RIIDMDR chapter 88

 

Nanxu hadn’t shown up all day. Only Tingchuan had brought him meals a few times. Zhixing was extremely anxious. After dinner alone in the dark, he couldn’t help himself any longer. He paced back and forth before finally making his way to Nanxu’s bedroom window.

By mid-afternoon, Nanxu had lost sleep, but it was late, and his thin clothes couldn’t conceal the many marks on his body. Feeling too lazy to get up again, he leaned against the bedside with two novels at his side and played with a Rubik’s Cube.

Nan Xu was now very alert to the shifting light and shadows. The moment Zhixing’s head reached the window, Nan Xu’s gaze shifted over.

Caught red-handed, Zhixing asked sheepishly, “Is the owner okay?”

Although Tingchuan claimed the owner wasn’t ill, why would he stay out all day if he wasn’t? He must have some difficulty; perhaps he was unwilling to take medicine. Zhixing could understand that. Humans are generally more sensitive to taste than demons are.

Nan Xu looked at Zhixing’s worried expression and smiled. His voice was a little hoarse. “Mm, I’m fine now.”

Zhixing realized it was indeed a human cold. How could a cold be treated without medicine? Anxious, Zhixing leaned his elbow on the window and said, “I’ll make some medicine for the owner. You can take it, and then go to sleep. Colds can’t be delayed. Ancient texts record that humans often died from them.”

As he spoke, he acted as if he had actually seen Nan Xu terminally ill and emaciated, and his face darkened.

Nan Xu showed no interest in the bitter medicine, immediately shaking his head and saying, “I’m not sick. I don’t need medicine.”

Concerned for Nan Xu’s health, Zhixing insisted, “No, look at your pale face…”

He paused. Nan Xu’s face was rosy with pink skin, practically bearing the word “healthy.” The paleness had nothing to do with it.

“Look at you! You’re so thin, and all over…” Zhixing shifted his gaze and suddenly widened his eyes, noticing the blemishes on Nanxu’s body. “Owner, you have a rash on your neck. Let me take your pulse! Don’t scratch—”

His voice faded away. Tingchuan, who had just returned to the courtyard after closing the chicken coop, saw Zhixing’s figure clinging to the window. He was terrified that Zhixing would transform into his true form, sneak through the window, and take the owner away. Tingchuan directly picked him up and carried him away.

Nanxu paused, reflected on Zhixing’s words, and realized what he’d just witnessed. He burst into laughter. The Bai couple had taught Zhixing many medical skills, yet why hadn’t they mentioned anything like this?

Nan Xu placed the solved Rubik’s cube on the bedside table. Sure enough, he heard the door open, and Tingchuan walked in holding two bright yellow wild fruits. He handed them to Nan Xu.

Nan Xu took them. They looked a bit like wild oranges but weren’t as good as the ones sold in human fruit shops. He wondered if they were sour. Out of curiosity, he asked, “Where did you get them?”

“I saw Zhuang Wu coming down the mountain behind the house. I asked him for them.” Tingchuan changed into his pajamas and lay down on the bed. Seeing that Nan Xu was holding the fruit but not eating it, he said, “The others he had weren’t very good. These are the best of the bunch.”

Nan Xu thought of Zhuang Wu happily returning from the mountain with a small bag of wild fruit, only to have Tingchuan steal the largest, roundest ones from him. He found it strangely amusing.

He peeled the tangerine. Though the freckles on the skin made it look unsightly, the flesh inside was fresh and juicy. He broke off a piece and popped it into his mouth. It was sweet and sour—delicious. Zhuang Wu clearly had a good eye for tasty things.

Nan Xu ate most of it himself and placed the last two slices in front of Tingchuan. Tingchuan turned to look at him. Seeing Nan Xu smile as he offered to share, Tingchuan opened his mouth and let Nan Xu feed him. The moment the juice burst in his mouth, Tingchuan’s eyes stayed fixed on Nan Xu as if he were savoring the man himself more than the fruit.

Nan Xu felt strangely agitated by the stare. He wondered if the late hour had brought out his sexual desires. Although their initial experience last night hadn’t been great, he seemed to enjoy it afterward. Another try wouldn’t be out of the question.

He met Tingchuan’s gaze without flinching, his meaning clear. Tingchuan, however, looked at him deeply before handing him a cup of warm water from the bedside table to rinse his mouth.

As they settled back into bed, the initial excitement faded. After all, last night had been exhausting, and a good night’s sleep was in order tonight.

As usual, Nan Xu rolled the quilt into a pillow to hug. But Tingchuan reached out and pulled him into his arms instead. He patted Nanxu’s back twice with a low, gentle voice, as if coaxing a child. “Sweet dreams.”

Nanxu tilted his head back, his lips lightly touching Tingchuan’s. Then, lowering his head as if absorbing aura, he took two deep breaths in Tingchuan’s arms, sighed, and closed his eyes.

Seeing this, Tingchuan’s lips curled slightly, and he patted Nanxu’s back twice more.

“Let’s plant more fruit trees next spring,” Nan Xu murmured sleepily, still savoring the tangerine’s taste as he drifted off.

“Mm.” Tingchuan’s reply was soft.

–

Nanxu stood before Zhixing the next morning, feeling refreshed. Zhixing carefully examined him from head to toe and felt reassured. Then, somewhat puzzled, he asked, “Owner, you seem… a little different.”

“Different?” Nanxu asked.

Zhixing nodded and stared at his face, but he was unable to put his thoughts into words. After a long pause, he finally said, “You’ve gotten better-looking.”

