Chapter 28

In the early morning, the two of them returned to the government office with the poor beast in tow. Not long after, a skinner arrived once he received the message. Together with Mo Shu, the skinner sliced away the sacred beast, which was exceedingly hard to come by in the entire Yun Lu Continent. Its fur was taken away to be treated, while a bit of its meat was shared with the skinner. The rest of the meat was left to be cured, with some pork and fish mixed in…

No matter how rare sacred beasts were in the eyes of the Yun Lu Continent, the people in Guang Tian still aloofly treated it as a delicious, excellent furred and easily killable beast as they slaughtered them… Two months later, Nan Ge Er got to wear the long fur coat made from the fur of a sacred beast—although he kept reminding himself to be calm, his emotions were still jumbled.

He did wish to remain calm, but the problem was, it was a Cloud Beast! A Cloud Beast which, even if of mixed blood, would still be well-raised in a beautiful garden and treated as a treasure by every king in Yun Lu Continent! However, the fur of that Cloud Beast turned into his coat now… Come to think of it, he didn’t seem to have ever seen the huge beast Mo Shu used to make his white fur coat in the beginning…

Don’t tell me it’s yet another endangered unique beast? No! I can feel my stress rising! Nan Ge Er felt his current net worth was actually quite high. At the very least, some coats he possessed were precious treasures.

Well, I wear precious treasures, yet I live such a simple life, spending every day either counting daily expenses like a scrooge or busying myself with handling daily necessities… I’m probably the only one in the world who does that.

The year-end marked the ending of Mo Shu’s days of staying in the government office. Mo Shu finished preparing the meals in the afternoon. Sitting on the fire bucket¹ with a few small dishes and a small bottle of wine at the side, he gazed at the dash of plum blossoms on the fake mountain as he ate and drank.

The plum tree that was grown in the spring blossomed a few little flowers then. Nonetheless, since it was still young, and hadn’t amounted to anything, the flowers bloomed were just thinly scattered at present. Nan Ge Er ate just a few dishes while sitting on the fire bucket to accompany Mo Shu. Following after, he placed his chopsticks down, dazing away together with Mo Shu.

In spite of the opened window, Nan Ge Er still felt warmth due to the Cloud Beast fur coat he donned on. Other than the bit of chill from the wind on his face, his feet, which was near the fire stove, and his body felt toasty.

Sure enough, Mo Shu did take over the duties in the kitchen following their return from the mountain. No matter if the ingredients were plain vegetables or coarse rice, when cooked by Mo Shu, they would always taste exceptional. This was also why Nan Ge Er gained a bit of fat and had a better body condition than before.

Most remarkably, he didn’t catch much sickness in the past one year, causing Mo Shu to feel proud. Whenever the doctor mentioned it, Mo Shu would always appear smug. Watching the plum blossoms, Mo Shu asked Nan Ge Er once he realised Nan Ge Er had placed his utensils down, “Why aren’t you eating?”

“…I’m too full.” Nan Ge Er rubbed his stomach.

The current meals in the government office improved so much more than those he had when he just arrived. The chance of having meat on the table increased too. Moreover, since Mo Shu was the one cooking now, Nan Ge Er ate a bit more than before. Nevertheless, being subjected to three years of water torture in prison, his body was incomparable to a typical person, so he got full and hungry easily.

Mo Shu knew Nan Ge Er’s body couldn’t recuperate all at once too, so he didn’t force him to eat more, only asking, “Do you want a rub?”

The so-called ‘rub’ obviously meant rubbing on Nan Ge Er’s stomach. As a result of the improved quality and quantity in meals, Nan Ge Er wasn’t able to digest well every time after finishing his meals. His own rubs seemed to have not much impact. However, probably due to the knowledge of the functions of human organs and the possession of inner energy, Mo Shu could always make Nan Ge Er a bit more comfortable. Being used to it, Nan Ge Er nodded his head while opening his top. Under the thin warm blanket from the fire bucket, Mo Shu reached his hands out, helping to rub on a certain someone’s stomach.

