The villa was nestled halfway up the mountain, isolated from the world below. Fresh ingredients were sent up daily from the bottom of the mountain, to be cooked by skilled chefs into different dishes for each meal.
With good food and no worldly worries, life was comfortable. After eating, Ye Yunting took walks and then read books inside the house—the steward had collected all the old books from the previous owner and delivered them to Ye Yunting’s room.
Every day, he'd light a small stove, warm a pot of tea, pick up a book, and let time slip away in comfort.
One day, Ye Yunting found a book that he hadn’t read before from the book case. It was a travel journal called Travels Through Nanyue. The author wasn't named, but simply wrote down what they saw and heard on the road.
The writer started in Baiyue and traveled south to Qili, a border town in Nanyue. They recorded everything unusual along the way. With their humorous writing style, even ordinary events became entertaining and inspiring.
Ye Yunting, wrapped in a thin blanket near the stove, flipped through many pages without realizing it.
About halfway through, though, he noticed that the tone suddenly changed, from carefree humor to romance.
"On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, during the Dragon Boat Festival. I met He Lian again at the tavern in Qili. He was dressed in black and had his long sword. His handsome face looked just as it did when we first met. I thought he'd buy me a drink, but he didn’t. Oh well, I'll treat him to a drink, then... He Lian is so gloomy, cold as stone. If I had known him in the past, I wouldn't have bothered with such an uninteresting person. But now... what can I say? I like him."
It was here that Ye Yunting realized the author of this travelogue was actually a woman.
The first half of the book described all sorts of interesting sights and events along her journey. It wasn't until she encountered a man who caught her eye that her writing reflected a feminine touch.
Ye Yunting closed the book, feeling a bit unsure about whether to keep reading. Even though the original owner might no longer be around, these were still private feelings belonging to that woman.
After hesitating for a moment, his curiosity over the interesting things in the book won out. Ye Yunting silently apologized before opening the book once more to continue reading.
Fortunately, the travelogue didn't dwell on He Lian or the author's feelings for him. By the time Ye Yunting neared the end of the book, this He Lian appeared only three or four times, each mention brief and unremarkable. However, there was one passage at the very end that caught his attention and held it.
In the final part of the travelogue, the author wrote:
"As I prepared to return to Baiyue, He Lian saw me off from Qi Li. Before leaving, I asked if we'd meet again, but he didn't answer. But I think deep down that he does want to see me once more. Later, back in Hundred Yue, I told Yu Tan about my experiences in Nanyue and how I felt about He Lian. Yu Tan thought I'd lost my mind for falling for a Nanyue Man. I saw that he was angry and I didn't want to argue with him. Still, I can't help but think that no matter which country He Lian is from, he was the greatest treasure of this journey to Nanyue. And I must take back what I said earlier: He Lian may be like an ice cube, but he's not boring or dull. If I go to Nanyue again, I'll write a whole book just about He Lian, recording everything this mysterious man does."
Ye Yunting's eyes lingered on the word "Yu Tan," somewhat taken aback.
The name had appeared twice before, but when it first came up, he thought it was a girl's name and didn't pay much attention. Only now did he realize that "Yu Tan" was actually a man's name: the author's close friend who lived in Shangjing most of the time and only visited Baiyue occasionally.
Yu Tan, living in Shangjing...
Was it just a coincidence? Or was this author's friend really... Ye Zhili?
Ye Yunting had heard from the Yin family by chance that his father, Ye Zhili, also went by the nickname Yu Tan. Because he was so small and weak at birth, like a little girl, they'd given him that nickname, hoping he'd grow big and strong.
From the clues in the travel journal, he figured the entries had been written about twenty-three or twenty-four years ago, which would make the writer around fifteen or sixteen at the time. The journal mentioned Yu Tan being older than her, both like a brother and a friend. Working back twenty years, Ye Zhili would have been about twenty-one, about the right age.
But he'd never heard of Ye Zhili having such a close friend and younger sister. If she really existed, given Madame Yin's jealous nature, she would have mentioned her. Yet neither Madame Yin nor any other elders in the manor had ever spoken of this person.
Could it just be a coincidence that they shared a name?
Ye Yunting pondered this for a while but couldn't come up
with an answer. He decided to set aside this matter in his heart and look at
some other books instead. There was no point wasting time on this mystery.
--
After staying at the villa for four or five days, Li Fengqi invited Ye Yunting to soak in the hot spring as usual.
Over these past few days, they would take a nightly dip together in the hot springs before bed to relax their minds and bodies, which helped them sleep more soundly.
But on this day, while changing into bath robes, Ye Yunting suddenly noticed a bulge from his abdomen. It was no longer as flat and firm as before. Though he didn't have the well-defined muscles of Li Fengqi, his abdomen used to be reasonably flat.
Ye Yunting couldn’t help but pinch the bulge with his fingers, frowning deeply as his expression grew serious—the area did seem softer and fleshier than normal.
Li Fengqi finished changing and walked over, noticing Ye Yunting staring intently at his stomach with a serious expression.
"What are you looking at?"
Startled, Ye Yunting instinctively lifted his head and sucked in his gut, pretending to be calm. "Nothing."
But his movements were too hurried; his belt wasn't properly tied, and his collar was loose and open, exposing nearly half of his pale chest. As Li Fengqi glanced down, his eyes fell upon a patch of light red spreading across Ye Yunting's chest, with two deep crimson dots standing out amidst the blush.
Clearing his throat, Li Fengqi shifted his gaze away but couldn't help teasing, "Eldest Young Master, are you treating me as your wife?"
