Chapter 58

Chapter 58

They had dinner at the Gu residence and headed back to their own place right after.

Xie Licheng had to head out again the next day, so once they got home, he planned to turn in early.

The two went back to the bedroom, where Xuan Cui dropped off a new pillow and hurried off.

They washed up quickly, and Xie Licheng changed into a decent set of sleepwear.

Back at the farm, Xie Licheng used to go shirtless in the summer, just wearing a pair of loose shorts.

But now that he was on Gu Zhangyuan's turf, knowing how fussy Gu Zhangyuan was about appearances, he obediently put on the sleepwear.

But when he actually lay down to rest, Xie Licheng found it unbearably hot to sleep like this.

The town itself was already pretty warm, and Xie Licheng was wearing long sleeves and long pants. On top of that, Gu Zhangyuan's bed had a mattress pad, making it feel like he was being boiled in a pot.

Xie Licheng lay down but quickly got back up. He told Gu Zhangyuan, "I'm gonna head to the farm to grab something. You go to sleep first."

Gu Zhangyuan was hot too. Back in the day, the Gu family could afford ice to beat the summer heat, and he could have servants take turns fanning him all night. Now that the Gu family had fallen on hard times, he couldn't keep up that kind of luxury.

Seeing that Xie Licheng was too hot to sleep, Gu Zhangyuan sat up in bed too.

Gu Zhangyuan asked, "What are you gonna get?"

"Just some ice."

Xie Licheng's storage room at the private booth had ice, stored in a wooden box at the very back.

With that, Xie Licheng disappeared. When he came back, he took out a few chunks of ice and grabbed two bottles of iced beer and a box of ice cream from a nearby cabinet.

In his past life after the apocalypse, things like ice cream had become scarce. Xie Licheng hadn't stocked much in his warehouse, so he rarely indulged.

Luckily, he wasn't that into sweets, so it wasn't a craving he struggled with.

After grabbing all that, Xie Licheng also went to Feng Garden to find a woven bamboo mat.

Once he made sure he had everything he needed, he teleported back to town.

As soon as he got back, he handed the bamboo mat to Xuan Cui and told her to have it washed.

Since the weather was so hot, if it was washed now, dried, and aired out, it might be ready by nighttime.

When Xie Licheng got back to the bedroom, Gu Zhangyuan had just taken off his top and was gently fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan.

Seeing Xie Licheng come back, Gu Zhangyuan looked up at him.

Gu Zhangyuan asked, "Where's the ice you got?"

Hearing that, Xie Licheng immediately pulled the ice out of his portable bag.

He found two basins and put the ice in them.

With two basins of ice, the room temperature could drop a lot.

Seeing that Gu Zhangyuan still hadn't gone to sleep, Xie Licheng just carried him over to the table.

While being carried, Gu Zhangyuan asked, "What are you doing now? Not bothered by the heat anymore?"

Xie Licheng sat down with him and started pulling things out, saying, "Brought you some ice cream to try."

"Ice what?"

Xie Licheng held the ice cream out to him and helped open the lid.

Gu Zhangyuan didn't grab it right away but instead looked curiously at the other two bottles on the table.

"What are those two bottles?"

"Alcohol. Iced."

On a day like this, drinking some iced beer was pretty refreshing.

Both the iced beer and the ice cream were cold stuff. To keep Gu Zhangyuan from getting an upset stomach, he hadn't brought too much.

Gu Zhangyuan reached out and touched the beer bottle—it was cold, just like Xie Licheng had said. He then called out and asked Yuan Qiao to bring in two cups.

When Yuan Qiao came in, she kept her eyes down, not daring to look around. She was afraid that if she looked around, she might ruin the young master and Master Xie's fun. She set down the two cups and immediately left with her head down.

Seeing this, Xie Licheng said to Gu Zhangyuan, "You've trained your two servants pretty well."

They were both really sharp. Even back when Xie Licheng was still a horse slave, they never looked down on him or treated him badly.

Gu Zhangyuan looked a bit smug at that. "Of course. They're more like my friends and confidants than servants. The three of us grew up together, and they've always been good to me."

Xie Licheng didn't dwell on it further. He pried open both beer bottles with his bare hands and filled the two cups in front of them.

Not knowing how much Gu Zhangyuan could handle, Xie Licheng said, "Just have a taste."

The alcohol was mainly for himself; the ice cream was for Gu Zhangyuan.

Gu Zhangyuan huffed. "I can hold my liquor pretty well."

"But this is iced, so you should drink less."

He knew that Gu Zhangyuan had a somewhat cold constitution.

People with a cold constitution who eat too many cold things tend to get even more sensitive to cold.

If it were a woman, she might even get menstrual cramps.

