Chapter 153 City Streets 53

Chapter 153: Urban Life in the Prefecture 53

Hearing Cui Lanfang’s words, Qin Rongshi was momentarily stunned before he collected himself and looked up at her.

Cui Lanfang sat in her chair, her gaze fixed on him with a rare and earnest solemnity.

She was still waiting for him to speak.

Perhaps influenced by her demeanor, Qin Rongshi’s expression unconsciously turned grave. Suddenly, he lifted the hem of his robe and knelt at Cui Lanfang’s feet. Without a word, he kowtowed three times with audible thuds.

He remained bowed, his hands pressed to the ground, forehead resting on the back of his hands.

He said, "Mother, your son has been unfilial. I have harbored rebellious thoughts."

Cui Lanfang had already suspected something, but seeing Qin Rongshi kneel so abruptly and confess so frankly still took her by surprise.

She stammered anxiously, "You... you and Gu Yu, are you truly...?"

Only then did Qin Rongshi straighten up, hurriedly saying, "Mother, this has nothing to do with him. It’s all my own one-sided feelings. He is so good—who wouldn’t like him?"

These words struck a chord with Cui Lanfang. Indeed, Gu Yu was such a fine young man—who wouldn't be fond of him?

Cui Lanfang sighed and asked again, "So, Gu Yu doesn’t know about your feelings?"

Judging by Liu Guyu's preoccupied demeanor today and the way he secretly took the portrait back to his room, it didn’t seem like he was unaware or entirely indifferent.

She'd been so clueless before! These two young men had grown up right before her eyes—how had she never noticed?

Qin Rongshi lowered his head, his tone growing even more somber. "He’s clever—he must have guessed."

Cui Lanfang shook her head with another sigh, reached out to help Qin Rongshi up from his knees, and patted the back of his hand. "Go on. If you have feelings, you should speak plainly. If neither of you says anything, are you just going to live in ambiguity forever?"

Qin Rongshi rose with her help and asked, head still bowed, "Mother, you don’t object?"

Cui Lanfang sighed. "Gu Yu and your elder brother had no fate. I thought our family simply lacked the fortune to keep such a husband. You’re right—Gu Yu is a good child. Just seeing him makes people smile. Who wouldn’t like someone like that?"

"If the two of you can be together, that would be a double happiness."

"But... if he has no such intentions, don’t force him."

After speaking, Cui Lanfang rubbed her eyes as if tired, waved her sleeve, and headed toward her room, saying, "I’m weary. I’m going to bed. You go on."

With that, she entered her room, leaving Qin Rongshi standing in the main hall for a long while.

The room was quiet, save for the occasional draft that whistled through, making the lantern's flame flicker. Qin Rongshi tightened his grip on the oil-paper package, remained silent for a moment, then picked up the lantern and headed toward Liu Guyu’s room.

*Knock, knock, knock.*

The door was gently tapped, and soon footsteps were heard inside. Liu Guyu, wrapped in a robe, came to open the door, shuffling in rabbit-fur-lined short boots.

Half his face appeared as he looked up at Qin Rongshi, his eyes curving into a smile—nothing like the troubled demeanor Cui Lanfang had described.

"You’re back? What brings you here? Is something the matter?"

He seemed to have just gotten out of bed, his hair disheveled, one cheek marked with sleep lines. The headband was off, forgotten, as he scratched his head and opened the door.

He never seemed to care much about propriety—this wasn’t the first time Qin Rongshi had seen the red mole on his forehead. Small and crimson, it glowed vividly under the lantern light in the darkness, impossible to ignore.

But Liu Guyu only *seemed* careless. Outside, he always wore his headband properly, never drawing unnecessary attention to himself.

At home, however, he was free-spirited, speaking without restraint. Once, he even rubbed his forehead and said to Cui Lanfang, "No wonder we cover it with a cloth strip. If anyone had a bullseye between their eyebrows, they’d want to hide it too! If we were archers, aiming at me would be easier than aiming at anyone else!"

Cui Lanfang had been so annoyed she slapped him twice, scolding him for speaking inauspiciously and forcing him to spit out the words as if dispelling bad luck.

Noticing Qin Rongshi staring blankly at him, Liu Guyu belatedly remembered what he had forgotten. Recalling Qin Rongshi’s feelings, he awkwardly retreated into the room to find a headband and tie it back on.

But when he reached the bedside, he remembered how earlier, his heart in turmoil, he couldn’t bear the neatness of the headbands and had resolved to tangle them up too, braiding them all together.

All of them.

Liu Guyu: "..."

Qin Rongshi pretended not to notice his expression. He stepped inside and handed over the oil-paper package, saying, "I bought some candied tangerines in town. Want to try them?"

Liu Guyu: "...I told you not to buy anything."

Despite his words, he reached out and took the package, carefully unwrapping the oil-paper to examine it.

He wasn’t sure how these candied tangerines were made. Unlike sun-dried ones that lost all moisture and became hard to chew, these had a slight chewiness—soft yet springy, with a taste that was seventy percent sweet and thirty percent sour.

Qin Rongshi: "I’ve never seen anyone in town selling snacks like this before. Probably a new product, so I brought some for you to try."

Liu Guyu, being in the food business, loved studying new delicacies. Whenever a stall or shop introduced something new, he would buy it to taste.

Since it was already late, Liu Guyu only ate one segment.

He nodded and said, "Not bad—tangy and sweet."

He set the rest aside on the table and turned to look at Qin Rongshi, who still hadn’t left. Instead, Qin Rongshi closed the door behind him.

Liu Guyu: "???"

What’s going on?

Just as Liu Guyu was about to ask, Qin Rongshi spoke first.

