TL: Hua
Yin Yanjun didn’t hesitate. He pushed open the door and strode into the room. The young master on the bed was tightly curled up, but his slightly protruding belly made him look particularly pitiful.
The young master was murmuring something, his voice trembling and shaking. He was caught in a nightmare, cold sweat continually breaking out on his forehead.
Hurrying to the bedside, Yin Yanjun gently called the young master’s name, but the young master, immersed in the nightmare, seemed unable to hear any outside sounds, only trembling uncontrollably.
Xu Yanqing felt as if he was standing in front of a strange yet familiar door. He stood at the entrance, helpless and bewildered. The door was tightly locked from the inside, and frantic sounds of arguing, along with crashing noises, kept coming from within.
The young boy stood at the doorway for a very long time. People passing by and going up and down the stairs looked at him with only pity and sighs, but they were powerless in the face of such family disputes.
The young Xu Yanqing couldn’t understand the deep meaning in their eyes. He hugged his backpack tightly and sat by the door for a very, very long time, from when the evening sun cast a red glow until the stairwell became completely dark.
The people inside seemed to have finally tired of arguing. The little boy at the door blinked his eyes, and a glimmer of brightness appeared in his previously dim gaze; he could finally go in.
It was probably past 8 o’clock now, and the little boy hadn’t eaten dinner. His stomach was empty and aching from hunger, and he hadn’t done his homework yet. If he didn’t finish his homework, he would probably be beaten again.
The door finally opened. The man who walked out of the room was startled by the little boy sitting by the door. He cursed and raised his hand to pull the little boy into the room. The room was a mess, and the main bedroom door was tightly shut.
The man seemed to have shifted his attention. He pulled the little boy and began another round of scolding, transferring all his anger from the child’s mother to the child himself.
The little boy stretched out his hand to pick at his clothes in boredom, only to be seen by the man. He slapped the little boy’s hands open, and his hands instantly turned red.
The man threw the child aside and walked into the room. The arguing started again inside. The child was just about to go back to his room when his mother walked out of the room.
“Go do your homework! Why are you staying by the door instead of coming home after school? You’re so young and already learning to be sneaky and lazy, just like your dad.” The woman seemed to have forgotten that she hadn’t given the little boy a key to the main door, and with the family arguing like that, the little boy simply didn’t dare to come home.
“I’m hungry, I want to eat.” The little boy looked up, his eyes dark and bright, yet filled with a strange calmness for such a young child, which unnerved the woman.
But the woman only felt that the little boy was defying her orders. Staring into the boy’s eerie eyes, perhaps on an impulse, or perhaps out of habit, she directly raised her hand and slapped the little boy’s face: “Go do your homework now! If you don’t finish your homework, you don’t get dinner tonight!”
“I’m hungry; I want to eat.” The little boy didn’t care about his stinging face. He lowered his head and rubbed his aching stomach, feeling as if he would starve to death if he didn’t eat something soon.
The woman’s hands were trembling. She dragged the little boy forward, pushing him into a room: “You’re so young and already learning to talk back to your parents! Tonight, you’ll stay in this room and reflect on yourself. If your homework isn’t finished, you won’t get breakfast tomorrow either.”
The door slammed shut with a thud, the sound making the little boy’s ears ache. The little boy curled up in the chair, tightly pressing his aching stomach, feeling as if it would make him feel a little better.
That night, he didn’t eat dinner. Enduring the hunger in his stomach, he meticulously finished his homework little by little.
About an hour later, the man in the main bedroom finally came out again. He asked the woman a few questions about the little boy. Before the woman could say two sentences, she started speaking sarcastically again.
The man couldn’t stand her behavior and, in a fit of anger, started arguing with her again. The boy in the small room quietly listened to the arguing outside. He opened the door a crack, wanting to go to the kitchen to find something to eat.
Neither the man nor the woman noticed the little boy behind them. They were fighting, and the man threw the woman to the ground, no longer intending to argue with her. But in her rage, the woman immediately picked up something from the table and threw it at the man.
