The lives of country folk were mostly busy yet uneventful, devoid of much excitement, even dull. They worked extremely hard just to put food on the table, where two or three meals a day were the most critical matters.
But this placid routine was interrupted by a delightful surprise when Shen Xuanqing returned with a live female sika deer.
The dogs circled Lu Gu, wagging their tails. The moment he spotted Shen Xuanqing, he forgot about petting them and hurried forward. After days of waiting, his heart swelled with joy, and seeing the sika deer Shen Xuanqing had dragged back made his eyes shine even brighter.
Being gazed at with such admiring brightness by his fulang made Shen Xuanqing stand even taller. Still a young man at heart, his grin widened, pride gleaming in his eyes.
“I checked before catching her, she’s not pregnant,” he said cheerfully. “When we take her down the mountain, she’ll sell for at least forty taels. This is a sika deer, and a female at that. Those who love venison prize it, and with the cold weather now, the price can be pushed higher.”
Hunters had their rules: pregnant females and young animals were off-limits.
Lu Gu had always trusted his words completely.
The doe was led into the yard and tied up. Shen Xuanqing then took off his bamboo basket, pulling out two fox furs with a grin. “Got two foxes, too.”
Lu Gu’s admiration deepened, until he noticed the dried mud stains on Shen Xuanqing’s back and trousers. The large splotches clearly weren’t from a minor slip. Worried, he asked, “What happened to your clothes?”
Shen Xuanqing’s smile didn’t waver. “It’s nothing. Just slipped yesterday morning while chasing a fox with the dogs, the ground was slippery. Only the clothes got dirty, nothing else.”
Seeing Lu Gu’s concern, he added matter-of-factly, “Really, I’m fine. If you don’t believe me, I’ll strip and show you.”
With no one else around, he undid his waist sash without waiting for Lu Gu’s response, revealing his unblemished back under the sunlight.
Shen Xuanqing, tempered by years of labor and martial training, had a lean, muscular frame with a sun-bronzed glow, every inch radiating strength.
Assured that he was unharmed, Lu Gu relaxed.
“Luckily, I didn’t fall face-first. Just my backside took the hit, but I’m thick-skinned, the pain faded fast.” Shen Xuanqing chuckled as he tied his sash back on.
Lu Gu’s eyes drifted to his face. Even in town, few men matched Shen Xuanqing’s handsomeness. His sharp brows, starry eyes, straight nose, and striking features. If his face had been injured, what a shame that would’ve been.
So he nodded softly. “Thank goodness.”
Thank goodness he wasn’t hurt, and thank goodness his face was spared.
Shen Xuanqing, fastening his belt, heard his fulang's murmur and raised an eyebrow, unable to hold back his laughter.
He stepped forward and pulled Lu Gu into an embrace, nuzzling his cheek against Lu Gu’s fair skin. “Can’t let this face get ruined,” he teased. “Or I wouldn’t deserve you when we go out.”
The words caught Lu Gu off guard. It took him a moment to process, Shen Xuanqing had called him good-looking.
In all his life, only his late mother had ever said that. But the way Shen Xuanqing said it felt entirely different.
He didn’t know why, but his ears burned even as his heart sweetened, despite not having drunk any honey water.
Between hugs and kisses, their longing was barely sated. Shen Xuanqing who was still in dirty clothes, let go of Lu Gu, only to find his bashful fulang looking up at him with eyes so bright and warm that he was instantly captivated.
“You’re good-looking too.”
Lu Gu’s voice was soft, his cheeks pink, his eyes shining brighter than the moon at night. The warmth and joy in his gaze as he looked at Shen Xuanqing held an affection unlike any he showed others.
Shen Xuanqing didn’t understand love, both were young and inexperienced, with no one to teach them what it meant. But he wasn’t foolish. Lu Gu’s eyes told him plainly: in Lu Gu’s heart, he was special.
The mountain forest was quiet and serene. When their lips met, Lu Gu no longer heard the wind or the dogs.
Deep, passionate kisses usually belonged to the nighttime bed. This was the first time they’d lost themselves in each other in broad daylight, right in the yard.
When Lu Gu noticed Guaizi tilting his head at them, his face burned. He couldn’t bring himself to meet the dog’s gaze and even pushed Shen Xuanqing away.
It was a testament to their distraction. Shen Xuanqing who was tall and sturdy, could easily envelop Lu Gu in his arms. Normally, Lu Gu’s push wouldn’t have budged him. But lost in thoughts of their earlier intimacy, he stumbled back two steps.
“I’ll go cook,” Lu Gu whispered, flustered as he fled to the kitchen.
Shen Xuanqing steadied himself, laughing at his fulang's flustered escape. Then he laughed even harder, remembering the way Lu Gu had looked at him. His heart swelled with joy.
The doe had minor bite wounds from the dogs, but they were superficial. To keep her calm, Shen Xuanqing led her to the backyard and tied her up, giving Guaizi a light kick to shoo him away.
Mischievous by nature, Guaizi liked to startle the doe, even adopting hunting stances. Since Shen Xuanqing planned to stay a while longer to hunt more foxes, he needed to keep the doe in good condition - stress-induced weight loss wouldn’t do.
After the kick, Guaizi whined, his growls ceasing and fangs retracting. Wagging his tail, he trotted off to find Lu Gu.
On the way back, Shen Xuanqing had eaten two steamed buns. Seeing Lu Gu cooking, he didn’t idle either, grabbing the bamboo basket to gather grass and tender branches to feed the doe.
Crisscrossing through the woods inevitably dirtied not just clothes but hair as well.
After the meal, Shen Xuanqing washed his hair, bathed, and changed. By then, the heat in Lu Gu’s face from earlier had faded. He helped boil water and add firewood, then did laundry, keeping busy so he wouldn’t dwell on their earlier intimacy.
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