MFBOWSBTMT Chapter 67

When they arrived home, Miao Lianhua and Lu Xuesong had already eaten, but plenty of dishes remained warm in the pot. Lu Dongqing, in a rush to carve bamboo tubes, grabbed a steamed bun and took several big bites without even bothering to eat the side dishes.

 

Qiao Suiman knew he was in a hurry to work. Starting tomorrow, he would need to deliver drinks to town, but those were made fresh daily, unlike the bamboo tubes, which had to be prepared in advance.

 

He picked up two slices of meat and placed them in the bowl in front of Lu Dongqing, then said, “There’s no rush. Steward Fang already said ten tubes will do for now. There’s still time today, so let’s eat first.”

 

Lu Dongqing shoved the meat into his mouth, chewing it along with the steamed bun before swallowing. “It gets dark early. If I don’t finish during the day, I’ll have to light a lamp at night. The wind is too strong in the courtyard to light them, and lighting them in the room will disturb your sleep.”

 

“How would it disturb me?”

 

Qiao Suiman frowned slightly. “How could I sleep peacefully knowing you’re still working? If you really need to light a lamp, I’ll stay up with you. It’ll be a good chance to practice the needlework Mother taught me.”

 

His voice was louder than usual, and Lu Dongqing, recognizing his concern, gave a silly laugh and agreed, “Alright, we’ll do it together then.”

 

With that, he slowed his eating.

 

Much better. Qiao Suiman smiled and added, “Let Da-ge go to town with me tomorrow, so you stay home and keep carving. I’ll take the ones you finish today.”

 

Lu Dongqing had been thinking the same, so he nodded in agreement.

 

After the meal, Lu Dongqing carved bamboo tubes in the yard while Qiao Suiman busied himself tidying the house with Miao Lianhua. Lu Xuesong had gone to dig up roots and wasn’t home.

 

“Mother,” Qiao Suiman whispered, “is Dongqing’s birthday coming up soon?”

 

Truthfully, he already knew Lu Dongqing’s birthday but didn’t want to ask too directly, so he brought it up this way.

 

Miao Lianhua smiled. “Yes, it’s on the sixteenth. Both brothers were born in the twelfth month; one on the sixteenth, the other on the twenty-sixth.”

 

Qiao Suiman glanced at Lu Dongqing, who was still diligently working, then quietly approached Miao Lianhua and whispered, “Mother, don’t tell him about the handkerchief.”

 

“Of course. I won’t tell a soul.” Miao Lianhua replied with a quiet laugh. “He’ll never notice.”

 

The two exchanged a look and couldn’t help but chuckle.

 

Qiao Suiman has been learning embroidery from Miao Lianhua whenever he has free time, and he has made great progress. He wants to embroider a handkerchief as a birthday gift for Lu Dongqing, so he often takes out a handkerchief to practice embroidery. Lu Dongqing thinks that he is just learning a new skill and does not think much of it.

 

In fact, Qiao Suiman had been secretly embroidering a handkerchief as a birthday gift for quite some time. It has a lush wintergreen tree, although only the trunk has been completed so far. He hid it carefully, ensuring Lu Dongqing wouldn’t find it.

 

After cleaning the kitchen, Qiao Suiman glanced at Lu Dongqing, who was still carving bamboo tubes. He yawned deliberately and, as he passed by, said casually, “I’m going back to the room to take a nap.”

 

“Mm, cover yourself well. Don’t catch a cold,” Lu Dongqing reminded him.

 

Qiao Suiman pursed his lips. “I know. I’m not a child.”

 

Though he said that, his heart felt sweet and warm.

 

After closing the bedroom door softly, Qiao Suiman quietly opened the large wooden chest by the bed, where their summer clothes were stored. He reached into the stack of thin garments on the right and pulled out a handkerchief from under the third garment. It was a partially embroidered handkerchief.

 

Qiao Suiman took out the green silk thread he had just asked Miao Lianhua for from his pocket and sat by the window, using the light from outside to carefully embroider the leaves. As a beginner, and although he had practiced a lot with other patterns, this was his first time making a gift for Lu Dongqing. He approached it with the same dedication as when he embroidered his wedding robes, considering each stitch before making it, so progress was slow.

