The next day.
“Ugh…”
The young man’s eyelashes trembled slightly as he slowly opened his eyes, waiting for the haze in his vision to clear. After a moment of daze, he realized he was lying flat, with a soft cushion beneath him. The pain from his healing wounds wasn’t as unbearable as before.
Wait, a cushion?
As memories flooded back, Xie Jinning’s eyes widened, his pupils trembling slightly.
Not only did he cry in front of Yan Yi again, but he also cried himself to sleep while hugging him. Ah, how embarrassing!
There won’t be a next time!
He buried his head into the blanket, rubbing it around until he couldn’t breathe, then pulled the blanket down.
His cheeks were flushed from being smothered, his eyes glistening with tears. He bit his lower lip lightly, his messy black hair scattered wildly, with a few strands even caught in his long lashes, making him look like a trapped raccoon waiting for rescue.
His eyelids were still a bit swollen. Xie Jinning tidied his hair and slowly climbed out of bed. Before he could get down, there was a sudden knock on the door.
“Jinning, are you up? Breakfast is ready. Have some before you go back to sleep.”
Xie Nong’s voice wasn’t loud, and his hoarse tone carried a hint of nervousness. Perhaps he was afraid of waking the sleeping Xie Jinning, so he only called out once and then stopped.
“I’m up.”
The clothes from last night were a bit wrinkled. Xie Jinning picked them up and shook them, but the creases didn’t disappear. A flash of hesitation crossed his eyes. He put on his shoes and socks and walked to the cabinet.
Xie Nong’s tearful words seemed to linger in his ears. After a good night’s sleep, Xie Jinning had come to a decision.
He wasn’t planning to leave Hetian Village for the time being.
His previous desire to leave was actually a form of escape, an unwillingness to face reality. But after hearing the truth last night and learning about what Xie Zhu had gone through, he could no longer convince himself to enjoy any of the conveniences brought by being the young master of the Xie family, even if it was “once” or “fake.”
Returning things to their rightful owner and taking his rightful place, from today on, he was Xie Jinning of Hetian Village. Although the conditions were a bit harsh, he could wear the fine silk and satin, and he could also wear some old clothes.
After giving himself a pep talk and preparing mentally, Xie Jinning opened the cabinet door.
He had only glanced at it before, but now he saw that the clothes were made of soft fabrics with dense stitching, not as shabby as he had imagined.
Xie Jinning used to like wearing bright colors—red, purple, green—the more eye-catching, the better. In contrast, Xie Zhu preferred simple colors, with most of the clothes in the cabinet being light blue or gray-brown.
He picked out a set of white clothes to change into. Xie Zhu was half a head taller and had broader shoulders, so the clothes felt a bit loose on Xie Jinning, but they were much better than Yan Yi’s clothes from before.
He let out a gentle breath, dressed neatly, carefully smoothed his long hair, and tied it up before pushing open the door.
The day was still sunny, with sunlight like golden silk spreading across the earth, warm and gentle.
After letting go of all his prejudices, Xie Jinning realized that the sky in Hetian Village was so beautiful, clear as if washed, like an endless piece of blue jade.
The young man stood quietly at the door, slightly tilting his head to bask in the morning light. The soft halo enveloped him, his fair skin like jade, his features delicate as if crafted by the creator. His brows relaxed, a mix of youthful innocence and pride, like a tender bud soaked in morning dew, not yet in full bloom but already brimming with infinite charm.
Even in old clothes, he didn’t lose an ounce of grace, and even the creases at his waist became pleasing decorations.
It was truly hard to look away.
But Xie Nong, upon seeing him, only felt heartache.
His lips lifted and then fell, and he said, “Jinning, I’m sorry for the hardship. You can wear these for now. Tomorrow—no, tonight, I’ll get some fabric to make you new clothes.”
“Okay, thank you, Dad.”
Xie Jinning responded crisply.
His voice was like a gentle stream in the mountains, clear and sweet. Xie Nong, however, seemed to be scalded by the boiling steam, his hand, still in the knocking position, suddenly trembled.
