Chapter 151
Early the next morning, while the child was still sound asleep, the couple quietly slipped into the adjacent storage room.
When they emerged, Qingyan’s cheeks still bore a rosy hue. He walked ahead, absently running his fingers through his hair. The man behind him had a faint smile on his lips, casually holding the towel they had just used.
Qingyan went to accompany the child on the bed, while he went to the outer room to wash and hang up the towel.
Afterward, he returned to the storage room next door, rearranging the table back to its original position and tidying up the scattered items on the floor. After a thorough check around, ensuring nothing was left out, he returned to the room and lay down on the bed.
As soon as he lay down, Qingyan turned over and nestled into his embrace.
Afraid the child might wake up, they had been quite rushed and a little flustered earlier. They hadn’t had time for lingering affection and had hurriedly cleaned up before leaving the room.
Qingyan was already accustomed to the comfort of the man’s gentle words, embraces, and kisses after each time.
Having had no time for anything just now, only a kiss, Qingyan felt a slight emptiness inside.
Qiu Henian seemed to understand his feelings. He hugged Qingyan affectionately, kissing his forehead, eyebrows, and eyes, while his large hand gently massaged Qingyan’s back and pressed down on his slightly sore thighs.
After a while, Qingyan blushed and held his hand, pressing his full lips to the man’s ear and softly pleaded, “Don’t… it tickles.”
Qiu Henian chuckled and withdrew his hand.
Qingyan nuzzled comfortably against his neck, eyes half-closed, and yawned.
The hand Qiu Henian had placed on his back slid downward, passing over his waist and hips, gripping his bent leg and lifting it onto his waist.
Only then did he softly say, “It’s still early. Let’s sleep a bit longer.”
Qingyan murmured “mm-hmm,” maintaining this position as he snuggled against his chest again before closing his eyes and falling asleep.
He slept until he wasn’t sure when, hearing a familiar voice speaking.
“Daddy’s tired. Let Father take you to play in the courtyard, so we don’t disturb him.”
Then, Jindou’s tender voice said, “I want to kiss Daddy again before I go.”
The man pondered for a moment before saying, “Alright, but be gentle.”
Jindou obediently replied with a “mm-hmm.”
Qingyan felt the small body climb onto the bed, a tender little mouth brushing against his cheek. Shortly after, it left again and went down from the bed.
Soon after, the breath belonging to the man drew near, and warm, dry lips kissed his cheek.
In a daze, Qingyan heard the footsteps of one big and one small gradually moving away.
The smaller one said, “So Father also wants to kiss Daddy just like Jindou!”
Upon hearing this, the older one chuckled.
…
Qingyan slept until late morning, then had breakfast in the house with his family. The three of them then went to the bustling market in Shadong.
Shadong was a place with many outsiders, mostly visitors coming to enjoy the hot springs.
Correspondingly, there were many shops on the street, now bustling with people due to the good time for hot springs, outings, and mountain climbing. Almost every shop on the most prosperous street was bustling with customers.
There were not only food and drink stalls but also interesting shops selling jewelry, clothing, and accessories for women and children.
Qingyan was in this line of work himself, naturally paying more attention to these shops.
Whenever he encountered them, he would go in and browse. As long as Jindou had something to eat and a father to hold him when he was tired, he could accompany Daddy all the way.
After entering several shops in a row and observing the attire of pedestrians on the street, Qingyan gained some insights.
He found that in this remote small county, clothing styles were much more diverse than in Muling County.
Tourists came from many places, and most of the shopkeepers here were not locals.
The diversity in styles was definitely related to this.
As they walked along, Qingyan noticed a shop, and his eyes immediately lit up.
Qiu Henian also saw it and said, “Seems like it’s Persian.”
Jindou excitedly pointed to the shop, saying, “Father, I want to go see it.”
There was a tall middle-aged man at the entrance of the shop, wearing a strange hat, exaggerated mustaches on his face, and interesting clothes.
Seeing the three of them, he greeted them and took out a red cloth, waving it in front of Jindou. Then, he smiled, winked, and shook the cloth. Underneath the apparently empty cloth, a small flower suddenly appeared.
Jindou’s eyes widened, “Wow.”
The man handed the small flower to Jindou, who immediately took it and examined it carefully.
Qingyan smiled and thanked the man. Speaking with a strange accent, imitating the locals, he bowed and said, “No need to be polite. We’re all sincere friends. Friends don’t need to be polite.”
Qingyan spent an unusually long time browsing in this shop and asked the shopkeeper many questions. Jindou couldn’t wait and Qiu Henian took him out for a stroll. By the time he returned, Qingyan had already chatted extensively with the shopkeeper.
They had lunch at a nearby restaurant. Before the food arrived, Qiu Henian asked about Qingyan’s progress. Qingyan was somewhat excited.
He said, “The goods from this Persian man are all brought from his hometown. I’ve confirmed with him that before we leave this time, we’ll take some goods from him to try selling in our shop. If they sell well, I’ll discuss with Feng Lao San about long-term sourcing through his channels.”
Having unexpectedly gained this while out for a walk, Qingyan was quite happy. Seeing his joy, Qiu Henian ordered a pot of wine. They clinked glasses during the meal, thoroughly enjoying themselves.
They had walked a lot in the morning and were tired, so after eating, the three of them went to the lake and took a boat ride. The boatman brewed tea for them, and Qingyan also ordered some snacks like melon seeds, dried fruits, and sugar cubes.
A particularly delicious local specialty, pepper and salt fried small fish, was also available on the boat, and they ordered a plate.
Sitting on the lake, enjoying the warm spring breeze, eating delicious food, drinking tea, and basking in the sunshine made them feel exceptionally comfortable.
Jindou nibbled on two small fish, ate a piece of sugar, and couldn’t eat anymore. The boatman gave him cornbread to feed the fish. Qiu Henian tore it into small pieces and let him toss them down piece by piece.
Seeing the fish gathering around the boat, white, red, black, and patterned, large and small, Jindou clapped his hands happily.
After playing for a while, Jindou got tired and fell asleep on the table. Qiu Henian took off his outer robe and wrapped his small body in his arms.
The boat suddenly quieted down, with only the sound of oars paddling through the water.
From somewhere came the sound of a flute, melodious and poignant, as if pouring out one’s heart.
Qingyan propped his chin on his hand, looked at the distant mountains, cracked some melon seeds, and fed the fish.
Across the table, a deep voice hummed softly along with the flute. Qingyan listened intently for a while and sincerely commented, “It’s quite nice, just a little off-key.”
Qiu Henian smiled and continued humming, his gaze shifting from the handsome face opposite him to outside the boat, enjoying this tranquil moment.
That evening, they went back and soaked in the hot springs again, dispelling all fatigue.
The next day, they went hiking and enjoyed the outdoors.
On the third night, they visited the famous night market in Shadong.
On the evening before they left, after the child fell asleep, the couple sat in the courtyard watching the starry sky, chatting leisurely.
As they chatted, they moved into the hot spring pool and shared a kiss.
With plenty of time this time, after finishing, Qiu Henian sat on the edge of the pool, placed Qingyan on his thigh, embraced his waist, and held him for a while.
Qingyan sighed contentedly, feeling utterly relaxed in every pore of his body.
He tilted his head to kiss the man’s chin and lips, his eyes sparkling as he looked at him, once again expressing without reservation, “I really like you.”
A smile played on the man’s lips, his eyes shimmering like melting spring snow. He lowered his head and kissed Qingyan’s full, moist lips, echoing his tone and responding, “I really like you too.”
Qingyan, upon hearing this, had his eyes light up. His lips formed a joyful smile.
