Five minutes was neither too long nor short, but definitely enough to make everyone blush.
Shu Ran stood up and peeled Xu Shen’s hand from his waist, sitting down on the chair next to him. Before Xu Shen recovered, he instinctively licked the corners of his mouth. Later, he dazedly realized Shu Ran was no longer in his arms, so he started to foolishly look around for him. The two sides locked eyes and Xu Shen smiled like a satiated beast. Those scorching eyes burned through Shu Ran’s courage, so he lowered his eyes to look at the table, pick up a glass of warm water, and drink it like nothing happened.
Xu Shen raised his chin towards those who dared to bet before and said: “It’s time to admit defeat and come work for us.”
Wang Dong, who didn’t participate in the bet, laughed: “Hahaha, Brother Dingzi is ruthless! I don’t dare joke with him!”
“Let me tell you, don’t mess with us young people! In troubled times, there’s nothing we won’t do!” Other juniors started clamoring around the table.
Thinking of the week that awaited him, Chen Kai felt angry while hopelessly lying on the mahogany sofa next to him.
“What’s the matter with you? I’m always the one cooking anyway!” Chen Sen interfered and saved the day.
Jiang Fan: “I’m not convinced! This is obviously Xu Shen teaching young people bad things and bullying them! How can you treat your brother-in-law like that? Aren’t you afraid of your wife?”
“That’s right!” Chen Kai suddenly stood up. “I don’t accept it either! At best, I’ll take half of the bet back!”
Shu Ran couldn’t stand Chen Kai the most, so he teased him: “Brother Chen, how about you kiss Brother Shen and I’ll do all of your work?”
“Get out of here!” Two voices harmoniously merged and shouted at him in unison. It was Chen Kai and Xu Shen.
Waves of laughter erupted from Jiang Fan and the others: “Hahaha!” Just imagining that picture made them feel like spitting out their dinner. It was plain disgusting. But they didn’t feel the same about Xu Shen and his brother-in-law. Watching them made everyone embarrassed. It was probably thanks to Shu Ran’s fresh and clean face. They all felt good looking at him.
…………
During the second part of the banquet, the men started smoking while sharing stories. Xu Shen also felt like lighting up a smoke, but seeing Shu Ran’s frown made him want to hold back.
“Zhou Ding.” While others weren’t paying attention, he lowered his voice and approached. Shu Ran was a little unhappy with the way Xu Shen called him. After all, the relationship between them was his, it had nothing to do with the original Zhou Ding, but he still let him bear the title of homosexual. No matter how he thought about it, he felt sorry for the poor boy.
Shu Ran corrected in a low voice: “You can call me Shu Ran, from “comfortable” and “pledge”1舒(shū): open up/unfold/stretch out; comfortable/easy 然(rán): yes/certainly; pledge/promise.
Xu Shen smiled and said: “Such an educated nickname?”
Shu Ran thought about it. The usual nicknames in the village were Dog-Something or Egg-Something, so he felt the need to clarify: “My grandfather was a scholar, he gave it to me.”
Xu Shen nodded and understood.
“What’s the meaning of your name?” Shu Ran was prejudiced and thought it must have been the “Shen” from “victory”2 胜利 (Shènglì): victory, triumph, success, conquer .
As a result, Xu Shen answered: “It’s the “Shen” from “caution”3 慎 (shèn): careful, cautious, prudent .
“That’s good!” Shu Ran was surprised. It actually matched his name quite well. One of them was easy-going, and the other prudent. They both perfectly exemplified their parent’s expectations. However, Shu Ran soon remembered that Xu Shen had no family and he didn’t want the other to feel bad, so he naturally changed the subject: “What did you want to tell me, just now?”
Xu Shen also forgot why he came, so he just looked at Shu Ran’s face for a moment and then asked: “I was curious, did you dislike the smell of cigarettes in my mouth?”
Shu Ran was silent for a moment: “A little bit, but you didn’t smoke too much today.”
“Well, I just smoke two when I’m bored.” Xu Shen was different from those who couldn’t control themselves. He wasn’t addicted to anything, be it smoking, drinking, or gambling. He also wasn’t fond of those who entertained addictions, thinking they were just brain-less fools.
“That’s good.” Shu Ran was relieved to find out Xu Shen wasn’t an avid smoker, so he wouldn’t have to live in a house full of smoke in the future.
“If you don’t like it, I can just quit,” Xu Shen said. “Save the money for you to spend.”
Shu Ran proudly answered: “Do I still need the money from two cigarettes?”
