Chapter 49

Chapter 49

After purchasing the spices, the three of them left the market and went to buy some Mid-Autumn Festival gifts.

The first gift was for the Gong family. This time, Pei Mu had been in trouble, and thanks to Gong Laosi's help, Zhong Yizhu prepared a generous gift.

When they delivered it to the Gong home, Gong Laosi hadn't returned from closing his stall yet. They deliberately didn't tell him, not wanting to disrupt his schedule. Besides, this wasn't an official visit—just dropping off a holiday gift and leaving.

The Gong residence was a standalone house, which was already considered decent compared to the many families in the county who had to share a single courtyard.

Pei Mu stopped the ox cart. Zhong Yizhu jumped down first and knocked on the door. A little girl's voice called out from inside, followed by the sound of approaching footsteps. The door opened, revealing a woman holding a young girl in her arms. She looked uncertainly at Zhong Yizhu and his family, who were carrying gifts, and asked hesitantly, "Who are you?"

Zhong Yizhu smiled and introduced himself, "Sister-in-law, just call me Zhu Ge'er. This is my husband and my mother. A few days ago, my husband was injured, and thanks to Brother Gong and you, Sister-in-law, for quickly bringing He Agong over to treat him, he survived. Today, I've come to express my gratitude, and since it's the Mid-Autumn Festival, I've brought some holiday gifts for your family."

He Xiuxia had never met Zhong Yizhu before. She was a bit surprised at first but quickly pieced it together. Her husband had described them as exceptionally good-looking, and she had thought he was exaggerating. Now seeing them in person, she knew there was no mistaking them.

Recognizing them as acquaintances, she broke into a smile and stepped aside, warmly ushering them in. "Come in, come in! Zhu Ge'er, Brother Pei, and Auntie, please come in."

She set the little girl down on the ground and gestured for them to enter the house. Zhong Yizhu smiled and handed her the gifts. "We won't come in, Sister-in-law. The ox cart outside is blocking the way. Another day, when Brother Gong is free, we'll pay a proper visit."

He Xiuxia could tell at a glance that the gifts were expensive—mooncakes and pastries from Cuixiang Tower, the best pastry shop in town, along with two bottles of fine wine from Fumanlou. Behind him, Pei Mu was holding an entire pork hind leg. All these gifts together must have cost nearly two taels of silver.

He Xiuxia repeatedly declined. "We just ran a small errand. There's no need for such generous gifts! I absolutely can't accept them. If my husband finds out, he'll say I'm greedy and that I've belittled the bond between you."

"Don't talk about thanks. They say saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. I just told my husband to fetch Uncle He as a last resort, hoping it might work. I'm just glad we could help. There's really no need to be so polite."

"We know that," Zhong Yizhu said. "You and Brother Gong are kind-hearted people, and you didn't help us for anything in return. But this is our way of showing our gratitude. We're all overjoyed that my husband has recovered. Please, consider it as sharing in our joy."

Zhong Yizhu didn't use many polite phrases. Every word came from the heart. As He Xiuxia listened and saw the genuine gratitude in his eyes, she felt her eyes welling up. She stopped refusing the gifts.

Her husband had told her about that dangerous day. This young couple truly had a bond stronger than gold. In the young man's eyes, these material things were nothing compared to his family's life. His gratitude was sincere, and his mother felt the same way. They were truly a wonderful family.

After setting down the gifts and saying goodbye to He Xiuxia, they left for Qin Alley. The family finally made their way out of the city under the westering sun and headed toward Willow Mountain Village.

They had bought many things—items for their own festival celebration, ingredients for tomorrow's birthday feast for Zhong Yizhu, and gifts for the village head's family and Wang Ping'an's family.

Since they had bought so many spices this time, they unloaded the spices first before returning the ox cart. On the way, they delivered the gifts to the village head's family.

From the day Pei Mu got into trouble, when the village head's family had lent them the ox cart without hesitation, to now, when they were letting them use it during the festival, they had never asked for payment. Zhong Yizhu remembered all the kindness. Now that Pei Mu was better, they repaid them twofold.

Liu Mingtao had secretly cried who knows how many times for Zhong Yizhu. When he visited Pei Mu, he had tried to comfort him, but his own eyes were swollen like peaches.

Zhong Yizhu secretly gave Liu Mingtao a box of scented balm. It wasn't that he was unwilling to give more to others, but they only had a limited amount, and he didn't want to draw too much attention to their business. Besides, everyone got a share of the other gifts.

As for Wang Ping'an's family, they didn't need to be mentioned separately. The two husbands tried to refuse the gifts, but Pei Mu knew best how to handle them. He simply took everything inside and piled it on the table, then left. They couldn't very well carry it back to their house—that would have hurt their feelings.

Aside from the holiday gifts, Zhong Yizhu had already arranged with Wang Ping'an and his husband to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival together that night.

Given the history between Wang Ping'an and Pei Mu, they were as close as brothers. Both families had few members, so they gathered together to celebrate a livelier holiday.

Even though Zhong Yizhu repeatedly told them not to bring anything, the couple still brought plenty of dishes.

The vegetable garden at Wang Ping'an's house had a much wider variety than Zhong Yizhu's small plot. Chen Xiaorong and Sun Yunniang soon got busy in the kitchen, leaving no room for Zhong Yizhu to help.

