Together (IV)
The autumn stream is soaked in the evening, and molten gold flows through the stream.
The surface of the water was shimmering with golden light, and even the spines of the fish swimming nimbly in the water were outlined with a circle of warm golden outlines.
He Shu lay supine on the soft, lush grass by the stream, his moon-white midriff-baring robe gleaming in the setting sun, a soft sheen akin to warm jade. His long, dark hair, still not completely dry, spread across the grass, leaving traces of water stains of varying depths.
He bent his arms and placed them behind his head, his long, thick eyelashes drooping quietly, casting a peaceful shadow under his eyelids.
Jin Wu rolled herself into a furry orange ball, nestling comfortably between his waist and abdomen. The tip of her tail unconsciously swept across the collar of his shirt, which was slightly open due to her posture, with her breathing.
The breathing of the man and the cat gradually became synchronized, becoming long and steady. The slightly rising and falling curves of their bellies also miraculously seemed to be in sync.
He Shu's palm was casually placed in the grass beside him, slightly open. Between his slender fingers, he held a maple leaf dyed red by the autumn frost, as if he was holding a small ball of silently burning flame.
When the mountain breeze blew through the valley, his half-dried long hair and Jinwu's fluffy cat hair were gently ruffled, bringing a slight coolness.
Not long after, something with a familiar scent gently covered his body.
He Shu subconsciously curled up in his sleep, his head instinctively leaning towards the source of warmth, until his forehead gently touched a warm barrier, and then he drowsily opened his eyes.
Qingshan had come to his side without him knowing, and was kneeling on one knee on the meadow, carefully draping a scarlet coat he had brought with him on the half-asleep man.
The pair of eyes that always held a gentle smile were now clearly reflecting his sleepy face.
He Shu suddenly came to his senses, as if he had done something wrong and was caught on the spot. He wanted to sit up suddenly, but because he moved too quickly, his forehead accidentally hit Qingshan's shoulder, which was close to him, and he fell backwards.
However, the expected embarrassment of falling into the bushes did not happen. A pair of arms quickly and steadily wrapped around him, holding him tightly and hugging him into an embrace filled with the coolness and unique fresh breath of autumn.
"What's wrong, Wuming?"
Qingshan's concerned question rang in his ears, with obvious worry.
"Did you get up too quickly and feel dizzy?"
“No, no…”
He Shu was still leaning on Qingshan's strong shoulders, his voice muffled, revealing a hint of hoarseness from just waking up and a guilt that he tried hard to hide.
He buried his cheek deeper into the other person's slightly cool clothes, hardly daring to look up. His mind was working rapidly, weaving an excuse for when he was asked "Why are your clothes and hair wet?" later.
Qingshan had clearly reminded us repeatedly that it was autumn now and the stream water was cold, so we should not go into the water easily.
But he saw that the afternoon sun was very bright and the fish were hard to catch, so he got carried away and forgot the instructions...
It is said that everything is difficult at the beginning. Since he caught the silver-scaled fish, he became more and more adept at catching fish. Seeing those lively fish entering the basket one after another, he got carried away for a while and stayed in the stream for a long time until the basket sank to the point that he could hardly lift it. Only then did he stop with a sense of unfulfilled desire.
He was so exhausted and tired that after getting ashore, he didn't even have the strength to perform a drying spell. So he hugged Jin Wu and fell asleep on the soft grass...
I had thought that since it was still early, I could take a short nap to regain my energy, and then use some magic to tidy up my clothes and hair, so that I could pretend that nothing happened and hide the truth... But who knew that I would sleep until Qingshan came to find him!
“That…that…”
He Shu hesitated, and in a moment of urgency, he raised his head abruptly, trying to change the subject, and forced a smile as natural as possible on his face.
"Oh right! Qingshan, why are you here at the stream at this hour? Doesn't the private school have classes in the afternoon?"
"nameless……"
Qingshan looked at his flickering eyes, but did not point it out. He just curled the corners of his lips slightly, and a low chuckle escaped from his throat, with a bit of helpless indulgence.
"Look at the sky! The sun is almost setting behind the mountains. The private school has been closed for a long time."
As he spoke, he reached out and put He Shu's crimson outer garment, which had slipped a little, back on, carefully tightening the front to cover the still damp undergarment, and continued:
"I saw that you hadn't returned home for a long time after your usual time, and I was worried, so I came here to the stream."
"What!"
Upon hearing this, He Shu quickly turned his head and looked around. He was shocked to find that the sunset that was like molten gold just now had faded into the last dark red embers in the sky. The twilight was spreading rapidly like ink dropping into water, covering the mountains, forests and streams.
He opened his eyes wide in disbelief and muttered:
"I...I actually slept for so long!"
He was still deeply immersed in the shock of "oversleeping", but Qingshan had already stood up calmly, walked to the smooth bluestones by the stream, bent down to pick up the scattered shoes, stockings, and the light gray shirt stained with grass and water, put them in order, and walked back slowly.
