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EL Chapter 28

Looking Good

Chapter 28 – Looking Good

Novel Title: 一屋暗灯 (Ephemeral Light)

Author:麦香鸡呢 (McChicken)

Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)

Protagonists: 宋谨 (Song Jin -MC), 宋星阑 (Song Xinglan -ML)

*Please read at Novels Space.space, the original site of translation. TQ*

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As the weather gradually grew colder, Song Jin and Song Xinglan went to the mountains to dig up winter bamboo shoots. It was their neighbour who told them that this year’s winter bamboo shoots had sprouted early and were particularly tender, making them perfect to eat now.

In the morning, Song Jin grabbed a plastic bag and a small hoe. He headed out with Song Xinglan. They didn’t need much. Just a few shoots to enjoy the fresh taste.

It took about twenty minutes to walk from their home to the mountain. Song Xinglan held the items in his hands. With the morning temperature being low, he asked Song Jin, “Ge, are you cold?”

Song Jin buried half his face in the collar of his coat and said, “Not really.”

“I’m a bit cold,” Song Xinglan said, “My hands are cold.”

Just as Song Jin was about to ask if he wanted to go back and get gloves, Song Xinglan grabbed his hand, holding it tightly in his palm. He turned his head with a serious look and said, “This way, it won’t be cold.”

There was no one around. So Song Jin didn’t pull his hand away. He just turned his head to avoid eye contact.

They walked hand in hand to the mountain. It seemed that not many people had been digging for bamboo shoots recently. So after walking a few steps, they could see the tips of the shoots exposed in the soil. Song Xinglan squatted down and carefully dug, trying to unearth the most intact shoots.

The two of them chatted while looking for bamboo shoots. Time passed quickly. Moreover, since it was Song Xinglan’s first time in the mountains, he was like a curious baby, wanting to touch and see everything. As a result, they went deeper and deeper into the mountains that Song Jin began to feel his legs giving out.

Ever since he injured his leg during a surveying job, he couldn’t handle too much physical activity. So, Song Jin said, “Let’s go back. I’m a bit tired.”

“Tired?” Song Xinglan immediately stood up and picked up the bag. “Then let’s go home. Ge, I’ll carry you.”

“Aaa?!” Song Jin’s eyes widened slightly. “What?”

“You’re tired. So I’ll carry you back.” As Song Xinglan spoke, he walked in front of Song Jin. He squatted down and turned his head. “Get on, Ge.”

“No need,” Song Jin said. “I’m not…”

“Hurry up!” Song Xinglan urged him. “Quick, quick. I’ll carry you down. Let me carry you for a bit.”

Song Jin hesitated for two seconds. But then he leaned onto his back.

Song Xinglan effortlessly lifted him and walked steadily and slowly. Song Jin wrapped his arms around his neck and asked, “Am I not heavy?”

“You’re too light,” Song Xinglan said. “Ge, you need to eat more and gain some weight.”

Song Jin rested his head on Song Xinglan’s shoulder, looking at the scenery by the roadside without speaking.

Song Xinglan suddenly asked, “Ge, what happened to your leg?”

Ever since that day when he saw the scar on Song Jin’s leg, he had been wondering about it. He wanted to know the reason at that time. But Song Jin resisted his touch and kicked him away.

Song Jin said, “A few years ago, when I went out for an internship, I was setting up the instrument stand and accidentally stepped into a void. I fell down.”

“It wasn’t very high. But there were many rocks. I rolled down and my leg was cut. The wound was deep. I even fractured a bone.”

“I had to get many stitches. The doctor said that after I recovered, I shouldn’t walk for too long. My leg wouldn’t be able to handle it.”

The forest was vast and empty. The sunlight filtered through the dappled branches, occasionally accompanied by the calls of birds passing by. Song Jin spoke slowly, and Song Xinglan listened attentively to every word.

He said, “Ge, I’ll take care of everything from now on. You don’t have to work so hard anymore.”

“It’s okay,” Song Jin said. “It’s not very hard now. It’s all in the past.”

After walking for a few minutes, they encountered a villager.

“Xiao Song? What’s wrong?” The villager asked when he saw Song Jin being carried by Song Xinglan.

