"You just now..." Li Yisheng grabbed his hand back firmly. Amidst the noise of the bustling riverbank and the sound of his own wildly pounding heartbeat, he mustered all his strength to squeeze the words out roughly from his throat: "What did you just say?"
Xie Xiaoyu said in a low voice, "Are your ears deaf?"
"I just wanted to hear you say it again," Li Yisheng said.
Having done it once, the second time didn't seem so hard to say. Xie Xiaoyu said: "I like you. Do you like me or not?"
Li Yisheng opened his mouth, just about to say something, when Xie Xiaoyu slapped a hand over his lips. The touch of his palm against lips was warm and soft. Feeling slightly awkward, Xie Xiaoyu stared at his own toes and began haphazardly listing his good points: "You listen to me first, Brother Sheng. We've known each other for over ten years, you should know what kind of person I am. I... although I'm fat, I'm very soft, comfortable to hold, and nice to squeeze. I... I can also cook, my skills are passable... I just ask you, do you like me?"
Li Yisheng didn't speak. Xie Xiaoyu looked at him. The crowd had dispersed at some point without him noticing, and only the sound of a few crickets chirped around them. In the lonely, empty space, just as Xie Xiaoyu was thinking of something to say to salvage the situation, Li Yisheng suddenly pulled him into a tight embrace. He held Xie Xiaoyu by the waist with one arm and cradled his head with the other, burying his face in Xie Xiaoyu's shoulder.
Xie Xiaoyu was stunned: "Brother Sheng?"
Li Yisheng was crying.
"Why didn't you say so earlier!" A low, hoarse, muffled voice came from the crook of his neck. "You made me suffer so much! Three years, a full three years! If you had said it sooner, our grandson would be running errands for soy sauce by now. When that bastard Fang Zichen teased me, calling me a bachelor, and bragged about his fulang and son, I wouldn't have been unable to say a single word back."
The breath he had been holding finally found its release. Xie Xiaoyu's tears began to fall uncontrollably again. "Brother Sheng, if you want to blame anyone, blame yourself. You avoided me, you didn't even want to see me."
Li Yisheng: "How can it be my fault? It's clearly your fault. You and Li Yixing..."
Xie Xiaoyu said flustered: "No, that was all a misunderstanding."
"Then why didn't you explain? If you don't explain, isn't it your fault? I thought it was all my own unrequited feelings. I hid for three years, and ended up playing the melancholy man for nothing all that time."
"You wouldn't see me, who was I supposed to tell, a ghost?"
"I wouldn't see you, so you just didn't say anything? If you missed out on a good man like me, I wonder if you'd regret it."
"Conceited, shameless." Xie Xiaoyu laughed in spite of his anger.
Li Yisheng held him close.
Love is forged in the reconciliation that follows every quarrel.
That night, Li Yisheng was too excited to sleep. Tossing and turning, he finally couldn't resist getting up in the middle of the night, taking up a brush, and writing a letter to Fang Zichen.
He had given Fang Zichen a gold longevity lock, and Fang Zichen had reciprocated with two servings of pickled vegetables.
But those pickles were really delicious!
At noon, he had eaten them all with a bowl of lamb rice noodles.
But in the end, he still felt shortchanged.
He had to send him a letter, telling him to prepare the wedding gift money early.
____
Early the next morning, Fang Zichen, with the chili sauce on his back, his son in his arms, and holding Zhao Ger's hand with his other hand, headed towards town with his family of three.
But their paths diverged, and the two parted ways at the town entrance.
Having not seen him for a few days, Wang Xiaohu and the others gathered around Fang Zichen, exchanging pleasantries for a good while. Shopkeeper Yang came down from the second floor and, seeing him, smiled warmly. He was just about to ask how his trip to Yuanzhou had been and what he thought of seeing more of the world, when Fang Zichen spoke first.
"Uncle Yang, I need to ask for leave today."
Shopkeeper Yang: "What's wrong?"
"Tired," Fang Zichen said.
The prefectural exam was, after all, different from the county exam. It lasted three days in a row. Never mind the difficulty, with success or failure hinging on this one attempt, the pressure was immense.
Shopkeeper Yang patted his shoulder: "It really must be tiring."
"Absolutely," Fang Zichen leaned against the counter and began to 'complain': "You have no idea, during those days inside, I only got one bowl of thin rice porridge each day. I couldn't eat well, couldn't sleep soundly. Rats were running around everywhere inside. The security was extremely tight, even when taking a shit, someone stood guard nearby with a large knife. If you ate too much or had to go too often, you'd get scolded. It was too hard."
Shopkeeper Yang: "..." How does this sound like being in prison?
This kid says he's tired, but his face is radiant with spring colors, rosy and glowing. Is it just my imagination, or Fang Zichen seem to have gained a little weight?
He couldn't see any sign of tiredness, wondering if Fang Zichen fooling him again.
Shopkeeper Yang glanced at him sideways, skeptical: "Really or not?"
"Of course it's true!" Fang Zichen put on a serious face: "What kind of person I am, you should know! I have no other virtues, just a bit handsome and dashing, honest and trustworthy, kind and sincere, hardworking and brave..."
"Stop, stop, stop, stop!!" Shopkeeper Yang couldn't listen any further. He reminded him that Old Lady Zheng's birthday was tomorrow and told him not to forget, then waved him away.
Fang Zichen committed fully to the act, holding his waist as he left Zuixiao Restaurant, then sprinted towards West Street.
Guaizai was looking up, watching. The moment Fang Zichen appeared at the street corner, Guaizai spotted him.
He raised his hand, shouting excitedly.
"Father... Guaizai is here, Guaizai is here!"
Fang Zichen rushed over, scooped him up in one go: "My little sweetheart, Father is here."
"Did you get the leave approved?" Zhao Ger asked.
Fang Zichen said: "Yes! I came to pick up our son and go home."
"But I haven't finished selling the chili sauce yet."
"It's fine! I'll wait for you."
An older woman came from across the street, originally intending to buy a jar of chili sauce, but then she saw a particularly striking young man standing next to Zhao Ger. And Guaizai was holding onto his ears, sitting on his shoulders.
The old woman had lived most of her life and had never seen such a figure.
Exceptional in character and appearance, noble, dignified.
He was saying something to Zhao Ger, and Zhao Ger's eyes were smiling.
Fang Zichen noticed Zhao Ger's shoelace was loose and, without a second thought, bent down to tie it tight for him.
Zhao Ger seemed accustomed to it—after the lace was tied, he even gently kicked Fang Zichen with the tip of his foot.
The old woman watched, stunned.
Now she finally understood why even someone like Young Master Zhang couldn't catch Zhao Ger's eye.
Although Young Master Zhang was extremely wealthy, being married to a husband like this, probably even the sons of princes and nobles wouldn't measure up.
When they arrived home, Fang Zichen found a hemp rope, rolled up his sleeves, and said he was going to get revenge for his son.
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