The bitter scent of medicine wafted through the air, causing Xie Jinning to wrinkle his nose. “Do I really have to drink it? I feel much better today…” He blinked, trying to signal Yan Yi to take the bowl away, but the man just pushed it closer to him.
“No way.” Yan Yi said, not looking away. “The doctor said you must drink it, or you risk leaving a lingering illness. Besides, you barely drank any last night…”
“Alright, alright, I’ll drink it.” Not wanting to hear any more nagging, Xie Jinning reluctantly took the bowl, took a deep breath, pinched his nose, and gulped it down, trying to avoid letting his tongue touch the liquid too much.
The mark on his neck had completely disappeared, leaving smooth, white skin. His small Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed, making involuntary throat sounds, like a spoiled child.
Cute.
Once he finished drinking, the empty bowl in his hand was immediately replaced with something soft.
“Mm… what is this?” Xie Jinning, with a thick tongue, opened the bag and found dried fruit inside. His eyes lit up, and he quickly picked one up and popped it into his mouth.
“!”
It wasn’t bitter anymore, but the sourness hit him like a bolt, making Xie Jinning shiver and almost spit it out. He looked around but couldn’t find a place to spit, his face scrunched up in distress.
“Spit it here.” Yan Yi opened his hand, indicating for Xie Jinning to spit it into his palm.
This action startled Xie Jinning, who quickly retracted the apricot from his lips, chewed it rapidly, and swallowed it whole. Luckily, the apricot wasn’t big enough to choke him.
“You, what are you doing!” With the lingering taste in his mouth, Xie Jinning couldn’t help but slurp, his questioning tone becoming wet and sticky.
Yan Yi retracted his hand, his expression calm. “If it bothers you, just spit it out.”
“But you can’t just…” Xie Jinning muttered softly, “Anyone who doesn’t know might think you’re my servant.”
Back at the Xie family, he never spat out food into a servant’s hand. It was all saliva, how dirty!
But Yan Yi simply said, “I’ll take care of you until you’re healed. Spitting something out is nothing.”
That’s too responsible. If this is nothing, what if he asked Yan Yi to eat what he just spat out?
As soon as the mischievous thought popped up, Xie Jinning shivered and grinned. “Forget it, even if you don’t mind, I do.”
As soon as he said this, the air turned cold and silent.
Yan Yi’s brow twitched slightly, and after a moment of silence, he said in a deep voice, “Is it really… that bad?”
Looking closely, the man’s features were handsome, his build tall and imposing. Even in the capital, where jade-like faces were popular, he was a man of great masculine charm, likely to attract the attention of noble ladies.
But he always wore a stoic expression, his eyes carrying a natural authority and sharpness that made him intimidating, especially those deep, unfathomable eyes that exuded a chilling aura, making it hard for people to meet his gaze.
It was precisely because of this that Xie Jinning was a little scared when he first saw him.
But now, the man’s eyebrows drooped slightly, his thin lips pressed together, looking somewhat dejected.
“I saw Xiaohua liked it, thought it was sweet, so I got some to counter the bitterness for you.” Yan Yi sighed almost inaudibly, but from Xie Jinning’s angle, it was clear. Like a beast retracting its claws, lowering its head, “I’m sorry for making you feel sick. I’ll find something else to replace it.”
But he didn’t mean the apricot was disgusting. It was specially swapped for him…
But it was really sour.
As the raven feathers fluttered, Xie Jinning hesitated to speak, suddenly feeling a sweet sensation rising from his throat, overwhelming the annoying sourness.
After the extreme sourness, there was an extreme sweetness, like the sun breaking through the clouds, making the contrast even more addictive.
Xie Jinning unconsciously began to savor it, his red tongue rubbing against his mouth, creating a sticky sound in the quiet courtyard.
Yan Yi suddenly looked up.
His hand was still in mid-air, just slightly lowered. If he moved forward half an inch, he could take the bag from Xie Jinning’s hand.
But he didn’t, just made a gesture of asking for it back, waiting quietly.
Xie Jinning coughed lightly, stuffed the bag into his arms, and awkwardly looked away. “It’s okay, barely edible.”
A blush crept up his jade-white ears.
Yan Yi’s lips curled slightly.
Though he didn’t know why the boy kept appearing in his dreams, thinking about it, perhaps it was because he was truly beautiful, a dazzling pearl in this mountain village, a bright lotus.
Appreciating beauty is human nature. Even when faced with a beautiful scene, he couldn’t help but stop and admire it, which didn’t mean anything.
Besides, he couldn’t help but want to be close to Xie Jinning, not just because he felt responsible for his injury, but also because he saw him as a younger brother, given his tender age and soft-hearted nature.
It couldn’t be wrong.
“What are you smiling at?” Xie Jinning caught a glimpse, his ears burning, frowning in mock anger. “I haven’t even told my dad about you hurting me, and you’re already laughing at me.”
Yan Yi composed himself, explaining seriously, “I wasn’t laughing at you.”
