Lately, Huo Shu and Ji Taoyu had been shuttling between town and village—arriving at the new street shop before the sun grew hot and returning only after it tilted westward. They had taken on the rhythm of early risers and late returnees.
That day, Uncle Fan was discussing with Huo Shu whether they should build a slightly larger livestock shed at the shop, as Huo Shu had assigned horses to each of them for convenient travel.
Originally, the horses were kept at the Ji family's place. However, when the men needed to transport lumber or do other tasks requiring horses, they would ride them out and not return to the Ji family at night, leaving the horses with no proper arrangement.
A livestock shed at the shop was indispensable, but Huo Shu was still undecided about its size.
Coincidentally, the steward of Changlong Merchant House came to deliver a reply, agreeing to sell the empty land west of the new street to Huo Shu and Ji Taoyu as they had requested.
The news came at the perfect time. Huo Shu immediately completed the paperwork with Changlong Merchant House, paid the money, and obtained the land deed.
Now that they had the land, the horses no longer needed to be kept at the shop—they could simply build the livestock shed at the horseback archery range.
So, after roughly settling matters at the shop, they could proceed with planning the horseback archery range.
The cool autumn weather was the perfect time for the idle wealthy in town to enjoy horseback riding and archery. If they could open the horseback archery range before then, they would surely attract a wave of customers.
Once the paperwork was done, Huo Shu had his men first clear the wild grass from the land and level the uneven ground.
During this period, before the autumn harvest, Ji Wenliang had some free time. With Huo Shou staying at the shop in town, he had no one to ride horses with. Hearing about the plans for the horseback archery range, he eagerly rode his horse into town to help with the work.
Ge Liang also frequently came by. Before meeting Huo Shu, he had been making bows for the town's bow workshops. Now that Huo Shu was opening his own bow workshop, Ge Liang naturally helped out here.
Some of the men from Hongli Village who had previously joined the trade trips also came to help whenever they had free time.
For a while, the place was quite lively, and there was no shortage of manpower.
A few days later, seeing that the land was mostly leveled, Huo Shu prepared to find a construction team to build the structures.
In the afternoon, just as he was about to to burn the piled-up grass clumps and uprooted tree stumps, the sky abruptly grew dark. Everyone wiped sweat from their brows, relieved to finally have a moment's rest from their labor.
Working under the scorching sun, cutting grass and leveling the ground was truly exhausting. But once the sun disappeared behind the clouds, it never reappeared. Gradually, a steady breeze began to rise, causing the distant banners to ripple—an unmistakable harbinger of approaching rain.
This month had seen frequent rainfall. Though not extremely heavy, the rain lasted a long time, not only hindering progress but also making farmers shake their heads in frustration.
With excessive rain, this year's crop yield was bound to be disappointing—a foregone conclusion.
Uncertain how long the rain would last, Huo Shu called everyone to stop work.
He returned to the shop to take Ji Taoyu back to the village. It was already late in the day, and if the rain persisted, they wouldn’t be able to return at night.
Ji Taoyu was in the kitchen at the back of the shop, brewing some heat-relief soup. Before the soup was ready, the sky darkened.
"Should we go back or stay in town?"
Ji Taoyu had just stepped into the courtyard with a ladle to check the weather when Huo Shu's voice reached him.
From his tone, it seemed rain was imminent.
Their room at the shop in town wasn’t fully set up yet, but they could stay at his grandfather’s place. However, after working all day, they were drenched in sweat and would need to bathe at night.
His grandfather’s place didn’t have spare clothes for Huo Shu, making it inconvenient.
Ji Taoyu quickly untied his apron. "Let’s go home."
The two spurred their horses homeward at full speed, yet the summer rain outpaced them.
A clap of thunder was followed by a downpour.
They had just entered the village when the rain started. Huo Shu shielded Ji Taoyu under his chest, covering him with his cloak.
By the time they reached home, Huo Shu was completely drenched, while Ji Taoyu was only half-soaked.
Ji Yangzong and Huang Manjing, seeing the two return in such a state, quickly heated some water for them.
Back in their room, Ji Taoyu stripped off his wet clothes, rubbing his arms covered in goosebumps.
The heavy rain, accompanied by wind, carried an unexpected chill.
Huo Shu removed his soaked outer robe, frowning slightly at Ji Taoyu’s shivering. "Go to the bathing room first. I’ll bring you hot water for a soak right away."
A summer fever was no less serious than a cold.
Obediently, Ji Taoyu dashed barefoot into the bathing room. Behind the screen, he loosened his hair, letting it fall freely.
Huo Shu soon entered carrying two buckets of water. With two splashes, the hot water filled the tub before he left again.
The sound of rain on the roof was like someone running overhead. Ji Taoyu hurriedly undressed.
His damp underrobe, now heavy, slipped to the ground as soon as he untied the waistband, revealing his smooth, rounded shoulders.
Though it was raining, the sky wasn’t yet dark. Ji Taoyu glanced down and saw his fair chest and the delicate pink flush of his skin.
Pressing his lips together, he quickly averted his gaze.
Though it was his own body, these parts were usually well-covered, making them feel oddly unfamiliar at first glance.
But someone else seemed particularly fond of them—enough that inappropriate images immediately flashed through his mind.
Blushing, he reached for a long cloth to wrap himself when Huo Shu returned with more water.
The man standing by the screen froze for a moment at the sight of the half-naked figure.
Huo Shu’s throat moved slightly as he steadily carried the water to pour into the tub.
"Alright, come here."
What man standing by the window????!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the update.