“Who is it?”
A woman wearing a long robe peeked out from a crack in the courtyard door and asked.
“Who are you…?” The woman clutched the edge of the door, looking at them warily.
Lin Yue said, “Madam, I am Lin Yue, working as a laborer at the Ding family. I’m here to see Master Yue.” The old craftsman was surnamed Yue, and everyone called him Master Yue.
The woman seemed to have heard of Lin Yue. She opened the courtyard door completely and said, “Come in. The old man is at home. He was just telling me that since it’s raining today and there’s no work, Brother Lin would come to see him about renting a house. And here you are with your wife, what a coincidence.”
She laughed as she spoke, opened the oil-paper umbrella in her hand, and led them to the main room.
In the main room, there was a table for dining. Master Yue sat in front of it, with two small dishes, drinking yellow wine. Seeing Lin Yue, he said, “Come, drink with me.”
Lin Yue took off his raincoat and bamboo hat, shook off most of the water, placed them at the entrance, and then took the oil-paper umbrella from Gu Jun’s hand, put it away, and finally came to the table, sat down, sniffed the wine, and smiled, “Smells good.”
Master Yue said, “Twenty wen, good wine!”
Lin Yue said, “Unfortunately, I can’t hold my liquor well. If I drink, I can’t work. Otherwise, I’d definitely have two bowls.”
Master Yue laughed, pointed at him, and shook his head, “After this bowl, we’ll head out.”
Lin Yue said, “No rush, we have the whole day.” He picked up the wine pot and poured wine into the bowl beside Master Yue’s hand.
Gu Jun and the woman sat on the corridor. The woman was embroidering with a handkerchief and took out some sunflower seeds, offering them to Gu Jun.
The taste wasn’t as good as the Feng family’s sunflower seeds.
The woman mentioned better sunflower seeds, and Gu Jun took out the Feng family’s sunflower seeds hidden in his sleeve and placed them on the table.
Yesterday, he got some autumn pears and sunflower seeds from the Feng family. Lin Yue didn’t eat them, so Gu Jun only finished the pears, leaving the sunflower seeds in his book box.
When they set out this morning, he grabbed a handful, ate a few on the way, and wrapped the remaining seeds in a leaf, putting them in his sleeve.
The woman laughed immediately, picked up a Feng family sunflower seed, cracked it, and praised, “Good ones are indeed different, fragrant and crispy, with a hint of sweetness.”
Gu Jun pushed all the sunflower seeds over and said, “Have more if you like.”
While they drank and chatted on one side, the two of them cracked sunflower seeds on the other, marveling at how different wealthy families were. The woman praised, then glanced at Lin Yue, leaned towards Gu Jun, and whispered, “Your husband is really handsome.”
Gu Jun hadn’t realized the trap in that sentence and agreed.
The woman said, “I heard handsome men aren’t good in bed, is that true?”
Gu Jun: “…”
Gu Jun awkwardly smiled and said, “I don’t know. We haven’t been married long, and we’re not familiar with each other yet, so we haven’t done that.”
The woman looked at them in surprise and said, “Don’t wait too long. It’s better to have a child early.” She shared her own bedroom experiences, making Gu Jun blush and repeatedly say, “Stop it.”
“What’s the big deal?” The woman laughed, “It’s bound to happen sooner or later.” She pulled Gu Jun closer and spoke in detail.
Gu Jun covered his ears with both hands. Seeing Lin Yue and Master Yue coming out, he quickly got up, hid beside Lin Yue, and said to the woman, “We’re leaving, let’s chat another time.”
His eagerness to escape was quite amusing, and the woman couldn’t stop laughing. Unaware of the situation, Master Yue said, “If you get along, come often.”
Gu Jun patted his flushed cheeks and mumbled a response.
Lin Yue looked down at him.
After leaving the Yue family, Master Yue held an umbrella and walked ahead, while Lin Yue and Gu Jun shared an umbrella, walking behind.
The rain had lessened a bit. With the two of them sharing an umbrella and standing close, neither would get wet.
“What were you talking about with that woman?”
Gu Jun was cooling his face with rainwater when Lin Yue’s voice suddenly came from above.
He didn’t want to tell Lin Yue the truth, so he mumbled, “Just some women’s stuff, nothing you need to know.”
Lin Yue pinched his wet cheek, his middle and ring fingers almost brushing his lips, “Like whether things are harmonious in bed.”
Gu Jun: “How did you know? Were you eavesdropping?”
Lin Yue: “No, you’re just easy to read.”
Gu Jun: “…” Gu Jun thought, if I were that easy to read, you wouldn’t be my husband.
Gu Jun chuckled to himself, his hair, neither long nor short, was ruffled by the other.
.
Stepping through the rain, after several turns, Master Yue led them to a riverside place.
There were more people here than elsewhere. They entered a large courtyard, and the owner came out to greet them. After Master Yue explained their purpose, the owner showed them the room.
It was a west wing room, at least not divided into two small rooms. Perhaps because if it were divided, it wouldn’t be big enough to fit the necessary furniture.
Opening the door, a faint smell of dust wafted out.
