Shen Qingyue was actually already quite cold. He had been gritting his teeth and enduring until now. Only when his body touched the hot water did he finally relax a bit.
This was probably the most turbulent day of his life. Encountering bandits on the road was bad enough, but actually escaping with this unrestrained young man was truly a twist of fate.
He slowly finished washing and changed into the coarse clothes.
Although he had mentally prepared himself, the rough texture still chafed his skin red.
The set of clothes was small on Huo Anding, but on him, he still had to roll the sleeves up a section.
But no matter what, his body felt much lighter than in the wet, sticky clothes.
He faced the water's reflection and re-tied his loosened hair. Only after tidying up properly did he open the door.
The courtyard was quiet, only the sound of falling rain. His gaze swept around a couple of times, but he didn't see the noisy Huo Anding.
Shen Qingyue's eyes narrowed slightly, his heart tightening somewhat.
Even if Huo Anding was unrestrained, after all, he had come all the way with him. He was in an unfamiliar place, having fled here. If he were left alone, what should he do?
"Young gentleman, finished washing? Bring the clothes to the kitchen to dry by the fire."
Suddenly, a woman's voice sounded behind him.
He nodded in acknowledgment and quickly asked: "Where is the person who came with me?"
"He went to the fields with my husband. Young gentleman, if you're looking for him, you can go later. It's not far."
Shen Qingyue relaxed slightly.
"Young gentleman, you don't look like someone used to hard labor. Who would have thought a scholar could be so efficient at work!"
"When I was young and mischievous, whether it was setting off firecrackers or playing with broadswords, I either blew up my uncle's cabbages or poked them. Every time, my father would drag me by the ear to go dig the fields. He said this way I would know the hardship of farming, that every vegetable and leaf comes not easily, so I naturally learned how to do these things."
The farmer looked at Huo Anding deeply, the more he looked, the more he felt this child was excellent.
Not only good-looking, a scholar, but also understood farming and fieldwork. Simply a rare...
"How old are you?"
"Seventeen this year."
"What a fine age."
Shen Qingyue dried his clothes by the fire and ate some flatbread to fill his stomach. When he came out, he saw from afar Huo Anding, wearing a straw hat, wielding the hoe as if about to set it on fire.
Seeing this, he stopped walking, his lips pressed together slightly.
"Hey, why have you come over?"
Huo Anding, holding his breath, had turned over most of the farmer's field. A light sweat broke out on his body. Seeing that not much land remained unturned, thinking he could definitely finish before dark, he looked up and saw Shen Qingyue standing not far away.
"Just looking around casually."
Huo Anding leaned on the hoe, raising an eyebrow at the young man: "You weren't afraid I'd left, were you?"
Shen Qingyue turned around, preparing to go back.
"Hey, hey, since you're here, wait for me to go back together."
The farmer said: "There's not much work left. You go back and rest."
"No need, it's just a few more hoe strokes. Doing work should also be about seeing it through to the end, right?"
The farmer felt even more that Huo Anding was truly good. He said: "Then I'll go pull a few radishes from the field over there to take back for dinner later. Finish turning this bit and then come back."
"Alright."
Watching the farmer walk away, Shen Qingyue looked at Huo Anding: "Why did you come to dig the field?"
Huo Anding said earnestly: "My great young master, why would people let their daughters go to their uncle's house for our convenience, and even give us clean clothes and hot water, for no reason? If we don't do some work for them, how can that be okay?"
Shen Qingyue stood on the ridge, looking down at the person with a light sweat on his forehead. He didn't speak.
"I'll finish this bit of work quickly and then we'll go back."
Shen Qingyue watched from the side as Huo Anding turned over the solid earth stroke by stroke. He really seemed to know what he was doing when it came to work.
He had never seen field turning so up close before. Seeing it now, it truly was not easy.
The two of them, one high and one low, one wearing a straw hat and one holding an umbrella, stayed for over half an hour in the lingering spring rain.
"Done! Work's over!"
Huo Anding dug the last hoe of earth and let out a long breath.
Shen Qingyue saw the sky was already getting dark and said: "Let's go back."
"Pull me up."
Huo Anding looked up at the young man in plain clothes but with peerless beauty and reached out his hand.
Shen Qingyue's brow moved slightly.
Huo Anding urged: "Hurry up!"
He stretched his hand out further. His sleeves were already short, doing this exposed even more of his arm, clearly showing the slightly bulging veins.
He thought Shen Qingyue would directly slap his hand away, but he actually reached out his hand towards him.
Huo Anding's eyes lit up and he quickly grabbed that fair hand.
Shen Qingyue was just about to exert strength when, before he could, Huo Anding actually scrambled up.
He was slightly surprised, and just as he was about to let go, the hand holding his tightened a bit more: "Come on, I'll take you to see something beautiful."
With that, the person, carrying the hoe in one hand and pulling him with the other, ran towards a small path.
After only a few steps, Shen Qingyue paused. A large peach blossom tree with a thick trunk suddenly appeared before his eyes.
It was precisely the season for peach blossoms. The tree was full of exceptionally lush blooms. In the rainy scene, a thin layer of pink petals carpeted the ground beneath the tree.
Huo Anding went closer, broke off a branch, and leaned in to smell it: "The rain has washed away most of the fragrance, but they're still blooming quite beautifully."
After saying this, he handed the flower branch to Shen Qingyue: "My favorite flower is the peach blossom."
"You like peach blossoms; they suit you."
Huo Anding laughed.
"My little father has the character 'Tao' [peach] in his name. When he was born, my maternal grandfather planted a peach tree in the yard, and it blooms every year. When I was born, my father and little father also planted a peach tree in the yard. So I grew up watching the peach tree grow. Perhaps that's why I always have a special feeling when I see peach blossoms."
Shen Qingyue raised his eyes a bit higher. He glanced at Huo Anding, rarely seeing some seriousness on his face.
He didn't say much, just accepted the peach blossom branch that hadn't been ruined by the rain.
In the evening, after eating, the farming family didn't have much to pass the time at night. Plus, it was raining, so everyone rested early.
Although dinner was just simple, plain food, both of them had been running around all day and ate quite a bit.
Full and sleepy after the meal, back in the room, Huo Anding yawned: "Let's go to bed early and set off early tomorrow morning. Uncle said if we walk quickly, we can reach the city before dark tomorrow."
As he spoke, Huo Anding kicked off his shoes and went to the bed. He lay down on the bed and sighed contentedly.
After lying for a while, he turned over and saw Shen Qingyue still standing to the side. Propping his head on his hand, he patted the bed: "Come on, aren't you sleepy?"
Shen Qingyue somewhat evasively averted his gaze: "You sleep."
"What's wrong, young master unwilling to share a bed with me?"
Shen Qingyue actually replied: "Yes, unwilling."
"Don't worry, I'm a responsible man."
Huo Anding patted his chest: "If the young master sleeps with me today, I will definitely take full responsibility for the young master."
Thanks for the update!!
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