(1)
The north wind blew hard all night, and leaves flew down when the door was opened.
“Ai…” Duan Yelin frowned on the stone table. “Why doesn’t he care at all?”
The little monk appeared out of nowhere and spread his hands: “I already told you that you will lose this bet. Accept the defeat, and double my pocket money.”
Duan Yelin’s face darkened even more.
This bet started two and a half days ago.
Two days ago, the little monk quarreled with a little boy in the school over a trivial matter such as who the female classmate gave more cakes to and even had their parents called over. Duan Yelin didn’t know whether to laugh or cry: “You little bastard, you’re not even as tall as my pants when you stand up. Who are you trying to be jealous of? I think you have too little homework.”
The little monk’s neck turned red: “You old man, you are jealous! You want to eat! Look at Brother Xu. Does he care about you?
“Hey—where’s my broom?”
“Ah, old man, you can’t afford to play!” The little monk shouted, “If you have the guts, make Brother Xu jealous because of you once, and I will listen to you.”
……
So, men cannot be provoked.
Duan Yelin shamelessly said, “Fine, I’ll make a bet with you. Tell me, what’s the bet?”
The little monk held out his little finger: “If you win, I can teach you a lesson. If you lose, you can double my pocket money!”
Duan Yelin pinched his cheek and said, “Wash your butt and get ready to be spanked!
Duan Yelin looked confident, but in fact he was just putting on makeup before going to the coffin—he was too eager to save face. He thought about it for a long time with the broom in his hand and sadly found that, from the very first time they met until now, Xu Shaotang had never once been jealous of Duan Yelin.
The more he thought about it, the more he was dissatisfied. Duan Yelin thought again, he had already used all thirty-six strategies when leading troops to fight, and he didn’t believe that he coundn’t make Xu Hang jealous.
He said he would do it, and he did.
After finishing his work on the first morning, Duan Yelin came back from the martial arts school for lunch and brought back a pair of Yuanyang Cakes made for him by the girl.
He deliberately placed it on the plate in front of Xu Hang and stared at Xu Hang’s reaction.
Xu Hang tasted a piece and commented, “It’s a bit dry. Ask her to add more lard next time.”
Duan Yelin: “……”
Before going to bed on the first night, Duan Yelin got a few boxes of perfume powder from somewhere, put them together, and spread the smell all over himself, then sat by the bed waiting for Xu Hang to “interrogate” him.
As soon as Xu Hang stepped into the room, his nose moved, and he frowned: “You smell…”
Duan Yelin’s eyes suddenly lit up: “What’s the matter?”
“Did you fall into the incense residue when you were taking out the trash?”
Duan Yelin: “……”
The next morning, Duan Yelin was bare-chested in the yard lifting stones. Even in the middle of winter, he had to leave the gate open. Many girls passing by on their way to the market looked back at him.
Chan Yi held the washbasin in the distance and asked Xu Hang, who was reading under the eaves, “What is the Commander doing?”
Xu Hang didn’t even raise his eyelids: “He is spreading his peacock tail.”
Seeing that Xu Hang seemed to have no reaction, Duan Yelin put down the stone, went to the door again, and held onto the crossbeam on the top of the door to do pull-ups, shaking his head from time to time, and beads of sweat dripped from his hair.
Chan Yi asked again, “Then… what is this now?”
Xu Hang turned a page of the book: “He has opened his tail in another place again.”
He threw a seductive glance at the blind man.
The next afternoon, Duan Yelin brought in a new singer from the Cantonese troupe who sang “Xiang Tian” from somewhere. He said that his throat was sore due to acclimatization, and he came to Physician Xu for emergency treatment.
When Duan Yelin introduced the guest, he praised him for his clear voice and smooth performance and praised him for having a full house. The guest was so embarrassed that he said, “Brother Yelin, please stop praising me…”
But Duan Yelin only glanced at Xu Hang’s attitude out of the corner of his eye.
Xu Hang just took the person’s pulse quietly. After a while, he suddenly looked up at him, as if he was a little surprised. He then turns the person’s hand to the side and diagnoses by changing the position along the pulse.
After switching from left hand to right hand, he kept going back and forth, and even after a fifteen-minute consultation, he still didn’t let go. The two people’s hands were almost warming each other up.
Duan Yelin suddenly became unhappy and pushed their hands apart: “No, are you rubbing antique walnuts[mfn]This is a hobby of some Chinese, they rubbing and rolating antique walnuts. It usually takes several years to make it smooth and shine.[/mfn] here?”
Xu Hang hit him and said, “Don’t make trouble. He has a reflective pulse, which is very rare. Let me hold it for a while.”
As he said this, he reached out and held his hand again.
“Go, go, go,” Duan Yelin pushed him towards Physician Hu. “Since it’s so rare, let the other physician practice.”
