chapter 75

Chapter 75: The Gift

Stumbling backward, Shen He fully expected to land hard on his bottom.

Instead, he found himself caught in a warm embrace.

Qi Zhuoyun's hand steadied his shoulder, amusedly observing the lad who almost tumbled, still clutching the snowman's head.

Shen He blinked rapidly, shaking his head slightly to clear his dizziness.

The youth behind him moved his hand from Shen He's shoulder down his back, guiding him towards the snowman, while the other hand gently grasped his wrist.

Shen He's wrist, warm inside the sleeve, felt the cold touch of Qi Zhuoyun's hand, sending a shiver through him.

Instinctively, following the force on his wrist, he lifted his arm, setting the snowman's head in place.

Before he could react, a sharpened carrot and a vibrant green carrot top appeared in his hand.

Shen He's eyes twinkled with mischief as he chuckled, handing back the carrot to Qi Zhuoyun, "Brother, you give it a nose. I'll take care of its head and hair."

Without further ado, he patted the snowman's head, placing the carrot top centrally, pressing it securely into place.

Shen He stepped back, circling the snowman. The more he looked, the funnier it seemed, and he burst into hearty laughter.

The world after a snowfall seemed more expansive, amplifying the young boy's joyous laughter and letting it travel even further.

Qi Zhuoyun, laughing heartily, encircled the snowman Shen He had made. Embracing Shen He, they moved on. As Shen He walked, he glanced back at his creation, laughing, "Brother, isn't this snowman hilariously crafted?"

A bigger smile played on Qi Zhuoyun's lips.

He pinched Shen He's nose with cold fingertips.

The pinch was brief, and he quickly let go.

Shen He tilted his head back, laughing in a charming manner.

They sat around a fire pit, roasting sweet potatoes and chestnuts. The room filled with a comforting, sweet aroma.

After the snowfall, some camellia flowers from the garden behind the main hall peeked out from the corridor, covered in snow, their branches drooping pitifully.

Shen He clipped these blossoms. Some were placed in Qi Zhuoyun's chamber in the main hall, and some in his own.

In a white porcelain vase, a camellia stem was placed diagonally, bearing two or three vibrant red petals with yellow stamens. The overlapping delicate petals added a striking splash of color to the room.

Those with white petals and yellow stamens were placed in a broad-mouthed green porcelain vase, set in the inner room.

Shen He remarked, "Brother, the camellia is almost taking over the corridor. If we don't move it soon, it might start pushing against the ceiling."

Besides, plants naturally reach for light, and right now, it's aggressively growing towards the outside of the corridor. In a few more years, even pruning might not restore its shape.

I could do a significant trimming, but I'd hate to do that.

Qi Zhuoyun replied dismissively, "No worries. We can change its direction in a few days, and it won't have room to grow upwards anymore."

Shen He pouted. While it was a solution, it couldn't always be like this.

Qi Zhuoyun handed over a peeled chestnut. Originally intending to place it in Shen He's hand, he suddenly brought it to his lips instead.

Shen He, focused on peeling the chestnut in his hand and struggling with the sticky skin, hadn't noticed.

When food approached his lips, he instinctively opened his mouth, biting into the chestnut. As he chewed, the chestnut's fragrance spread through his mouth.

Unaware, Shen He missed the lingering glance Qi Zhuoyun cast upon his lips before retracting his gaze, gently rubbing his thumb over the tip of his index finger.

Soft and warm.

With great effort, Shen He finally peeled the chestnut in his hand. He immediately returned the favor, handing it over to Qi Zhuoyun with a smile on his face, "This is for you, big brother!"

Qi Zhuoyun naturally lowered his eyes, mirroring Shen He's earlier demeanor. He was peeling another chestnut and, without looking up, opened his mouth and tilted his head slightly towards Shen He, waiting for him to feed him.

Shen He felt an inexplicable nervousness.

"This feels strange," he thought.

What's wrong with feeding his own guardian?

Why the anxiety?

Shen He quickly placed the chestnut into Qi Zhuoyun's mouth. As he withdrew his fingers, he discreetly wiped them on his sleeve, as if they were tainted.

Even then, they still felt burning hot.

"Seriously, why did he stick out his tongue?"

He thought he had been discreet, but the next moment, he heard Qi Zhuoyun's voice filled with both curiosity and amusement, "What's the matter? Did you touch my saliva? Are you disgusted by big brother?"

His eyes, soft and filled with humor, looked into Shen He's as he teased.

Shen He felt even more nervous for no apparent reason.

He hurriedly explained, "Not at all! I'm not disgusted. Big brother, don't overthink it."

He spoke so quickly, fearing that his guardian would soon lament things like "I'm getting old, the child I raised is growing distant, his wings are strong and he wants to fly away, he's disgusted by me." He had heard similar teases from his parents during his teenage years.

Lately, it seemed that Qi Zhuoyun was heading in that direction too.

To alleviate his guardian's anxiety about his "baby bird leaving the nest", Shen He was always on his toes.

After comforting him, Shen He added, "Big brother, lately you've always wanted to sleep holding me at night. I've never complained. If I were disgusted, I would've run away with a pillow already. And, I would never be disgusted by you."

He chuckled, pulling up his small stool to move closer to Qi Zhuoyun, snuggling next to his arm and playfully nudging him with his shoulder.

Qi Zhuoyun's lips curled into a smile, his voice drawn out, "Oh... really?"

The young man responded confidently, "Of course!"

……

Shen He is quite busy at the moment.

The Lunar New Year is just around the corner.

