Chapter 144
This time, they didn’t push the cart up the mountain, carrying only bamboo baskets instead. They left behind many unnecessary items to avoid the burden of extra weight.
Shen Xuanqing’s idea was that Lu Gu shouldn’t have to do too much work, just cook meals daily. If it got cold, he could wrap his legs under the blankets and do some needlework. They even left tangpozi at home.
Now, the two embraced, enjoying a long-missed moment of tenderness. Lu Gu didn’t speak, but his heart was brimming with joy. Shen Xuanqing had always radiated warmth, his sturdy and robust body even cozier than tangpozi.
After a month of roughing it outdoors, returning to sleep in a clean, warm bed left Shen Xuanqing utterly relaxed. Especially with his fulang nestled in his arms, making everything even more comfortable and pleasant.
Outside, the rain showed no sign of letting up, the sky gloomy and dim. Though they hadn’t drunk any wine, they could still call themselves well-fed and content. With warm bellies and lazy limbs, not taking a nap in such a moment would have been a waste of comfort.
“Let’s sleep for a while,” Shen Xuanqing murmured with a low laugh, pressing a light kiss to the corner of Lu Gu’s lips before pulling him closer.
His lips and cheeks were kissed several times, and Lu Gu couldn’t suppress his happiness, the corners of his mouth lifting, his eyes bright. With a soft “mm,” he nestled into a comfortable position in Shen Xuanqing’s embrace, and the two pulled the quilt snugly over themselves.
The quilt was stuffed with soft, warm cotton - no straw or reed fluff, so the bedding quickly became warm.
They had said they would sleep, but that wasn’t what happened. Lu Gu’s cheeks flushed slightly as he held back his shyness and didn’t voice any protest. Shen Xuanqing’s starry eyes glimmered with amusement as he pressed kisses here and there, lingering on his fulang's soft lips. Unwilling to pull away, they savored a tender and intimate moment.
But after a month of travel, he was finally able to rest for two days thanks to the rain. In the end, they didn’t go all the way, only indulging lightly to satisfy a little desire. After the playful kisses, Shen Xuanqing withdrew his hand from inside Lu Gu’s inner robe and simply held him as they drifted off to sleep.
Outside the window, the wind and rain pattered all night. As the moon set and the sun rose, another clear day arrived.
The mountains were veiled in mist, the autumn hues of the post-rain forest even more pronounced, the air crisp and cool with each breath.
The ground was soaked in mud, slippery and treacherous to walk on, let alone chase prey through. Shen Xuanqing rested another day before heading out to hunt.
After a full day of sunshine, the ground had dried considerably. Lu Gu took a basket and went to gather dipicai (地皮菜) nearby.
The grass was still damp, and before long, his shoes and pant legs were wet, the soles caked with mud, making each step feel heavy.
Dark green and bluish-black dipicai was delicious, but it had to be washed thoroughly - otherwise, it would feel gritty when eaten.
Deep in the mountains, where few people ventured, wild vegetables grew rampant, untouched by harvesters. After the rain, there was plenty of dipicai. Lu Gu gathered a large amount in no time, though it had to be dried before eating. He filled the entire bamboo basket before heading back.
His shoes were covered in mud, the tops soaked through. After returning, he changed into a clean pair.
The water vat on the mountain was small, but Shen Xuanqing had filled it the evening before, so it would last Lu Gu two or three days.
Though the sun was out, the cold water was still biting to the touch. Boiling a whole pot would waste firewood, so Lu Gu heated water in an earthenware pot on the clay stove instead.
He carried a small bundle of kindling from the woodshed, squatting to feed a few sticks into the stove. When alone, his thoughts often wandered. He remembered how, back in the Lu family, even in winter, Du Hehua had made him wash clothes without warm water.
It wasn’t self-pity, just a sudden worry that his current use of firewood and hot water might be wasteful.
But the firewood was already burning, the water heating. Then he recalled Shen Xuanqing’s frequent reminders to use warm water in cold weather. Even at home, his mother-in-law and sister-in-law never scolded him for using firewood to heat water.
This reassurance settled his heart.
Later, as he sat in the yard washing dipicai in warm water, his hands didn’t feel cold at all. He decided that heating water really was better.
With nothing else to do, Lu Gu washed the dipicai meticulously. By the time he finished the second rinse, much time had passed. He placed the bamboo tray on a wooden rack, after two days of drying, it could be rehydrated for cooking. It was a shame there was no tofu to buy here, dipicai and tofu would have made delicious buns.
The twenty-some eggs they’d brought were also gone, so he couldn’t stir-fry them with dipicai. But the leeks in the front yard had sprouted again, and after a few more days they’d be ready to harvest.
The vegetables in the front yard were doing fine, many still thriving. The luffa and winter melon vines Shen Xuanqing had planted in the back had been eaten by him earlier. Later, when he stopped coming up the mountain as often, he’d uprooted the vines to prevent them from overgrowing.
After tidying up the dipicai, Lu Gu looked at his dirty shoes, picked them up along with a wooden bat, and tucked a couple of soapberries into his pocket before heading to the river to wash them.
The river water was icy, but with only one pair of shoes, there was no need to heat water separately. A few beats and scrubs later, they were clean.
Though the tasks he did each day weren’t many, time flew by in the blink of an eye.
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