Nan Xu had no idea where Zhixing had learned to talk like that. It had only been a day—how could he possibly tell that he’d become more handsome?

After finishing his morning chores, Tingchuan went into the mountains. Nan Xu sat in the courtyard sorting sweet potatoes. Since the weather had been good, he planned to make some sweet potato starch to dry in the sun. Then, they could have cabbage stewed with vermicelli later—the perfect meal.

The sweet potatoes in the field were all graded A by the system: large, plump, and mostly uniform in shape.

Nan Xu washed over a hundred jin of sweet potatoes and peeled them one by one, a massive task, but he finished by noon with Zhixing’s help. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and went to the warehouse to look for a grater. He vaguely remembered a large wooden board in the kitchenware gift package he had bought last time and thought it would be useful.

He had just found it among the scattered items when he heard Zhixing calling him from outside. He hurried outside and saw several piles of items in the yard, including fish, shrimp, seaweed, clams, and a Yaolin that had been weathered by the wind and sun at sea.

Nan Xu looked at the tall young man standing in the yard. He seemed familiar. He was still handsome. While he wasn’t considered fair-skinned among the bird demons, he certainly wasn’t as dark as he was now.

Nan Xu didn’t know what to say, but Yaolin didn’t seem unfamiliar. He smiled and asked, “Owner, don’t you recognize me?”

With just one word, Nan Xu regained his sense of familiarity. This cheerful young man spoke with no hesitation when it came to gossip.

“Of course I recognized you, but I didn’t expect you to look so different after just a few months,” Nan Xu teased.

Yao Lin laughed and said, “I wasn’t originally this dark, but I went to the Southern Seas at the beginning of summer and stayed there all summer. Then, at the end of summer, I headed north. I got a lot of sun this year, so naturally, I’m darker.”

Nan Xu felt miserable at the thought and became curious. “Do you demons get tanned, too?”

“Most demons don’t, but white-fronted shearwaters are susceptible to sunburn,” Yao Lin replied.

“Then why don’t you wait until it gets cooler before setting off?” Nan Xu asked, puzzled.

Yuanlin glanced around awkwardly. Seeing Zhixing go inside to make tea and leave the yard with only the two of them and a dog sunbathing in a corner, he whispered, “I didn’t fully master the cooking skills I learned from the owner last time. After arriving in the South Sea, I had several cooking accidents. My family sent me back to continue my apprenticeship with the owner.”

Nan Xu: “Accident? Did you burn down the kitchen? That’s fine. After all, you demons can handle a little heat.”

Yuan Lin shook his head. “The first time I cooked, I steamed seafood and pumpkin together. I wanted to share the pumpkin’s soft, sweet flavor with the seafood to make it less fishy and greasy. I didn’t expect my uncle to pass out after eating it.”

Nan Xu: …

Hearing about this combination, Nan Xu sighed. “You have some talent.”

Yuan Lin felt that his combination made perfect sense and didn’t know why it hadn’t worked. He continued, “The second time I cooked was at a family gathering. I went to the Rat Tribe and asked for some peanuts. I cooked them with seafood and served them to the tribe as a side dish. Who knew they’d vomit and have diarrhea for days after eating them?”

Nan Xu frowned. “You… you really do have a talent for poisoning.”

Yao Lin asked, “Are you still listening to me for the third time?” ”

Nan Xu was shocked. “After everything that’s happened, how are you still allowed in the kitchen?”

Yuan Lin replied, “Of course. I entered when they weren’t paying attention.”

Nan Xu then listened to Yuan Lin describe several more bizarre combinations, such as crab and tomato, turtle and duck, and so on. He single-handedly defeated the entire tribe in two months. After being driven back, Nan Xu could only sigh at the kindness of his people.

“So, I’m planning to stay in the mountains for a while. Can the owner give me a discount?” Yuan Lin asked.

Nan Xu nodded. “Since we’re familiar with each other, I’ll definitely give you a discount. But if you cook again, please let us know before serving.”

Yuan Lin agreed immediately, then remembered the piles of things he’d brought with him. He pointed to the two piles of seafood and said, “These are gifts I brought back from the South Sea. I caught them myself, so they’re not worth much. I hope you won’t mind.”

Nan Xu shook his head, not at all disapproving. In these mountains, he had always eaten small fish and shrimp from the river. He didn’t often come across giants like these. He’d already finished the kelp he’d bought from Ren Ci last time, and now Yuan Lin had taken over.

“Oh, and here’s one more.” Yuan Lin pulled out a wooden box and handed it to Nan Xu. “The mermaids asked me to give this to the owner. They said they wanted to thank you for taking care of their young.”

Nanxu took it. The box was large and felt heavy. He opened it and saw that it was divided into several compartments. It contained pearls of various colors, gems as blue as the sea, and other beautiful items Nanxu didn’t recognize. In the middle was an exquisite coral ornament.

Nanxu took out the coral. It shone brightly in the sunlight—a breathtaking sight.

Yuanlin had never opened the box before, so when he saw the coral, he exclaimed, “The mermaid must be sincere. Coral of this luster and shape is rare in the South Sea.”

Nanxu was also stunned. He didn’t know the demon world’s definition of luxury goods, but if he took the box back to the human world, its contents would probably be worth several mansions.

He carefully put the coral back and was about to invite Yuanlin into the house when he heard footsteps outside. He turned and saw Tingchuan approaching, carrying a bamboo basket filled with wild fruits and small trees.

Nanxu: …

Why does he look like he just got back from a robbery?