Chapter 150 City Streets 50

Chapter 150: Prefectural City Streets 50

Qin Rongshi: "..."

Liu Guyu: "..."

Averting his gaze from the impropriety, Qin Rongshi quickly looked away, his eyes meeting Liu Guyu’s scrunched-up, grimacing expression. Both fell silent.

Liu Guyu didn’t speak, but his gaze kept drifting unconsciously to Qin Rongshi’s lips.

They were beautifully shaped, full and glossy, a healthy rosy color—soft when he smiled, soft even when he didn’t…

Well, he’d certainly never touched them.

…But they looked incredibly soft.

"What are you looking at?"

Just as Liu Guyu was lost in thought, Qin Rongshi suddenly asked in a low voice.

Liu Guyu jolted, snapping back to reality, startled. He hurriedly averted his gaze, his ears, hidden beneath his hair, burning uncontrollably, turning deep red, the flush spreading rapidly down his neck.

He stammered, "A-Are you two d-done kissing?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized how awkward they sounded and quickly added, "I mean Qing Zhu! Are Qing Zhu and Butcher Song done kissing?!"

Ugh! That explanation just made it weirder!

Liu Guyu resignedly closed his eyes, offering no further explanation, taking on a defeated, 'what's-done-is-done' look.

Qin Rongshi: "Yeah, they're gone."

After a pause, his gaze swept over Liu Guyu’s face, a hint of amusement in his voice as he said, "Let’s go too."

As he spoke, he started walking ahead.

Liu Guyu finally opened his eyes and trailed behind Qin Rongshi, head lowered, taking the opportunity to give his own mouth a light slap when he thought Qin Rongshi couldn’t see!

Normally so articulate—what was his problem today?

Liu Guyu tugged at his hair in frustration, feeling like a lecherous old fool. Qin Rongshi was undeniably handsome, but no matter what, he had watched him grow from a young boy into the man he was now. It felt inappropriate for an "old cow" to covet such "tender grass"!

Even if the grass was indeed tender, fresh, lush, and tempting enough to make the old cow want a bite.

Ah, being this "old cow" was no easy role.

But hey, whatever the fault, appreciating beauty wasn't wrong.

"Ow!"

Lost in his wild thoughts, Liu Guyu failed to notice that Qin Rongshi had stopped walking ahead and walked right into him.

This wasn’t the first time Liu Guyu had collided with Qin Rongshi’s shoulder or back. It was as if the man had eyes on the back of his head—he turned around the moment he stopped and raised a hand to block Liu Guyu’s forehead.

Liu Guyu rubbed his forehead and took a step back, looking at Qin Rongshi. "Why did you stop so suddenly?"

Seeing his distracted state, Qin Rongshi sighed softly, then bent down slightly to take the basket filled with fresh camellias from Liu Guyu’s hand before holding out his hand.

"There’s a stream ahead. The rocks are covered in moss—be careful, it’s slippery."

Liu Guyu: "...Oh."

Through their clothing, Qin Rongshi grasped Liu Guyu’s wrist and led him across the stream. It was only a few steps; his wrist grew warm where held but was quickly let go. When he looked up again, Qin Rongshi was already walking ahead.

Liu Guyu rubbed the tip of his nose and silently followed.

*

"You came back empty-handed? Didn’t dig up any wild vegetables?!"

The six met up at the foot of Little Flow Mountain.

Qin Banban and Luo Maier, their baskets brimming with wild vegetables, inspected their older brothers’ baskets one by one. Luo Qingzhu and Song Qingfeng hadn't found a single edible green. Qin Rongshi’s basket held only two small hoes—not a vegetable in sight. Liu Guyu’s was a bit better, at least filled with a basket of flowers.

Luo Maier began scolding them: "Brother! You must have been too busy playing with Brother Song! You didn’t dig up anything!"

Luo Qingzhu looked embarrassed and mumbled, "...We did, we did. Didn’t we break off two bamboo shoots?"