Though Qin Rongshi was usually concise, he was logical and persuasive—a skilled speaker. But now, he seemed to have lost his eloquence, his words coming out disjointed.

"...What did you do with that portrait? Why did you take it?"

Liu Guyu: "???"

Is that why you’re here? Just for this?!

Liu Guyu’s face fell as he stared blankly at Qin Rongshi. "You want to see it?"

Before Qin Rongshi could answer, Liu Guyu turned around, yanked open the wardrobe door with a clatter, pulled out the bottom drawer, and retrieved the portrait hidden deep inside.

A single scroll, treated like a precious treasure stored at the very bottom of the cabinet, as if he wished he could lock it away.

Seeing Liu Guyu actually produce the portrait, Qin Rongshi wasn’t pleased. Instead, he frowned and asked, "You want me to see it?"

Listen to them—both talking so strangely.

Liu Guyu shoved the portrait into Qin Rongshi’s hands, muttering under his breath, "If you want to see it, see it. What’s it to me?"

The moment the portrait was in his hands, it felt like a hot potato. Qin Rongshi glanced at it, his frown deepening.

Instead of unrolling the scroll, he casually placed the portrait on the small table by the window, then shot a sharp glance toward Liu Guyu, who was slowly making his way back to the bed.

“Do you want me to get married?”

He seemed to have misunderstood Liu Guyu’s meaning, frowning as he shot him a cold stare.

After all this beating around the bush, with you asking me and me asking you, neither of us giving a straight answer, and none of the questions hitting the mark, it’s a wonder the two of us could even keep the conversation going.

Liu Guyu was completely misunderstood. His face fell as he turned back to Qin Rongshi, utterly baffled as to how the other had reached such a conclusion.

In the brief silence that followed, Qin Rongshi suddenly strode forward, went down on one knee before the bed, and looked up at Liu Guyu with a solemn expression, his eyes deep and steady like stars.

“When your elder brother was forcibly conscripted, it was I who brought you into the family in his stead and took vows with you. Aren’t you my wife?”

Liu Guyu: “???”

Liu Guyu never could have imagined that Qin Rongshi, who outwardly seemed like an upright and principled gentleman, could say something that… shameless.

Startled, he stood up, then noticed Qin Rongshi still kneeling at his feet and quickly reached down to pull him up.

“Get up! Don’t they say a man’s knees are worth gold? Why are you kneeling before me?”

Qin Rongshi didn’t move an inch, his unwavering gaze fixed intently on Liu Guyu. Though he was looking up from below, his eyes were like sturdy ropes, wrapping around the person in his sight, leaving no escape.

He said, “You raised me, sent me to study—no amount of gratitude would be enough. Kneeling is nothing in comparison.”

Liu Guyu: “…”

Liu Guyu couldn’t pull him up. Worse, when he reached out, Qin Rongshi seized his wrist instead, leaving him stuck. One kneeling, one standing—the atmosphere grew increasingly awkward.

He had to sit back down and stammer, “But that’s no way to show gratitude… marrying me?”

Qin Rongshi: “Feelings are beyond one’s control… and beyond mine.”

“You are so good, perfect in every way. Your eyes shine brighter than others’, even the shape of your fingers is more endearing, and your hair seems to glow. Meeting you made me realize that flawless jade truly exists in this world… How could I not adore you?”

Liu Guyu rubbed his nose, his back unconsciously straightening with a hint of pride. His eyebrows lifted slightly, and somehow, he felt inexplicably pleased.

This guy was usually so reserved and sparing with words, yet when he did speak, he knew just what to say. All that studying clearly wasn’t for nothing.

He was secretly pleased, but still said, “So it’s my fault then? I’m the one who disturbed your heart?”

Qin Rongshi shook his head and replied earnestly, “It’s my fault. I’m the dishonorable one, I’m shameless. It wasn’t you who disturbed my heart—it was me, with my impure intentions.”

As he spoke, he kept his eyes on Liu Guyu. The candlelight flickered in his pupils, glowing with a dazzling orange-red hue like churning molten lava, as if it might burst forth at any moment.

He spoke word by word, with utmost seriousness.

His words, though not loud, carried weight, each syllable seeming to transform into soft feathers gently brushing against Liu Guyu’s ears, leaving them tingling and slightly itchy.

When Liu Guyu remained silent for a long time, Qin Rongshi seemed to sigh softly before speaking to him again:

“I don’t say these things expecting a response from you. Even if you forget everything I said right away, discard them, forget them—that’s alright.”

“But I already have someone in my heart. I won’t take another as my wife. In this lifetime, I will be loyal only to the one I love, I only want to spend my life with this person… If that cannot be, I would rather remain alone my whole life than settle for anything less.”

His words were spoken in a low, pitiable tone, his eyelashes drooping slightly. When Liu Guyu leaned down to look, he could see those long lashes trembling faintly.

But soon, Qin Rongshi lifted his head, moved forward half a step on his knees, tightened his grip on Liu Guyu’s wrist, and tugged him closer as he asked, “Liu Guyu, what about you? What do you think?”

"Are you planning to brush off and forget everything I said after tonight?"

Liu Guyu did not answer, but his heart was pounding wildly. Both fell silent, and the only sound in the room was the heavy, powerful heartbeat—indistinguishable as to whose it was, or perhaps the two heartbeats had already merged into one.

Fuck it, whatever!

Liu Guyu cursed inwardly, then suddenly grabbed the collar of Qin Rongshi, who was putting on a pitiful act, pulling him closer. Without hesitation, he leaned down and pinned him down.

Foreheads pressed together, breaths entwined.

Qin Rongshi tasted the oranges.

Not seven parts sweet, but ten parts sweet.