He held his breath, looking at Xie Jinning in disbelief. In his deeply sunken eyes, still bloodshot from a hangover, a light appeared.
Xie Nong spoke, his voice trembling, “Jinning, what did you call me?”
Without hesitation, Xie Jinning called again, “Dad.”
Xie Nong froze in place, raising his hand to pinch himself hard. After confirming it wasn’t a hallucination, his fatigue instantly faded, and he was revitalized as if injected with adrenaline, “Ah, ah! Good child.”
“From now on, we’ll live together, just the two of us. Whatever you want, just tell Dad.”
He was extremely happy, the wrinkles soaked in sorrow unfolding in the warm light, “Even if it’s the stars in the sky, Dad will find a way to get them for you.”
“Okay.” Amused by his bold words, Xie Jinning’s eyelashes curved, “Dad, I’ll go wash up first.”
“Very good.”
With tears glistening in his eyes, Xie Nong murmured, “Ah Fang, did you see that?”
Warmth filled the courtyard, the branches swayed gently, making a soft rustling sound, as if responding.
Those words had been bottled up in his heart for a long time. If it weren’t for the drunkenness last night, he wouldn’t have spoken them aloud.
Since Zhou Fang left, he rarely mentioned her in front of Xie Zhu, even carefully putting away her memorial tablet, only holding it in his arms and staring at the moon in silence during the quiet nights.
When Xie Zhu suggested paying respects, Xie Nong used the excuse of focusing on studies to brush him off, fearing that if he learned the truth, he would resent her even more.
And Xie Nong succeeded. When Xie Zhu left Hetian Village, he was so decisive, resolute, and ruthless, probably channeling all his resentment onto him.
Despite the pain, Xie Nong felt a sense of relief.
Very good.
Now, all that was left was for Jinning to have a good future.
…
The father and son went to the kitchen, where two large bowls of noodle dumplings were placed on the table.
One bowl was piled high with wild vegetables and minced meat, still steaming, while the other had nothing added, clearly cooked first, with a ring of water droplets condensed around the rim.
Pushing the bowl in front of Xie Jinning, Xie Nong took a boiled egg from the pot, peeled it, and handed it to him, “Jinning, come, eat.”
Looking at the two bowls of vastly different noodle dumplings, Xie Jinning picked up a spoon and started scooping from his bowl into his father’s.
“This is all for you, don’t, don’t give it to me.” Xie Nong hurriedly stopped him, taking his own portion, “You eat, if it’s not enough, there’s more in the pot.”
“This is too much, I can’t finish it.”
Xie Jinning thought to himself, he really couldn’t finish it, and what if it didn’t taste good? Yan Yi wasn’t here to help him out.
He blinked and softened his voice, “Dad, I can’t finish it, help me out, eat a bit more.”
The affectionate tone made Xie Nong’s heart warm, his head dizzy, and he handed the bowl back. Only when his bowl was also filled to the brim did he come to his senses, “Alright, alright, if you give me more, you won’t have any left.”
“There’s still so much.”
After dividing the noodle dumplings, Xie Jinning split the egg in half and handed it to Xie Nong.
The latter’s lips moved a few times, reaching out to push it away, “You child, these are all fine things, all saved for you, you eat, it’s a waste for a rough man like me to eat these.”
The egg was freshly boiled, still hot, and Xie Jinning’s fingertips were reddened by the heat, but he refused to let go, “What waste? Either we both don’t eat, or we eat together.”
Xie Nong hesitated, and he let out an “ah” with a frown, “Hurry, it’s hot.”
Xie Nong quickly took it, fetched a basin of cold water, and let Xie Jinning put his hand in to cool down, saying with concern, “It’s Dad’s fault, just wanted you to eat something hot, didn’t expect to hurt you, does it hurt?”
The slight heat pain quickly faded under the coolness. Xie Jinning stirred the water in the basin, the ripples scattering his mischievous smile, “It hurts a lot, so Dad is punished to eat this half.”
