Chapter 99 A Heart in Turmoil (Part 7) Why do you want to look at a man's chest? ...
A withered yellow leaf twirled and drifted down, landing precisely in the rough earthenware cup, where it swirled gently on the clear, bright tea liquor.
Gu Lianzhou, holding a teacup, sat back in a bamboo armchair, gazing intently at the kingfisher on the eaves.
Pairs of birds huddled on the not-so-spacious eaves, their small necks nimbly turning as they pecked and played with each other, chirping incessantly, appearing exceptionally intimate and lively.
"Young Master Gu, what are you looking at so intently?" Xiu Ming strode into the courtyard carrying a basket of firewood on his back.
This young man was strong and vigorous, with inexhaustible energy. He went into the mountains to chop firewood early in the morning, and now he was steaming with heat. It felt as if he was stepping on muscles, and he had already walked to the front in just two or three steps.
He casually unloaded the firewood basket, picked up the teapot on the table, poured himself a cup of tea, and gulped it down in one go.
He put down his teacup and caught a glimpse of Young Master Gu smiling gently at him, before also bringing his teacup to his lips.
Just as the green leaves on the tea were about to enter his mouth, Xiu Ming quickly exclaimed "Hey!" and raised his hand to stop him, "Leaves, leaves!"
Gu Lianzhou was taken aback by these words, lowered his eyes to look at the tea, and a hint of embarrassment appeared on his face: "I was distracted and didn't notice..."
After saying that, he casually splashed the tea onto the open ground to the side. Just as he was about to get up and refill his cup, a gust of wind suddenly blew past him. It was Xiu Ming who raised his hand and pressed him back into the armchair.
The young man's hand was strong, pressing down on his shoulder as firmly as an iron clamp.
Gu Lianzhou looked up at the thick, strong arms so close to his face, and his mind suddenly flashed to his senior brother's slender arms. He subconsciously compared them in his mind.
Looking at Xiu Ming's broad back, which couldn't be hidden even through his clothes, his heart inexplicably skipped a beat.
Compared to him, my senior brother seems rather thin...
"Please rest, my lord." Xiu Ming released his hand, turned around and poured him a cup of tea, handing it to him. "Since you are injured, my lord should move around less. Just call me if you need any help."
Gu Lianzhou took the teacup and said helplessly, "It's such a small matter, why bother others? Xiuming, thank you."
"Oh, you're too kind. It was nothing." Perhaps a cup of tea wasn't enough to quench his thirst, so he simply lifted the lid of the pot and drank it down in one gulp.
Seeing Xiu Ming so hot that he casually ripped open his shirt, revealing his well-built chest, Gu Lianzhou tilted his head slightly and suddenly said something shocking: "Xiu Ming, why can you rip open your clothes and expose your body without any scruples?"
"Pfft—" Xiu Ming spat out a mouthful of water into the air, almost doubting his ears. He turned to look at the handsome young man in the chair and stammered, "W-what, is it illegal for you city people to take off your clothes?"
“No.” Gu Lianzhou shook his head, then probed indirectly, “If a man is unwilling to take off his clothes in front of his friends, what would be the reason?”
What a strange question.
Xiu Ming casually wiped the water droplets from his chin, rolled his eyes and pondered for a moment, then replied in his own understanding: "Perhaps that person has some unsightly scars on their body that they don't want others to see."
Is that really the case?
Gu Lianzhou nodded thoughtfully, but then Xiu Ming added, "Or perhaps that person is so thin that they're ashamed to compare their physique with others."
That makes sense.
“However, Young Master Gu, why do you want to look at a man’s chest?” Xiu Ming looked down at his own firm and full muscles and said with a hint of pride, “I have these through years of hard work. Not everyone has them. Young Master Gu, you don’t need to feel inferior to me!”
Gu Lianzhou: "..."
He seems to have misunderstood something.
As they were talking, several footsteps sounded in succession. The two turned their heads and saw Liu Dai and Yu Qi carrying baskets as they approached one after another.
