Chapter 57

Chapter 57

Gu Zhangyuan hadn't actually known that Xie Licheng was back from outside. He'd been in the village since morning, and it wasn't until Xuan Cui went to the village that they found out Xie Licheng was back.

Xuan Cui figured that with Xie Licheng back, Peach Blossom Village had its pillar again, so of course it'd be safe. Since their young master hadn't left the farmstead all day yesterday, she figured now was a good chance to get him out for some air.

So after she went back, she came to the village with Gu Zhangyuan.

Gu Zhangyuan was gorgeous, like a rare, precious flower of the mortal world that had never known hardship.

For a beauty like him to walk through the village alone would definitely draw attention and be risky.

But... now that Xie Licheng was back, no matter how many people were around, no one would dare cause trouble. So at a time like this, it was fine for Gu Zhangyuan to come out and take a stroll.

Xie Licheng and Gu Zhangyuan headed to the village chief's house together. The chief was still out working in the village, so only the two kids, Xiao Rui and Xiao Zhuang, were home.

Xie Licheng walked in and asked, "You wanna spend all your money on farmland, or save some to buy a house?"

Xiao Zhuang said, "I don't really get this stuff."

Seeing that, Xiao Rui quickly chimed in, "Buy him a house in town. If he's got enough left over, get him some farmland too."

When Xie Licheng saw Xiao Zhuang nod, he motioned for him to bring out his silver.

Xiao Zhuang kept a few bits of loose silver for himself and only brought out the gold bracelet.

Xie Licheng looked at it and said, "Houses in town are pretty cheap. You're still young, and since you're the only one in your family, I'll get you a small place. The rest should be enough for one plot of farmland. The farmland here is different from outside. Out there, it's about two to five taels of silver per mu, but here it's ten taels per mu. Even though it looks twice as expensive, since the land here can be passed down and the soil doesn't lose its fertility no matter how many years you farm it, the price is actually a steal."

Xiao Zhuang didn't understand any of that, but hearing he could get a house and a mu of land, he was pretty happy.

Xie Licheng went to the village shop to buy the farmland and also picked up some grain seeds for Xiao Zhuang while he was at it.

After buying and registering the farmland for Xiao Zhuang, he took Gu Zhangyuan back home to rest.

As for Xiao Zhuang's house, they'd have to wait until tomorrow when Gu Zhangyuan went back to town to handle the deed. Coincidentally, some other people were heading to town tomorrow to look at houses, so they could take care of everything at once.

Xie Licheng went back and rested, but that night he went out again and brought back four or five more people.

Among the people he brought in this time was a young couple who were pretty well-off. Once they got in and heard they could buy houses and land here, they followed Xie Licheng and Gu Zhangyuan to town the next day.

Once in town, Gu Zhangyuan had a lot on his plate, so he got busy with his servants.

Xie Licheng didn't go with him. He'd been up all night and sleeping all day for the past two days, so he hadn't gotten proper rest.

He went with Gu Zhangyuan to their place in town and immediately crashed in the bedroom, sleeping like a log.

By the time he woke up in the evening, Gu Zhangyuan had mostly wrapped things up in town.

In just one day, five houses in town had been sold.

Xiao Zhuang bought a small place—a modest little spot with no courtyard and just three rooms.

Then there was the young couple who'd come in last night. Both seemed to come from decent families, so they still had some valuables on them when they were rescued.

On the alley next to the Gu family's place, they bought three houses all at once. One was just a few steps from the alley entrance, and the other two were further in.

All three had big courtyards. They'd arrived in the village last night and asked around for a lot of info. They figured things outside wouldn't stay peaceful, so this place could work as a temporary home.

Besides, houses in town were cheap, so they just bought two extra ones, thinking they might rent them out later.

Besides those four houses, the family of the shop owner that Gu Zhangyuan and Xie Licheng had rescued together also bought a house in town that day.

They were close to the Gu family, so they bought a place nearby. That way, they could all live close and help each other out.

With five houses sold, they brought in over a hundred taels of silver.

Gu Zhangyuan brought the silver home, and just then Xie Licheng woke up, so he wanted to hand it over.

Gu Zhangyuan had the servant set the silver down, and only after the servant left did he say, "Husband, this is all the money from today's house sales. I'm handing it over to you."

Xie Licheng, who was getting dressed, said, "You keep this money."

"Why?"

"From now on, you handle the houses and shops, and you manage the silver from selling them too. Because you're gonna have kids someday—whether it's for raising them or taking care of you, that money should come from me."

