Chapter 67: Investigating Old Matters
After leaving the old physician’s place, Qingyan didn’t go home but headed straight to the blacksmith’s shop to find Qiu Henian.
There weren’t many people in the shop; Xiao Zhuang had gone to deliver goods, and Qiu Henian was repairing ironware.
Qingyan had managed to maintain his composure, but as soon as he entered the shop and saw Qiu Henian, his expression couldn’t hold up anymore, and his eyes reddened instantly.
Seeing this, Qiu Henian quickly set down what he was doing, left the shop door slightly ajar, and came over to help Qingyan sit on a low stool.
He sat beside him and softly asked, “What’s wrong? Did someone bully you?”
Qingyan shook his head and recounted what the old physician had told him.
Hearing this, Qiu Henian frowned, lowered his eyes in thought.
Qingyan grabbed his arm, tears streaming down his face, and asked, “If it’s really poison, will you be okay?”
Qiu Henian snapped out of his thoughts, embraced Qingyan’s shoulders, and shook his head.
“It’s been so many years; even if it is true, it shouldn’t suddenly cause any acute symptoms. You can rest assured.”
Qingyan said, “The doctor said the same, but how can I possibly rest assured?”
Qiu Henian sighed and pulled him into his arms.
This matter couldn’t be rushed, and they weren’t even sure if it was indeed poison.
Qingyan couldn’t help but worry, especially because it concerned Qiu Henian’s safety. He cried for quite a while out of fear.
After crying and calming down, the chaotic thoughts in his mind settled.
It was at this moment that Qingyan sensed something was off.
Hesitantly, he said, “If it’s really poison, then this matter is too coincidental. When Uncle Qin had an accident back then, you saved him. Afterwards, he was taken away by officials from Nan Sheng and forgot his past during the journey.”
“And two years after that, you were saved by Dad by the riverside and also lost your memory…”
Qiu Henian stared out the window with deep eyes.
“Just now, I was thinking about this issue too.”
For a while, both fell silent.
After some time, Qiu Henian said, “It seems we must find out who those bandits were that kidnapped Uncle Qin.”
Qingyan pondered and said, “We might not be able to handle this ourselves. Lanjie’s husband is acquainted with the officials at the county office. How about we seek his help?”
Qiu Henian nodded. “Alright.”
Although there was now a faint lead on the matter, Qingyan still couldn’t relax. His knowledge about this world was all from the original host’s perspective. The original host hardly spoke to Qiu Henian and knew very little about him, let alone Qiu Henian’s background and secrets. This left Qingyan completely clueless and unable to be of any help.
Qingyan felt very uncomfortable.
When making dinner, there were only two dishes: garlic sprouts stir-fried with eggs, and stewed pork with dried beans. The garlic sprouts were seasoned twice with salt, while no salt was added to the pork.
At the dinner table, Qingyan tasted both dishes. One was overly salty, and the other lacked any flavor. He disappointedly put down his chopsticks.
Qiu Henian reached out to smooth the stray hairs beside Qingyan’s cheek, then gently pinched his chin to reassure him. He got up, poured water into the garlic sprouts and eggs to make soup, diluting the salty taste.
It was easier with the stewed pork and dried beans; he added salt directly to the pot and stir-fried them.
The dishes were brought back to the table. Qiu Henian picked up his chopsticks, picked up a piece of tender pork, and said, “Try this, how is it?”
Qingyan also picked up his chopsticks, tasted the pork, chewed, swallowed, and nodded to Qiu Henian. The two of them then finished their meal like this.
At night, when they slept, Qiu Henian habitually hugged Qingyan from behind, but Qingyan refused.
He said, “Turn over, I want to hug you.”
Qiu Henian turned over as requested, and Qingyan hugged his waist tightly from behind, legs pressed against him, burying his face behind him, rubbing against him.
Before long, he felt the clothes on Qiu Henian’s back become wet. Qiu Henian’s heart tightened, wanting to turn around and hug Qingyan, but the person behind stubbornly refused to let go.
After a while, the person behind gradually breathed lightly, and the warm and humid breath passed through the thin clothes, transmitted to Qiu Henian’s skin on his back. Qingyan finally fell asleep.
Qiu Henian knew Qingyan was afraid, afraid that something might happen to him.
He was actually afraid too, afraid that his unknown past would disrupt their current peace and tranquility, and more afraid of putting Qingyan in danger.
…
The next day, the two of them went to the county town. They talked to Qin Lan and Ren Xiao about the matter. Ren Xiao assured them that he would handle the matter attentively.
Qin Lan suggested since they were already in the county, they shouldn’t rush back and instead suggested going to the theater to drink tea and listen to music.
These past few days, Qingyan had been in a bad mood, and Qiu Henian had been thinking of ways to distract him, so he agreed.
Ren Xiao went to the county office, and the two of them went to a nearby theater.
The theater here didn’t perform the Beijing opera or other regional operas that Qingyan was familiar with.
Instead, it was a type of opera called “Huanglong Xi,” which was very lively and included dances and singing, with loud gongs and drums, and very upbeat tunes.
They spent the afternoon drinking tea, eating melon seeds, and watching the lively performance on stage. Gradually, Qingyan’s face relaxed, and he even smiled occasionally.
Halfway through, Ren Xiao also arrived and said he had already made arrangements, and they just needed to wait for news.
