Chapter 456: Day 21 into the Farming Story

Chapter 456: Day 21 in a Farming Story

And so, dinner was served at the small stone table in the front courtyard.

Simple rice, accompanied by a plate of cold shredded chicken, two plates of stir-fried meat, a plate of sautéed seasonal vegetables, a plate of pickled cucumbers, and some osmanthus cakes.

All were simple, home-style flavors, but in the cooling autumn evening breeze, beneath the tree, sitting across from the person who made his heart secretly flutter, it felt especially warm and cozy.

Di Qingji ate with great relish—partly because of the physical exertion, and partly because of how he felt.

His mind felt hazy, as if drenched in honey.

By the time the sky had fully darkened and stars began to twinkle across the sky, Di Qingji knew he had to leave.

If he stayed any longer, he feared he might lose control and do something even more inappropriate, or say something he shouldn't.

Strange—why would he have such thoughts?

Di Qingji dared not dwell on it further.

An Yi walked him to the courtyard gate.

The cool autumn night breeze dispelled the warmth of the day and cleared his head a little.

"Thank you for today," An Yi said, standing inside the gate, his handsome features silhouetted by the moonlight and the warm yellow glow spilling from the house, his voice sounding even clearer in the night air. "The flower bed, and the seeds."

"No need to thank me." Di Qingji quickly waved his hand, trying to make his smile look as hearty as usual. "We're... friends, right? Helping out is only natural. Besides, I barely did anything."

He paused at the threshold, hesitated for a moment, then spoke again, as if trying to arrange their next meeting: "An Yi, in a few days... I might have to go on a short escort job, down south. If the trip goes smoothly, I should be back in about five or six days. When I get back... can I come find you?"

He said those last few words very softly, his eyes glinting with nervousness in the moonlight.

An Yi stood at the edge of light and shadow just inside the gate, quietly watching him for a moment.

Moonlight fell on his long lashes, dusting them with silver. Then he nodded, replying simply as always: "Alright."

Di Qingji couldn't hold back his smile anymore. "Definitely! I... I'm off now. You—you should get some rest too!"

As if afraid that staying any longer would make him get carried away, he quickly turned and strode toward the entrance to the alley.

After a few steps, he couldn't help looking back, waving hard with a huge grin.

An Yi raised his hand a little in acknowledgment, watching until his figure vanished into the dark at the alley's bend. Only then did he look away, turn back into the courtyard, and gently close the door.

The courtyard fell silent again, with only moonlight blanketing the ground.

An Yi returned to his room. In the clear moonlight streaming in from outside, he picked up the jade pieces Di Qingji had brought and turned them over in his palm.

The stones were cool to the touch, with natural grain, giving off a soft luster in the moonlight.

He handled them for a moment, then picked out a pale green one, walked to the window, and placed it on the inner windowsill.

Moonlight filtered through the paper window, casting a soft glow on the stone, and the cloud patterns seemed to come alive, drifting slowly in the quiet night.

Di Qingji...

An Yi silently repeated the name in his mind, his fingertips absently stroking the cool jade on the windowsill.

Suddenly, he smiled to himself.

The smile was faint, fleeting, dissolving into the endless moonlight outside—its meaning impossible to read.

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Di Qingji walked back toward the escort agency.

The autumn night streets had long gone quiet, with few people out.

The cool night breeze brushed his cheeks and ears, but it couldn't cool the burning restlessness in his heart or the scenes replaying over and over in his head.

His steps were so light he nearly floated off the ground, as if the ground beneath him weren't hard stone but soft clouds.

His chest swelled with so much joy he almost wanted to sing out loud.

His cheeks were still warm, and the redness in his ears had faded a bit after being in the night breeze so long, but that burning feeling seemed seared into his skin.

The tip of his nose... the tip of his nose still seemed to remember that faint, cool, soft touch.

The sensation was so faint, yet so deep, replaying in slow motion in his mind, magnifying every detail—An Yi's outstretched hand, those fair, slender fingers, the slight coolness at their tips, the feather-light pressure as they brushed across, and the way An Yi had looked at him with lowered eyes.

"Ah..." Di Qingji couldn't help but groan softly, covering his face with his hand as it grew hotter.

What on earth had he been thinking? How could he have done something so inappropriate? What would An Yi think of him? Would he think he was rude and reckless?

But that impulse at the time—that urge, beyond his control, to grab that moment of closeness, to make sure it wasn't an illusion—had been so strong, so real.

An Yi...

An Yi...

Before, he'd felt that he and An Yi were rare kindred spirits, friends from the first meeting.

An Yi's calm and insight touched him, his knowledge and way with words earned his respect, and being with An Yi brought him easy, carefree comfort and joy. He treasured this friendship and longed to be close to that peace.

But... was it really only friendship?

Then why did his heart race? Why did his cheeks burn? Why was he so captivated by a casual gesture from An Yi? Why did he have such a strong urge to touch him, to get closer?

The vague thought he hadn't dared examine earlier now suddenly revealed its shocking core.

He seemed to... have feelings for An Yi...

But An Yi was a man.

Not a gē'er—a real man, just like him.

In this world, between two men... would these feelings be an insult and a desecration of An Yi?

If An Yi, someone as pure as the breeze and bright as the moon, were to learn of these shameful thoughts, would he feel disgusted and repulsed? Would he cut ties with him immediately and banish him from that peaceful courtyard, never seeing him again?

Just the thought of that possibility made Di Qingji's chest ache dully.

But...

His mind flashed to the image of An Yi wiping mud off his face.

An Yi didn't treat him entirely like an ordinary friend, did he? At least, that patience and closeness were real.

Maybe... he wasn't completely indifferent? He could try?

He wanted to try. He had to try.

"Junior Escort Leader? Junior Escort Leader!" A slightly surprised voice yanked him back from his swirling thoughts.

Di Qingji looked up and realized he'd unknowingly walked past the escort agency's gate, standing blankly across the street, staring dazedly at the entrance.