The owner said, “You can fetch water and clean it yourself. There’s a well in the courtyard, but the water isn’t good for drinking. If you go out, turn left all the way, then right, there’s a well where everyone gets their drinking water.
“The room is fully furnished with a table, stools, bedding, a water jar, a basin stand, a wooden basin, a wooden bucket, a wardrobe… Also, the previous tenant left two small bamboo baskets, which you can use for storing scraps and needles. Not bad, right? You’re recommended by Old Yue, so I won’t cheat you.”
Gu Jun thought of the rental traps he’d read about online, so he didn’t speak, carefully inspecting every corner of the room. There were no issues, except for the thick dust.
Afterward, Lin Yue also took a look.
The owner then showed them the shared kitchen and other facilities. Though a bit messy, they were clean.
Both Gu Jun and Lin Yue were satisfied.
Master Yue asked, “How much is the rent and deposit? The young couple is struggling, so give them a discount. If their burden is lighter, they can stay longer, saving you the trouble of constantly finding new tenants.”
The owner sighed, “It’s not that I don’t want to be cheaper, but my whole family relies on this for food. A few wen more or less means the difference between thin and thick porridge.”
Master Yue shook his head with a smile.
The owner said, “But since you asked.” He agreed to reduce the rent by one wen, “But I can’t reduce the deposit. The furniture here is expensive. If you damage it and run off, what then?”
Master Yue said, “That’s reasonable. Lin Yue, what do you think?”
Lin Yue was standing by the window, looking outside. Hearing this, he said, “Instead of waiving that wen, can we have that big water jar in the corner of the courtyard?”
The owner said, “That big water jar is broken, with many cracks at the bottom. It’s useless to you.”
Lin Yue said, “I’ll fill it with soil to grow some green onions, ginger, and garlic. The jar will stay in the corner of the courtyard.”
The owner thought for a moment and said, “Alright.”
With that settled, Gu Jun, who had been listening intently, immediately began to imagine the scene of green onions, ginger, and garlic sprouting. It was so delightful that he couldn’t tell north from south, and he checked his pockets, ready to buy those seeds.
With this agreement, they didn’t rush to pay. Master Yue took them to a few more places to confirm this was the best option. Then they found the owner, agreed to rent for half a year, signed a contract, and paid.
The rent was fifty-six wen, and the deposit was two months’ rent, totaling one hundred sixty-eight wen.
Gu Jun calculated how many pancakes one hundred sixty-eight wen could buy and felt a pang of heartache. He squeezed beside Lin Yue, looked at the contract, and felt a sense of relief.
The contract was simple, with few words, even he could understand it.
Lin Yue put away the contract.
The owner handed him the key and left, along with Master Yue, saying they were going to get some wine.
Lin Yue told Gu Jun, “Tomorrow afternoon, go to the liquor store across the alley and buy a pot of wine. Master Yue has helped us a lot, a pot of wine is a fitting thank you.”
Gu Jun agreed. Then he remembered the woman trafficker. Things had been calm these days, and he was sure she wouldn’t stand up for Zhao Shuilai.
But he wasn’t sure if she would come after him later. After all, he knew her identity as a trafficker.
Logically, she wouldn’t come after him. She’d avoid him, so why would she come after him?
Just in case, Gu Jun decided not to go to secluded places and to inform Lin Yue about it.
He was willing to buy the wine. These days, he listened to Lin Yue, staying obediently with the kids under the big tree at the alley entrance, almost turning into a salted fish, exuding a pickled smell.
He couldn’t stand it anymore.
Lin Yue said, “Even if you go to busy places, don’t let your guard down. Later, I’ll give you a small wooden knife for self-defense. As for that woman trafficker, I’ll find a way to deal with her.”
Gu Jun’s eyelid twitched, looking outside the courtyard. The rain was misty, and there was no one in sight. Listening closely, besides the rain, there were sounds from other tenants in the rental rooms.
Gu Jun leaned closer to Lin Yue and whispered, “Are you planning to get rid of her?”
The rain intensified, like a white curtain. The violent sound of the rain not only drowned out the other tenants’ voices but also his own.
Lin Yue didn’t hear what he said, looking at him in confusion.
Gu Jun stepped back a bit and made a throat-slitting gesture.
Lin Yue laughed so hard his shoulders shook, bending over, his lips close to Gu Jun’s ear, “That’s the government’s job. We should avoid getting blood on our hands if we can. Is that a good thing? It’s filthy.”
As he spoke, his warm breath sprayed all over Gu Jun’s ear, like a snake crawling out of a damp, hot pile of rotten grass.
More than the embarrassment of saying the wrong thing, the discomfort came first.
Gu Jun pulled away, rubbed his ear, and said, “I understand.”
.
Gu Jun held an umbrella while Lin Yue carried a wooden bucket. They went to the courtyard to fetch water.
Clear water was poured from the bucket into the basin. They used a piece of cloth borrowed from a neighboring tenant to wipe the dust. By the time everything was cleaned, it was already afternoon.
Lin Yue carried a bucket of dirty water out.
Gu Jun took off his shoes, washed his feet, and stood on the bed, tidying up the bedding.
