My Fulang is a Delicate Flower Chapter 43 Part 2

The room plunged into darkness, but outside, the firecrackers continued to explode vigorously. The sounds echoed across the wilderness, with firecrackers from miles around audible in the distance.  

The relentless popping showed no sign of stopping.  

Huo Shu felt the person in his arms squirming. "Can’t sleep?"  

Ji Taoyu poked his head out from Huo Shu’s chest. "You can sleep?"  

Huo Shu kept his eyes closed. "Mm."  

Ji Taoyu was incredulous. "You can sleep through all this noise?"  

When Huo Shu didn’t respond after a while, Ji Taoyu quietly retreated back into his embrace. "Fine. I was just thinking, if you couldn’t sleep either, we could try that thing we brought back the other day."  

The small box brought back from the medical clinic had already been thoroughly examined by Ji Taoyu. Inside were a few bottles of ointment with a faint scent and a smooth texture.  

Apart from those, there were also several polished jade rods of varying sizes.  

As for their specific purpose, Ji Taoyu felt too embarrassed to dwell on it—ultimately, it was just what one would expect.  

Although he had brought the items back, the past two days had been busy with New Year preparations, leaving no time to think about such matters. So, Ji Taoyu quietly tucked them away in a hidden corner.  

Hearing this mention, Huo Shu’s eyes immediately snapped open in the darkness.  

"If you can’t sleep, we could try them now."  

Ji Taoyu narrowed his eyes at those words: I should’ve known!  

"But aren’t you tired? Let’s just sleep, or you won’t be able to get up tomorrow."  

"Whether I sleep early or late, I can still get up."  

"Whether you sleep early or late, you still struggle to wake up, there’s no difference."  

Ji Taoyu pursed his lips and pinched the only soft spot he could find on Huo Shu’s body: "Why do you have to say such annoying things?"  

Huo Shu silently caught the mischievous hand on his chest: "Was I wrong, though?"  

Ji Taoyu ignored him, then heard Huo Shu ask: "Should I go get them?"  

"...Mm."  

Ji Taoyu gave a quiet hum before adding, "Do you even know how to use them?"  

"The physician explained it to me."

Huo Shu got up to light the candle and fetched the box.  

Ji Taoyu thought to himself: So the physician actually gave instructions? No wonder it took so long for him to come out that day.

At this realization, his face flushed, and he burrowed deeper under the quilt, leaving only his head peeking out from the bed curtains as he watched Huo Shu prepare.  

Unexpectedly, the man simply carried the box over, holding jade rods of varying thicknesses in his hand, and asked: "Which one?"  

When those things had just been lying in the box, Ji Taoyu hadn’t felt too bothered by them. But now, for some reason, seeing them in Huo Shu’s grasp made them seem… different.  

His face burned, yet there was also an inexplicable thrill. "H-how should I know? Didn’t the physician explain it to you?"  

Huo Shu’s brow twitched slightly. The physician had advised taking things slowly and proceeding step by step. But since all the jade rods were smaller than him, any choice would technically follow the doctor’s orders.  

Still, considering Ji Taoyu’s condition, he didn’t pick the largest one and instead held up a medium-sized rod. "This one?"  

Ji Taoyu gave a hurried nod and ducked back under the covers.  

With the bed curtains drawn, the candlelight flickered faintly, so Huo Shu left it unextinguished.  

The unfamiliar yet somehow familiar sensation made Ji Taoyu tense up instinctively, his fingers clutching the sheets.  

Huo Shu steadied the waist of the ger beneath him, advancing carefully. With the ointment’s help, the smaller size made things much easier than before, which was already a significant improvement.  

He wasn’t one to indulge in fantasies, but even he couldn’t help imagining a little with the aid of these tools.  

"Ah—it’s so cold!"  

Huo Shu focused. "Where?"  

Ji Taoyu’s legs trembled weakly as he pressed a hand against Huo Shu’s movements, the corners of his eyes reddening. "Where else?!"

Hearing this, Huo Shu had no choice but to stop his movements, wrapping Ji Taoyu tightly in the quilt. Outside, the wind and snow had not ceased, and catching a cold during such a fine New Year's season would be a poor trade-off.  

"Aside from the cold, does it hurt?"  

Ji Taoyu pulled the quilt over his face, too embarrassed to look at Huo Shu while lying there bare below the waist. "It's alright."  

"Then I'll switch to another one."  

Ji Taoyu immediately lifted the quilt upon hearing this. "It's cold!"  

The medicinal ointment not only provided lubrication but also contained ingredients to reduce swelling, making it even colder than ordinary ointment. On top of that, the jade rod was icy as well. With both factors combined, the chill was unbearable.  

Huo Shu said, "Then let's warm it up before using it."  

Ji Taoyu paused, then coughed lightly and nodded.  

Huo Shu wrapped the jade rod and tucked it under his arm in a warm spot before lying back down on the bed.  

Ji Taoyu pressed close to him, too embarrassed to say anything more at this point.  

Huo Shu couldn't help but frown in thought, when would he be able to do it himself?  

But judging by the current progress, things were looking very promising. With diligent practice, it probably wouldn’t be much longer.  

Huo Shu reached out to touch the jade rod. It had already warmed up a little. A bit more heat, and applying the ointment wouldn’t feel so cold anymore.  

After a quarter of an hour, Huo Shu turned over. "Let's continue."  

Yet the person nestled against him gave no response. Seeing him curled up on the side, his breathing already steady and even - who knew how long he’d been asleep, Huo Shu hesitated, holding the jade rod.  

"Weren’t you unable to sleep?"  

Even under the dappled light filtering through the bed curtains, Ji Taoyu’s fair skin was clearly visible. Perhaps due to his weak constitution, even his eyebrows seemed faint, and his hair was as soft as soaked silk threads.  

Huo Shu watched him for a long while, noticing how he lightly sniffled and instinctively burrowed into his embrace, slipping his feet beneath Huo Shu’s calves.  

He tossed the jade rod onto the bedside cabinet and instead wrapped his arms around the soft little ger. Outside, the sound of firecrackers boomed, but in his arms, there was only warmth.