Song Jin, feeling a bit embarrassed, was about to ask Song Xinglan to put him down when Song Xinglan spoke up with great confidence, “My Ge’s leg is hurting. So I’m carrying him home.”

“Then you can ride my bicycle,” the villager said. “Riding a bicycle to your house will be quicker. Let your brother take you home.”

Song Xinglan quickly responded before Song Jin could say anything, “Sure! Thank you, Shushu!”

Song Jin: “…”

“You know how to ride a bike?” Song Jin asked him.

Song Xinglan said, “I think I know!”

He put Song Jin down, hung the bamboo shoots on the bicycle’s handlebars. He then swung his leg over the bicycle and turned to Song Jin, saying, “Ge, get on!”

Song Jin walked over and sat on the back seat, still feeling a bit uneasy.

“Let your brother send the bicycle to my house later,” the villager said. “You’ll pass by my house on your way back. Just point it out to your brother.”

“Okay,” Song Jin said.

“Don’t forget, make sure to return it early. I have to go out in the afternoon.”

“We’ll definitely bring it back,” Song Jin said with a smile. “I’ll bet my brother’s future on it.”

Song Xinglan, whose future was betted on this, let out a silly laugh, pedalled hard, and rushed straight down the mountain. By the time Song Jin realised what was happening, the bicycle was already speeding down so fast it felt like they were flying. He hurriedly hugged Song Xinglan’s waist and shouted, “Slow down!”

“Whoo~!” Song Xinglan laughed loudly, embracing the wind and sunlight. “Ge! We’re going home!”

“I know!” Song Jin, holding tightly onto Song Xinglan’s waist, couldn’t help but laugh. “But you still need to ride slower!”

It didn’t take them long to return to the village. Once they reached the flat land at the foot of the mountain, Song Xinglan slowed down significantly. Song Jin directed him where to return the bicycle halfway. Then, they walked home together.

When they got home, Song Xinglan darted into Song Jin’s room, grabbed his foot bath bucket, and went to the bathroom to fill it with hot water.

“Ge, go sit on the bed. I’ll be right there.”

So, Song Jin sat on the small sofa by the bed. It wasn’t long before Song Xinglan came over with the bucket. He knelt down and placed it in front of Song Jin. He then carefully held Song Jin’s legs and placed them into the bucket.

“Is it too hot?” he asked, looking up at Song Jin.

Song Jin shook his head. “It’s just right. You can get up now.”

Song Xinglan ignored this and instead put his hands into the water to massage Song Jin’s ankles.

“Last time, after playing basketball, my feet were really sore. So I massaged them like this, and it felt a lot better,” Song Xinglan said, while focusing on the massage. “Ge, you should soak your feet every day. I’ll massage them for you daily. It’ll make you feel more comfortable.”

Song Jin watched him as he continued talking. His head was lowered, revealing a bit of his focused and serious expression.

After soaking his feet, Song Xinglan took a cloth and dried them for Song Jin. He then went to the cabinet to get socks and put them on him.

Song Jin said, “It’s not like I can’t move. I can do it myself.”

“It’s not like I can’t move either,” Song Xinglan reasoned. “I can do it for you too.”

Song Jin had no way to argue with that.

Song Xinglan went to the bathroom to wash his hands and then poured a cup of hot water for Song Jin. Song Jin had already moved to sit on the bed. His feet felt warm and comfortable. After being massaged for a while, they really did feel better.

He took the water Song Xinglan handed to him, and Song Xinglan sat on the edge of the bed and asked, “Ge, does your leg still hurt?”

“It feels better now,” Song Jin said. “What do you want to eat for lunch?”

Although Song Xinglan had promised not to let Song Jin work hard anymore, cooking was something Song Xinglan couldn’t avoid. He clicked his tongue and said, “I feel like having chicken wings.”

“Go to the bottom shelf of the fridge and take out the half pack of chicken wings,” Song Jin said. “Let it thaw for a while.”

“Okay.” After Song Xinglan answered, he didn’t get up immediately. He leaned in front of Song Jin and asked, “Ge, how was my performance this morning?”

