Chapter 33 — He’s Like A Wisp of Moonlight
Edited by DancingDolphinsYo
When Su Yang delivered the New Year goodies, Wu Xingzi was still unable to get out of bed. Last night, he had indulged a little too much, and on top of that, he was still exhausted from their hurried journey. Even other advisers who were a lot more sturdy looking would not have been able to endure this, and so, Wu Xingzi was sleeping as though he was dead.
As such, this was the first time in Su Yang’s life where he saw the strange sight of Guan Shanjin underdressed in a shuhe1, solemnly unloading the items from the carriage along with the servants he had brought along.
Even though Guan Shanjin was able to carry off the simple shuhe with an elegant flair, it was not enough to abate Su Yang’s anger.
He leapt down from the carriage, shaking with anger as he tugged at the hand of his childhood friend. “Guan Haiwang, how did you end up desecrating yourself like this? You’re the Great Southern Garrison General! How can you do this sort of menial jobs? Where’s that old man?”
“He’s still asleep, as he’s extremely tired.”
Su Yang had used a lot of force, and he managed to stop Guan Shanjin from moving. Guan Shanjin did not struggle, only giving the servants some instructions on how to pack away the items before allowing his friend to pull him into the carriage.
“Look at you all sweaty and smelly, dirtying my blanket made from the fur of the Chinese Golden Monkey.” Su Yang grumbled away, pouring a cup of tea and handing it to Guan Shanjin. He then asked disdainfully, “What sort of madness are you coming up with this time? Why did you come to such a horrid place for the New Year?”
“Because I’m happy to do so.” Sipping the tea, a smile could be seen in Guan Shanjin’s eyes, and he unconsciously glanced at that little house outside. The person within should be sleeping very well, seeing how he was completely not disturbed by all this noise.
Su Yang snorted. “Then, have you ever thought about whether Mr. Lu is happy about it or not?” He crossed his legs, placing his elbow on his knee, as he rested his chin on his hand. Looking refined and distinguished, that image of him made Guan Shanjin laugh.
“Why would Mr. Lu be unhappy? He knows about this too. I had informed him once I decided. Laoshi told me to have a good New Year, and to relax.” When he had mentioned this to Mr. Lu, Guan Shanjin was somewhat testing his reaction as well. He knew that Mr. Lu would be getting married after the New Year. Although he could understand Mr. Lu’s thoughts, there was still bitterness in his heart, and he could not help but want to trigger him a little.
“Relax?” Su Yang pursed his lips disapprovingly. “Man Yue has been so busy that he is even fatter than before, right?”
When talking about this round and plump fellow villager, Su Yang’s foxy eyes glimmered with some malice.
“That’s not something you should be concerned about.” Guan Shanjin replied with a light smile. He had never liked Su Yang’s antagonism towards Man Yue. After all, there were differences between relatives and friends, and for him, Man Yue was someone extremely close to him.
Left speechless, Su Yang was fine with not challenging Guan Shanjin with regards to Man Yue. After all, he was not here for him.
A silence fell between the both of them, and Su Yang finally spoke up again. “Say, what sort of plans do you have towards Mr. Lu?”
“I’ll be going back before the 10th day of the New Year. I need to help him manage his wedding affairs properly.” Guan Shanjin did not look at Su Yang, only drinking his tea with his eyes lowered.
“You actually can bear to do that? Don’t tell me you don’t know what sort of thoughts that old Yue Dade is keeping inside him?” Su Yang really could not endure watching this go on any longer. He had always liked beauty, and no matter how much he did not like Mr. Lu, he still preferred him to that old quail inside that shabby hut. When they were together, Guan Shanjin was just like an idiot pecked away by the old quail.
Faced with this interrogation, Guan Shanjin did not have any reaction. He even picked up a rose and pine nuts pastry, eating it.
“Don’t force me to curse the elders!” Guan Shanjin composedly glanced at his friend who was gnashing his teeth, and laughed. “If you want to scold your mother, I can’t stop you too. At most, I’ll just cover up for you and won’t mention to Auntie Su about her unfilial child.”