Two months after the New Year, it will be Qi Zhuoyun's birthday.

He needs to prepare two gifts consecutively.

After leaving the Eastern Palace, Shen He heads to the Duke's mansion.

Naturally, Shen He has his own quarters in the Duke's mansion. Occasionally, if he and his brother Shen Yan play too late, they would sleep together.

His quarters currently hold a variety of items, all intended for Qi Zhuoyun.

He doesn't want anyone to discover them prematurely, so he had to leave the palace to arrange things.

The carriage wheels crunch through the thick snow. Due to the cold weather, even the number of street vendors has reduced by more than half.

As Shen He passed by an alley, he spotted a figure in tattered clothes, curled up and almost resembling a gray shadow.

Shen He called out to his guards, "Wait! Wait! Stop the carriage!"

He alighted and headed towards the alley.

The person seemed to have been huddled there for a long time, lifeless, covered in a thin layer of snow.

It had snowed before dawn, indicating the person must have arrived here shortly after the snow stopped.

Shen He gently patted the figure, urging, "Wake up! Wake up!"

With just a couple of pats, the person collapsed limply onto the ground.

Shen He was initially startled but then relieved, "Quickly, help me! This person is still alive; we can save him."

Two guards lifted the stranger onto the carriage, one of them voicing his concerns, "Young master, this man's identity is unknown..."

Every year, many try to approach the young master under various pretexts. Who knows who this person is?

Shen He chuckled, "He's just a beggar. How would he know I'd be passing this alley? If it was deliberate, he would have purposely fallen beside the road as our carriage approached, rather than hiding inside the alley."

Had he not glanced in that direction and keenly noticed there was someone inside, the carriage would have passed by, leaving the person to freeze to death in the alley.

They took the man to a clinic, where Shen He left some silver and instructed one of his guards to watch over the situation before leaving.

Upon returning to the Duke's mansion, Shen He first paid respects to the elder Duke and Duchess.

Ever since Shen Congyun's last visit to the mansion, which resulted in the elder Duke's previous illness flaring up, the Duke had been sporadically sick.

Today, even before entering the room, Shen He could hear the old Duke coughing.

The Duchess tried to soothe him.

Hearing of Shen He's arrival, the elder Duke, covering his mouth and alternating between laughing and coughing, said, "Ah, our little He is here again today? Why have you been visiting so frequently lately? What are you up to? Tell your grandfather, maybe I can assist you..."

Shen He hurriedly offered him water, "Please don't speak, Grandfather. Have some water. I just came to do some drawings, it's not very convenient in the palace."

The elder Duke chuckled in response, "Alright. Oh, it's just the onset of winter making it colder and inducing coughs. Why such a long face? Give me a smile!"

He pinched Shen He's cheek, to which Shen He responded with a forced smile.

He spent quite some time with the elder Duke and Duchess.

Only then did he head to his own quarters.

Inside, there was an easel he had commissioned from a carpenter.

Currently, it held a piece of paper with a watercolor portrait of a young man.

The young man had high brow bones, deep-set eyes, and long, dark eyebrows. Though his features initially seemed aloof and unapproachable, the gentle mirth in his eyes made all the difference.

Those eyes softened every sharp and cold contour of his face, as though veiled by a warm mist.

Shen He stared at the portrait for a while, then bashfully averted his gaze, scratching his chin sheepishly.

There was still some watercolor left from what Shen Yan had gifted him.

After contemplating the remaining paint for a moment, he carefully removed the portrait from the easel, covering it with a book on his desk, placed a fresh sheet of paper on the easel, and began sketching a few small figures with the paint.

This time, he was drawing characters in a chibi-style, inspired by the anime/manga aesthetic.

Shen He quickly finished the sketch, using up almost all of the paint.

He pondered if he should seize an opportunity to meet the creator of the watercolors, to see if they'd be willing to sell him the methods for producing the remaining colors.

If that didn’t work out, he'd consider purchasing their finished products.

However, Shen Yan had been out of sight recently. Perhaps he was busy at the military camp?

Shen He decided to inquire during the Lunar New Year festivities.

Carefully closing the paint containers, Shen He leaned over his desk, focusing on the real gift he'd been planning for a long time.

A special present meant only for Qi Zhuoyun, not shared with anyone else.

With his head bowed, the finely sharpened charcoal glided over the paper, producing a soft scratching sound.

A simple pencil sketch of a figure began to emerge on the page.

It depicted a young boy, around seven or eight years old, dressed in jet-black robes adorned with golden crane embroidery.

The young man had a rounded chin, eyes that seemed mature despite his age, and lips pressed tightly together.

It was Qi Zhuoyun, but a child version of him.

Recalling his first encounter with the young Qi Zhuoyun in this world, with his plump cheeks and youthful innocence, Shen He couldn't help but smile, making his drawing strokes even smoother.

The boy's appearance, gestures, and attire all vividly flashed through Shen He's mind, no need for deep thought.

Beside the young boy stood a woman in exquisite palace attire, holding his hand. Her facial features bore some resemblance to the boy, and she wore a gentle smile.

Shen He had never seen the late Empress, and his only reference for her was Qi Zhuoyun's visage.

Knowing how tenderly Qi Zhuoyun smiled, Shen He imagined the boy's mother, the Empress, would have the same warm expression.

Shen He drew with intense concentration. The paper had already been trimmed and fashioned into a palm-sized booklet.

He also crafted a cover for it, leaving it unadorned with text.

As he flipped through the first half of the booklet, glimpses of completed sketches were faintly visible.