Chapter 89 Cherishing it all, even the lips are swollen
Yu Yan looked up and exclaimed in surprise, "You've finished moving? When did you move? Why didn't you ask me to help?"
Lan Xiu was clearly very happy today; his eyes and brows were full of smiles.
He said, "I finished moving last night, and then I tidied up completely again this morning. I figured I could move it myself little by little, so I didn't call you. How about it, do you want to go inside and take another look?"
"want!"
Previously, Yu Yan had always been the one showing people around her own house, but this was the first time she had visited someone else's home, and it felt quite novel.
Having learned from his own experience, Lanxiu built a spacious house with a good layout. The decoration materials he used were also improved by Yu Yan, and the house was bright and airy.
They first took a look around the living room and kitchen. Most of the furniture in the room was made of wood, with obvious carvings and a simple style.
The kitchen stove was made of cement, with a countertop on top and wooden cabinet doors installed below.
Two stoves for burning firewood were built side by side, with two iron pots of different sizes placed on them, so that they could cook together or separately.
Yu Yan wandered over to the dining table, which was covered with a dark blue tablecloth and had an even number of cups, bowls, and chopsticks set out.
Thinking about it this way, there are two small stools by the door, two cushions on the sofa, and even two pairs of shoes for indoor wear!
Lan Xiu, this is...
Yu Yan glanced at him quietly, but remained silent.
"Let's go check out the other rooms." He continued to pull Yu Yan forward.
I thought I was going to visit his bedroom, but when I opened the door, it turned out to be... a study?
The room was well-lit, with the glass windows open and the curtains fluttering gently in the autumn breeze, casting shifting light and shadow on the desk.
On the other side of the room, there was a small bed for resting, with a new animal skin blanket, quilt, and pillow.
A chair with a backrest was placed in front of the desk, and on the desk was a wooden pen holder filled with sharpened charcoal pencils.
Beneath the pen holder lay a stack of paper, and further away, an exquisitely designed oil lamp and two beautiful flowerpots.
Yu Yan was gently pushed by Lan Xiu and sat down in the chair.
To his surprise, the height was exactly the same as his own desk and chair! And, in accordance with his habits, large drawers were made.
Yu Yan couldn't hold back any longer and turned to ask Lan Xiu, "This room is...?"
Lan Xiu smiled and nodded: "It was prepared for you."
Yu Yan's eyes lit up with surprise: "When did you do this? I had no idea! You kept it a secret for so long!"
Seeing him happy, Lanxiu was even happier.
"Besides these, there's something else I want to show you."
"Huh? What is that?"
He brought his hands, which had been behind his back, to his front, and in his hand was... a glass ornament?
“Heavens…” Yu Yan carefully took it; it felt heavy in her hand, and made a rustling sound inside.
The ornament is divided into two parts: the bottom is a box for storing things, and the top is a lid.
The decoration on the lid is a majestic tiger, with a round-headed little person sitting cross-legged on its back.
Although the colors didn't match, Yu Yan recognized her immediately: "Haha, is this you and me?"
"Yes."
Due to limitations in craftsmanship, the tiger and the little figures on top of it were not as exquisite as modern ones, but they were very lifelike. When Yu Yan looked at them, she could think of the scenes of her and Lan Xiu going out together, and she loved them very much.
He gently shook the box again. "What's inside?"
"Open it and take a look."
Yu Yan placed the box on the table, opened the lid, and found that it contained pearls and jade!
The pearls are lustrous and round, and the jade is translucent and dazzling, radiating a fiery glow under the sunlight.
Lanxiu said, "I saved all of these. I know you don't really like pearls and jade, but I still wanted to give them to you."
Yu Yan looked up at him and said earnestly, "No, I like it very much, I just don't use it often. Lan Xiu, thank you."
Lanxiu was overjoyed that he accepted his gift.
Yu Yan also thought of the meaning behind the gift and asked, "Did you make this glass box yourself?"
Lan Xiu hummed in agreement. "I thought it wouldn't be proper to just bring the things over directly. Actually, this box is what I really wanted to give you."
Yu Yan froze, slowly looking at the glass box.
Currently, the tribe can only soften the glass by heating it; before this, no one had ever made such an exquisite thing out of glass.
How long did Lan Xiu actually spend figuring things out and practicing on his own?
Yu Yan frowned, quickly reached out, and grabbed Lan Xiu's arm.
