GHLCS Chapter167

(1)

“This injury is not a serious one. Go out and buy two bags of salt to put on the plaster. Otherwise, if he keeps moving, then the plaster won’t work.” Xu Hang wrote a list and handed it to Duan Yelin, with a look of reproach in his eyes.

 

On a recliner nearby, the young monk who had finally had a day off was lying there, crying so hard that it shook the heavens and the earth. Duan Yelin has headache from his howling, and he slipped out as fast as he could.

 

Chan Yi took the fan and blew it gently at the little monk’s round buttocks, which had two or three red marks on them.

 

The origin is simple. The little monk was drowsy in school every day. He could pay attention to the Chinese studies class, but he became confused when it came to mathematics, and his drooling spread from the table to under the table.

 

One day, he was sleeping in a daze and heard the bell tied to the foot of the girl sitting behind him ring. He thought it was the end of the class and immediately sat up in shock from his dying illness and went out cheering.

 

The students in the class were immersed in the influence of knowledge, watching him run away with a wicked grin and a bag on his back. The teacher, who was over sixty years old, looked at him with his teeth shaking and was on the verge of collapse.

 

After a phone call reporting the incident, Duan Yelin picked up a broom and hit him twice.

 

The problem is that Duan Yelin was beaten by Qiao Daosang when he was growing up and received a tough education since childhood. He was taught that family, country, and the world are more important than himself. But the little monk was raised tenderly by Chang Ling, even though he didn’t have fine clothes and delicious food, he was never beaten either.

 

Immediately, his buttocks swelled up vigorously like the sun at eight or nine o’clock. Qiao Daosang heard the little monk cry and scolded Duan Yelin while holding the child and hurried to find Xu Hang.

 

Duan Yelin looked at the biased Qiao Daosang and broke his broom: “Screw the grandparents’ pampering!”

 

While Duan Yelin was out, Xu Hang struck while the iron was hot. Since Duan Yelin had already played the bad guy, he might as well play the good guy and try to correct the young monk’s improper study habits.

 

“You’d better change your behavior from now on, otherwise that big assh*le will beat you up.” Xu Hang applied medicine to the little monk.

 

The little monk hummed.

 

As he was talking, that big assh*le came in, holding an egg in each hand, asking for credit: “Here are the salted eggs! But how do I apply the salted eggs? Should I peel them or keep them in the shell?”

 

Xu Hang looked at the two eggs and wanted to stick them on Duan Yelin’s forehead.

 

Chan Yi chuckled: “Commander, you misheard. The Head of the Household was talking about the bag of salt.”

 

Duan Yelin’s old face turned red.

 

The young monk was very disrespectful: “Fool.”

 

“Hey, little bastard, what are you talking about? Speak louder!”

 

“Ah, old man, let go of my ear!”

 

“Poor monk, I think you are indeed quite poor!”

 

“Ahhh—my butt—”

 

Shucheng is a place of great feng shui. If one stays there for a long time, their hearts will melt.

 

(2)

It’s the Qingming Festival again.

 

Duan Yelin and Xu Hang took the train back to Hezhou a few days ago. Hezhou has changed a lot after post-disaster reconstruction.

 

They took the little monk to sweep Chang Ling’s tomb, and in the afternoon, they drove to Cong Lin and Duan Zhanzhou’s tombs with wine and cake to pay homage and returned to Shucheng just in time for the Qingming Festival.

 

Xu Hang’s family did not have a grave, their remains were incomplete and destroyed by burning. The original Hang family home had become a field of peony flowers. Duan Yelin built a small incense hall at the end of the field, offering a blank stele and a golden hairpin, and the incense was always burning.

 

He still remembers that in the first year, Xu Hang still had some resentment in his heart. Duan Yelin dragged him to the incense hall and made him kneel on the mat. He raised one hand and swore, “The spirits of the Hang family ancestor above, I, Duan Yelin, apologize to your Hang family for taking this Hang Shaotang, making your Hang family’s lineage broken. If there is any punishment for my mistakes, wait until I go to the underworld after I die. Please don’t blame him! I know he is the apple of your eye, and from now on, I will love and cherish him, and I will never let him have any regrets! If I break my oath, my face will be covered with yellow sand and my body will be mutilated[mfn]Basically, to die with an incomplete body[/mfn]!

 

After saying this, he kowtowed three times, without any ambiguity.

 

Xu Hang bit his lower lip and looked at Duan Yelin. He wanted to scold him for being reckless but couldn’t. He wanted to say that he was too serious, but it was hard to blame him. Finally, he glanced at him and softened his voice: “You keep talking about death all day long…”

 

This time, Xu Hang went to burn incense while Duan Yelin was still asleep. He made a bowl of croaker fish ball soup and brought it to the table. Holding the incense in his hand. He chattered about what happened in the past year.

 

His voice remained calm and even, but his tone was grave as he carefully recounted every detail to the elders of the Hang family.

 

“Finally…” He said with a dry mouth but finally smiled a little, “Please rest assured, Father and Mother, he treats me very well.”

 

The wind blew through the incense hall, lifting the window screens and making them dance, as if someone was responding.

 

(3)

But now, in times of peace, the practice of stationing troops in the city was no longer needed, but rather a unified management by administrative officials of all ranks.

 

Shucheng also gained a new word in its name, which is called Shucheng City. When a new mayor came, the first three big moves he made were on Duan Yelin.

 

Mayor Huang wanted to requisition a piece of land for his own house, and after looking around, he finally fell in love with the peony garden planted by Duan Yelin for Xu Hang. They couldn’t agree on the money, but there was an official document saying that the government would requisition the land and would demolish it at a later date.

 

A phoenix without its feathers plucked is no better than a chicken. Commander Duan, without his military uniform, really can’t order anyone around.

 

When Xu Hang heard that someone was going to attack his peony garden, he measured the knife he used to cut herbs and calmly said, “The last person who touched my peonies has been dead a long time ago.”

 

So on the second day, the picture of the daring Mayor Huang listening to the pipa girl singing in Chunfeng Alley was taken by foreign reporters who came to collect folk songs. There were a lot of photos, including a frontal photo. He was smiling so brightly, and the beauties around him were so charming. They were all reported in the newspapers that day.

 

Mayor Huang is not afraid of anything else, but he is a henpecked husband. He was so scared when he saw the newspaper in the morning that he didn’t even dare to drink water. He drove to the photography studio dedicated to the newspaper. Who would have known that all the films had been bought by Xu Hang and Duan Yelin?

 

Xu Hang didn’t even offer the mayor a cup of tea but only asked, “Which is more valuable, the Peony Garden or your old face?”

 

Mayor Huang clasped his fists and said, “Face, face.”