Someone once said that men who have no hobbies are very dangerous. Shu Ran didn’t want to prevent Xu Shen from venting his emotions, otherwise he felt he might be in danger.
Xu Shen smiled and continued: “After Wang Dong married his wife, he wanted to prove himself, so he quit smoking and drinking.”
Shu Ran looked at Wang Dong. The guy was swallowing clouds and the table in front of him was full of glasses of wine. He sarcastically commented: “You call this quitting smoking and drinking? I don’t think anyone can quit with all the alcohol and cigarettes in this place.”
Xu Shen was silent: “Do you mind? My brothers drink and smoke here every day, it’s inevitable.”
This was Xu Shen’s way of living. Shu Ran minded it, but he had to pretend to let it go, at least in the beginning: “I don’t understand your business. Just do what works for you.”
So understanding? If the room wasn’t full with third wheel-ers, Xu Shen really would have liked to hug the boy on his lap and kiss him for another five minutes.
They huddled in a corner, sweetly whispering in each other’s ears. Jiang Fan couldn’t stand them anymore, so he approached: “Is your brother-in-law drunk?” He said lazily. “Why don’t you take him upstairs to rest for a bit?” No matter how much they tried to hide their relationship, it was still too eye-catching.
“I guess he is a bit.” Xu Shen felt Jiang Fan’s good intentions, so he stood up, hugged Shu Ran, and took him upstairs. “Let’s go up and let you lie down for a bit.”
It was one thing to stay here with everyone, and another one to go upstairs just the two of them. Shu Ran felt shy but had no choice but to follow Xu Shen up the stairs.
Entering the room, Xu Shen’s smell of wine approached, and Shu Ran subconsciously blocked him. But his mind soon cleared, and his arms went around the man’s neck, in a refusing but also welcoming gesture.
After being blocked, Xu Shen thought the boy refused him, and he didn’t want to continue acting like a hooligan. As a result, the situation changed abruptly when Shu Ran took the initiative to hug him.
Xu Shen didn’t think too much about it. He just pressed the boy’s lips heavily and kissed him as he did downstairs, wanting to relieve the heat.
Shu Ran tasted the faint aroma of wine and cigarettes that circulated back and forth in their mouths. In addition to that, there was also Xu Shen’s own masculine taste, which he didn’t find annoying, but rather easy to accept. Maybe it was because Xu Shen was not rude, and his kiss lacked lasciviousness. There was no trace of something obscene, just pure feelings. Shu Ran was happy this was Xu Shen. Otherwise, if his partner changed to some other man like Chen Kai or Wang Dong, he felt he’d never be able to do it.
“Umm…” The comfortable little hum entered Xu Shen’s heart, and he felt it was more sweet and seductive than any other voice he heard before.
After kissing for more than five minutes, Xu Shen reluctantly retreated a little bit and kissed Shu Ran’s white cheek, feeling his heart beat like a drum. He smiled and said: “I really want to take you to the bridal room right now.”
“Tsk.” Shu Ran turned his head and looked at the sunny window. “It’s not even dark yet, you have to be serious.”
“Why are you turning your head away? Don’t want to see me?” Xu Shen wanted to look at Shu Ran’s eyes, so he touched his chin and gently lifted his head. “Don’t you like me?”
“No…” Shu Ran pursed his lips. After a moment of standoff, he reached out and touched Xu Shen’s eyebrows. “You look good. I’ve never seen a man that’s better than you.”
Xu Shen raised his eyebrows and asked tentatively: “Were you shy just now?”
Shu Ran pushed the boat down the river and looked down whispering: “Uh-huh.”
“Really, at the banquet just now…” Xu Shen didn’t believe a shy person could act like that.
“Stop it! You’re a bad thing!” Shu Ran pounded Xu Shen’s chest and suddenly hit his heart.
“Okay, I won’t say it.” Xu Shen smiled and held his little fist, sort of wanting to be hit again.
“Your brothers are waiting for you, just go down already!”
“I went upstairs to see my bride. They understand.” Xu Shen said while approaching his face again. This time, he directly picked Shu Ran up and held him like a child. Shu Ran had nothing to rely on, so he could only cling to his shoulders tightly, accepting his hot kiss.
“You’re too thin.” After kissing enough, Xu Shen pitifully felt the weight in his arms.
“All young people are like this…” Shu Ran whispered. “I’m sleepy, put me on the bed for a while.”
Xu Shen agreed and reluctantly put Shu Ran on the bed. He shook open a quilt cover and tucked him in: “I’ll open a fan for you, cover your stomach so you won’t catch a cold.”