Lan Xiu put his hand back. "Yu Yan?"
Yu Yan said firmly, "Let me see."
After a brief stalemate, Lan Xiu loosened his grip.
Those hands, once so long, slender, and strong, are now covered in cuts and burns. Yu Yan counted them one by one, her eyes slowly reddening.
Seeing this, Lan Xiu said in a panic, "Don't be sad, I'm fine. This little injury is nothing, it'll be fine in a couple of days."
Yu Yan pointed to a ruptured blister: "This is nothing? It's about to fester!"
He felt both heartache and anger, and shook off Lanxiu's hand, his voice hoarse: "I'd rather not have this gift than see you suffer so much."
Lan Xiu squatted down beside him, looked up at him, and gently touched his cheek with his other hand, which was still in better condition.
Yu Yan angrily dodged away, refusing to let him touch her.
Lan Xiu smiled and coaxed him, "Don't be angry."
"Now you want me to stop being angry? What were you doing before?!"
"I was wrong."
"..." Not only could Yu Yan not calm down, but her heart felt like it was being squeezed into a ball, making her even more uncomfortable.
He didn't even turn his body away, looking out the window, refusing to look at Lan Xiu.
Lan Xiu leaned forward and said gently, "When we're hunting, gathering, or working, we always bump into things and get hurt. It's really nothing."
"How can that be the same! Those were things we had to do to survive!" Yu Yan reached out and pushed him. "Stay away from me, I don't want to see you right now!"
It was driving him crazy!
Lan Xiu grabbed his wrist, stood up, and pulled him to his side, wrapping his arm around him.
This time, Yu Yan couldn't break free no matter what she did.
"Lanxiu!"
"Yes, I'm here."
"I already told you to..."
"Yu Yan." The two spoke at the same time.
Yu Yan was stunned for a moment, and with her ear pressed against his chest, she could clearly hear the strong beating of his heart.
Thump, thump, thump, one beat after another.
When he speaks, his solemn voice comes from his chest, causing a slight vibration in the eardrums.
"To express my feelings to you, to tell you that I like you and want you to be my partner, is something I must do."
Just then, a gust of autumn wind blew the curtains up with a "whoosh".
The wind brushed against the back of Yu Yan's neck, as if piercing through his body and striking his heart.
All the blood in my body was rushing to my heart.
He slowly raised his hand, grasped Lanxiu's clothes, and then looked up.
Lan Xiu lowered his icy blue eyes, not knowing how long he had been staring at him.
The affection in his eyes was so abundant it could overflow.
Strangely enough, Yu Yan was clearly very happy, but her nose felt even more sore.
"You...I..." He couldn't find the words to say for a moment.
Lan Xiu smiled instead and gently wiped the corner of his eye with his finger.
Yu Yan felt the moisture.
His face instantly turned bright red, and he buried his head in Lan Xiu's strong chest, pretending to be very forceful as he said, "Come with me to apply the medicine first!"
"Okay, sure."
Yu Yan didn't even know how she got out of Lan Xiu's new house. When she came to her senses, she was already at the clinic.
With a stern, handsome face, he coldly told Lan Xiu to sit down and extended his hand, which Lan Xiu obediently complied with.
After cleaning him up, Yu Yan applied medicine to his wounds. The cold indifference in her eyes, which used to be so easily pierced, was unconsciously replaced by heartache.
Halfway through applying the medicine, Lan Xiu suddenly hissed.
Yu Yan quickly looked up and asked, "Does it hurt a lot? I'll be gentler."
Lan Xiu said "it hurts," but his eyes glanced nervously outside.
"..." You're pretending with me, aren't you?
Yu Yan immediately tensed up and pinched his wrist: "Bear with it!"
He wouldn't let Lan Xiu speak, so Lan Xiu just kept hissing.
"You're not an orc from the Deep Lake Tribe, so why are you hissing?" Yu Yan muttered, but the pressure on her hand was even lighter than before.
Lan Xiu looked at him and found him pleasing in every way, just as he pleased.
The gaze was so intense that Yu Yan couldn't ignore it even if she wanted to, and her ears slowly turned red.
After finally finishing applying the medicine, he breathed a long sigh of relief, feeling that his back was covered in sweat.
"Be careful today, don't get it wet, come back to me later to change your dressing," Yu Yan instructed as she tidied the table.
"What about the others?" Lanxiu asked.
