same-sex marriage laws, saying you can't be married to a man."

"Okay." Ying Zhisheng nodded, sitting on the bench and staring at the ghost with his head tilted to the side, his tone light but heavy. "Don't forget to feed Lou Sheng, and don't use your blood to feed him."

He stared intently at Lou Sheng, who was whispering to Gao Xinhua, and secretly lamented his own meanness. He couldn't stand Lou Sheng ignoring him for even a moment. He inexplicably recalled last night, when the two of them stayed in the dark and cold coffin, clinging to each other.

Lou Sheng was whispering, "Mom, you don't understand. How should I put it? It's a little too fast."

"Do you think you'll marry him soon?"

Lou Sheng was speechless: "..."

Gao Xinhua said calmly, "I also think it's too fast. We should have dated for a year or two to get along well."

"Oh my! Aunt Gao, you and Lou Shengna are just too conservative. Nowadays, people love fast-food romances. They can just look at each other and go to bed. What's there to be embarrassed about?" Dong Chi interrupted, not forgetting to tease Lou Sheng: "You're still a virgin even after getting married."

"Don't be upset, Lou Sheng. Ying Zhisheng is at the same level as you and is also a virgin."

Why is Dong Chi so rude?

Lou Sheng didn't want to continue talking about this topic, so he avoided the standing paper man and leaned against the wall. Before he could say anything, his butt was rubbed.

Lou Sheng looked back, but there was nothing.

After a few seconds of silence, just as the dirty hand reached out again, Lou Sheng seized the opportunity, turned around and kicked the paper man that was sneaking up, flattening it and fixing it to the wall.

The paper man let out a sharp scream that echoed throughout the room: "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh——"

The rooster didn't crow early in the morning, so the paper man helped.

…

"You know exactly what you did! A paper figure doesn't even have fingers. Do you think you can do these things just because you're not a human?"

Lou Sheng had never been molested in his life, but today was his first time. Even more abominable was the way the paper figurine kept howling and wailing, feigning pity. At first glance, it was hard to tell who had done the wrong thing.

Dong Chi testified: "I saw this paper figurine with two ponytails touching Lou Sheng's buttocks."

“Ahhhhhhhhhh——” the paper man began to cry again.

Dong Chi added, "Lou Sheng, quickly ask your man to check if there are any marks on your butt."

"Get lost! You shameless bastard!" Lou Sheng laughed and scolded him, telling him to get lost. He took a step back and felt a familiar presence. His back pressed against Ying Zhisheng's chest, and he turned slightly to see his smiling eyes.

Ying Zhisheng helped him tidy up his clothes and lowered his voice as if whispering: "I checked, there are no marks."

Lou Sheng widened his eyes in disbelief. Damn, Ying Zhisheng was teasing him?

Faced with the noisy crowd, Grandma Zhu, who was sitting on the recliner, rolled her eyes and looked at the paper figure that offended her employer with her dim eyes.

She spoke in a strong, resonant voice, "Okay, I know. This paper figurine didn't do it on purpose. It saw Ying Zhisheng do it through the crack in the window last night, and out of curiosity, it tried it too. I apologize to you on its behalf."

“…”

“…”

Dong Chi thought for a moment and said, "Oh—"

He couldn't refute it, because there had indeed been some friction last night. Lou Sheng instinctively took a small step back, but with Ying Zhisheng right behind him, he had nowhere to retreat.

Ying Zhisheng reached out to shield Lou Sheng's eyes, comforting the embarrassed man. He shielded Lou Sheng's face and leaned it against his shoulder. He touched his hair and earlobes, feeling the coldness of a dead person. He lowered his eyes, smiled softly, and said, "Okay, stop bullying Lou Sheng. It's time for breakfast, everyone."

——

The path was thick with lush grass and trees. The winding branches, draped with green leaves, blocked out the sun. Along the path's edge grew tenacious weeds, dotted with delicate white, yellow, and pink wildflowers. The quacking of ducks in the river echoed across the distance, mingling with the barking of dogs and the meowing of cats. A rather charming old man in town played the erhu.

Ying Zhisheng borrowed the erhu and played it for Lou Sheng.

Dahuang lay in the shade, his black eyes still staring at Lou Sheng. When he felt a little hot, he wheezed and stuck out his tongue.

Lou Sheng sang along with the erhu with a humming and wailing sound, because this ancient style song composed by Ying Zhisheng contained elements of opera, and he started to scream and shout as he sang.

Ying Zhisheng had no choice but to teach him one sentence at a time with a smile.

Lou Sheng followed suit and just after singing a few lines, Da Huang came over with a big bone in his mouth and his tail wagging. He placed his beloved bone covered with saliva at Lou Sheng's feet.

Lou Sheng couldn't bear the kindness of the dog brother, "I don't want to eat it, you can take it back and chew it slowly."

The chuckle from the other side penetrated my ears, making me more restless than the hot wind.

Ying Zhisheng smiled and said, "Why do I like you, Lou Sheng?"

"I like it too."

…

The group stayed one more night, packed up their belongings, and prepared to leave. No one paid any attention to the bloody online storm, and the rare peace and happiness were enough to make them forget about fame, wealth, and honor.

Braving the chill of the night, Grandma Zhu came wearing cotton pajamas and presented the newlyweds with three paintings.

Lou Sheng and Ying Zhisheng were unable to take a photo together.

But the old lady's painting skills were superb, perfectly recreating the scene of the two newlyweds bowing in the hall at a wedding. Two people with outstanding looks were holding hands, the tall, thin and pale boy stared at the handsome boy without blinking, and the handsome boy, his ears red, was looking for the direction to bow in the hall.

Ying Zhisheng liked the gift very much, and there was visible surprise on his face.

"Lou Sheng." Grandma Zhu's voice sounded chilling in the night. When the old lady smiled, the wrinkles on her face looked like weathered rocks.

"Destiny is a mysterious thing. Whether we believe in it or not, it may be our fate. Struggling around in circles is as ridiculous as an ant in a rice jar."

"But there are always a few ants that can crawl out. Life is like the sun setting and the moon rising, it goes on and on."

"Your death is the beginning of your life."

After she finished speaking, she closed her mouth and looked at Lou Sheng with a complex and loving look. Her cloudy eyeballs were shining brightly under the flushing of emotions.

Lou Sheng and Ying Zhisheng looked at each other. They spent most of the night discussing this matter.

When they were about to leave the next day, Yu Gengshi's mournful cries erupted from the room on the south side of the river.

Grandma Zhu died with blood coming out of all her orifices.