Chapter 58

Chapter 58

They had dinner at the Gu house and headed back home soon after.

Xie Licheng had things to do the next day, so once they got home, he planned to hit the hay early.

The two headed to the bedroom, where Xuan Cui dropped off a new pillow and quickly left.

After a quick wash-up, Xie Licheng changed into a decent set of sleepwear.

Back at the farm, Xie Licheng used to love going shirtless in the summer in just a pair of baggy shorts.

But now that he was on Gu Zhangyuan's turf, knowing how fussy Gu Zhangyuan was about appearances, he obediently put on his sleepwear.

But when he actually lay down to rest, Xie Licheng found it way too hot to sleep like that.

The town itself was pretty hot, and Xie Licheng was in long sleeves and long pants. Plus, Gu Zhangyuan's bed had a mattress pad, making it feel like he was being boiled in a pot.

Xie Licheng lay down but quickly got back up. "I'm gonna run to the farm to grab something," he told Gu Zhangyuan. "You go ahead and sleep."

Gu Zhangyuan was hot too. Back in the day, the Gu family could afford to buy ice in the summer, and he'd have servants take turns fanning him all night. But now that the Gu family had fallen on hard times, he couldn't be so extravagant anymore.

Seeing that Xie Licheng couldn't sleep because of the heat, Gu Zhangyuan sat up in bed too.

Gu Zhangyuan asked, "What are you gonna get?"

"Just some ice."

There was ice in Xie Licheng's storage room, stashed in a wooden crate at the very back.

Xie Licheng disappeared as he spoke. When he got back, he grabbed a few chunks of ice, plus two bottles of iced beer and a box of ice cream from a nearby cabinet.

In his last life after the apocalypse, stuff like ice cream had become a rare commodity. Xie Licheng hadn't stocked much in his warehouse, so he usually couldn't bring himself to eat it.

Luckily, he wasn't all that into sweets, so it wasn't like he was dying for it.

After grabbing everything he needed, Xie Licheng went to Feng Garden to pick up a cool bamboo mat.

Once he made sure he had everything, he teleported back to town.

As soon as he got back, Xie Licheng handed the bamboo mat to Xuan Cui and told her to get someone to wash it.

Given how hot it was, if they washed it and hung it out to dry, it might be ready by nighttime.

When Xie Licheng got back to the bedroom, Gu Zhangyuan had just taken off his shirt and was fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan.

Seeing Xie Licheng come back in, Gu Zhangyuan looked up at him.

Gu Zhangyuan asked, "Where's the ice you went to get?"

Hearing that, Xie Licheng immediately pulled the ice out of his portable backpack.

He found two basins and put the ice in them.

With two basins of ice, the room temperature would drop quite a bit.

Seeing that Gu Zhangyuan still hadn't gone to sleep, Xie Licheng just carried him over to the table.

Gu Zhangyuan, still in his arms, asked, "What are you doing now? Not bothered by the heat anymore?"

Xie Licheng sat down with him and said as he pulled things out, "Brought you some ice cream to try."

"Ice what?"

Xie Licheng held the ice cream out to him and popped the lid open.

Gu Zhangyuan didn't grab it right away but looked curiously at the two other bottles on the table.

"What are those two bottles?"

"Booze. Iced."

In this kind of weather, some iced beer was pretty refreshing.

Both the iced beer and the ice cream were cold stuff. To keep Gu Zhangyuan from getting an upset stomach, he hadn't brought too much.

Gu Zhangyuan reached out and touched the beer bottle—yep, it was cold, just like Xie Licheng said. He then called out for Yuan Qiao to bring in two cups.

When Yuan Qiao came in, she kept her eyes down, not daring to look around. She was afraid that if she did, she'd ruin the mood between the young master and Master Xie. She set down the two cups and quickly left with her head bowed.

Xie Licheng commented to Gu Zhangyuan, "You've trained your two servants well."

They were both really tactful. Even back when Xie Licheng was still a horse slave, they never looked down on him or treated him badly.

