Chapter 150
After Xiao Zhuang and Wu Shuang returned home and settled everything after the Qingming Festival, Qiu Henian and Qingyan, as agreed, took their children to Chongyu County together.
They spent three days sightseeing in Chongyu County and then leisurely traveled by horse-drawn carriage for half a day to Shadong, known for its hot springs with dozens of pools large and small throughout the town.
By the time they arrived in Shadong, it was almost dark.
Guided by the fading sunset, Qingyan found the location of the inn they wanted to stay in “Shanheji”.
However, upon arrival, they discovered that the inn had been converted into a teahouse.
They had to ask passersby on the street to find another more remote inn.
Fortunately, this inn was quite charming with a small courtyard, flowing water, and clean rooms. Although it was farther from the bustling streets, its charm made up for the distance.
Jindou liked to play outside, so they chose a room with a courtyard.
They moved necessary items from the carriage into the room, covered the rest with a tarp, and had the stable boy take the carriage to the stable. Xiaozao rested and grazed in the stable, and the carriage was left in the care of the inn.
After a long journey, Jindou was already tired and could barely keep his eyes open.
He hadn’t eaten either and just wanted to sleep. But once inside the room, he became excited and ran around inside and outside the house.
Qiu Henian instructed, “There’s a hot spring in the courtyard.Jindou, be careful. Stay away from it when adults are not around.”
Jindou’s eyes lit up at once, grabbing his father’s hand, and running to the courtyard to take a look.
The courtyard was separate and small, and it was already dark. The boy had just arrived and had lit a few oil lamps, so the light was dim.
The sky above, surrounded by dense wooden fences, had a faint smell of sulfur in the air. Clusters of finely trimmed short trees adorned the courtyard in various places, and there were layers of flower pots with various green plants arranged in the corners.
“Wow!”Jindou exclaimed in admiration, attracting a laugh from Qingyan.
Holding his father’s hand, the boy led the way, and the two arrived at the edge of the hot spring.
The hot spring didn’t look deep. Qingyan still held his hand tightly as they crouched together, stirring the water with their hands.
Jindou exclaimed again, “It’s hot!” and put his hand near his nose, wrinkling it and saying, “It smells weird.”
Qingyan laughed and explained the origin of the hot spring to him. Jindou listened, seeming to understand vaguely.
Qingyan patted his head and said, “When you grow up a bit more, you’ll understand. Do you want to soak in the hot spring tonight?”
Jindou asked, “Bathe in this big pool?”
Qingyan nodded and gave him a definite answer.
Jindou immediately exclaimed excitedly again, wishing he could go down right away.
However, his stomach growled loudly. Qingyan touched his sunken little belly and glanced back, saying, “Let’s go. Dinner has been delivered, and your father is just about to serve it. Let’s eat in the room.”
Tired from the journey, they decided not to go out to eat. Conveniently, the inn had a chef who delivered the food to their room, making things easier.
Qiu Henian had already laid out the dishes and was about to call them in for dinner whenJindou came running back with his father.
The family of three sat at the table and had dinner together. Qingyan picked up a chopstick of pickled vegetable noodles and said, “This pickled vegetable noodle dish is quite good. Try it.”
Jindou pouted and said, “I want some too.”
Qingyan picked some for him, andJindou chewed and swallowed it, saying to Qingyan, “Dad’s cooking is still tastier.”
Qiu Henian also said, “Indeed, you cook better.”
Qingyan smiled and said, “When we get home, I’ll cook it for you again.”
Jindou said, “I miss my lamb.”
Qingyan asked him, “Don’t you enjoy it here?”
Jindou thought for a moment and said, “It’s fun, but home is the best.”
When you travel away from home, you can see different landscapes, encounter different people, and hear various strange stories.
But after a while, you’ll still miss home and feel that home is the best.
Qingyan glanced at Qiu Henian and said, “Alright, after playing here, we’ll go home.”
…
After dinner, they rang the bell, and the boy came to take away the dishes they had finished eating.
Qiu Henian locked the door, and the family changed into special bathing robes for soaking in the bath and entered the water.
It was a bit cool at this time of night, but the hot spring water was warm, just right for soaking, and they didn’t feel cold.
The pool wasn’t deep, only reaching up toJindou’s chin at its deepest point.
But adults still needed to support him a bit.Jindou sat on his father’s lap, holding the wooden duck and small kettle his father had made for him, playing happily.
The two adults leaned against the pool wall, enjoying the feeling of their bodies being warmed by the hot water, alleviating much of the fatigue from the day’s journey.
After playing for a while, Jindou felt hot.
Children shouldn’t soak in hot springs for too long, so the husbands took him out of the pool.
When they first emerged from the water, feeling a bit chilly, Qiu Henian went back to the house and fetched a thick, large towel. He wrapped both Jindou and Qingyan in it, then held them close as they returned to the room.
Inside the warm room, after removing the towel, Qiu Henian dried off Jindou and Qingyan. Before long, the child started yawning repeatedly and snuggled into the soft bedding, falling asleep.
Qiu Henian glanced at Qingyan, wrapped in the towel with half-wet hair, and asked, “Are you tired? Do you want to soak a bit longer?”
Qingyan nodded in agreement with a soft “mm-hmm.”