Xu Hang: “……”
On the morning of the third day, seeing that the bet was about to expire, Duan Yelin decided to go for the big one.
So that afternoon, Old Man Sun, who loved to act as a matchmaker, introduced his niece to Duan Yelin. At the door of the medical hall, they chatted about this and that and finally asked Duan Yelin to help drive his niece to visit relatives in Chengzhen.
This is an opportunity for matchmaking.
Duan Yelin saw Xu Hang tilting his head to look at them and immediately said, “Alright, leave it to me.”
Old Man Sun smiled meaningfully: “Xiao Duan ah, my girl is very caring. You should also take care of her along the way, huh?”
Duan Yelin nodded, and when he was about to step out the door, Xu Hang suddenly called him.
“Wait a minute.”
Duan Yelin was delighted and turned around to ask, “What’s wrong, Shaotang? If you don’t want me to go, I…”
“I was worried that no one would go to Chengzhen.” Xu Hang asked the medicine boy to load several small boxes of medicine packages in the backyard onto Duan Yelin’s car. “This is the last batch of delivery left for the big order from last month in Chengzhen. The ox cart couldn’t pull it yesterday, so it’s a good opportunity for you to take it along.”
Seeing Xu Hang’s happy expression, Duan Yelin pursed his lips: “Is that all?”
“Otherwise?” Xu Hang waved his hand. “Go ahead, the earlier you go, the earlier you can come back and catch dinner while it’s still hot.”
“Alright, alright, alright…”
The hardworking Laborer Duan, with a heart as desolate as an old lady, went to carry Xu, who was took advantage of the order.
After watching the car turn the corner and disappear, Chan Yi poked her head out and said with a click of the tongue, “Head of the Household, you are too cruel. Even I can’t stand seeing the Commander’s bitter face. When he comes back, just pamper him.”
Xu Hang looked tired. “You ungrateful girl, why don’t you pamper me? Who knows what he has been doing these past two days and why he has caused so much trouble? He can’t live a peaceful life anymore and wants to make trouble.”
In the whole house, the only one who knew the inside story was the little monk who was chewing melon seeds and laughing.
Just when he was feeling annoyed, he saw two middle-aged couples behind him who were trying to get their teeth pulled out.
They openly nag Physician Hu in person: “Wow, it’s really easy to make money as a dentist. It’s gone in the blink of an eye.”
Physician Hu was an honest man. Although he looked unhappy, he didn’t say anything.
Xu Hang strolled over to them with a cup of tea in his hand: “Is it too fast?” He patted Physician Hu on the shoulder: “Pull it out slowly.”
“Alright~”
“Uh—!!!”
Hmm, what a peaceful day.
After the medical hall closed, they waited for a long time until the food got cold, and Duan Yelin still hadn’t come back yet. Xu Hang asked Chan Yi to take it away as it was and took out the chessboard.
He plays the chess pieces and knocks them leisurely and then the lamp distinguished.
Even after refueling the lamp twice, Duan Yelin still hadn’t come back. Xu Hang held the chess piece between his fingertips, his mind wandering.
Suddenly his heart skipped a beat, as if in pain. His hand loosened, and the chess piece fell on the chessboard with a crisp sound. At the same time, he heard someone outside shouting, “Not good! Someone come quickly! Big Brother Duan, Big Brother Duan and his car have fallen into the river. The car has sunk—”
In an instant, the room was filled with the continuous sounds of a chessboard and chess pieces falling to the ground.
(2)
The Suburb of Chengzhen.
It is said that Duan Yelin had just delivered the goods at dusk and was driving back. When he reached the bridge, a child chasing a rabbit suddenly jumped out from the bushes. Duan Yelin was so scared that he suddenly turned the steering wheel!
He was originally on a narrow bridge made of five stone slabs, which was barely wide enough for one car to pass. With this sudden move, the entire car rushed directly into the river!
That child was silent for a long time before he started crying and shouting, alerting people. When they ran to the river and saw that the car was almost sunk, they called out again, and then they used ropes and hooks to fish the person out.
Someone who was quick on his feet had already returned to Shucheng to spread the news.
The commotion lasted until dark.
After searching for a long time, they found nothing and were about to report the death when they saw a wet figure slowly approaching from a distance.
Duan Yelin jumped out of the car in time and was washed hundreds of meters away by the rushing river before he found an opportunity to climb ashore.
It was a false alarm, and everyone felt relieved and then dispersed.
The weird thing was that everyone just left on their own and forgot that they had mistakenly sent the news to Shucheng earlier.
So when Duan Yelin was leading the horse but had not yet reached his home, he came face-to-face with a group of people who were holding torches and lanterns and were anxious to rescue him.