Gu Zhangyuan looked a little proud at that. "Of course. They're more like my friends and confidants than servants. The three of us grew up together, and they've always been good to me."

After that, Xie Licheng dropped the topic. He popped the caps off both beer bottles with his bare hands and filled the two cups in front of him.

Not knowing how much Gu Zhangyuan could handle, Xie Licheng said, "Just have a taste."

The booze was mainly for himself; the ice cream was for Gu Zhangyuan.

Gu Zhangyuan huffed. "I can hold my liquor pretty well."

"But this is iced, so you should still take it easy."

He knew Gu Zhangyuan had a bit of a cold constitution.

For someone with a cold constitution, eating too many cold things could make it worse.

If it were a woman, she might even get menstrual cramps.

Thinking about how Gu Zhangyuan was a male bearer—able to have kids like a woman—he wondered if he might have other issues too.

Gu Zhangyuan held the cup with both hands and took a tiny, careful sip.

Since he didn't know what it tasted like, he only dared to take a little sip.

Honestly, beer didn't taste all that great—it was a little bitter.

After just one sip, he picked up the ice cream next to him and started eating it.

Then he took a bite of ice cream and shivered, then another bite and shivered again.

Xie Licheng found it amusing and sipped his beer while admiring the beauty in his arms.

By the time he finished one bottle of beer, Gu Zhangyuan had finished his ice cream too.

After finishing, he didn't forget to give his review.

"This ice cream is really tasty, sweet and icy cold, and it really hits the spot."

Xie Licheng nodded and said to him, "There's some in the farm warehouse. If you want some in the future, you can go find some there. But don't be greedy—at most one a day. Eating too many will give you a chill."

With that warning, Xie Licheng picked up Gu Zhangyuan's beer and chugged it.

The way Xie Licheng tilted his head back and drank heartily inexplicably tugged at Gu Zhangyuan's heart. He thought Xie Licheng looked incredibly handsome at that moment, so he couldn't help reaching out to touch Xie Licheng's Adam's apple.

He'd just finished his ice cream, so his fingers were cool. When they touched Xie Licheng, it reminded Xie Licheng of that time long ago when Gu Zhangyuan had touched him with his fingers.

Xie Licheng quickly grabbed his hand, then held it in his palm, slowly warming it up.

Xie Licheng said to him, "Quit messing around, or there won't be a single good spot left on that delicate skin of yours."

The two had already messed around that afternoon. If they went at it again tonight, with Gu Zhangyuan's delicate skin, there wouldn't be a single unmarked spot by tomorrow.

Gu Zhangyuan knew he was weak, but he was feeling playful, so he turned and knelt on Xie Licheng's lap, coaxing Xie Licheng to tilt his head down for a kiss.

Xie Licheng was completely riled up, so he roughly grabbed Gu Zhangyuan's thigh with his big hand.

Their skin tones were a stark contrast—one fair and flawless, the other darker and rougher.

Xie Licheng's hand on his leg stood out, like a rough, uncivilized man bullying a beautiful man.

But in reality, it was the beautiful man, like a boneless snake, coiling around the tall man to seduce him.

After the two messed around for a bit, Gu Zhangyuan got tired.

His stamina really wasn't good; just kissing Xie Licheng wore him out completely.

As Xie Licheng carried him to bed, he couldn't help worrying about their future in bed.

With a body like his, could he really have a kid with Xie Licheng?

But before he could worry more, he quickly dozed off, exhausted from the day's activities.

Seeing he was asleep, Xie Licheng went to the next room for a cold shower.

When he came back, the bamboo mat was dry, so he brought it in.

Xie Licheng picked up Gu Zhangyuan, spread the mat on the bed with one hand, then lay down holding him.

Since he'd never slept on this kind of mat, Gu Zhangyuan woke up in the middle of the night, bothered by the bumps.

He reached down to feel underneath him, then pulled a blanket to spread underneath, frowning as he tried to go back to sleep.