 

So when the mayor’s wife came after him with a knife in hand, Xu Hang explained lightly, “Madam, the photo studio business is not doing well, and I was just thinking of asking the Mayor and the Madam to take a photo together for publicity. But when the Mayor heard that the printed photos would be on the front page of the newspaper, he said that his wife was ‘dignified and beautiful and must not be shown to others’, and that other girls were ‘pedantic and lacked the manners for showing themselves to others’, so after much thought, I could only invite some famous actresses to fill the scene. This way, we can have the Mayor’s support, and secondly, the photos are beautiful. The orders from this morning alone are scheduled for several months ahead. The photo studio said that a share of the profits would be given to the Mayor, but the Mayor refused to take any and donated them all to the medical hall in the Madam’s name. I am grateful for Madam’s kindness, so I made a plaque and was about to give it to Madam.”

 

He waved his hand, and Chan Yi came up carrying something covered with red silk. When it was opened, they saw that it was a finished plaque with densely written words on it, almost praising the mayor’s wife like a fairy descended from earth.

 

The mayor’s wife’s expression changed from gloomy to clear, and finally she punched Mayor Huang’s chest with her fist and said, “Look at you, you are already old and almost made a fool of yourself just to give a gift.”

 

Mayor Huang saved both his face and his life. With tears in his eyes, he gave Xu Hang a thumbs-up: “I’m willing, I’m willing.”

 

The owner of the photo studio watched the mayor leave, then he looked up from the order sheet that was cramping his hands and gave them a big red envelope: “You two are really wise.”

 

Not long after, taking photos became a major trend for women in the boudoir who love beauty, and the photos of the first-generation pipa singer Ruan Xiaodie became the hottest photo gallery signature in Shucheng.

 

(4)

There is no acquaintance without exchanging blows. Mayor Huang came to Xu Hang whenever he had nothing to do. He is a smart man who looks confused, but in fact, he had already figured out the identities of Duan Yelin and Xu Hang very clearly when he went back.

 

In other words, Duan Yelin wants to live a stable life; otherwise, it is hard to say whether the mayor of Shucheng will still be able to use the surname Huang or not.

 

Mayor Huang often had some troubles that he couldn’t solve. He went to the police station to get a special investigator certificate and had to send it to Duan Yelin and even stamped it with his official seal. In the name of giving Duan Yelin some identity so that no one would bully him, but in fact it was just a way for him to annoy him openly.

 

“We are all working for the country…” As soon as Mayor Huang started talking, Duan Yelin’s ears started to itch. It was probably not a good job. “I am also doing this for the good of Shucheng City, so I am rushing to build a cross-river bridge. But this Qichu River is really strange, there are some strange powers, and sending a lot of police officers over is useless. You two are so smart, can you help me take a look?”

 

Xu Hang hated having things that had nothing to do with him the most. He listened to Mayor Huang’s humming words patiently, and without even raising his eyelids, he waved his hand and said, “We will definitely…”

 

Before he could even utter the word “not”, Mayor Huang slammed the table and said, “If this bridge is completed, I will fund the expansion of Mr. Xu’s medical hall to three times its current size, creating a complete set of Chinese and Western medical, with enough manpower!”

 

Although he secretly mocked the cunningness of this old man, he still bowed down to this deal. Xu Hang changed the subject and said, “I definitely cannot refuse.”

 

As soon as he saw Xu Hang agreed, Mayor Huang finally let out all the truth.

 

It turned out that since the beginning of the bridge construction, there have been some disturbing things, such as people drowning, ghosts appearing in the middle of the night, female ghosts smashing the bridge, and evil children moving stones… They were described vividly. Most people in Shucheng are superstitious, and as more people spread the news, gradually no one dared to repair the bridge anymore.

 

The next day, Mayor Huang was kind enough to take Duan Yelin and Xu Hang to meet the investors of the cross-river bridge, who turned out to be Xiao Yan and Shen Jingmo.

 

Xiao Yan paid for the construction of the bridge. To put it nicely, it was for the benefit of the people, but in fact it was to open up the cargo trade along the line to Shucheng. He and Mayor Huang had an agreement that he would pay for it, but in the future, all taxes and checks on the traffic must be waived.

 

No wonder this old man was so generous and willing to expand the medical house. It turns out he didn’t spend a penny on building the bridge.

 

Duan Yelin smiled and said, “Oh, it’s fate. Hahaha… Mayor Huang, this is an old acquaintance of mine. You have to pay extra.”

 

The older you get, the more you want to play. That night, Duan Yelin, Xiao Yan, Qiao Song, and Xu Hang stood by the Qichu River, holding lanterns and watching.

 

Duan Yelin came to show off his skills in front of Xu Hang, Xiao Yan called it an inspection, Qiao Song came to build up his courage, and Xu Hang said he would come to collect their bodies in case of any accidents.

 

Duan Yelin moved the fastest. He quickly took off his clothes and jumped into the river. The water at the riverbank suddenly became deep. He dived in and disappeared. Xiao Yan walked forward and looked down. Duan Yelin stretched out a hand and dragged Xiao Yan into the water.

 

“Damn you!” Xiao Yan only had time to curse before he was soaked all over.

 

It was too dark at night, and he couldn’t hold the lantern for long in the water. When the lantern accidentally went out, Duan Yelin began to swim back. But after swimming a few steps, his feet seemed to be entangled by something. He thought to himself that something was wrong and looked up and shouted to Xiao Yan, who was nearest to him. Xiao Yan immediately understood and reached out to hold Duan Yelin’s hand.

 

Qiao Song and Xu Hang stared at it, then rushed forward and pulled Duan Yelin ashore.

 

Xiao Yan panted, “You are having cramps while showing off?!”

 

Qiao Song took the lantern closer and looked at Duan Yelin’s leg carefully. He turned pale with fear and pointed at it, stammering and saying incoherently, “This, this, this…”

 

When everyone looked down, they saw five bright red finger marks on Duan Yelin’s ankles, and they all fell silent.

 

(5)

The next night, when they came to the riverside again, Qiao Song clung to Xiao Yan’s back for a long time and refused to get off. He was good at everything except being afraid of ghosts, especially the ‘ghost claw’ he saw yesterday.

 

Xiao Yan was so disgusted that he had goosebumps all the time: “You are not afraid of killing enemies in battle, so why are you afraid of a few lonely ghosts?!”

 

Qiao Song accepted the criticism and was still afraid: “This is the instinct of a living person… haha… instinct.”

 

Xiao Yan was almost killed by Qiao Song, who grabbed his throat because of nervousness, and he quickly pushed him away: “I am a family man.”

 

Qiao Song pointed at Xu Hang, who was being held by Duan Yelin on the other side, and said, “I can’t get in that side either ah.”

