The young man smiled with his eyes curved like a crescent moon on a branch, mischievous and lively.
So, he still wanted to eat meat.
Really, such a cunning little rascal.
“There’s no more,” Yan Yi said, “just this one bowl.”
In fact, there was still half of the ingredients left unprocessed, which he planned to save for Xie Nong.
Yan Yi was not from Hetian Village.
A few months ago, it was Xie Nong who rescued him from the riverbank and brought him back to the Xie family.
He had lost his memory, only remembering the pronunciation of his name, with no knowledge of the specific characters, family background, or place of origin. Xie Zhu noticed that his wounds were not caused by ordinary weapons and, fearing he might bring danger to Hetian Village, urged him to leave as soon as possible.
But Xie Nong was kind-hearted, seeing that he didn’t seem like a villain and was seriously injured, insisted on letting Yan Yi stay temporarily in Hetian Village, settling him in a dilapidated house next to the Xie family, and even paid for a doctor to bandage his wounds.
Yan Yi didn’t know where to go, so he stayed. Xie Nong took good care of him, and after his injuries improved, he helped the Xie family with work to repay the favor of saving his life.
He was agile and strong, and it didn’t take long for him to establish himself in Hetian Village with his skills.
The Xie family consisted of only father and son. When Xie Zhu was home, there was someone to share the farm work. Now that this young master had arrived, with his delicate appearance that clearly hadn’t done any hard work, it seemed Yan Yi would have to help the Xie family more in the future.
“Is it really just this one bowl?” Xie Jinning, having never dealt with such things, didn’t know how much a chicken should weigh. He pouted in disappointment and touched his stomach.
The rice in the bowl was eaten clean, and a third of the chestnut braised chicken was gone. His stomach was already full, and he couldn’t eat more even if he wanted to, so he reluctantly said, “Alright then.”
Yan Yi wanted to persuade him, “You can’t always catch something every day, you should eat more.”
“I’m full,” Xie Jinning said, seeing that Yan Yi hadn’t eaten much either. “Why do you eat so slowly? I’ve already finished.”
He wrinkled his nose and muttered softly, “It’s not like I’m stopping you from eating together. Why does it seem like I’m making you eat leftovers?”
Was he waiting to complain to Xie Zhu’s parents when they returned?
Xie Jinning curled his fingertips.
He didn’t want to see his biological parents for the time being.
Firstly, he didn’t know how to face them, and secondly, the environment here was really harsh. He couldn’t stay here forever, and once he recovered, he would have to find a way to leave.
Xie Jinning put down his chopsticks, and Yan Yi began to move.
It seemed like a habit ingrained in his bones; he ate quickly, like a whirlwind, finishing two cornbreads and half a plate of wild vegetables in no time, quite boldly, without any sloppiness, yet his eating manner didn’t seem crude at all.
Just a moment ago, Xie Jinning was complaining about his slowness. When he looked up, he saw Yan Yi biting off half a cornbread and swallowing it after a few chews.
He secretly clicked his tongue: If they ate together, at this speed, he probably wouldn’t be able to compete with this hungry wolf.
“Why aren’t you eating the meat?” Xie Jinning asked suspiciously, “Are you planning to save it for me?”
“Yes.”
Yan Yi said, “Even if you’re full, you can eat a bit more. You’re too thin, you should gain some weight. The more you eat, the bigger your appetite will get.”
Thin?
Xie Jinning looked at himself, then at Yan Yi, comparing their body sizes. It seemed he was indeed much thinner than Yan Yi.
Maybe his thighs weren’t even as thick as Yan Yi’s arms.
But he didn’t like eating until he was stuffed; it made his stomach uncomfortable and bloated, causing him to burp constantly.
Gaining weight wasn’t an option either.
The third son of the Zhu family, who owned a restaurant in the south of the city, grew up eating and drinking excessively, gaining a body full of fat that could be squeezed out, and he shook with every step he took, which was really unsightly.