"Liu Xingzhou, it's rare to encounter a pheasant, why are you stopping me from catching it?" Yu Qi followed behind Liu Dai, chattering incessantly.
Liu Dai replied without turning his head, "What you consider wild game might be birds raised by the villagers. You can't catch them, much less eat them."
Yu Qi retorted, "Didn't you see that the chicken was almost flying into the sky? How could it be a domesticated chicken?"
Liu Dai put down the basket and walked towards the small table in the center of the courtyard. "Those are free-range animals; you can't catch them."
Yu Qi was so bored he couldn't sit still, and his mouth was so bland he couldn't stand it. Seeing that he was craving meat so much his eyes were practically glowing green, Liu Dai finally relented and said in a low voice, "How about I add a meat dish for you at noon?"
Upon hearing this, Yu Qi immediately calmed down and followed Liu Dai, praising him to the skies.
Gu Lianzhou looked back and saw his senior brother walking slowly, seemingly protecting something in his arms.
"Senior brother," he called softly, and seeing the man look up, he smiled and said, "Why are you walking so slowly? Is something holding you back?"
Looking at her junior brother, whose complexion was becoming increasingly rosy, Song Qiling sighed softly, "Don't you even know who I'm doing this for? Come on, come and take it."
Upon hearing this, Gu Lianzhou could no longer sit still. He got up to greet him, and as he approached, he saw his senior brother carefully unfold the cloth bag in his arms, revealing several bird eggs underneath.
"...Senior brother, did you take the pheasant's nest?" he muttered to himself, turning to look at Liu Dai, who was busy at work, and Yu Qi, who was chattering away, before raising his hand to cover the bird eggs back up.
Song Qiling said helplessly, "Doctor Liu nodded in agreement, so what are you afraid of? Why are you acting so sneaky, like you've done something wrong... I just touched this, it's very fresh, and it's perfect for you to nourish yourself."
As she spoke, she gently nudged Gu Lianzhou's shoulder: "Tell me, how would you like to eat it? Scrambled eggs with scallions or steamed egg custard? I'll cook it myself."
Gu Lianzhou lowered his eyes, feeling the lingering warmth on his shoulder, his ears slightly flushed: "Senior brother, but you just made pancakes yesterday..."
Why bring this up again?
"How can that be the same? I'm not good at kneading dough or making pancakes, but stir-frying is definitely easy for me." As she spoke, Song Qiling pinched her clothes and fanned herself.
A very faint scent brushed past my nose.
Gu Lianzhou glanced at his senior brother's fair neck and couldn't help but ask, "Senior brother, are you wearing perfume?"
Song Qiling looked at her junior brother suspiciously: "Why would I burn incense for no reason?"
So this is...
The fanning motion abruptly stopped. Song Qiling belatedly realized the meaning behind his words. A surge of heat rushed to her brain, and she blurted out without thinking, "I... I used scented soap to wash my clothes. It must be the smell of the soap."
After saying that, she took half a step back, picked up the bird eggs, and hurriedly went to the kitchen, leaving Gu Lianzhou standing there blankly.
He raised his sleeve, brought it close to his nose, and sniffed, his expression becoming increasingly puzzled.
Liu Dai clearly gave them medicated soap, and after washing their clothes, all that remained was a bitter medicinal smell. Where did this fragrant soap come from...?
-
Yu Qi indeed saw meat on the table, but it was a plate of roasted silkworm pupae.
The plump silkworm pupae seemed to retain their appearance from when they were alive, dark and shiny. They were curled up, their surfaces covered with fine wrinkles, and they gleamed with an eerie dark brown luster under the light.
Just looking at it makes you imagine the moment it enters your mouth, the feeling of the outer shell cracking, the soft and glutinous inside, and even the bursting texture. It's so tempting that you don't dare to think about it too much, and you just feel a churning in your stomach.
Yu Qi, who had arrived full of anticipation, now held chopsticks suspended over a silkworm pupa, a hint of tragic determination in his eyes.