 

The veins on Xiao Yan’s forehead twitched, and he decided that he would bring Shen Jingmo out tomorrow no matter what, he would make Qiao Song cry alone.

 

Meanwhile, Duan Yelin took advantage of this opportunity to touch Xu Hang all over and even put his face against Xu Hang’s cheek: “Shaotang, are you cold? If you’re scared, just stay close to me. How is it? Isn’t it warm?”

 

Xu Hang leaned back slightly, looking at him as if looking at a fool: “Don’t poke me with your stubble.”

 

As soon as they arrived at the river, Qiao Song took out the incense, candles, paper money, and brazier from somewhere, lit them up, and chanted “Amitabha” for a long time, hoping that the water ghosts in the river would be reborn soon.

 

Qiao Song was still kowtowing and burning paper seriously… suddenly, the brazier moved upwards. He shuddered and rubbed his eyes, and the brazier moved again!

 

Qiao Song was so frightened that his face turned pale, and cold sweats broke out. His soul almost left his body! And the brazier was still moving little by little, moving rhythmically!

 

“The ghost is coming, the ghost is coming, the ghost is coming…” He kept muttering. But the three people standing there were looking at the brazier calmly. Finally, Duan Yelin couldn’t stand Qiao Song’s complaining anymore and kicked over the brazier.

 

Under the brazier was a hard-shelled beetle, which shook itself and easily crawled away. Qiao Song breathed a sigh of relief, stood up awkwardly, and laughed: “Scared me to death, it turned out to be a bug ah.”

 

The river flows quietly, and the darkness beneath is unfathomable.

 

Xu Hang held the lantern in one hand, thinking, then turned around and said, “Alright, forget about the bugs on the shore, let’s catch the bugs in the water first.”

 

“Fine, it’s time to cast the net to catch fish!” Duan Yelin smiled, picked up the large fishing net he brought, swung it in the air in a beautiful arc, and spread it out fully.

 

Xiao Yan held the sawed wire in one hand, and the other end of the wire was a mechanical electrical box left over from the bridge construction. The power was fully charged. He stepped on the switch, and his hand loosened, and the wire fell into the river. Almost instantly, they heard some muffled sounds in the water. Ten seconds later, Xiao Yan turned off the switch.

 

Duan Yelin threw the fishing net rope into Qiao Song’s hand and ordered him, “Collect the net.”

 

It’s true that they got quite a lot tonight. There were four big men with strong arms and legs, all of them breathing hard and jumping around.

 

Xu Hang used lanterns to illuminate their faces. They were not strangers, and he had seen them before. They were all people who made a living by the river, ordinary civilians, born and raised here.

 

He touched his own nose and said, “I think I know why they are pretending to be ghosts.”

 

(6)

To say that the ignorant people are ignorant is because they only see short-term benefits and fail to see the long-term ones.

 

The haunted people are the local fishermen or the porters at the dock. They heard that a bridge was going to be built and spread the word that once the bridge was built, business on the river would be cut off, so they tried every means to obstruct the project.

 

“We were just trying to scare people, move some bricks, and damage some machines. We would never dare to kill anyone!” Several workers hurriedly confessed.

 

Mayor Huang put his hands on his hips and scolded the workers and then asked them to confess one by one. In the end, a total of more than a hundred people, including their families, were found guilty. It is impossible to put all of them in jail. It is not right to punish them either, but not punishing them would seem lenient.

 

Xu Hang thought for a moment and said, “Since they are hindering the construction of the bridge, why not punish them to build the bridge? When the bridge is completed, their criminal records will be cleared as well. Anyway, we are short of workers right now, and with them as an example, the rumors will be broken by themselves.”

 

Mayor Huang’s eyes lit up: “Great idea, great idea!”

 

People like Xiao Yan have a strong sense of gangster habits, and he himself was born in poverty as well. He immediately threw two stacks of money on the table and said, “Since you are my workers, you will be paid as usual. I will also let them know that building the bridge is not to cut off their livelihood but to help them find a better way to make a living.”

 

Mayor Huang was even more hypocritical at this moment: “Don’t worry, don’t worry. The workers’ wages will be recorded in the bridge’s account, and we will reconcile with you after completion to prevent any mistakes in the accounting. But if you insist on not taking it back, then I will…”

 

Before he even touched the money, Xu Hang slashed at it and took a stack away. Xu Hang nodded and said to Xiao Yan, “Then I’ll take it and consider it as rent for the few days you stay at my house.”

 

Duan Yelin followed suit and took the remaining stack, nodding and saying, “I’ll take it too. Just consider it as your meal money for the next few days at my house.”

 

The pair of husband and husband return home together.

 

Xiao Yan was slightly surprised and poked Qiao Song’s abdomen with his elbow and asked with an expression that the world was going downhill, “Damn it, they are this kind of people?!!”

 

Just because he paid the money, Xiao Yan felt that he should live in Shucheng to make back his investment.

 

Shen Jingmo was weak, so he asked Xu Hang to take his pulse every day. The money was spent like water, and he took tonic medicine like water too, but it was still not enough.

 

In fact, Shen Jingmo has already eaten enough to stretch his clothes out of shape, and his cheeks have also gained some flesh.

 

But in Xiao Yan’s eyes, he looked very thin. He said unhappily, “Has he recovered?”

 

Xu Hang rolled his eyes at him and said, “Has his body become stronger? Don’t you know it clearly from the measurements you take every night?”

 

Upon hearing this, Shen Jingmo blushed: “Xiao, Xiao Hang…”

 

He would sleep after just one or two hours when he first moved in, but in the past two days he kept making noises until dawn and didn’t get up until after noon. Xiao Yan was becoming more and more excessive, which naturally meant that Shen Jingmo could also tolerate his troubles more and more.

 

It seems to be quite effective when you think about it this way.

 

Chan Yi came in with Shen Jingmo’s tonic. Xiao Yan had a very sharp nose and felt something was wrong the moment he smelled it. He snatched it and licked it, frowning, “Isn’t this just ordinary tea?”

 

“Yes, it clears away and relieves internal heat and has no harm.”

 

Xiao Yan looked like he was asking for an explanation: “The tonic you prescribed.” Chan Yi waved her fan and said to him slowly, “The tonics he took in the beginning were enough, but Mr. Shen was weak, and drinking too much would harm his body, so we changed it to tea in the past few days.”

 

Xiao Yan knocked on the table and asked, “You charge me so much for a bowl of tea that costs only a few cents? Are you ripping me off? Are you charging by the drop or by the bowl?”

 

Xu Hang closed the medical box and smiled gently. “Mr. Xiao, this physician charges by the hour.”

