Chapter Seven
After the passion subsided, Xingliu, content as usual, nestled in Feiyu's arms and fell asleep.
No matter what happened last night, the scent of passion still lingered in the air, and the two people leaning on each other were the happiest.
As Xingliu thought about it, he half-sat up and smiled at Feiyu.
Fei Yu seemed to sense his gaze, slowly opened her eyes, and after blinking a few times, finally focused her gaze on Xing Liu's flawless face.
"Good morning, did you sleep well last night?" Fei Yu asked softly, his voice a little hoarse, perhaps because of the passionate encounter last night.
But no matter what happens, because the object of his affections is Xingliu, he remains calm and unmoved.
"Hmm, and you?" Xingliu asked with a smile.
Xingliu felt a surge of tenderness and leaned down to give Feiyu a kiss, a kiss between her brows without any lust.
Fei Yu just smiled and remained silent, seemingly not sleeping as well as Xing Liu. A long silence followed; Xing Liu couldn't think of anything to say, and Fei Yu showed no intention of speaking.
This wasn't their first morning together, but something felt off, though Xingliu couldn't quite put his finger on it.
In short, something is very wrong.
"Are you hungry?" Xingliu, who had been thinking for a long time but couldn't come up with a good answer, casually started a conversation.
"Hmm." Fei Yu smiled, neither nodding nor shaking her head.
Actually, this was his thoughtfulness. He knew what Xingliu had forgotten, but he didn't want to blame her and was too shy to speak up.
Xingliu was speechless again, looking at Feiyu, unsure of what to say.
Something was really strange. Why did they feel awkward on the morning after they started dating more deeply? Shouldn't they be overjoyed to confirm each other's feelings? Why was it like this?
"It seems a bit cold today," Fei Yu said softly.
The soft sound made Xingliu suddenly realize that Feiyu was lying still because of last night... For a moment, the usually clever and quick-witted Xingliu was speechless.
He finally understood what was so strange about the situation!
Because Fei Yu usually takes care of him, whether it's driving, pouring water, or feeding him, he only needs to think about how to make money and work after arriving in Xia Yu Kingdom, and he doesn't have to worry about the trivial matters of life.
But now, Fei Yu is bedridden and unable to get up, and he, as the one who started this, should be taking care of her… The problem is, he's only ever seen people take care of others, never actually done it himself. Asking him to fetch and boil water—he doesn't know if he'll leave the bucket in the well.
More importantly, where is the well?
"What's wrong? You look terrible." Fei Yu, despite her own pale face, still showed concern for Xing Liu.
"No, it's nothing." Xingliu shook his head in denial, trying hard to recall the location of the well.
Fei Yu didn't say much, but stretched out her warm palm and affectionately rubbed Xing Liu's head.
He only realized now how much of a burden it was to be the one being hugged. He had been fine riding in a carriage for several days, but last night his back and waist ached so much that he still couldn't get up.
Fei Yu roughly understood what Xing Liu was thinking. Xing Liu was probably thinking about whether to boil water to help him wipe his body or something like that, but how could he want Xing Liu to do such a thing? Xing Liu's delicate hands had probably never held anything heavier than a gold medal in his entire life.
We can do things like bathing and breakfast after he's rested a bit longer and his pain has subsided.
Fei Yu knew that it was because he would gently think of Xing Liu that Xing Liu loved him so deeply and so reluctantly.
'I remember there's a market not far from the side gate; they should sell porridge there.' Xingliu gritted her teeth and made her decision.
When he was still in the Yanwu Imperial Palace, the old emperor, despite his eccentricities, still gave him everything he was entitled to. Even when he angered the old emperor the most, there were always people to help clean up afterward.
How could he forget that after the event, the person who was hugged would be weak and in great need of care?
"Hmm!" Fei Yu smiled, and a hint of emotion flickered in her eyes as she looked at Xing Liu.
He knew how lazy Xingliu usually was, and it was already very kind of him that he was willing to go out and buy porridge for him now. He could do the rest himself. As long as he had a little more time and his back pain lessened a bit, he would learn to fetch water and cook.
Although he was born into the Yanwu royal family and knew how to fetch rations and pour water, he, like Xingliu, had never fetched water or cooked meals.
Xingliu took a deep breath, mustered his courage, and stretched out his warm feet into his cold shoes, preparing to go to the stables to fetch the horse and find the well.
As it turned out, there was a well on the way to the stables, and although it had been in disrepair for many years, the wooden bucket next to it still looked usable.
Xingliu took out the basin she had bought yesterday and prepared to fill it with water to boil.
Xingliu didn't know whether he should celebrate or not. He had the good luck of a beginner, filling the first bucket to eight-tenths full. Although the second bucket was barely half full, it still added up to a full bucket.
After going back and forth several times, Xingliu finally filled the basin with water. When she brought it to the kitchen, her tender hands had turned an unnatural red, and the cold weather made Xingliu feel both cold and in pain.