“Whatever you say.” Xie Jinning huffed, “Yan Yi, I’m telling you, don’t think you can buy me off with a bag of dried fruit. If you ever upset me, I’ll tell my dad, and he’ll definitely give you a hard time!”
His eyes sparkled with liveliness, the hair tied at the back of his head swaying gently in the wind, like a soft tail brushing against one’s heart, light and ticklish.
Yan Yi: “Then I must thank you, Jinning, for sparing my life.”
A subtle pause.
“Thank you… Wait, what did you call me?”
“You—” Realizing, Xie Jinning’s eyes widened, “Who allowed you to call me that!”
Yan Yi was puzzled. “I heard Uncle Xie call you that. He’s like a brother to me, and I’m older than you. What’s wrong with calling you that?”
There’s a lot wrong!
What do you mean like a brother to my dad? Calling me that makes me a generation younger for no reason, isn’t that taking advantage of me?
“Besides, you called me Brother Yan yesterday…”
“Stop, stop!”
To prevent him from saying anything weirder, Xie Jinning quickly raised his hand, covering his lips. “I called you Brother Yan then because it was a temporary measure, not because I really saw you as a brother.”
The boy’s palm still carried the scent of sour apricots, a floral, honey-like fragrance mingling with the sourness, creating an intoxicating aroma.
White with a hint of red, soft and cool like fine jade, it didn’t touch his lips, just hovered close, the fragrance weaving into a delicate net with each breath.
Old clothes, bathed with plain soap, no perfume, yet this young master exuded a natural fragrance, as if it came from his very bones.
Yan Yi didn’t speak, subtly adjusting his breathing.
Warm breath hit his palm, making Xie Jinning curl his fingers uncomfortably, pressing closer. “Do you understand?”
Yan Yi nodded, his lips brushing against the tender flesh, retreating like a startled bird.
Xie Jinning raised an eyebrow. “Besides, you don’t qualify to be my brother!”
“I’ll try my best.”
Rubbing his hand on his clothes, Xie Jinning scoffed, “Hmph, suit yourself.”
It’s all in vain anyway.
Outside, Xie Nong called, “Jinning, Xiao Yan, time to go.”
“Coming.”
Xie Jinning turned to leave, but his wrist was caught. This time, he used a different address: “Young Master, are you coming too?”
“Yeah.”
Yan Yi emphasized, “We’re going to work, not for fun, you know that?”
“I know, we’re going to harvest wheat, right?” Xie Jinning shook his hand, but couldn’t break free, his lips pouting in displeasure. “Let go, you’re hurting me.”
His arm was immediately released.
“Sorry.”
Actually, it didn’t hurt at all, Xie Jinning thought. “Don’t you know your own strength? Don’t touch me without asking.”
It was these hands that applied medicine to him, making him feel both pain and numbness, sweating all over, with that strange sensation…
Xie Jinning couldn’t describe it, but it was very odd.
His upturned face was proud and tender, the fine hairs on his cheeks visible in the sunlight, like a ripe peach, ready to burst with sweet juice at a touch.
His throat moved.
“…Alright, I’ll ask before touching you next time, okay?”
The man’s appearance was fierce and cold, yet he deliberately acted approachable, his tone coaxing, making Xie Jinning’s heart flutter.
It was just like, like what?
A flash of inspiration hit Xie Jinning. It was just like those human traffickers trying to lure children!
Don’t ask how he knew.
Even though he lost that memory…
After that incident, the Xie family despised such people, even breaking up several gangs.
Xie Jinning shook off the goosebumps, snapping, “Can you talk properly, you blockhead!”
“?”
Isn’t this how you treat a younger brother?
Yan Yi awkwardly cleared his throat. “Then how should I say it?”
He doesn’t even know how to talk anymore, Xie Jinning was shocked.
Oh no, is this big blockhead’s brain broken?
…
A quarter of an hour later, the three of them were on the road to the wheat fields.
Since Hetian Village moved once, it was further from the river, but for irrigation convenience, the fields were still near the water source, about a few thousand steps from the village.
The sun was just right now, but it might get harsher in the fields.
Wearing the straw hat Yan Yi gave him, covering most of his face, with thick cotton pads in his shoes, Xie Jinning stomped his feet. Though a bit stuffy, it wasn’t hot or uncomfortable, and he was quite satisfied.
Xie Nong and Yan Yi walked ahead with a shoulder pole, while he followed leisurely behind. The uneven dirt road was full of pits and embedded with sand and stones, so Xie Jinning had to watch his step carefully, afraid of stepping into a hole.
The two walked briskly, occasionally looking back to check if he was keeping up.
Yan Yi initially wanted to carry Xie Jinning over, but he firmly refused. Seeing him walking steadily, he was relieved.
The boy said he treated him like a child, which wasn’t entirely true, but not entirely false either.
A fragile porcelain, a delicate cat, a younger brother who needed care.
He was a combination of these three.