 

Looking at the figure that looked like a bright gentleman, Xiao Yan suddenly dug out a word from his poor literary foundation, which was ‘scholar who has been away for three days must be looked at with new vision[mfn]After even a short absence, people have changed and should be judged anew.[/mfn]’ He felt like his eyes were being scraped and pointed at Xu Hang and asked Chan Yi, “Damn, how did he become a physician?”

 

(7)

The medical hall needs some Western equipment, but Mayor Huang can’t handle it, so Duan Yelin sends an urgent telegram, and Yuan Ye makes a brilliant appearance.

 

If you want to know how successful a person is in middle age, you can tell by looking at his body shape. The gentle and charming Yuan Ye is gone forever. When the family got off the dock, Duan Yelin and Xu Hang only recognized Gu Fangfei, who was still charming.

 

Duan Yelin pointed to the man beside Gu Fangfei, who cradled one child in his arm and held another by the hand. He had a slight beer belly and looked a size bigger. He asked, “Your new husband?”

 

Yuan Ye smiled brightly.

 

Now, Xu Hang’s house was really overcrowded.

 

Qiao Daosang was surrounded by children of all ages playing all day long, laughing from ear to ear.

 

Duan Yelin and Xiao Yan both felt that Yuan Ye was just showing off.

 

Look at someone else’s wife—Gu Fangfei, a refined lady from a wealthy family and a well-educated student who studied abroad. She’s graceful and poised, capable of managing the books in the accounting office, cooking in the kitchen, hosting guests in the living room, and writing in the study.

 

Of course, these are not the main points. Every time they eat, Gu Fangfei would put some of Yuan Ye’s favorite dishes into his bowl, never leaving his bowl empty, and was so considerate that she would even pour him tea if he chewed slowly.

 

Duan Yelin felt so sad that he nudged Xu Hang with his elbow. Xu Hang sighed, “Do you have a cramp in your hand?”

 

Ai…

 

As soon as the meal was over, Yuan Ye would habitually fall back on the rattan chair. Gu Fangfei would then put her hands on her hips and act coquettishly to him, saying that she wanted to go out for a walk to digest the food. If Yuan Ye refused, she would become coquettish and angry. Her tantrums were just right, which made Yuan Ye feel comfortable.

 

Xiao Yan felt so bitter. No matter how overbearing he was, Shen Jingmo never showed his displeasure to him. He would only say in a friendly manner, “Alright, all is fine.”

 

Ai…

 

The more they thought about it, the angrier they became. Taking advantage of the night drink, the two of them used torture technique to interrogate how Yuan Ye controlled his wife.

 

Yuan Ye took a sip of wine and acted as a life mentor: “This is simple. If she treats you coldly, you should pretend to be aggrieved and be more pitiful than her; if she goes along with you, you might as well take advantage of it and gain more in the future; if she is angry, just play tricks and remember to be shameless. No matter how things change, you should remain the same. Whether I’m wrong or not, it’s all my fault. Wife is more important than anything else!”

 

Oh… this is a f*cking wife slave.

 

Duan Yelin and Xiao Yan, with their last bit of stubbornness, thought it was impossible. The more they drank, the more they boasted. Duan Yelin put one foot on the table and patted his chest: “It’s not that I’m bragging, it’s just that guy of mine, if I said one, he would never say two. He has the final say outside, and inside, he listens to me.”

 

How could Xiao Yan be inferior to others? He even smashed the wine bottle and loudly said, “I am not bragging, that guy of mine has always made me worry-free. Cause a fuss? He dare?”

 

“Oh?” Yuan Ye smiled and said nothing.

 

The three men perform a play, but little did they know that this play had already been exaggerated and passed on to Xu Hang and Shen Jingmo by the little monk who was listening to the scenes.

 

So that night, the drunk Duan Yelin and Xiao Yan were locked outside the room, shivering in the cold wind all night. Only Yuan Ye was invited in by Gu Fangfei with great respect.

 

At the men’s drinking party the next day, Yuan Ye came late, holding his back, as if he was falling apart, with an apologetic and implicit smile on his face: “I won’t drink today, and let’s not talk about boudoir secrets either. I can’t do it anymore. I can’t overcome my waist strength, hehe. I can’t overcome my waist strength.”

 

Bastard, he got the advantage yet still acted like a good kid. How can this be tolerated?!

 

Duan Yelin and Xiao Yan were so jealous that they stood up angrily and slammed the table, saying angrily, “Boss, he will pay!”

 

(8)

The bridge and the new medical center are about to be completed. Citizens from all over the city are happy and have jointly agreed to hold a banquet for all families and then have music and singing, dragon and lion dances, and acrobatics on the stage to make the place really lively.

 

Not sure who brought it up, but later a few people in the lead asked Xu Hang to go on stage and sing a song.

 

In the past, when Xu Hang was grinding medicine in his own yard, he would sing a few lines from time to time. His voice would fly over the courtyard wall. First one or two people heard it, then three or four people knew it, and later five, six, seven, or eight people knew it. Occasionally, when he opened his mouth, nine or ten people would climb over the wall to listen.

 

The little monk, who had some business sense, set up a few ladders on the wall and posted a large message: “There’s a show on the wall, one yuan per session.”

 

Later, Duan Yelin slapped him on the buttocks, and he cried and wiped the wall, thus destroying the budding of a generation of business tycoons.

 

Now that life is peaceful, some old artists have written new books. Duan Yelin got two new music scores of Dream of the Red Chamber very early. Xu Hang loved them and studied them for a long time.

 

“That Zhang Sheng, with a single letter, he dared to drive away the bandits. That Ying Jin, with eight lines of paper, made an appointment after dusk. That Hong Niang [mfn]Matchmaker[/mfn], with her three-inch tongue, conquered the old madam. That Hui Ming, with five thousand soldiers, made them into buns. I thought you were as brave as a lion; bah, it turns out you are just a weakling.” Xu Hang was practicing Lin Daiyu’s poems in the yard. He flipped his orchid-like finger, but the only audience was Duan Yelin.

 

Duan Yelin sat by the well, nodding his head as he listened to the opera. He grabbed a handful of melon seeds and ate them. At the end, he commented, “Although she has stunning beauty, her melancholy and sickly figure seem to be lacking something.”

 

Xu Hang flicked Duan Yelin’s face with his water sleeves and imitated Lin Daiyu’s appearance and lines in the opera and spat in his face: “Tsk, you’re spouting nonsense again, making up those indecent lyrics just to tease me.”

 

Duan Yelin was about to wipe his face when Xu Hang raised his eyebrows and asked, “Do you despise me?”

 

The desire to survive made Duan Yelin shake his head violently, and he patted his own cheek lightly instead: “How can it be? How can it be? I’m just gonna spread it evenly[mfn]In case it’s confusing, DYL was gonna wipe XH’s sleeve away but when XH asked if he despise him by doing so did he say that he was gonna spread it all over his face to make it even[/mfn].”

