LW chapter 76

 

Until they all arrived in town, Meng Shuanzi’s horse did not come down. Chen Qing whispered to Zhou Yuan, “Did he just kidnap someone’s child?”

Zhou Yuan also felt this was wrong, so he rode his horse in front of Meng Shuanzi’s, blocking their path.

The galloping horse suddenly halted, raising its front hooves toward the sky. Meng Shuanzi calmed his horse and looked at Zhou Yuan in confusion. “Brother?”

Zhou Yuan held Chen Qing firmly with one hand and asked him, “Did you just take that person away like this?”

The man also knew Zhou Yuan was in charge, so he took a step back, leaned against Meng Shuanzi’s chest, and said, “I volunteered to go with him.”

Zhou Yuan didn’t speak, but stared at Meng Shuanzi.

“Brother…” Meng Shuanzi didn’t know what to say and felt embarrassed.

It wasn’t the time for conversation, so Zhou Yuan stepped aside and went straight to the inn in town.

The goods that Chen Qing and his companions had bought earlier were still there. Since it was late, they weren’t in a rush to leave. At first, two rooms were enough, but now they needed to accommodate an unmarried guest, so they had to open three rooms.

The five of them sat and talked. Meng Qi felt that Zhou Yuan was being excessive. He also wanted to bring his wife out in the future to avoid the sadness of today.

The ger’s name was Qin Xia. Du Feng had said that Chen Qing’s third and fourth brothers liked him. He was only eighteen this year. Although he was young, he was already the backbone of the family. All of the family’s expenses depended on him.

The Chen brothers fought over him. Not only did his parents not consider his well-being, but they also planned to sell him for a good price. They even suggested that Qin Xia marry both brothers, saying that, as long as the Chen brothers gave twenty taels of silver, Qin Xia would be married off properly.

When Qin Xia learned of his parents’ plan, he turned the household upside down. He worked hard every day and dealt with the Beidi people just so his family could live well, yet his family betrayed him.

Recently, the village had been talking about the runaway Chen brothers. He took the opportunity to go take a look when the Chen family held a funeral. The runaway brothers were living such good lives. He was capable and should have left this rotten family long ago.

He happened to be watching from the back kitchen. Unexpectedly, Meng Shuanzi thought he was there to steal something, and the two of them started to fight. To avoid disturbing Chen Qing, Meng Shuanzi took the fight outside. Afterwards, he found out that Qin Xia was a ger. During the fight, he tore Qin Xia’s shirt, revealing half of his white shoulder, which didn’t match his face.

Qin Xia made a plan and leaned on Meng Shuanzi immediately, asking him to take him away.

It wasn’t Meng Shuanzi’s fault that he was farsighted. Qin Xia just didn’t look like a ger. He didn’t wear a hood, and he was tall. Qin Xia said that Meng Shuanzi had seen his body and should take responsibility.

It was the first time Chen Qing had heard such gossip. He looked at Qin Xia, who wasn’t shy at all, and felt a little worried. “Your family…”

“They’re a bunch of bastards—vultures that eat people without spitting out the bones. I made money for them for eight years. As long as they still have arms, they won’t starve.” Qin Xia looked at Chen Qing and said, “The place you’re going to must be really good. They raised you well. I want to go there, too.”

Qin Xia looked like he was from Xiaxi. He was tall with a high nasal bridge.

Because of the wind and sand, however, there were two red patches on his face. They weren’t strange, just very distinct. Although Chen Qing was born in Xiaxi, he resembled his father more. After being raised in Luohe Village for years, his appearance changed.

Chen Qing was silent. He looked at Zhou Yuan, then at Meng Shuanzi.

As if knowing what they were worried about, Qin Xia pulled a sheet of paper out of his pocket: “This is my household registration document. I moved out of that home a long time ago.”

It must have taken a lot of effort.

Zhou Yuan couldn’t make a decision for Meng Shuanzi, so he took Chen Qing back to their room. Meng Qi didn’t want to stay either, so he went back to his room as well.

After returning to the room, Chen Qing wanted to stretch his neck to peek, but Zhou Yuan pinched the back of his neck. “Are you that curious?”