The first person he saw was Xu Hang, who was in the middle, whose face was as pale as paper.
When Xu Hang saw him from afar, his whole body froze, and he stared at him with wide eyes. His eyes seemed to tremble a little, and he looked Duan Yelin up and down.
After a while, it seemed as if he quietly exhaled a breath.
Duan Yelin walked a few steps closer, looked down, and said in surprise, “Why are you not wearing shoes?”
Xu Hang only came out wearing a thin middle shirt and trousers. The trouser legs were very long, covering the instep of his feet, so no one noticed that he came out barefoot.
Hearing this, Xu Hang also lowered his head, as if he had just reacted. At this moment, his bare feet stepped on the bluestone slabs, which were cool, and the cold air rushed up.
Then his face subtly turned from white to blue, and his lips moved, but he didn’t say anything.
For some reason, Duan Yelin suddenly felt a little nervous, as helpless as a child who had done something wrong, waiting to be scolded.
“I’m fine, I’m really fine… hehe…” He smiled awkwardly and quickly explained to everyone, “It’s just that the car is scrapped. That river is not deep either. I’m a good swimmer. I won’t drown…”
The more he spoke, the quieter his voice became.
He scratched his head and walked forward to hold Xu Hang’s hand: “Shaotang.”
Xu Hang turned his head fiercely, and before Duan Yelin could touch the edge of his sleeve, Xu Hang pulled away. He watched him go home in a rage.
Not even a word was superfluous.
Damn it, Duan Yelin thought. Ever since they moved to Shucheng, he had never seen his Shaotang look this bad.
It was too late for him to regret now, but greater regrets were yet to come.
When he chased to the door, he just got the cold shoulder. No matter how hard he knocked or how he apologized, the person inside didn’t even respond with a cold smile.
Duan Yelin could only sit idly in the compartment, guessing that Xu Hang should have fallen asleep, so he pried open the window and flipped in.
What was not calculated by thousands of calculations was that Xu Hang was not asleep but sick.
It was the season when chilly southern winds swept in, making colds especially common. Physician Xu had been working hard in the medical hall during the day and already had a dry cough. At night, he sat with the door open for a long time while waiting for him as well. Coupled with this damn guy’s sudden startle, it was hard not to get sick.
Duan Yelin was just about to get on the bed, but when he opened the bed curtain, he saw Xu Hang lying on his back, with a few strands of sweaty hair intertwined on his forehead, his brows furrowed, his mouth slightly open, and he was mumbling in pain.
As soon as he touched his forehead, he knew something was wrong, so he hurriedly called Chan Yi to invite a physician.
There was a commotion and people coming and going until Choushi[mfn]1-3am[/mfn] before things finally quieted down.
Duan Yelin stayed by the bed until Xu Hang made a sound.
“Ye… lin…”
When he heard Xu Hang calling, he leaned forward and rested his hands on the pillow, trying to hear what Xu Hang was saying clearly.
“What’s wrong? Are you thirsty? Hungry? Or feeling uncomfortable?”
Xu Hang opened his eyes slightly, his gaze was unfocused, and he didn’t know if his mind was clear or not. The next moment, he weakly grasped his hand, tilted his head, and placed Duan Yelin’s palm on one side of his cheek.
This… this is really confusing!
He rubbed his face against him, just like a cat. This intimate gesture made Duan Yelin a little overwhelmed.
Even the calluses on the palms of his hands feel numb.
The stalemate lasted for a while. When Xu Hang heard the sound of Duan Yelin’s strong pulse beating, his brows relaxed and he began to mutter again. This time, Duan Yelin heard it clearly.
He said, “Yelin… don’t die…”
With a “dong” sound, Duan Yelin felt as if his head was struck by a bell, and he couldn’t come back to his senses for a long time.
His emotions are in turmoil.
What… what is he talking about?
“Commander, you have never seen the Head of the Household like this, right?”
Chan Yi appeared at the door without anyone noticing, holding the hot medicine, and suddenly explained, “You don’t know, he is like this when he was extremely scared.”
“…Scared?
“En, he is scared. But all he dreamed about was that night in Shucheng…” At this point, Chan Yi looked straight at Duan Yelin and smiled, “Commander, I like you because back then, the Head of the Household wore himself down little by little, but you gradually made him look like a human again. So, please don’t scare him anymore.”
Duan Yelin remained silent.
After Chan Yi left, Duan Yelin fed Xu Hang some medicine and changed his sweaty clothes. Xu Hang was so dizzy from the fever that he didn’t even have the energy to talk in his sleep anymore. Duan Yelin held him in his arms, put his head on his shoulder, and patted him.
The candle flame made a slight crackling sound, warmly illuminating the two of them.
The only sounds in the room were the breaths of the two people, mingled with the rhythmic patting.