Early the next morning, when Xie Licheng got up and saw he'd sweated through the covers, he had Xuan Cui bring in a basin of warm water to wipe Gu Zhangyuan down.

Xie Licheng had wanted to wipe Gu Zhangyuan down himself, but Xuan Cui said she and Yuan Qiao could do it. Since Xie Licheng had some things to handle outside, he didn't argue with them over the job.

As Xie Licheng left, Xuan Cui and Yuan Qiao got busy.

This time, Xie Licheng had come out to find one of Song Qiyue's future subordinates.

This guy was a genius at training soldiers.

After Song Qiyue saved him and his sister, he started training troops for Song Qiyue to repay the favor.

But because of his sister, he later fell out with Song Qiyue.

This subordinate was named Xu Xiahe, and he had a simple-minded sister.

While Xu Xiahe was training troops for Song Qiyue, he entrusted his sister to Song Qiyue's care.

But unexpectedly, Song Qiyue didn't take good care of her and even let a foolish girl end up pregnant.

She knew nothing and certainly didn't have the wits to seduce a man—it was clear someone had taken advantage of her because of her simplicity.

This infuriated Xu Xiahe, and he dropped all his duties to confront Song Qiyue.

But when Song Qiyue saw him, he said, "You can't take care of her forever, so why not just marry her off while you have the chance? It's hard for someone like her to find a good family anyway. We've got plenty of men here—marry her off, and you'll have an easier life."

Xu Xiahe had only this one sister. First, she was wronged by someone without knowing it, and now she was being casually married off. Naturally, he was a thousand times unwilling.

He didn't think this was a small matter. He disliked Song Qiyue's attitude of treating his sister like a piece of goods, so he thought it better to just leave with his sister.

He had been with Song Qiyue for quite some time and believed he had contributed plenty to the army, which should have repaid Song Qiyue's kindness.

But Song Qiyue didn't see it that way. He thought that since he had saved them, they both belonged to him.

He also didn't think his treatment of Xu Xiahe's sister was poor.

A fool—she knew nothing. Even if a thousand men used her, she wouldn't feel a thing.

Xu Xiahe getting angry at him over a fool was, to him, an act of betrayal, so in the end, he killed both siblings.

Xie Licheng remembered this subordinate—Song Qiyue had found him near Lengzhou.

So this time, he had come out to try his luck, hoping to pick up Xu Xiahe and his sister first.

He didn't think Xu Xiahe's simple-minded sister was a burden. As long as Xu Xiahe was willing to follow him faithfully, he could guarantee his sister a life of safety and peace.

Xie Licheng also planned to train troops. His personal world currently had few people, all honest folk, and they were relatively easy to control.

But once the numbers grew and more maps were unlocked, he wouldn't be able to travel between all the maps every day.

That's when troublemakers with impure intentions might appear.

Xie Licheng thought it wise to be prepared. Even if it wasn't to guard the various maps, he should train an army. For instance, when conquering new maps in the future, an army might come in handy.

His army didn't need to be large—just every member an elite and strong. Placing one or two in each area would be enough to keep the local people in check.

Xie Licheng wandered outside for several days without finding anyone named Xu Xiahe.

Just then, the corn planted in Peach Blossom Village ripened.

Xie Licheng didn't stay out any longer and returned straight to the village.

When Xie Licheng came back, Gu Zhangyuan was leading the Gu family servants and the village folk in harvesting the corn.

The corn was at its freshest at this time; if they waited another day, it would be a bit overripe.

As soon as Xie Licheng returned, he joined the corn-harvesting crew.

There were only five acres of cornfield, and with so many people, the harvest went quickly.

Gu Zhangyuan hadn't planned to go to the fields, but when he saw Xie Licheng out there harvesting corn, he grabbed a pot of cold tea and strolled slowly toward the field.

As soon as Xie Licheng saw him come in, he said disapprovingly, "Why did you come in here? The cornfield is prickly and full of bugs. Aren't you just asking for trouble?"

