Chapter 48: A Child
That day, Qin Lan brought the child back to her parents’ home. Before Qingyan and her husband could sit down, she handed the child to her mother and came over to their side.
After closing the door, Qin Lan looked around to see if her mother was in the courtyard.
She lowered her voice and said, “Yesterday, Ah Xiao’s letter arrived.”
Qingyan paused in pouring water for her and asked, “How is it over there? Has he reached Nanhui?”
Qin Lan nodded, “The letter was written from Nanhui. He met my father.”
Qingyan noticed her choice of words and exchanged a glance with Qiu Henian, who had just sat down after going to boil water.
“Are you sure that the official in Nanhui is your father?”
Qin Lan was somewhat emotional.
She said, “Ah Xiao said that the magistrate looks almost identical to my father’s portrait. Ah Xiao showed him portraits of my mother and me. He was very excited when he saw my mother’s portrait and called me by my childhood nickname, Lanzi, when he saw mine.”
Qingyan pushed the tea cup toward her and said, “It seems it’s true.”
Qin Lan’s eyes reddened, holding the tea cup with trembling fingertips.
“I never expected that after so many years, he would still be in this world, unable to remember anything, yet always trying to find us.”
Qiu Henian had been silent all this time, listening. It was only now that his pupils moved slightly, looking at Qin Lan.
He asked, “Did the letter say what happened back then?”
Qin Lan made a sound of agreement and calmed her emotions a bit.
She continued, “Ah Xiao briefly wrote in the letter that when my father finished selling furs and was returning, he encountered bandits and was robbed on the mountain several tens of kilometers from here. The bandits thought he was dead, took his belongings, and left. However, someone saved him. The person who saved him was an official who was then serving in a place called Nansheng County near Nanhui.”
“My father was unconscious. The official didn’t dare leave him in the county below the mountain for fear the bandits would come back and silence him. Unable to delay his journey, he took my father southward, planning to let him recover and give him some money before returning by himself. But by the time my father woke up, he had forgotten everything and feared the bandits, so he went along with the official to Nansheng and served there.”
“While there, my father helped the official with his work and they became very close. Later, when the official was promoted, he was transferred to Nanhui County as a registrar. Two years ago, the official helped him buy off his official position, and he became the magistrate of Nanhui County. During his time as a registrar, he began to remember bits of his past, but he couldn’t recall which county or village he came from, so he had to rely on northern caravans to find my mother.”
After listening to Qin Lan’s story, Qiu Henian fell into contemplation for a while before saying, “So, neither Qin Shu nor that official could confirm if he lost his memory due to encountering bandits. Most of this is speculation based on the scene by that official.”
Qin Lan thought for a moment and said, “That’s right.”
The room fell silent for a moment. Qiu Henian lowered his head slightly, his brows furrowed, lost in thought.
Clearing his throat, Qingyan asked, “Lan Jie, what are you and your husband planning to do now?”
Qin Lan came precisely to discuss this matter.
She said, “I came to discuss this matter with you. Ah Xiao said the caravan will be returning in half a month, and with travel time, they should be home in a little over a month. My father plans to return with them. Ah Xiao asked me to decide and see how to tell my mother about this.”
Qingyan furrowed his brows in thought, wanting to say something but hesitated.
If it were just because Qin Liangchuan lost his memory, there wouldn’t be a need to discuss how to tell Aunt Li. It seems there are other hidden issues.
Sure enough, Qin Lan sighed deeply and said, “The year my father took office as magistrate, that official promoted him and gave him a concubine. Now, that concubine has a child who is almost two years old.”
…
After Qin Lan left, Qingyan’s mood worsened considerably.
From Shen Min’s affair to Aunt Li’s ordeal, Qingyan felt the conflict between modern thinking and the outdated and rigid social norms of this era.
They were like two gears turning slowly in opposite directions. They could operate smoothly when kept apart, but once they collided, the forces pushing in opposite directions would lock them together, emitting a sluggish, grating sound and sparking terrifying friction.
If Qingyan made the decision, he might choose to forever keep it from Aunt Li, pretending that Qin Liangchuan had truly died back then.
However, it wasn’t appropriate for Qin Liangchuan to want to acknowledge his wife and daughter without telling Aunt Li the truth, denying her the right to choose.
Qin Lan was determined to acknowledge her biological father, but she was unsure how to broach the subject with her mother.
Feeling troubled, Qingyan didn’t give Qin Lan any advice. Qiu Henian also remained silent. In the end, she decided to delay, as there was still over a month left. Telling her mother too early would likely disturb her for the rest of the month.
After Qin Lan left, Qiu Henian also remained unusually silent.
When Qingyan finally snapped out of his thoughts, he realized the other person hadn’t moved from the table, his brow furrowed tightly, gaze fixed on the tabletop, obviously deep in thought.
Qingyan didn’t disturb him, got up to add firewood to the stove, washed his hands, and prepared dinner.
The weather was hot, and his appetite wasn’t good. He planned to cook cold noodles.
A few days ago, he had bought buckwheat noodles in town. He cooked them directly in cold water, then soaked them in icy well water, added some spicy sauce made by Aunt Li, shredded cucumber, chopped cilantro, salt, vinegar for seasoning, and a bit of sugar for freshness.