Luo Maier: "Two! That’s not even enough for one dish!"

Song Qingfeng also awkwardly added, "I’ll buy meat tomorrow and stir-fry them with the meat. That should make a decent dish."

Luo Maier glanced from one to the other, then muttered quietly, "You two were definitely too busy being affectionate! Don’t think I don’t know—you two purposely fell behind! Then you just disappeared!"

Luo Qingzhu, Song Qingfeng: "..."

Meanwhile, Qin Banban knew Qin Rongshi had no interest in digging vegetables and could only shake her head and sigh. But when she saw the basket full of camellias, she couldn’t help asking curiously, "Brother Liu, why did you pick so many flowers?"

Liu Guyu quickly grabbed his basket back from Qin Rongshi’s hands, showing the girls proudly the day’s harvest with a look that said, "You can scold them, but not me!"

"To make camellia cakes! It’s been a while since you’ve had them, right? I’ll make some for you!"

Hearing this, the two girls perked up, and they all headed down the mountain together.

The New Year’s Eve dinner was a shared meal between the two families, and with Song Qingfeng, who had no parents, joining, the eight of them perfectly filled a large square table.

On New Year’s Eve, the sky had darkened completely. The moon was just a thin, narrow crescent, barely noticeable, and only a few sparse stars dotted the sky, dim and lonely-looking.

But this night was destined to be a lively one.

Although the moon gave little light, every household in Shanghe Village had lit candles and hung lanterns. Laughter and chatter echoed from each home, accompanied by the distant sounds of children setting off firecrackers.

The kitchen door of Lin Xingniang’s house was wide open, and from the courtyard, one could see people bustling inside.

"Hey! Luo Maier!"

"You naughty girl, I asked you to help wash the vegetables! And here you are sneaking snacks again!"

Lin Xingniang was busy frying all sorts of foods—crispy fried pork, fried mushrooms, fried small fish and shrimp, fried vegetable balls, fried radish and meatballs… anything that could be fried was being fried, and a large colander was already full of them.

After washing the vegetables, Luo Maier had slipped behind Lin Xingniang, sneaking bites of the meat dishes. In no time, she had eaten two pieces of crispy pork and one fried meatball, her fingers now oily.

The fennel-crusted crispy pork was fried to a perfect crisp on the outside and tender on the inside, the lean meat fragrant and not dry, coated generously with fennel—completely addictive.

The shredded radish mixed with fatty and lean minced meat, shaped into balls and fried, was also juicy, tender, and crispy.

Seeing her mother about to hit her, Luo Maier quickly dodged away, grabbing a few more pieces of crispy pork before fleeing.

“I’m heading next door to see what’s going on! I’ll also bring some crispy pork for Brother Liu and the others to try!”

She dashed off so quickly she vanished in an instant.

Cui Lanfang, who was helping nearby, burst into laughter and said, “Let her go!”

Lin Xingniang laughed too. Though her words sounded scolding, her tone held no real anger.

“This child is just so mischievous! She hasn’t a shred of ladylike decorum!”

Luo Qingzhu was helping Song Qingfeng make rice cakes. Hearing this, they couldn’t help but turn their heads, their faces lighting up with smiles.

…

Over at the Qin family’s kitchen, the stove was also blazing. Since both families had agreed to hold the reunion dinner together—but there were so many dishes to prepare—both kitchens were cooking simultaneously to save time.

At the Qin residence, they were stewing pork trotters with kidney beans and simmering aged duck soup, while Liu Guyu was making camellia cakes.

Luo Maier brought over the crispy pork, entered the kitchen, and passed some around to everyone. Then she washed her greasy fingers before pulling up a small stool to sit beside Qin Banban.

The two girls immediately resumed whispering, as if they had endless things to discuss—enough to chat nonstop for three days and three nights!

