Chapter 13 I’ll Wear It for You Later

Chapter 13: I'll Wear It for You Sometime

He'd told them he "liked" them many times. Yang Yun had said he liked him back, but Shu Yangkuo never had.

This time, Shi Zai didn't back away. Somehow, he knew he would get the answer he wanted. But as time ticked by, the air grew thick with unspoken words. Shi Zai blinked, his gaze dropping slightly, unable to hide his disappointment. He just wanted to disappear for a while.

Before he could move, an arm encircled his waist, and Shi Zai tumbled into a broad chest, his legs straddling the other man’s lap.

He let out a small gasp. Before he could utter "Brother," Shu Yangkuo’s low voice asked:

“What kind of ‘like’ do you mean?”

“…Huh? Me.”

“Like.”

Suddenly—the last trace of magnolia fragrance flooded in, filling the small room with intoxicating sweetness and setting his heart ablaze.

Instantly, Shi Zai broke into a wide grin, still straddling Shu Yangkuo’s lap, cupping his face with both hands, and looking up:

“I knew it! Brother, I'll wear it just for you sometime, secretly.”

“…?”

“Why that look… Don't you like it?”

“…”

“Why are you laughing? Brother, do you actually think it looks bad and are just humoring me?”

“No, it’s beautiful.”

Under the moonlight, a pair of large eyes burned into his chest. Shu Yangkuo fought the urge to touch them, then lowered his head and chuckled softly again. Adorable—the person in his arms was utterly adorable, so much so that it almost hurt to entertain any further thoughts.

The person in his arms didn't understand it at all, or was slowly beginning to, but right now, he probably didn’t even realize what some of his words and actions truly signified. It was all pure instinct, and it was this very instinct that made his unreserved passion so precious.

Suddenly, the person in his arms began nuzzling like a puppy. Shu Yangkuo threw his head back, scooped him up, and headed toward the bedroom.

Surprised, Shi Zai clung tightly to his neck and kicked his feet:

“Brother, your leg isn’t fully healed yet. Put me down.”

“It’s fine.”

“Alright, then go slow. I love when you hold me, brother. It’s so comfortable. I’ll definitely have good dreams again tonight.”

“…Sleep.”

Shi Zai murmured an “mmm” and fell deeply asleep to the rhythm of gentle pats.

In his dream, his old longing for an embrace and curiosity about its owner had almost vanished. Because the embrace had become real, Shi Zai no longer chased it hopelessly but instead freely indulged and depended on it. However, since yesterday morning, it was no longer him waking up early but Shu Yangkuo. Even though he still got hugs after washing up, the morning embraces felt cold. He couldn’t understand why Shu Yangkuo took cold baths every morning.

Since he couldn’t understand, he stopped trying. Today, Shi Zai had to sell the pile of junk in the basement.

After breakfast, Shi Zai took Shu Yangkuo and Yang Yun to the basement and suddenly felt a little embarrassed:

“Brother, Yun Bao, I’m actually a trash scavenger.”

Hearing this, Yang Yun scratched his ear:

“A beggar?”

“Uh, not begging. I use my hands to pick up things others don’t want and sell them for money.”

“Oh, little brother is awesome.”

Feeling a bit teased, Shi Zai deliberately provoked Yang Yun:

“You’re also things others didn’t want that I picked up.”

“…Hmph, if you don’t want me, then don’t.”

“Hahaha, I haven’t finished. Luckily, others were blind to your worth. You’re my priceless treasures.”

Shu Yangkuo was squatting on the ground, sifting through a pile of old books Shi Zai had collected. He paused, looked up, and shot him a deep gaze. After receiving a proud look back from the boy, he lowered his head again to continue looking through the books, but his expression had softened from its earlier bleakness.

Yang Yun, once an ancient divine bird, was clever and naturally noticed all this. He teased Shi Zai too:

“Little bro, I really meant it when I said you’re amazing, and so low-key!”

“…Better not praise me.”