“Something else…” Meeting his eyes, Yu Yan instantly understood.
He was talking about confessing his feelings.
"Ahem," Yu Yan pretended to be very busy, "we'll talk about it tonight."
"Can we meet a little earlier?" Lan Xiu asked with bright eyes, smiling at him.
Yu Yan's head went blank for a moment, she couldn't take her eyes off the screen, and she stammered, "I, I haven't finished my work yet..."
"I'll do it. So, can we do it a little earlier?"
If someone hadn't suddenly called Yu Yan, he would have impulsively blurted out the word "okay".
He left with the words "I'll try my best" and hurriedly turned away.
When Yin Qing saw Yu Yan come out, she slapped her face twice, making it red, and asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing." Yu Yan thought about the injury on Lan Xiu's hand and thought to herself, I can't let him get me into trouble again.
If we don't teach him a lesson this time, what if he does something like this again next time?
"Have the looms already been moved to the weaving workshop?" Yu Yan said, referring to what Yin Qing had just mentioned.
"Yes!" Yin Qing stopped worrying and happily spread her wings. "The clan leader wants to see you! If you think it's okay, we can spread the word and invite people to participate in the assessment!"
"Let's go, let's go!"
Lan Xiu walked out of the clinic, arms crossed, watching Yu Yan and Yin Qing fly away.
He smiled and shook his head, then walked to the large vat where the soybean paste was drying, and, imitating Yu Yan, began to pound the paste with a wooden rake.
...
The weaving workshop has indeed been completely built, but some parts of the dormitory and canteen are still unfinished.
Looking at the bright windows and rows of brand-new looms, Yu Yan smiled as she imagined the lively scene of everyone working here in the future.
“That’s good,” he said to Cangfeng. “Spread the word that the apprentice assessment will begin in our tribe in ten days.”
"Okay! Take another look at this side..."
During the day, Yu Yan was busy working in the workshop.
When she returned home in the evening, she saw Lanxiu carrying hay to feed the sheep. Yu Yan glanced at him, then quickly looked away.
They ate dinner together that evening, seemingly normal, but an ambiguous atmosphere was brewing between them.
Feng Gui and Rui Hua, having been through similar experiences, pretended not to notice.
After finishing his work, Lan Xiu left first. Yu Yan, carrying a cloth bag, walked outside and muttered seriously, "Something was left outside..."
After Feng Gui and Rui Hua were left alone in the house, they looked at each other and laughed at the same time.
Feng Gui said wistfully, "The little one has grown up too."
Yu Yan went to Lan Xiu's new house, pushed open the study door, and sure enough, she saw him standing by the window, looking over and smiling before saying a word.
Yu Yan couldn't help but laugh and put the cloth bag on the table.
Lan Xiu reached out to take it, but he stopped him with a look: "Apply the medicine first."
"good."
Lan Xiu brought over another stool, and the two sat facing each other.
Yu Yan applied the medicine, and Lan Xiu watched him without saying a word; the room was quiet.
Afterwards, Yu Yan picked up the cloth bag, placed it on her lap, and looked at Lan Xiu earnestly: "Promise me that you will take good care of your body in the future before I show it to you."
“I have always cherished it.”
“You should cherish me more than you cherish me.”
Lan Xiu didn't hesitate at all: "No."
Yu Yan was a little angry: "Do you still want to watch it or not!"
"I want to see, but you're the most important person to me." After a moment of eye contact, Lan Xiu softened his voice. "But I can promise you, I'll try my best not to hurt myself in the future, okay?"
Yu Yan pouted, lowered her eyelashes, and took the contents out of the cloth bag.
It looks like it's made of wool. The wool has been dyed a deep and captivating red, and the resulting fabric is fluffy, soft, and looks very warm.
Lan Xiu asked in amazement, "What is this?"
Yu Yan smiled and pursed her lips. "It's called a scarf. Don't touch it yet."
Lan Xiu sat upright and motionless.
Yu Yan's smile deepened, and she wrapped the red scarf around his neck.
He had fair skin and wore dark clothes, but the red color made him look even more handsome.
"I knitted it with the softest sheep hair. How is it? Will it be itchy?"
Lan Xiu shook his head, "It's not prickly at all. It's soft and warm, just as I imagined. It's very comfortable."
He raised his hand, lovingly touched the scarf, and asked, "When did you knit this?"
She even said she secretly decorated her study; didn't he do the same, secretly knitting scarves?
