Chapter 27: A Restless Day

Chapter 27: An Uneasy Day

The next day it was Wen Xi's turn to cook. While tending the stove in the kitchen, he added firewood several times but couldn't get the fire going.

Li Wan came in yawning, about to scoop out some hot water to wash her face. When she lifted the lid off the pot, she saw the water was still cold.

Finding this strange, she asked Wen Xi, "Xiao Xi, why isn't the water hot? Did the fire in the stove catch?"

Wen Xi was lost in his thoughts, and the sudden voice startled him. Realizing what Li Wan had asked, he quickly peeked into the stove. The firewood inside had somehow piled up, almost smothering the sparks.

As he pulled some of the wood out, he said, "It's lit, it's lit, it'll catch any second now."

With that, he added some straw and dry grass to get the fire going, and after some fiddling, he finally managed to light it.

Li Wan didn't think much of the little incident. After breakfast, the three of them sat together again to make tassel knots.

Wen Xi held the red thread, absentmindedly twisting it this way and that. After fiddling for a long while, the knot he produced was crooked and lopsided. What's worse, he didn't even notice and just tossed it into the basket.

He Jin, quick-eyed, snatched out the defective knot: "Hey, hey, hey, Xiao Xi, this one won't fly. If we turn in something like this, people will think we're just phoning it in with shoddy work."

Wen Xi hurriedly took the knot back, his face flushing as he said, "I'll take it apart and redo it right away."

He Jin rummaged through the basket again: "This one's not so great either."

Wen Xi felt embarrassed: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I was way too careless today."

He Jin said, "It's no big deal, no need to apologize. Turning in work like this will ruin your reputation. Just be more careful next time."

Li Wan noticed he'd been off since morning and asked with concern, "Xiao Xi, what's wrong? Are you not feeling well?"

He Jin was puzzled too. Wen Xi was quiet by nature and steady in his work—whether making knots or embroidering, he had the lowest error rate among the three. But today he seemed to have lost his soul, messing up several knots, and his face had been flushed red since morning for no apparent reason.

"Why's your face so red? Are you running a fever? If you're not feeling well, go rest for a while. We'll save the knots you need to make for you. Don't push yourself."

Wen Xi shook his head, touching his slightly warm cheek, and said softly, "I don't have a fever. I just blush easily. Don't worry, I won't make any more mistakes."

Li Wan asked again, "Did you get into a fight with Third Brother?"

Before Wen Xi could answer, He Jin laughed, "With his temperament, fighting with Third Brother? Sister-in-law, don't tease me. Judging by his look, it's more like he got up to something with Third Brother."

"No!" Hearing this, Wen Xi was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, shouting out in a panic.

He usually spoke in a soft voice, so his sudden loud outburst gave He Jin a start.

Recovering, He Jin patted his startled chest: "I was just joking. Why you getting so worked up?"

Wen Xi didn't want to react that way either, but He Jin had casually hit the nail on the head and seen right through him.

Li Wan shot He Jin a reproachful glance: "You know Xiao Xi is thin-skinned, yet you still crack jokes like that. You're so improper."

He Jin's hands moved quickly as he worked, and his mouth was just as quick: "There's no one else here, so what's there to hide? And I'm barely saying anything. You should hear what those women and husbands outside say when they get together privately. Tsk tsk..."

Those words were too racy for him to repeat.

If he knew such things, Li Wan certainly did too: "What outsiders say is their business. You're not allowed to spout nonsense in front of Xiao Xi."

He Jin shrugged it off: "Xiao Xi and Third Brother have been married for quite a while now. It's not like he's some naive rookie. What's there to hide? Besides, being intimate with your own husband isn't shameful. If a couple sleeps together and does nothing, that'd be weird."

Hearing this, Wen Xi's heart stirred. He wanted to ask his two sisters-in-law if they also kissed their husbands goodnight.

Ever since Yan Fengan kissed him last night, Wen Xi's head had been buzzing. He felt shy and embarrassed, but he also didn't understand why Yan Fengan would do it.

Fortunately, despite being naive, he knew some things shouldn't be shared casually. Even in front of He Jin and Li Wan, he didn't want to spill what happened between him and Yan Fengan in private.

That evening, Wen Xi prepared another basin of hot water for Yan Fengan to soak his hands in. When they were alone together, the emotions he'd barely managed to suppress all came bubbling up from every corner.

Would Yan Fengan touch his wrist again tonight? Would he kiss him again?

He Jin's words—"If a couple sleeps together and does nothing, that'd be weird"—echoed in Wen Xi's mind. If that were true, then maybe all married couples behaved this way behind closed doors.

Wen Xi told himself this was all normal, nothing to get worked up about. If Yan Fengan wanted to kiss him again later, even if he was nervous, he shouldn't resist too much.

Wen Xi kneaded Yan Fengan's wrist without any technique, his mind wandering as he couldn't help but think back to that kiss.

When he'd closed his eyes, he couldn't see anything, nor did he know what Yan Fengan looked like when he kissed him. Was he as nervous as Wen Xi, or as calm and collected as always, not treating it as anything big?

