Upon returning to their small, fenced courtyard, Yu Tingzheng was immediately pulled toward the washroom by Pei Qingyu.
The maids, Wanxiang and Wantang, had already prepared hot water. Seeing the two of them drenched to the bone, they cried out in alarm, “Good heavens! Young Masters, how did you both get so soaked? Master Pei if you stay like this, you’ll fall gravely ill again!”
They hurriedly urged, “Quickly, strip off those clothes and get into the bath.”
The young maids could not attend to Pei Qingyu while he bathed. After sternly reminding the two men to change and soak in the hot water, they left the room, leaving only Yu Tingzheng and Pei Qingyu behind.
Yu Tingzheng felt a flutter of nerves. He realized that, in all likelihood, he was meant to bathe alongside Pei Qingyu.
Being both men, there shouldn’t have been anything to be ashamed of. However, now that they were husbands, the situation felt delicate. Before they had even begun, his heart was already racing.
Pei Qingyu stood motionless, his gaze lowered as he watched Yu Tingzheng.
Yu Tingzheng blinked, looking lost for a moment. Suddenly, a realization dawned on him. He tentatively stepped forward, reaching out to rest his hands on Pei Qingyu’s belt.
“Shall… shall I help Yu’er… undress?”
The gloom on Pei Qingyu’s face finally brightened. He gave a slight nod of his chin, granting permission.
Yu Tingzheng was suddenly reminded of his aunt’s cat, which often ran into the yard to roll onto its back and sun its belly. Whenever he tried to pet it, the cat would push his hand away with its paws. But if he ever ignored it, the cat would watch him with its head held high and haughty. Only when he finally reached out to stroke it would the cat adopt a “count yourself lucky” expression and lie still, allowing itself to be petted.
Cats were aojia haughty yet sweet and so was Pei Qingyu.
However, Yu Tingzheng reflected that Pei Qingyu wasn’t as indirect as a cat; he didn’t hide his feelings or wait for others to guess. If he wanted something, he would eventually demand it. Had Yu Tingzheng failed to perceive his intent just now, Pei Qingyu would surely have told him to do it directly and perhaps secretly labeled him as “not quite bright” in his heart.
Fortunately, Yu Tingzheng was quite adept at reading his husband’s moods.
When Pei Qingyu was stripped down to his final inner garment, Yu Tingzheng hesitated.
Pei Qingyu didn’t give him time to linger in his hesitation. “What are you dazing off for? Do you expect me to bathe with my clothes on?”
Yu Tingzheng obediently continued. But when his hands neared the trousers, Pei Qingyu recoiled, his face flushing crimson as he glared. “Shameless!”
Yu Tingzheng felt quite innocent, yet he apologized anyway. Pei Qingyu accepted the apology and stepped into the water still wearing his thin trousers. “Hurry up,” he urged. “The water is getting cold.”
Nerves gripped Yu Tingzheng again. Under Pei Qingyu’s unshielded gaze, he shed his garments one by one until he, too, was left in only his inner trousers.
Once he entered the water, Pei Qingyu pressed his back against him. Brushing his long hair over his shoulder, he commanded Yu Tingzheng to wash his back.
His neck is so white.
Dazzled by the sight, Yu Tingzheng hurriedly stammered an “oh” and took the bath salts to scrub him.
After their bath and a late dinner with Madam Pei, the couple returned to their room. Yu Tingzheng needed to review his lessons, but Pei Qingyu didn’t go to sleep. Instead, he sat nearby with a book.
He sat very close to Yu Tingzheng, though he barely made it through a few pages. He yawned several times; it was long past his usual bedtime, yet he forced himself to stay awake.
Yu Tingzheng wondered if it was just his imagination, but it seemed that ever since Pei Qingyu returned from Luozhi City, he had become much more clingy.
The two maids brought in a hot medicinal tonic for Pei Qingyu to drink. They closed the windows and, seeing that he still hadn’t gone to bed, couldn’t help but nag him again.
Pei Qingyu glanced at Yu Tingzheng. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll sleep whenever he sleeps.”
Yu Tingzheng’s heart gave a little jolt, and his eyes widened. What does his sleep have to do with me? Why must he wait for me?
Finally understanding, he said, “Yu’er… go to sleep first. I still need to… review for a while… what the teacher… taught today.”
“No.” Pei Qingyu was stubborn. “If we sleep, we sleep together.”