The two of them quietly left the room, and Qiu Henian turned back to close the door leading to the courtyard. Walking to the hot spring pool with Qingyan, his gaze lingered on Qingyan’s waist wrapped in a bathrobe.
After getting into the water, they sat at the edge of the pool, with only their chests above the water’s surface.
They didn’t speak much as they soaked. After a while, Qiu Henian moved closer to Qingyan, reaching up to stroke his neck. Qingyan tilted his head back, wanting to kiss him, but Qiu Henian evaded slightly, not letting him kiss.
Qingyan frowned, but Qiu Henian smiled and slid his hand down from Qingyan’s neck, pushing aside one side of his robe on the shoulder, then leisurely doing the same to the other side.
Qingyan’s chest rose and fell with his breath, his body shivering slightly. Qiu Henian looked down at him for a moment with lowered eyes, stroking him a few times with his hand, then lowered his head deeply and bit down with his teeth.
After a while, Qiu Henian lifted his head and withdrew his hand from beneath the water…
Qingyan’s eyes were unfocused as he was turned around by the waist, not standing too steadily due to the buoyancy of the pool water, instinctively reaching to embrace the man’s shoulders.
However, Qiu Henian pulled his hands away, allowing Qingyan to support himself on the edge of the pool.
Qingyan felt his bathrobe being lifted from underneath, his waist pressed down by a large hand, and then his hips held firmly by the large hand…
When his legs and waist couldn’t take it any longer from the ache, Qingyan was turned around, the man taking off his own bathrobe and laying it on the edge of the pool, then laying Qingyan down on top of it.
After that, the man covered him.
It was late at night, getting cooler, but Qingyan didn’t feel cold.
Tonight was a clear night, with the moon and stars shining brightly in the sky. As Qingyan lay there, the moon and stars in his sight were trembling violently.
After releasing, Qingyan finally received the passionate kiss he had been waiting for, intense and hot.
A large towel covered both of them, and Qiu Henian held Qingyan in his arms, both quietly enjoying the afterglow of their pleasure.
Qiu Henian occasionally kissed Qingyan’s eyebrows, eyes, and lips, his large hand beneath the towel kneading and soothing the stiffness from being pressed against the hard ground earlier.
After a while, Qingyan turned sideways, one hand on the man’s shoulder and the other catching the man’s large hand placed on him.
Qiu Henian looked down, asking softly, “What’s wrong?”
Qingyan’s cheeks were slightly red.
“I’m tired. My legs are sore.”
Qiu Henian kissed his forehead and in a husky voice said, “You’ve had a long day traveling. I didn’t intend to tire you out further.”
He said it earnestly, but the large hand on Qingyan had other intentions.
Qingyan looked at him, blinking, his eyes revealing a kind of accusation. Qiu Henian chuckled softly, his large hand greedily exploring inside, feeling the chill, before carrying him back into the house.
As they lay down to sleep, Qingyan was so tired that his eyes could hardly stay open. Yet he still lay in the man’s arms and whispered softly, “Tomorrow morning… if you still want… let me rest first, and then tomorrow morning…”
He thought the man would say, “No rush, let’s talk after you’ve rested.”
But Qiu Henian lightly rubbed his head with his chin, softly “mm-hmm” in agreement.
…
Liuxi Village.
After returning home, they rested for another two days, and Xiao Zhuang went back to the blacksmith’s shop to work.
These days, the master and mistress went out to play, leaving only him in the shop.
Although Xiao Zhuang repeatedly declined, Wu Shuang still insisted on bringing him lunch every noon.
One day at lunch, Xiao Zhuang finally couldn’t help but open up to Wu Shuang.
Wu Shuang listened to his thoughts, lowered his head in silence for a while, then looked up at Xiao Zhuang and asked, “Are you finding fault with me?”
Xiao Zhuang quickly waved his hands, “That’s not what I meant. I said so much earlier because I wanted to tell you that you don’t need to worry about anything, nor do you need to please anyone deliberately. We’re married now, and you’re my husband, for life.”
Sitting not far apart, Xiao Zhuang clearly saw Wu Shuang’s pupils tremble slightly after hearing his words, revealing a dazed expression.
Xiao Zhuang felt his words might have had some effect, and his heart settled a bit.
But after a while, Wu Shuang’s expression gradually returned to normal.
Standing up under Xiao Zhuang’s hopeful gaze, he said, “These days, I’m in my fertile period. Go back early tonight.”
Xiao Zhuang was almost breathless for a moment, also standing up and saying, “Didn’t I say…”
Wu Shuang walked a few steps to him, stood on tiptoe, and kissed his lips, his tongue gently probing into his mouth to please him.
Xiao Zhuang couldn’t say a word that he wanted to.
After a kiss, Wu Shuang stepped back, glanced at him with a beautiful smile, and looked meaningfully at Xiao Zhuang.
Xiao Zhuang’s face immediately turned bright red.
Wu Shuang said expressionlessly, “If you can endure it, then do as you said. I don’t mind.”
After saying that, Wu Shuang packed up the bowls and chopsticks, said goodbye to Xiao Zhuang as usual, and left with the food basket.
Leaving Xiao Zhuang alone in the shop, he sighed and ruffled his hair in annoyance.
He paced around the room, calming down after his emotions settled, he secretly made up his mind, determined to endure it no matter what!