Gu Zhangyuan couldn't help but smile, but he still shook his head and said, "You're the one who saved the Gu family and seized back their silver. Even giving you all of it wouldn't repay that debt. How could I dare ask you for more?"

Besides, this world was different—in the future, there'd probably be more towns and cities.

No matter how capable Gu Zhangyuan was, he couldn't manage all those places by himself.

With only a few places now, Gu Zhangyuan could still run back and forth. But once there were more, it'd be easier for Xie Licheng, who could "fly around," to handle them.

Seeing that he really didn't want it, Xie Licheng took the silver. He accepted the money from the house sales, but then went back and brought out a jewelry box.

Xie Licheng set the box in front of Gu Zhangyuan. "This is for you. Come to think of it, I haven't given you anything yet. These would just gather dust with me—better for you, my husband, to wear them."

Gu Zhangyuan walked over and sat down next to him, then reached out and opened the jewelry box. He found that the ornaments inside were all new styles he'd never seen before.

He remembered—the day he'd taken Xuan Cui to stroll through Feng Garden, he'd seen quite a few ornaments like these there. At the time, since Xie Licheng wasn't home, he hadn't felt comfortable going in and poking around. He hadn't expected that just two days later, Xie Licheng would bring him a whole box of them.

These were different from the houses and shops—these were a gift from a husband to his spouse. Gu Zhangyuan felt he could accept them.

He dumped the contents of the box out, then picked up a bright, vivid ruby ring.

A ring was what later generations called a "ring"—in Gu Zhangyuan's time, they called it a "finger ring."

Gu Zhangyuan had seen plenty of fine things, but this was the first time he'd seen a ruby this big.

He picked it up and slipped it on his finger, only to find it was a little too big.

Seeing that, Xie Licheng said, "One of these days, I'll find a jeweler to resize it for you."

Gu Zhangyuan laughed at that. He turned to look at Xie Licheng sitting beside him, then stood up and swung a leg over to sit in his lap.

Xie Licheng reached out one hand to steady the man in his arms, and with the other picked up a pearl necklace, holding it up to Gu Zhangyuan's slender neck to try it on.

Gu Zhangyuan didn't like it—he thought the pearls were poor quality. He casually brushed the necklace aside and picked up a piece of jadeite instead.

"This one's great quality. Where'd you get this from?"

Xie Licheng said, a bit helplessly, "This one wasn't taken. A long time ago, someone gave it to me in exchange for antibiotics to save their life."

He did take things from people, but not from just anyone.

He generally only robbed bad people. In fact, a lot of his treasures here were gotten through trading his supplies.

"What are antibiotics?"

"A medicine that can save a life."

"That powerful, huh?"

Seeing Gu Zhangyuan's eyes sparkling as he gazed at him, Xie Licheng thought his eyes were truly beautiful. He couldn't resist leaning over and planting a kiss on Gu Zhangyuan.

A flush crept up Gu Zhangyuan's cheeks, but he didn't push him away. Instead, he wound his fingers through Xie Licheng's hair, parted his lips, and leaned in to return the kiss.

Xie Licheng thought Gu Zhangyuan was just like a snake—alluring, gorgeous, and impossibly clingy.

He pulled him close, arms wrapped tight, peppering kisses on his lips one moment, then trailing them down his neck the next.

The weather was sweltering, and the town was even hotter than the village. Lingering together in the bedroom like this made it feel like a fire was raging through their bodies.

Xie Licheng simply hoisted him onto the table, stripping off his clothes as he pressed down on him.

The jewelry on the table jabbed into Gu Zhangyuan, and frowning, he raised a leg to push Xie Licheng back.

He whined, "Husband, these things are digging into me."

Hearing this, Xie Licheng reached out to sweep the stuff off the table.

Gu Zhangyuan couldn't bear to lose them, so he quickly coiled around Xie Licheng like a snake, clinging to him.

That move would've been too much for most people, but his husband was no ordinary man.

Gu Zhangyuan felt his robes being yanked open, one hand looping around Xie Licheng's neck, the other grabbing his hand.

He said, "Those are mine—don't you dare ruin them."

Every single thing Xie Licheng had given him was worth a fortune. Xie Licheng was a rough-and-tumble guy who had zero appreciation for such treasures.

But Gu Zhangyuan was different—he adored those exquisite, precious things and couldn't stand to see them carelessly ruined.

Xie Licheng nodded and said, "Then let's move to the bed?"

