Chapter 10

Chapter 10: The Learned Xiao Yezi

Huo Yanchi hesitated for a moment, watching as Xiao Yezi was about to get up and pull him, before slowly removing his shoes and getting into bed.

A soft rustling sound followed as Shen Junlan, holding the blanket, automatically moved to Huo Yanchi’s side and gave a small yawn.

The thin blanket draped over Huo Yanchi felt like it weighed a thousand pounds. Somehow, his chest felt tight, and his arm stiffened as he let Xiao Yezi rest his head on it.

"Master, I’ll wake you when I wake up. I won’t delay your work."

Huo Yanchi gazed at the ceiling. His arm went from tingling to completely lost feeling. Even though Xiao Yezi was very light, he still couldn't relax.

The redness on his neck spread to his ears, and his earlobes were burning hot. He raised his hand to rub his temples, slowed his breathing, and wondered if he should just get rid of the bed.

After mulling over these thoughts a few times, Huo Yanchi prepared to get up and start working. But his Xiao Yezi was still sound asleep, showing no sign of waking.

Huo Yanchi quietly turned sideways, cradled Xiao Yezi’s head with his palm, and carefully placed it on the soft pillow.

His calloused palm brushed against Xiao Yezi’s cheek, and Huo Yanchi heard Xiao Yezi emit a soft murmur but showed no signs of waking up.

Huo Yanchi tucked him in, tiptoed out of the room, and rubbed his fingertips against his palm. It really was a bit rough. Xiao Yezi’s skin was tender, and he was afraid his calluses might leave red marks on it.

After standing there dazed for a few seconds, he started searching: Can scar removal cream get rid of calluses? Does hand cream really make skin softer? Which brand of hand cream is better?

"Master, it’s time to get up and work."

Xiao Yezi called out sleepily but heard no movement beside him. Struggling to lift his heavy eyelids, he saw no sign of Huo Yanchi on the bed.

Refusing to give up, Shen Junlan slipped on his Crocs and went out. Huo Yanchi was sitting upright at his desk, working. Shen Junlan drifted over and pushed up Huo Yanchi’s sleeve to check the time on his watch.

Oh no, he had slept for four and a half hours, and there were only two hours left until the end of the workday.

Shen Junlan shot a glance at Huo Yanchi, smoothly straightened his sleeve, and explained guiltily, "I actually tried to wake you up, but then I fell asleep again."

Flowers require much sleep, and he was in his transformation period, lacking spiritual energy. He had to conserve it by sleeping, but he didn’t want to explain this to Huo Yanchi. Instead, he awkwardly placed his hand on Huo Yanchi’s shoulder and gave him a haphazard massage.

Huo Yanchi didn’t say anything but slid a prepared cup of water to the edge of the desk. Xiao Yezi’s voice was a bit hoarse, probably from thirst.

"Master, is it still a little sweet?"

Huo Yanchi paused for a moment, then his lips curved into a smile. It was a little sweet, but not as sweet as his Xiao Yezi.

So soft and tender, he looked so easy to tease.

And he wasn’t afraid that Huo Yanchi might have added Huoxiang Zhengqi water again, extending his little sprout to drink.

After drinking his fill, Xiao Yezi leaned over him to look at his documents, occasionally exclaiming in wonder. He really was quite a scholarly flower.

"Project completion."

Huo Yanchi’s brow twitched as he saw the words "project completion" in the second-to-last line.

Hmm, he had to retract his earlier words. His Xiao Yezi might not be that learned after all.

Then, Huo Yanchi thought of another question: Xiao Yezi probably hadn’t received formal education, so how did he know how to read?

And how old was he, really...

Huo Yanchi sank into deep, deep thought. This was something he couldn’t ponder too much—whenever he did, it gave him a headache. He kept circling back to the same impasse: Xiao Yezi might have lived for a very long time, and to him, Huo Yanchi was just a brief passerby in his long life.

He was like a robber, confining Xiao Yezi to a flowerpot. One day, when Xiao Yezi grew tired of it, he would leave, taking the pot with him, and Huo Yanchi wouldn’t know where to begin looking.

"Master, you work so hard, reading so many words every day."

Shen Junlan once lived on Mount Buzhou, a remote place with few people. All his stories were secondhand stories—from birds, butterflies, the occasional eagle flying by, snails by the brook, and the gentle Grandpa Tree.