“No, no, our Xiao Shizai is like an emperor—lofty and noble, often traveling incognito. Yesterday, you were super cool and dazzling, and today you can put everything aside, not seeking fame or fortune, willing to be a commoner.”

Shi Zai let out an “uh,” momentarily at a loss for words. Yang Yun continued with a serious face:

“But even the best emperor has emotions and desires. When he encounters treasure, he can’t walk away!”

“…”

Beginning to understand what the silly bird meant, Shi Zai paused and raised an eyebrow:

“Exactly, otherwise how would I have gotten you two?”

“…Your Majesty, be careful! Only the empress is allowed!”

“Hahaha, I want three palaces and six courts! Yun Bao, will you obey or not?!”

“I won’t obey, hahaha! Second Uncle will be furious!”

The two began chasing each other around the small basement. Shi Zai grabbed Yang Yun by the collar:

“Isn’t he the Crown Prince? What use is he to me?”

“The Crown Prince becomes the Empress, hahaha!”

“Wow, you time-travelers are perverts. Emperor and Crown Prince, hahaha…”

The two were causing a ruckus in the basement, each getting deeper into their roles. Shu Yangkuo sighed helplessly. One knew exactly how to stir trouble, and the other spouted nonsense without understanding. At first, he really thought Shi Zai was well-versed in these matters, but gradually—how could there be such a sincere and adorable boy?

Perhaps it would be better if this adorableness lasted a little longer.

While the two were fooling around, Shu Yangkuo quietly moved out the pile of cardboard, bottles, and other miscellaneous items. If he had known that one day, even if he became a monk later, he would be covered in gold and jewels… Making money—in his twenty-seven years, he had never earned a single cent.

In the end, Shi Zai carried Yang Yun out, utterly surprised that the delicate Shu Yangkuo could actually work.

But with plastic bottles scattered all over the ground… Shi Zai put Yang Yun down and firmly refused to let them follow him outside to work hard. There was nothing shameful about collecting junk. Earlier, Yang Yun had whispered in his ear, “Little bro, I really admire you. You’re the one saving the world. Second Uncle and I both like you so much and are so grateful to you.” Shi Zai pinched his cheek: “To me, you are too.” In that moment, he felt so warm inside. Even if he collected junk his whole life, so what? He was free, relying on his own hands to make a living—that was honorable.

But when someone has treasures they care about, they always want to take one more step.

After loading up the cart with stuff, Shi Zai noticed a pile of old books on the ground:

"Bro, take these to your room to read."

"Aren't you selling them?"

"They wouldn't sell for much. They're all history books no one reads. Flip through them, and if you find them boring, I'll sell them later... Bro?"

Shu Yangkuo mumbled "Mm-hmm" in response, snapping back to attention. His gaze shifted from a book cover printed with a "Dynasty Timeline" back to Shi Zai. He nodded and said, "Okay," but inwardly, he was completely baffled. From the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties to the Yuan, Ming, and Qing—twelve dynasties in all...

No, it couldn't be.

After handling one thing, there was still another. Shi Zai dragged out a bucket from the corner of the basement—it contained clay and random little tools. He had bought them from a local potter when he found the clay figurine, and since he was quite interested, he kept them. So far, aside from repairing the figurine, he hadn't made anything else. He decided to let Yang Yun play with the clay in the morning so the two of them wouldn't get bored.

Back in the room, he washed some fruit for the two of them, locked the door, and then quickly headed out on his trike to "Old Wang's Scrap" house.

He made five trips back and forth to haul everything over and sell it. There was quite a bit of iron, copper, and aluminum, so he made pretty good money today. He really enjoyed junk collecting. If it weren't for Shu Yangkuo and Yang Yun showing up, he had planned to open a recycling business in the future. Old Wang's family had already bought a house and car in the city through this work. Though it involved scrap, there were valuable aspects to it—many things could be turned from trash into treasure. Shi Zai loved the freedom of not being constrained by others and the joy of treasure hunting while picking through junk.

After all, his brother and the little one were treasures he had picked up.