Thinking that Gu Zhangyuan was a male carrier, capable of bearing children like a woman, he wondered if he might have other issues too.

Gu Zhangyuan held the cup with both hands and took a small sip.

Since he wasn't sure how it would taste, he only dared to take a tiny sip.

To be honest, beer didn't taste all that great—it was a little bitter.

After just one sip, he picked up the ice cream and started eating it.

Then, with each bite of ice cream, he shivered. One bite, a shiver. Another bite, another shiver.

Xie Licheng was amused by his reaction and sipped his beer while admiring the beauty in his arms.

By the time he finished one bottle of beer, Gu Zhangyuan had also finished his ice cream.

After finishing, he didn't forget to give his review.

"This ice cream thing is really tasty, sweet and icy cold, and it's super refreshing."

Xie Licheng nodded and said to him, "There's more in the farm's warehouse. If you want some in the future, go grab some from there. But don't overindulge—at most one a day, or you'll get a cold."

After saying this, Xie Licheng picked up Gu Zhangyuan's beer and chugged it in one go.

The sight of Xie Licheng tilting his head back to drink hit Gu Zhangyuan right in the heart. He thought Xie Licheng looked very handsome at that moment and couldn't help reaching out to touch Xie Licheng's Adam's apple.

He had just finished his ice cream, so his fingers were cool. As they touched Xie Licheng, it reminded him of a time long ago when Gu Zhangyuan had touched him the same way.

Xie Licheng quickly grabbed his hand and held it, warming it up slowly.

Xie Licheng said to him, "Stop messing around, or your delicate skin won't stay in one piece."

The two had already fooled around this afternoon; if they went at it again tonight, Gu Zhangyuan's delicate skin would be bruised all over by tomorrow.

Gu Zhangyuan knew he was weak, but he was feeling a bit playful now, so he turned around and knelt on Xie Licheng's lap, coaxing him to tilt his head up for a kiss.

Xie Licheng, worked up by him, grabbed his thigh hard with his rough hand.

Their skin tones were totally different—one fair and flawless, the other darker.

Xie Licheng's hand on his leg stood out like crazy, as if this rough, wild man was bullying a gorgeous beauty.

But in reality, the beauty was like a boneless snake, wrapping around the tall man to seduce his soul away.

After messing around for a bit, Gu Zhangyuan grew tired.

His stamina really wasn't all that great; just kissing Xie Licheng wore him out.

As he was carried back to bed by Xie Licheng, he couldn't help worrying about their future in the bedroom.

With a body like his, could he really handle having a kid with Xie Licheng?

But before he could dwell on it further, he quickly dozed off from being so worn out.

Seeing he was asleep, Xie Licheng went to the next room for a cold shower.

When he returned, the bamboo mat had just finished drying, so he brought it back.

Xie Licheng picked Gu Zhangyuan up, spread the mat on the bed with one hand, and lay down with him in his arms.

Not used to this kind of mat, Gu Zhangyuan woke up in the middle of the night because it was too bumpy.

He reached under himself, grabbed a blanket, and spread it beneath him, then frowned and tried to go back to sleep.

Early the next morning, when Xie Licheng got up and saw him sweating with his head covered, he had Xuan Cui bring in a basin of warm water to wipe him off.

Xie Licheng had planned to do it himself, but Xuan Cui said she and Yuan Qiao could handle it. Since Xie Licheng had some business to attend to outside, he didn't fight them for the job.

Watching Xie Licheng leave, Xuan Cui and Yuan Qiao got busy.

This time, Xie Licheng had come out to find one of Song Qiyue's future underlings.

This guy was a genius at training soldiers.

After Song Qiyue saved him and his sister, he started training soldiers for him to repay the debt.

But because of his sister, he later had a falling out with Song Qiyue.

This guy was named Xu Xiahe, and he had a mentally disabled sister.

While training troops for Song Qiyue, Xu Xiahe left his sister in Song Qiyue's care.

Unexpectedly, Song Qiyue didn't take good care of her and even let her, a simple girl, get pregnant.

She didn't know anything and couldn't seduce a man; clearly, someone had taken advantage of her.

Furious about this, Xu Xiahe dropped everything and went to confront Song Qiyue.

But when Song Qiyue saw him, he said, "You can't take care of her forever, so why not just marry her off while you can? It's hard for someone like her to find a good husband anyway. We've got plenty of brothers here—marry her off, and your life will be easier."

Xu Xiahe had only this one sister. First, someone took advantage of her without her knowing, and now she was being married off so casually. He was totally against it.

He hated how Song Qiyue treated his sister like a piece of goods and thought it better to leave with her.

He had been with Song Qiyue for a while and felt he had done enough for the army to repay the favor.

But Song Qiyue didn't see it that way. He thought since he'd saved them, they both belonged to him.

