RIIDMDR chapter 117

 

Nan Xu had no idea about this. No matter how he thought about it, he could not have imagined that the stubborn serow, who always liked to secretly take revenge and get back at people, would completely lose its backbone after being tempted a few times and choose to be domesticated.

Nan Xu did consider luring the serow with food. After all, according to Tingchuan and the others, the vegetables he grew contained spiritual energy far purer than those that grew freely in the mountains. Even though the serow was just an animal, it could still tell the difference between good and bad.

However, the timing was definitely not what Nan Xu expected. That afternoon, when Zhixing went to the woodshed to fetch firewood, he let out a puzzled sound. At that time, Nan Xu was cooking in the kitchen. Hearing Zhixing’s voice, Nan Xu looked out the kitchen window and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Zhixing was silent for a few seconds. Just as Nan Xu began to worry and put down the kitchen knife, Zhixing finally spoke again. “Owner, maybe you should come take a look.”

Nan Xu wiped the water off his hands with a cloth and walked outside.

Inside the firewood shed, Nan Xu and the serow stared at each other for quite a long while, big eyes meeting small ones. The atmosphere grew strange. For the first time, Nan Xu saw an “embarrassed” expression on a face that looked somewhat like a donkey’s.

When the serow rubbed its hoof on the ground for the umpteenth time, Nan Xu finally spoke up. “What’s this supposed to mean? You’re sticking around now?”

The serow’s big ears twitched at his words. Then, it pretended not to understand and looked away silently.

Watching its fake act, Nan Xu couldn’t help but laugh. “Fine, don’t respond then. I guess you’re just here to avoid the snowstorm. You can leave when it lightens up a bit.”

After saying that, Nan Xu pulled Zhixing, who was holding an armful of firewood, and started walking away. But after just a few steps, his body suddenly jolted because that spineless creature had rubbed its nose against his waist.

Nan Xu turned around, pushed its head back, and said, “Harassing the owner of this inn is a serious crime!”

Zhixing couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

This time, the serow really didn’t understand. It tilted its head, its eyes full of confusion.

It was freezing outside, and even in the woodshed, it was too cold. Nan Xu had just come out of the warm wooden house where the fireplace was burning, and he didn’t want to stay outside long. Skipping further nonsense, he asked directly, “Are you agreeing to be my mount now?”

The serow didn’t answer and kept staring at him. Nan Xu felt something in its eyes and said with a half-smile, “Too much intelligence isn’t always a good thing. You’ve even learned how to play hard to get.”

“If you’re willing to listen and become my mount, you’ll be part of the inn’s family. Naturally, I’ll make sure you eat and drink your fill. I never treat my people unfairly,” Nan Xu said sincerely.

He meant those words sincerely. That was truly how he felt. Since coming to this strange world, the people he once knew had become nothing but fleeting memories. If he wanted to live well here, he needed to build new connections. Therefore, toward anyone—or anything—that meant him no harm, Nan Xu was willing to show kindness. Having experienced the heat of summer, the cold of winter, and the pain of hunger himself, he didn’t want those he cared — person or beast — to experience it again.

Perhaps his attitude moved the serow, or maybe his offer was simply too tempting, but it nodded its head in response.

Seeing this, Nan Xu reached out and touched the back of its neck and spine, feeling its strength. Satisfied, he withdrew his hand. “Then stay here for now. I’ll set up a proper shed for you later, and I’ll bring you food soon.”

The serow stepped back a few paces and stood beside the pile of firewood. As Nan Xu lifted the mat, something crossed his mind. Before he could say it aloud, however, he decided against it.

That night, the serow had quite the meal. Unlike its half-filled breakfast or the times it managed to snatch a single cucumber, barely enough to fill a tooth gap, this time it got a big basket full of fresh vegetables.

However, it wasn’t Nan Xu who brought the food; it was Tingchuan.

He had been temporarily assigned the task. One look at Nan Xu’s mischievous expression told him exactly what was going on, and he didn’t refuse. He lazily carried the bamboo basket into the woodshed.

The moment the serow saw Tingchuan, it instinctively stepped back. It might have a small brain, but its animal instincts were sharp. Remembering how Tingchuan had mentioned wanting to eat its meat that night, it couldn’t help but fear him.

Tingchuan placed the food before it. Seeing the serow’s hesitation, he said, “Relax. I won’t harm the inn owner’s mount.”

The serow tilted its head, thinking for a moment. With its limited intelligence, it vaguely understood one thing: being the inn owner’s mount meant safety.

Once it started eating, Tingchuan didn’t linger; he returned to the wooden house.

Nan Xu was sitting by the fireplace, working overtime to finish the green sweater. Winter had long passed, yet the nearly finished sweater had been tossed aside. Hearing Tingchuan come in, Nan Xu turned his head and saw the smile on Tingchuan’s lips. He asked, “Did you threaten it?”

Tingchuan glanced at him. “Wasn’t that your plan when you sent me?”

Nanxu chuckled. He knew he couldn’t pose much of a threat to the serow. Meanwhile, Tingchuan, a powerful demon, could intimidate lesser demons with just a hint of his aura. Let alone a mere unawakened animal. Nanxu took advantage of the situation.

After all, who knew if the serow would run away after two good meals without a mix of carrot and stick?

Tingchuan sat beside him, quietly watching. Undisturbed, Nan Xu worked fast and finished the sweater within half an hour. After holding it up to inspect it, he looked quite pleased.