Song Jin was a bit puzzled but still said, “It was good.”

“In that case, give me a kiss.” Song Xinglan tilted his head and leaned closer to Song Jin. “Give me a kiss. I want a reward.”

Song Jin was stunned. Perhaps it was because the water was too hot so he felt his ears getting hot and he didn’t know what to do.

“Ge, give me a kiss…” Song Xinglan nudged Song Jin’s shoulder with his head, acting coquettishly. “I’m withering away. Hurry up.”

His expression was urgent and aggrieved. After thinking for a moment, Song Jin lowered his head and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

However, Song Xinglan immediately took the lead and turned to kiss Song Jin’s lips.

Feeling like he had been tricked, Song Jin was taken aback. But Song Xinglan moved quickly, prying open his teeth and initiating a wet kiss. Song Jin almost spilled the water on the bed. He tried to pull away. But Song Xinglan held the back of his neck and kissed him even more deeply.

After a few confused minutes, Song Xinglan backed away slightly, looking at Song Jin who was breathing heavily with a somewhat distracted expression. He declared, “Ge, I like you.”

After that, he quickly got up and said, “I’ll go get the chicken wings!”

Song Jin was left alone sitting on the bed, watching the water in the cup sway. He was unable to keep up with what had just happened.

***

In the evening, after Song Xinglan had taken a shower, Song Jin asked him to go upstairs to check on the clothes and see if they were dry before he went into the bathroom.

Song Xinglan agreed and immediately went upstairs.

He listened to Song Jin’s words very well, carefully touching each piece of clothing to see if any of them were still damp.

So, Song Xinglan spent a full ten minutes upstairs touching the clothes. By the time he came down with the clothes in his arms, Song Jin had already finished showering.

Song Xinglan carried the clothes into Song Jin’s room. Just as he was about to fold them, he heard a noise coming from the bathroom, followed by Song Jin yelling.

He immediately got up and rushed out of the room. His hand was on the bathroom door handle, but he managed to restrain himself and anxiously asked, “Ge, what’s wrong? Is your leg hurting again?”

“I bumped into something…” Song Jin’s voice sounded muffled, as if he had taken a breath. “It’s nothing…”

But Song Xinglan felt that something was wrong. So he pushed open the door.

In a mist of water vapour, Song Jin was standing sideways, looking at his thigh. He hadn’t expected Song Xinglan to push the door directly. He turned his head in a bit of panic and their eyes met through the mist.

Song Xinglan looked at him, first making sure that he was indeed okay. Then, his gaze shifted downward, landing on Song Jin’s naked side.

His gaze seemed to gain weight, very distinct. The worried emotion dissipated, replaced by an animalistic instinct. It was a direct gaze at the person or object that attracted him.

Even a foolish wolf is still a wolf. Its nature remains. Song Jin turned away, wrapped a towel around his lower body, and walked out without saying a word. Song Xinglan continued to stare at him in a daze, until Song Jin passed by him. He said, “Ge, you look really good.”

Song Jin stopped. He hesitated for a moment. He didn’t turn or look at him. He only asked softly, “What looks good?”

Staring at his clean, damp profile, Song Xinglan said, “Everything looks good. Your eyes, nose, mouth, hands, long legs. They’re very fair. They all look good… even your butt looks good.”

His gaze fell on Song Jin’s naked upper body. He said softly, “Really, everything looks good. I really like it.”

Song Jin finally turned his head to look at him. His face was flushed, either from the steam or for some other reason. His eyes seemed to have been washed, even his eyelashes were wet. He slightly opened his mouth, as if he was about to say something. Before he could speak, Song Xinglan leaned down and kissed him.

The cold night was too chilling. Song Jin only wrapped a towel around himself. When Song Xinglan’s hand touched his lower back without any barriers, the coldness all over his body seemed to be instantly ignited, leaving only a burning heat. It was stemming from many unspeakable reasons. But at this moment, there was no time, no energy left to think about them.

Song Jin raised his hand and embraced Song Xinglan’s neck, tilting his head to capture his approaching tongue.

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*Translator’s Note: Things are about to get down and dirty. -K

Next update: -Daily-

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