Gu Zhangyuan pursed his lips upon hearing this, "Why do you think I came in?"

Wasn't it 'cause I was worried about him?!

Seeing that he seemed a bit upset, Xie Licheng chucked the corn he was holding onto the ground and hurriedly grabbed him and dragged him out.

As they walked, Xie Licheng said, "Alright, don't be mad. I apologize."

He'd been way too harsh just now.

Gu Zhangyuan wasn't really mad either. He knew Xie Licheng didn't want him to suffer in the fields because he cared, and he could tell what was what.

"What've you been up to these past few days?"

He hadn't brought any newcomers to the village and had been gone for days on end.

Xie Licheng answered, "I was looking for someone, but haven't found them yet."

"Who are you looking for?"

"Someone named Xu Xiahe."

Gu Zhangyuan knitted his fine brows and said, "That name... I feel like I've heard it somewhere?"

Xie Licheng wasn't telling him this 'cause he wanted Gu Zhangyuan to help him find the guy. He just didn't like hiding stuff from his own husband.

If he got used to hiding everything from Gu Zhangyuan, sooner or later Gu Zhangyuan would start overthinking things, and their relationship would start having issues.

He just didn't want Gu Zhangyuan to worry or get any wild ideas, but to his surprise, his husband had actually heard of the name?

Considering how familiar Gu Zhangyuan was with Lingzhou and how he was always out and about with his servants, maybe he really did know the guy.

Gu Zhangyuan said to him, "Don't rush me. Let me think it over. If it comes to me, I'll let you know."

"No rush, no rush."

He was back now, so the main thing was dealing with the corn.

Five acres of corn, about 1,800 jin per acre—that's 9,000 jin total.

That kind of yield was a real pleasant surprise.

After that, Xie Licheng had everyone pile the corn up at the village entrance.

These five acres were mostly planted by the Gu family, and the ones who'd been working their tails off lately were Gu Zhangyuan and the Gu family's servants.

Xie Licheng split the corn in two and gave half to the Gu family.

As for the other half, Xie Licheng took 3,000 jin.

His storage warehouse could keep the corn fresh, so even in winter they could still eat fresh corn.

Of the 1,500 jin left over, Xie Licheng gave 500 jin to the villagers who'd come to help today.

The last 1,000 jin was set aside as corn seeds. Anyone who wanted to grow corn could come buy seeds from him.

Gu Zhangyuan took the 4,500 jin of corn without standing on ceremony.

This stuff was definitely top-notch—otherwise Xie Licheng wouldn't have made a special trip back just for the corn.

He asked Xie Licheng how to cook the corn, then had the Gu servants haul the corn back to town.

Gu Zhangyuan didn't go back with them himself. Since Xie Licheng had finally made it back from outside, he naturally wanted to stay in the village to be with him.

Xie Licheng took his corn and Gu Zhangyuan back to the farmstead, and the two of them boiled a few ears of corn at noon to give them a try.

It was sweet and chewy, and the fresh corn was super tender—it tasted best right now.

Gu Zhangyuan wolfed down two ears in a row, and his stomach started acting up with acid.

Seeing he wasn't feeling well, Xie Licheng made him a bowl of pork rib soup.

Eating something salty to settle his stomach, and walking around a little, would help him feel better.

While Gu Zhangyuan was strolling around the farmstead to walk off his meal, everyone in the village was eating corn.

A lot of villagers had gone to help harvest the corn, and everyone got a dozen or so ears. Some families couldn't finish theirs, so they handed them out to others in the village.

With so few people in the village, the vibe of everyone helping each other was especially nice.

Some of the younger, stronger folks would often go help the elderly or the lonely old folks in the village.

With so few people, there wasn't much gossip.

Everyone had had a rough life, so no one was badmouthing anyone at a time like this.

Once more people showed up, there'd be more drama.

All kinds of gossip, rumors, and stirring up trouble would definitely replace the current harmony.

