Chapter 93

Chapter 93

Chen Jue was silent for a moment before saying, "Once feelings get involved, nothing stays pure—especially when it comes to career. I don't want our partnership to lose its original meaning because of emotions. I want what we've built together to last."

Partners break up. The deeper the feelings, the more volatile things get. Only a steady relationship can hold up for the long haul.

Chen Jue knew he was pessimistic about feelings, didn't buy into the idea that love lasts forever, so compared to a relationship that could fall apart at any moment, a solid career was more dependable.

He looked at Huo Jilin's face, colder than usual today, and wanted to look away. He wanted to blame him for this. Why'd he have to go and say it? Couldn't they just keep muddling along like this?

Couldn't they just muddle through life together like this? That counted as forever too, didn't it?

He wasn't planning on leaving him anyway—the kid was already this grown, right?

Chen Jue silently despised himself. He never thought he'd end up so damn conventional.

Huo Jilin looked at him and smiled.

So Chen Jue meant he liked him, right? At least he didn't hate him.

If he hated him, he'd have already told him to get the hell out of his sight.

Coming up with such a high-sounding excuse must've been tough for him.

Huo Jilin smiled at him: "My feelings are built to last. I want to walk with you all the way to the very end."

"...Shouldn't that be 'until the moment you die'?"

Chen Jue knew this was a total mood killer, but the words just came out that way.

He still wasn't used to how much Huo Jilin had changed. Better to just keep things normal, right?

Huo Jilin laughed: "Alright, I will love you until the moment I die."

He'd woken up too late in his past life. In this one, he'd love Chen Jue right.

Chen Jue was only joking, but hearing him actually say it made him wave his hands fast: "Don't say that. Don't... bring up death and dying."

The two of them already lived weird lives—every time there was a storm or thunder, they'd start planning their last wishes. So from now on, they should show a little respect to the god of death.

Huo Jilin smiled gently: "Alright, I won't mention that word again."

He'd said the wrong thing. He didn't know when he'd die, so while he was still alive, he had to tell Chen Jue this.

Chen Jue's lips moved, but he didn't know what to say. Huo Jilin was way too agreeable today, going along with everything he said, and that's how they'd ended up here.

Huo Jilin ending the conversation there was like closing the book on the whole thing.

So that was it? Problem solved?

Huo Jilin looked at him and smiled. It was rare to see Chen Jue this torn up.

So how could he not respond to that?

"You not believing in forever, not feeling secure in this relationship—that's on me. I didn't give you that sense of permanence."

He laid himself bare like that, and it made Chen Jue a little embarrassed. Just as he was about to say something, Huo Jilin started needling him again, tilting his head slightly to look at the sleeping Huo Yu, then turned back and said, "But then again, am I really that unreliable? Do I really not look like the type to settle down for the long haul?"

He shook his head himself: "Impossible. I've been so single-mindedly devoted to you—past life and this life—you're the only one in my heart."

Chen Jue raised a hand, unable to take it anymore. That was devotedly going against him back then—don't mix the two up.

But after Huo Jilin said that, the stiff, serious mood that had been cornering him for an answer faded away.

Chen Jue quietly let out a breath. He really couldn't handle responding to such a formal confession from Huo Jilin right now.

Seeing that Huo Jilin could joke again, Chen Jue smiled and said to him, "Can we start as fuck buddies?"

Those words hit him like a ton of bricks, and the smile on Huo Jilin's face couldn't hold up.

He could wait for Chen Jue to fall in love with him, but Chen Jue couldn't just treat him like... a fuck buddy.

The phrase "fuck buddy"—just hearing it sounded like someone ready to bail at any second!

Huo Jilin took a few deep breaths, planted his hands on the little kang table, and leaned in close: "Chen Jue, you are my husband, not a fuck buddy. When in Rome, do as the Romans do—no more 'fuck buddy' talk, alright? If you want, you can call me 'husband.'"