A faint scent floated by from Mo Shu’s clothes, accompanying his subtle movements. The smell seemed to be mixed with pine wood and wind. The combination of fullness, warmth in his feet from the fire, and Mo Shu’s attempts to help his digestion made Nan Ge Er felt slightly sleepy in an instant. He yawned while narrowing his eyes.

“Do you want to take a nap?” Noticing Nan Ge Er’s movements, Mo Shu curled his lips up.

Nan Ge Er forced his eyes open, taking a glance at Mo Shu, “…table…” Since Mo Shu was in charge of cooking, he felt embarrassed to be lazing around, so he would help by cleaning the table and washing the dishes.

“I’ll clean it after eating.” Mo Shu smiled.

“Oh.” Nan Ge Er yawned again.

“You need to rest more.” Mo Shu spoke again.

Letting me sleep right after eating… Are you trying to raise a pig?! Nan Ge Er was tempted to reply back as such, but being in such a comfortable moment, he tilted his head, quickly falling asleep.

Looking at Nan Ge Er’s funny drooping posture on the fire bucket, Mo Shu couldn’t help smiling while continuing to rub on that certain someone’s stomach.

Rumor has it that when a cat began to trust its owner, it will give him a chance to look at its stomach. Right now, isn’t this sluggishly pleased, relaxed fellow displaying that kind of peaceful look? How interesting. How fun. How…

As Mo Shu gazed upon him, he found him too endearing, feeling a huge sense of accomplishment. The one who turned this fellow to such a state is me, you know?

That hideous face, tattered in a crisscrossed manner, merely rippled a slight pain in his heart. He clearly is such an adorable person… Why would anyone bear to hurt him as so?

Yet, he felt a little lucky. If he isn’t hurt to the bone, how will he never wish to return, and be willing to stay here? If he didn’t arrive… Then, what will become of me? Still being lonely, or maybe, not even knowing my loneliness? What exactly does he have that makes me keep my sight on him? Being so obviously plain, yet making me feel so…

While thinking as such, his hands gradually halted. He bent down, seemingly unaware, yet as if naturally, he gently placed a mark on those thin, water-coloured lips of his. So cute… He’s so lovable, simply causing others to have an urge to hug him every single moment.

Mo Shu seemed to be flabbergasted by the kiss too. He straightened up, froze for a while. Lacking the accustomed massage on his stomach, the person beneath Mo Shu’s palms twisted his body in a slightly irritated manner. Mo Shu returned back to his senses. As he glanced at the person rubbing on his hands via his stomach, he chuckled uncontrollably.

Really… too adorable. He really wanted to wake him up, give him a tight hug, and kiss him forcefully. However, he didn’t do so. He only bent down, kissing those faintly pale lips again, before continuing to rub his stomach.

He didn’t feel any need to dwell on the surprising fact that he kissed a male. In Mo Shu’s opinion, he had already kissed anyway. If he felt great after kissing and wanted to kiss him again, his actions would simply be deemed correct to him. Thus, without any bit of struggle, he undauntedly accepted his realisation.

I like him. I probably like him more than I realise.

A gust of wind blew past the window. Following along the wind’s direction, the tiny plum blossoms scattered down. It was currently the start of the fourth year; everything was just fine.

T/N:

¹Fire Bucket (or barrel): A wooden bucket. (From http://internatcitizen.com/2016/02/05/the-fire-bucket-hua-tong/ )A pan with hot coals covered with a layer of ash is placed at the bottom. A wire grate is placed over the pan and a blanket or heavy towel is placed over the top of the bucket to keep the heat in. Images of it : http://i2.sinaimg.cn/travel/2013/0125/U9177P704DT20130125114827.jpg and https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-tourist-sitting-in-a-huo-tong-meaning-fire-barrel-to-keep-warm-heated-29510198.html