Chen Qing smiled awkwardly. He liked Qin Xia and thought he was similar to Li Xin. If he went to Luohe Village, he might become Li Xin’s friend.

Before they could rest, Qin Xia knocked on their door.

Chen Qing went to open it. He was surprised and stammered, “Why? What is it?”

Qin Xia glanced at Zhou Yuan, then said to Chen Qing, “I want to sleep with you tonight.”

Zhou Yuan:

“Huh?” Chen Qing was also shocked.

“He doesn’t want me to go with you, but I must. He saw my body, and now he wants to take responsibility for me. If I sleep in the same room as you, you won’t be able to sneak off.”

Chen Qing: …

In the end, he couldn’t convince him, so Chen Qing slept in the same room as Qin Xia.

Qin Xia talked a lot and asked many questions. Chen Qing answered at first, but then he grew drowsy and fell asleep. His habit of always clinging to his bed seemed to have improved slightly, as he was able to sleep in an unfamiliar place.

The next morning, Zhou Yuan angrily woke them up. Qin Xia jumped at the sound, and it took Chen Qing a while to wake up.

After packing, they were ready to return. Meng Shuanzi looked sourly at Qin Xia, who had climbed onto his horse. After they all mounted, he followed slowly behind them.

Had he known when Qin Xia asked him, he would have said he was already married.

On the way out of Xiaxi Prefecture, when they reached the border of Yizhou Prefecture, Chen Qing glanced at Zhou Yuan. “Do you want to go back and take a look?”

Zhou Yuan shook his head. “There’s nothing to see. I took care of it when I left.”

Chen Qing agreed, “Then, shall we go home?”

“I promised to show you around the capital.” They said goodbye to Meng Qi and the others in Yizhou.

“Brother Yuan, let’s catch up with the escort team. See you when we go home.” Meng Qi said his goodbyes to them. To make things easier for them, Meng Qi took away the things they had bought here.

Qin Xia was still riding with Meng Shuanzi. He waved at Chen Qing. “This is nice. See you when we go home.”

Chen Qing smiled awkwardly and waved back. Then, Meng Qi and the others sped up, leaving only a small cloud of dust behind.

Zhou Yuan wasn’t in a hurry, so he didn’t ride fast. On the way there, he wanted to hurry; on the way back, he wanted to enjoy the beautiful scenery.

By the time they arrived at the capital, it was already the third day of August. It seemed they wouldn’t be able to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival at home this year.

Before entering the city, they rested, changed clothes, and washed away their fatigue.

When they reached the city gates, they dismounted. Zhou Yuan held one horse with one hand and Chen Qing with the other. They lined up at the gate to register.

As they got closer to the registration desk, Chen Qing grew more and more nervous, eventually starting to tremble.

Zhou Yuan comforted him. “It’s fine. We have all the documents, and we won’t be arrested.”

Chen Qing, a fellow countryman, never thought he would come to the capital city. When it was their turn, Zhou Yuan showed them the deed, explained their purpose, and they quickly passed through the city gate.

Chen Qing felt relieved and looked at Zhou Yuan. “We didn’t offend anyone, right?”

Zhou Yuan turned to look at him. “Why do you ask?”

“I used to watch operas with my mother. She said that the people guarding the city gates in the capital all had relatives who were high-ranking officials.” Chen Qing was afraid his words would be overheard, so he tiptoed over and whispered in Zhou Yuan’s ear.

Zhou Yuan didn’t laugh at him. “All right, let’s just be more careful.”

Chen Qing was cautious with his words and actions in the capital, but he cried out for the first time when they checked into the hotel. It turned out that staying at an inn in the capital was so expensive!

Zhou Yuan put his arm around Chen Qing’s shoulder, paid the bill under his sorrowful gaze, and led him to the room.

Chen Qing had never stayed in such a nice room in his life. Green smoke curled from the incense burner on the table. He had never smelled such a fragrance before and didn’t know what kind of flower it was, but it smelled wonderful.

He only dared to look at a set of white porcelain cups, afraid that if he touched them, they would break and they would have to pay for them.

When he turned around, he saw that the bed was much larger than the ones at home. The bed curtains seemed to be made of silk—cool and smooth to the touch. He was afraid his hands would scratch the silk, so he didn’t dare touch them again.