Grandpa Tree was a thousand-year-old locust tree. Shen Junlan relied on his protection on Mount Buzhou. Though he had spiritual energy, he lacked the opportunity to transform. Grandpa Tree said he was the only plant on Mount Buzhou with such a chance, but it would come with hardship.

At the time, Shen Junlan didn’t understand. It wasn’t until he was uprooted by a mudslide and carried to a valley with even thinner spiritual energy, separated from Grandpa Tree and his familiar companions, that he understood what those words meant.

Grandpa Tree was more like a prophet. He knew many things, and while Shen Junlan could hear the thoughts of all living creatures, he could never hear Grandpa Tree’s.

Shen Junlan recalled Grandpa Tree’s voice, always filled with compassion for all things. He often said that fate would bring them together again. But he was rooted deep in the mountains of Mount Buzhou, and Shen Junlan had been struck by lightning and brought here. He didn’t even know where Mount Buzhou was, let alone how to meet Grandpa Tree again.

He learned to read only after being taken in by Huo Yanchi. Huo Yanchi’s mental state was poor, and he often worked in his bedroom, using voice recognition to read documents aloud. Every day, Shen Junlan used his limited spiritual energy to follow along, stumbling through but eventually learning most of it.

Huo Yanchi slowly turned a page, listening to Xiao Yezi haltingly read the document, and quietly said, "Being a plant must be nice. My Xiao Yezi doesn’t have to work so hard."

"No, Master, I work hard too. I’ve been studying diligently, but I’m just not as educated as you."

Shen Junlan thought that, by current standards, he was probably illiterate.

"But my Xiao Yezi is clearly naturally intelligent and exceptionally wise—a great learner."

Shen Junlan brightened up again. He knew it—being able to transform already made him one in a million. How could he not be impressive?

Knock, knock, knock.

Zhao Qi pushed the door open. "Mr. Huo, would you like to have dinner before heading home, or...?"

"I’ll go home. Have Xiao Zhang bring the car around."

Unless he was working overtime, Huo Yanchi rarely ate dinner at the company. In fact, he seldom ate dinner at all. In the past, he’d just eaten enough to survive and never felt that skipping meals mattered much.

Shen Junlan stared in amazement at the convertible sports car, letting out an exaggerated "Wow!" as he tugged at Huo Yanchi’s arm and bounced excitedly.

"Master, master, cars can be like this? How amazing!"

Shen Junlan eagerly climbed into the car, spreading his arms as the car slowly started moving. The wind rushed against his face, carrying the scent of flowers. He closed his eyes, savoring the moment.

"Master, this way I don’t feel dizzy."

Huo Yanchi rested his head on his hand and chuckled softly. Xiao Yezi probably wasn’t that old—he was quite childish, not the mature and steady type.

What mature, steady little flower spirit would love Crocs?

Spirit—Huo Yanchi found it hard to define Xiao Yezi with that word. His Xiao Yezi didn’t seem like a spirit; he was more like an elf, an indescribably beautiful elf.

Or perhaps an immortal, a banished celestial.

After arriving home, Shen Junlan was still immersed in the joy of riding in the convertible. He leaped onto Huo Yanchi’s back, wrapping his arms around his neck and nuzzling against him affectionately.

"Master, I love this car. I want to ride in it again tomorrow."

Xiao Yezi loved sticking close to him, often clinging to him at the slightest opportunity. Huo Yanchi fiddled with the plant fertilizer, thinking it was probably that little bird who taught him this.

"Master, be careful when changing the soil. I’m afraid it might hurt."

Shen Junlan watched Huo Yanchi’s movements intently, remembering how last time Huo Yanchi had nearly broken one of his small roots during a soil change. Shen Junlan patted his chest, still feeling a lingering fear at the memory.

Although it's called changing the soil, it's more like adding soil. The pot is filled with roots, leaving no space for the soil, and all that can be seen are white, tender root stems.

"Master, you don’t have to be so hesitant. I’m not really afraid of pain—just a little bit."

Huo Yanchi hesitated, couldn't bring himself to start. It was Shen Junlan who first filled in the soil, carefully holding the roots and planting them gently before signaling to Huo Yanchi to add water and fertilizer.

"I’m actually very easy to care for. It’s fine even if we don’t change the soil. It’s just that you’ve spoiled me, making it a habit to change it every four months. Now, if we skip it, it feels strange."

