Chapter 95

Chapter 95

In the seventh month, the heat was scorching.

In the thick of summer, at high noon, Zhong Yizhu, wearing a short-sleeved gauze robe, still felt hot. He had moved his reclining chair next to the ice chest but was still unsatisfied, wishing he could just hug a block of ice and sleep.

Pei Mu strode into the room and, seeing him dozing lazily, leaned in and teasingly blew on his eyelashes.

Zhong Yizhu shrank back a little, mumbling drowsily, "Stop it..."

Pei Mu naturally ran hot, and having just returned from running errands outside, his whole body was baked hot by the sun. As he leaned in, Zhong Yizhu, shying away from the heat, scooted back—wherever Pei Mu moved, Zhong Yizhu retreated, until he was curled up completely, finally rolling over to turn his back to Pei Mu.

Pei Mu couldn't help but chuckle, watching his sulky back. He picked up the small blanket Zhong Yizhu had kicked off and tucked it over his stomach before heading to the bathhouse to cool off.

This was the house they'd bought in Songyun County—a house with two courtyards, neither too large nor too small, with guest rooms and a room set aside for Sun Yunniang.

The house was a place to stop over; most of the time they lived in the village, and Sun Yunniang preferred it there too, rarely coming to stay.

Last month, the Bamboo Fragrance Shop in Rongyang Prefecture had opened, running Zhong Yizhu ragged until things settled down this month, finally letting him have a few days off.

But Pei Mu was still busy, so Zhong Yizhu had come to Songyun County to be with him.

Pei Mu came out of his rinse with just a towel around his waist. With no one else around, he let himself be free—he naturally ran hotter than most, but he could stand it, not that he didn't feel the heat.

When Pei Mu entered the main room, Zhong Yizhu had already sat up on the reclining chair, sleepily rubbing his eyes. Seeing Pei Mu, he snapped fully awake and accused him with righteous indignation: "I just had a dream a fire-breathing dog was chasing me!"

Pei Mu laughed, walked over, scooped him up, and sat down with him in the reclining chair, leaning in to ask, "Are you calling me a dog?"

Pei Mu moved around a lot, making the chair rock uncontrollably. Zhong Yizhu looked away, murmuring as the chair swayed, "You are."

Pei Mu reached out and grabbed his waist—so slender. He whispered something, and Zhong Yizhu's ears turned bright red instantly. Before he could protest, Pei Mu had already picked him up and moved him.

In broad daylight, and with what Pei Mu had just said, Zhong Yizhu was so embarrassed he couldn't speak. The heat made it worse, and his whole body turned a faint pink.

The reclining chair creaked and groaned as it swayed, and Zhong Yizhu, bouncing up and down, felt like his skin was about to melt from the heat.

Half an hour later, they bathed again and lay back down on the cleaned-up reclining chair, Zhong Yizhu's ears still red.

Pei Mu ran his hand through Zhong Yizhu's hair, looking at the ice chest nearby, when an idea hit him.

"Zhu Ge'er, when we build the new house, let's build a water pool."

"Hm?" Zhong Yizhu looked up at him. "Are we digging a pond?"

They were still living in the mud house Pei Mu had built in the village. With the family growing, even the new side courtyard wasn't enough—and Zhong Yizhu needing more space for making incense—and since both he and Sun Yunniang preferred village life, they needed to rebuild the house properly.

But the money they'd earned this past year had all gone into opening the shop in the prefecture city, so the plan had to wait.

"Not a pond," Pei Mu said. "We'll dig a pool and line it with bricks. In summer, we can pipe water in, and I'll teach you to float. Then you can play in the water to beat the heat."

Zhong Yizhu's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Mm." Pei Mu wiped the corner of his eye. "We'll build it in our own courtyard. No one can see. You can play however you want."

Zhong Yizhu began to imagine it. "Then our courtyard should be bigger. I want to plant flowers next to the pool."

"Alright."

"The kitchen should be like the one we have now—I like it bright and airy."

"Mm."

"The bed should be bigger, or you'll keep squishing me."

Pei Mu poked his ticklish side. "What about when you're cold and burrow into my arms?"

Zhong Yizhu begged for mercy, laughing, his eyes sparkling as he looked at Pei Mu, who smiled back.

Outside, the sun slowly set, and the days passed by peacefully.

...

The next spring, the small courtyard at the foot of the mountain where Pei Mu and Zhong Yizhu had lived for over two years was torn down. On the day the foundation was laid out, everyone in Liushan Village came to watch.

