Chapter 41 – Joy

Lying under the youth, Gu Changfeng clenched his teeth. His muscles were taut and his angular face flushed, and the once calm black eyes now slightly tinged with red, brimming with a watery glow. The lips and tongue of the youth, wandering over his body as if wanting to kiss every inch of his skin, felt electrifying. The sensation made his entire being tremble. He tried his best to endure it so that he did not make a strange sound.

“Changfeng…” The youth’s face was like a blooming flower, and within his pair of scorching, dark, and bright eyes, reflected a tiny image of him. The intense desire and fiery affection burned so passionately that it made his heart tremble.

His Adam’s apple rolled as Gu Changfeng released the hand gripping the bedsheet. Instead, he cupped the youth’s face, lifting his head to press his lips, “Okay…”

His eyes burst forth with dazzling light, Shen Yanbei was both surprised and delighted. His fingers trembled as they brushed over the waistline that captivated him, reaching into the trousers…

The heavy gasps and suppressed moans intertwined, and the temperature in the room suddenly rose.

“En!” Suddenly, Gu Changfeng made a muffled groan, his eyes widening.

Shen Yanbei, sweating profusely, lowered his head to kiss the corner of his lips, murmuring incessantly, “Changfeng, Changfeng…”

The close contact ignited the two youthful bodies like dry wood meeting a fierce fire. The unfamiliar pleasure left Shen Yanbei, a novice to such experiences, unable to resist, driving Gu Changfeng, who had never explored the most mysterious side of human nature, into a frenzy.

“Yanbei…” With reddened eyes, Gu Changfeng cried out as he grasped his shoulder. Unable to control his emotions, his head involuntarily tilted backward, the stimulation causing tears to flow.

Shen Yanbei’s eyes were ominously deep, unhesitatingly pervading every inch of the person beneath him…

Inside the room, it was intense with ecstasy, and intoxicating, while outside, there were sounds of joy, cheers, and laughter.

A group of people sat in a circle of three layers. Some were on the ground and some were seated on the chairs provided. Su Qingze, whose face was flushed, was sitting in the middle.

“Xiǎo Gōngzǐ! Let me toast to you again!” Excited villagers poured full glasses of wine and took turns to propose a toast to him.

To think that such a wealthy family would temporarily stay in their small village! This was truly an extraordinary event!

Faced with the enthusiasm of the villagers, Su Qingze couldn’t quite handle it. “Dear uncles and aunties, I’ve already eaten. Please, feel free to drink as you’d like! Feel free!” After quickly downing the wine in his hand, he hastily put the cup down and escaped as if fleeing.

“Xiǎo Gōngzǐ, don’t leave just yet. You haven’t told us what kind of man you like!” An aunt called out.

“What nonsense are you shouting? Given Xiǎo Gōngzǐ’s background, he must marry a high-ranking official! No one in our mountain village is worthy of him!” Another person chimed in.

“Hey! I’m just asking!” The older woman laughed as she jests.

Su Qingze, who was hurriedly walking towards Shen Qiukui’s house with Ming An’s support, breathed a sigh of relief. Ming An was a little bit concerned, “Shàoye, is it really wise to expose your identity like this? What if someone with ill intentions tries to harm us?”

Su Qingze dismissed the concern, “I’m just staying in the village and Big Brother Gu and the others are here. Who would dare to touch me?”

“While that’s true, you can’t be too careful!” Ming An had a serious expression.

“Alright, alright! I get it! Just help me along. I feel dizzy…” Su Qingze frowned.

“You’ve had too much to drink! I’ll make a sobering soup for you later, and you must drink it!”

“I know, I know! Ming An, please stop talking!”

A woman with a beautiful appearance stared at the gradually moving figures of the two, her almond-shaped eyes filled with jealousy and envy.

“Wanru, why aren’t you joining the feast? The dishes are delicious!”

Seeing the familiar woman standing on the side of the road in a daze, a villager approached and asked.

Lin Wanru was startled and quickly forced a smile, “I’ve already had dinner at home. Auntie, you go ahead.”

The aunt disagreed and said, “Even if you’ve had dinner, you should join the celebration. Today is Shen Xiùcai’s crowning ceremony. He has treated you so kindly in the past. You should at least go and offer your congratulations.”

Lin Wanru looked embarrassed, “Auntie, what you say is true. But Shen Yan gēge’s husband…” Showing a hint of grievance, Lin Wanru forced a smile, “I’d better not go over there to avoid making Shen Yan gēge uncomfortable…”

The villagers understood and comforted her, “That makes sense, but don’t worry too much. I heard that Shen Xiùcai’s husband is not a difficult person to get along with. He won’t intentionally target you.”

“I hope so…” Lin Wanru smiled, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes.

Back at Shen Qiukui’s house, Su Qingze collapsed directly onto the bed. Ming An approached to help him remove his shoes and socks.

“I feel so dizzy…” With flushed cheeks, Su Qingze laid on his stomach and head on the pillow. His big, black eyes are misty.

Ming An brought a warm towel to wipe his hands and face. After giving Su Qingze a sobering soup, he tucked him in and said, “Alright, Shàoye. Just sleep for a while.”

With heavy eyelids, Su Qingze drifted off to sleep after he called out in a daze, “A-Heng.”

Hearing that soft voice, Ming An became even more worried.

“Shàoye, A-heng Gōngzǐ is thousands of miles away. You’ve been treating him like a friend all this time. Do you even know if he has a beautiful and delicate lady attending to him?”

“There’s no harm in playing together when you guys were young, but now that you’ve both reached marriageable age, is it still appropriate to continue like this?”