Hearing Xie Licheng's low, husky voice, Gu Zhangyuan blushed and whispered, "We're not consummating today, so you'll have to control yourself."

Seeing that he wasn't rejecting him, just didn't like doing it in broad daylight, Xie Licheng couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle.

"Alright, we won't consummate today."

Gu Zhangyuan had only said no consummation today, but he hadn't said nothing else could happen. And Xie Licheng understood exactly what he meant—everything except the final step was fair game.

Letting Xie Licheng do as he pleased meant Gu Zhangyuan ended up a little sore.

Though, saying it was purely physical soreness wasn't quite accurate either. If it had all been pain, Gu Zhangyuan wouldn't have gone along with it, given his nature.

He was used to the good life and loved acting spoiled in front of Xie Licheng. If it had really been all pain, he would've been crying and throwing a fit ages ago.

As evening rolled around, Xie Licheng went to the next room to wash up.

Xuan Cui and Yuan Qiao came in to help Gu Zhangyuan freshen up and change. Yuan Qiao looked at the marks on Gu Zhangyuan's body, her heart aching a little.

Yuan Qiao whispered, "Young master... does it hurt? How can the master be so rough? How can he bully you like that, with no restraint at all?"

Gu Zhangyuan shot him a lazy glance and said, "Don't talk nonsense. My husband treats me wonderfully."

His voice came out a little hoarse, and Xuan Cui immediately handed him a cup of warm water to ease his throat.

Gu Zhangyuan glanced at the closed door and asked, "The nanny hasn't come by, has she?"

"No, there's something going on at the main house. She shouldn't be coming by tonight."

Hearing the nanny wasn't coming back, Gu Zhangyuan breathed a small sigh of relief.

"Good."

Xie Licheng had things to do tomorrow, and by then, the marks on his body should've faded a bit. As long as no new marks showed up, the nanny shouldn't find out about their "fooling around."

Yuan Qiao eyed the jewelry on the table. "Are all these from the master, young master?"

There were so many—anyone would think they'd walked into a thief's stash.

At that, a flicker of guilt crossed Gu Zhangyuan's eyes.

He raised a hand, signaling Xuan Cui to put everything away.

Gu Zhangyuan said, "These are all too flashy. I can't wear them out. Put them away carefully for now—save them for the kids later."

Hearing this, Xuan Cui found a nicer box and started carefully placing the pieces inside one by one. As she worked, she couldn't help but say, "Young master, the master really is good to you. Any one of these pieces could probably buy a dozen houses."

Gu Zhangyuan ran a comb through his hair, staring at his reflection, lost in thought. His mind was full of the sweet nothings Xie Licheng had whispered while pinning him down for kisses, telling him how beautiful he was.

Honestly... he didn't think he was all that beautiful. There were plenty of gorgeous people in the world, and he was just above average.

But Xie Licheng said that in his eyes, he was the most beautiful of all. Whether that was just to get in his pants or to sweet-talk him into a daze, he couldn't tell.

For dinner, they headed over to the Gu family's place.

Gu Zhangyuan was dressed sharp, wearing a gorgeous platinum filigree bracelet.

This bracelet was one of the pieces Xie Licheng had given him, and Xuan Cui had picked out what she thought was the most low-key one for him to wear.

At first, Gu Zhangyuan hadn't wanted to wear it—who was he going to show it to this late at night?

But then he figured, since it was from Xie Licheng, it wouldn't hurt to let his husband see it. So he offered up his pale wrist and let Xuan Cui slip it on.

As the two of them headed to the Gu family's for dinner, Gu Yangxue, who'd always been close to her brother, noticed it.

She tugged up her brother's sleeve and peeked, spotting not just the bracelet but what looked like a bite mark on his arm. Young Gu Yangxue, still clueless, reached out to touch the spot.

Xuan Cui, quick-eyed and quick-handed, hurriedly pulled Gu Yangxue over to her.

Xuan Cui whispered, "Miss, don't make a fuss."

Gu Yangxue wanted to say she wasn't making a fuss—she'd seen her brother's arm was hurt and just wanted to point it out.

Seeing how flustered Xuan Cui was, it finally clicked.

She shot a quick glance at Xie Licheng, then scooted a little farther away from her brother and brother-in-law.

Neither Xie Licheng nor Gu Zhangyuan noticed her. Gu Zhangyuan was too busy basking in sweetness and chatting with his father to pay attention to his sister.

And Xie Licheng definitely wasn't going to pay Gu Yangxue any mind.