 

He always feels that Duan Yelin’s ability to calm him down is improving day by day. He really doesn’t know whether he has become smarter or has understood him better.

 

Xu Hang smiled and tapped his forehead with a finger: “If such obscene lies can be reported to the police, Xiao Yan will be the first one to go to jail, and you will be the second.”

 

“Are you going to call the police?” Duan Yelin held his slender waist against his chest with one hand and sniffed the fragrance on his body, “Alright, is this hug tight enough?”

 

Xu Hang struggled, but Duan Yelin locked it tighter, so he frowned and said, “You’ve wrinkled my clothes.”

 

Duan Yelin kissed him on the cheek and said, “Shaotang, you know I both love and hate it when you perform those opera pieces.”

 

“What kind of paradox is this?”

 

“Because you sang so vividly,” Duan Yelin felt a little embarrassed to say this and paused before continuing, “Be it Liang Zhu, Dream of the Red Chamber, or The Drunken Imperial Concubine, when I saw you singing the lyrics, I felt that you became Zhu Yingtai, Lin Daiyu, and Yang Yuhuan, which made me get into the opera as well and become Liang Shanbo, Jia Baoyu, or Emperor Minghuang of Tang… none of them had a good ending.”

 

After hearing this, Xu Hang twisted his fingers in his sleeves and said, “No wonder people always say that when you have enough to eat and drink, you will start to slack off. Commander Duan is finally worried about gains and losses.”

 

Unable to resist, he stretched out his hand and scratched Xu Hang’s nose. Duan Yelin’s smile became much more evil: “I’m scared ah. I’m so scared that I will have to ask you for something from time to time to make me feel at ease.”

 

At the end of the conversation, he could not wait to kiss him. Xu Hang was standing while he was sitting, so he tilted his head back, put one hand on his waist, and pressed the back of Xu Hang’s head with the other hand, asking him to lower his head to respond. Xu Hang’s hands gently rested on his shoulders and under the cover of the sleeves, gradually circled behind Duan Yelin’s head.

 

Very sweet. Duan Yelin went deeper and deeper, like a butterfly that strayed into a flower mirror, exploring between the pearly teeth, rolling up Xu Hang’s tongue, and playing with him.

 

If he used too much force and Xu Hang couldn’t help but use his tongue against him, he would withdraw obediently and only hold his upper and lower lips. He didn’t want to miss any corners by using different angles. Duan Yelin was sensitive to it. Every time his tongue tip slid across Xu Hang’s upper palate, he would tremble slightly and shrug his shoulders, so he would occasionally pass by with malicious intent.

 

God knows how much shame Xu Hang used to deliberately make himself unable to hear the humming sound of the kiss, but Duan Yelin’s kiss became louder and louder. Finally Duan Yelin was satisfied, a silver thread was tied between the corners of their mouths, and before their foreheads were separated, he spoke with lust: “Shaotang, I…”

 

“Physician Xu! The vocal group is waiting for you on the stage, go and take a look!” The musician playing the jinghu rushed into the yard with a loud voice. His voice could be heard before he appeared.

 

Xu Hang was frightened and pushed Duan Yelin away, but he forgot that Duan Yelin was sitting by the well.

 

Thump!

 

“Yelin!” Xu Hang bent down nervously and looked into the bottom of the well. Duan Yelin floated up from the bottom of the water, shook his hair, spat out a big mouthful of well water, shivered with cold, and looked up with an innocent face, completely soaked.

 

See, this is what they call “lust is a sword hanging over one’s head”.

 

The musician walked in and scratched his head: “Physician Xu, what fell down just now?”

 

Xu Hang turned around and faced him: “Nothing, you heard it wrong.”

 

Then he walked out of the yard and said to Qiao Song, who was weeding in the herb garden, “Stop for a moment and take a bucket to the backyard to fetch something.”

 

“Fetch something?” Qiao Song wiped his sweat and picked up the barrel. “Fetch what?”

 

“Go to the well and fetch your Commander.”

 

Commander Duan, who was fetched up, was first overwhelmed by passion and then soaked in cold water for a while. His iron body could not withstand it, and he caught a cold after sneezing five times.

 

(9)

Good fortune follows misfortune, and misfortune follows good fortune.

 

During the time when Duan Yelin had a cold, he experienced all the ups and downs of life. He saw all kinds of characters in the world and felt very touched for a while.

 

Qiao Daosang came over with his hands behind his back, glanced at him, and scolded him for not doing his job and neglecting his martial arts training. “Look, if you don’t serve the army well, you will ruin your body!”

 

Duan Yelin heard the same tone as when he scolded the young monk, ‘If you don’t study hard, you will ruin yourself.’ Yuan Ye came in with medicine and comforted him, “Don’t feel embarrassed. I’ve experienced this kind of thing as being controlled by your wife. Come, drink the medicine.”

 

After asking carefully, he found out that the little monk who was always talking nonsense was spreading rumors everywhere, saying that Duan Yelin was kicked into the well by Xu Hang because he made Xu Hang angry.

 

Xiao Yan also came over to gloat over his misfortune: “Look at you, you are almost 40 years old, you should stop causing trouble when you are old, just take care of yourself and enjoy your retirement. Tomorrow I will have someone buy you a walking stick and two walnuts, and you can just sit on the chair at the door every day to bask in the sun.”

 

Age discrimination—this is absolute discrimination. In the end, Duan Zhenhua was still the best. It stretches lazily and sleeps soundly on Duan Yelin’s belly. When it wakes up, it licks its cat paws and steals a few bites of fish from Duan Yelin’s bowl.

 

As the saying goes, illness comes like a mountain falling and goes like a thread being pulled out. Duan Yelin rarely gets sick, but this time it was really a bit hard. Now that the new medical center has Western medicine, Xu Hang has also learned a lot from the foreign doctor, so he gave Duan Yelin an IV drip.

 

It was really boring lying in the medical center. There was a guy next to him who seemed to be from another place. He heard that he was injured by drinking and was also surviving on an IV drip as well.

 

On this day, everyone was busy preparing for the banquet for the next day. Xu Hang was worried about rehearsing the opera performance and was thinking about Duan Yelin at the same time, so he put on his opera costume and came back from time to time during the breaks in rehearsal to feed Duan Yelin medicine or bring him water.

 

Perhaps out of a sense of apology, Xu Hang rarely refrained himself from teasing Duan Yelin and seemed gentler than usual.

 

While Xu Hang was out getting some water, the stranger said to Duan Yelin, “Your wife is really nice. She’s pretty and considerate to you as well. Aiya, I wish I had this blessing.”

 

His expression and tone were full of sad envy.

