(M) Chapter 30 – Peace of Mind
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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Song Jin woke up feeling warm, never having felt the blanket so cosy before.
Song Xinglan held him tightly in his arms, his chin resting on the top of Song Jin’s head. He was still asleep.
Song Jin nudged him with his elbow, “Let go.”
“Mmm…” Song Xinglan mumbled something unintelligible and hugged him tighter.
“Let go,” Song Jin raised his voice slightly. But his voice was hoarse, making his words sound weightless.
Song Xinglan rubbed his head and sleepily asked, “Ge, are you awake?”
“Let go of your hand,” Song Jin repeated for the third time.
Song Xinglan finally released his hand, only to wrap his leg around Song Jin’s body.
“Roll back to your room and sleep,” Song Jin said.
Ignoring the request, Song Xinglan rubbed Song Jin’s wrist under the blanket while his lips grazed the back of his neck. He asked, “Ge, did you enjoy yourself last night?”
The topic change was sudden. Song Jin felt even warmer. He chose to remain silent, closing his eyes to block out Song Xinglan’s teasing.
The two of them lingered in bed. If it weren’t for the sound of the cat scratching at the door and meowing, they might have stayed there until noon.
Song Jin rested his head on Song Xinglan’s arm, looking out at the early winter morning. The weather was good, the sky washed clean, with a few clouds scattered across, illuminated by the sun, making everything bright and beautiful.
While cooking, Song Xinglan kept asking if Song Jin was feeling uncomfortable, in pain, or tired. Song Jin brushed off his hand that was on his waist, saying, “I’m fine. Stop bothering me.”
Song Xinglan said, “If you’re not in pain, can we do it again tonight?”
“No,” Song Jin replied.
True to his word, that night, he locked the door. When Song Xinglan came out of the shower, he found himself locked out by his dear brother. He pleaded outside the door, “Ge… please let me in. I want to sleep with you. I promise I won’t do anything. My bed is too small. I’m uncomfortable sleeping there every day…”
“If you’re uncomfortable, go sleep in the vegetable field. It’s very spacious there,” Song Jin said.
Song Xinglan felt like crying but had no tears.
***
The next day, Song Jin checked the weather forecast and found that it would rain for the next few days, with temperatures dropping as well. Winter was truly coming.
He asked Song Xinglan to go to the vegetable field together. While the weather was still clear, they could tidy up the field and pick the ripe vegetables to store at home, to prevent them from getting soaked by the rain.
Song Xinglan, like a large dog with energy to spare, vigorously wielded the hoe in the field. Song Jin couldn’t be bothered to supervise him, knowing that Song Xinglan would eat the vegetables he harvested himself.
The less attention Song Jin paid him, the more arrogant Song Xinglan became. Passersby watched for a while and praised, “Young man, you have a strong back.”
Song Xinglan smirked, “Hehe.”
Song Jin: “…”
Despite appearing to work hard, Song Xinglan’s actual efficiency was low. They were all just for show. After working for most of the afternoon, only half of the vegetable field was turned over. He wiped his sweat, panting as if he were the most exhausted person, and said, “This is really hard work.”
Song Jin sneered, “Yes, it is.”
“Ge, let’s go back,” Song Xinglan’s novelty for his personal hoeing show had worn off. “We haven’t finished half of it. Let’s finish it tomorrow.”
Ignoring him, Song Jin got up and left.
Back home, Song Jin pushed Song Xinglan to take a shower. After sweating so much, letting him air dry would risk him catching a cold.
While Song Xinglan was showering, Song Jin stood at the window of the room, peeling oranges. Grapefruit sat on the computer desk, watching Song Jin place the peeled oranges into a glass bowl.
With a bang, the bathroom door was opened. Song Xinglan, wearing only a pair of sports shorts and without a shirt, came out, towel-drying his hair. He took a few steps and entered Song Jin’s room.
Song Jin turned around and saw him shirtless. He furrowed his brows. “Aren’t you worried about catching a cold?”
“I didn’t bring my clothes in.” Song Xinglan said sincerely, “And it’s not cold. There’s still sunlight outside.”
Knowing it was pointless to argue, Song Jin didn’t say anything. He handed over some of the oranges. “Want some?”
Song Xinglan took a bite, chewed a few times, and said, “It’s sour.”
“Who are you trying to fool?” Song Jin stared at him, feeling a bit speechless. “I just ate half of it. It’s the same orange. How come it’s sour when it’s in your mouth?”
Song Xinglan’s lie was exposed. But he wasn’t embarrassed. He laughed and lifted Song Jin, placing him on the windowsill. Standing between Song Jin’s legs, he looked up at him with a smile, saying, “Ge, take a bite and give it to me. Maybe it’ll be sweet.”
The afternoon sunlight shone sideways. Behind Song Jin, stretched vast, lush fields, vibrant even in winter. His eyelashes were bathed in a warm golden colour, like fluffy fur, and his skin was so fair that even the slightest change in colour could be clearly seen.
Song Xinglan smiled and reached out to touch Song Jin’s reddened ear. Song Jin lowered his eyelashes and lifted his hand to cup his face, leaning down to kiss him.
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*Translator’s Note: I also hope it won’t shatter… -K
Next update: -Daily-
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