The Second Young Master’s Obedient Husband : Chapter 41

Sunlight leaked in through the window lattice, printing square by square on the floor.

Su Qingyu had been worn out by Liang Yu again last night, sleeping until the sun was high overhead before waking, his head still a bit fuzzy.

He propped himself up to sit, his body sore and aching, hugging the quilt in a daze, like a kitten that had been petted from head to tail, confused and wronged.

Liang Yu pushed open the door and came in, seeing him like this, his heart softening and amused.

Liang Yu walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, holding a bowl in his hand. Inside was freshly cooked porridge, along with sliced pickled vegetables, salty and fragrant and delicious, still steaming. He scooped up a spoonful, blew on it, and held it to Su Qingyu’s lips.

Su Qingyu opened his mouth and took it, only coming back to himself after being fed half a bowl.

“I’ll do it myself.”

Liang Yu dodged his reaching hand and scooped another spoonful. “Don’t move. I’ll feed you.”

Su Qingyu went still then, letting him feed him spoonful by spoonful until the bowl was empty. After the meal, Liang Yu set the bowl down and reached out to rub Su Qingyu’s head.

“Still hungry?”

Su Qingyu shook his head.

Liang Yu got up and took the bowl out. When he came back in, he was carrying a basin of warm water, wrung out a cloth, and washed Su Qingyu’s body and face.

Su Qingyu kept his eyes lowered, letting him fuss over him, and from time to time kissed the one who was tending to him so carefully.

When he was done, Liang Yu dumped the dirty water, washed his hands, and got back into bed, pulling Su Qingyu into his arms.

Su Qingyu instinctively nuzzled against Liang Yu’s chest, then looked up at him.

“Liang Yu.”

“Mm?”

“Why didn’t you come… in spring?”

Liang Yu paused and said, “Busy. Those things in the mountains, if you miss the season they aren’t worth anything.”

Su Qingyu lowered his eyes and said nothing.

Liang Yu looked at him like this, pressed his cheek against his face. “What, did you miss me?”

Su Qingyu didn’t answer, but the tips of his ears went red.

Liang Yu laughed low, with a bit of pride. He pulled him tighter against his chest, pressed his lips to his forehead, and kissed him.

“I missed you too. Missed you so much I couldn’t sleep at night.”

Su Qingyu lifted his head sharply, smiling sweetly.

Liang Yu looked at those eyes, his heart going completely soft.

He held him and kissed him for a good while longer before letting go.

“I’ll stay a few more days this time. I’ll keep you company properly.”

Su Qingyu nodded, breathing in Liang Yu’s scent, and before long fell asleep again.

When Su Qingyu woke, the room had grown dimmer, and Liang Yu had gone out at some point without him knowing.

Su Qingyu dressed and got out of bed, his legs still a bit weak. He steadied himself by the bed frame for a moment before finding his balance. He pushed open the door and went out; the sunlight in the courtyard was just right, warm and pleasant.

Liang Yu was chopping firewood in the corner of the yard, wearing only a thin short jacket on top, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, showing the smooth, firm muscles of his forearms. The axe came down and the wood split cleanly in half. Hearing the movement, he lifted the axe and looked up.

“Awake?” Liang Yu set down the axe and walked over. “Why didn’t you sleep more?”

“Are you hungry? There’s food warming in the pot.”

Su Qingyu nodded and followed him into the kitchen.

The kitchen was not large, but it was kept clean. There were still embers in the stove, and the food in the pot was still warm. Liang Yu lifted the lid and brought out a bowl of rice, a plate of scrambled eggs with scallions, and stir fried cured pork with chili peppers, glistening with oil and fragrant. Su Qingyu sniffed, and without thinking licked his lips.

Su Qingyu sat on the low stool in front of the stove, took the bowl, and lowered his head to eat. Liang Yu leaned against the stove edge watching him eat, his gaze never moving away.

After eating, Su Qingyu wanted to wash the dishes, but Liang Yu wouldn’t let him, pushing him out of the kitchen. “Go sun yourself outside. I’ll do it.”

Su Qingyu stood in the yard looking at the kitchen door, tugging at his clothes, and obediently carried two small stools to sit in the sun.

The sunlight was warm, making people lazy and relaxed.

Liang Yu came out after washing the dishes, walked up to him, wrapped his arms around his waist from behind, and rested his chin on his shoulder. The embrace was burning hot, carrying the warmth of the kitchen and that familiar scent.

“What are you looking at?”

Su Qingyu leaned back in his arms, looking at the layered mountains in the distance. “Looking at the mountains.”

Liang Yu laughed low, his lips pressing against Su Qingyu’s earlobe, kissing and then taking it into his mouth, his canine teeth slowly grazing.

“What’s so good about mountains. Look at me.”

Su Qingyu’s ears burned up at once. He turned his head to dodge, but didn’t dodge, and was held even tighter instead. Liang Yu spent the day with Su Qingyu, but the mountain game was in peak season, so the next day he had to go out hunting.

When Su Qingyu woke, the space beside him was empty again.

This time he didn’t panic. He lay there stretching, his whole body terribly sore. He lay for a while, then slowly sat up when the feeling passed.

On the small stool by the bed sat a tray, with a bowl of porridge, a plate of pickled vegetables, and a bowl of steamed egg custard on it. The porridge was still steaming, looking like it had been set down not long ago. Under the tray was a slip of paper. Su Qingyu picked it up and looked at it; a few crooked characters were written on it: Eat your food. Dog is in the yard. Back late.

Su Qingyu looked at those words and couldn’t help laughing. Liang Yu’s handwriting was truly awful, like a dog had crawled across it.

He carefully folded the note and put it under the pillow, then picked up the porridge and drank slowly.

After finishing the meal, Su Qingyu put away the dishes and pushed open the door to the room.

Today was good weather, with a warm gentle breeze and bright sun.

Su Qingyu washed up, washed the dishes, drew water from the vat to water the plot behind the house, and only then noticed there was a doghouse behind the courtyard too.

A dog was lying lazily in its kennel, a sturdy hemp rope tied around its neck. It was a very spirited wolf grey, and when it heard movement it alertly lifted its head. Smelling a familiar scent, it didn’t bark, and even wagged its tail at Su Qingyu.

Liang Yu had mentioned it to Su Qingyu yesterday, but at that time Su Qingyu had been all fuzzy headed and hadn’t remembered anything. Perhaps Liang Yu had let the wolf dog get familiar with Su Qingyu’s scent using his belongings, for the wolf dog was very friendly toward Su Qingyu, sticking out its tongue, wagging its tail, making a coaxing whimper in its throat, always wanting to come over and nuzzle Su Qingyu but held back by the rope, pitiful and cute.

Looks a bit silly, Su Qingyu thought.

Coming back to himself, Su Qingyu cautiously walked over, first putting his hand under the dog’s nose to let it smell the familiar scent, then patting the big dog’s head. The big dog licked his hand, its tail wagging even harder.

“Good dog, watch the house.”

The big dog barked twice, as if it understood.