Chapter 466: Day 31 into the Farming Story

Chapter 466: Day Thirty-One in the Farming Story

Di Qingji reverently kissed along the elegant line of his jaw, lingering at the sensitive curve of his neck and the hollow of his collarbone, leaving behind clear red marks and glistening traces of moisture.

An Yi's breathing grew increasingly rapid, no longer able to maintain its usual calm rhythm. His chest rose and fell, long lashes trembling incessantly, fine beads of sweat seeping from his forehead and the tip of his nose, mingling indistinguishably with Di Qingji's dripping perspiration.

"An Yi... my An Yi..." Di Qingji murmured continuously by his ear, voice hoarse, every word carrying scorching desire.

His hot breath washed over An Yi's sensitive earlobe and neck, stirring waves of subtle shivers.

His sweat-slicked, burning chest pressed tightly against An Yi's cool, smooth skin, the excessive heat seeming to melt the person beneath him completely, fusing them into one.

He was like a ship that had been sailing long through a storm and finally found harbor, urgently wanting to dock, yet still feeling the surging waves within his heart and that restless, unquenchable force.

An Yi... his An Yi...

His beloved, his soul's resting place.

He sought, confirmed, then held An Yi in a long embrace, as if drawing in all the calm that steadied him.

An Yi's arms tightened around his back, fingertips pressing slightly into the shoulder blades beneath his clothes, then slowly relaxing.

He lifted his head and pressed a kiss to the eyes of the man above him.

He let out a breath and gave Di Qingji a gentle smile.

Some silent emotion flowed between them, thicker than sweat, harder to separate.

They spoke their love through their eyes.

The air seemed to warm, and even the candle flame seemed to sense some shift, flickering more softly, casting the two figures quietly nestled by the bedside onto the wall in blurred, tender shadows. The silhouettes gently overlapped, telling of wordless peace and reliance.

Di Qingji lowered his head, his forehead lightly pressing against An Yi's, a gesture of reverence.

"Look at me... An Yi..." he demanded hoarsely, briefly pausing his conquest, then kissing An Yi's elegantly curved chin before tilting his face up almost forcefully, gazing deeply into his eyes.

An Yi's eyes were now veiled with a misty layer of moisture, like a lake shrouded in clouds after rain—the clear undertone still there, but now tinged with haziness and daze, having lost its usual calm composure.

He looked at Di Qingji, and in those watery eyes, his sweat-dampened face was clearly reflected.

Di Qingji saw himself in those eyes, and also saw the turmoil An Yi felt for him.

He kissed him deeply once more.

Who knew how much time had passed.

Outside the window, the drizzling spring rain had quietly ceased at some point.

The dark clouds parted, revealing a bright, pure moon. Its clear light spilled down, illuminating the damp eaves and the tender, shy new leaves on the old tree in the courtyard.

The leaves swayed gently in the night breeze, as if shyly trying to block the moon's prying gaze into the courtyard.

The moon seemed to sense this bashfulness, silently shifting its position, casting more of its light elsewhere.

Di Qingji pulled over the plain cotton quilt that had long been kicked aside, carelessly covering their sweat-dampened bodies.

Then, he drew An Yi tightly into his arms.

He lowered his head, his chin resting against An Yi's soft, slightly damp hair, and let out a contented sigh—a sigh filled with post-satiety languor and love so thick it could not be diluted.

"An Yi..." he called softly. "I love you."

He had said these words countless times, and would continue to say them and show them.

This will never change in this lifetime.

An Yi shifted slightly in his embrace, adjusting to a more comfortable position.

He turned his head and pressed a gentle kiss to Di Qingji's sweat-dampened neck.

"Mm, I know," he replied, his voice slightly hoarse. Then he raised an arm, loosely circling Di Qingji's sweaty back, his fingertips absently tracing a faint old scar along his spine: "And I feel the same."

Di Qingji's heart surged with emotion. He felt as if his entire heart had been soaked in the finest honeyed wine, so happy he could almost faint.

He couldn't help lowering his head, burying his face deep into the warm hollow of An Yi's neck, greedily breathing in his scent, his muffled voice carrying a pleading, almost childish longing and restless urge: "Let's do it again! Every day!"

An Yi: "..."

"No, you'll wear yourself out."

Di Qingji didn't believe it and insisted on trying.

An Yi: "..."

----------

Time slipped by quietly. Winter had long since departed, and even spring's lingering chill and clinging rains were gradually replaced by increasingly blazing sunlight.

Summer had arrived.

The leaves of the old locust tree in the courtyard had shifted from tender spring green to deep summer verdure—lush and layered, gleaming with an oily luster under the sun, spreading a canopy of cool shade.

In the flower bed at the back courtyard that Di Qingji had carefully tended, it was already a different scene entirely.

Those fuzzy grass sprouts from before had now grown into a dense expanse of green. The plants had spread out, their leaves much larger. If one looked closely, one could vaguely make out newer, tender leaves peeking out from among the lush foliage, along with some rice-grain-sized flower buds hidden within.

Clearly, those much-anticipated autumn blossoms would still need more time and sunshine and rain before they bloomed.

Meanwhile, Jiang Chiliu's "Jiang Family Eatery" was thriving more than ever. In the summer, he had developed more chilled delicacies that proved very popular with the county townsfolk.

And his wedding date with Fu Cong arrived as scheduled, in this summer filled with the sweet freshness of ice and melons.

Because they frequented the eatery often and were acquainted with both Jiang Chiliu and Fu Cong, An Yi and Di Qingji had also received wedding invitations from the couple.

The wedding banquet was held in Li Family Village.

That day was an exceptionally auspicious date on the calendar.

An Yi set aside his usual plain attire and chose a silk long robe, cinched with a jade belt, which accentuated his upright bearing and jade-like features, lending him a more formal and refined elegance than usual for going out to a banquet.

Di Qingji also set aside his usual fitted martial garb and chose a long robe instead. This outfit highlighted his tall, broad-shouldered, narrow-waisted figure, making him look even more valiant and striking, yet with less of the dust and fierceness of the wandering warrior and more of a steady, restrained composure.

He walked up to An Yi to show off, and after being praised, planted a passionate kiss on him.

The two boarded a carriage, with an outrider seated at the front handling the reins. The carriage left the county town, heading toward Li Family Village outside the city walls.