After a long time, feeling that the person in his arms was not so hot anymore, Duan Yelin held Xu Hang’s neck and looked down at him.
His collar was like a cicada’s wings, the thin gauze was soaked with sweat.
So he couldn’t help but kiss him.
What he tasted first was the bitter taste of the medicine at the corner of Xu Hang’s mouth. After licking it, he went straight into his slightly open lips, blocking the patient’s breathing and causing some discomfort, but he could only give in and let out a little groan in discomfort.
Because of the fever, Xu Hang’s tongue was hot. Duan Yelin felt that it was very kissable, but he also admitted that he was shameless for still suffocating the patient and kissing him deeply at this time.
Until Xu Hang frowned in discomfort and subconsciously bit Duan Yelin’s tongue.
Duan Yelin withdrawn, and put his hand close to his ear.
“Don’t be afraid, Shaotang, I won’t die.” After saying this, the person in his arms seemed to no longer breathe rapidly anymore.
Xu Hang’s childhood came to an abrupt end. The memory of being held in someone’s arms and coaxed to sleep as a child has long faded.
At this moment, his mind was confused, but he only felt the warmth around him, as if he was back in his mother’s arms. He let down all his defenses and even spoke in a childish tone.
He closed his eyes, and his fingers unconsciously hooked Duan Yelin’s sleeves: “Not allow…”
“Not allow what?”
“Not allow him… to call you Yelin…”
Duan Yelin was numb for several seconds, and after trying to hold back his excitement, he could not help but let out a cry of delight. Then he threw the person down hard, pressing him down onto the thick and soft quilt, and buried his head deeply into his neck, so close that there was no gap left.
See, Laozi still won this bet.
Unfortunately, although Commander Duan won the bet, no one knew about it. Even Physician Xu himself, who was cured by the medicine, could not remember anything about his illness. Commander Duan had no choice but to pay the gambling fee to the little monk.
Duan Yelin only had one word to describe this—awesome!
(3)
When the first snow fell in Shucheng, old friends came to visit.
Yuan Ye and Gu Fangfei came here this time, stopping halfway by water, specifically to meet each other. They were planning to settle down in Shanghai, and after asking them in detail, they found out that Gu Fangfei was studying law and going into politics and was about to take office.
She was already well-known in the business world, and after having several children, she was still able to find time to pursue a career in politics. This required her to be ruthless in order to make the choice.
Xu Hang said, “Your decision is quite sudden.”
“I was narrow-minded before,” Gu Fangfei became much calmer, and her face also looked a little calmer. “I used to think that giving women some jobs to make a living and allowing them to have a bite to eat was already good in this day and age. But I was wrong. In the past, people respected me only because of my money, so they were willing to use a little convenience to perfunctorily deal with me. Now I know that equal rights for women do not require charity. There are 400 million Chinese people, 200 million of whom are women. Aren’t women’s affairs important matters? I want to go into politics and business. Not just me, I also want to bring more women with me, step by step, to become politicians of the country and leaders in all walks of life.”
The more she spoke, the more powerful her words became, and the room fell silent for a moment.
Xu Hang looked at her and smiled: “You are still the Fangfei I know.”
After dinner, Xu Hang took the opportunity to talk to Yuan Ye in the yard when no one was around.
“Fangfei, she…”
“You don’t have to say it, I understand.” Yuan Ye patted his shoulder. “In fact, it was Fangfei who persuaded me to return to the country. She said, The country is about to perish, so why bother to dwell on love and grudges? Since we can’t go to the battlefield to kill the enemy, we naturally have to go to where we can fight. I traveled from south to north with my weapons and saw the battlefield all over, only to realize how insignificant each person and family is…”
Yesterday should not be retained. Instead of adding more hatred to the previous generation, it is better to turn the page and cherish your friends.
Yuan Ye looked at the courtyard wall and said, “The square courtyard is not Fangfei’s home. She just chose me to be her husband, and she became a mother just because she likes children. We are husband and wife, but also comrades. Just like you said, this is her, this is the her I like.”
He walked to the wooden stake where Duan Yelin usually practiced boxing, patted it, and turned to look at Xu Hang: “Aren’t you the same?”
Xu Hang smiled knowingly: “Yes, now that there is no war, he still practices every day.”
Although Duan Yelin didn’t say anything, Xu Hang knew that he was afraid that one day he, “Commander Duan”, would be needed on the battlefield again.
Yuan Ye also laughed and said, “Fangfei and I watch the news every day, share our thoughts, and talk about how China can grow stronger. Whether it’s about parliament or daily life, our discussions always end the same way—we both hope China will see no more war.”
Having said this, the yard fell silent for a moment, with only the rustling sound of Duan Zhenhua rolling around in the corner.
