Chapter 82: Qiu Henian’s Identity
Today was a happy day, and for dinner, Qingyan specially brought back a catty of white wine.
Even Ah Miao and Erxi had extra portions.
During the meal, Qingyan poured a liang of wine for Qiu Henian and another for himself.
Dogs and cats were happily eating on the floor near the table, and occasionally there was the crackling of firewood burning in the stove, making the room warm and cozy.
After sitting down, Qingyan cleared his throat and said, “You’re just recovered, let’s drink a little less.”
Qiu Henian nodded, raised his glass, and said, “You’ve worked hard during this period.”
“You’ve worked hard too,” Qingyan replied.
It was a casual remark, but they both understood its weight.
They lightly clinked glasses. Qiu Henian took a big sip, while Qingyan only took a sip and fanned himself with his hand, saying, “This wine is strong.”
His face already had a slight blush.
Qiu Henian smiled at him, got up to fetch a bowl of warm water for Qingyan, and placed it next to his wine glass.
During the meal, Qingyan didn’t speak much. Qiu Henian talked about what happened on his way back, and Qingyan listened attentively, occasionally responding.
After dinner, feeling a bit tipsy, Qingyan’s face flushed slightly. Qiu Henian admired him for a while, then went over and kissed him.
After the kiss, Qingyan looked up at him, his beautiful eyes moist as if filled with water vapor. Qiu Henian wanted to get closer to him, but seeing Qingyan staring straight at him, he could only smile helplessly, shook his head, and lightly pinched his cheek.
They cleaned up the dishes and stove together, and soon finished their chores.
While Qingyan added water to Erxi and Ah Miao’s bowls, Qiu Henian went to the yard to put the chickens back in their coop and securely closed the gate to prevent wild cats from harming the chicks at night.
After finishing the chores at home and with the night fully dark, the oil lamp was lit, and they returned to the inner room to unpack Qiu Henian’s luggage.
Qiu Henian opened his luggage and took out each item one by one. Qingyan sat beside him and took over the things that needed washing or brushing, putting daily items back where they belonged.
When he reached the bottom of the suitcase, Qingyan saw the old single-layer clothing he had sent over himself and the sachets he had learned to make with Aunt Li.
The clothing was already old, not much different from before, but the sachets were different. Although they were still clean, the colors had faded a bit and weren’t as bright as before. There were also signs of friction on the edges and corners.
It looked like they had been handled and played with often, hence aging quickly.
Qiu Henian took the clothing and placed it on his lap, then held the sachet in his hand, lowering his head to examine it closely.
He sighed, “It was tough for a while. Fortunately, they were here.”
After saying this for a short while, seeing Qingyan, who had been staring at him without a word, he suddenly stood up, walked behind him, and hugged his waist from behind, pressing his face against his back.
Qiu Henian looked down at Qingyan’s slender and fair hand resting on his waist and abdomen, and he grasped it, saying, “We’ve gotten through it all. It’s okay now.”
Once the luggage was packed away, they both washed up. Moving the oil lamp to the bedside, Qiu Henian went to the drawer under the bed to find a book and saw the worn-out “Records of Mountains and Rivers”.
They sat side by side at the head of the bed, Qiu Henian carefully examining the maps marked by Qingyan, sighing softly.
Putting down the book, he turned around, cupped Qingyan’s head with his big hand, and kissed his lips.
After a while, Qiu Henian leaned back, his lips moist as he looked at the person in his arms, his gaze deep and his voice hoarse as he asked, “What’s with the biting?”
Qingyan looked apologetic, “It wasn’t intentional.”
Qiu Henian leaned closer, their breaths mingling, “Is it because you’re still not used to it?”
Qingyan’s face turned red, refusing to speak.
Qiu Henian lowered his head again and whispered before their lips met, “Don’t bite me this time.”
Qingyan gripped the quilt with his fingers, his eyelashes fluttering, and nodded softly.
After kissing for a while, Qiu Henian propped himself up with both elbows on the bed, looked at him, Qingyan rubbed his eyes and yawned.
Qiu Henian smiled and kissed his forehead again, saying, “If you’re tired, let’s sleep.”
During this period, Qingyan was preparing to set off for Fengyu Pass. Because he didn’t know how long he would be gone, he had prepared everything that could be done in advance.
Today, Qiu Henian suddenly returned, stirring up his emotions greatly. His already exhausted body couldn’t withstand it anymore.
Moreover, since the communication from Fengyu Pass had stopped, Qingyan hadn’t had a good night’s sleep. Besides having difficulty falling asleep, he was often awakened by nightmares in the middle of the night.
Now that Henian was back, from disbelief to gradually feeling relieved, it wasn’t yet his usual bedtime, but the accumulated fatigue surged up like a mountain and sea wave.
