Chapter 13 Sheep graze, dawn breaks...
Li Jiacong felt his lips were wet. Li Sheng's body was hot, but his lips trembled and were cold when he kissed him. Seeing the nervousness in the person before him, Li Jiacong felt something sprout within him, and in an instant, he lost all restraint. Too young, he acted impulsively, with a certain inaction. It happened, and he didn't refuse. It was a new experience for him. Since he didn't dislike it, he might as well try it. So he opened his mouth and extended his tongue.
In the dim light, Li Sheng felt an unbelievable touch and his eyes widened. Li Jiacong placed his hand on the back of Li Sheng's neck, pulled him down, and pressed him against a hard buckwheat pillow, kissing him face to face. The boy, who never touched others, held him tightly with his arms.
Li Sheng liked him; he had sensed it long ago, and it was indeed a rhetorical question. Li Sheng's awkwardness and attentiveness in his presence, and that glance they exchanged while catching a dragonfly—Li Jiacong had already seen through Li Sheng's feelings. Compared to his slowness in recognizing Li Sheng's attraction to men, he was quick and accurate in discovering this.
Li Jiacong, knowing full well what was going on, deliberately asked an embarrassing question—he wanted to see how Li Sheng would react, driven by some secret, wicked curiosity.
Li Jiacong didn't consider why Li Sheng liked him, or whether he liked Li Sheng or not; he only wanted to enjoy the thrill of the moment while under the influence of alcohol.
Li Sheng's kissing skills were terrible, you could say clumsy, but he was very bold, touching the boy's teeth with the tip of his tongue. The boy had a peculiar scent, like cheap, bland soap mixed with grass. Their palms were damp, and the edges of their hands slipped as they rubbed together, almost slipping apart, but Li Sheng wouldn't let go, interlocking his fingers to hold the boy's hand again.
However, Li Jiacong quickly frowned, and his impatient expression reappeared. He felt too passive and very uncomfortable. He raised his other hand, used the base of his thumb to press Li Sheng's chin, and pressed his head down onto the pillow.
Their lingering lips parted, and Li Jiacong breathed a sigh of relief. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced out the window and saw a figure at the gate of the courtyard—Xiuying had returned!
Li Jiacong sobered up instantly and released Li Sheng: "Grandma!"
Li Sheng scrambled to his feet, sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), smoothed out the wrinkles that had rolled out of his body, and then shrank back into the upright and silent boy he once was.
Li Jiacong's grandmother walked to the window and, as expected, glanced inside. Li Jiacong met her gaze, looking somewhat guilty.
What did you two have for dinner?
Li Jiacong: "I haven't eaten yet."
"What would you like to eat? Sheng'er, why don't you stay for dinner too?"
Li Sheng, still looking flustered, could only turn his head slightly, revealing half his face, and say, "No, Grandma, I'm going back now."
He can no longer eat with Li Jiacong in front of his grandparents.
Li Jiacong was surprised: "You're not eating?"
"Okay." Li Sheng put on his shoes.
Li Jiacong didn't insist, and turned to his grandmother, saying, "Just do what you think is best. He won't eat it."
Li Sheng practically fled back home, splashing his face with cold water in the yard. His heart was pounding wildly, almost leaping out of his throat. In the blink of an eye, Li Jiacong's face appeared in his mind's eye. He looked up at the unripe grapes on the trellis, and he had a premonition that he wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.
"Why did Li Sheng leave in such a hurry?" Li Jiazong's grandmother brought the dishes into his room.
Li Jiacong, with his legs crossed, held the plums Li Sheng had brought. He took a bite, but the sourness made his face contort, and he immediately threw them on the balcony: "I don't know."
Li Jiacong's grandmother clicked her tongue: "I heard from the shopkeeper that you went to the old folks' house?"
"Huh?" Li Jiacong said, "What do you mean, 'two old fat men'?"
"His child's name is Zhao Cheng."
"Oh, you went? What happened?"
His grandma said, "Oh dear, you should avoid him. He doesn't make anything good. He just invites groups of people to his house every day. He's a troublemaker. What were you doing at his house?"
"Didn't do anything."
"Stop talking nonsense, you're definitely up to no good. You even took Li Sheng with you? Don't let Sheng'er be led astray by you, smoking and drinking again. Li Sheng never associates with that kid. He's such a well-behaved child. If you just leave and drag Li Sheng into it, they might bully him and make him go astray, that would be terrible."
Li Jiacong raised his hands in surrender: "Okay, okay, it's my fault. I won't go again, but Grandma, Li Sheng can't be forced to play with whomever he wants or doesn't want to play with. Besides, someone who goes astray just by smoking a cigarette, drinking a drink, or making a friend must have no self-control."
"Li Jiacong! Not everyone is as principled as you!"
"Li Sheng isn't stupid, is he?"
Li Jiacong's grandmother never spoke to her beloved grandson, repeatedly saying "Go away, go away" before ignoring him.
Perhaps out of spite towards his grandmother, he stayed in his room doing his homework for two days without going to see Li Sheng, to avoid being accused of leading a bad influence. In the morning, as he was brushing his teeth by the sink, he felt a darkness at the doorway; it was Li Sheng. Li Sheng was holding apricots, bright orange-yellow, encased in plastic. Li Jiacong glanced at them: "Your apricots? Are they sour? The plums you gave me last time were especially sour."
