Chapter 94
Chen Qing felt a little embarrassed. He hadn't left earlier or later, but he chose to leave just as they were returning, which made people think he was doing it on purpose.
But he didn't really mean it that way. He just couldn't make up his mind, and when he finally did, he happened to run into them.
Chen Qing forced a smile: "I... I have somewhere to go." He tried to run away, but his leg was injured and he couldn't run. Before he could even walk out the door, a pair of hands grabbed his waist, and Zhou Yuan carried him back into the yard.
Chen Qing froze, clutching the strap of his bundle, somewhat at a loss.
At this point, Grandmother said, "Let's eat first and then talk about it."
Grandmother brought the steamed buns and braised pork with radish that Chen Qing had made to the table. Zhou Yuan had been eating communal meals for several years, and he was really craving them. Chen Qing was also very good at cooking, so Zhou Yuan ate six steamed buns in one go, and he ate more than half of a bowl of braised pork with radish. After he was full, he realized that Grandmother and Chen Qing hadn't touched their chopsticks much.
Fortunately, there were still four steamed buns left in the basket. Zhou Yuan quickly divided them between the two of them and then drank a bowl of salted vegetable soup himself.
Chen Qing held a steamed bun in his hand, his eyes were still red. Although he had been craving meat for a long time, he couldn't swallow it at this moment.
"Xiaoqing, where were you trying to go?" Grandmother patted Chen Qing's arm with one hand. "Your household registration is at home, where could you go?"
Chen Qing lowered his head: "I..."
"You can stay at home." At this moment, Zhou Yuan put a piece of meat on his plate. "I can still afford to support you."
Chen Qing didn't know whether he was relieved or not, but the steamed bun in his hand was soaked with his tears, and it tasted a little salty.
After finishing his meal, Chen Qing started preparing medicine for his grandmother. He didn't know where he would be staying that night, so he wanted to spend as much time as possible.
Chen Qing brewed the medicine and helped his grandmother drink it. After drinking the medicine, his grandmother wanted to talk to him.
"Xiaoqing, what do you think of Ayuan after seeing him today?" Grandmother leaned against the headboard, smiling as she looked at him.
Chen Qing kept his head down and nodded slightly.
When he was little, he would fantasize about what kind of person he would marry in the future. When he was bullied by his brothers, he would wish that a tall and strong person would protect him in the future.
But as he grew older and his family experienced further changes, he sold himself and never had such fantasies again. He thought that anyone, no matter what kind of person they were, could make him stop and have a stable home.
The current Zhou Yuan fulfills all his previous fantasies. He is tall, will not be bullied, and is capable. He is good in every way. If he were to say that he wants to get married now, many people would definitely be willing to marry him.
Did he get a good deal? Chen Qing wondered to himself.
Grandmother was in a good mood and yawned.
Chen Qing knew that his grandmother was old and couldn't stay up late, and that she was already forcing herself to talk to him, so he didn't want to disturb her any further.
Chen Qing closed the door for her, and he stood at the door, unsure whether he should go back to his room.
Chen Qing hesitated for a long time before gently pushing open the door.
Zhou Yuan wasn't in the room at the moment. Chen Qing knew he had gone to the back of the house to take a shower. When Chen Qing was brewing the medicine earlier, Zhou Yuan had asked him to help boil water, which was very polite.
Chen Qing sat on the edge of the bed, thought for a moment, and found some extra bedding in the closet. He carefully spread it on the floor, then lay down on the floor. The weather had warmed up recently, and the floor was a bit hard, but it wouldn't be cold.
When Zhou Yuan came in, he wasn't paying much attention and almost stepped on Chen Qing, who was sleeping on the floor.
Zhou Yuan: ...
"Come to bed," Zhou Yuan said, sitting on the bed.
Chen Qing didn't move, pretending to be asleep.
"You're not acting convincingly at all." Zhou Yuan almost laughed. "The floor is cold, come sleep on the bed, don't get sick."
Chen Qing thought he was worried that he might be sick and need money for treatment, so he quickly sat up.
With his back to Zhou Yuan, he slowly gathered up the bedding he had spread on the floor, rolled it up, and put it back in the closet.
Zhou Yuan had originally said he would sleep on the floor, but seeing that Chen Qing had packed up the bedding, he ultimately didn't say anything.
Chen Qing climbed onto the bed somewhat awkwardly and lay down next to Zhou Yuan. The two were quite far apart, and the wind could easily get in between them.
Remembering something, Zhou Yuan got out of bed, took a medicine bottle from the cabinet, and handed it to Chen Qing: "I think your leg looks injured, put some medicine on it."
Chen Qing took the medicine bottle somewhat blankly. He stared at the small medicine bottle in his hand for a long time without moving. Zhou Yuan thought he didn't know how to use it, so he took the medicine bottle from his hand.
Chen Qing froze, and his eyes welled up with tears again.
Seeing that he looked like he was about to cry, Zhou Yuan pulled his leg over, lifted his trouser leg, and saw a bruise on his calf. Zhou Yuan frowned. He thought Zhou Mu had only kicked him once, but he didn't expect the kick to be so hard.
Bruising shouldn't be rubbed. Zhou Yuan poured some medicated oil into his hands, rubbed it to warm it up, and then applied it to Chen Qing's leg.
Chen Qing was completely stunned. He felt a warm sensation on his leg, unsure whether it was from Zhou Yuan's hand or the medicated oil. It was the first time someone had touched him like this, and he felt as if his whole body was burning red.