He also didn't think his treatment of Xu Xiahe's sister was poor.

A fool who knew nothing wouldn't feel a thing even if a thousand people used her.

Xu Xiahe getting angry over a fool was, to him, an act of betrayal, so in the end, he had both of them killed.

Xie Licheng remembered this guy—Song Qiyue had found him near Lengzhou.

So this time, he came out hoping to get lucky and pick up Xu Xiahe and his sister first.

He didn't think Xu Xiahe's mentally disabled sister was a burden. As long as Xu Xiahe was willing to follow him in the future, he could guarantee his sister a life of safety and peace.

Xie Licheng also planned to train troops. His personal world currently had few people, all honest folk, and was relatively easy to manage.

But as numbers grew and more maps were unlocked, he wouldn't be able to travel between them daily.

That's when troublemakers with impure intentions might appear.

Xie Licheng thought it wise to be prepared. Even if not for guarding the maps, he should train an army. For instance, when conquering new territories in the future, an army might come in handy.

His army didn't need to be large—just every member elite and strong. Placing one or two in each area would be enough to keep the locals in check.

Xie Licheng wandered outside for several days without finding anyone named Xu Xiahe.

Just then, the corn planted in Peach Blossom Village ripened.

Xie Licheng stopped lingering outside and returned directly to the village.

When Xie Licheng came back, Gu Zhangyuan was leading the Gu family servants and the villagers in harvesting corn.

The corn was at its freshest now; waiting another day would make it slightly overripe.

As soon as Xie Licheng returned, he joined the corn-harvesting crew.

There were only five acres of cornfield, and with many hands, the work went quickly.

Gu Zhangyuan hadn't planned to go to the fields, but when he saw Xie Licheng there, he picked up a pot of cold tea and strolled over slowly.

As soon as Xie Licheng saw him coming, he said disapprovingly, "Why are you here? The cornfield is prickly and full of bugs—aren't you just asking for trouble?"

Gu Zhangyuan pursed his lips upon hearing this, "What do you think I came in for?"

It's 'cause I care about you, isn't it?

Seeing that he seemed a bit upset, Xie Licheng tossed the corn he was holding to the ground and quickly pulled him out.

Xie Licheng said as he walked, "Alright, don't be angry. I apologize."

He'd been too harsh a moment ago.

Gu Zhangyuan wasn't truly angry either. He knew Xie Licheng didn't want him to suffer in the fields, which was why he didn't want him to go there. He could tell when someone meant well.

"What've you been up to these past few days?"

He hadn't brought any newcomers to the village and had been gone for days on end.

Xie Licheng replied, "I was looking for someone, but I haven't found him yet."

"Who are you looking for?"

"Some guy named Xu Xiahe."

Gu Zhangyuan furrowed his pretty brows and said, "That name... I feel like I've heard it somewhere?"

Xie Licheng wasn't telling him this to get his help finding the guy. He just didn't like hiding stuff from his own husband.

If he got used to hiding things from Gu Zhangyuan, Gu Zhangyuan would start overthinking over time, and it'd cause problems in their relationship.

He just didn't want Gu Zhangyuan worrying for no reason, but he hadn't expected his husband to actually know that name?

Since Gu Zhangyuan knew Lingzhou well and often roamed around with his servants, maybe he really did know the guy.

Gu Zhangyuan said to him, "Don't rush me. Let me think. If I remember, I'll tell you."

"No rush, take your time."

He was back now, so the priority was dealing with the corn.

Five acres of corn, about 1,800 jin per acre, so 9,000 jin total.

That kind of yield was a real pleasant surprise.

After that, Xie Licheng had everyone pile the corn at the village entrance.

The Gu family had mainly planted these five acres, and the ones who'd been working hard were Gu Zhangyuan and his servants.

Xie Licheng split the corn in two and gave half to the Gu family.

From the other half, Xie Licheng kept 3,000 jin.

His storage warehouse could keep the corn fresh year-round, so they could still enjoy fresh corn even in winter.

From the remaining 1,500 jin, Xie Licheng gave 500 jin to the villagers who'd helped that day.

The last 1,000 jin was set aside as corn seeds. Anyone who wanted to grow corn could buy seeds from him.

Gu Zhangyuan took the 4,500 jin without being polite about it.

This stuff was definitely good; otherwise, Xie Licheng wouldn't have come back just for the corn.

He asked Xie Licheng how to cook the corn, then had the Gu servants haul it back to town.

Gu Zhangyuan didn't go back with them. Since Xie Licheng had finally come home, he naturally wanted to stay in the village with him.

Xie Licheng took his corn and Gu Zhangyuan back to the farm, and they boiled a few ears of corn for lunch to try them.