“If it is beneficial to the country, I will not avoid it because of misfortune or fortune…” Xu Hang looked up, as if thinking of something. “When we were moving, I found a s*icide note Duan Yelin left for me in the ruins of Qiyuan Study. At that time… he probably really thought he would never come back, so he wrote a very thick letter. It was heavy in my hand, but he was afraid that I hated him so much that I didn’t want to read his last words, so he casually put it in a medical book that I didn’t read often… he left the fate of this letter to God.”
Stupid.
That was when their relationship was on the verge of collapse. Every day, Duan Yelin was either busy with preparations before the war or taking care of Xu Hang to help him quit his addiction. He was so busy that he was exhausted and haggard, and his condition was no better than when he just came down from the battlefield.
Even so, he still wrote this letter to Xu Hang, not knowing whether it could be opened or not. After many twists and turns and the passage of time, fate finally sent it to its recipient.
Yuan Ye was a little surprised and cautiously asked, “What did he write?”
“I didn’t look at them, I burned them.”
“You burned them already?”
Xu Hang gave a faint smile. “If he’s alive, there’s no need for me to read it. And if he’s dead, there’s even less reason to.”
Yuan Ye looked at Xu Hang, and it was as if he had reacquainted himself with a certain side of him. In the past, everyone thought that Commander Duan was deeply devoted, but when one thinks about it, how can a play be performed by one person? Those who are alive but cannot die and those who are dead and cannot be resurrected are the most emotional.
During the meal, Xu Hang felt that Duan Yelin was not very talkative today, which was a bit abnormal. Later, after sending Yuan Ye and Gu Fangfei away from the dock, after the boat left, Duan Yelin suddenly told him a decision.
“Shaotang, I may have to go to the military academy to take up my post.”
It was only a few years after the truce, and the country needed fresh blood. A steady stream of new soldiers were recruited, and the school was in need of a school director who could use troops like a god.
The wind was very strong at the dock, blowing their hair up.
“I originally wanted to refuse, but Fourth Uncle took me around the military academy, and when I saw the freshmen training, it was like seeing Zhanzhou… Zhanzhou grew up with me, and he never listened to anyone except me. He followed me when I joined the army, and he would accompany me when I was beaten. He…” Duan Yelin suddenly choked up and turned his head away abruptly to a place where Xu Hang couldn’t see him.
From Xu Hang’s perspective, he could only see Duan Yelin’s back, with his breathing rising and falling, and half of his body slightly tense. He did not try to see Duan Yelin’s current expression but stroked his back with his hands until he slowly calmed down.
He felt the pain of the death of a loved one.
Duan Yelin turned his head, paused, and said, “He didn’t die for love, he died for his country.”
“He saved his family,” Xu Hang reached out a hand and stroked his face. “This is something I couldn’t do. In the future… you will be able to enable more people to protect their families.”
What meaning is there in flowers blooming, the moon being full, and people living long? How can the mountains and rivers not be steeped in sorrow? If the nation no longer exists, how can there be a home to return to?
Duan Yelin can do whatever he wants, but Xu Shaotang only needs to stick to one thing.
Alive or dead, together or apart, I have the promise with you.
(4)
On New Year.
Shucheng was burned down in the early years, and now it is inhabited by outsiders, so the city is deserted during the New Year holidays, and there are few people in the whole city.
The little monk had been waiting outside Xu Hang’s door for a New Year’s Day red envelope since early morning. Xu Hang suddenly thought of something: “If you want a red envelope… you have to honestly answer a question first.”
The little monk nodded quickly and confessed everything about the bet between him and Duan Yelin.
Duan Yelin bought a black-sailed boat this year and parked it on the lake outside the yard, saying that they could go boating and gather around the fire on New Year’s Eve. He was currently tidying up the inside of the boat and hanging lanterns on it.
Xu Hang leaned over and asked, “Where did you get the money to buy all these flowers and willows?”
Duan Yelin was confused: “Huh?”
Xu Hang opened the boat curtain and went in: “Didn’t you lose all your money to the little monk in a bet last month?”
“Uh… haha… I’m just teasing the kid…” Duan Yelin, who was exposed by Xu Hang, laughed dryly. He had already thought about how he would beat the little monk horizontally and vertically and then hang him up to beat him when he got back.
The small black boat was shaking, and his heart was shaking too.
Xu Hang narrowed his eyes and looked at him: “You’ve been doing all these tricks for a few days, just to make me jealous?”
Duan Yelin nodded: “Yes, I really want to.”
“Then what should I do?” Xu Hang stepped closer, smiling like a sly little fox. “I just love watching you get all flustered, with barely anything you can use against me.”
Duan Yelin looked at his half-smile, and his heart skipped a beat: “Why didn’t I notice that you were so mean before?”