The man swiftly dodged, and the object flew past him. Then, a woman’s scream pierced the air. The little boy blinked, a trickle of red liquid sliding down from his forehead. He felt his head ache, his stomach ache, and his whole body aching. Finally, his vision swam, and he collapsed to the ground.
…
Everything in the dream was pain. The young master on the bed winced and whimpered, murmuring about the pain, but he couldn’t wake up.
Yin Yanjun called his name several times into his ear, but the young master remained trapped in the nightmare. Yin Yanjun’s brows furrowed deeply. He gently picked up the young master from the bed and held him close, one hand softly caressing his back as if comforting a child.
In the grip of the nightmare, the young master felt someone press against his forehead, gently coaxing him in his ear: “Don’t be afraid; it’s alright now!”
The trembling young master gradually relaxed under Yin Yanjun’s comforting touch. He reached out, fumbling blindly, so Yin Yanjun offered his hand, their fingers intertwining.
Xu Yanqing felt tightly enveloped by the clear and light aura emanating from the Taoist priest’s body. He gradually felt a glimmer of light in his dark dream, but the salted fish had no strength left. Looking at the light, he could never reach the halo.
So, the young master, aching all over, wearily closed his eyes in the dream. After a brief rest, he painfully opened his eyes again. The light, which had seemed so distant, now slowly expanded, gradually growing larger until it completely enveloped him.
Xu Yanqing suddenly opened his eyes from the dream. Drowsily, he reached up to touch his aching forehead from the dream, and his fingers found it damp.
“It hurts,” the young master whimpered softly. He brought his wet fingers before his eyes; it was just water, not the vivid red blood from his dream.
Yin Yanjun held the young master tightly in his embrace, comforting him with a gentle and warm voice: “Where does Young Master feel pain?”
The delicate and vulnerable young master, facing the Taoist who held him, was like a child finding comfort after being bullied. A slight whine entered his voice: “My ears hurt, my stomach hurts, and my forehead hurts too. My whole body feels like it hurts!”
Yin Yanjun didn’t release him. Instead, he stretched out one hand and carefully examined the young master’s ears, forehead, and stomach.
The young master was perfectly fine all over, with no injuries, but Yin Yanjun still patiently and gently massaged his ears and forehead, softly reassuring him, “Young master, bear with it. The pain will be gone soon.”
Xu Yanqing nestled in the Taoist’s embrace, one hand intertwined with the Taoist’s fingers, the other tightly clutching the Taoist’s robes.
The salted fish personality isn’t one to wallow in the past and refuse to awaken. Since Xu Yanqing’s transmigration, he rarely thought of his past life. Perhaps the hysterical unreasonableness of Li Yueyao’s father today reminded him of his parents in his previous life.
Soon, under the Taoist’s soothing, the young master finally recovered. He released his grip on the Taoist’s robes and, a little abashed, reached up to scratch his head, quietly saying, “Taoist Master, I’m fine now.”
“Does it still hurt?” Yin Yanjun gently moved away the young master’s hand that was scratching his head, his tone exceptionally soft.
The young master obediently shook his head, only then realizing he was entirely nestled in the Taoist’s embrace. The salted fish couldn’t tell if this counted as social death anymore; anyway, no one else saw it, so he just gave up and continued to nestle in the Taoist’s arms.
One’s thick skin needs training; the better it’s trained, the thicker it gets. And the salted fish felt he had reached a certain level of training.
Yin Yanjun considerately didn’t ask the young master why he had a nightmare but gently patted his back, coaxing him to sleep.
Having experienced a nightmare, Xu Yanqing naturally couldn’t sleep now. He reached up and scratched the back of his neck again, pulling the Taoist into conversation.
Yin Yanjun was many years older than the young master, and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he knew everything from astronomy to geography.
The young master nestled in the Taoist’s arms, listening very attentively, though he would occasionally raise his hand to scratch the back of his neck.