But the work wasn't over yet; he still had to start a fire and boil water... Fortunately, there was still fire in the stove. He just needed to add firewood, pour water into the pot, and wait for the water to heat up.
The fire in the stove was started yesterday by Fei Yu. It seems that Fei Yu learned the method of starting a fire when he was hunting, just for fun. He never expected it to come in handy now.
Fortunately, because they didn't know how much firewood to put in, they threw away a lot of it, which is why the fire is still raging and has been saved from a sudden fire.
While sitting by the stove waiting for the water to boil, Xingliu stared blankly at his soft and delicate hands, thinking of Feiyu lying in bed unable to move, and her feet aching just as much when she tried to move them.
He could ride in a sedan chair if he was too lazy to walk, and ask Fei Yu to feed him if he was too lazy to eat, but what about now?
Thinking about the wonderful things from yesterday, and then about the strange feeling this morning, I realized that being hugged by Fei Yu didn't seem so bad after all.
Last night was indeed wonderful, but if he had to carefully take care of Fei Yu after every intimate moment... he would probably want to kill himself. His laziness is incurable!
His hands and feet ached terribly. The morning after their lovemaking should have been spent comfortably in bed. Why did he have to indulge in a moment of pleasure and exhaust himself like this? Ugh! He regretted it.
"Oh well, I'm just naturally suited to carrying people anyway," Xingliu said resignedly.
They had argued about who should be on top and who should be on the bottom before, though it didn't escalate to a major fight, and they hadn't seen each other for several days. Fei Yu finally gave in, but he was lazy... I wonder if Fei Yu would roll her eyes and faint if she knew what he was thinking right now? Or would she just smile gently and tolerate his willfulness?
Thinking of the gentle Fei Yu, Xing Liu smiled faintly.
To prevent Fei Yu from fainting, for their future happiness, and to preserve his right to live a lazy life, he would think of a good way to talk to Fei Yu.
The news that he was going to marry Fei Yu...
Xingliu brought the hot water back to the room and helped Feiyu wipe her body.
'Feiyu, you can carry me from now on.'
As Xingliu finished work and tossed the long towel into the basin of water, he spoke softly with his back to Feiyu. His tone was not his usual lazy and sweet one, but rather unusually serious.
"What's wrong?" Fei Yu asked with a smile. He could tell that the person he loved had something on their mind.
'I don't like seeing you like this.' Xingliu turned to look at Feiyu, pouting, tears welling up in her eyes.
Fei Yu smiled reassuringly, and seeing Xing Liu's tearful eyes, he felt both heartache and joy... His Xing Liu felt sorry for him.
Xingliu walked slowly back to Feiyu's side, nestled in Feiyu's arms, and wiped her tears on Feiyu's clothes.
"I think it will get much better once you get used to it." Fei Yu thought for a long time before coming up with this sentence, which didn't sound very comforting.
'I'll let you hug me!' Xingliu nestled in Feiyu's arms.
Fei Yu gently patted Xing Liu's back, feeling sorry for the person he loved, "I'm fine, don't think too much."
The innocent Fei Yu had no idea that Xing Liu was in his arms not to try to dry off the water or to draw warmth from him, but to hide the cunning in his eyes that he couldn't conceal.
"Feiyu, I can't bear to see you like this," Xingliu said sullenly.
What Xingliu really meant was that he couldn't bear to see his hands and feet hurt, so he'd rather lie in bed and wait for Feiyu to come and hurt him.
'I'm really fine, what's there for you to miss?' What Fei Yu didn't say was that he was even more reluctant to see Xing Liu cry.
'So I'll let you hug me!' Xingliu said softly, in the gentle tone she always used to lure people.
He leaned in and kissed the person with the whorl of Xingliu's hair, too busy to answer Xingliu's question.
Fei Yu always felt that sometimes silence speaks louder than words, and the power of an embrace is sometimes greater than words.
However, this is certainly not the time to face the cunning Starflow.
"But when it comes to habits, I'm more used to them than you are!" Xingliu looked up at Feiyu.
Looking up at this moment is very important. If she doesn't look up, how can Fei Yu see the blush on Xing Liu's face and the innocent expression of heartache for Fei Yu that she has been preparing for so long?
"That's true." For some reason, Fei Yu blushed.
"So I'll let you hug me!" Xingliu opened her eyes wide and stared at Feiyu.
Fei Yu didn't respond. He didn't know whether he should nod in agreement or... He had no experience in dealing with this situation. Neither the Grand Tutor nor the Empress Dowager had taught him what to do. Heavens! Who can tell him what to do?
Xingliu's words did make sense, but he still couldn't bear to make Xingliu feel bad. Sigh! What should he do?
"Feiyu, are you angry?" Xingliu lowered his voice, sounding very timid. In fact, he was confident in Feiyu's reaction and would deal with any situation without hesitation.