Qin Banban was still musing aloud: “Though Brother Song is the only child in his family, it’s still quite lively that he’ll spend New Year’s with us this year. I just wonder how Chen Sanxi will spend today all by himself.”

Qin Rongshi: “???”

Is *this* what girls talk about when they get together?

Qin Rongshi instantly perked up, casting a wary glance their way.

Well, yes—this is *exactly* what girls talk about when they gather!

Luo Maier grinned slyly, tugging playfully at Qin Banban’s sleeve and teasing, “Why are you so concerned about him? Are you two *that* close now?”

Qin Banban answered frankly, “We’re from the same village. It was fate that we met here in the city—so naturally, we should look out for each other.”

Luo Maier nodded in agreement. “That’s true… But this Chen Sanxi is truly impressive! No one back home knew where he’d gone—they assumed he’d left for manual labor somewhere. Turns out he came to the city!”

“He even returned in a carriage! Oh, what a magnificent horse! Our village has never seen a carriage before! These past couple of days, so many people have ‘coincidentally’ strolled past his house! He lives at the foot of Wolf’s Mouth Mountain—who just *happens* to pass by there during New Year’s? They’re all going there on purpose—to see that splendid horse!”

Qin Banban added, “Yeah! I actually rode back in that carriage this time—I even got to stroke the horse!”

Luo Maier asked, curious and excited, “What was it like?! What was it like?! Was it the same as petting Hei Dazhuang or Cuihua?”

Cuihua was the mule raised by Qin Banban’s family, and Hei Dazhuang was the black donkey raised by Luo Maier’s family.

Qin Banban: “Its coat was a bit coarse, but it felt really nice to touch—not the same kind of pleasantness as stroking a cat or dog… Gee, I can’t quite describe it. I’ll take you to pet it another day—you’ll understand the moment you feel it!”

Luo Maier: “Really? I can pet it too? I heard Chen Sanxi treasures that horse dearly!”

Qin Banban patted her chest confidently. “It’ll be fine! Don’t be fooled by his cold exterior—he’s actually very approachable. We’re on good terms now!”

Qin Rongshi: “…Banban.”

Qin Rongshi held back again and again—but finally couldn’t resist interrupting the girls’ chatter.

He sighed helplessly, massaging his temples as he gave Qin Banban a weary, somewhat peculiar look—as if he had something to say, yet nothing at all.

Qin Banban furrowed her delicate brows and gazed at him, puzzled. “Brother, what’s wrong? Are your eyes irritated by the stove smoke?”

Qin Rongshi: “…”

“Pfft!”

Liu Guyu couldn’t contain himself and snorted with laughter.

Both Qin Rongshi and Qin Banban turned to look at him. He clapped a hand over his mouth, biting his lip hard to suppress further laughter.

The camellia cakes in the pot were ready. Liu Guyu quickly lifted the lid—the sweet fragrance instantly filled the room.

Hastily changing the subject, he picked up a camellia cake with chopsticks, placed it on a small plate, and called Qin Rongshi over to taste it.

“Erlang, come try this right away!”

He called for Qin Rongshi—but hadn’t yet invited Qin Banban or Luo Maier. Yet the two girls needed no prompting—they’d already crowded around.

“It smells amazing… golden-brown and sprinkled with sesame seeds.”

“It smells sweet—just what my second brother loves.”

Hmm, at least the girl had finally said something he liked hearing.

Qin Rongshi silently picked up the small plate and took a bite of the freshly baked camellia cake.

The palm-sized pastry boasted a buttery, flaky crust and a filling made from fresh camellia petals, glutinous rice flour, and sugar. Its surface had been brushed with egg wash and dusted with black and white sesame seeds before baking. Fresh from the pan, the cake was golden and crisp, its fragrant, subtly sweet-and-savory filling at its absolute best when eaten straight away.

After taking a bite, Qin Rongshi couldn’t help but smile faintly at Qin Banban’s words.

