Chapter 52 That Fire

Chapter 52 The Fire

The candle flame flickered, occasionally crackling softly.

Jian Ru’s face was still healing, so the Second Young Master dared not let him exert too much force. They’d done this many times, and had naturally picked up some techniques without being taught.

They didn’t need intensity to enjoy themselves. Lying chest-to-back on the bedsheet, taking it slow also had its own appeal.

The Second Young Master was determined to make his husband comfortable. Even with veins bulging at his temples, he still focused on pleasuring Jian Ru.

When Jian Ru threw his head back, his whole body tense, the Second Young Master would pause and lift his head to cover him in kisses.

After calming down, Jian Ru, still panting, turned over. His eyelashes were slightly damp.

The Second Young Master pulled on his clothes, got up to fetch a damp cloth, and brought it over. Jian Ru obediently let him wipe clean. When the other returned to bed, Jian Ru reached for him below.

The Second Young Master tried to dodge but couldn’t. Indeed, he was still aroused, so he let Jian Ru take the lead.

After finishing and cleaning up, Jian Ru lay silently under the thin quilt, studying the Second Young Master with his head tilted.

After being stared at for a long time, the Second Young Master asked softly, "What are you looking at?"

Jian Ru blinked, "You’re so handsome. I can’t stop looking."

Hearing this, the Second Young Master smiled, propped himself up, and leaned in. The two shared a tender kiss.

The Second Young Master asked, "Tired?"

Jian Ru rubbed his eyes and shook his head, "I should finish today’s reading."

The Second Young Master went to get the book from the desk and moved the candle closer.

Jian Ru sat up, slipped on his undershirt and pants, leaned against the headboard, took the book, and yawned as he flipped through the pages.

The Second Young Master said, "If you’re sleepy, just go to bed. There’s no rush."

Jian Ru tilted his head and joked, "Now I know why you can’t be a teacher. You’re too easy on your students—you’d spoil them rotten."

He was so tired his eyes watered, making him look vulnerable under the candlelight. The Second Young Master, filled with tenderness, kissed him again, their lips brushing and breaths mingling as he said, "If I spoil anyone, it’ll only be you."

Jian Ru managed to finish the five pages he’d set for himself for the day. In the middle, too drowsy to focus, he had the Second Young Master dab some menthol balm on his temples, stubbornly pushed through to the end before lying down.

After the light was extinguished, he turned sideways, pressing his forehead against the Second Young Master’s shoulder, gave two yawns and was out.

The Second Young Master, worried the quilt might bother his face, tucked the edges down. He looked down at him for a while, then couldn’t resist leaning over to kiss his eyebrows, eyes, and lips before finally lying down and closing his eyes. Soon, he too was asleep.

...

The next day, Jian Ru, restless after staying in bed too long, got up and went to the kitchen to find something to do.

The Second Young Master gave him a bowl of soybeans and had him sit on a small stool so the two could slowly pod them together.

They had only been shelling for a short while when they heard two knocks on the door. Jian Ru responded, got up, and opened the door to see Li Qinglan holding an oil-paper package outside. She smiled at him and said, "Yesterday, I went back to my parents’ home and brought back some dried fruit and nuts for you to snack on."

Jian Ru thanked her and quickly invited her in.

Seeing Li Qinglan had arrived, the Second Young Master also stood up to greet her. Li Qinglan, noticing he was podding the beans, laughed, "I’ve never seen Jin Tong do this kind of work before. He looks quite natural at it."

The Second Young Master smiled. Jian Ru wanted to pour tea for Li Qinglan but paused, then turned to the Second Young Master and said, "Jin Tong, go brew a pot of tea. I’ll chat with Li Qinglan."

Li Qinglan quickly said, "We’re family, no need to be so polite."

The Second Young Master smiled, "Then you two chat." With that, he put down his task and went out to boil water.

Li Qinglan watched him leave. Jian Ru moved the bowl of beans to the table, and the two sat on either side, shelling beans absently as they talked.

Li Qinglan glanced toward the outer room and said softly, "Since you two married, Jin Tong has changed quite a bit. I’d never seen him do chores before."

Jian Ru, intending to guide her, smiled, "I just keep asking him to do things, so he’s gradually gotten used to it."