Su Yang spat silently. What nonsense was Guan Shanjin saying? He ground his teeth in anger, but he was unable to do anything about Guan Shanjin. Who would want to test their own neck against Chenyuan Sword?
“Actually, there’s something that I want to ask you.” Guan Shanjin’s tone had changed, and Su Yang glanced up at him.
“Just ask, but I may not answer.”
“Were you the one spreading the rumours amongst Qingcheng County?” Guan Shanjin did not beat around the bush, just asking him directly.
“So what if I was?” Su Yang too did not deny it, looking just like a fox with his curled lips. “You want to refute the rumours on behalf of the old man? I’ll just lay everything on the ground right now. Those rumours consist of nothing but the truth, and there’s not a single bit of exaggeration to them. Is Mr. Lu not the one in your heart?”
As for the exaggeration that occurred after the rumours spread amongst the villagers, that was not something the source of the rumours had to be responsible for, right?
Having gained the answer, Guan Shanjin’s brows knitted slightly. His fingers, looking like they were carved from jade, toyed with the teacup on the table. The teacup rolled about the table, and Su Yang was frustrated looking at it.
“Why?”
“Who asked you to spread such gossip?” Guan Shanjin shot his friend an icy look. Even though Su Yang was well aware of his character, he could not help but shudder. The only thing he could do was to control the expression on his face, but he could not help but avert his eyes.
“I just don’t like that old fellow, why? You’re not even going to let me feel sick about him?”
“He’s the only thing you’re feeling sick about?” Guan Shanjin laughed.
The teacup Guan Shanjin was playing with shattered, almost turning into dust. Su Yang’s brows creased, and he swore lowly.
“Su Yang, we’ve already known each other for twenty years. Would I not know what sort of person you are? At the same time, you should also know very well what sort of person I am.” Lightly patting away the dust on his hand, Guan Shanjin looked gentle and elegant, even carrying a trace of warmth similar to that of a spring breeze. Smiling, he looked at his friend. “I can understand that you don’t like Wu Xingzi, but it’s out of the ordinary for you to be so preoccupied with this ugly fellow that you don’t like. According to how you normally conduct yourself, Wu Xingzi is only a grain of dust to you. With the amount of time you take to blow him off your fingers, you’d have forgotten all about it. How would you have the extra time to feel sick about him?”
“What do you want to ask? Just ask it directly.” Su Yang, too, was an intelligent person. The best method for facing Guan Shanjin was to avoid being confuddled. When this person decided to become heartless, he could be very inhumane, and he was only a fool for Mr. Lu.
“Was it Man Yue who wanted you to spread the rumours, or was it… Hua Shu?”
“You already know the answer.” Su Yang laughed when he heard Hua Shu’s name. Patting his knee, he laughed uproariously. “You actually said this name out loud.”
Compared to Su Yang’s guffaws, Guan Shanjin was expressionless. He naturally had his own guesses. The rumours he heard yesterday were too close to the truth, too pointed and specific, and he kept worrying that if Wu Xingzi heard them, he would discover his selfish motives. He would not be bothered if the old fellow would be sad and upset, but he felt that this old thing would most likely be delighted instead, only using his pengornis with relief and waiting for the day when he would lose favour.
He was unable to vent the sulky feeling he had within him, and so, he could not stop himself from questioning Su Yang about the rumours.
After gaining an answer, he did not feel any better. Instead, he felt even more frustrated. He knew that if the rumours had been instigated by Man Yue, they would not have been so crude. Su Yang would also not have done such things for Man Yue, no matter how much he wanted to disgust him. However, if it was Hua Shu, Su Yang might have done it to relieve his boredom.
Still, Hua Shu was only Mr. Lu’s servant. Despite his frequent little sneaky petty tricks, this was a matter that had to do with leaking the private matters of the General’s household. The punishment for this, if severe, would be death by caning. Did he have the guts to do something like this? Guan Shanjin naturally did not believe so.
Which also meant that this entire situation… He rubbed his temples, decisively resolving not to think about it anymore. He knew how noble and unsullied a person Mr. Lu was.
