Chapter 132: End of Text (Main Story Complete)
When Jindou was almost two years old, the cherry tree and apricot tree that Qiu Henian had planted in the backyard a few years ago finally bloomed and bore fruit this year.
In the early autumn of the north, with high and faint clouds, windows were all pushed open. Qingyan and Jindou sat on the back window sill, picking cherries that were almost reaching into the window.
After eating the ones that were close, Qiu Henian in the backyard picked the fruits from higher branches that were reddened more by the sun and handed them over to them. Later on, he simply picked the branch with the thickest fruit and directly broke it off for Qingyan to hold and eat slowly.
Jindou also reached out to grab the branch from his father’s hand, and Qingyan moved the branch towards him. But Jindou’s mouth was small; he could only eat one at a time, while his father could eat four or five at a time. No matter how hard he tried, he watched the fruits on the branch diminish.
Jindou was so anxious that his little buttocks jumped, and Qingyan giggled, eating faster and more joyfully.
Qiu Henian smiled and pinched Qingyan’s cheek, then had Jindou pull up his little shirt and put all the cherries he had held in his hands. Jindou became happy.
When the sun slanted westward, it wasn’t as warm outside anymore. They had almost finished eating the cherries, and Qiu Henian took a few steps back, leaping into the house from the window sill.
Jindou exclaimed with a “Wow,” imitating his father, clapping his hands and praising, “So amazing, so amazing!”
His speech wasn’t so fluent, and it was quite endearing.
Qiu Henian bent down and kissed his forehead, and Qingyan also kissed the exact same spot. Jindou also wanted to kiss his father and Qingyan, but for some reason, his eyes were covered and he couldn’t avoid them.
When his father finally let go, Jindou curiously opened his eyes to look at the two adults. He saw his father smiling at his father, and his father’s face was red, and his mouth was also red.
Jindou thought for a while, pointed at Qingyan’s mouth, and said, “Bee, bee sting…”
Qingyan was stunned for a moment, then realized it was something he had taught Jindou before—don’t touch the bees in the flowers, or you’ll get stung and it’ll hurt.
Qingyan laughed heartily, Qiu Henian also understood what was going on. He smiled helplessly, took a step forward, and lifted Jindou down from the window sill.
Once the little one was down, he went to embrace the big one.
As they came closer, Qingyan smiled and embraced the man’s neck, and suddenly jumped into his arms.
Qiu Henian held him and turned half a circle before putting him down.
Qingyan whispered in his ear, “Little honeybee, how come your sting doesn’t hurt people, but makes them addicted?”
Qiu Henian’s expression didn’t change much; he just looked at Qingyan with a smile.
When he turned around to get a small toy for Jindou, Qingyan noticed that his ear was slightly red.
Qingyan’s heart stirred. While Jindou was running with his little wooden cart, he tiptoed from behind and kissed Qiu Henian’s ear.
Qiu Henian responded by reaching back to grasp his wrist, gently pinching it, then turning to say meaningfully in his ear, “Wait until tonight…”
He didn’t finish the sentence, only a few words, but Qingyan didn’t dare to provoke him again.
Last night, the teasing was a bit fierce, and Qingyan still walked a little awkwardly now.
…
At the end of the year when Jindou turned two, Fragrant Melody Pavillion opened a branch store in the county town, which was larger in scale than the main store in the town and was located in a bustling area.
Shen Min rented a house in the county town and settled there long-term. He mainly managed this branch store, and Li Shen also went to the county town to help from time to time.
This arrangement was discussed by Qingyan with them.
Shen Min was alone in his family, without any burdens, and wanted to go out and try. When Qingyan mentioned this, he agreed.
Because Li Shen could sometimes see his family of three in the county town, she was happy.
There were many things at the beginning of the opening, and Qingyan also went there almost every day. After everything stabilized, he handed over all the shops to Shen Min to manage, and he no longer intervened.
With more stores opened, Qingyan himself was not so busy anymore.
He and Qiu Henian took turns managing the shops in the town, and they had a lot of free time.
As for Qiu Henian, Xiao Zhuang had grown into a young man. The clumsy bird was finally able to fly, and he was doing his work well and looked decent, so he could teach apprentices.
Qiu Henian supported him in going out on his own, but Xiao Zhuang didn’t want to. His family also thought it was better for him to continue with his master, so Qiu Henian gave him a monthly allowance based on the market rate.
At the end of the year, he also gave him a corresponding bonus based on the profits in the accounts, and Xiao Zhuang worked harder.
After the Spring Festival this year, when the weather gradually warmed up, Qiu Henian took out an old book from the drawer.
Qingyan leaned over and saw that it was the “Records of Mountains and Rivers” that he had read when he first came here.
Qiu Henian turned to the page with the map, and his fingertips passed over the lines Qingyan had drawn before.
Looking at the markings he had made back then when Qiu Henian went to Fengyu Pass, Qingyan couldn’t help but smile and said, “I remember when you passed through Chongyu County, I was worried that you wouldn’t have tasted the authentic Chongyu sauce pig’s trotters.”
Qiu Henian’s gaze lingered on the mark of Chongyu County for a while and said, “I remember that when I returned from Fengyu Pass, I said I would walk the road I passed with you.”
“Qingyan, in the future, let’s spend some time each year to visit the places we like in this ‘Records of Mountains and Rivers,’ okay?”