“Lust can blind one’s mind. If Commander Duan had discovered it earlier, why would you have been deceived by a villain like me for four years? Huh?”
Even though time has passed, the two can still joke about these past events.
Duan Yelin did not refute but suddenly stepped forward and hugged him: “What did you say about me just now?”
“Say you were deceived for four years…”
“Previous sentence.”
“Lust…” As soon as Xu Hang said the word “lust”, he realized that something was wrong and stopped talking immediately.
Duan Yelin pressed the issue, “This is what Physician Xu himself admitted. It’s not my fault, don’t blame me for being stupid, blame yourself for being lustful.”
The more he talked, the closer he got, and the atmosphere suddenly became more charming.
Just as he was about to kiss him, Xu Hang’s nose twitched, he frowned, pushed him away, and sternly asked, “Duan Yelin! Are you smoking again?!”
The atmosphere was dull.
Duan Yelin’s alarm bells were ringing.
This is Duan Yelin’s eighth attempt to quit smoking this year.
Although Xu Hang disliked the smell of cigarettes, but he wasn’t entirely against indulging him now and then either. However, the gunpowder smoke on the battlefield was already damaging to the lungs, and with Duan Yelin carrying internal injuries, Xu Hang imposed a strict “no smoking” rule on him.
Duan Yelin complained bitterly.
It’s no wonder that he has a weak will. In those days, fighting was a matter of life and death. His mind was always on edge. Without a few puffs to keep himself awake, he would have become a ghost already.
Although he had quit for several years because of Xu Hang, once he picked it up again, the craving ran so deep that quitting wouldn’t come easily this time.
So, here and there, he also “cheated”.
Unfortunately, Xu Hang had a good sense of smell and could even tell what medicinal materials were used just by smelling the medicine bowl. Not to mention the smell of cigarette oil that Duan Yelin had picked up after taking two puffs. Even if he had just come back from taking a shower outside, he would have been found out at once as well.
So after Duan Yelin was caught by Xu Hang again, Physician Xu was furious.
“If you still can’t quit, you’ll sleep with Duan Zhenhua from now on!”
After saying these harsh words, Xu Hang used a big lock to lock the window through which Duan Yelin usually climbed into the room in the middle of the night.
From then on, Commander Duan lived a bachelor life for nearly a month.
If he was usually busy between the military academy and the martial arts school, he would still be able to divide his time. But now that the New Year was approaching and both places were on holiday, he had time. The two of them saw each other every day, just like a lamb dangling in front of a hungry wolf, which made Duan Yelin’s eyes go wide.
What’s even more infuriating is that quitting smoking is like being eaten by ants. He is so angry that he has no place to vent his anger. He can only chew bitter tea leaves in resentment to distract himself.
Duan Yelin: “Shaotang… can I just take a puff of San Paotai, just one puff?”
Xu Hang: “Do I look like a Paotai to you?”
Duan Yelin: “……”
When the addiction came, Duan Yelin became very restless. He would chase cats and catch birds in the yard and never stay still for a moment. He almost peeled off the bark of the tree in the corner.
So recently, no one in the whole garden, including the people and cat, likes him.
Seeing his liver-colored face, Qiao Song felt so distressed that he pulled him to the corner of the wall and took out a pack of cigarettes: “Commander, ah no, Principal, how about having a cigarette?”
Duan Yelin was so anxious that he immediately put a cigarette in his mouth and was about to light it when he heard the bathroom door suddenly open. He was so scared that he immediately hid behind a tree and turned his head to look.
Xu Hang, who had just finished bathing, was walking through the corridor while wiping his hair. His bathrobe was not tied tightly, and water droplets flowed from the ends of his hair into the depths of his collarbone, leaving water marks on his white skin.
The water vapor brought in from the bathroom made his eyes hazy, and the corners of his lips were wet.
Duan Yelin’s cigarette fell to the ground.
After a while.
“Screw it…” He crushed the cigarette into the soil. “I’m not allowed to smoke, nor was I allowed to sleep with him. Laozi is going to become a monk soon!”
Qiao Song almost hurt himself from laughing so hard.
So, Old Duan started to sulk again.
Lunar New Year’s Eve.
After the New Year’s Eve dinner, everyone stayed up in the house except Duan Yelin, who went to the black-sailed boat to drink wine alone. When Xu Hang went to look for him with a lantern, he even had his back to Xu Hang.
Xu Hang was so speechless that he really wanted to laugh: “When I was quitting my drug addiction, you were much more cruel to me.”
Duan Yelin said nothing.
Xu Hang poked his waist with his finger: “You are really angry?”
Duan Yelin still didn’t say a word and seemed hard to coax.
Thinking back, he was really mean to Duan Yelin this month. It was hard for him to endure not smoking for so long. It was New Year’s Eve. Xu Hang sighed, “Fine, fine, fine, from now on, I will personally watch you quit smoking and accompany you, alright?”