"Are there any other injuries on your body?" Zhou Yuan asked.
Chen Qing quickly shook his head and whispered, "No, that's all."
But Zhou Yuan had a good memory; he remembered that Zhou Mu kicked him a second time.
Seeing his disbelieving look, Chen Qing shrugged and said, "It's on my stomach. I've checked, it's not as bad as on my legs."
Zhou Yuan just stared at him. Chen Qing, afraid that he wouldn't believe him, lifted his clothes and saw that there was indeed a little bruise on his stomach, but thankfully not too much. He handed over the medicine bottle.
This time, Chen Qing took over and followed his example, rubbing the medicated oil until it was warm before applying it to his stomach.
Zhou Yuan stared at him openly. Chen Qing was short and thin. Under his lifted clothes, you could see his protruding ribs. It looked like he was just skin and bones. He was too thin. Zhou Yuan wondered how long it would take for him to get fat.
After applying the medicine, Chen Qing smelled the medicated oil on his hands and wanted to get out of bed to wash them, but Zhou Yuan was sitting next to him...
Seeing Chen Qing staring at his hands, Zhou Yuan realized that he disliked the smell. He was used to the rough conditions in the military camp, and sometimes he would just put medicine on his hands and go to sleep, so he wouldn't mind the smell.
He rolled out of bed, found a basin in the house, scooped up some water, brought it into the room, and walked over to Chen Qing: "Go wash up."
Chen Qing quickly crawled over and washed his hands clean. He whispered that he would go get some water, but before he could finish speaking, Zhou Yuan had already taken the basin of water and left. Chen Qing crawled back to his spot and lay down stiffly.
A little while later, Zhou Yuan returned, blew out the lamp, and lay down as well.
Zhou Yuan had a strong presence, and Chen Qing, who had never shared a bed with anyone before, was so stiff that he didn't even dare to breathe properly.
Thinking of what his grandmother had said to him on the way today, although he was not ready to get married, he had been taking good care of his grandmother since she bought Chen Qing. In order to earn money, he had worked as a laundry worker in the dead of winter and had just returned from working in the medicinal herb field. All the money he earned was used to supplement the family income, and he had taken out all the money he had to buy medicine for his grandmother.
His sincerity was so great that Zhou Yuan naturally couldn't let him down.
Grandmother said that Chen Qing was also a pitiful person. If he couldn't stay at home, he would really have nowhere to go. It would just mean that the family would have to support one more person, which was not a big deal.
After figuring all this out, Zhou Yuan stopped being coy. After all, he was his husband. Although they hadn't gotten married or had a wedding banquet yet, he was already registered in his household, so it was a done deal. There was nothing wrong with them sleeping in the same bed.
After figuring it out, Zhou Yuan felt sleepy again, yawned, and fell asleep.
Hearing his steady breathing, Chen Qing quietly breathed a sigh of relief, but before he could relax for long, Zhou Yuan placed one of his hands on his waist.
Chen Qing: ...
He didn't know whether to move or not, he didn't even dare to turn over, and he didn't know when he fell asleep.
Zhou Yuan always got up at dawn every day in the military camp without fail, and then had to train for an hour. Even after returning home, he didn't change his routine and still woke up at dawn.
But the feeling when he woke up today was very different. He felt warm all over. When he opened his eyes, he realized that he was holding someone in his arms.
Chen Qing was curled up in his arms, his fluffy head resting on his chest, his hair trembling slightly with his breathing.
His mind wandered to the last night when Chen Qing insisted on washing his hands before going to sleep because he disliked the smell of the medicated oil. Now, Chen Qing smelled wonderful, and it seemed that even the whole bed smelled fragrant, with a very refreshing scent.
Zhou Yuan thought about it. He realized that he hadn't really looked at Chen Qing's appearance carefully yesterday. His only impression was that Chen Qing was thin and small.
Looking closely now, Chen Qing's features are delicate and handsome. Although he is not particularly striking at first glance, just staring at him makes you feel comfortable no matter how you look at him, as if you are sleeping on a fluffy and soft bed, surrounded by warmth.
He really made a profit by buying a husband for three taels of silver.
Perhaps it was because Zhou Yuan's gaze was too intense, and because Chen Qing had also woken up at this time a few days ago, and his mind was still a little foggy when he first woke up, Chen Qing felt that he had slept very hard, as if he had been carrying dozens of kilograms of stones on the road.
When he opened his eyes, he met Zhou Yuan's gaze.
Chen Qing's face flushed red instantly. He immediately stepped back, his head hitting the bed with a thud. Zhou Yuan felt sorry for him and reached out to rub the back of his head.
Chen Qing froze, then dared not move.
Zhou Yuan realized that his actions were a bit inappropriate, so he withdrew his hand and sat up: "You can sleep a little longer, I'm getting up."
Chen Qing held the blanket and watched him get dressed neatly and quickly, pick up the knife on the table, and then walk out of the room.
A moment later, Chen Qing heard the sound of a blade cutting through the air. He quietly sat up, leaned against the slightly drafty window, and through the hole, saw Zhou Yuan practicing with his knife in the yard.
Chen Qing didn't know anything about fist fighting or martial arts, but watching Zhou Yuan wield a knife, Chen Qing felt that if he were in front of him, he would definitely be beheaded with a single stroke.
He touched his neck, felt his head was still on his head, and breathed a sigh of relief. When he looked at him again, he found that Zhou Yuan was also looking over, their eyes meeting through the broken window.
Chen Qing immediately collapsed on the spot and covered his head with the blanket.
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