Yu Tingzheng had never encountered such a situation since entering the Pei household. Stunned for a long moment, he finally closed his book. “Then… then I will… sleep now.”
Only then was Pei Qingyu satisfied. He set his book down and climbed into bed first. Yu Tingzheng followed, and Wanxiang and Wantang extinguished the lamps and closed the door as they left.
In the darkness, Yu Tingzheng stared dizzily into the shadows, unable to figure out what had come over Pei Qingyu. How did he become so clingy after just one trip away?
Before he could find an answer, a chest pressed against his back, and an arm wrapped around his waist. Pei Qingyu pulled him into a firm embrace, his palm pressing gently against Yu Tingzheng’s stomach.
“Did you eat too much just now?” Pei Qingyu asked suddenly.
The pressure wasn’t particularly comfortable, and Yu Tingzheng gave a muffled hum of affirmation. The meal had been lavish today; he had eaten his fill, and Madam Pei had kept coaxing him to eat more until he was stuffed. His stomach was still quite distended.
He said shyly, “I wanted to… sit for a while… before sleeping. It’s not good… for digestion.”
The hand on his stomach suddenly began to move in slow, rhythmic circles. The pressure was neither too light nor too heavy it was just right.
Pei Qingyu whispered near his ear, “Why is your stomach so soft? It’s like a warm, white mantou bun.”
Yu Tingzheng’s cheeks burned, and his stomach instinctively contracted. Pei Qingyu continued, “I’ll rub it for you. If I rub it, the food will digest slowly.”
Pei Qingyu was acting very strange today like a soft, warm, large animal, incredibly clingy. It was a side of him Yu Tingzheng had never seen. He felt curious, fond, and his heart softened; he relaxed his belly and let him rub it.
It wasn’t long before drowsiness washed over him. His breathing grew shallow, and he drifted off to sleep without realizing it.
The hand on his stomach slowed its movements, rubbing gently until it felt like enough. Then, the arm pulled that slender waist close. Its owner buried his face into the nape of Yu Tingzheng’s neck, breathing in his scent before falling into a deep sleep.
Word reached Madam Pei that the Yu family had the audacity to demand money for Yu Tingzheng. While the boys were away at school, she went to the Yu household accompanied by the butler.
Father Yu had left for the town early that morning, leaving only Madam Jiang at home. Seeing the formidable group arrive, she was nearly frightened out of her wits. Her repeated apologies were useless, and eventually, she confessed where the seventy taels had gone.
On his way home from school, Yu Tingzheng overheard the village gossip. It turned out the Yu couple had intended to use the seventy taels to buy property in the city and start a business. Unexpectedly, on their very first trip to town, before the shop deal was even finalized, Father Yu had gotten drunk. In a drunken rage, he had trashed a shop and beaten someone. The seventy taels weren’t even enough to cover the damages.
Now burdened with debt, they had turned their sights back to Yu Tingzheng. Yet, they found that even though he lived with a wealthy family, he didn’t have a single copper on him and stubbornly refused to take anything from the Pei family.
Upon hearing that Yu Tingzheng had been beaten, Pei Qingyu’s face darkened instantly. He turned on his heel and marched toward the Yu family’s house.
“Yu’er!” Yu Tingzheng was about to ask how much debt his parents owed when he saw Pei Qingyu storm off. He frantically chased after him and grabbed his arm. “Yu’er… what are you doing?”
Yu Tingzheng was pale, his eyes wide with fear. “Don’t, don’t hit anyone.”
“I’m not going to hit them.” Pei Qingyu always coughed when he was agitated; he covered his mouth and coughed twice before grabbing Yu Tingzheng’s hand and pulling him forward. “I’m going to teach them a lesson.”
Yu Tingzheng stumbled to keep up, hearing his husband mutter, “They have no sense of propriety. You are no longer part of their family. What right do they have to lay a finger on you?”
The day Father Yu had kicked him, Yu Tingzheng hadn’t thought much of it, as he was used to being hit. But hearing Pei Qingyu wanting to stand up for him, his stomach seemed to throb with a phantom pain. A wave of grievance washed over him, and he confessed that he had been kicked that he hadn’t slept well that entire night because it felt like he was dying of pain. He added that it was only thanks to the medicine the teacher gave him that he made it through.
As he spoke, he noticed Pei Qingyu’s expression turning even colder. He quickly covered his mouth.
It seems I’ve said too much.