It was sweet and sticky, and the fresh corn was super tender. This was the best time to eat them.

Gu Zhangyuan ate two ears, and his stomach started feeling a bit off.

Seeing he was a bit uncomfortable, Xie Licheng made him some pork rib soup.

Eating something salty to balance it out and walking around a bit would help settle his stomach.

While Gu Zhangyuan was walking around the farm to help digest, everyone in the village was eating corn too.

A lot of villagers had helped harvest the corn, and everyone got a dozen or so ears. Some families couldn't finish theirs and gave them to others in the village.

With so few people in the village, the vibe of helping each other out was especially good.

Some of the younger, stronger folks would often go help the elderly or those living alone in the village.

With so few people, there was no gossip.

Everyone had been through hard times, so no one was gossiping at a time like this.

Once more people showed up, there'd be more drama.

Rumors, hearsay, and stirring up trouble would definitely replace the current harmony.

Over the past few days, Xiao Zhuang had gotten chummy with Chen Yaosan.

Xiao Zhuang had bought a place in town but hadn't moved in.

He was a young kid with a laid-back personality, and he easily looked up to guys like Chen Yaosan.

He thought the guy was tall and built, just like his Uncle Benefactor.

One day, Chen Yaosan came down from the mountain with his haul again.

Xiao Zhuang's mouth watered at the meat, so he went over to chat and ask to buy some.

Chen Yaosan lived alone and couldn't eat all the game he caught.

Seeing Xiao Zhuang was chubby and kinda cute, he brought the kid back to his place.

He gave Xiao Zhuang some wild boar meat for free.

Later, Xiao Zhuang went to ask for more meat. When Grandpa Village Chief found out, he gave the kid a serious talking-to.

Xiao Zhuang realized he was wrong. Later, when he caught a grass carp in the river, he brought it to Chen Yaosan's place as a thank-you gift.

After a few back-and-forths like this, Xiao Zhuang got close to Chen Yaosan, and even Xiao Ruan's view of Chen Yaosan changed for the better.

Today, when the village was handing out corn, Xiao Zhuang and Xiao Ruan went to help too.

They were young and could only help a bit, so they got fewer ears—just six in total.

Xiao Ruan was a sharp little kid. Figuring Chen Yaosan could hunt and looked so tough, they'd probably need his help with a lot of stuff later, so she had Xiao Zhuang take three ears of corn to him as a gift.

Chen Yaosan didn't bother joining the crowd to help harvest the corn. That cornfield was only five mu, and there were already so many people helping out, so he figured there was no point in him joining in.

Since he didn't help, he naturally didn't get any corn either.

He also figured corn had to be something good, otherwise Xie Licheng wouldn't value it so much.

He figured he'd go find Xie Licheng when he had some free time and trade for some corn from him.

When he came here, he had no silver, and now all he had at home was meat and animal hides. If he wanted the corn in Xie Licheng's hands, those were the only things he could trade.

And just then, Xiao Zhuang came to him carrying three ears of corn.

Xiao Zhuang said to him, "Uncle Yao, I brought you some corn to try out."

Chen Yaosan waved Xiao Zhuang over and reached out and patted the chubby kid's head.

Looking at the short, plump child before him, whose eyes squinted shut when he smiled, he suddenly asked, "Little brat, how about you call me Dad from now on?"

Xiao Zhuang looked totally confused by what he said. Why would he suddenly want to be his dad?

His eyebrows scrunched up into little waves, and he was about to say no when the other spoke up again: "That way you'll never run out of meat to eat."

Xiao Zhuang, who loved to eat and had no skills to speak of, drooled as he said, "Then... can Xiao Ruan call you Dad too?"

Chen Yaosan found it a bit amusing and looked at him. "Why bring her into it?"

Xiao Zhuang scratched his cheek with his little paw. "She and I are the best of friends right now, and she doesn't have a dad either. I want to bring her along so she can have endless meat in the future too."

"She can come get meat whenever she wants, but I can't take her as my daughter?"

Xiao Zhuang was confused, and a little upset too.

His eyebrows shot straight up as he asked in confusion, "Why can't she?"

Chen Yaosan didn't know how to explain it to him. If Xiao Zhuang and Xiao Ruan were best friends in the world, and someday he wanted to marry Xiao Ruan as his wife, then if they were both his children, they wouldn't be able to become a couple.

When he was young, he also had a girl he was best friends with in the world, but unfortunately, she later married someone else. He didn't have the ability to keep her, nor the courage to go to her house and ask for her hand.

So when he heard Xiao Zhuang say he and Xiao Ruan were best friends in the world, he felt he couldn't take both kids in.

Chen Yaosan patted Xiao Zhuang's head. "Alright, go home and think it over. If you think my offer is good, then from now on, you'll be my son."