"What's wrong, Yu Laoqi? Not satisfied?" Liu Dai picked up a roasted silkworm pupa and put it in his mouth without changing his expression.
Hearing the soft crunching sounds beside his ear, Yu Qi stiffly turned his head to look. Seeing Liu Dai eating with great relish, he thought that this person's mouth was no good.
"The meat dish you told me about is this roasted insects..." He picked up his chopsticks in despair. "How can I eat insects? I... I'd rather eat this stir-fried bird eggs."
After saying that, he turned his chopsticks around and reached for the plate in front of Gu Lianzhou. Halfway there, he suddenly stopped and sighed helplessly, "Song San, I'll trust you this once."
After saying that, he picked up a golden-brown scrambled bird egg and put it in his mouth.
It had no burnt smell, was perfectly salty, neither dry nor soggy, and tasted quite good.
only……
With a "snap," my back molars hit something hard and thin. "Snap, snap," the object mixed with the soft egg, and they completely melted together in my mouth.
Yu Qi's face turned from red to green, and then he picked up the bowl and scooped up a mouthful of brown rice.
He couldn't afford to criticize others anymore since he'd eaten their food. It was just an eggshell! Swallowing it wouldn't hurt his throat, so he ate it!
Looking at Brother Gu, he was also a brave man who would not flinch even if Mount Tai collapsed in front of him. He had already eaten half a plate of scrambled eggs, but he looked like he was enjoying it very much.
He didn't say anything, so how could I back down?
For a moment, although no one spoke, a series of crisp "snap" sounds rang out.
After finishing their meal in silence, the group cleared away the dishes and tidied up the clutter, each busy with their own tasks.
Song Qiling came out of the kitchen and went straight to her junior brother. Seeing his blank expression, she casually flicked the water droplets left on her hands onto his face.
Cool water droplets splashed all over his face. Gu Lianzhou raised his hand to wipe them away, and said helplessly, "Senior brother..."
Song Qiling leaned closer, a mischievous smile on his face: "My good junior brother, your senior brother has some other things to do, so today Yu Qi will accompany you to soak in that medicinal spring."
Upon hearing this, Gu Lianzhou raised an eyebrow slightly. "What important matter is it?"
Song Qiling didn't hide anything, only whispering, "Catch the demon."
She was incredibly bored in Qingyunxi these past few days. One morning, she went into the mountains with Liu Dai and discovered a mountain goblin's nest.
Although there are many spirits in the mountains, they have always guarded their own territories and did not disturb each other. However, she found bloody poultry wings near the nest, which suggests that this mountain demon is a greedy creature.
Seeing his senior brother's energetic appearance when he talked about catching demons, Gu Lianzhou also smiled and said, "Senior brother, go ahead, but you must be careful and not hurt yourself."
"Don't worry, it's just an ordinary little demon. I'll be right back." Song Qiling glanced at the sky and urged, "Why does the sky look so dark? Is it going to rain? Hurry up and pack your change of clothes and go to the back mountain for a medicinal bath. If it rains, you won't be able to take a bath."
Upon hearing this, Gu Lianzhou dared not delay. He repeatedly reminded his senior brother to be careful before walking back into the house, turning back every few steps.
After these days of recuperation, Gu Lianzhou's internal injuries had improved by more than half. When he came out of the medicinal spring, the sky had already darkened, and thick dark clouds covered the sky.
Just as my senior brother said, it was going to rain.
"We need to hurry back. Judging from the weather, there's probably going to be a heavy rain today."
They hadn't brought any rain gear, so they had to hurry back. The wind picked up, and the leaves rustled in the forest. Fortunately, when they got back to the bamboo hut, the rain hadn't started yet, and only the damp, earthy smell filled the air.
Gu Lianzhou gazed at the increasingly gloomy sky, a sense of worry rising in his heart.
My senior brother knows it will rain today, but he insists on catching the demon. I wonder if he will encounter any danger.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