 

Embroidering the leaves took time, and there were still ten days left. Qiao Suiman worked for a little more than an hour before putting it away and tucking it back into the chest. He didn’t want to stay in the room too long and raise suspicion.

 

The chest didn’t hold much. Besides clothes, there was only a bed sheet and a new quilt that had not been used. Thinking it was time to change the sheet, Qiao Suiman pulled it out, but in doing so, he accidentally yanked out one of Lu Dongqing’s garments as well.

 

Something flew out from beneath the garment and fell to the floor with a soft thud. Qiao Suiman was startled. He was still clutching the clothing tightly, so how did something else fall out?

 

He quickly looked down, afraid it might be something valuable, only to see a book lying on the ground.

 

The first page bore large characters he didn’t recognize. But since Lu Dongqing could read, he didn’t think much of it. He picked it up and dusted it off lightly.

 

He thought they were probably books that Lu Dongqing had used for his studies in the past. Ever since they began selling in town, many scholars had come by their stall, and he started admiring those who could read. Without thinking much, he opened it.

 

But the first page actually features two people!

 

Judging by their figures, it was a man and a ge’r, standing very close together. Their clothing is only roughly sketched out, yet for some reason, they appear somewhat sensual.

 

Qiao Suman’s brows wrinkled slightly, and he immediately felt something was wrong. The page had few words, with the drawing taking up most of the space. It didn’t look like a proper book but rather a picture book.

 

Qiao Suiman glanced at the door, which was still shut. Through the window, Lu Dongqing could still be seen outside carving bamboo, clearly unaware of what was happening inside. Qiao Suiman swallowed nervously. He didn’t know why he felt guilty, but he quietly turned another page in the picture book.

 

The next page showed that the two figures had taken off their clothes!

 

The man was pressing the ge’r down, pinning their hands above their head, his expression satisfied and pleased. The ge’r, however, wore a slight frown, as if in both pleasure and pain, his lips parted slightly in a dazed expression.

 

Qiao Suiman lowered his gaze and saw where the two were connected. He was so startled that his hand trembled, and he almost threw the picture book away.

 

He came to his senses in an instant and hurriedly caught the picture book to prevent it from falling to the ground and making another sound. His face turned red, and his heart began to beat wildly.

 

Lu Dongqing, he… how could he have such a book?! He actually thought it was a serious book!

 

Qiao Suiman finally calmed his breathing, then suddenly remembered something.

 

Before their wedding, Qin Yu-ge and Chen Xuesheng had mentioned that some families bought picture books for newlyweds to avoid awkwardness on their first night.

 

So then, this was…

 

A thought flashed through Qiao Suiman’s mind, making him blush. He opened the picture book again and flipped through the pages one by one. He realized that many of the positions depicted had been used during his intimate moments with Lu Dongqing over the past few months. Qiao Suiman gritted his teeth and secretly cursed him as a hooligan.

 

His curiosity not yet satisfied, Qiao Suiman forced himself to keep reading despite the embarrassment. But when he reached a particularly outrageous pose, he snapped the book shut.

 

Too… too much…

 

Qiao Suiman felt a rush of heat rising through his body. He frantically stuffed the book into the clothes and put it back in the wooden chest. After checking twice to make sure there were no traces left, he sat down on the chair, gulping down two mouthfuls of cold water to calm the heat.

 

Between the handkerchief and… that, Lu Dongqing would surely be… very surprised.

 

Qiao Suiman shook his head vigorously to clear away the rising images in his mind. He patted his cheeks and only stepped out of the room once he was sure they were no longer burning.

 

Seeing him come out, Lu Dongqing raised his hand to wipe the sweat off his face and said with a smile, “You’re awake.”

 

For some reason, Qiao Suiman’s eyes burned with embarrassment. He gave a vague “Mm” and hurried to the backyard, claiming he needed to check on the chickens and ducks.

 

Lu Dongqing was left standing there, confused as to why his fulang was ignoring him after a nap.

 

Lu Dongqing, you lucky little brat!

 

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