—
After returning home and having dinner, Qiu Henian heated water and said he wanted to take a bath. He put anthracite in the stove, making the fire burn brightly and warming up the room.
In the bathing tub, Qingyan lazily crossed his arms, propped his chin on them, and half-closed his eyes.
Qiu Henian stood outside the tub, still wearing his clothes, and meticulously washed Qingyan’s long, smooth, black hair.
Qingyan felt sleepy, his breath filled with the faint scent of soap and the smell of soap nuts.
It wasn’t until the man behind him softly said, “Done,” that he opened his eyes.
Qingyan stood up from the tub, and Qiu Henian held one of his hands, watching him step out with his head lowered. His legs were slender, his skin glossy, moving gracefully like a small animal.
After Qingyan stood firmly on the ground, despite the warmth in the room, coming out of the hot water still made him feel a bit chilly. His chest involuntarily tightened, and Qiu Henian glanced at it before taking a towel to dry him off.
After drying off, Qiu Henian handed the towel to Qingyan and asked him to lie down on the bed and cover himself with a blanket to dry his hair.
Qingyan raised his head and looked at him, saying, “Let me help you wash too.”
Qiu Henian smiled at him, “Go ahead, wait for me a moment, I’ll be quick.”
Qingyan blinked his eyes, his cheeks gradually turning red, obediently going to the bed.
Qiu Henian watched him get on the bed, his gaze lingering on his back as he moved. His eyes rested particularly long on the indentation at the waist, which moved with each step he took.
Qingyan bent down to reach for the blanket folded at the bed, and the oil lamp placed near the tub created a dimly lit triangular shadow. The person beside the bed finally finished tidying up, lifted the blanket, and got into bed.
Qiu Henian timely withdrew his gaze, took off his clothes draped over him, and stepped into the tub. Immersed in the hot water, a faint familiar fragrance enveloped his body. Qiu Henian leaned back, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath, relaxing his body.
After they both finished bathing, they moved the oil lamp to the table beside the bed and leaned against the headboard to read a book together.
Lately, they had been reading a book about various strange legends, such as one place where on a rainy day, a big black fish fell from the sky and slaughtered living creatures, only for another big red fish to fall and battle it in the air to stop it, killing the black fish. It drained blood and died on a hilltop, causing the ground and soil there to turn red.
Qingyan used to find such stories interesting. Each time they finished reading, Qiu Henian would tell him about the real situation of the places mentioned, making it even more intriguing.
But now, his mood was gradually sinking again, and he couldn’t concentrate on reading.
Qiu Henian noticed and put down the book, asking, “Was the Huanglong opera interesting today?”
Qingyan nodded, “It was nice to listen to and watch.”
Qiu Henian continued, “Which part did you like the most?”
Qingyan thought for a moment and said, “The part where the woman and her husband drank wine and sang blessings on the dike.”
Qiu Henian pondered for a while, cleared his throat, and unexpectedly began to sing, “I wish my husband a thousand years, I wish myself to always be in good health, I wish to be like the swallow on the beam, seeing each other year after year.”
The lyrics sung by the female character on stage were delicate and gentle. Qiu Henian’s voice was usually cold, but now it had a slightly hoarse and contrasting sense of coolness, roughness, and tenderness.
Qingyan looked at him, eyes widening.
Qiu Henian smiled and pinched his cheek, saying, “Don’t look at me like that. I regret singing this.”
Finally, Qingyan covered his mouth and smiled. After laughing for a while, he couldn’t help but lie on Qiu Henian and laughed out loud again, sighing, “You can actually sing!”
Then he continued to laugh.
Qiu Henian helplessly looked at him and said, “If you laugh again, I won’t be polite to you.”
Qingyan laughed and said, “Come on, I’m not afraid!”
So Qiu Henian was really impolite, and Qingyan was pressed down on the bed, making a soft hum.
The intimate clothes were loose and were gently brushed aside, revealing a shiny skin in the yellow light. The ankle was held by a big hand, and the knee touched the bottom of the chin.
Qingyan didn’t laugh. His face turned red, and he turned his head.
Qiu Henian hung his eyes carefully and looked at the beautiful body. Although the beautiful and beautiful face was bright, the color was light, but…Qiu Henian’s eyes became darker and darker.
He bent down and turned his face sideways, facing Qingyan very close. Qingyan blinked, his eyelashes seemed to have scratched him.
The man looked at him so close and asked softly, “Are you afraid now?””
Qingyan bit his lip and said, “I’m not afraid.”
The man got closer to him, the kiss fell gently, from light to heavy, his lips entangled, and then wet and hot kissed Qingyan’s chin and neck.
After a while, Qingyan wanted to sit up in shock, but was heavily pressed by the man’s powerful hand. He pushed the man’s head with his hand, but he couldn’t push it, only vaguely.
“Don’t…dirty…”
After another short while, Qingyan cried and begged for mercy, “I’m afraid, I’m afraid it won’t work yet!”
But saying anything held no effect at all.
It was snowing again outside the house, perhaps the last snow before the arrival of spring, and the cold wind howled and slammed against the window lattice.
The room was as hot as summer, and Qingyan’s legs were so sore, but he didn’t care anymore.
Spoiler for the Next Chapter:
A flash of white light passed by. Qingyan’s eyes were half closed, feeling tingling all over his scalp and his throat hoarse.