“I started knitting in the summer, and dyeing even earlier… But you know, my skills aren’t great, so I kept unraveling and knitting, and it wasn’t finished until before the ship was built,” Yu Yan said somewhat embarrassedly.
Lan Xiu was first surprised, then overjoyed.
Afraid he might be wrong, he asked nervously, "From the beginning... it was meant for me, wasn't it?"
Yu Yan pretended to pat him: "If I don't give it to you, who else can I give it to! I think we should have a proper start."
If Lan Xiu hadn't confessed his feelings to him today, he planned to take out the scarf when the weather got colder.
It's a bit early now, but... seeing how much Lanxiu loves the scarf, his heart feels warm.
All of this is the best arrangement.
Lanxiu kept touching the scarf, pressing his face against it, and even went to the water tank to take a good look at his reflection.
Yu Yan stopped him: "It's getting dark, the light won't be clear. Let's do it tomorrow."
Lan Xiu said resentfully, "Then you still have to deliver it at night. I won't be able to sleep at night."
Yu Yan laughed triumphantly: "Just you wait! Let's see if you dare to hurt yourself again next time! Besides, it's still quite hot now. If you go out wearing a scarf, people will laugh at you, hahaha."
Lan Xiu took a deep breath: "You really are..."
Yu Yan laughed incessantly, shaking her head and asking, "How was it? How was it?"
A fire was burning within Lan Xiu. He stared at Yu Yan, his eyes darkening instantly. He raised his arm, took off his scarf, and placed it on the table.
Yu Yan suddenly felt like she was being watched by a ferocious beast, alarm bells rang in her mind, and she got up to run away.
But how could he be faster than Lan Xiu?
Lan Xiu forcefully grabbed his hand and pressed him against the table.
"Lan... um!"
The orc's thin lips kissed him, swallowing his breath and his voice.
At first, he kissed her very hard, making Yu Yan's scalp tingle, and she felt like he was going to tear her apart and eat her.
He didn't even notice when he let go of his hand and instead held it tightly around his waist.
Later, the kiss became lighter and slower.
Yu Yan's body went completely limp, sandwiched between the table and his chest, her hands raised to wrap around Lan Xiu's neck.
They pecked at each other's lips, their tongues lightly touching, separating, and touching again, exchanging breaths.
After a long time, it became completely dark.
Yu Yan was embraced by Lan Xiu, leaning against his chest, adjusting her breathing.
Lan Xiu touched his hair and rubbed his earlobe, but still felt it was too shallow and not enough to quench his thirst.
"Move in?" he asked lazily.
Yu Yan snapped out of her daze, looked up, and asked in confusion, "Move over here?"
"You said it, let's begin."
“…That means we’re starting to date, not that I’m going to be your partner right away!” Yu Yan jumped off his lap.
Lan Xiu squeezed his hand, equally puzzled: "Why can't we get married?"
"It's not that we can't get married, it's that we can't get married right away. My father and my adoptive father don't know yet, and I need to make my own preparations."
The people of the beast world all decided to stay together, without any complicated procedures.
Lan Xiu didn't really agree with Yu Yan's statement.
But he knew Yu Yan was special, so he respected her.
If Yu Yan wants to prepare, then let her prepare. He can wait as long as it takes.
He just wanted to know: "So, are we still... friends?"
Yu Yan said helplessly, "I don't kiss my friends anyway."
Lan Xiu was taken aback, then smiled.
Yu Yan sat back down, thought for a moment, and said, "It's 'prospective partners.' You can understand it as everyone knowing that we're a couple and are going to get married."
Lanxiu felt relieved and asked inquisitively, "Then what can prospective partners do?"
Yu Yan grinned mischievously: "What do you want to do?"
Can I kiss you again?
Yu Yan's heart softened terribly. The heat that had been suppressed in the morning surged back in exponentially, shattering her reason.
He cupped Lanxiu's face in his hands, lowered his head, and answered him with his actions.
...
Lan Xiu escorted Yu Yan to the outside of his house. The oil lamp inside the house had already been extinguished.
He gently patted Yu Yan's head and said softly, "Alright, let's go back. It's cold outside."
Yu Yan looked up and gave him a light kiss on the cheek.
"I like you too, my future partner." He smiled shyly.
Then, before Lanxiu could respond, he turned and ran away.
My lips are all swollen, I can't kiss you anymore.
Um... not today.
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