Chen Jue glanced at him: "...Not willing."

Huo Jilin smiled: "Then call me when you're ready. I'm not in a rush. I'll wait."

As he talked, he took the ring out of the little box and slid it onto Chen Jue's finger.

The ring fit perfectly. Huo Jilin put the other one on himself, then said, "Okay, that's enough for today. Let's get some sleep."

Since everything was out in the open now, Huo Jilin just moved the kid, who was sleeping like a little pig, to the side and lay down right next to Chen Jue without a second thought.

Chen Jue sat there staring at him. Huo Jilin patted the blanket: "Lie down. I'm turning off the light."

Huo Jilin turned him around, and Chen Jue couldn't help putting a hand up to stop him.

Huo Jilin blinked in the dark. Where was the bold guy who'd said "fuck buddy" now?

Chen Jue's Adam's apple bobbed. It wasn't that he was shy—it was just that jumping straight to this point was a lot to take in. If Huo Jilin hadn't spelled things out, he wouldn't be this awkward.

He would've just smacked him and told him to back off.

But now, every little move Huo Jilin made felt loaded with meaning to him.

His body reacted on its own. His back was stiff, but his blood ran hot—he could feel the heat rush to his face, then spread downward, his rigid spine unaccustomed to the warmth, trembling just a little.

His mind was a total mess, thoughts scattering everywhere.

Was he starting now?

He was the one who'd said "fuck buddy," but now he felt like the one backing out.

Huo Jilin's breathing got heavier too, like each breath was landing right on his heart, making it pound so hard it felt like it might jump out of his chest.

"Not doing the fuck-buddy thing anymore?"

Huo Jilin's voice came from right by his ear. Even though he was holding him at arm's length, that voice was like a winged dandelion, all fuzzy as it burrowed into his ear and trailed down his spine. Chen Jue's fingers curled a little, and unable to take it anymore, he shoved Huo Jilin away.

Even after being shoved, Huo Jilin still held his hand: "What's wrong?"

Chen Jue wrapped himself in the blanket and rolled over, giving him his back. With his back turned, he shut his eyes in frustration. God, so annoying.

Why did he always choke at the critical moment?

He still wasn't used to Huo Jilin—couldn't even pull off being fuck buddies with him!

That's got to be it!

Huo Jilin watched Chen Jue's back, all bundled up tight, and smiled. Chen Jue was blushing—now that was a rare sight to see.

The fact that he was shy proved he cared about him. If Chen Jue didn't give a damn about him pushing like that, then he'd just be treating him like a brother, and that was a no-go.

He waited until Chen Jue was asleep before scooting closer. What he'd done earlier was just a test—he wasn't going to take it any further. He wouldn't sleep with Chen Jue until Chen Jue was actually in love with him. He flat-out refused to be Chen Jue's booty call—he was the main squeeze, the real deal.

Life went back to the way it was before. With little Huo Yu in the picture, the two of them didn't have a chance to feel awkward. A kid was enough to keep them busy, and when life got busy, things fell back into place.

Their business was also growing steadily once it got off the ground, with bigger things on the horizon.

Time flew by—winter came and went, and before they knew it, it was spring, when the grass greened up and the birds sang. They planted medicinal herbs on that thirty mu of land that had been nothing but weeds.

Before they knew it, summer rolled around. When the mountains were lush and green, with peaks all dressed in fresh foliage, the platycodon they'd planted was blooming with sky-blue flowers.

Then the rainy season hit, and the rain started coming down harder. At first, the villagers were happy—no need to water the mulberry trees. But to their surprise, the rain kept coming day after day, getting heavier and heavier, with no sign of letting up.

The wheat in the fields had already headed out, and it looked like they could harvest in less than a month. But the rain just wouldn't quit, and the fields were so waterlogged you couldn't even step in them, let alone the paddies.

Everyone's hearts sank, heavy as the gray sky overhead. Even the children were unhappy.

