Foraging in the mountains was exhausting work, but the sight of baskets brimming with chestnuts, hazelnuts, and walnuts filled everyone with fervor.
Shen Yaoqing had brought a cart precisely to haul their bounty home. Though the journey back would be grueling, they’d have plenty to eat all winter.
While gathering chestnuts with the dogs, Lu Gu also picked a good amount of mushrooms. Meat took too long to cook, but mushrooms were tender and fragrant. Stir-fried with oil, they were even tastier than meat. Since everyone was busy working, meals had to be quick, so he often stir-fried the freshest mushrooms for a satisfying bite.
By the time their sacks and baskets were full, they rose early one morning to pack up and head down the mountain.
Shen Xuanqing had worked tirelessly over the past month, collecting twenty-three fox furs, although seven were mixed-fur that he intended to gift to Wei Lanxiang for a fur blanket. Nonetheless, it was a significant catch.
The heavy cart creaked as they pushed and pulled it down the mountain. Shen Yan and Lu Gu led the way, guiding the sika deer they were bringing home. Yet despite the toil, their laughter never faded, they were returning with a full load.
Lu Gu carried a bundle with his two sets of winter clothes. Shen Xuanqing would return to hunt in a few days, but with autumn waning, he wouldn’t stay long. There was no need for Lu Gu to go up again.
The journey was long and arduous. During a rest break, Shen Xuanqing glanced at Guaizi, who had just finished drinking, then untied the bundle from Lu Gu and fastened it to the dog’s back, letting him help carry it home.
The bundle only held clothes and wasn’t heavy, so Lu Gu didn’t protest. He simply smiled as he watched Guaizi.
Perhaps because the bundle carried a familiar scent, Guaizi seemed a bit uneasy at first but didn’t shake it off. After a while, he grew accustomed, sometimes trotting ahead with Da Hei, other times barking at the sika deer from behind.
Guaizi had been well-fed since he was a puppy. Though he wasn’t the largest, he was sturdier than even Da Hui. Among the dogs at home, he was the youngest, it was only fair he pulled his weight.
They walked in starts and stops, finally arriving home just before dusk.
Wei Lanxiang was inside holding Zhao’er, while Ji Qiuyue was cooking. Hearing the dogs bark, she hurried out and saw the four of them returning with the cart.
Shen Yaoqing didn’t even wash his hands before rushing in to play with his son.
But Zhao’er barely reacted to him, only fussing when he saw Ji Qiuyue. The child knows his mother’s milk - the saying held true. Babies naturally clung to those who fed them.
[识得母乳 (shí dé mǔrǔ): lit. The child knows his mother’s milk; fig. Implies childish simplicity or lack of deeper insight (mocking someone for only understanding basic or obvious things)]
Shen Yaoqing couldn’t resist poking his son’s chubby arm. After five days away, he had missed the little rascal, who clearly hadn’t missed his father at all.
Outside, Wei Lanxiang fussed over Shen Xuanqing and Lu Gu, whom she hadn’t seen in over a month. Her chatter was endless but full of warmth.
When she spotted Guaizi with the bundle on his back, she burst out laughing in delight.
The lively commotion gradually settled. Since Ji Qiuyue hadn’t known when they’d return, she hadn’t cooked enough rice. Wei Lanxiang quickly stir-fried two more dishes and steamed some buns.
With the whole family together, the meal tasted even better.
After eating, as dusk deepened, Shen Yaoqing stayed in his own room, he hadn’t seen his wife or son in days. Lu Gu and Shen Xuanqing slept in the new house, where they checked the large jars stocked with grain. The sight of ample rice and flour brought them peace of mind.
Once the gate was closed, the four dogs sprawled on the sacks and dozed off, occasionally stirring at the sounds of livestock in the backyard.
After soaking their feet, warmth spread through their legs. Wei Lanxiang had even given them a heating brick to take back, because nights were getting colder.
The valuable sika deer and fox furs had put Shen Xuanqing in high spirits. Now, lying comfortably in bed with his fulang in his arms, he felt completely at ease.
Thanks to regular use of hand and face cream, Lu Gu’s hands and cheeks were softer and smoother than before, though he himself hardly noticed. Who had time to stroke their own face with so much work to do?
A laborer’s hands could never compare to those of the idle rich. His softness was only relative to other village fulangs.
Shen Xuanqing had never touched another people's hands, but a single glance revealed the roughness and cracks on others. Lu Gu's hands had once been just as calloused.
The warmth of the heating brick made Lu Gu's skin feel even softer to the touch. Beneath his lips, Lu Gu's fair cheeks carried a subtle, sweet fragrance of plum blossom, delicate and soothing.
Lu Gu’s face warmed under the kisses, and he turned away slightly to escape.
Noticing this, Shen Xuanqing stubbornly cupped his husband’s face and turned it back. Here, with no one else around, they could kiss as much as they wanted without fear of being overheard.
Besides, during his time in the mountains, he had been too busy hunting to think of anything else. Over a month had passed since they’d last been intimate. Now, relaxed and with the night stretching before them, his kisses grew deeper, his desire stirring.
Though the day’s journey had left Lu Gu tired, they were still young. One round of lovemaking wasn’t too much. He never resisted Shen Xuanqing, mot even a token protest. His cheeks flushed as he let the taller man explore freely.
They hadn’t brought lubricant from home, but Shen Xuanqing was no longer the reckless brute of his youth. By the time he held Lu Gu close in the wee hours, his fulang was unharmed and content in his arms.
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