The bedsheets were made of the same material. It would be very comfortable to sleep on this bed in the summer.

Since there were no outsiders around at that moment, Chen Qing didn’t need to hide. He gently lay on the bed and rubbed his face against the sheets, which felt much better than Zhou Yuan’s hands.

Seeing that Chen Qing was still enjoying the bed, Zhou Yuan didn’t rush him. Instead, he sat on the stool beside the bed and watched Chen Qing.

Chen Qing looked around the room and almost lay on the floor to examine the carpet. Zhou Yuan smiled and pulled him up. “Haven’t you finished looking?”

Chen Qing stood up. “Okay, okay.”

“I’ll take you to try Tianji. I wonder if there are any seats left.” Zhou Yuan grabbed his hand and walked out. “If not, let’s try some other Beijing snacks.”

Since Chen Qing didn’t know the area, he could only follow Zhou Yuan.

They left the inn and found Tianji by asking for directions. The people in the capital were very enthusiastic. One person said, “You definitely won’t be able to eat there if you go now. Tianji has been full since it opened. If you want to eat there, you have to stand in line tomorrow morning.”

“Thank you.” Zhou Yuan bowed to him and took Chen Qing for a stroll around the capital.

Indeed, the capital was bustling yet orderly. Almost every specialty food from each region could be found here, as well as fine porcelain and jade, dazzling silk and satin, and large and small pubs and music halls.

They only walked around two or three streets that afternoon.

They didn’t eat dinner at the inn. Zhou Yuan chose a restaurant that wasn’t too crowded and ordered two dishes said to be the restaurant’s specialties. Chen Qing didn’t dare think about how expensive they must be, but since Zhou Yuan had brought him there, he wouldn’t spoil his fun.

The expensive food was indeed worth it. Chen Qing felt that he had never eaten such delicious food in his life. The soup seemed to capture the freshness and aroma of the ingredients, and it disappeared from his bowl before he could taste it.

Chen Qing told Zhou Yuan what he thought. Zhou Yuan then served him a bowl of soup. “Ah Qing’s life is still very long. This is just a short moment. In the future, we’ll experience more things, eat more delicious food, and see more sights.”

After finishing all the dishes on the table, Chen Qing asked Zhou Yuan, “How much money do you have now?”

“Don’t worry. Our family is rich.” Zhou Yuan said.

He had received dividends from his investment in the escort agency during the Lunar New Year. He kept some for family expenses and reinvested the rest in the agency, hoping to open a branch in the capital. Now, everything was moving slowly.

The escort agency was making money faster than Chen Qing had imagined. They weren’t just escorts; they also had many other jobs. However, Chen Qing didn’t need to worry about this. He only needed to be happy.

On such a comfortable bed, he got used to it again. Everything was smooth, as if he could never leave. He tightly clutched Zhou Yuan’s arm.

Zhou Yuan lowered his head to look at him. “What’s wrong?”

Chen Qing covered his chest. “I can’t sleep.”

Zhou Yuan tried to help him fall asleep, but he refused no matter what he said. He was afraid of getting the inn’s bed dirty and having to pay for it.

Zhou Yuan had no choice but to change his approach. Chen Qing grabbed Zhou Yuan’s hair and felt as if his breath was no longer his own.

After sitting in a daze for a while, Chen Qing looked at Zhou Yuan. Zhou Yuan swallowed, then went to the side to drink water and rinse his mouth. Then, he returned to bed and hugged Chen Qing. “Are you tired now?”

Chen Qing was extremely shy, burying his head in the blanket and refusing to pay attention to Zhou Yuan. Zhou Yuan came to kiss him again. Chen Qing seemed to still smell it. Disgusted, he turned his face away to avoid the kiss.

Zhou Yuan laughed at him. “You don’t like it either?”

Embarrassed, Chen Qing ignored him and slowly felt drowsy. He reached for Zhou Yuan’s hand and mumbled, “Zhou Yuan, I want to go home…”

“Alright, I’ll take you home in two days.” Zhou Yuan gently patted his back, and Chen Qing soon fell into a deep sleep.

 

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