If Yan Fengan kissed him again, should he close his eyes or leave them open?

The moment this thought surfaced, Wen Xi's face flushed bright red. He was really shameless, thinking such things right in front of Yan Fengan.

His heart racing, Wen Xi couldn't help but look up at Yan Fengan. The man was also gazing down at him, his handsome features relaxed, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

Since their marriage, aside from the time Wen Xi saw Yan Fengan angry when they visited the Wen family, he was mostly warm and easygoing, always wearing a gentle smile.

A handsome, gentle, and humble man would undoubtedly be well-liked. Wen Xi didn't understand love, nor did he know what "liking" meant. He only knew that when he was with Yan Fengan, he felt both happy and at peace.

It was like a small blade of grass long battered by wind and rain suddenly being bathed in warm sunlight, so comfortable that even its droopy leaves began to perk up.

If someone had told Wen Xi before that he would one day marry Yan Fengan and be this close with him, he wouldn't have believed it.

How could he willingly become the husband of such a nasty, hateful person?

Sometimes Wen Xi found it hard to square the man before him with the one who had bullied him back then. Same identity, same appearance, yet completely different personalities. It was really strange to think about.

But for some reason, he felt Yan Fengan was meant to be exactly like this.

This man who had once extended a helping hand to him had always been a really, really good person.

As for that arrogant, cold one who joined others in bullying him—he'd just pretend that man was possessed by a demon.

Wen Xi fooled himself with this thought, unwilling to dwell on those painful memories.

"Why you staring at me like that?"

Yan Fengan's words interrupted Wen Xi's thoughts. Realizing his behavior was a bit inappropriate, he quickly ducked his head: "N-nothing."

He was someone who couldn't hide his feelings. Others might not know why, but Yan Fengan, the culprit himself, certainly knew the reason for his unease.

Wen Xi was too thin-skinned and easily flustered. Last night, with the mood just right, he hadn't been able to resist kissing Wen Xi, but afraid he might feel uncomfortable, he hadn't dared to go further.

Now, seeing how things were, he was glad he'd been cautious. Even a simple touch had left Wen Xi restless all day. If he'd done anything more, who knew how flustered and confused Wen Xi would've been.

Everything required a gradual approach. Wen Xi's wounds hadn't healed yet. If Yan Fengan truly wanted to do something more, Wen Xi wouldn't refuse, but he'd likely struggle to get past that hurdle in his heart.

Yan Fengan reached out and gently pinched Wen Xi's cheek, deciding not to dwell on the matter: "You've worked hard. Go get in bed first. It's cold outside—I'll go dump the water."

They had already washed up earlier. After dumping the water, Yan Fengan put the wooden basin back in the kitchen.

When he came back, Wen Xi was already lying in bed. Not wanting to step over him, Yan Fengan gently nudged him further in.

“From now on, I’ll sleep on the outside, and you take the inside.”

Wen Xi tucked his body under the blanket, leaving only his head exposed. At that, he shook his head, his big round eyes fixed on Yan Fengan as he said, “How’s that supposed to work? What if you want a drink of water or need to use the bathroom in the middle of the night...”

“I’m a grown man, I don’t have that many fussy needs.” Yan Fengan cut him off while undressing. “It’s cold out, and you’re delicate. If you need anything at night, just call for me, and I’ll get up.”

As gentle as he was, he was also firm in what he said and did. Wen Xi had come to understand his temperament well enough not to argue with him over such matters.

Habits are a scary thing. By the time Yan Fengan slipped under the covers, Wen Xi’s body had already pressed up against him before his brain even had a chance to react.

Yan Fengan naturally pulled him into his arms and closed his eyes, ready to sleep, when he felt a gentle tug at his clothes.

He pulled back a little, looking at Wen Xi in the faint light coming through the window. “Hmm? What’s wrong?”

Wen Xi looked like he wanted to say something but held back. After a moment of deliberation, he shook his head. “Nothing...”

That was hardly the face of someone with nothing going on.

Even if he couldn’t see the emotion in Wen Xi’s eyes, Yan Fengan could tell something was up.

Suddenly, a realization struck him, and he let out a low, warm chuckle.

“Do you want me to kiss you?”

“No!” Wen Xi was too shy to admit it. “I...”

Before he could finish, Yan Fengan had already captured his lips, kissing him as gently and slowly as if he were caressing a delicate petal.

Wen Xi’s heart raced without ever slowing down, his body trembling and going weak under the kiss. After a moment, seeing that Yan Fengan still hadn’t pulled away, he mimicked his movements, fluttering his lashes as he clumsily responded.

When the kiss ended, Yan Fengan pressed his forehead against Wen Xi’s, his voice husky as he teased, “Tomorrow morning, you’d better not be this distracted again.”

Wen Xi was too shy to reply, only giving a gentle bump of his forehead before burying his face into the crook of Yan Fengan’s neck.

Author’s note:

Tomorrow the story hits the thousand-word ranking list, so I’m updating a bit early today. The next chapter will be up around 11 PM tomorrow night. Thank you, my dears, for your support—love you all!