Chapter 15
After lunch, Yu Le didn’t see Lu Yao again. He assumed Lu Yao was out busy with something, but by evening, Lu Yao still hadn’t returned.
“I saw Little Lu when I came over earlier,” Aunt Zhang said while tidying the stove. “He’s over on the slope behind Old An’s place. There are quite a few people there; he’s probably helping to build a border for Old An’s house.”
Yu Le didn’t understand, “Build a border?”
Aunt Zhang explained, “It’s to use stones and cement to build up the edge of the backyard so that rain doesn’t wash the dirt from the mountain into the yard.”
Oh, Yu Le understood. It’s similar to building levees by the river.
Guan Zheng came down soon after, and the two “reunited” in the kitchen once more.
Yu Le greeted Guan Zheng, who responded hastily and left just as quickly, carrying his meal back to his room as usual.
“Kids these days have it so tough,” Aunt Zhang remarked. “Even in college, and off-campus at that, they’re still so busy.”
Yu Le, distracted by Lu Yao’s prolonged absence in the sweltering heat, absentmindedly nodded in agreement.
As Yu Le was putting away the dishes, he noticed Aunt Zhang preparing a bowl of leftovers, which was clearly for Shui Cai. He volunteered, “I’ll take it up; I’m heading upstairs anyway.”
“Alright, thank you.”
Aunt Zhang handed him the bowl. “I’m just going to fry a couple more dishes and keep them warm in the pot, so Lu Yao won’t need to cook when he comes back.”
Shui Cai’s bed was in the corner of the yard. It used to be a firewood shed, but now that firewood isn’t needed, it’s been covered with dry straw to serve as Shui Cai’s sleeping area.
Shui Cai was a purebred Chinese rural dog, with yellow fur and a playful demeanor. It wasn’t aggressive at all, and even though it was Yu Le’s first day meeting it, Shui Cai wagged its tail and let him pet it.
To Yu Le’s surprise, Da Huang, who he hadn’t seen around during the day, was also in the same area.
Da Huang was comfortably lounging on Shui Cai’s belly, making Shui Cai too cautious to move much, even when eating—just carefully supporting itself with its front paws.
Yu Le found it amusing and took a photo to share on social media, captioned:
Who says cats and dogs can’t be friends?
With the rain stopped, the room gradually became stuffy. That night, Yu Le couldn’t sleep after a bath and decided to go downstairs to get a drink of water.
Unexpectedly, as he descended the stairs, he saw Lu Yao by the well, shirtless.
Lu Yao was facing away from Yu Le, squatting by the well’s edge, washing his face with water from the wooden bucket. After standing up, he poured the remaining water over his head.
“…”
Yu Le was stunned. As the water cascaded over Lu Yao’s bare, well-defined shoulders and back, he suddenly felt his face flush.
Shui Cai stood up and wagged its tail at him, causing Lu Yao to turn around and see Yu Le standing silently under the eaves.
“Why aren’t you asleep yet?”
“It’s a bit warm in the room.”
Yu Le quickly came to his senses, relieved it was night and the light was poor, while inwardly cursing his own inexplicable embarrassment.
What’s the big deal? We’re both men—what’s embarrassing about seeing?
“There is some warmth. Opening the window might help.”
Lu Yao walked over, casually putting on a black sports tank top that was drying, then grabbed a dry towel to wipe his head and hands.
He really suited black, at least in Yu Le’s opinion.
Yu Le had never seen anyone whose aura complemented this color so well. It highlighted qualities of composure, calmness, and an enigmatic strength.
So, as Lu Yao approached, Yu Le felt a sudden unease and even a bit of anxiety.
Lu Yao turned his face to look at him. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
Yu Le managed to hide his discomfort, forcing himself to ask, “Aren’t you cold?”
Lu Yao’s expression turned slightly amused.
Yu Le: “…”
Yu Le cleared his throat. “I mean, your tank top looks quite cool.”
“It is,” Lu Yao said, casually tossing the towel aside and asking, “Would you like to try it on?”
Yu Le tilted his head. “Huh?”
Yu Le didn’t quite understand how going downstairs for water had turned into going upstairs with Lu Yao to change clothes.
But since he was already up there, he went along with it.
It was Yu Le’s first time entering Lu Yao’s room. When he turned on the light and saw inside, his first reaction was, “Is this really a room where a normal person lives?”
It wasn’t about the style of the room but the arrangement of items. Everything was impeccably neat, almost unnervingly so.
The cupboard was empty, the trash can was spotless, and every visible area was free of clutter. The bed was impeccably made with no creases to be found.
…Is this a model room?
Given the strong initial impression, when Lu Yao opened the wardrobe, Yu Le wasn’t surprised to see clothes neatly folded like tofu blocks.
“Boss Lu, did you ever serve in the military?” he asked.
Lu Yao admitted, “Yes.”
That explained a lot.
Yu Le smiled, “No wonder I always felt like you had an AK. You’ve really held an AK before, haven’t you?”
Lu Yao didn’t confirm or deny, grabbing a white tank top and turning to him, “Raise your arms.”