These past few days, Xiao Zhuang had gotten chummy with Chen Yaosan.

Xiao Zhuang had bought a place in town but hadn't moved there.

He was a little kid with an easygoing, carefree personality, so it was easy for him to look up to a man like Chen Yaosan.

He thought the guy was tall and burly, just like his Uncle Benefactor.

One day, Chen Yaosan came down from the mountains with more game.

Xiao Zhuang, with his mouth watering over that meat, went over to chat him up, hoping to buy some meat from him.

Chen Yaosan lived by himself and couldn't eat all the game he caught.

Seeing that Xiao Zhuang was chubby and kinda cute, he took the kid back to his place.

He gave Xiao Zhuang some wild boar meat and didn't charge him a cent.

After that, Xiao Zhuang went back to ask for more meat. When Grandpa Village Chief found out, he gave the kid a serious talking-to.

Xiao Zhuang realized he'd done wrong. Later, he caught a grass carp in the river and brought it to Chen Yaosan's place as a thank-you gift.

After a few back-and-forths like this, Xiao Zhuang got pretty close with Chen Yaosan, and even Xiao Rui's view of Chen Yaosan changed for the better.

Today, when the village was handing out corn, Xiao Zhuang and Xiao Rui went to help too.

They were little, so they couldn't help much and got fewer ears—only six in all.

Xiao Rui was a sharp little cookie. Thinking about how Chen Yaosan could hunt and looked so intimidating, and how they'd probably need his help with a lot of things in the future, she had Xiao Zhuang take three ears of corn over to him on purpose.

Chen Yaosan didn't tag along with the crowd to help harvest the corn. There were only five acres of corn over there, and with so many people already helping out, he figured there was no point in him joining in.

Since he didn't help, he naturally didn't get any corn either.

He also figured corn had to be something good, otherwise Xie Licheng wouldn't value it so much.

He figured he'd go find Xie Licheng when he got the chance and trade for some of that corn.

When he came here, he had no silver, so now all he had at home was meat and animal hides. If he wanted to get his hands on Xie Licheng's corn, he'd have to trade using those things.

And just then, Xiao Zhuang showed up carrying three ears of corn.

Xiao Zhuang said to him, "Uncle Yao, I brought you some corn to try out."

Chen Yaosan waved Xiao Zhuang over and reached out to ruffle the chubby kid's hair.

Looking at the short, plump child before him, whose eyes scrunched shut when he smiled, he suddenly asked, "Little rascal, how about I be your dad from now on?"

Xiao Zhuang looked totally confused. Why would he suddenly want to be his dad?

His eyebrows scrunched up into little waves, and he was about to say no when the other guy spoke up again: "That way, you'll never run out of meat to eat."

Xiao Zhuang, who was a greedy, food-loving kid with no real skills, said, drooling, "Then... can Xiao Rui be your daughter too?"

Chen Yaosan found that a bit funny and looked at him, asking, "Why bring her into it?"

Xiao Zhuang scratched his cheek with his little hand, "She's my best friend in the world right now, and she doesn't have a dad either. I want to bring her along so she can have endless meat in the future too."

"She can come get meat whenever she wants, but I can't take her as my daughter?"

Xiao Zhuang was puzzled, and a little annoyed too.

His eyebrows shot up, and he asked in confusion, "Why can't she?"

Chen Yaosan didn't know how to explain it to him. If Xiao Zhuang and Xiao Rui were best friends in the world, and later he wanted to marry Xiao Rui as his wife, then if they were both his children, they couldn't become a young couple.

When he was little, he also had a girl who was his best friend in the world, but unfortunately, she later married someone else. He wasn't good enough to keep her, and he didn't have the guts to go to her house and ask for her hand.

So when he heard Xiao Zhuang say he and Xiao Rui were best friends in the world, he felt he couldn't take both kids in.

Chen Yaosan patted Xiao Zhuang's head, "Alright, go home and think it over. If you think my offer is good, then from now on, you'll be my son."