He Shu saw the pile of "evidence" in his hand, which was obviously taken off after entering the water. He touched his nose guiltily, and his fingers unconsciously plucked the grass leaves under him. He was racking his brains to find a reasonable explanation, but he heard Qingshan Ruoyu ask gently as if he didn't notice:
"Looks like you had a great time fishing today? You were so tired that you fell asleep right here on the grass. I'm sure you had a good catch."
Seeing that Qingshan didn't seem to intend to pursue the matter of him going into the water, the big stone in Heshu's heart suddenly fell to the ground, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
He immediately regained his spirits, his face brightened, and he even began to show off a bit. He danced and gestured, demonstrating how he had battled wits and courage with the "cunning" fish in the stream that afternoon:
"Of course! Don't you see who I am? Such a small matter is out of the question!"
Qingshan listened carefully to his excited narration, squatted down very naturally, picked up the stockings, and gently helped this man, who was still immersed in the joy of "harvest" and had not put on shoes and socks, to put them on. He then put on his shoes and tied the laces.
The whole movement was smooth and skillful. He nodded in cooperation from time to time and made a few sounds of admiration or surprise in response.
"Qingshan, you may not know that the fish in Yangchun Creek are becoming more and more cunning!"
He Shu was talking excitedly, his speech speed increased a bit.
"They were so cunning, pecking at the bait bit by bit, and they ate all my bait. But the float didn't budge at all, and it didn't bite at all! It really pissed me off!"
The two stood up one after another. He Shu patted the broken leaves on his robe, put on the clean crimson shirt that Qingshan brought, adjusted his sleeves, and continued to complain:
"Besides, there are too many birds by the water and small animals in the woods. They always make noises at inopportune times, scaring away the fish I've worked so hard to attract! It's really annoying!"
Jin Wu at their feet seemed to be completely awakened by their conversation. It stretched lazily, took two steps forward, and rubbed Qingshan's trouser leg affectionately as a greeting.
Then he quickly jumped to the fish basket full of spoils, circled around, bumped his head against the wall of the basket, then raised his head and meowed at them non-stop. His green eyes were full of urging, as if he was eagerly reminding the two people who were chatting enthusiastically not to forget to take away the fruits of their hard work all afternoon.
"Qingshan, come and take a look!"
He Shu saw Jin Wu's actions and quickly took Qing Shan's wrist and walked to the stream. He pointed at the fish basket that was filled to the brim with fish. His face was filled with uncontrollable pride, and the corners of his mouth curled up in a smug arc.
"Look! I caught so many! Isn't that impressive?"
"As expected of Wuming..."
Qingshan followed his gaze, his eyes filled with undisguised admiration and pride, his gentle eyebrows curved into a beautiful expression, and generous words of praise came out of his mouth.
“Always so capable!”
“That’s it!”
He Shu hummed softly with pleasure, his chin slightly raised, like a proud peacock.
He casually shook the light grey shirt that was covered with grass and mud, and draped it over his arm without much care.
"Before we go home later, let's stop by the villager's house at the foot of the mountain to give him some fish. We can't finish all the fish anyway, so we can share it with the villagers to try."
"Okay, I'll do as you say."
Qingshan bent down and picked up the heavy fish basket, took Heshu's slightly cold hand, clasped their fingers together, and walked down the mountain together in the deepening dusk.
"Jin Wu, stop dawdling and catch up!"
He Shu turned around and saw the little orange guy still pacing by the stream reluctantly, and couldn't help but call out.
“Meow—”
Jin Wu responded, then quickened his pace and trotted to their feet.
He Shu bent down, took the slow-moving kitten into his arms, kissed the tip of his moist nose, and said with a smile:
"Why are you walking so slowly? Are you tired from sleeping all the time? We're going to Grandma Zhou's house soon. She loves you the most. Are you happy, huh?"
He let go of Qingshan's hand and picked up Jinwu's dirty little paw. Seeing that the pink pad was covered with wet mud, he deliberately frowned and made a disgusted expression:
"Oh, it's so dirty! Look at your paws, they're covered in mud! Go home and take a shower this time, and don't even think about escaping again!"
"Meow! Meow!"
Upon hearing this, Jin Wu immediately began to twist and struggle restlessly in He Shu's arms, her voice full of protest.
"Look, he's so anxious that he's almost learning to speak human language! Hahahaha——"
He Shu was amused by its intense reaction and laughed heartily. The hearty laughter startled the tired birds returning to their nests in the forest, and also dispelled the slight chill of the autumn evening. The laughter drifted far, far away with the mountain breeze.
As dusk deepened, the figures of two people and a cat slowly walked away along the winding mountain path.
The fully loaded fish basket swayed gently in Qingshan's hand, reflecting the last ray of sunset glow in the sky, as if filled with the warmth of the entire autumn.
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