Although Qingyan still wanted to chat more with Qiu Henian, he couldn’t hold on any longer. He felt the quilt being pulled up over his chin, closed his eyes, and quickly fell asleep.
…
He slept extremely comfortably, and when the rooster crowed in the morning, Qingyan finally opened his eyes.
Subconsciously reaching out beside him, he found only himself in bed; it was empty next to him.
Qingyan instantly woke up, sat up, and disappointment and sadness appeared on his face. He almost thought it was all a big dream of his own, but then he heard movement and the sound of a pot lid being lifted in the outer room.
Qingyan relaxed visibly and turned sadness into joy.
He put on an outer robe, slipped on his shoes, and walked to the door, opening it to look outside.
In the outer room, Qiu Henian was stirring the porridge in the pot with a spoon. Erxi was lying on the ground nearby, while Ah Miao was meowing and circling around the busy man’s legs, asking him for food.
Qiu Henian put down the spoon, covered the pot, and reached out to pat Ah Miao on the head, lowering his voice, “He’s still asleep. We need to be quiet. Your chicken is outside, cooling down. I’ll give it to you when it’s cold.”
Erxi saw Qingyan at the door and immediately got up from the ground, running over to him.
Qiu Henian also looked over upon hearing the sound, and seeing Qingyan with tousled hair and a flushed sleeping face, he smiled.
Qingyan walked over a few steps, suddenly hugged his waist, and buried his face in his neck, rubbing against it.
Qiu Henian lowered his head and asked him, “What’s wrong?”
Qingyan said with a grievance, “I thought you were gone again.”
Qiu Henian’s heart ached slightly.
He hugged Qingyan and said, “No, I’m back.”
But he didn’t see Qingyan’s expression relax; instead, his eyes gradually reddened, and he struggled to hold back tears.
After breakfast, Qingyan had to go to town. Originally planning to leave for a while, he had prepared a batch of goods, all handled by him. Others were not clear, so he had to keep an eye on them.
Also, he no longer needed to go north with the supply convoy. Today he also had to inform them.
Feeling guilty, Qingyan told Qiu Henian. Qiu Henian squeezed his wrist and said, “It’s okay. Go ahead. I also need to go to the shop today. It’s been closed for a long time and needs tidying up.”
So the two hugged each other and went their separate ways.
In town, Qingyan first went to the person in charge of the convoy and brought a few boxes of pastries as gifts. Although the manager was greedy and had already arranged for his subordinates in the convoy, Qingyan neither asked for the initial deposit nor did he mind the compensation gifts.
Afterwards, Qingyan returned to Xiangyun Fang, received the goods that had arrived, and counted and arranged them together with Qiuniang and Lishen, keeping busy for most of the day.
In the afternoon, Lishen urged Qingyan to go home and told him not to come over these two days.
Qiuniang was more straightforward and directly brought the bundle of odds and ends that Qingyan had brought with him and handed it to him, saying, “We’ll take care of things in the shop. Don’t worry.”
Qingyan was pushed out of the shop like this and went home with the bundle.
At night, Qiu Henian came back earlier than usual. Together with Huan Tianxi, they took the opportunity to clean up the blacksmith’s shop.
Huan Tianxi was almost unrecognizable when he saw his master. Whenever he took a break from work, he would unconsciously stare at his master’s face.
These days, Qiu Henian had become accustomed to Qingyan looking at him like this. Huan Tianxi was young and he didn’t say much to him.
After he finished his work and returned home, he found that Qingyan was already home.
Dinner was already prepared and kept warm in the pot.
The door to the inner room was tightly closed. Qiu Henian looked down at himself, took off his dusty outer robe, pushed the door open, and walked in.
As soon as he opened the door, the humidity inside the room rushed towards him. Qiu Henian saw the still steaming bath tub and the tightly covered bed curtains.
His eyes darkened, he went to the basin stand to wash his hands, wiped them dry, put down the towel, and came to the bedside.
The bed curtains were lifted, and Qingyan was sitting on the bed facing away from him. He was holding a piece of underclothing and was about to put it on. His delicate back, with its butterfly-like bones and the tantalizing depression along his spine, was exposed.
The English translation of the text you provided is as follows:
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Qiu Henian approached the bedside, bending down, and kissed him gently behind his neck. Qingyan didn’t notice he had returned. His body stiffened, hearing a hoarse voice behind him say, “Don’t be afraid, it’s me.”
Qingyan’s body relaxed slightly, but as the hot lips behind him gradually moved downward, he tensed again.
His skin behind the neck tingled, and his waist was firmly gripped by a large hand, rendering him immobile.
After a while, he felt a pain in his shoulder. The person behind him had bitten him slightly, then the husky voice said, “I’ll wash up, wait for me.”
The bed curtain was lowered, and a cool breeze followed into the tent, causing Qingyan’s body to tremble lightly.
After some rustling sounds, the sound of water came through.
