Chapter 101 Plum Blossoms 11 Wagging Tail for Mercy
"etc!"
There was a screen with plum blossoms in it, and hot air was rising from inside. Robes and belts were constantly thrown onto the screen and draped over it.
"I can do it myself!" An anxious and panicked whisper, enunciated slowly and softly, heated up the ambiguity in the foggy night.
"You still can't lift your left arm? Are you trying to be brave? Now lift your leg and let me see."
A deep voice followed closely, its tone steady and thoughtful, but the rising ending tone betrayed its impatience with evil intent.
Song Yanze stepped back until he was close to the wooden barrel. His long black hair was wet with heat, his thin white lingerie was torn, his shoulders and neck were exposed, and his skin was covered with wet marks.
"Then go and call Lianxin."
Song Yanze couldn't argue with him, so he blurted out something that hit his sore spot. Jiang Tingyuan grabbed his collar and started to pull it off, not giving him a chance to say anything more.
"Did you do this on purpose? Do you want to experience the feeling of being forced?"
Song Yanze was placed in the bathtub, with his back turned, his whole body red, his long black hair floating in the water, covering his naked back.
“You’re…”
Song Yanze hesitated for a moment. Jiang Tingyuan, who was standing behind him, leaned over the wooden barrel and reached out to touch his hair. His rough hands rested on his shoulders, feeling as delicate as silk.
"Wouldn't that be me taking advantage of you?"
Song Yanze turned to look at him. Jiang Tingyuan was obviously stunned for a moment, frowned for a moment, and revealed a rare doubt of conscience.
"I haven't promised you anything, nor have I responded to you. You don't have to try so hard."
Jiang Tingyuan suddenly understood what he meant and couldn't help but reach out to touch his misty eyes. The strong emotions surging in his heart were not gentle. He wanted to grab him and rub his whole body against him and bite his lips.
After several years of separation, the person he loved was still as happy and cheerful as ever.
"I enjoy it." Jiang Tingyuan leaned over to his face and scooped up some water to pour over him.
"If you had responded today, you wouldn't be sitting in the bathtub with your back to me."
His tone was flat, just a little hoarse. Song Yanze didn't react at first, and then he suddenly let out a cry.
Jiang Tingyuan laughed, lowered his eyes and splashed water on him, his hands were stained with the fragrance of "Mu Fang", and his fingers followed along the roots of his hair.
Song Yanze lay on the side, half of his shoulder unable to move, so he could only let him move.
Jiang Tingyuan's movements were very gentle, without any intention of being intimate. Although his hands were a little rough, the strength was very comfortable, and the heat was thick. Song Yanze felt a little drowsy, and his eyelids were sticky.
But he didn't think of looking back at him. There was hot sweat dripping from the man's forehead. His eyebrows were calm and indifferent, but his eyes were wild and wandering, looking specifically at sensitive and private places, and his mouth was tense, showing that he was obviously very angry.
"You trust me so much?"
Jiang Tingyuan moved closer to his face and saw that he was really squinting with his head tilted.
The sound of water dripping and water splashing, and the swaying bead curtain makes the sound of jade hitting each other.
"Ting Yan?"
Jiang Tingyuan paused as he let down the gauze curtain. The person on the bed had fallen into a dream with his eyes closed.
"Tingyan."
Song Yanze watched him drink the medicine handed to him in one breath, and solemnly read out his name in Mandarin.
"Lianxin and I have prepared hot water for you. Go take a shower and sweat a little."
Usually, it's just Lianxin and him in the courtyard. His grandmother doesn't want him to be a stupid scholar who has never done any housework, so he and Lianxin do many trivial things by themselves.
Song Yanze was busy all afternoon, asking doctors to come, cooking medicine, and rummaging through boxes and cabinets to find clean clothes for him. His hair was messy, and there was a smear of black dust on his cheeks.
Song Yanze was afraid that he would faint, so he stood outside the screen, asking him if the water was hot or how he felt. He had never taken care of anyone before, but he did his best.
"My lord, I have no way to repay your kindness." The sound of water suddenly stopped, and his low, weak voice was heard.
Song Yanze poked his head out from behind the screen, smiled, placed the dry towel in his hand next to the screen, and deliberately avoided looking at him.
I missed the inky eyes of the boy sitting in the bathtub. His eyes were red from fever, and he was so thin that you could see his bones. He looked lonely and thin and pitiful, but his eyes were full of ruthless stubbornness.
"You getting well soon is the way to repay our fate."
He really recovered quickly, and in the middle of the night he broke out in a sweat and his fever went away. He and Lianxin separated themselves in the main room with a screen, set up a bed and put him there.
The teacher will be testing him tomorrow, and he hasn't reviewed his lessons this afternoon. He's still a little nervous, after all, he always makes thorough preparations, so he can't sleep.
Through the screen, the curled-up figure of the boy looked very pitiful.
Song Yanze couldn't help but get out of bed and cover him with a blanket, but as soon as he approached him, he opened his eyes suddenly, grabbed his hand and threw him into the bed.
Song Yanze fell and felt pain in his back. The faint candlelight flickered and his eyes went dark. He fell into the quilt, and the fragrant scent of Mu Xiang filled his nose.
He hurriedly pulled aside the quilt, only to see the back of the thin boy who hurriedly moved away.
"sorry."
“That’s amazing.”
Both of them were stunned for a moment, and Song Yanze saw the panic on Tingyan's face.
"You seem to know some punches and kicks. I didn't even realize it just now. So amazing." Song Yanze propped himself up and sat up, then asked him with a smile.
"Am I bothering you? I just wanted to see if you were cold."
"Cold." Tingyan is not a talkative person, but he suddenly uttered this word anxiously.