His Xiao Yezi said the most playfully affectionate words in the most casual tone. Huo Yanchi really liked the phrase "spoiled." He wanted to give Xiao Yezi the best of everything. If changing the soil weren’t damaging to the flower, he would have done it every two months.

"Master, come wash your hands now."

Xiao Yezi still had pine resin on his hands. He washed them clean, brought them to his nose to sniff, and then flicked a few droplets of water onto Huo Yanchi’s face.

"Master, doesn’t the pine fragrance smell nice? Much better than humus soil, right?"

Huo Yanchi wiped his fingers, his lashes dark as raven feathers quivering slightly. He walked slowly to Xiao Yezi’s flowerpot and carefully cleaned up the fine soil that had fallen during the soil change.

"Xiao Yezi, if you don’t like humus soil, would you like something else instead?"

"Something else like what?"

Huo Yanchi pinched his fingertips, seemed to hesitate for a moment before answering, "Something like blood."

Shen Junlan thought Huo Yanchi meant burying rotten fish in the soil as fertilizer and immediately shook his head.

"Master, I don’t like rotten fish or shrimp. Nutrient solution is enough."

Huo Yanchi’s expression turned somewhat complicated, an emotion Shen Junlan couldn’t quite decipher. If he had to describe it, the word that came to mind was "sadness."

Huo Yanchi was unhappy. Why was he unhappy? Was it because he said he didn’t like soil after raw meat rots?

"If you like it, then I like it too. Anything is fine. Blood is good too."

Shen Junlan had never experienced what it felt like to have blood poured into the soil. He only remembered that in the Buzhou Mountains, plants grew more lushly on land soaked with the blood of wild beasts. He assumed that was what Huo Yanchi meant.

Huo Yanchi wiped the leaves, suppressing the sour ache in his chest, and gave Xiao Yezi a bit more fertilizer before stopping.

"Master, aren’t you going to eat again?"

Shen Junlan had originally planned to make something for Huo Yanchi to eat, but the sound of cooking in the kitchen would be too obvious and easily be noticed by Huo Yanchi.

He had to settle for the next best thing: he found some bread and warmed a glass of milk, bringing it to the small living room outside the bedroom.

"You can’t keep skipping meals. I went to so much trouble to warm this milk for you, Master. Please drink it."

Shen Junlan sat on one side of the sofa, chin propped on his hands, his bright eyes fixed on Huo Yanchi. He kept watch until Huo Yanchi finished everything.

After eating and drinking, Huo Yanchi went into the bathroom. Shen Junlan happily ran into the bedroom and bounced onto the large bed.

As Shen Junlan lay down, he let out a surprised "eh"—the bed was incredibly soft, and he sank into it as if lying on a cloud.

He turned over and carefully examined the mattress beneath the sheets. It wasn’t the same one as before; it had been specially replaced. But since it was covered by the sheets, it was impossible to notice until lying down.

Shen Junlan enthusiastically checked out the bed for a long time, rolling around to mark it with his scent before finally settling in the very center.

By the time Huo Yanchi came out of the bathroom, Xiao Yezi was already back curled up in his flowerpot—the usual routine, waiting for him to fall asleep so he could climb into bed.

The words he had wrestled with for so long in the bathroom suddenly he didn't know how to say. He turned off the lights and lay down in the dark, leaving the problem for his future self.

Huo Yanchi smoothed out the wrinkles on the bed, his eyes smiling. He could easily imagine Xiao Yezi’s reaction upon discovering the softer bed—perhaps so surprised he didn’t know what to do except roll around a few times in response.

Shen Junlan rubbed his tired eyes and stared at the outline of Huo Yanchi’s abs for a long time. He pinched the soft flesh around his own waist, wondering when he would have a body like Huo Yanchi.

"Master, do you like the soft bed too? I love it so much. I’m so happy—it feels like all my wishes are coming true."

In the darkness, Huo Yanchi smiled. Whatever Xiao Yezi asked for, he would provide.

A few minutes later, one side of the bed sank deeply as Xiao Yezi skillfully slid under the covers, hugging one of his arms.

Who would have thought that Xiao Yezi, who initially only dared to curl up in a corner of the bed, would now have grown so bold, almost crawling into his arms?

Being older (scratch that, scratch that) certainly had its advantages—he could fall asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, completely not caring about his situation.

Huo Yanchi sighed, forcing himself to close his eyes and sleep. With this warm, jade-like comfort in his arms, what more could he ask for?

Author's Note:

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