Qingyan hesitated for a moment, biting his lip. He neatly folded the underclothes in his hand and set them aside. Then he turned inward, lying on his side under the blanket.
Before long, outside, the sound of water stopped. Footsteps approached the bedside, pausing for a while. The man then got onto the bed.
The blanket was lifted, and a cool body pressed against him from behind, lying sideways together on the bed.
His waist and abdomen were embraced, and delicate kisses were planted once again on his neck and shoulders.
After a while, Qingyan blushed and reached to touch the wrist guard under the pillow. He finally managed to find it and took it out, but another large hand took it away and set it aside.
Qiu Henian whispered in his ear, “We probably won’t need that. Shall we try?”
Qingyan responded with a soft “Mm,” but as soon as the sound left his lips, his fingers tightened on the blanket, and he frowned, letting out a soft groan.
Qiu Henian kissed behind his ear and asked in a husky voice, “Does it hurt?”
Qingyan’s eyes were moist as he again replied with a “Mm.”
The man behind him restrained himself and kissed his temple gently, saying softly, “I’ll be gentle.”
The time it took for a cup of tea to pass, Qingyan was barely enduring.
He had long been accustomed to Qiu Henian’s storms of passion. If he felt uncomfortable, he would pinch the wrist guard, and those rough and urgent movements could provide some relief for a moment, but soon they would return.
Now, this slow and deliberate teasing was something entirely new to him.
Qingyan was worn down to tears, his whole body weak.
He wanted to turn over and face the man, but he was pinned down as if nailed in place.
Qingyan sobbed uncontrollably. The man embraced him from behind, asking, “Are you uncomfortable?”
Qingyan shook his head, crying, “No.”
Although he answered this way, the movements behind him stopped.
Qiu Henian wiped the thin sweat from his forehead and asked, “Did you have lunch yet?”
Qingyan didn’t respond immediately. After hesitating for a moment, he said, “Yes, we cooked noodles ourselves in the shop.”
Qiu Henian asked again, “What have you been busy with today? How’s business in the shop recently?”
Qingyan recalled everything and answered each question.
Just as he finished speaking, the veins on the back of his hand suddenly bulged, and he jerked forward.
Qingyan barely managed to stop his tears, but the movements behind him stopped again. Qiu Henian said, “Autumn harvest is coming soon. You take care of the shop, and we’ll hire more people this time. Let’s also hire someone to deliver lunch.”
Qingyan said, “Okay.” After that, he tried to get out of bed with both hands and feet, but the hand around his waist pulled him back. This caused him to almost cry out with his head thrown back.
Qiu Henian continued to talk to him in a half-hearted manner while occasionally making a move.
After a few times, Qingyan couldn’t take it anymore. He cried, “I want to see you.”
Qiu Henian kissed the back of his neck and murmured, “Won’t you get used to looking at me?”
Qingyan shook his head and assured him, “No, I trust you.”
But instead of responding, the man moved urgently a few times before grabbing his waist and making him turn over.
As soon as he turned over, Qingyan hugged his neck and burst into tears.
Qiu Henian continued to kiss his forehead and eyes, then rolled over and pressed him face to face underneath.
…
Afterwards, Qingyan’s eyelids were swollen from crying. Qiu Henian held him in his arms and comforted him for a long time before he stopped crying.
The two lay side by side facing each other, looking at each other for a long while.
Qiu Henian’s gaze softened, like the lake water warmed by the spring breeze and sun. His voice was still husky as he asked, “Are you familiar with this face now?”
Qingyan blinked, lowered his eyelids, and softly replied, “Mm.”
Qiu Henian reached out and pinched his chin, making him look up at him. His pupils trembled as he scrutinized the face before him, which was red from crying, as if it had just been washed with water. He said, “Qingyan, do you have something you want to ask me?”
Qingyan shook his head, “No…”
But before he could finish his sentence, he couldn’t hold back anymore. He pursed his lips and cried again, saying, “Are you going to leave soon?”
Qiu Henian didn’t understand what he meant and asked, “What?”
Qingyan looked at the row on the side of his face, which had become extremely clear to him since the other person returned, and choked out, “What happened at Fengyuguan? Aren’t you going to tell me?”
After a moment of confusion, Qiu Henian slowly revealed a look of realization.
In Qingyan’s eyes, on the side of his face, the unidentified parentheses after “Qiu Henian, blacksmith of Liuxi Village” had disappeared, replaced by “Cheng Zhonglang, 9th rank guard stationed at Fengyuguan.”
Qingyan had been looking at not just Qiu Henian’s face, now free of scars and even more handsome, but also this clearly displayed identity profile.
So, he really was a soldier who guarded the border during the war.
What he had initially seen as “Zhong” was actually part of “Cheng Zhonglang’s ‘Zhong’.”
Spoiler for the Next Chapter:
“It’s okay. Wherever you go, I’ll go too.”