At first, Ye Yunting didn't catch the meaning behind Li Fengqi's words. It wasn't until he noticed his loose collar that it dawned on him. He quickly tightened it, feeling his ears growing hot.
Trying to act calm, he looked up only to meet Li Fengqi's amused gaze.
“…” His face flushed, but a surge of defiance welled up inside him.
Why should he feel embarrassed? They were both men. Even if Li Fengqi looked at him a few more times, it won't change anything.
Ye Yunting fixed his eyes on Li Fengqi for a moment, then smiled with teasing eyes. Suddenly, he loosened his tightly-tied sash again, deliberately exposing a large expanse of chest.
"Shall I carry the Prince down first?" he asked nonchalantly.
“…” This time, it was Li Fengqi who swallowed hard, before managing, after a long while, to say, "yes."
Ye Yunting's lips curved slightly as he carried Li Fengqi carefully into the pool. Instead of leaving after setting him down, he sat across from Li Fengqi for a while—since the cold poison had not yet been fully cleared from his body, Li Fengqi soaked in a medicinal spring filled with various healing herbs. In the past, Ye Yunting disliked the strong herbal smell and insisted on soaking separately.
But today, holding his breath and fueled by stubbornness, he no longer minded the medicinal scent.
He stretched his arms out and relaxed into a seated position across from Li Fengqi.
The medicinal herbs had dyed the spring water a light brown. In that murky liquid, pale limbs were faintly visible, like lotus roots emerging from muddy soil, and the paleness dazzled Li Fengqi's eyes.
Li Fengqi took a deep breath and looked away. But the image in his mind lingered stubbornly.
Why hadn't he noticed how fair Ye Yunting was before?
The exposed neck and arms were as white as lotus root segments. Steam from the warm water made them flush slightly pink. The mix of snow-white and pale red made his mouth go dry.
Li Fengqi forced himself to look away, inwardly annoyed. It seemed like Ye Yunting might be doing it on purpose.
He gritted his teeth. If only he wasn't still recovering... He would definitely...
As he was lost in thought, Ye Yunting suddenly exclaimed, "Wangye! Why is your nose bleeding?"
Li Fengqi: ???
Frowning, he hesitantly wiped under his nose and felt wet blood.
“…” Li Fengqi's expression was frozen, and he said stiffly: "I suppose I've been soaking too much lately. It must have heated me up."
"Is that so?" Ye Yunting was still skeptical. He stepped out of the pool, threw on a robe, and took a towel to wipe his face. But he was in a hurry and didn’t have the time to change his soaked bath robe. Under the loose outer robe, the wet bath robe clung tightly to his body, outlining every curve.
Li Fengqi took a look at him, and blood dripped more profusely from his nose.
"Why hasn't it stopped?" Now genuinely worried, Ye Yunting picked up Li Fengqi and put him in his wheelchair. He wrapped a thick blanket around him before frowning and heading for the door to call for a doctor.
"Come back," Li Fengqi said, watching his retreating figure. He pinched his nose with one hand and gripped the wheelchair armrest with the other. He gritted out, "Change your clothes first." After a pause, he added stiffly, "It's cold outside. Don't catch a chill."
Seeing Li Fengqi's face turn pale, Ye Yunting had no time to argue. He dashed behind a screen to change into clean clothes, then draped a cloak over himself and went to fetch help.
By the time the doctor arrived, Li Fengqi had left the hot spring, changed into dry clothes, and been settled onto a bed by Ye Yunting.
The nosebleed had finally stopped, but his face remained ashen.
An elderly doctor with graying whiskers took Li Fengqi's pulse for a moment. Smiling, he said, "His Highness is perfectly healthy."
Ye Yunting looked worried. "Then why did he suddenly get nosebleeds out of nowhere? And it wouldn't stop!"
The elderly doctor glanced at him and hinted indirectly, "His Highness has a lot of energy. If it builds up for too long, this can happen. He just needs to eat less rich food and find ways to let off steam."
With that, he wrote down a prescription to cool the body and reduce internal heat. He handed it to Ye Yunting. "Have him take medicine according to this prescription for two days."
Ye Yunting saw that the main ingredient was the huanglian herb, which indeed only cooled the body.
Frowning, he sent the elderly doctor away. As he instructed Ji Lian to go fetch the ingredients from the steward, he pondered the elderly doctor's words. Suddenly, realization dawned on him, and he belatedly understood the hidden meaning in the elderly doctor's advice.
“???”
He slowly turned his head, eyes wide as he stared at Li Fengqi.
Let off steam?
Li Fengqi put on an act like a cornered scoundrel. "Did you hear what the doctor said, Eldest Young Master? My condition shouldn't be held back." He drew out his words. "I need proper... release."
Ye Yunting smirked. "The doctor also said you need to take your medicine properly."
With that, Ye Yunting left Li Fengqi behind, holding the prescription as he strode out of the room.
An hour later, Li Fengqi stared at the bitter-tasting medicine before him. His face was sullen as he said, "I'm already feeling better. I don't have to drink this anymore."
Ye Yunting smiled, scooped up a spoonful and brought it to Li Fengqi's lips. "Good medicine tastes bitter but helps you get well. Huanglian clears heat from your body. If Wangye keeps drinking this for a few days, the nosebleeds won't come back."
Li Fengqi: ….
=== Author’s Notes ===
77: I don’t want to take medicine.
Tingting: You will not be taking medicine?
77: …I will. (handsome guy admits defeat.jpg)
=== Translator’s Notes ===
Teasing!Yunting is great, loving their banter. :D
Huanglian = coptis chinensis.
No comments:
Post a Comment