 

Although he knew that he had misunderstood Xu Hang’s gender, when Duan Yelin heard someone praising Xu Hang, his vanity naturally surged like a tide, and he didn’t care about those little details at all.

 

“No, no, it’s not worth mentioning.” Duan Yelin was hypocritically humble.

 

Not long after, Chan Yi came in with the prepared pigeon soup and sat next to Duan Yelin with a smile. Because Duan Yelin’s hands were not convenient, she brought out the soup and fed him spoonful by spoonful and also carefully wiped the corners of Duan Yelin’s mouth with a handkerchief.

 

The looks in the eyes of the stranger towards Duan Yelin suddenly changed from envy to jealousy.

 

Not long after Chan Yi left, Gu Fangfei came in holding the child and brought a coat to Duan Yelin: “I knew you’d end up leaving this coat behind. Just because you’re healthy doesn’t mean you’re immune to the cold, neglecting it now will come back to haunt you when you’re older.”

 

Duan Yelin smiled at the child and said, “Come, let me hug you.”

 

When a child just learns to speak, when they open their mouth it’s either dad or mom, “Dad, hug…”

 

Gu Fangfei smiled and said, “Don’t hug anymore. Just lie down and get the IV drip. You can hug again when you get home.” After saying that, she left in a dignified and graceful manner.

 

The look on the stranger’s face when he looks at Duan Yelin has evolved into one of admiration, as if he were seeing a god.

 

When Duan Yelin’s bottle of potion was almost empty, Ruan Xiaodie also walked in gracefully, holding the pipa and smiling sweetly: “I heard that you are sick. I don’t have any other skills. If you are bored, how about Xiaodie singing a song for you to listen to?”

 

The stranger bit the quilt and sobbed like a helpless watchdog.

 

After waiting for Xu Hang to remove his makeup and return to his physician’s attire, Duan Yelin was already healthy and light. As soon as he saw Xu Hang, he kissed him on the face and said, “I’ve been sitting here all day. I’m so bored. Let’s go!”

 

“Are you all right?” Xu Hang reached out to feel his pulse.

 

Duan Yelin pulled his wrist instead and carried him onto his back, confidently saying, “I’ll carry you back, and then you’ll know if I’m fully recovered or not! Hold onto my neck and sit tight!”

 

Xu Hang had been busy running around all day and was really tired. He did not scold Duan Yelin for his behavior. He rested his chin on his shoulder and let him carry him. He just smiled faintly where Duan Yelin could not see and wiped the sweat off his neck that was caused by his illness.

 

And all this tenderness was seen by the stranger.

 

The medicine boy was removing the needle from the stranger and saw that the stranger’s eyes were swollen from crying. He looked as aggrieved as a rabbit and hurriedly asked, “What’s wrong?”

 

The stranger burst into tears: “Don’t say it, I can’t hold back my tears.”

 

(10)

The banquet was filled with the sound of gongs and drums, making it deafening.

 

Children from all over the city followed the dragon and lion dance teams, running and picking up candies to eat. All the small stalls were set up, and it was even more crowded than the New Year’s market. At night, the stage was almost packed.

 

Yuan Ye was constantly on guard against his own boy running away. Gu Fangfei coaxed the child in her arms not to worry and bounced him around in her arms.

 

What Xiao Yan was most afraid of was crowded places, so he held Shen Jingmo tightly and refused to let go. Later, he simply found a ladder and climbed onto the roof, letting Shen Jingmo sit in his arms and listen to the opera.

 

“Walking on the stone steps, walking in the rainy alley, the mist moistens the emotions, the rain wets the idle worries, the mist locks the soul~” Ruan Xiaodie’s fingers on the pipa were flying, the sound of the pipa, coupled with her soft Wu dialect singing ‘Gusu Xing’, makes people feel intoxicated.

 

Mayor Huang took a sip of wine, but as his wife was beside him, he dared not look around. He tapped the cup with his chopsticks and sang along with his big tongue, it was stunning.

 

Not long after, Xu Hang, dressed in gorgeous clothes, came out with lotus steps, and the audience cheered. Xu Hang walked around, fluttered his water sleeves, and glanced around, but there was no sign of Duan Yelin in the audience.

 

When you are on stage, you should only think about the opera performance. Xu Hang turned around and sang along with the tune. That night, Xu Hang sang three operas in a row, from Lin Daiyu to Xue Xiangling,l and then to the last one, Zhu Yingtai. Duan Yelin never appeared.

 

Originally, Yingtai was supposed to be dressed in mourning for the scene of crying at the grave, but when he went backstage, he found that the troupe had prepared a set of clothes that was even brighter than Xue Xiangling’s wedding dress. Without any time to have doubt, Xu Hang hurriedly changed into the clothes and sang the last scene.

 

“Good!” There was thunderous applause and cheers from the audience.

 

The opera troupe left, and it was time for the juggling troupe to come on stage. As Xu Hang stepped into the dressing room, the lights flickered and went out. He suddenly perked up and looked around, and there was no one backstage.

 

He exhaled and said to the darkness, “Duan Yelin, what are you doing again?”

 

A hearty laugh came from a corner, followed by the sound of a lighter. A speck of light moved into a small lantern, and the gentle light illuminated the entire backstage. Duan Yelin walked closer to Xu Hang little by little, holding the lantern.

 

Only then did Xu Hang realize that Duan Yelin was wearing his military uniform again after a long time. The uniform was brand new, but a red peony silk flower hung on his chest, the very same pattern embroidered on Xu Hang’s own clothing.

 

Commander Duan, who once dominated the world, has returned. He has always been so confident, with his back straight, and under the shadow of his hat brim is his smile that can tolerate all sharpness. He said, “Now that you’ve put on your wedding dress, I’m here to marry you, Xu Shaotang.”

 

According to military rules, military uniforms must be worn at weddings and funerals.

 

Duan Yelin stretched out his hand: “Follow me.”

 

Xu Hang slowly raised his hand and placed him in his hands.

 

They left behind all the hustle and bustle behind them and used a lantern to drive away the darkness. The heels of the military shoes and the hems of the peony skirts rustled, entwining on the stone road as they walked outwards, crushing the reflection of the bright moon and startling the swimming carp.

 

Watching Duan Yelin’s profile flicker, Xu Hang followed him like this, as if it didn’t matter where he went. They went all the way to the peony field, which had been decorated by Duan Yelin just like the year they first met in Qiyuan. He doesn’t know what method Duan Yelin used to make the peonies, which were still flower buds, bloom in full bloom, with a vermilion veil and a soft red color.

 

At first glance, he can tell it was Duan Yelin’s work. He is not good at doing these things, he’s rough, but he can see his intentions.

 

There were two red books on the incense table in the middle, with the words “Luan Feng Yu” written on them.