Trying to imagine his own head on that body, Xie Jinning immediately got goosebumps and quickly waved his hand, “Forget it, I think I’m fine as I am.”
Yan Yi didn’t insist.
Seeing that he had finished his third cornbread without touching the bowl of meat, Xie Jinning propped his face with his hand and started to daydream again.
When he was told not to hit, he wouldn’t stop, but now he’s so obedient, saying he won’t eat and he really doesn’t.
But he caught the chicken and cooked the meal, and after putting in so much effort, he didn’t get a single bite. He must have some complaints, right? And wouldn’t this make me seem too selfish?
Although he did hit me and caused my injury, so he should compensate me, but I did throw the bowl first… Oh, let’s not mention that. What if he thinks I’m too much and doesn’t listen to me later?
What if he gets upset and hits me again? I can’t beat him; it feels like he could punch me and send me flying…
The pampered young master couldn’t hide his emotions at all, his delicate face showing a myriad of colors, sometimes biting his lip and frowning, sometimes glancing at Yan Yi, then dejectedly lowering his head.
Yan Yi quietly slowed down his chewing.
Xie Jinning was startled by his own imagination, his eyelashes fluttering rapidly, the flesh on his cheeks smoothing out as his hand moved away, leaving a faint red mark.
He looked at Yan Yi seriously, his clear amber eyes carrying a hint of reverence for strength and a barely noticeable attempt to please:
“Yan, Yan Yi, you eat. Tomorrow… I can eat something else tomorrow.”
After saying that, he quickly pressed his lips together.
“Hmm?” Yan Yi’s brow moved slightly, “Really?”
“Of course it’s true.”
“Then I’ll really eat it?”
“Eat it.”
Suddenly in the mood to tease, Yan Yi’s lips curved slightly, “I eat a lot, once I finish, there won’t be anything left.”
“You’re so annoying!”
Xie Jinning raised his eyebrows and glared at him, “Just eat, it’s not like it’s something precious. Back at the Xie family, these things wouldn’t even…” make it to his table.
Before he could finish, he froze, his expression instantly wilting, his long lashes drooping to hide the emotions in his eyes, “Just eat, okay?”
The end of his sentence trembled lightly, low and aggrieved, like a gentle drizzle.
The atmosphere gradually cooled, Yan Yi took a bite of the lukewarm chestnut, tasting nothing.
He said in a calm voice, “If Uncle Xie doesn’t come back tomorrow, I’ll make you something else to eat.”
It seemed since he woke up, he hadn’t heard him mention the female head of the Xie family, always “Uncle Xie” this and “Uncle Xie” that. Where was Aunt Xie?
Xie Jinning was a bit curious but didn’t want to think too deeply about it. He nodded lightly, “Okay.”
Still looking uninterested.
It’s only the first day, take it slow, he’ll get used to it eventually.
After quickly clearing the table, Yan Yi helped Xie Jinning to the bedside to sit down before starting to clean up the dishes.
After eating, his stomach felt warm, and Xie Jinning’s complexion became rosy, quieting down as he watched the man’s busy figure. He cleared his throat, “By the way, my name is Xie Jinning, with the character for ‘king’ next to ‘Jin’, and ‘Ning’ as in ‘peaceful’. Remember that.”
“Okay.”
Yan Yi finished wiping the table and turned his head, “Jinning, ‘Jin’ as in ‘beautiful jade’, ‘Ning’ as in ‘peaceful’, it’s a good name.”
“Do you even need to say that?”
Xie Jinning raised his delicate eyebrows, his sharp, fair chin lifted, “How about it, isn’t my name much better than that, Xie Zhu?”
Beautiful jade is much more valuable than bamboo!
But Yan Yi only said, “In my opinion, each has its own pleasant sound.”
Xie Jinning wasn’t looking for that answer. This person hit him, and now he couldn’t even say a nice word.
What’s the harm in saying something nice to coax him!
