Chapter 39: Dare to do but not to listen

The night was silent, the surface of the water shimmering with a silver moonlight reflection, bringing a unique coolness to the windless summer night.

“Where are you taking me?”

Seeing that they had already reached the bridge at the edge of the village, Xu Duoyan caught her breath twice, her clenched hands slick with sweat, as if holding a slippery loach.

“You’re so childish.”

He shook his hand, trying to get Cao Wen to let go.

Just as he raised his hand, a loud splash echoed, and the person beside him suddenly fell into the river, the huge ripples shattering the river’s tranquil moonlight.

“Cao Wen!”

Xu Duoyan’s heart skipped a beat, instinctively reaching out to catch him, but the fall was faster than his movement.

Water splashed everywhere, and the figure who had fallen quickly disappeared beneath the surface, as if plunging into a deep well, leaving only a tail of ripples behind.

As the water calmed again with no sign of Cao Wen, Xu Duoyan’s brow furrowed deeply. He quickly ran around the bridge and down the riverbank.

The moment his toe touched the edge of the river, the waterline rose slightly.

The man who had sunk beneath the water suddenly surfaced, water droplets splashing onto Xu Duoyan’s leg.

Seeing the person suddenly leap from the water with a smile, Xu Duoyan’s expression fell.

He kicked up a big splash toward him: “Are you stupid or what?”

Cao Wen wiped his face, dodging and begging for mercy, “I was wrong, I was wrong.”

When Xu Duoyan stopped moving, he shouted again, “Who told you to let go of my hand?”

“Your hands are like they’ve been washed in oil, how could I not shake them off?”

“Fine, go wash those greasy hands properly, don’t want to be disliked.”

Cao Wen chuckled, crouching down to rub his hands, then suddenly caught Xu Duoyan off guard and flicked a spray of water at him.

Xu Duoyan felt a chill on his body.

“Are you looking for death?”

Just as he was about to retaliate, he saw Cao Wen reaching out his hand.

“Come on down, I’ll let you splash.”

Xu Duoyan hesitated, staring at the rippling water.

Remembering the time in his youth when he nearly drowned trying to avoid wartime chaos, he shook his head lightly.

“No thanks. I’m a bit afraid of water.”

“The water here isn’t deep. I’ll hold onto you tight.”

Cao Wen stood up in the water, the water level just reaching his waist.

Xu Duoyan hesitated, tentatively considering stepping in, but Cao Wen suddenly stepped forward and grabbed his hand.

With a little force, Xu Duoyan was pulled into the water.

The warmth of Cao Wen’s body touching the cool river was refreshing, and Xu Duoyan instinctively tried to pull back, but Cao Wen stretched out his arm and wrapped it around Xu Duoyan’s waist, letting him stand on the top of his feet.

“It’s okay.”

Xu Duoyan took a breath, unable to get back to shore, he pressed closer against Cao Wen.

Even after soaking in the river for a while, Xu Duoyan could still feel the heat radiating from him.

Cao Wen’s arms were strong and solid, as if he could easily lift him out of the water even if a sudden current swept through.

This feeling was like grasping the sturdy roots of a tree deeply anchored in the soil, gently swaying with the waves, calming Xu Duoyan’s heart a little.

“Are there snakes here?”

Xu Duoyan exhaled softly, trying to step off Cao Wen’s feet.

“Don’t be afraid, I swam around a bit just now—no snakes.”

Judging that Xu Duoyan had gotten used to the water temperature, he loosened his hold slightly.

“If there are, I’ll squeeze them for you.”

Xu Duoyan laughed softly.

“You think you’d have time to squeeze?”

“Don’t you trust me?”

The bright moonlight was still radiant, casting a faint, indistinct haze on the ground, making the figures beneath the moon appear particularly soft.

Xu Duoyan looked at the close-by figure smiling with his prominent canine teeth and rested his arm on Cao Wen’s shoulder.

“I can trust you. Then you have to protect me well.”

He leaned against Cao Wen, burying himself in his neck and whispered softly.

Cao Wen tensed, his back stiffening.

The waves seemed like hands, pushing the two closer then gently pulling apart.

In this near and far tension, Cao Wen felt as if Xu Duoyan had kissed him.

The moist touch was as gentle as the river water itself, making it hard for him to tell if it was the water teasing him or if the person in his arms had truly kissed him.

But in an instant, he felt that no matter how cool the water was, it could not extinguish the unbearable itch in his heart.

Cao Wen suddenly tightened his grip, the moonlit river rippling, scattering a river of clear light.

Breath quickened, the warm lips and teeth brushing against each other grew hotter.

How long they lingered in this intimate embrace, no one knew, but Cao Wen finally quelled the itch within.

He nodded, pressing his forehead against the flushed Xu Duoyan’s, who was nearly breathless.

“Are you cold?”

Xu Duoyan lifted his eyes, seeing water droplets sliding down Cao Wen’s cheek to his chin, shining in the moonlight.

His tongue swept across his tingling lips, now too unsteady to stand, he leaned fully against Cao Wen, breathing softly.

“Shall we go ashore?”

“I don’t have any strength left.”

No sooner had he spoken, there was a splash, and Cao Wen scooped Xu Duoyan up from the river in his arms.

Barefoot, he stepped ashore.

“I’ll carry you home.”

Xu Duoyan let his arms hang loosely around Cao Wen’s shoulders.

“Not heavy?”

“Not at all.”

Cao Wen’s heart overflowed; he wished the way back could last forever.

“I definitely won’t let you fall.”