 

Xu Hang’s eyes sparkled. He reached out and took one of the books, stroking the cover with his ten fingers: “Is this… a marriage certificate?”

 

Duan Yelin took another book and recited it without opening it, “Today I am happy to tie the red string so that the two pearls are connected. Today that the peach blossoms bloom with radiance, it’s a suitable time to marry. In the future our children and grandchildren will fill the halls, and our legacy will live on for many generations. Now we solemnly swear that only death will do us apart, let this certificate be our witness. Let this red lead carry my feelings for you as we seal our marriage. Signed!”

 

He shook the marriage certificate and said, “This is the oath on someone else’s marriage certificate. I felt it was not suitable for us, so I changed it. Would you like to read it?”

 

Xu Hang opened the marriage certificate. The words on it were written by Duan Yelin himself. His throat was a little hoarse as he said word by word, “I am happy that Duan and Xu are tying the red string today. The agreement has been made, and the relationship will last for all eternity. I don’t ask for a nice home, I don’t care about being prosperous, and I don’t ask for the continuous succession of generations. I respectfully promise to be together in life and death, to hold your hand, to watch the scorching peonies together for a hundred years, and we won’t stop talking until we are buried together as we seal our marriage. Signed!”

 

What a domineering oath! It is not enough for one lifetime, but for all eternity.

 

The quiet flower garden and the fragrant hall were unusually warm at the moment. Duan Yelin stroked Xu Hang’s cheek and said, “After reciting this poem, the marriage is settled.”

 

Just as he was about to kiss him, Xu Hang gently pushed him away: “There’s no heaven and earth worshipping, no wedding wine, no matchmaker or relatives, even the marriage certificate was privately made by you. You really got the upper hand in getting this marriage.”

 

Duan Yelin was very proud: “I will get married even if heaven and earth don’t allow it, if the world doesn’t approve, I’ll write it myself, so what about the matchmakers and relatives and friends? You, Xu Shaotang, are willful and reckless, and I, Duan Yelin, am domineering. Why should we care about those customs and etiquette?”

 

“Since you don’t care about customs and etiquette, why do you still have to do so much nonsense?”

 

“I just want to hear you agree in person.” Xu Hang lowered his head, and the black hair wrapped around his head was blown up by the wind, tickling his cheeks.

 

Seeing that Xu Hang didn’t respond to him for a long time, Duan Yelin’s mouth sank. Then he put his hands into a trumpet shape, put them to his mouth, and shouted at the empty flower field, as if he wanted to call everyone in the city over. “Xu Shaotang! I, Duan Yelin, will marry you today! Will you agree? Will you agree?”

 

This sound was like a loud bell. If he continued to shout, people would really come. Xu Hang pulled him: “Don’t shout… you… Duan Yelin!”

 

But this old ruffian didn’t hold back at all. Instead he shouted louder and louder, “I, Duan Yelin, am going to marry Xu Hang today! Xu Hang, do you agree? Will you agree or not…”

 

“I agree!”

 

Xu Hang covered Duan Yelin’s mouth with his hand. In order to shut him up, he buried his whole body in his arms and bit his lower lip. He was so annoyed by Duan Yelin’s shamelessness that he didn’t know what to say.

 

Duan Yelin, who had succeeded, immediately hugged him tightly, then held his waist, lifted him up, and turned him around, as if he was holding a peony blooming in the wind.

 

He pressed Xu Hang into the peony bushes, kissed Xu Hang deeply amid the fragrance of the flowers, and took off his clothes while kissing. The red makeup can’t be wiped off, but Duan Yelin’s voracious kissing made it fade.

 

The tangled hair was not easy to untie, so he left it there and focused on taking off his clothes. Xu Hang even began to doubt whether Duan Yelin’s behavior tonight was just for the sake of passion or something else, but he was actually fooled by his cheap tricks. At least he had to admit that his hands were soft and he couldn’t push him away.

 

The kiss went down his neck, and wherever he touched it, he felt his desire burning. When Xu Hang squinted his eyes and saw the dark clouds covering the moon and the stars shining brighter, he realized that they were still sleeping there without any scruples. But it was too late, just like the peony that bloomed too early, in his body, the roots that were supposed to take root could no longer be rejected.

 

If one looks down at the flowerbed, they will see a pair of white, slender arms hanging down weakly, dripping with sweat, and then being pulled back by another muscular hand and hung on the neck. The peony flowers were bullied by the night wind. Each one was trembling, and the petals were falling one by one, swaying rhythmically up and down and left and right. Finally, the condensed dew dripped into the ground.

 

Xu Hang rested his head on Duan Yelin’s arm and said in a tired voice, “The wedding dress… is broken.”

 

“It doesn’t matter. You will only wear it once in your life anyway.” Duan Yelin kissed the sweat off his cheek, contentedly. “Let’s burn the marriage certificate when we go back. We will be together forever anyway, so there is no need for it anymore.”

 

Xu Hang opened his eyes, his pupils were like the Milky Way: “Alright.” Everything was silent, the candles in the lanterns were extinguished, and the peony was about to fall asleep.

 

Military uniforms and opera robes stacked and leaning against each other are the quietest and calmest scene in this Shucheng.

 

—

 

[Origin of the name]

Bai Juyi wrote a line in his poem “Hanshi Yewang Yin”: ‘The pear blossoms are reflected on the poplar trees, which are the place of separation of life and death.’ It is from a scene of tomb sweeping during the Qingming Festival. A certain someone saw this scene when he was young, so he was called “Shaotang”. Ye means sunlight, fire, and endless prosperity. Lin means water drops, grace, and continuous rain. A certain someone embodies both water and fire, both of which are extremely prosperous, so he was called ‘Yelin’.

 

[Fragments that were not included in the main text]

Physician Xu wants to try a new acupuncture technique by using Commander Duan’s arm to test the water. Duan Yelin extended his arm and said, “Don’t worry, I’m a blacksmith!

 

Xu Hang: “?”

 

Duan Yelin was stunned for a moment, then changed his tone: “Iron… hit me?”

 

Xu Hang: “……”

 

Duan Yelin scratched his head: “Was it iron that hit me?”

 

Xu Hang took the needle and put it back, saying, “Are you trying to say, ‘You are made of iron’?”

 

[Abandoned fragments with no follow-up]

“The lamp in front of the Buddha cannot be used as the candle in the bridal chamber. Xiangji Chu[mfn]The dining hall for monks[/mfn] cannot be used as Daiyan Dongge[mfn]The Daiyan Dongge generally refers to the place where dignitaries and nobles have banquets.[/mfn]. The Bell and Drum Tower cannot be used as a watchtower to watch husbands. The straw cushion cannot be used as the lotus or lotus soft mattress.”

