The Second Young Master’s Obedient Husband : Chapter 17

They had been too busy working at midday to eat lunch, so dinner was taken early. The meal was cooked by Liang Yu: a pot of mixed grain porridge, stewed meat, and a stir-fried Chinese cabbage.

Su Qingyu wanted to help, but Liang Yu pressed him down onto a cushioned stool, so he had no choice but to sit and watch. The firelight from the stove reflected on that busy figure, broad shoulders and narrow waist, forearms rolled up at the sleeves, lean and strong, chopping vegetables with swift motions, the spatula clanging against the iron wok as he stir-fried.

After the meal, Liang Yu went to the kitchen to heat a large pot of water and carried it to the small warm room next door. The warm room was not large, built against the wall of the inner room, its windows shut tight. Inside stood a half-person-high bathing tub. A section of the stove fire was channeled in from outside, making the room warm and toasty.

Liang Yu poured the hot water into the tub, added cold water, reached in to test the temperature, then turned to look at Su Qingyu standing in the doorway.

“You wash first.”

Su Qingyu was taken aback: “Second Brother Liang should go first…”

“Wash when I tell you to wash.” Liang Yu walked over and handed him a set of new undergarments, even the smallclothes were new, and the size was right. “Wear these when you’re done.”

Liang Yu rubbed Su Qingyu’s head, then took a padded coat from the cabinet, indigo blue fabric, thick and soft, also new, also in Su Qingyu’s size. Liang Yu draped the coat over Su Qingyu’s shoulders, kissed him, and left the warm room to attend to something else.

Su Qingyu removed his clothes and stepped into the tub. The hot water covered his body. That place was still somewhat sore and swollen, but soaking in the hot water eased it considerably.

Su Qingyu leaned against the tub wall, closed his eyes, his mind a jumble of thoughts. Remembering the day’s events, his face flushed in waves.

Su Qingyu soaked for quite a while, washing all the dirt from his body clean, before slowly drying himself and putting on the clothes. The fabric was good quality fine cotton cloth, fitting him perfectly.

Su Qingyu felt comfortable wearing them, then suddenly realized why the size was so right. He bit his lip and silently blushed again, his whole body warm and cozy, as if being held by that man.

Su Qingyu came out of the warm room just as Liang Yu entered the kitchen. Seeing the soft, warm, and fragrant person before him, he embraced and kissed him. “I had Shuanzi deliver word to your mother, telling her the cloth shop gave you a big commission, there’s a lot of work, so you’ll stay in town for the night and return tomorrow.”

Su Qingyu nodded.

Liang Yu withdrew his hands and began removing his clothes. Su Qingyu was startled, his face reddening, and lowered his head, but he heard Liang Yu say: “Help me add some hot water, the water in the tub has gone cold.”

Su Qingyu gave an “oh” and got up to fetch the hot water.

Liang Yu stepped into the tub, the hot water covering his body, and let out a comfortable sigh. He closed his eyes, leaned back, and let the steam rise around him.

Su Qingyu left the warm room, wanting to close the door, but Liang Yu wouldn’t let him, saying he wanted to watch him. Su Qingyu opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but closed it again. He took a small basin and sat on a small stool before the stove, keeping watch at the fire while scrubbing the soiled clothes of the two of them.

Liang Yu had thrown all the dirty clothes into a basket, and Su Qingyu washed them all. Feeling the gaze behind him, Su Qingyu emptied his mind, only lowering his head to scrub the clothes. When he came back to himself, he realized he had even finished scrubbing Liang Yu’s underdrawers.

Before Su Qingyu could even feel shy about it, his hands fished out a very familiar garment, wrinkled and crumpled, some places stiffened into hard lumps, the color somewhat faded from many washings. Su Qingyu examined it for a moment before recognizing it as his own smallclothes that had been taken from him, and those hard lumps were… Su Qingyu turned completely red again.

Liang Yu leaned in the bathing tub, watching that profile from afar for quite a while.

Su Qingyu threw that garment away as if it burned his hands, turned his head, met those eyes, glared at the man in anger, then lowered his head again.

Liang Yu raised an eyebrow at being glared at, understood something from his movements, let out a low laugh, and closed his eyes again.

Su Qingyu finished washing the clothes and hung them on the rack to dry. Liang Yu finished his bath, put on his middle garments, dumped out the dirty water, and with an arm around Su Qingyu’s waist, led him back to the inner room.

The wooden door shut out the cold wind. Two charcoal braziers burned in the room, making it warm and cozy. Liang Yu rubbed his hair dry with a towel and then grew too lazy to bother with it further. He took out a piece of hide and several tools from the cabinet, sat at the table, and began tanning it.

Su Qingyu sat on the edge of the kang, watching Liang Yu work. Those hands rubbed back and forth on the hide, the movements practiced and strong. The oil lamp illuminated that sharply defined face, eyebrows and eyes focused, not as casual as usual. Su Qingyu watched, and unconsciously became somewhat entranced.

Liang Yu sensed that Su Qingyu’s gaze had not moved, raised his head, and their eyes met.

Su Qingyu’s face flushed, and he said softly: “Second Brother Liang, your hair is still wet.”

“It’s fine, it’ll dry in a moment.”

Su Qingyu got down from the kang, took a dry cloth from the rack, and walked behind Liang Yu. Hesitating for a moment, he said: “Shall I help Second Brother Liang dry it?”

Liang Yu turned to look at him and nodded.

Su Qingyu stood behind him, wrapped the cloth around that wet hair, and gently rubbed. The hair was black, coarse, and stiff, somewhat rough to the touch.

Liang Yu sat there, head lowered at his work, letting those soft hands move about his head. The corners of his lips unconsciously curved upward, which on that stern face looked somewhat foolish.

Su Qingyu finished drying the hair, put the cloth away, and climbed onto the kang. He took out the old padded coat and unstitched it; the cotton inside had clumped, but it was still usable. Then from the sewing basket Liang Yu had brought over, he found a piece of coarse cloth and cut it open. His ink-black hair fell loose behind him, a few stray strands hanging down, making his face seem even smaller, pink cheeks and fair skin, his body giving off a soft, warm fragrance.

The room was quiet, only the sound of Liang Yu tanning the hide and the faint rustle of Su Qingyu’s needle and thread.

Liang Yu occasionally raised his head to glance at the person on the kang. The soft, obedient little figure bent over his sewing looked very well-behaved, very quiet, like a little civet cat curled up there.

He would look a few times, then lower his head again and continue tanning the hide.

No one spoke, yet it did not feel dull; there was only a warm softness in the depths of the heart.

Some time passed, and Su Qingyu finished sewing the padded cushion. He folded it and placed it in the corner of the kang, then looked toward the person at the table.

Liang Yu hung the tanned hide on the wall, walked over, embraced Su Qingyu, and the two of them fell together onto the soft bedding. He kissed Su Qingyu for a while longer before extinguishing the oil lamp, holding him close and pulling up the quilt.

Feeling the warmth and softness in his arms, a sudden softness arose in Liang Yu’s heart. He held him tighter, rested his chin on the top of Su Qingyu’s head, and closed his eyes.

This deal, he had truly struck it rich.

No matter how much of those things he gave, they could not buy such a soft and obedient little person.