The flavors were rich—sour, sweet, salty, and spicy—simple, refreshing, and appetizing.
Just as Qingyan poured water into the pot, Qiu Henian heard the movement and came back to his senses. He took a low stool and sat down by the stove, helping to pump the bellows.
Qingyan glanced at him, and Qiu Henian brushed off some dry grass crumbs stuck to his hair near his ear, casually tucking them into his waistband.
Qingyan’s eyes widened slightly.
Qiu Henian quickly realized what he had done, hurriedly took out the grass stick, threw it into the stove, and smiled, “Was lost in thought.”
At midnight, Qingyan was sleeping soundly when he suddenly woke up inexplicably startled. He opened his eyes and saw a vague, tall dark figure sitting beside him—it was Qiu Henian.
Qingyan also sat up and asked, “What’s wrong? Can’t sleep?”
He reached out to touch Qiu Henian’s cheek but found it covered in cold sweat.
A chill ran through Qingyan as he quickly got out of bed, lit an oil lamp, and partially drew the bed curtain. When he returned to bed, he saw Qiu Henian sitting there, his face unusually pale.
The scars on his face looked even darker and more terrifying against his sweat-soaked skin. His breathing was rapid, and his eyes held a look of indescribable despair and pain.
Qingyan hurriedly got out of bed again, fetched a cloth, and sat beside him to gently wipe his face and neck.
He then fetched clean undergarments and softly said, “Let me help you change.”
Qiu Henian didn’t move. When Qingyan tried to undo the string of his undergarment, Qiu Henian grabbed Qingyan’s hand and pulled him into his embrace, holding him tightly. It was almost painful for Qingyan, but he reached around and hugged him back, obediently leaning on him.
Fortunately, Qiu Henian quickly realized he was exerting too much force. He eased his grip, held Qingyan’s waist with both hands, lifted him onto his thigh, and gently comforted him, as if soothing a child.
“Sorry,” Qiu Henian whispered near Qingyan’s ear.
He seemed to like this posture and action, comforting the person in his arms while perhaps healing himself.
Hearing this, Qingyan shook his head gently and asked cautiously, “What’s wrong with you?”
Qiu Henian’s lips tightened.
After a while, he replied, “I had a nightmare… it was all blood.”
Qingyan looked up at him.
“Whose blood? Animal’s or human’s?”
Qiu Henian shook his head.
“I don’t know. But the blood… it was agonizing. I could hardly breathe in my dream. When the pain became unbearable, I woke up.”
This time, Qingyan held him tightly, his slender and fair hands constantly stroking behind his head and ears. His fingertips and palms were soft and warm.
Qingyan leaned against his neck and softly sang, “Snore, snore, don’t be scared, snore, snore, just be scared for a while…”
He repeated it over and over, speaking slowly and gently. The oil lamp on the round table beside the bed cast a dim yellow light inside the curtain, projecting their shadows leaning against the bed’s backboard.
After a while, Qiu Henian’s hand, which was on Qingyan’s waist, moved to his back. With his knees bent, Qingyan sat slightly higher on his thigh, hands on his shoulders, gazing at him attentively.
Qiu Henian cleared his throat and said, “Qingyan, kiss me.”
Qingyan’s eyelashes trembled. He obediently bent his head down and pressed his soft, full lips against Qiu Henian’s.
Qiu Henian parted his lips, grasping Qingyan’s delicate and fragile neck, taking control in turn.
His hand inadvertently slipped under Qingyan’s undergarment. It had been too long since they had been this intimate, and Qingyan was overwhelmed with nostalgia, almost moved to tears, his calves tensed, and his toes curled.
But after a short while, that hand restrained itself and withdrew from under the garment.
Qingyan hummed discontentedly.
Qiu Henian’s warm hand gently rubbed his back, comforting him, and he closed his eyes, almost whispering to Qingyan’s ear, “Be good, you might get pregnant.”
Ignoring him, Qingyan got off Qiu Henian, retrieved a black wrist guard from the depths of the bed, and blushed as he placed it on Qiu Henian’s wrist.
Biting his lip, he said, “Just once today. It’s not necessarily that easy.”
Qiu Henian’s already shaky will collapsed completely. Once again, he held Qingyan’s chin tightly, kissing him fiercely.
They couldn’t remember how many days had passed since they last did this.
Qingyan thought he wanted to, but he didn’t dare.
He felt like those alfalfa plants by the fence outside the window, baked by the sun, thirsty, and almost dry.
Now, after rain and dew, they had risen again, shaking and swaying.
During the process, Qingyan couldn’t remember how many times he had pinched his wrist guard.
It wasn’t until the end that he closed his eyes tightly and tried to slow down his breathing that he realized what had happened at the most critical juncture just now.
He endured the trembling of his muscles, leaned his hand behind him, and touched the wetness of his hand.
Qingyan sat up all at once and looked at Qiu Helian in disbelief.
Because Qingyan was too afraid of being pregnant with a child, at that moment, Qiu Henian seemed to have regained consciousness and controlled himself！
Spoiler for the Next Chapter:
Qiu Henian opened his mouth and ate the fruit. He hugged Qingyan’s waist, kissed his fingertips still stained with juice, and then kissed his lips stained with fruit juice.