His tone was so casual that Yu Le didn’t even think about it. Before he knew it, Lu Yao was “assisting” him with undressing and dressing.
The man’s skin was strikingly white and under the light, it appeared as if covered with a delicate glaze, like a fine porcelain piece just out of the kiln—warm, refined, and temptingly touchable.
He only realized it after changing back, clearing his throat awkwardly and patting the back of his head, and forced a joke, “You really don’t need to go to such lengths to serve me, do you?”
Lu Yao didn’t respond, his gaze assessing and fixed on Yu Le.
Yu Le was wearing loose clothes, which looked even more baggy on him. His thin shoulders couldn’t support the fabric, and his exposed skin looked glaringly white under the fluorescent light.
Every part of his physique contrasted sharply with Lu Yao’s. Due to a lack of exercise, Yu Le’s arms were only covered with a thin layer of muscle, his shoulder bones were prominent, and his collarbones were delicate and uneven.
The marks on his body had finally faded after these days, but on close inspection, traces still remained.
He resembled an uncut piece of jade, presented in its most unadorned form.
His gaze, body, and aura seemed to be clean to an extreme degree, to a purity that Lu Yao couldn’t quite describe, but he felt that even if Yu Le were to roll in the mud, he would still be willing to hold him.
Like a spring in a clear stream going upstream, or a transparent ice cube wrapped in mint leaves, just standing there, saying nothing and doing nothing, he inevitably drew people in.
So innocent and pure, with a guard so low it was almost negative, like a straightforward deer in a deep forest. It seemed that if Yu Le just hid his desire and leaned against a tree, smiling at him, he would wobble right into Lu Yao’s hunting range.
The breeze rustled the door curtain, and Lu Yao remained stoic, hiding the emotions growing in his eyes from this moment.
Meanwhile, Yu Le became sensitive to the inexplicable silence.
Lu Yao’s gaze seemed to carry warmth, and under his stare, Yu Le felt an unsettling sense of exposure and nowhere to hide.
“It’s indeed cooler than a T-shirt.”
He tugged at his shirt, trying to break the atmosphere, and took the initiative to speak. “Boss Lu, can I borrow this shirt for two more days?”
Usually easygoing, Lu Yao’s response was surprisingly firm: “No.”
Yu Le: “?”
Lu Yao handed the T-shirt back to him. “It doesn’t fit well. Change back.”
Yu Le felt awkward and changed back quickly, not wanting to insist on keeping the clothes.
Lu Yao took the shirt and suddenly asked, “Do you still want some watermelon?”
Yu Le was taken aback, “Huh? Now?”
“Tomorrow,” Lu Yao successfully diverted Yu Le’s attention. “Around two o’clock, the watermelon vendor will drive past the gate. If you want some, remember to go downstairs and buy it.”
Yu Le realized, “You won’t be here tomorrow either?”
Lu Yao nodded, placing the folded clothes into the innermost part of the wardrobe, “There’s still some work left in Uncle An’s backyard. I need to make another trip tomorrow.”
Two o’clock. Yu Le made a mental note to make sure he didn’t miss the vendor.
The next day, it rained. When the vendor arrived, it was accompanied by loudspeaker announcements of “Watermelon for sale.” Even someone who deaf could hear it.
Yu Le felt his previous ignorance.
He quickly put on his slippers and ran downstairs. Coincidentally, there were quite a few people wanting to buy watermelon ahead of him. The vendor, looking for convenience, waved Yu Le forward to buy.
By the time Yu Le reached the vendor, most others had already bought their watermelons.
Noticing Yu Le’s lack of experience with buying fruit, the vendor confidently selected a thin-skinned, red-fleshed watermelon for him, weighed it, and handed it over with a discount of three yuan for his extra trouble.
Yu Le was holding the watermelon and turning back when something white caught his eye. Upon closer inspection, it was a huge—duck?
No, it was too big.
It must be a goose.
Embarrassingly, Yu Le had never seen such a large goose in the countryside before.
The goose had snow-white feathers, a neck as thick as Yu Le’s wrist, and an orange-yellow lump on its forehead that matched its beak. It stood proudly, exuding an imposing presence.
Yu Le stopped and, unable to resist, teased, “Hello, Da Bai (white)?”
The goose turned its neck and looked at him with a regal air, “Honk?”
Yu Le was surprised, “Really? Is your name Big White?”
The goose honked twice, then turned to face him, suddenly raising its head high. Its enormous wings flapped twice, stirring up dust from the ground.
Yu Le’s expression froze, and he sensed that something was off.
Just then, Lu Yao returned, drenched in sweat and not yet inside the inn when he heard a panicked cry, “Lu Yao! Help!”
He immediately turned around to see Yu Le, in a big T-shirt and slippers, carrying a watermelon larger than his head, running towards him. Following Yu Le was a large goose flapping its wings and chasing after him.
Yu Le was on the verge of a breakdown.
He didn’t understand why a goose could have such a bad temper and why, despite having two legs like everyone else, he couldn’t seem to shake off this short-legged goose?!