That year when he had returned to the capital from the northwest, he kept feeling like an outsider, and was completely out of sync with the prosperity and the luxury of the capital. After all, ever since he was 12 years old, for full eight years, he had been living in the northwest, that cold and desolate place that seemed as though it was stained by blood. The line between life and death had been blurred for him. During their most terrible times, they even brought the bodies of their enemies back as food.
The world in his eyes was no longer that pure and beautiful like how it was when he left. He used to be like a treasured bird in a golden cage, free from worries, arrogant and willful. The peaceful days now left him in a state of anxiety. Although it could not be seen from his face, it was actually as though he had never left the northwest, and his soul had long been trapped in that smoke-filled, disgusting place.
As such, he had lived his days unrestrained for a period of time. Not only was he absorbed in drinking and making merry, he even caused many troubles in the capital. Many courtiers and imperial officials of the court had complained bitterly.
During that year’s Spring Lantern Festival, Guan Shanjin brought along a servant with him, meandering down the riverside to admire the lanterns. Unexpectedly, an elegant figure in white captured his attention. Ignoring the alarmed shouts of his guards, he chased after that shadow. Finally, under a plum tree, he found Mr. Lu quietly admiring a revolving lantern2 with a raised head.
With a glance, it felt as though all the colours in the world had faded away.
The only thing left was that white colour of the snow lotus, and like the clear morning dew, drop by drop, his recent reckless and frustrated heart was nourished.
Probably having sensed his gaze, Mr. Lu turned around, seeming to recognise him very quickly. The corner of his mouth curved up, and he softly called out, “Haiwang.”
It was only that moment when Guan Shanjin finally felt like he had returned home. He was no longer an outsider, no longer in that environment where he would have to kill once he opened his eyes. The atmosphere was gentle and warm, and not a bit of the stench of blood and dust could be smelled. He was the son of the Protector General, and not a sharp blade slicing through people.
Towards his military life, Guan Shanjin had no dissatisfaction about it. He was aware that with his character, he took to the circumstances like a duck to water. Still, no matter how resolute and ruthless he was, he too needed a breather.
Mr. Lu had barely changed from his memory of the first time that they met when he was seven. He was still gentle and elegant, benign and open-hearted. Just like a ray of pure moonlight, it quietly shone upon his heart. Although it was not as bright and scorching as sunlight, it still lit a way through the darkness, extremely gentle, and extremely comforting.
Out of all the suspects, Guan Shanjin would never suspect Mr. Lu.
Su Yang again poured him another cup of tea. Not bringing alcohol along with him was truly a blunder.
Silently finishing the entire cup in a mouthful, Guan Shanjin’s expression too returned to normal. With a hint of a smile, he looked at Su Yang. “Next time, if I were to find out again that you tried such underhanded methods towards Wu Xingzi, don’t blame me for greeting you with Chenyuan Sword.”
“You’re really treating this old man so preciously?” Su Yang felt as thought the world was about to collapse. Was Guan Shanjin’s concern towards a plaything not going a little too overboard?
“To treat him preciously or not, that’s something for me to handle. But you know that I hate it when people try to overreach, touching things that they aren’t supposed to. They deserve to get that hand loped away.” Guan Shanjin patted Su Yang’s shoulder. Although he did it gently, Su Yang’s hair still stood on end. Chills ran through his body, and his face paled.
“You’ve basically gone blind!” Indignantly, Su Yang cursed at him, but he did not dare to really go against him. In the end, even though he did not like this ugly little Adviser Wu, why would he concern himself with the advancement of an ant? He was still well aware of what was more important.
It was just that he had never expected Guan Shanjin to really like him.
“When I started treating you like a good friend, I had already gone blind. Be good, don’t be jealous over something small like this.” Guan Shanjin patted Su Yang’s shoulder again, then jumped off the carriage. He had heard some movement in the bedroom, and naturally he no longer had the heart to continue chatting with his friend any longer.