Li Sheng said with shame, "This... is alright."
"Don't take it next time." After rinsing her mouth, Li Jiacong asked him, "Come help me with my homework?"
"Hmm..." Li Sheng was a little unsure how to respond to Li Jiacong's words. He felt that since they had had that kind of contact before, he would speak more intimately or change his attitude, but Li Jiacong didn't change at all, and didn't seem as embarrassed as he did. "I have to go herd sheep in a little while, are you coming?"
Li Jiacong thought for a moment, looked outside, the weather wasn't hot, and it was even a bit overcast, so he readily said, "Let's go."
They drove the sheep to the back of the mountain, then went deeper into the mountains, surrounded by forests and tall, lush grass. Li Jiacong and Li Sheng found a spot, trampled down the grass, and before sitting down, Li Jiacong examined the ground for a while, patted it with his hand, and then sat down.
Li Sheng: "You have obsessive-compulsive disorder related to cleanliness."
Li Jiacong: "It's alright."
“You always dress so clean when you run up the back mountain every day.” He noticed that Li Jiacong had changed his clothes many times. Almost every time they met, he was dressed differently, and there wasn’t a single oil stain or blemish on his clothes.
“It’s not a bad thing to be clean. I’m okay with clothes, but I can’t stand dirty shoes.” Li Jiazong looked up at the sky. “I’m praying it doesn’t rain. If it rains, this lousy place will be covered in mud with every step, and my shoes will be ruined.”
Li Sheng curled his lips and said, "You really aren't suited for the countryside."
“Nonsense,” Li Jiacong said, “but being suitable and adapting are different. I’m much more adapted now than before!”
He wanted to praise himself for being able to persevere here.
“Stretch out your hand,” Li Sheng suddenly said.
"What are you going to do?" Li Jiacong didn't reach out, but turned to look at Li Sheng.
Li Sheng gently stroked him, and Li Jiacong looked down in puzzlement. A black insect, about half the size of a palm, was clinging to him. He yelled and jumped back, still afraid to touch it, shouting, "Take it away! Take it away!"
The shout startled the sheep. Li Sheng hadn't expected such a strong reaction and stepped forward to take it down: "Are you alright?"
"Holy crap, that scared me to death," Li Jiacong glared at him. "What was that?"
“Heavens… Ox.” Two long horns, white spots, lay like a model in Li Sheng’s palm.
“Damn… I thought it was that bug that pushes dung balls,” Li Jiacong breathed a sigh of relief, “Let’s throw it away.”
Li Sheng, in his mischievous little boy mode, picked up the insect and shrugged it, then went to scare Li Jiacong again. Li Jiacong, not one to back down after being scared a second time, grabbed Li Sheng's wrist and shook it, causing the longhorn beetle to fly away with a "click-clack" sound.
The two wrestled together, getting covered in grass seeds. Li Sheng laughed heartily: "Do you know there are all sorts of insects in this grass? And snakes too. Pythons, as thick as a calf."
Li Jiacong frowned: "Are you trying to scare me?"
“No, don’t be afraid,” Li Sheng suddenly hugged Li Jiacong’s back. “I’ll protect you.”
Li Jiacong glanced at his hand, as if to say something, but quickly withdrew it.
Li Sheng took out a leaf: "I'll play a tune for you."
There was also a talent show, and Li Jiacong suddenly felt that Li Sheng wasn't so mature after all. He was like a child now, probably because they had really gotten to know each other and had even kissed.
Finding the right note, Li Sheng pinched the leaf and blew it—it was the Bressanone they had both heard together. Li Jiacong exclaimed in surprise, "It sounds like a flute. Damn, you're really amazing; you can even make this sound out of a leaf."
"It sounds like a suona to me, would you like to try it?"
He picked a leaf and gave it to Li Jiacong. Li Jiacong held it in his hand, thought it was dirty, and didn't put it in his mouth: "I can't do this. I'll play the flute for you sometime."
Li Sheng nodded earnestly and expectantly, tossed the leaf aside, and put his arm around Li Jiacong's shoulder again. There was no one around, only the sounds of sheep and insects. A soft breeze caressed their faces. In a few quiet breaths, Li Jiacong also put his arm around Li Sheng's waist. As if by secret signal, Li Sheng turned his head and naturally kissed Li Jiacong again, continuing what had been interrupted a few days ago, but this time without the excuse of having drunk alcohol.
Sheep grazed, dawn broke, and all was still. As they kissed, they grew restless. Li Jiacong, holding Li Sheng's shoulders, easily pushed him onto the grass mat without much force. But as he pressed down on him, Li Jiacong hesitated, a distinct feeling washing over him—a slender, firm body, the touch revealing hard bones and muscles.
He was the same height as him, and also a man like him. This was completely different from the soft, fair skin he had imagined, but there was no turning back now. He allowed the hands to explore his body, and they responded in kind, the sensation startling.
Wild grass on both sides of their sky enveloped them, as if building another world for them, a world where no one would disturb them or judge them.
Li Jiacong thought of the word "wild," untamed, blind, violent... lawless.
The bustling city was his reality, but now he turned his back on the city and distanced himself from reality—he opened the forbidden door.
A note from the author:
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