“Well, you’ve carried me quite a bit before, you seem confident.”

“Not really.”

Cao Wen’s brow twitched slightly.

“I’ve carried many who were wounded in battle before. I’m not lying.”

Xu Duoyan raised an eyebrow.

No wonder he always saw a killing intent unlike others in Cao Wen’s eyes.

“So that means you’re really innocent after all.”

Cao Wen laughed.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“You sure know how to flatter.”

Xu Duoyan swung his foot, flicking Cao Wen’s dripping shirt hem and stepped barefoot on his waist.

“You brought me here to the river today because you’ve been bottling this up for a while, haven’t you?”

Cao Wen blinked.

“No, I didn’t! It’s just hot, and I wanted to bring you here to bathe.”

“Really? Then why did you kiss me?”

“…”

“Bite my neck, get all handsy, and even rub…”

Cao Wen’s ears turned as red as boiled shrimp.

He tried to cover Xu Duoyan’s mouth, but with his arms around him, he was afraid if he let go, Xu Duoyan might slip away.

So he lowered his head and sealed his mouth.

Xu Duoyan couldn’t speak; whenever he opened his mouth, he was bitten.

After a while, seeing Xu Duoyan no longer struggled, Cao Wen released him.

“I beg you, can you stop talking?”

Xu Duoyan curled his lips, loving to see Cao Wen so flustered.

“If you dare do it, why be afraid of what people say?”

“I’m not afraid of others talking, just afraid of your mouth.”

Cao Wen was helpless.

“Are you naturally this naughty, or did being mute for so many years make you this way? You can say anything?”

“If I were mute, I’d only say the easy stuff. If I said things like this, I’d need to make a lot of dirty gestures, wouldn’t I?”

Cao Wen felt both heartache and amusement.

He softened his tone.

“Then can you say the easy stuff from now on? I’m embarrassed.”

“We’ll see how you behave. I’ll try.”

After the Cao family moved their business to the afternoon, the mornings before the sun rose were still spent tending the fields—the work on the patch of Qian Tian’s land.

When the sun got higher, they’d return home to prepare ingredients for the afternoon food stall.

Life was much steadier, and before long, more than a month had passed.

“These eaters are picky. Autumn harvest is near, and they’re asking us to use new rice for fried rice.”

Xu Duoyan chopped some pickled radish cubes.

“New rice is sweet and soft, not suitable for fried rice. They don’t know much.”

Lu Lingbi laughed.

“You already know what rice is best for fried rice; that’s rare.”

“Mother, I don’t know how to cook, but I’m not stupid.”

Lu Lingbi’s smile grew warmer.

“Awen said we’ve made some money this month and the business is stable. We can try adding more ingredients. Eating the same thing every day, no matter how good, gets boring.”

“Those few days the stir-fried shredded pork at home was really good.”

Ever since they had the Iron Pot, the variety of stir-fry dishes had increased.

The food was good, and they had become well acquainted with the village’s butcher.

The butcher didn’t rush to take freshly slaughtered pigs to the market but first notified the Cao family to pick their meat.

For business, the family had rendered three large jars of lard ready.

On days with less income, they earned over two hundred wen; on good days, it could reach around five hundred wen.

In just over a month, they’d made more than ten taels, easing their financial strain.

But Xu Duoyan remained cautious.

“Meat dishes are good, but the cost is high. A plate of food costs at least several dozen wen. People eating at a stall want affordable food. With that money, they’d just go to a restaurant.”

“That’s true.”

Lu Lingbi said, “That pig offal, when cleaned thoroughly and stir-fried, tastes great. The other day, Awen bought meat, and the butcher threw in a set of pig intestines as a gift. He stir-fried it with scallions. You held your nose and refused to eat before, but later you enjoyed it more than anyone.”

Xu Duoyan paused his mixing hands, smiling wryly.

“Mother, are you always busy picking on me now?”

“I’m not trying to pick on you. I just want to say pig offal is cheap. A set of pig intestines and pig liver costs just a little. The butcher at the market always half-sells and half-gives it away. It’s good to make dishes that count as half meat, perfect for selling at the stall.”

Xu Duoyan thought it over.

Eating at a stall wasn’t as particular as at a restaurant.

Cao Wen’s pig offal dishes did taste good, but making them needed strong seasonings—lots of Huajiao and a big spoonful of Hot Pepper Paste—so the cost wasn’t necessarily low.

Better than meat dishes, though.

“Let’s wait for Cao Wen to come back and discuss it.”

Xu Duoyan glanced outside.

The sun was nearly beneath the eaves, but Cao Wen hadn’t returned yet.

“Where could he be?”

Lu Lingbi said, “Why not send him a bamboo hat? Don’t want him to get heatstroke.”

“He’s not a child. He knows to come home in rain or heat.”

Though Xu Duoyan said this, he put down his work, about to fetch the hat, when he saw someone returning on the village path carrying a hoe.

“This weather is serious. If it stays like this for another three or four days, the rice in the field will be ready for harvest.”

Cao Wen set the hoe under the eaves, quickly went into the main room, and drank two bowls of cold tea.

“We’ll rest the business for a day to harvest the rice. It’s hot but you’ve been out so long.”

“I wasn’t rushing the work. There’s not that much to do on those two acres. I just went to see what was going on.”

Xu Duoyan frowned.

“What’s happening?”

Cao Wen put down his bowl.

“The new owner of our Caojia’ao has finally shown up. This morning he was calling the Tenant Farmers to prepare for the autumn harvest. It’s lively.”