The young man, unfamiliar with the taste of sorrow, continued to smile even in his dreams. 

And the youth¹, having experienced the joys and sorrows of the world, cherished everything before him even more.

^{(1. 少年 (shào nián) – youngster; juvenile; this is SQZ. 青年 (qīng nián) – youth; youthful years; young person; the young; this is SYB.)}

The room was tranquil, filled with an indescribable aroma.

Shen Yanbei snuggled his head against the hollow of the man’s shoulder, leaning on his sweaty hair, and asked tenderly, “Are you okay?”

Gu Changfeng, with closed eyes, panted softly. The lingering aftertaste and pleasure remained while his body was still trembling slightly.

He had never imagined that such a unity between two souls would render him, a person with profound internal power, unable to resist.

After calming his breath, Gu Changfeng finally opened his eyes, his voice hoarse as he replied, “I’m fine…” 

The two bodies were pressed together skin-to-skin, the warmth exchanged between them. Even though they were both naked, they didn’t feel cold. It’s just that he’s not used to being exposed like this.

Shen Yanbei brushed aside the strands of hair on his forehead, looking deep into his eyes, “This is just the beginning. From now on, I will always be like this with you.”

The lingering colour on Gu Changfeng’s face deepened a little.

“But, Changfeng,” Shen Yanbei used his fingers to trace the faint and not very conspicuous pregnant mole between his eyebrows, “intimacy isn’t about endurance; it’s about mutual pleasure.”

“If you feel uncomfortable, you must tell me. There’s no need to hold back.”

“I want to give you supreme bliss, not restraint. It’s not about my satisfaction and joy alone.”

The youth’s eyes were filled with helplessness and distress. Gu Changfeng felt like he was drowning in those eyes.

“Alright…”

Shen Yanbei, satisfied, kissed his cheek and got up to fetch water after draping a robe to cover himself.

Gu Changfeng immediately sat up, stood up, and picked up the clothes that had fallen to the ground. He was strong and healthy, and even though this was his first intimate encounter, his body felt no discomfort. However, it was the stickiness on his body that was a bit uncomfortable. His gaze fell on the wet spots on the bed and Gu Changfeng’s face turned hot. By the time Shen Yanbei returned, the disarray on the bed had been tidied up and fresh sheets were in place.

After tending to themselves, Shen Yanbei pulled him, wanting to take a short nap. However, they were uncertain about the situation outside. Gu Changfeng also wanted to go and check.

As Shen Yanbei’s husband, there were certain things he had to do.

“Is Shen Xiùcai feeling better?” Seeing Gu Changfeng come out, the older and young aunts asked with concern in their eyes.

“He’s fine, already asleep.” Gu Changfeng glanced at the somewhat messy banquet that had been cleaned up, expressing gratitude. “Thank you, sisters-in-law, for your hard work.”

“Don’t mention it!” A young woman in a floral dress responded warmly and candidly.

Gu Changfeng smiled politely and upon hearing that Su Qingze had drunk too much, he went to Shen Qiukui’s house.

The young man was sound asleep, tended to by Ming An. Gu Changfeng felt reassured and nodded to Shen Qiukui.

“Wait a minute!” Shen Qiukui stopped him as he was about to leave.

Gu Changfeng turned to look at him, questioning with his eyes what the matter was.

“Well…” Shen Qiukui hesitated, looking somewhat embarrassed as he spoke to Gu Changfeng, “I heard from Su Gōngzǐ that you’re planning to hire people to raise chickens in the bamboo forest, is that right?”

Gu Changfeng nodded. Shen Yanbei was currently focused on studying and he also had to teach Zhōu Yù martial arts, so there wasn’t enough time to manage everything.

“Do you think I could do it?” Shen Qiukui seemed a bit nervous. “I take care of all the chickens and ducks at my home by myself!” He pointed to the courtyard where a hen and a peep of chicks were wandering around. “This hen has been raised by me from a chick. I can do breeding, pick eggs for the hens to hatch, and even help them incubate the chicks!”

Following his gaze, Gu Changfeng looked over. The mother hen appeared robust and the chicks were lively.

“One person is not enough. Taking care of the chickens in ten mǔs of bamboo forest is beyond one person’s capability.”

Shen Qiukui’s eyes lit up. “Another person also wants to raise chickens for you! It’s sister-in-law Jinhua, Third Brother Wu’s wife!”

Gu Changfeng thought for a moment and replied, “Okay. I’ll inform my husband when I get back.”

Shen Qiukui was overjoyed. “That’s great! Thank you!” 

His mother’s health was not good and they had to spend a lot of silver on medical treatment and medication. Therefore, he was very enthusiastic about opportunities to earn money.

“You’re welcome.” Gu Changfeng’s tone was gentle. Knowing that the shuang’er was capable, they would feel much more at ease if they can help raise the chickens.

Shen Qiukui smiled, pointing to his neck and said, “As the weather gets warmer, mosquitoes and insects in the village will increase. You can use wormwood to smoke the house so that you won’t be covered in red marks from the bites!”

Gu Changfeng was startled, subconsciously covering his neck. His face blushed unnaturally, “Thank you for the reminder.”

Shen Qiukui laughed, “Let me know when I can start working!”

Gu Changfeng responded with a simple “en” and turned to leave. Shen Qiukui looked at his reddened ears and the hurried footsteps with a barely concealed smile on his face. The villagers often said that the husband of Shen Xiùcai was very cold, but in reality, he was just shy!

^{(T/N’s note: Hey. This is an extra for you guys cause I felt bad not updating a week ago. Enjoy!)}

~honeybee_bun

chapter 40

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chapter 42

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