 

There is a saying in the opera that goes, ‘Men are afraid of running at night, and women are afraid of overthinking.’ Although these two opera performances are lively, but they are a mixture of singing, dancing, and recitation techniques, and the time is frighteningly long. Those with exceptional skills cannot handle them.

 

It was a newly formed troupe, and the level of the troupe was not good enough. No one knew how to sing this part, so they invited Physician Xu to give some advice. As soon as Xu Hang finished singing, many people in the audience stood up and cheered.

 

Some people threw flowers onto the stage, and some bowed deeply. The most peculiar thing was that there was a foreigner who was carrying a strange-looking camera and speaking in a language that was incomprehensible.

 

When Xu Hang came out from the back after removing his makeup, the foreigner was waiting for him at the door. As soon as he saw him, he stretched out his hand and said, “Hello, Mr. Xu, your performance today was so wonderful… I, I’m just too excited!”

 

Xu Hang had assumed it would be just a simple handshake, but the moment he extended his hand, it was clasped with both hands and gently kissed on the back.

 

He pulled it back as if he had been bitten by an insect. But it was too late, as Duan Yelin happened to arrive and saw it clearly.

 

“Screw, screw your uncle…”

 

Leaving aside the subsequent beating and kicking, this matter has to start with a letter that Xu Hang received a few days ago, which came from across the ocean.

 

Before leaving China, Yuan Ye recorded a video of Xu Hang singing an opera. When he arrived abroad, he shared it with his schoolmate Giovanni one day, and it became a sensation.

 

Giovanni’s passion for the East began when he read Marco Polo’s Travels. He loved drinking tea and looking at landscape paintings, and he even taught himself Chinese.

 

“This is living art!” Giovanni shouted, and then he got a boat ticket to Shucheng.

 

Later, Giovanni, with a bruised face, still said with great courage, “For something I truly love, I will be full of passion, and you can’t stop me!”

 

From then on, flowers and cakes were delivered to Xu Hang’s place every day. Because of Giovanni’s attitude of staying there every day, Duan Yelin simply ignored the martial arts school and sat on a small stool in the medical hall, like a lion guarding the door.

 

Duan Yelin had not come to the medical hall very often before, and he had never stayed there from morning to night either, so he had no idea that the chores in the medical hall could be so annoying.

 

Patient A: “Is there a risk with this medicine? What are the causes and effects of it?”

 

Xu Hang: “Nothing is absolute in this world, we can only try our best.”

 

Patient A: “Are you trying to make money from me by not treating me properly?”

 

Xu Hang pointed to the door and said, “If you refuse treatment, there is a coffin shop across the street.”

 

Patient B: “Physician, can you please let us get your number? Sorry for the inconvenience.”

 

Xu Hang: “No.”

 

Patient B: “Oh, it’s no trouble. Just say it, and I’ll treat you to a meal…”

 

Xu Hang: “I want to have the first-class seafood feast at Dahao Restaurant, one hundred silver dollars per person. I have three adults, one child, and an elderly person in my family. When will you treat us?”

 

Patient B: “……”

 

Patient C: “My son came in alive, right?”

 

Xu Hang: “Yes, he is seriously ill, he is just hanging by his last breath.”

 

Patient C: “So he is dead now?”

 

Xu Hang: “Yes.”

 

Patient C: “Then you guys killed him with the medicine ah! He was perfectly fine, but he is gone. My son…”

 

Xu Hang: “What’s your first question?”

 

Patient C: “Did my son come in alive?”

 

Xu Hang: “No.”

 

Patient C: “……”

 

Duan Yelin sat there cracking melon seeds like a street punk, thoroughly enjoying the scene. He muttered, why is his Shaotang always so quick with the comebacks? Turns out, it’s all thanks to daily sparring with these troublemakers, tsk, tsk…

 

He was creaking happily there. Poor Xu Hang was already very tired from dealing with the patients. When he looked up and saw him standing there leisurely, he got furious and told the shop assistant that he wanted to take a break. When he went around Duan Yelin, he kicked the leg of his stool, almost causing him to fall to the ground.

 

During dinner that night, Commander Duan kept staring at the pile of gifts sent by Giovanni, then turned around and threw them away. He stared at Xu Hang so hard that Xu Hang couldn’t swallow his food.

 

“If you don’t want to eat, then go away.”

 

“What’s wrong? What’s wrong?!” Duan Yelin threw his chopsticks. “Do I have to pay taxes for looking at you? That foreigner’s eyes are glued to you all day long, why don’t you say something to him as well? If you find it hard to swallow by having me look at you, then I’m leaving!”

 

After speaking, he left and even kicked the door when he walked out.

 

Chan Yi and the little monk didn’t dare to breathe. They felt that Duan Yelin had really grown up, he even dared to speak to Xu Hang loudly. It’s true that a sick cat that is too jealous can even climb the beam.

 

Xu Hang’s face turned pale and blue, and he said to Chan Yi, “What are you standing there for? Why don’t you go after him? When will this irritable temper change? That Giovanni came with the cultural exchange group. It’s fine for him to hit him once, but how can I let him do it every time?”

 

Chan Yi was stunned for a long time before she realized what was happening, picked her skirt up, and pulled the silly guy back.

 

At Midnight.

 

Duan Yelin was angry and didn’t eat dinner. His stomach was growling with hunger. In the darkness, Xu Hang sighed and lifted the quilt: “Get up. I’ll make you a bowl of fish ball soup.”

 

“You can?” Duan Yelin was surprised.

 

“No words can describe its deliciousness,” Xu Hang put on his clothes. “Chan Yi has a cold today, I don’t have the heart to disturb her.”

 

Anyway, he would never admit that he felt sorry for Duan Yelin.

 

Spread the fish paste evenly onto a wooden board, add a pot of water and two slices of aged ginger, and bring it to a boil. Using a spoon, scoop the paste through the hot water, then scrape it off the board to form smooth, round balls. Repeat this process repeatedly, without even needing to cover the lid. Stir it with a large colander, then scoop it out and put it in a bowl. Add a spoonful of vinegar and a spoonful of soy sauce, and sprinkle a handful of green onions on it. The aroma is irresistible.

 

Duan Yelin scooped a spoonful and fed it to Xu Hang first. Xu Hang shook his head: “I’m too lazy to clean my mouth again.”

 

Duan Yelin nodded, took a bite, and frowned: “Eh, it’s not cooked yet?”

 

“No way…” Xu Hang was surprised. Duan Yelin handed him a spoon and said, “Try it.”

 

But as soon as Xu Hang opened his mouth, Duan Yelin withdrew his hand, pressed the back of Xu Hang’s head, and fed his tongue in. Xu Hang groaned in frustration, frowned for a long time, and couldn’t push him away, he was being teased by him.

 

Duan Yelin drank up all the fish ball soup that night.