“You child…”
Unable to resist Xie Jinning, Xie Nong put the half egg into his mouth, as if eating some delicacy, his face full of happiness.
It was fragrant and sweet.
This was given by his son, the best egg he had ever eaten.
Xie Jinning never liked eating egg yolks, finding them dry, so he simply put it into the noodle soup and stirred it with a spoon. The soup quickly turned a light yellow, and he carefully took a spoonful into his mouth. The minced meat mixed with the aroma of the noodles blossomed on his tongue, the softness of the noodle dumplings followed by the fresh and chewy minced meat and the refreshing greens, the taste of the egg yolk completely hidden.
Surprisingly delicious, Xie Jinning’s chewing speed quietly increased.
Xie Nong was also a fast eater. He had a big appetite from years of labor, and before Xie Jinning had eaten half, he had already finished his full bowl, the bottom of the bowl shiny enough to reflect.
Casually wiping his mouth, he looked at the young man eating slowly and gracefully, the rough man scratched his head awkwardly, “Jinning, you eat slowly, I have to go to the field to harvest wheat.”
He turned to take a few durable coarse wheat cakes from the cabinet, wrapped them in cloth, and tucked them into his arms, “I won’t be back at noon, there’s still noodle dumplings in the pot, you eat first, I’ll make something good for you when I get back in the evening.”
Harvesting wheat?
Xie Jinning sped up, almost choking himself, but he managed to finish eating. After wiping his lips with a handkerchief, he said, “Dad, I’ll go with you.”
“No need, you just recovered, stay home and rest, I can manage, and Xiao Yan is helping me too.”
Yan Yi is going too.
Xie Jinning’s fingers curled, curiosity eventually overcoming his shyness, he said, “Dad, I haven’t been out of the courtyard since I came here, I’ll just go with you, you work, I’ll just watch.”
With the conversation at this point, Xie Nong had to agree, “…Alright then.”
He quickly added, “But don’t go into the field, just watch from the side, if you feel uncomfortable, tell Dad, so I can take you back in time.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll go pack up, Jinning, could you do me a favor and call Xiao Yan next door?”
Next door, Yan Yi opened the courtyard door, and seeing Xie Jinning’s outfit, he was also taken aback.
“You…”
Xie Jinning spread his arms and spun around, the white hem of his clothes swaying like ripples on the water.
“How is it?”
The young man stood against the light, his face kissed by the halo slightly blurred, but his eyes, clear as a spring and pure as translucent amber, were more dazzling than the sun.
Also…
Quietly overlapping with the person in his dreams.
Thump, thump.
Seeing him in a daze, Xie Jinning, as if possessed, said, “Even though these are Xie Zhu’s clothes, I look good in them, right?”
After saying that, he realized it was inappropriate, his open lips slowly closing, a frustrated curve bulging on one cheek, the fine transparent fuzz on his sunlit cheek making it look like a juicy, sweet fruit.
At home, he was used to asking Ah He, receiving all sorts of compliments, which he quite enjoyed. Now, with his body and mind relaxed, he blurted it out without thinking.
This mouth, hurry and explain!
“Um, what I meant was…”
“Good-looking.”
The man’s deep voice floated from above, Xie Jinning’s trembling eyelashes paused for a moment, “Ah?”
“You look very good in this.”
Though he didn’t know what had happened, seeing the young man’s relaxed expression, as if a feather had landed, truly settling down, starting to consider this place home.
Now like this… very good.
What wasn’t good was this place.
The complex thoughts lasted only a moment. Looking at Xie Jinning’s face, slightly reddened by the sun, Yan Yi took a step back, “Come in first.”
Why did this person suddenly start talking again?
Xie Jinning couldn’t figure it out, but hearing the compliment, his eyebrows lifted, “Of course, I was born good-looking.”
Pride lasted only a moment.
“Mm, so drink the medicine first.”
The dark medicine was brought to his face, and Xie Jinning’s mood plummeted, his relaxed brows knitting together.
What, still a big wooden block who can’t talk.
With such a clumsy mouth, how will he ever get a wife?