Song Yanze sat in the bed and pinched the quilt, then raised his hand to touch his forehead in confusion. Tingyan moved closer to him, as if she was very cold, and she trembled all over as she held his wrist tightly.
"It's cold."
Song Yanze understood and coaxed him gently: "Then let's squeeze in together, it shouldn't be cold anymore."
Maybe he was afraid, afraid of being alone.
When I was a kid, I went to watch a community opera with my grandmother. There were some ghosts who were really scary. I held my grandmother's hand and cried all the way. I didn't dare to sleep alone at night. I had to have Lianxin accompany me. At that time, he lied and said he was just cold.
Two half-grown boys were sleeping on the small wooden bed. Song Yanze was a little taller than him. He pulled him over, gently hugged him, and gave him a light hug.
"Not cold anymore?"
Tingyan hugged his waist tightly, buried herself in his arms, and clung to him, restraining the greed in her blood, and kept burrowing into his arms, absorbing the warmth from his body that smelled of fresh plum.
Like a frozen python clinging to its benefactor.
"cold."
Being held like this, Song Yanze felt a little sympathetic. He patted his back awkwardly, lifted his outer robe, and generously warmed the greedy snake with his body temperature through his inner clothes.
A homeless child who beats people to death for food can sleep anywhere at night, in cemeteries, dilapidated temples, streets and alleys. He can even sleep peacefully next to a corpse.
Such begging for mercy can only be due to ulterior motives and is just an act of flattery.
The one who was coaxing people fell asleep first, humming a little tune with a Suzhou accent intermittently until he fell into a deep sleep and melted in the dim light.
I looked up at his sleeping face, wrapped my arms and legs around him, and indulged in this warm embrace.
Song Yanze climbed out of bed in a daze early in the morning before going to school. He had a dream about being entangled by a giant snake all night and did not sleep well.
Lianxin felt jealous seeing her own master being so careful and gentle in his movements, and she pouted as she helped her master change his clothes and tie his hair.
"Sir, you are being too kind to him. He's just a beggar. Just cure him and kick him out."
"And you slept with him... Sir, you are so clean on weekdays, and you don't mind..."
"Lianxin, don't say that. He's already very pitiful."
Lianxin responded reluctantly in a low voice and followed Song Yanze out.
The door creaked shut, and the young man who had his eyes closed on the bed suddenly opened his eyes, chewing over every word he said, deeply sniffing the scent he left behind, his eyes red from staying up late.
Pitiful……
Tingyan took out the outer robe he had left behind and bit it fiercely, making a crackling sound.
The black boat passed through the stone arch bridge from the city's river. In front of the boat hung an exquisite little lantern with Song Dynasty characters written on it. There was a drizzle in the afternoon, but it cleared up in the evening.
The clan school is not far away, but all the prominent children in the town are sent to the Song family school. Today is the exam, and the servants of each family are waiting on the river bank to see the winner.
The winner would get a set of fine writing instruments and a hairpin from a gentleman, and would be able to stand on the bow of the boat while crossing the river. The winner was always the illegitimate son of the Song family, but everyone would always crowd on the river bank to watch out of curiosity.
"The young masters are coming out."
The customs in the south of the Yangtze River are more open-minded, and young ladies are not too restricted. There are even girls' schools, and young ladies from various families gather in the small buildings along the river bank and secretly watch the fun from behind the windows.
Tingyan watched the servants in the yard go there, and followed them silently. Along the way, he kept hearing his name, and they were all praising him. There were also little girls with red faces whispering something to each other, holding flower baskets in their hands.
The surface of the water was rippling gently, and there was a noisy cheering in front. Tingyan stood at the back, following the servants and maids of the Song family.
"The leader! The leader is the Song family kid again!"
Tingyan looked at them indifferently as they cheered loudly. After a while, the servants of the Song family shouted excitedly.
"Hey, my young master, he's my young master, please give way."
The soft and mumbled Gusu dialect became noisy as it got faster. Tingyan frowned, but everyone laughed and pushed her forward as if they were all one together.
Just as he stood still on the river bank, the spring water, reflecting the orange, yellow, and purple colors, created ripples, a cloud dispersed, and under the setting sun, a black-sailed boat crossed the stone bridge and rowed towards him.
The stone bridge was full of girls, and they smiled and sprinkled apricot and plum blossoms on the young man at the bow of the boat.
That young man's eyes and eyebrows were as gentle as the clouds in the south of the Yangtze River, and he was extremely elegant. The spring breeze blew his hair, and flower petals fell on his body. He smiled and bowed, with a red flower pinned on his bun and an indigo robe swaying gently.
Tingyan stopped moving, looking at him from afar, standing in the crowd and watching him slowly coming by boat. He was so far away, and with nothing in his hands, he could only hide here and watch him.
He watched him come to him, and then slowly move away along the current.
The young man was as beautiful as jade, handsome and elegant, which was not something he could ever dream of.
Song Yanze finally got through this and rubbed his face quickly. It was cold at night and standing in the wind made his face cold. Lianxin brought him a hand warmer to warm him up, but she saw her son was in a trance.
"Sir, what are you so upset about? When the old lady comes back tomorrow, she will be so happy to know that you have won the first prize again."
"Lianxin, I didn't tell Tingyan yesterday that I was going to the clan school, leaving him alone at home, and I don't know..."
"Young Master!"
Lianxin was so angry that she wanted to jump into the river. What a vixen! How could she have such tricks to bewitch people?
As soon as Song Yanze shut his mouth, he looked back casually and seemed to see a thin and frail figure in the crowd.
I don’t know how Tingyan is doing at home, how his injuries are, or how his cold is recovering.
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