Zhong Yizhu looked around, then went to cut and arrange the mooncakes he had bought. That was something he was good at—whether they tasted good or not, he made sure they looked beautiful.

Soon, all kinds of aromas drifted out from the kitchen.

Wang Ping'an and Pei Mu moved the table from the main room into the yard. One dish after another was brought out, and just the smell was enough to whet anyone's appetite. Looking at the spread on the table, Wang Ping'an thought it was even better than what they had for New Year's.

There was fragrant chicken soup stewed with mushrooms, crispy fried small fish, sweet and refreshing lotus root stuffed with glutinous rice, garlic stir-fried choy sum, a simple vegetable and tofu soup, and a colorful and aromatic plate of braised pork ribs...

Fortunately, their small yard at the foot of the mountain had no neighbors, or they would have surely been envied.

Once all the dishes were on the table, the five of them called out to each other and sat down around it. Wang Ping'an couldn't hold back his tears.

And he wasn't the only one.

The fact that they could sit together like this for the Mid-Autumn Festival was already a miracle.

The meal was filled with a myriad of emotions.

After dinner, the moon rose above the treetops.

They ate mooncakes, admired the moon, and chatted about trivial matters, finally managing to capture the spirit of the Mid-Autumn moon-gazing tradition.

The moon in the sky was round, and though each of them was missing a piece, they supported one another, patching together a semblance of reunion...

After cleaning up in the evening, Zhong Yizhu and Pei Mu walked Sun Yunniang back to the Zhong family's old house.

The moonlight was bright that night. Laughter and chatter came from many courtyards in the village. Every few houses, a dim yellow candlelight flickered. After all, it was a festival, different from usual.

They watched until Sun Yunniang entered the house and locked the gate, then the two held hands and walked back the way they came.

Zhong Yizhu had been chattering away with Sun Yunniang on the way there, but now he was silent.

Pei Mu knew the reason for the silence, so he just quietly accompanied him without disturbing him.

After a long while, Zhong Yizhu leaned close to him and said softly, "Will you come with me tomorrow to visit Father?"

Pei Mu hummed in response. After a moment of silence, he said, "Your father might not be satisfied with me as his son-in-law."

"Nonsense." Zhong Yizhu shook their joined hands. "How could Father not be satisfied with someone as wonderful as you?"

Pei Mu reached out and pinched the back of his neck, making him shrink from the ticklish sensation and curl up. Taking advantage of that, he scooped the boy into his arms.

"Only you would think I'm wonderful."

Zhong Yizhu urgently patted his shoulder. "Put me down! I told you not to carry heavy things."

Pei Mu sighed and set him down as instructed. "You're so light, yet you insist you're heavy. I was the one injured, but you're the one who's lost weight. How could your father be satisfied?"

Zhong Yizhu reached out and took his hand again. "I'll eat more from now on and gain it back. Father won't know."

Pei Mu looked at Zhong Yizhu's playful, upturned eyes in the moonlight and followed his steps, continuing to stroll lazily forward.

Zhong Yizhu always had a very innocent side, the kind that came from being a beloved child. Pei Mu loved this quality in him.

Before long, they reached the open ground at the edge of the village. Just ahead, not far away, was their small yard at the foot of the mountain.

Zhong Yizhu was daydreaming about how the yard would look after expansion when Pei Mu suddenly

He felt a wet, soft touch on his ankle. Zhong Yizhu shuddered as if burned, and his body, long denied, almost instantly recalled the previous experience. His limbs weakened, but rationality blocked the way.

"The doctor said you can't..."

He struggled, trying to burrow under the covers, but Pei Mu didn't let go at all.

"I know. Call me husband."

Zhong Yizhu turned around in surprise to look at Pei Mu, unable to imagine that Pei Mu could be so childish, using his own body to force him over a mere form of address.

Zhong Yizhu called out in a huff.

The next moment, he managed to pull his foot back as he wanted.

But before Zhong Yizhu could wrap himself in the blanket, Pei Mu's shadow had already enveloped him.

There was a hint of amusement in Pei Mu's eyes. He leaned down and planted a quick peck on his lips: "Silly, the doctor only said I can't, not that you can't."

Zhong Yizhu didn't have time to say no before a cool hand slipped inside his robe, quickly warmed by his body heat.

It had been nearly half a month since their last intimacy. In between, a sudden calamity had nearly cost them their lives.

His whole body felt like it was set on fire, and Zhong Yizhu was soon completely undone.

When he thought it was over, Pei Mu still wouldn't let him go. Pei Mu rubbed balm inside him, and the hands that usually pulled bows and shot arrows were used elsewhere, even more embarrassing than when they had truly been intimate before.

Zhong Yizhu shook his head in confusion, trying to escape, but Pei Mu leaned over and pressed him down, suddenly quickening his movements, pushing him until he couldn’t even let out a sob.

His mind blank, tears at the corners of his eyes, Zhong Yizhu looked blankly at Pei Mu, wanting to curse him for being bad, but holding back only made Pei Mu more pleased.

Pei Mu washed his hands, wrung out a cloth to clean him, then blew out the candle and got into bed, pulling him into his arms and coaxing him affectionately: "Baby is so good."

The flush on Zhong Yizhu's face was hidden in the darkness. Not wanting to think back, he closed his eyes, deceiving himself.

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Author's note: So perverted, little Pei (tsk tsk)

Thank you all for your love and support, thank you very much.