The New Year goodies had already been fully unloaded, and had all been stored away neatly inside the house. Only the items that were supposed to be stored in the bedroom were still left outside, and they could only carry them inside when Wu Xingzi was awake.
Guan Shanjin pushed open the door to the bedroom, and happened across Wu Xingzi who looked blank and bleary, still yet to be fully awake. His fair and slender legs were exposed, and he was sitting by the bed, staring outside at the carriage that was by chance just outside his window.
This soft and cuddly image made Guan Shanjin’s heart melt, and he walked forward to pull Wu Xingzi into his arms, kissing him.
“Did you sleep well?”
“Huh? Oh…” Wu Xingzi blinked, his cheeks flushing red. Nodding with a little embarrassment, it was evident that he was recalling the unbridled things that they had done the night before.
His body was still aching, and his hole felt a little overused. It felt as though something was still inside him, and he could vaguely feel it dripping. This made him a little uncomfortable, but he did not dare to reach out and feel it.
“Su Yang has delivered the New Year goodies. There’s a new set of bedclothes, would you like to use it now? Or do you want to change it later just before we sleep?” Pulling Wu Xingzi onto his lap, Guan Shanjin wrapped his arms around him and rested his chin on his shoulder, smiling.
Warm breath hit his sensitive ear. Wu Xingzi unconsciously hunched over, and his ears suffused with red.
“W-we’ll change it later…” Wu Xingzi covered his ears, stammering. “Don’t hug me. We’re in broad daylight, and there are still people outside.”
Adviser Wu had always been thin-skinned. When he was alone with Guan Shanjin, there were many things that he dared to do. However, as long as there was even one outsider, he would be very timid.
“Su Yang will be leaving soon, don’t be bothered about him.” How could Guan Shanjin be willing to let him go so easily? He deliberately tightened his arms, and even nibbled on that glowing red earlobe. Seeing the man in his arms almost hunching into a ball, he could not help but laugh lowly.
“Come, just ignore Su Yang. Let’s talk about what we’ll be doing this New Year. Tomorrow will be New Year’s Eve, will you be pasting any spring couplets on the windows? How many dumplings should we make? Do you prefer the ones with the pork and cabbage filling, or those with eggs and radish? The ones with bamboo shoots and mutton sound good too.”
“Dumplings? Why are we eating dumplings?” Wu Xingzi looked confused.
“Don’t you eat dumplings during the New Year?” Although Guan Shanjin had lived in Bastion City for around five years, his close soldiers and guards near him were all northern people, and so, they all still had dumplings for the New Year.
“Do you eat dumplings for the New Year?” Wu Xingzi blinked. “I eat tangyuan for the New Year, together with prosperity cake.” He licked his lips as he spoke, revealing a greedy look.
“Sure, we’ll go along with you this year. You can teach me how to prepare the New Year dishes, and we’ll do them together.” Guan Shanjin’s heart tightened upon seeing that pink and delicate little tongue. Unable to stop himself, he lowered his head and captured it with his lips. Kissing for quite some time without a pause, he only stopped when the man in his arms struggled slightly for air.
Giving him an aggrieved glare, Wu Xingzi counted the New Year dishes on his hand. To be honest, time was a little too rushed. Fortunately, he also did not require a long, extensive list. With a large pot of tangyuan, a few prosperity cakes, fried fish, braised chicken and some stir-fried mustard leaves, there seemed to be enough.
It was just that making offerings for his ancestors would be more hurried, and they would need to go to the cemetery today.
Luckily, Guan Shanjin was very reliable. He had already gotten Su Yang to prepare some simple offerings, and the candles, joss sticks and joss papers were all there.
With their heads together, they discussed their schedule so as to prevent wasting any time.
Fifteen minutes later, they finally arranged everything. Guan Shanjin patted Wu Xingzi’s plump buttocks, laughing, “Aren’t you going to quickly wash up and get dressed? If you end up getting me hard again, it’ll be nice to spend this New Year in bed too.”
Wu Xingzi gulped upon hearing that. With a reddened face, he got off Guan Shanjin’s lap, shooting him a resentful look, but did not dare to say anything.