Qingyan readily agreed, “Of course.”
Qiu Henian pointed to the location of Chongyu County and said, “Then the first place we go should be Chongyu County.”
…
At the end of April that year, after the Qingming Festival and worshipping the ancestors at home, the couple hugged their child, drove their carriage, and set off for Chongyu.
In Chongyu County, the family of three found the “Chongyu’s Braised Pig’s Trotters” mentioned in the “Records of Mountains and Rivers,” bought the famous local liquor and side dishes, and had a satisfying meal.
Jindou had grown more than ten small white teeth, and he gnawed the pig’s trotters so skillfully, with oil all over his mouth.
After eating and drinking their fill, the family took a walk on the embankment of Chongyu.
The weather had warmed up, and by the riverbank, some people were flying kites with their children. Upon seeing this, Jindou also wanted one. Qiu Henian went over and asked where they had bought theirs, then bought one for Jindou and helped him fly it into the sky.
Jindou ran and tumbled several times but didn’t cry even once, thoroughly enjoying himself.
After playing for a while, he fell asleep in his father’s arms.
Qiu Henian retrieved the kite and quietly asked Qingyan, “Would you like to sit on the embankment for a while?”
Qingyan nodded, so Qiu Henian gently lifted the heavy Jindou from Qingyan’s embrace and handed him the kite. Together, they walked to the riverbank.
Sitting on the riverbank, Qingyan took out a shirt from his bag and covered Jindou with it. Then he moved closer to Qiu Henian until their arms touched.
They looked at the nearby pleasure boats on the river and the leisurely wild ducks in the water. The grass on the riverbank was green, and the air carried a warm scent of grass and nearby picnic foods.
Qingyan remembered something and smiled at the person beside him, saying, “Do you remember the Huanglong opera we heard in Muling? The part where a couple drinks on the embankment during a spring outing is almost identical to our current situation.”
Understanding Qingyan’s meaning, Qiu Henian smiled briefly, cleared his throat, and softly sang, “May my husband live a thousand years, may I stay healthy, and may we be like swallows on a beam, seeing each other year after year.”
Qingyan squinted with a smile and leaned his forehead against Qiu Henian’s head, praising, “That’s so beautiful.”
Qiu Henian chuckled, “I’m glad you like it.”
Taking a deep breath, Qingyan stretched lazily and then stared into the distance in a daze.
Qiu Henian turned to him and asked, “What are you thinking about?”
Qingyan lowered his eyelids as if hesitating for a moment.
After a while, he shook his head slightly, curved his lips into a smile, and said, “Let me tell you a story. Would you like to hear it?”
Looking at him, Qiu Henian responded with a simple “Mm.”
Qingyan pondered for a while, organized his thoughts, and began, “A long, long time ago, after Pangu* opened the heavens and the earth, chaos began to separate, and yin and yang circulated between heaven and earth. As the years passed, the long timeline condensed into individual light clusters. These clusters might have been neatly arranged in sequence or occasionally disrupted unexpectedly, causing chaos without rules.”
*T/N: First being that lived, before the creation of heavens or earth.
Qiu Henian, intrigued, asked, “What exceptions, for instance?”
Qingyan continued, “For instance, during one of these disruptions, a lucky unlucky person, whose life should have ended, crossed from one small world to another, forced to exchange worlds and identities with another lucky unlucky person.”
Qiu Henian’s relaxed expression gradually became serious.
“And why is he an unlucky person?” Qingyan asked, referring to the story.
“Because he almost died, and although he survived by chance, he left his home and arrived in a completely unfamiliar world, never able to return to his original world.”
Hearing this, Qiu Henian’s Adam’s apple moved, and Qingyan raised his hand to hook his arm, smiling and saying, “But he is lucky. He is alive and in this unfamiliar world, he has things he didn’t have in his previous world: a loved one who sincerely cares for him, an adorable and innocent child, kind and generous relatives, and harmonious friends. Although he left a familiar place, this new world gives him much more than it takes away!”
Qiu Henian fell silent for a while and then asked, “After leaving home for so long, does he miss home?”
Qingyan nodded, then shook his head.
“Occasionally, he does. After all, there were many fun things in that small world. But his home is no longer in the original world. This new small world is his home. No matter how fun it was over there, he doesn’t want to go back.”
Hearing this, Qiu Henian’s throat moved, and he said seriously, “I think this world has worked hard to have him, and it will treat him well.”
Qingyan smiled, rubbed his shoulder against Qiu Henian’s, looked into the distance, and sighed, “Fate is such a mysterious thing.”
The two sat by the riverbank for a while longer. As the sun began to set, Jindou woke up. He nestled in his father’s arms and rubbed against him affectionately. Qingyan also nuzzled into Qiu Henian’s neck.
Qiu Henian kissed both his husband and child on their foreheads and said, “It’s getting windy. Let’s go back.”
Jindou got down and held hands with his dad and father. Slowly, the three of them walked back to the bustling inn where they were staying in the slanting afternoon sunlight.
Each season has its own beauty, and missing out on some doesn’t necessarily mean regret or loss.
Now, in the splendid spring, instead of dwelling on past losses, it’s better to relax and enjoy the present, looking forward to the future.
The word “cherish” is simple to say and easy to do, as long as the heart is sincere!
~Main Storyline (Complete)~