Huo Yu was a full eight months old now—lively and restless, way past the age of being cooped up on the kang.

He loved playing outside, but with the rain dragging on for days, he couldn't get out. Huo Yu couldn't stand being inside anymore. He'd point his little finger at the door and babble at Chen Jue, begging to go out.

Chen Jue held him under the eaves and said, "It's raining out there—we can't go out. Here, feel it."

Huo Yu stuck out his hand, and the rain from the eaves came pouring down in a steady stream. His little hand got soaked, and he froze for a second, then thought it was hilarious.

He opened and closed his little hand, trying to catch the water, but after a while, that got old and boring. He pointed outside again, wanting to go out.

Chen Jue grabbed an umbrella and carried him over to the medicine workshop.

Since they'd stocked up on herbs in the days before, the workshop hadn't shut down and was still running.

Following the season, they were making meds for common summer issues, like Huoxiang Zhengqi oral liquid and anti-diarrheal stuff.

The workshop had doubled in size over the past six months, with two more rows of work sheds added on.

The number of employees had also doubled.

Most of the women and husbands from Pingshan Village had been trained and were now working there.

Besides people from Pingshan Village, there were also people from the neighboring Sun Family Gully.

Since the standards were just as strict as the first round, only about twenty folks from Pingshan Village made the cut.

This time, Zhang Shuier was among them.

Granny Sun next door was watching her kid, so she finally had time to come to work.

Zhang Shuier saw him carrying the kid over and grinned. "Can't he stand being home anymore?"

Chen Jue nodded. "He won't stop wanting to go out."

As she sorted the herbs, Zhang Shuier made silly faces at Huo Yu to get him to laugh. "With all this rain, forget the kid getting antsy—we grown-ups can't take it either. Our clothes, shoes, and quilts are all damp."

Another woman from Sun Family Gully said, "Right, we've never had such heavy rain in past years. This year is really strange, so much rain."

Her companion said, "Indeed. Luckily your village repaired the stone bridge, or that river would be hard to cross."

Another person said, "We're still fine here. We're in the front mountains with higher terrain. I heard that Wang Family Hollow and Chen Family Village in the back mountains have all been relocated to the mountain temple."

Zhang Shuier gasped. "Is it that serious?"

Chen Jue looked up at the rainy mist outside again. He knew about this—Huo Jilin had gone to relocate the villagers today. This work had started yesterday.

He didn't know when he'd be back. In such rain, going up the mountain wasn't easy, and mudslides could easily happen.

Chen Jue carried Huo Yu and walked through each workshop, trying to distract himself and stop thinking about bad things.

Zhou Qingzhu and Zhou Qingshan followed him, reporting, "We've already produced over a thousand packets of Huoxiang Zhengqi mixture, over a thousand packets of Wufu mixture, and a hundred packets of montmorillonite powder. Should we keep going?"

Chen Jue nodded. "Keep going, and add some Xiaochaihu granules."

In this kind of rainy weather, wind-cold illnesses were also common, often accompanied by gastrointestinal flu.

After floods, mosquitoes would proliferate, leading to more gastrointestinal diseases. All of these needed to be prepared for in advance.

"Alright, Brother Chen, I've noted it all down. Later, you can help me check the medicinal herbs again." Zhou Qingzhu held a notebook and wrote things down. He had already learned quite a few characters and prescriptions from Chen Jue.

Chen Jue carried Huo Yu to check the herbs for making Xiaochaihu granules. Fortunately, they had enough seasonal herbs—they'd purchased some before the rainy season, as the medicinal efficacy would be compromised after the rain.

Although Huo Yu had been carried around to see many people, with every auntie and uncle greeting him, he still fussed to go outside, constantly pointing his little finger outward.

Chen Jue carried him and stood at the courtyard gate again, watching Huo Yu stare unblinkingly at the mountain village road. Chen Jue asked him softly, "Are you missing Huo Jilin?"