Li Qinglan said wistfully, "That’s good, but being reminded is different from taking initiative. If everything requires reminding, what’s the point?"

Jian Ru said, "Who cares if it’s initiative or reminder? As long as it works when reminded."

Li Qinglan listened, lowered her head, and fell into thought. Jian Ru didn’t disturb her.

There was a knock at the door, and the Second Young Master entered carrying a teapot and cups. Jian Ru stood up to take them from him. Li Qinglan, snapping out of her thoughts, moved the bowl on the table aside to make room for the tea set.

Jian Ru said, "Jin Tong, are there any peaches left? Go cut a plate of peaches and bring them over." The Second Young Master acknowledged and left.

Jian Ru opened the dried fruits and preserves Li Qinglan had brought, poured two handfuls into a dish, and placed it on the table to snack on slowly.

Jian Ru asked, "Did you make a special trip back to your parents’ home to get these fruits?"

Li Qinglan said, "Not really. Yesterday was my nephew’s birthday, so I went back to celebrate."

Jian Ru cracked open a nut with a snap and asked, "Did Older Brother go too?"

Li Qinglan shook her head, "No, he didn’t offer to come with me."

Jian Ru paused mid-action of putting a nut in his mouth. After thinking, he changed the subject, "How are your parents?"

Li Qinglan replied, "Yes, they’re both in good health. My younger brother handles everything, so there’s nothing for me to worry about. I’m the only one in the family who causes them concern."

Jian Ru sensed her unhappiness and said, "Parents always want what’s best for their children. Sometimes their expectations are too heavy, unconsciously weighing on their children’s shoulders."

Li Qinglan sighed, "You’re right."

After a moment of silence, Li Qinglan remembered something and looked up apologetically, "Jian Ru, I’m sorry. I was only thinking of myself and forgot about your family’s situation. I shouldn’t have brought this up in front of you."

Jian Ru smiled, "It’s fine. I’ve made my peace with what happened to my parents. Everyone has their own fate; perhaps everything is predestined. They were just unlucky. There’s no use dwelling on it."

Li Qinglan cautiously asked, "I’ve always been afraid to ask you, what exactly happened back then? How did the house suddenly catch fire?"

Jian Ru recalled, "It was the height of summer in June. Normally, aside from cooking, no one would light a stove, so this shouldn’t have happened. But that night, the couple next door had a fierce argument, smashing things. Since we were neighbors, Mom and Dad got up to go and calm them down. When they stopped arguing, they came back and went to sleep."

"The noise woke me up too. Mom was afraid I was hot and fanned me for a while. She went back to her room after I fell asleep."

"The incident happened in the early hours of the morning. The man next door had gone to sleep. His husband, seeing him sleeping soundly, snoring, without a care after their fight, was angry. He got up and lit the stove, wanting to heat the room so the man couldn’t sleep comfortably. He kept adding firewood to the stove. Later, others said they’d seen sparks flying from their chimney late that night."

"Then it caught fire. When he discovered the fire, he woke his husband. The water vat was nearly empty. They hurried out to carry poles and buckets to fetch water and put out the fire."

"At that time, the fire was still small, and they thought they could control it. But there hadn’t been much rain lately, so it was very dry. The roof had thatch, and dried corn and peppers hung on the walls. The windows still had tung oil paper from winter that hadn’t been fully removed. The fire spread quickly, and since the two houses were close together, by the time they returned, the fire had already burned through the partition wall between our homes."

"My mother woke me. By then, the room was filled with thick smoke, and it was hard to see. I remember her coughing and shouting loudly, pushing me to run quickly. As I stumbled out in a panic, I saw my dad scooping water from the vat, trying to put out the fire. He couldn’t bear to lose the home they’d built bit by bit."

"Later, I heard my dad call my name, and then my mom pushed me hard on the back. I stumbled forward a few steps, then came a crashing sound. I felt a sharp pain in my leg, so intense that everything went black, and I knew nothing more. When I woke up, they were dead," Jian Ru touched his face, "and I was left like this."

Li Qinglan’s eyes reddened. She reached out and held Jian Ru’s hand.

Jian Ru smiled at her and looked up toward the door, where the second young master stood holding a plate of fruit, his eyes full of heartache as he gazed at Jian Ru.

Li Qinglan said with a mix of sorrow and anger, "What happened to that couple, the neighbors?"