Yin Yanjun gently pulled the young master’s hand away, his gaze falling on the young master’s fair and tender nape, where the skin was somewhat reddened from the young master’s scratching fingers.
“Is your nape uncomfortable again?” Yin Yanjun slightly furrowed his brow. In his memory, there had been several times when the young master would scratch his nape like this today. He had also asked the young master about this before but never got an answer.
“Nape?” Xu Yanqing paused, feeling his recent reaction time seemed a bit slow. But when the Taoist mentioned it, he instantly remembered the hot flashes that occurred periodically.
The timing of these hot flashes was irregular. Xu Yanqing’s recent days in Xu Family Village had been too comfortable, and he had long forgotten about the hot flashes.
Thinking of the hot flashes’ characteristics, the salted fish young master further gave up all pretenses, snuggling into the Taoist’s embrace, then sniffing the Taoist’s scent like a pervert, taking a deep, long breath.
Suddenly, the despondent salted fish understood what it felt like for a cat to smell catnip. This intoxicating sensation was something ordinary people couldn’t experience; it was utterly blissful!
Raising his hand, he placed the Taoist’s hand on his nape, and the shameless young master softly pleaded, “It’s so itchy, Taoist Master, scratch it for me.”
“Are you really fine?” Yin Yanjun couldn’t help but worry that the young master’s nape would be uncomfortable like this every once in a while.
The young master waved his hand indifferently. The salted fish’s ultimate rule for adapting to life was: when you can’t resist the world, you can comfortably lie flat!
—
In the capital, Xu Xianzhi was dragged off to play polo, but clearly, his enthusiasm wasn’t very high.
Yin Yuancheng rode his horse over and bumped Xu Xianzhi with his shoulder: “What are you thinking about, so lost in thought?”
“Hmm.” Xu Xianzhi tugged on the reins, making his horse move aside to avoid knocking the gentle and refined young marquis off his horse: “My family’s Ah Qing letter should arrive today.” So, he was in no mood to play polo now. If the young marquis hadn’t dragged him out, he wouldn’t have left the house today.
The sister-loving young marquis raised his hands and clasped his fists to express his inferiority to the brother-loving young prince, but he was still a little curious: “What disease did Young Master Xu have that made him have to go to the countryside to recuperate?”
Xu Xianzhi suddenly frowned upon hearing this: “How does the young marquis know that my family Ah Qing is recuperating in the countryside?” Logically speaking, those young masters in the capital only knew that Ah Qing went to the countryside to pay respects to his ancestors, yet the young marquis blurted out “recuperating.”
Having accidentally let it slip, Yin Yuancheng covered it up with a few laughs, merely saying, “Some time ago, I received the emperor’s decree and went to Jiangcheng. I encountered heavy rain at night and happened to meet Young Master Xu, so I stayed and bothered him for two days.”
Xu Xianzhi looked up at Yin Yuancheng with a hint of suspicion but still spoke amiably: “I haven’t heard Ah Qing mention it, but that child is kind-hearted, so it’s natural for him to do such good deeds.” Every word he spoke was filled with pride for his younger brother.
Yin Yuancheng: That’s not what I meant.
The two exchanged pleasantries, but Yin Yuancheng still couldn’t elicit from Xu Xianzhi what illness Young Master Xu had. After the polo match ended, when he looked up again, Xu Xianzhi was nowhere to be seen on the field.
Yin Yuancheng stroked his chin. Everyone said Xu Xianzhi was a burly martial man, but now, in his opinion, the Marquis Wu’an’s heir was indeed a clever and astute person.
Princess Jing’an walked over and patted her elder brother’s shoulder: “Brother, you won the match. Why are you daydreaming here instead of claiming your prize?”
“I was just talking to the Marquis Wu’an’s heir, but in the blink of an eye, he was gone,” Yin Yuancheng turned his head to look at his sister, a doting smile on his face: “Today’s prize is a golden hairpin. Come on, brother will get you your gift.”