When Xu Hang said this, he hadn’t realized what a big deal he had agreed to.
He watched Duan Yelin slowly turn around. There was only one lamp in the boat, and the flickering candlelight cast a shadow on Duan Yelin. His expression was dark and unclear, and there seemed to be something surging in his eyes.
He felt a shadow slowly enveloping him. Just as he was about to say something, he was suddenly held by the back of his head and thrown back. A hasty kiss rushed between his lips and tongue.
Duan Yelin had no intention of proceeding step by step. He hooked his tongue around Xu Hang’s and intertwined them instinctively, making Xu Hang unable to even swallow. His tongue was sticky, and his voice was ambiguous.
He didn’t care whether Xu Hang frowned and pushed because he was embarrassed or uncomfortable. He was just addicted and needed to find an outlet.
Xu Hang was his outlet.
Duan Yelin wanted to chew and swallow him.
Due to the shaking of the cabin, it was difficult to rely on it. Xu Hang was forced to stretch his neck and lean back to bear Duan Yelin’s demands as much as possible, so much so that he felt a mix of white and black in front of him and a tingling heat at the corner of his mouth.
And the unspeakable wetness.
After finally satisfying his urge to kiss, Duan Yelin pulled Xu Hang’s clothes, first loosening his collar and nibbling his collarbone, then he put his hands all over his body, teasing him everywhere, making Xu Hang so anxious that he didn’t care about what was going on and bit Duan Yelin’s shoulder.
“Hiss…” Duan Yelin took a breath and finally stopped, saying, “Xu Shaotang, one mark is not enough? You want to give me another tooth mark?”
Xu Hang thought of the small mark on Duan Yelin’s back and immediately relaxed. Then Duan Yelin tore open his clothes, revealing a large area of his shoulder, which clearly showed a fresh tooth mark.
“You asked for it.” Xu Hang bit his lip.
He had just used too much force, and although he hadn’t broken Duan Yelin’s skin, the scar had already turned purple and would probably not go away in a few days. He stared at the tooth mark and thought, “You seem to… scar easily.”
“I really didn’t notice it.” Duan Yelin thought for a moment and touched the old wounds on his body through his clothes, covering them one by one, as if vying for credit. He rolled his eyes and said, “What you said is true. There are marks left from the knife and gunshot wounds. When the war was tense, it was already good to be able to have it bandaged to stop the bleeding. I just thought it was because I didn’t use ointment in time, unlike you—”
His palms were slightly warm, and he stroked from the neck to the collarbone, and the thick calluses rubbed to the waist and abdomen. Wherever they touched, Xu Hang’s breath became tense. This thin body had been injured in various ways, but most of them healed very well.
The most severe ones only leave red marks that are difficult to fade, like a white peony that has been scratched.
There is pity everywhere, and the more he touches them, the busier his heart becomes.
He leaned over and kissed a red mark on Xu Hang’s ear, saying, “—You don’t easily get scars, but it’s easy to leave ‘traces’ on you.”
Xu Hang couldn’t stand Duan Yelin’s dirty talk during intimate action, but no matter how obscure it was, he could understand every word, and his ears suddenly felt hot.
As if to verify his words, Duan Yelin lifted up Xu Hang’s upper body and peeled off the skin layer by layer like peeling a flower, and kissed him as well. However, after his lips and tongue left, rouge-colored traces were left behind, first a dot, then a cluster, and finally a whole piece, like a sloppily painted peony, stretching from Xu Hang’s shoulder blades to his chest.
Some are light pink, some are bright red, and some are… slightly purple.
Xu Hang endured it for a while. He wanted to shout but didn’t dare to attract anyone. He suppressed his sobs and didn’t dare to resist hard, because if he struggled, the boat would sway from side to side, the water would make a loud noise, and anyone who was keeping watch in the house would come out to look for him and would know what was going on without even having to get close.
Duan Yelin definitely knew what Xu Hang was afraid of, but he was now immersed in it and couldn’t let go. If he kissed lightly, Xu Hang would tremble slightly from the itch; if he licked hard, Xu Hang would not be able to suppress the sound in his throat; if he bit maliciously, Xu Hang would tense up.
When Duan Yelin grabbed Xu Hang’s knees and put them on his waist, Xu Hang was anxious: “We can’t…”
“It’s not up to you. You promised to personally accompany me to quit smoking.” Duan Yelin licked his wrist, breathing heavier. “I’m not over the addiction yet, you can’t break your promise.”
The next moment, the oars entered the river.
Xu Hang’s eyes suddenly became hot.