Losing interest in the conversation, he huffed and pointed at the door, puffing his cheeks, “You go out, I want to rest, I don’t want to talk to you anymore!”
…
After cleaning everything up, Yan Yi left the Xie house and lit a candle in his own room before returning.
Xie Jinning sat sideways at the head of the bed, his expression restrained, quietly watching the candlelight on the table not far away.
The warm yellow candlelight reflected in his autumn-water-like eyes, but the warmth couldn’t dispel the dense fog, instead being encased and sealed by amber.
The night in Hetian Village was exceptionally quiet, so quiet that even the sound of the wind was swallowed, leaving only the sound of his own heartbeat, hollow and lonely.
Xie Jinning had never been alone.
Outside, he had friends to accompany him, and at home, he had his parents and brother, along with Ah He, who was always by his side. During those days of confinement, knowing there were guards at the door around the clock, he didn’t feel lonely, just bored.
Even when he was sent back to the village, Wang Zhihe was with him the whole way.
But now that Yan Yi had left, the entire house was completely empty, leaving only him.
In a room only a quarter the size of his previous bedroom, Xie Jinning had thought it small during the day, but now it felt terrifyingly large.
So large and empty that even the small candlelight couldn’t fill it.
The night drove away the last trace of daylight, the bright moon hung high, and the evening was cold and clear.
In this suffocating loneliness, Xie Jinning’s heart sank bit by bit, his eyelids blinking only after a long time, the tears hanging on his lower lashes before falling with a “plop” onto the bedding.
They say when you’re full and warm, you start to think of other things. He began to daydream again.
Having vented his emotions once, Xie Jinning didn’t really want to cry, but under the erosion of the sparse night, his defenses crumbled bit by bit, and he couldn’t control it.
He couldn’t help but think, think of the Xie family in the distant Capital City, wondering if they would be sad for sending him away, or if they would live happily with Xie Zhu, even… getting along better than they did with him for sixteen years?
He thought of Ah He, who had been by his side since childhood, never separated for a day, wondering if he would be assigned to another position or follow Xie Zhu as his study companion?
He thought of his friends, wondering if they would come looking for him after discovering his disappearance, or if they would transfer their friendship to Xie Zhu, calling him brother?
Oh, he forgot again, everything he had was supposed to belong to Xie Zhu.
This should be called returning things to their rightful owner.
The night wind, carrying moisture, drifted into the room, chilling his cheeks. Xie Jinning reached out to touch his face, feeling the wetness, realizing he was already in tears without knowing it.
He hugged his arms tightly, feeling as if there was a big hole in his chest, with the wind rushing in, trying to burst him open.
So cold.
*
Xie Jinning had a secret.
He was never the treasure praised by his parents, nor the sun that always brought warmth and joy to his brother’s eyes.
He was just a small flower, needing love and attention to be carefully nurtured.
Parents, brothers, friends, he had once deeply rooted himself in that fertile soil, blooming freely. But now, he had been uprooted and moved to barren land.
The petals were roughly stripped away, loneliness was the sword that severed his roots, and Xie Jinning thought he seemed to be withering.
“Ah…”
The more he tried not to recall, the more memories, details, and beautiful moments from the past sixteen years surfaced, turning into sharp blades stabbing and stirring in his mind.
Xie Jinning opened his lips to call out, but found he could only make breathy sounds, unable to produce any voice.
He suddenly felt so tired.
If he had died during his childhood illness, would he never have learned the truth? In his short life, he would still bear the title of the young master of the Xie family, always believing he was his parents’ child, his brother’s real brother.
He wouldn’t have become a…
A cuckoo in the magpie’s nest.
Dying in their love was better than being discarded like an old shoe.
Like a fish out of water, the dry air wrapped around his skin like a membrane, covering his mouth and nose, making it hard to breathe.
“Huh…”
He leaned on the edge of the bed, half of his body hanging in the air, his slender white fingers gradually moving up as he clutched his clothes…