“Thank you, brother.” Princess Jing’an’s lips curled slightly. She wore a dashing riding outfit today, holding a riding crop, looking truly radiant.
—
Xu Xianzhi rushed home and indeed saw his parents had already opened the letter. He walked over, a little displeased: “Father and Mother, really, you couldn’t even wait for your son for a moment?”
Lady Su, seeing him, quickly waved him over, a smile still on her face: “Come quickly and take a look. Ah Qing actually isn’t writing recipes anymore! The content of this letter is much more interesting than before.”
Previously, Young Master Xu’s letters would only mention what he ate today or what he would eat tomorrow, the content truly boring. Yet, the Marquis Wu’an and his wife missed their youngest son and could only glean a little about his recent situation from that huge pile of recipes.
But this family letter was significantly more interesting than before. Xu Yanqing, following the Taoist’s suggestion, mentioned breaking corn in the cornfield, the chicken coop collapsing after the heavy rain, and the little gadgets he made every day, finally adding a brief mention of the fetus’s condition.
Lady Su smiled as she read and finally couldn’t help but shed two tears. Although this youngest son usually wasn’t home for days at a time, at least he was in the capital. She could send a servant to call him home. But now, he had gone to such a distant place; how could she not worry?
“Why are you crying?” Marquis Wu’an gently patted Lady Su’s back, comforting her: “This brat is probably having a joyous time playing in Xu Family Village now. When he comes back and circles around you every day, you’ll probably find him annoying.”
Lady Su glared at her husband huffily: “When have I ever found my son annoying? Don’t pin your words on me.”
Marquis Wu’an repeatedly begged for mercy: “Alright, alright, it’s all my fault. I hope my lady will forgive me.”
His parents’ clingy behavior made Xu Xianzhi unable to even look. He quickly grabbed his own family letter and scurried away.
If you ask what it feels like to be a son when your parents’ relationship is too good? Xu Xianzhi’s answer would definitely be: So stuffed with dog food you can’t walk.
—
In Prince Huai’s mansion, a group of servants looked around anxiously at the gate, occasionally glancing back into the mansion with fear.
Finally, they saw the gentle and refined young marquis slowly approaching on his horse.
A group of servants eagerly rushed to take Yin Yuancheng’s horse: “Young Marquis, you’re finally here! If you were any later, we servants might not have lived to see you!”
Yin Yuancheng lifted his leg and walked towards Prince Huai’s mansion: “What’s the situation with your prince today? Why are you so anxious to call me over? Has something major happened?”
The old steward of Prince Huai’s mansion shook his head repeatedly: “This old servant doesn’t know either. I just feel that His Royal Highness seems particularly agitated today.”
Yin Yuancheng nodded and strode towards Prince Huai’s study.
Prince Huai was currently pacing back and forth in his study. Seeing Yin Yuancheng enter, he quickly went to meet him: “My dear nephew, you’ve finally arrived! If you hadn’t come, your uncle would have died of anxiety!”
“Your Royal Highness is usually wise and mighty. What major event has occurred today to make Your Royal Highness so impatient?” Yin Yuancheng walked forward unhurriedly, maintaining the demeanor of a modest gentleman.
“The annual festival that occurs every five years is less than two months away, and all surrounding nations will come to pay respects to the monarch at this time. But now, the emperor has not yet returned. What should I, a humble prince, do?” He could barely handle receiving emissaries from vassal states, but meeting emissaries at a palace banquet was not something a prince should interfere with. Prince Huai had always been very discerning about these matters.
“I remember Your Royal Highness submitted a memorial to the emperor a few days ago?” Vassal diplomacy was indeed a major issue, so Yin Yuancheng also frowned. The emperor always took relations with vassal states very seriously; it was impossible for there to be no reply. Could it be that something major was holding him back?
Upon this thought, the beautiful and exquisite face of Young Master Xu instantly appeared in Yin Yuancheng’s mind. For a moment, his thoughts drifted. Indeed, the emperor had fallen for someone, even delaying important state affairs for a young man.