Time to start a new life with these two treasures.

Before heading home, Shi Zai swung by the shopping center and, just as he was nearing home, grabbed three large orders of noodles. There was no time to cook—he still had to go to Youyang Village in the afternoon. He scavenged in the town and also collected scrap in the village, but he only had about ten days left in this line of work.

In the afternoon, Shu Yangkuo and Yang Yun, who had figured out how to wash dishes, turned on the "DVD player" that Shi Zai had set up for them—supposedly to "learn how to be human"... Shu Yangkuo knew the little guy sometimes said strange things, but this was just too odd.

Just because things are new to us in this new world, it didn’t mean we were idiots.

Which one of us didn’t understand human nature anyway?

Shu Yangkuo glanced at Yang Yun, who was sitting cross-legged and cupping his cheeks, and found his answer. Well, he might as well watch it with him.

After some super upbeat and cheerful music, a huge line of text appeared on the screen, accompanied by a very childish voice reading it out.

—"What Your 3-Year-Old Should Know."

...

Shu Yangkuo was quiet for a second, then tilted his head:

"Is it good?"

"Whether it's good or not, we have to watch it. Xiao Zai will definitely ask what it was about when he comes back."

"..."

"Hehe, you'd better pay attention, Uncle."

"..."

The TV kept playing non-stop all afternoon, covering what kids ages three to six should know and be able to do.

The old residential area had thin walls. Grandma Fangjue caught bits and pieces for a while, then came downstairs and knocked on the door. Surprisingly, no one answered. Where was the noise coming from? Grandma Fangjue grew increasingly curious, even a bit nervous, and kept knocking harder. After a moment, a deep voice responded:

"Xiao Zai isn’t home. We can’t open the door."

"...Oh, is that the tall one?"

"It’s me. Sorry, we can’t let you in."

"...Alright, alright, that’s the right thing to do. You’ve become so much more sensible in just a few days. That's a good boy, Grandma will go back upstairs."

"...Goodbye, Grandma."

The two went back to watching TV one after the other. Yang Yun paused and said:

"Uncle, was that right?"

"Yes."

"But the nursery song says not to open the door for strangers. Grandma Fangjue isn’t a stranger."

"...Haven’t you heard 'Little Bunny, Be Good'? It says 'no matter who comes, don’t open the door.'"

"Oh, right. You're pretty smart, Uncle."

Shu Yangkuo inexplicably raised an eyebrow, but only for a moment before his face darkened again. Using the excuse of needing to use the bathroom, he escaped the sickly sweet magical assault on the TV screen... Staring at his cold reflection in the mirror, Shu Yangkuo was completely disgusted with himself.

He was twenty-seven!!!

How had he been so brainwashed into watching this kind of thing? Even at three years old, he had never been this childish.

In the evening, Shi Zai rushed back from Youyang Village, with a cart piled high with scrap. He quickly unloaded it in the basement and hurried back inside. As soon as he opened the door, he saw the two of them waiting for him. Before he could say a word, they spoke one after the other:

"Xiao Zai, you’ve worked hard."

"Little bro, you’ve worked hard."

"...???"

Shi Zai was taken aback for a moment, then immediately broke into a smile:

"Such good boys, Brother and Yun Bao! Wait for me, I’ll grab a quick shower and come out to hug you!"

With that, Shi Zai dashed into the bathroom, feeling delighted and warm inside, inexplicably comforted by the thought of having a family waiting for him at home. Today’s hard work hadn’t been in vain—it seemed to give him even more motivation.

Under the rushing hot water, Shi Zai wiped his eyes. Life like this was truly wonderful.

After coming out, he hugged each of them in turn, then brought out the cool stuff he’d collected for them from the village:

"Brother, Yun Bao, I thought about it. You’re not exactly babies, so the three-to-six-year-old stuff is probably too childish. I figured you wouldn’t be able to sit through it... These discs are about history—Brother can watch them. And there’s a historical drama—Yun Bao would like that... Hey—why are you two looking at me like that? What’s wrong?"