Tingchuan remarked, “The color is really eye-catching, but the size doesn’t seem quite right. Don’t you have any more yarn?”

Nan Xu glanced at him but didn’t reply. Instead, he called for Zhixing.

Zhixing’s door opened, but You An poked his head out first. Nan Xu blinked. “When did you end up in Zhixing’s room?”

You An smiled. “I’m helping him extract herbal essences.”

Before Nan Xu could respond, Zhixing came out, too. “Owner, did you call me?”

Nan Xu waved him over. “Come look at this sweater.”

Zhixing walked over. Nan Xu held the sweater up to Zhixing, looked him over, and nodded in satisfaction. “It seems to fit just right. Your skin’s fair—this green really suits you.”

Zhixing finally realized it was for him and asked in pleasant surprise, “This is for me?”

Nan Xu nodded. “Of course it is. I made it to your size—who else would it be for? Put it on; let me see.”

Zhixing cast a spell to adjust the fit of the sweater and pulled it over his head. He let Nan Xu turn him around to examine it.

“Perfect! Just like that,” Nan Xu said. “Looks great.”

It was the first time Zhixing had ever received new clothes. Still a bit shy, he glanced around, looking for a place to see himself.

Watching him, Nan Xu thought he should splurge and buy a full-length mirror from the system mall.

Just as he was thinking this, You An grabbed Zhixing and headed toward the room. “It looks like you didn’t put it on properly. Come, I’ll help you fix it inside.”

Zhixing, who was being dragged along, asked in confusion, “What’s wrong with it? You can fix it here. Why must we go inside?”

You An glanced at Tingchuan, then coaxed and half-dragged Zhixing back into the room. The next second, the door shut.

Nan Xu looked regretful. “I didn’t see anything wrong with it. I hadn’t looked closely enough yet. What’s wrong, You An—”

But halfway through his sentence, he glanced at Tingchuan, as he always did, and the rest of his words stuck in his throat.

What was that expression on Tingchuan’s face? It looked…off.

Feeling uneasy, Nan Xu hesitated for a few seconds before asking, “What’s wrong with you?”

Tingchuan looked at him. “Did you make that sweater for Zhixing?”

Nan Xu nodded. “Yeah. That bright color suits him, and it’s cold in winter. He’s not in great health.”

Tingchuan’s voice was steady, but he gritted his teeth as he spoke. “You worked so long on it, and the first one you finished was for him? What about mine? I’m not healthy either. I get cold, too.”

With those words, Nan Xu finally understood. “Wait—you thought that green sweater was for you?”

Tingchuan paused for a moment. “Of course not. How could I wear that color?”

Nan Xu instantly realized Tingchuan had misunderstood. Still, it was true that he hadn’t thought about making one for his boyfriend while he was busy knitting for Zhixing. That was his fault. He scooted closer to Tingchuan. However, Tingchuan shifted away, making his sulking obvious.

Nan Xu stood up and quickly sat on Tingchuan’s lap before he could react. He wrapped his arms around Tingchuan’s neck and coaxed him. “You’re not afraid of the cold. You’ve got me to warm your bed.”

Tingchuan turned his head away. “Who’s warming whose bed, exactly?”

Who was it that crawled into his arms every night, saying that it wasn’t warm enough to sleep?

Nan Xu just laughed. “Do you want me to knit you one too?”

Tingchuan raised an eyebrow. “If others have one, then of course I must have one too.”

Nan Xu frowned slightly. “What should I do then? I only have green yarn left.”

Tingchuan: …

Tingchuan: “Then green it is!”

Nan Xu couldn’t help but burst into laughter. Tingchuan was just too adorable. Leaning in, Nan Xu kissed the corners of Tingchuan’s lips several times. Realizing that Nan Xu was teasing him, Tingchuan picked him up and started toward the bedroom.

Sensing trouble, Nan Xu quickly called out, “The bathwater’s almost ready! I need to wash up!”

Tingchuan didn’t stop. “You can bathe later.”

Nan Xu protested, “I’m still dusty. I’ll dirty the bed.”

Tingchuan said, “Then the sofa will do.”

Nan Xu: …

How had he never known before that the sofa he’d seized as the inn owner, which was placed in the bedroom, was for this purpose?

Outside, the snow was falling heavily. Inside, Nan Xu was half-dazed and agreed to several exhausting “conditions” just to soothe Tingchuan’s temper. After much effort, he was finally able to rest. Then, he wobbled off on weak legs to use the pot of hot water that had been simmering over the fire.

The next morning, Nan Xu crouched in the storage room and pointed at the pile of colorful yarn. He asked Tingchuan, “What color sweater do you want?”

Tingchuan looked at Nan Xu’s sulky expression and smiled. Last night, he had taken advantage of the situation and made Nan Xu promise to finish his sweater before the new year. Now, early in the morning, Nan Xu looked like a worker being forced to work overtime during his vacation.

“You pick for me,” Tingchuan said softly, trying to coax him.

Nan Xu didn’t refuse, carefully selecting from the yarns. When he picked up the pink one, he caught a glimpse of Tingchuan’s twitching eyelid out of the corner of his eye, then put it down. He picked up several colors in succession, which stimulated Tingchuan, before finally grabbing the bright red yarn. “This one!”

Tingchuan was silent for a few seconds. Remembering the light pink and pale yellow yarn that Nan Xu had held up earlier, he gritted his teeth and said, “Fine.”

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