He laid down comfortably but remembered Zhou Hui’s room didn’t have a fan. There was nothing to be done, as electric appliances were rare during this time. It seemed that Xu Shen’s house had some, but it didn’t feel right to arbitrarily use them.
After making sure Shu Ran was comfortable, Xu Shen went out. Zhou Hui still was reading in her room, undisturbed by any of the noises outside.
…………
The men had enough wine to drink, so they cleared the table to play cards, with no plans to leave anytime soon. Jiang Fan held a card in his hands. Seeing Xu Shen standing before him, he smiled and said: “Is your baby brother-in-law asleep?”
Xu Shen immediately slapped the back of his head.
“Wanna play?” Jiang Fan wanted to give him the cards he held.
“No, you play.” Xu Shen had no intention to interfere, so he pulled a chair to look at the game.
“Right, I know where your heart is…” Jiang Fan smiled like a cat. He was a well-versed young man who had seen the world, but he still didn’t expect Xu Shen to be gay and find himself a partner. It wasn’t easy, ah…
But this little brother-in-law was pretty, with clear eyebrows, red lips, and white teeth. His temperament was also delicate, and he seemed like a good match for his Brother Shen. The only thing that made him worried was the fact that the boy was quite hard to figure out.
Xu Shen grabbed a handful of melon seeds from the table and started cracking them up. He threw the shells on the ground casually and called Chen Kai: “Kaizi, don’t you see the ground is dirty? Come clean it up!”
“Damn…” Chen Kai got up from the sofa and grinned at Xu Shen. He had every reason to suspect that his Brother Shen got together with Zhou Ding only to spite and torture him.
“Sweep it quickly.” Xu Shen stared at him.
Chen Kai had no choice but to roll the sleeves of his flowery shirt and get a broom. He was unskilled and looked like sweeping the floors made him feel unbearable pain.
“Can’t I just pay an aunt to do it?” It was the first time he held a broom in his hands since being born.
Xu Shen gloated: “No, don’t you get it?”
“It’s two against one.” Jiang Fan took the lead in mocking him. “Kai, Zhou Ding bet with you because he doesn’t like your face. Do your job honestly.”
Chen Kai gritted his teeth and said feeling wronged: “When did I offend him? I’ve been quite enthusiastic around him!”
Zhou Ding’s sister got married today, it was such a happy occasion, why make him run around like this?
“I don’t know.” Xu Shen continued sprinkling melon seeds on the floor. “Maybe it’s because you don’t look like a decent person.”
Chen Kai: “…” He thought for a long time: “What’s up with Zhou Ding’s vision? It’s obvious you don’t look like a decent person either…”
Not to mention his own brother, the living King of Hell, who beats people for fun. Between Chen Sen, Jiang Fan, and Xu Shen, who here was a decent person? Compared to them, Chen Kai felt he had a pure and invincible soul…
…………
Shu Ran slept until evening when Xu Shen came up and called him to eat. He asked: “Will your sister be willing to join us?” There were few people left, only the Chen brothers and Jiang Fan.
“Okay, I’ll call her.” Shu Ran sat up and Xu Shen’s face came close, only to be rudely pushed away: “Don’t kiss me, I need to wash up!”
“It’s okay, you’re not dirty.” Xu Shen pressed him for a kiss and Shu Ran had no other choice than to cover his lips and turn his face. Seeing his reaction, Xu Shen backed away and said: “Okay, okay, go and wash your face.”
When Shu Ran left, Xu Shen scratched the back of his head and felt he was already afraid of his wife. It was not a good look, so he secretly vowed to himself to not compromise the next time.
Shu Ran went to the bathroom on the second floor, washed his face, and then ran to Zhou Hui’s room and knocked on the door: “Sister, sister, are you asleep?”
Zhou Hui soon came to open the door: “No, I’m still reading.”
“Let’s go down for dinner.” Shu Ran continued: “It’s okay now, there are not many people left, and they are all Xu Shen’s trusted brothers. Wang Dong is not here.”
“Okay… I’ll go to the bathroom first.” Zhou Hui was afraid that Wang Dong, being from a neighboring village, would go back and talk nonsense. Since he left, all was good.
“Let’s go.” Xu Shen came over and took Shu Ran’s hand in his own. He planned to make the matters clear at the dinner table tonight.
“You go down first, I’ll wait for my sister.” Shu Ran knew that the girl was thin-skinned and too embarrassed to go downstairs alone, but he couldn’t be rude to Xu Shen so he took the initiative to peck the man’s lips: “Is that okay?”
Xu Shen couldn’t say no. He licked his lips and obediently went down first.
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