However, this was just a joke; Yin Yuancheng didn’t quite believe that the emperor would do something so lacking in judgment.
Therefore, Yin Yuancheng comforted Prince Huai: “Your Royal Highness, rest assured, the emperor has always valued relations with vassal states. It is certainly impossible for him to completely push this matter onto Your Royal Highness. I will also submit another memorial to urge the emperor to return.”
“My beloved nephew!” Prince Huai couldn’t help but pat Yin Yuancheng’s shoulder, finally sighing, “My life is in your hands, nephew! You must bring the emperor back!”
Yin Yuancheng also felt like crying without tears: He only hoped he could really bring the emperor back as soon as possible.
—
And so, several memorials urging him to return to the palace as soon as possible to preside over the grand affairs of state appeared before Yin Yanjun’s desk.
The salted fish young master looked up. He rarely saw the Taoist looking so dignified, solemn, and even slightly troubled. On a whim, he leaned closer to the Taoist: “What happened in the capital that has made Taoist Master so troubled?”
Yin Yanjun closed the memorial in his hand, tossed it onto the desk, and looked seriously at the lively young master before him, gently asking, “Young Master, are you willing to return to the capital with me?”
The salted fish young master’s first reaction was to refuse. He didn’t want to! Then he asked, perplexed, “Did something major really happen in the capital?”
Yin Yanjun naturally sensed the young master’s refusal and the momentary stiffness. He gently watched the young master, not wanting to put any pressure on him, and calmly said, “The quinquennial New Year’s festival is in a month and a half. All surrounding vassal states will come to the capital to pay respects to the monarch, so I must return to the palace to preside over the grand affairs.”
“Then Taoist Master should return to the palace first!” The salted fish young master felt sullen and inexplicably reluctant, yet still lowered his head and said, “I can be on my own.” Originally, he only planned to give birth to this little bean by himself. The Taoist’s companionship for this long was already very good.
The most important thing was that the salted fish young master didn’t want to return to the capital, let alone enter the palace, and he certainly didn’t want to face some issues he had put aside due to his impulsiveness.
After all, a salted fish’s brain can only hold a tiny bit of information; those overly heavy thoughts didn’t fit the salted fish’s whimsical nature.
“Then I’ll return to the capital first?” Yin Yanjun’s gaze was gentle as he smiled at the young master.
Xu Yanqing reached up and stroked the back of his neck. This hot flash had just begun, so he had to secretly “borrow” some of the Taoist’s often-worn clothes before he left, preferably unwashed ones.
However, Xu Yanqing was a little lost in thought. Why did he feel like he was truly embarking on a perverse path? Was he going to be a perverted salted fish from now on?
The dejected salted fish once again doubted life, while the Taoist, who was gradually turning the salted fish young master into a “pervert,” still smiled with a serene and immortal demeanor.
It was utterly hateful! Inside the young master’s mind, a tearful salted fish pointed at the Taoist, fiercely condemning him endlessly.
Yin Yanjun gently raised his hand and rubbed the young master’s chubby cheek, then, following the curve of his face, gently massaged and stroked the young master’s fair and tender nape: “What are you thinking about to be so lost in thought?”
I’m thinking about how to steal your worn clothes! The young master blinked innocently. However, he couldn’t just blurt out
such shameless and vulgar words.
The hot flash had just begun, and the salted fish young master’s nape was being rubbed in the Taoist’s palm. A tingling sensation surged uncontrollably, and Xu Yanqing couldn’t help but rub against the Taoist’s hand.
A hint of doting flashed in Yin Yanjun’s eyes. He moved his palm upward to gently ruffle the young master’s soft hair. He didn’t intend to put too much pressure on the young master, but he certainly wouldn’t feel at ease leaving the young master alone in Xu Family Village, so he would definitely have to coax him away in the end.
In a battle between two armies, he must find a good method.
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