"No!" Fei Yu replied in surprise, shaking her head vigorously in denial, completely unable to understand why Xing Liu would think that way.
'I was the one who insisted on hugging you, and now you're saying this. You can't stand my capriciousness, can you?' Xingliu lowered her head again and forced out two lines of tears.
Tears have always been one of the most useful weapons in the world, and tears that can be controlled at will are the best among them.
"I didn't think that way." Fei Yu tenderly kissed away Xing Liu's tears. "I was the one who promised to let you hug me, so why would I be angry?"
'Then, it's settled then. From now on, you'll carry me.' Xingliu looked up and pecked Feiyu, then quickly jumped away from Feiyu.
'Uh…' Fei Yu couldn't react.
Wait a minute, what did he say? Did they, he, reach any conclusion? Why did Xingliu speak so matter-of-factly? They clearly didn't reach any conclusion!
As Xingliu reached the door, she suddenly turned back and said to Feiyu in a sweet tone, "I'm going to buy porridge, wait for me!"
What a joke! If we don't draw a conclusion now, are we going to wait for Fei Yu to convince him?
He was adept at using tears and beauty to bewitch people, but Fei Yu's gentle kisses and hugs had the same power over him.
Alright! Regardless of the process, the result is good; at least he got the conclusion he wanted.
The first market Xingliu visited didn't sell porridge.
In fact, they only sell one thing there—people.
Xingliu didn't consider himself poor, and he knew he was a pampered person who couldn't survive without someone to take care of him. Based on the two points mentioned above, especially the second one, he went and bought a bunch of servants.
Some were bought out for life, some were signed to long-term contracts, and some were only to be hired for two or three years. In short, he bought back dozens of people, from servants and maids to gardeners, cooks and stewards.
Xingliu was not a harsh master. He knew that showing a little kindness could bring greater benefits, so the first thing he did after buying back his servants was to buy clothes and shoes for everyone, and then he ordered someone to bring silver to buy rice and grain for dozens of people.
Afterwards, Xingliu led everyone to the small market to buy the porridge that Feiyu wanted to drink.
He completely forgot that he could take a group of people back to the house first, so he led a large group of people to the market to buy porridge, buying the whole pot of porridge in one go, in case everyone had nothing to eat.
So that's it! When Fei Yu heard Xing Liu's voice, she rubbed her aching bones and sat up in bed to greet him. What she saw was a bunch of people following behind Xing Liu, waiting for his orders.
"I bought it. Now we'll have someone to take care of us," Xingliu said to Feiyu with a smile.
Fei Yu was speechless, not expecting Xing Liu to act so quickly. "Here, this is your porridge." Before Fei Yu could react, Xing Liu took the porridge from the maidservant and walked towards Fei Yu, preparing to feed his beloved spoonful by spoonful.
However, as soon as Xingliu's pink buttocks touched the soft bed, he changed his mind.
He's so tired! He's been running around all day, buying people, clothes, and food. He's exhausted.
He admitted that he went to the stables to drive the horses out, but he would get tired after going back and forth for so long... So it's definitely not his fault that he climbed into bed now, gave Feiyu the porridge, and gestured for Feiyu to eat by herself!
'Xingliu... what about them?' Feiyu gently shook Xingliu.
Fei Yu pointed at the group of people standing idly at the door, looking helpless. The instigator was asleep; how was he supposed to deal with these people? His body was still aching!
"How about we sleep together after we've eaten? There are plenty of rooms," Xingliu said with a smile.
It was supposed to be a joke, but when Xingliu said it, it sounded like he was serious.
When faced with Xingliu's determination to shirk responsibility, Feiyu could only sigh and smile, then gently ruffle Xingliu's hair in a tolerant manner, unable to say anything.
Well, it's his own fault for falling in love with Xingliu, so let him handle things!
Thanks to Xingliu's recklessness and Feiyu's strong ability to handle affairs, and because the manor suddenly had a large number of servants, many things that were originally planned to take a long time to complete were all completed in a short period of time.
After the Spring Festival, everything in the manor went smoothly. Fei Yu also bought a large piece of land in Qingbai Mountain, planning to plant fruit trees on the mountain so that they could have the freshest and sweetest fruit to eat in the future.
The lotus pond that Fei Yu and Xing Liu dream of is dug by craftsmen after the weather warms up in spring. Water from the mountain stream is diverted into the pond. Two rows of osmanthus trees are planted in the front yard, a plum grove is planted in the back yard, and various fruit trees from the mountain are planted according to the season.
A year later, winter passed and spring arrived, and the house was filled with lush flowers and trees, with the lotus pond waiting to bloom.
Last year's harvest was good, and even without other income, they lived a decent life thanks to the vegetables they grew and the money they had saved up.
The only strange thing is that they haven't done it since that day... Fei Yu didn't have any particular desires, and Xing Liu didn't ask to live like this. It didn't feel bad, but... but, it really felt a little strange, a little unsettling.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com