Duan Yelin was the boatman. He held the oar and made the boat as deep or shallow as he wished. He paddled left and right in the flowing water, and the whole boat was shaking violently, sometimes drafting deep into the water, sometimes shallow, floating up and down.
The hemp rope tied to the boat loosened at some point, and the boat drifted on the river and disappeared into a reed bush. The city was dark, and the streets were empty. The boat curtain shook for a moment, and then suddenly a bony hand grabbed it and then suddenly let go, hanging on the boat board, with red marks all over the wrist.
The next moment the hand seemed to struggle again, trying to reach and climb out, but was held down by another hand, which spread its five fingers and dragged it back into the boat.
At the same time, there was a weak sob.
The candle in the lantern that Xu Hang brought was half burned. He was so hot that his breath was audible. He leaned against Duan Yelin’s chest, wrapped in his arms around him, gasping for breath.
He had barely taken two breaths when his chin was pinched and lifted up again, and Duan Yelin bit his lips. He felt like a person drowning in the water, with his limbs entangled by soft water plants, unable to struggle.
Finally unable to bear it any longer, Xu Hang stretched out his hand and grabbed his hair, trying to separate the two of them: “That’s enough… go back… go back.”
“I’m not satisfied yet.” Duan Yelin refused.
“Ugh—!”
The boat left the reeds and went deep into the algae.
Xu Hang’s waist was a little painful from being pinched, and he stretched his legs forward, shaking slightly. His hands were grabbing randomly to the side, and suddenly he knocked over the wine pot that Duan Yelin brought, and the wine spilled over half of his body.
The smell of alcohol filled the entire boat. Although he didn’t drink much, but he still felt tipsy.
Duan Yelin smelled the alcohol on Xu Hang, and it was like a cigarette butt thrown into a pile of straw, which caught fire instantly. He circled the person tightly, each time more ruthlessly than the last, forcing Xu Hang to sweat profusely, like the moon fished out of the water.
“That’s enough, right? Duan Yelin.” Xu Hang found a chance to take a break and wanted to put an end to this absurdity as soon as possible.
Duan Yelin turned him over and said tirelessly, “Shaotang, stay with me for a while.”
Continuous abstinence has made Duan Yelin so addicted that he can’t control himself. It’s like a backlash. He himself feels that he’s a little crazy. His inability to get the pleasure of cigarettes makes him urgently need to fill it with love, but the nourishment of love makes him more addicted. The overlap of extreme satisfaction and emptiness will drive anyone crazy.
So, before his boat reached the shore, his oars went deep into the water.
When the candle was almost gone, Duan Yelin laid the person down in the cabin again and touched his cheek soothingly, but when Xu Hang saw his still red eyes, he knew that this matter was not over yet.
Xu Hang couldn’t bear it anymore. He struggled but was embedded by Duan Yelin like a mortise and tenon joint.
The entire reed marsh was swaying.
“Duan Yelin! Duan Yelin… I’ll be mad…”
Xu Hang didn’t know how to curse, nor did he possess the force to be truly threatening. The blow shattered his resolve, leaving him utterly speechless.
Duan Yelin didn’t stop, he laughed when he heard it, then grabbed Xu Hang’s hand and put it on his arm: “Scratch me if you’re angry.” He took advantage of the other party’s weakness and fiercely said, “Or if you beg me? Maybe I will stop.”
Xu Hang gave him a wet glare, biting his lip tightly. Although he was in a state of being easily shattered at the slightest touch, but his expression was extremely stubborn.
This is exactly what Duan Yelin wants. It would be better if you didn’t ask for it. If you didn’t ask for it, then it’s something you brought upon yourself.
Later, the sounds of the cabin and water continued until the lanterns went out. The boats floated out of the reed marsh, swayed through the Moon Cave Bridge, and hit the stone slabs of the anchor step, making a crisp sound of wood cracking. At the same time, an unbearable groan came from the boat.
Later on, not sure what time it was.
This year, Xu Hang’s last words to Duan Yelin were, “Duan Yelin, if you want to smoke, go ahead… I won’t help you quit anymore.”
Duan Yelin wiped the sweat off his forehead, looking unsatisfied.
“Shaotang ah, I am now addicted to another thing.”
Xu Hang seemed to be in a state of semi-consciousness for a short while but was suddenly brought back to consciousness by Duan Yelin’s hot body temperature. He then vaguely heard the sound of several people from home setting off fireworks in the distance.
With a whoosh, it bloomed in the sky.
The dark interior of the ship also lit up.
Duan Yelin looked at Xu Hang, kissed him on the lips again, and softly said, “Shaotang, Happy New Year.”
Another year has passed.
Another year for him and Duan Yelin.
The paper is not enough to write down all the affection when illness strikes. The boat stopped under the moon. May it continue like this, with new phenology every year.
T/N: The end~Thanks for reading.