Jian Ru replied, "They're fine, but their home was completely burned down, nothing remained. After I woke up, they bowed deeply to me, then left the village and never returned. Later, some villagers saw them outside, saying they were living in hardship."

Upon hearing this, Li Qinglan sighed deeply.

After she bid farewell and left, only the couple remained in the room.

The second young master said nothing but walked over to Jian Ru, held him in his arms, and rubbed his back like he was comforting a child.

Jian Ru had told him about these events before but never in such detail.

Jian Ru didn’t like to talk about these things with others; if the conversation hadn’t naturally led to it, he might never have brought it up in his lifetime.

He left the sorrowful past behind and chose to look forward.

After holding each other for a while, the second young master said, "I didn't want to upset you while you were recovering, so I didn’t mention it earlier. My elder sister has been preparing for Father’s memorial recently, and I asked her to help make arrangements for your parents too. In a few days, when you can go out, I’ll accompany you back on the day."

Jian Ru nodded and said, "Alright."

...

Li Qinglan left the small courtyard and headed straight back to her room in the front yard.

As she entered, she saw her husband standing by the desk, looking for something.

Li Qinglan took off her outer robe and washed her hands, then turned her head and asked, "Why're you back so early? It’s only noon."

Jin Feng said, "I think I've left the ointment I made yesterday at home." His eyes lit up as he found the jar and picked it up.

Li Qinglan said, "Now that you’re back, why not have lunch before going again?"

Jin Feng, with his back to her, focused on the ointment and said, "Sure."

As she was about to go to the main kitchen to fetch the meal, Li Qinglan suddenly remembered Jian Ru’s words and stopped in her tracks.

She said, "Jin Feng, I'm feeling a bit warm from just coming in and want to cool off. Could you get the food?"

Jin Feng put down the ointment, glanced back at her, and said, "Alright, you rest first. I’ll go get it."

With that, he went out. Li Qinglan pursed her lips slightly and sat down at the table to wait.

Soon after, Jin Feng returned carrying a food box. Li Qinglan stood up and helped him set out the food.

While they were eating, Li Qinglan set down her chopsticks and said, "I’d like some scrambled eggs."

Jin Feng looked down at the plate of scrambled eggs beside him, scooped a large portion with his chopsticks, and placed it in her bowl. "It’s too hot to eat meat; eggs are good for you. I’ll talk to Mother later and ask the kitchen to prepare more eggs."

Li Qinglan murmured "Mm" in response.

After they finished eating and tidied up, Li Qinglan said, "Could you wash the dishes, please?"

Jin Feng took off his outer robe with its long, wide sleeves and said, "Sure. It’s hot outside, so don’t go out. Walk around a bit inside to digest your food, then lie down for a nap."

Jin Feng went to the outer room to wash the dishes. Li Qinglan walked around the room for a while, then went to the doorway to watch him.

Jin Feng was bent down, and she could only see his profile. He resembled Madam Li—not quite as handsome as his younger brother, but still tall and good-looking.

Back when her father had told her he’d arranged a good match for her, Li Qinglan had already seen Li Jinfeng when fetching medicine for her mother at the clinic. When she learned he was the one proposed, she quickly agreed.

Noticing her watching him after finishing his task, Jin Feng smiled, washed his hands, and came over to gently tuck her sweat-dampened hair behind her ear. "I need to go back to the clinic. Rest for a while, but don’t sleep too long, or you won’t be able to sleep tonight. If anything comes up, come get me at the clinic."

Li Qinglan nodded. After seeing Jin Feng off, she returned to her room, sat by the window, and sat lost in thought.

She thought back to the early days of their marriage and recalled the moments they had shared at noon today, her expression softening and a smile curling her lips.

But her joy was short-lived. Soon, as often happened, the smile faded from her lips, and her expression grew somber and melancholy.

She lowered her head and touched her abdomen, the worry etched between her eyebrows so thick it seemed to form a dense fog, enveloping her and making it hard to breathe.

After sitting like this for a while, she bent over, laid her head on the table, and cried.

Afterward, Li Qinglan wiped the tears from her face, checked the sky to gauge the time, and estimated that her mother-in-law would be up from her nap by now.

She put on her outer robe, fixed herself up a bit, and went out.