The owner returned with wine and brought them the bedding.
The bedding was well-kept, without any smell, but it was very old, with several patches.
After tidying up, Gu Jun lay on the bed and let out a long breath.
“So comfortable.”
He couldn’t help but roll around. His ill-fitting clothes twisted into a bundle, tightly wrapping him, revealing his beautiful, smooth body lines.
When Lin Yue returned, he happened to see this scene. He paused, put down the bucket, walked to the bed, and reached out his hand.
Gu Jun caught sight of his hand from the corner of his eye, startled, and looked down to see his pants fabric pulled tight, vaguely showing that area. A chill suddenly rushed down from his head.
He flopped like a fish, curling up.
“Why didn’t you make a sound when you came in? Like a ghost,” Gu Jun blurted out.
Lin Yue’s hand fell short, his gaze darkened. He sat on the edge of the bed, looking down at Gu Jun.
“You’re acting strange.”
Gu Jun buried his face in the pillow, inhaling a big whiff of the buckwheat husk smell, heart pounding, “Wha… what’s strange?”
Lin Yue said, “You’re avoiding my touch.”
So that’s what it was. Gu Jun thought it was about his gender being discovered. Gu Jun turned his head towards Lin Yue and whispered, “No.”
Lin Yue didn’t respond.
Gu Jun tugged at his clothes, restoring them to their original state, then dared to sit up. He slowly leaned towards Lin Yue, finally sitting beside him, legs crossed, “Husband, I really wasn’t. You came in so quietly, you startled me.”
Lin Yue’s voice was flat, “Really?”
Gu Jun nodded earnestly, sneaking a few glances at him. Seeing his cold expression, he grabbed his arm, braced himself, and leaned closer.
Their noses lightly touched, and he slightly tilted his head, their lips almost meeting.
Lin Yue stopped him, “No need to force it.”
“I’m not…”
Lin Yue stepped back a bit and stood up. “Give me the pawn ticket for your clothes.”
Gu Jun took out the pawn ticket from his pocket.
Lin Yue said, “I’ll go buy dinner and redeem your clothes. You stay in, it’s getting dark, and it’s raining, easy to slip.”
Gu Jun wanted to explain further, but Lin Yue didn’t give him the chance. After saying what he needed, he left.
Gu Jun couldn’t stop him, feeling a bit frustrated. He rolled around on the bed a few more times. Afterward, he realized a more serious issue—there was only one bed!
He had to sleep with Lin Yue.
And sleep together without outerwear. Now that they had bedding, not taking off their outerwear would be odd.
This wasn’t a big deal since he was a man, but the problem was, he was a man.
Gu Jun propped his face, looking troubled.
.
Raindrops rolled off the old, plain umbrella surface. Lin Yue walked over the muddy ground, first going to the pawnshop to redeem Gu Jun’s clothes, then to the noodle shop, ordering two bowls of shredded meat noodles. The shopkeeper took a deposit and lent him a bamboo food box to carry home.
On the way, he encountered a vendor selling jujube cakes and spent four wen to buy two.
Not big, about the size of a child’s fist, just two or three for an adult.
“Jujube cakes, little ladies, little kids, all love them. Young man, you can’t go wrong buying these!”
The vendor said, wrapping the jujube cakes tightly in reed leaves and placing them in the food box.
Lin Yue thanked the vendor and stopped by a small shop diagonally across from home to buy a ceramic oil lamp and a small pot of bean oil.
As for other necessities, he’d make a list tonight and take half a day off tomorrow afternoon to buy them with Gu Jun after seeing the doctor.
As he approached the courtyard, he noticed a man in a raincoat and bamboo hat standing in front.
Lin Yue stopped, and sure enough, the man approached him.
“Brother Lin, our master invites you,” the man said.
Lin Yue asked, “Head Warden Feng?”
The man nodded.
Lin Yue asked, “What’s it about?”
The man replied, “I don’t know.”
Lin Yue said, “Wait a moment.” He opened the courtyard door and returned to the west wing. Gu Jun stood at the door, peering out. Seeing him return, he ran over as soon as Lin Yue stepped onto the corridor, reaching out to take the items.
Lin Yue handed them over, “You eat first. I have to go out. Head Warden Feng is looking for me.”
“This late…”
Lin Yue said, “They sent someone to the door. I have to go. Lock the door and don’t open it casually.”
Gu Jun agreed.
Lin Yue turned to leave. The rain tapped on the umbrella, a crisp sound. After a few steps, his sleeve was tugged. Looking back, it was Gu Jun.
By now, it was completely dark, visibility was low, a misty gray. The lights from the two rental rooms on the left side of the courtyard were on, their faint light piercing through the rain, casting long shadows on the two of them.
Gu Jun stood on tiptoe and planted a kiss on his lips. “I really wasn’t unwilling, husband, it was an accident.”
Lin Yue looked down at him.
Gu Jun said, “Husband…”
The young man pinched his chin, rubbed it twice, and lowered his head. The oil-paper umbrella tilted to the left, blocking the light from the left, plunging them into darkness.
Gu Jun felt his lips being bitten.