But his joy was short-lived—his ever-observant sister spoke up again.

“We have so many delicious things to eat. I wonder what Chen Sanxi is having all by himself? After all, today is New Year’s Eve!”

“Hey, Second Brother, Brother Liu—how about I take him some food? A few camellia cakes, some pork-and-wild-vegetable dumplings, a couple of bowls of soup…”

Qin Rongshi replied flatly, “Why don’t you just invite him over?”

Qin Banban took him literally and frowned, twirling her braid. “That wouldn’t be appropriate. Given his personality, even if we invited him, he definitely wouldn’t come!”

Qin Rongshi: “…”

Ignoring her silent brother, Qin Banban continued, “I’ll just bring the food to him. He prefers solitude—inviting him over would only make things awkward.”

Qin Rongshi: “…It’s late at night. I can’t let a girl like you deliver food to him.”

Qin Banban: “But we all live in the city—it’s a special *fate*. We should help each other out. Mom always says we should look after one another. He even gave me grape seeds—and let me and Mom ride in his carriage.”

Her reasoning was sound—making it difficult to refuse.

Qin Rongshi sighed softly and looked at Liu Guyu, hoping he’d step in and reason with her—Banban usually listened to him.

But when he looked up, he saw Liu Guyu covering his mouth, struggling to hold back laughter, his lips practically stretching to his ears.

Qin Rongshi: “…”

No one here is making things easy.

Qin Rongshi let out a heavy sigh.

He stood up resignedly and fetched several clean bowls and plates, filling them with exactly the dishes Qin Banban had just mentioned.

"He sighed helplessly, 'Fine, I'll deliver it, alright?'"

Qin Banban flashed him a smile and quickly passed over a prepared basket, as if she had just been waiting for Qin Rongshi to say those words.

Qin Rongshi sighed as he packed the food, then went out sighing.

Luo Maier commented, "...Your brother doesn’t seem too happy."

Qin Banban, busy ladling soup and arranging snacks, hadn’t seen Qin Rongshi sighing. She tilted her head and frowned, saying, "Really? He ate the Camellia Cake made by Brother Liu and even broke into a smile!"

"Pfft!"

Liu Guyu couldn’t hold back either and laughed joyfully.

Qin Rongshi was quick-footed and was back soon after delivering the food.

But the snow came even faster. When he left, the sky was clear, but it began to snow shortly after he stepped out. Snowflakes fell thick and fast, soon covering the two red lanterns hanging by the door, dimming their glow.

The meal was ready, and the Tusu wine was warmed, waiting only for Qin Rongshi’s return to begin the feast.

"He’s here, he’s back!"

Liu Guyu, holding a snow brush made of cypress branches, stood by the door, listening for sounds from outside.

Sure enough, as soon as he spoke, Qin Rongshi entered carrying the basket and an oil lamp, his shoulders dusted with snow.

"Quick, quick! Come inside!"

Everyone in the room called out, and Liu Guyu hurriedly pulled him in, using the brush to sweep the snow off his clothes.

Qin Banban also rushed to take the things from Qin Rongshi’s hands, grumbling, "If I’d known it would snow halfway, I wouldn’t have let you go! Er-ge (Second Brother), are you cold? Huh... what’s in this basket?"

After brushing off the snow and drinking a bowl of warm wine Liu Guyu handed him to warm his stomach, Qin Rongshi finally answered Banban’s question, "It’s from Chen Sanxi. He caught a rabbit the day before yesterday and cooked it for the New Year’s celebration."

Cui Lanfang marveled, "That child is really capable! Catching a rabbit in such cold weather!"

Lin Xingniang also praised him and urged, "Less talk, everyone, sit down and eat!"

Relatives and friends gathered around the table, poured the Tusu wine reserved for the New Year, and shared a happy meal.

On this New Year’s Eve, all shared in the happiness.

White snow reflected the glow of the stove—a beautiful scene, truly beautiful.