Good heavens, how big were they planning to build?

Since it was hard to hire workers during the busy farming season, Pei Mu brought in builders from the city. The head builder, with blueprints in hand, had every inch carefully measured—way more meticulous than the usual village construction.

After watching the excitement, everyone hurried back to the fields. Over the past two years, many families in the village had made money thanks to the couple, and life was much better than before. People smiled more, and work felt more promising.

The fields were full of life. Rice seedlings, watered by spring rain, started growing strong—jointing, heading, flowering... By the time the first rice harvest came, the big house at the east end of the village, at the foot of the mountain, was finally done.

For this rebuild, the living quarters and the incense-making courtyard were separated. The old side courtyard used for incense-making had been expanded three times, serving as both a workshop and a storeroom.

The new house was surrounded by an outer wall—white walls and dark tiles, with the layered rooflines visible from outside. It looked great.

On the day of the housewarming, Zhong Yizhu and Pei Mu invited Chen Xiaorong's family and the village chief's family. After a lively meal in the flower hall, everyone toured the house and marveled at the pool in Zhong Yizhu and Pei Mu's courtyard. Zhong Yizhu pinched Pei Mu, who kept a straight face and said, "It's for keeping fish."

The guests were surprised but respectful—after all, it was their own courtyard, so they could do what they wanted.

Sun Yunniang smiled helplessly from the crowd.

Because Zhong Yizhu loved it, Pei Mu took Wang Pingan into the mountains to dig up some crabapple trees and planted them by the pool in the courtyard. They bloomed in spring and provided green shade in summer, blocking the harsh afternoon sun.

Pei Mu stood bare-chested in the chest-deep pool, reaching out to help Zhong Yizhu in.

After a morning in the sun, the water was warm, not cold at all.

The water shimmered with ripples—on a hot summer day, nothing was more inviting.

Pei Mu lowered Zhong Yizhu into the pool, holding him up. His body swayed with the water, and he felt like he might float away, so he quickly grabbed Pei Mu's arm.

"Don't be scared," Pei Mu said, kissing his chin. "You're not going to drown."

Zhong Yizhu put his hands on Pei Mu's shoulders, trying to float. After a few tries, he found it so fun that he gave up on learning to float—he just wanted to play in the water.

Cool and refreshing—better than sitting by the ice chest.

He tried to lean against the edge of the pool and float, but Pei Mu pulled him back. "No. You have to learn to float, or I won't let you play in the water."

Zhong Yizhu nodded obediently. "Okay."

Pei Mu showed him first, then taught him the moves. Once Zhong Yizhu got the basics, Pei Mu held his chin and stomach, letting him try swimming on his own.

Zhong Yizhu learned fast—Pei Mu could tell. Before long, his arms and legs moved in sync. Once he was comfortable, Pei Mu quietly loosened his grip, still pretending to hold him up but not actually using any force.

Later, Pei Mu leaned against the edge of the pool, watching Zhong Yizhu swim back and forth.

Zhong Yizhu was like a kid with a new toy, totally hooked on the new experience, only stopping when he ran out of energy.

As soon as he stopped, Pei Mu immediately came over to hold him.

Zhong Yizhu settled comfortably into Pei Mu's arms and murmured in his ear, "What were you just thinking about?"

Pei Mu went still and looked down at him.

Zhong Yizhu, unlike Pei Mu, was still in a thin undershirt that clung to his soaking-wet body, which reminded Pei Mu of the day they first met.

"I was thinking," Pei Mu said with a smile in his eyes, "how someone can look so cute even when they're hopelessly clumsy at doing laundry."

Zhong Yizhu pretended to be annoyed. "Liar, that's not what you were thinking back then."

"Mm, but it's what I'm thinking now."

Zhong Yizhu couldn't help but laugh out loud.

A lover's affection is perhaps the best medicine; when he thought of those difficult times again, his heart no longer wavered.

The path they'd walked was full of thorns, and the road ahead might not be smooth either, but as long as they had each other, they had nothing to fear.

—End of main story—

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Author's note: The main story ends here for now. I'm really reluctant to let go, so there might be a bunch of sweet bonus stories to help ease the separation. If you have ideas, feel free to leave comments—I'll write them if inspired. The side stories will start after a few days' break. Anyway, thank you for accompanying me this far, and for accompanying the young couple's growth~ Pei and Zhu forever 99.