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When Yu Sen woke up groggily again, his eyes were unfocused. The scene in front of him seemed to be covered in a layer of orange-red light, slowly rotating like a fluid.
He felt as if someone was carefully holding him while feeding him water. The temperature of the water was just right, but the suffocating breaths and muddled consciousness brought on by the high fever suddenly threw him off rhythm. The trickle of water got stuck in his throat, neither going up nor down, and suddenly shot into a spot that made him uncomfortable, causing him to cough painfully.
Yu Sen closed his eyes and tightly gripped the bed sheets. Despite the pain in his lungs that tortured him, the exhaustion in his body was even more overwhelming. He couldn’t even manage a loud cry of pain; all he could do was lean against the person beside him and let out weak, intermittent groans.
It was like the sorrowful cry of a kitten.
Si Xuanyang fed him medicine and gently held him.
The night was silent, and the only sound that remained was the weak voice of his pain, piercing Si Xuanyang’s heart like dull, rusty nails. The pain etched into his heart, leaving behind a clear, unmistakable scar.
He silently held Yu Sen, fully awake, sharing in the persistent torment with him in this starless night.
…
This time, the fever left him bedridden for four or five days before his body gradually began to feel better.
Yu Sen disliked waking up to a dark environment, so the floor-to-ceiling windows in the room had only half of their curtains drawn. The winter morning sunlight was late but gentle, not harsh on the eyes when he opened them.
As his body felt a bit better, he grew restless in bed. Noticing that his boyfriend beside him still had his eyes closed, he mischievously snuggled closer, arrogantly shifting his body to lie on top of him, face to face.
He buried his head in Si Xuanyang’s neck.
Yu Sen preferred silk pajamas, while Si Xuanyang liked cotton ones. When he hugged Si Xuanyang, it felt like embracing a soft cotton pillow with a hint of soap fragrance—comfortable and warm.
However, before he could enjoy it for long, Si Xuanyang lifted him slightly by his armpits. Si Xuanyang’s eyes remained closed, but a noticeable smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.
“The doctor said not to sleep face down.”
Yu Sen, unable to escape his grip, unhappily tried to knead Si Xuanyang’s face, muttering, “I’m not even sleeping, and you’re still pretending not to open your eyes. Fine, then don’t open them…”
Si Xuanyang’s smile widened, and his eyes suddenly opened, fully awake. He easily switched their positions, looked down, and gently kissed Yu Sen’s pale pink lips.
Yu Sen didn’t make a sound or resist, lazily lying back on the soft pillow, letting Si Xuanyang’s soft tongue pry open his lips, exploring every warm inch of his mouth.
Once two people become attuned, even kissing becomes a pleasant experience.
However, Si Xuanyang’s hand remained on his waist, and as the movements became a bit more intense, Yu Sen’s silk pajama top slid up slightly, allowing Si Xuanyang’s warm palm to rest on the sensitive, soft skin at his waist.
A shiver ran up his spine, sending colorful fireworks exploding in Yu Sen’s mind.
The world seemed to be spinning.
Feeling Yu Sen’s increasingly weak response, with his lips and tongue almost completely dominated by Si Xuanyang’s rhythm, Si Xuanyang reluctantly pulled back a bit, lingeringly sucking on Yu Sen’s red lips, then dropping light kisses from his chin to his soft, pale neck.
Si Xuanyang didn’t stop until Yu Sen’s neck was covered with a scattering of red marks.
Yu Sen lay on the soft pillow, breathing heavily, as if unsatisfied. His half-closed eyes, hazy and unfocused, seemed to float over Si Xuanyang like a feather.
The sight made Si Xuanyang feel hot all over.
The heat in his palm felt like it could melt the soft, jade-like skin beneath it. Yu Sen let out a soft whimper, his waist arching from the heat, his eyes tinged with an indescribable shade of red.
He looked like an enchanting flower spirit.
Si Xuanyang buried his head in Yu Sen’s neck and took a deep breath, complaining, “Baby, you’re going to kill me…”
“You’re talking nonsense. I didn’t even move a finger. What did I do to you? Don’t slander me so casually!”
Yu Sen closed his eyes, trying to calm his breathing. His tone was fierce, but he didn’t dare move again. If he really ignited the fire, there would be no stopping it, and he’d be exhausted.
After resting for a while, he slightly lifted Si Xuanyang’s head from his neck and sat up, propping himself up on his elbows. “I want to get up. I don’t want to lie down anymore.”
“I’ll carry you,” Si Xuanyang offered.
“No!” Yu Sen frowned, slapping his hand away, his ears still red, glowing like a piece of red jade, as he lowered his head to put on his shoes. “I can walk by myself.”
If he kept being carried around, he would be completely worn out!
Si Xuanyang still followed him nervously as he got out of bed. Yu Sen hadn’t eaten breakfast yet and had just been teased, so he probably didn’t have much strength left.
But Yu Sen was determined to walk on his own. Even though he wobbled a bit, he quickly steadied himself and, after giving Si Xuanyang a glare, headed into the bathroom.
The sound of running water echoed. Si Xuanyang waited at the door, and after a while, Yu Sen emerged, the blush on his face having faded. Si Xuanyang gently touched his face, suddenly feeling as though he was touching a handful of pure, white snow. He couldn’t resist leaning in to steal another kiss.
Yu Sen lightly pushed him away, sternly saying, “Mr. Si, please restrain yourself.”
He pointed to his neck, complaining, “Look at what you’ve done to me! It’s too much!”
Si Xuanyang lowered his gaze and saw several noticeable red marks scattered across the porcelain-white skin of Yu Sen’s neck.
He suppressed a chuckle, his voice low and husky with an inexplicable hint of intimacy. “I think it looks pretty good.”
Yu Sen nearly wanted to kill him. The room was well-heated, so there was no way he could wear a turtleneck to cover the marks. They would be exposed for all to see—this guy did it on purpose!
“You just wait!”
…
In the afternoon, Yu Sen suddenly had a craving for dumplings and insisted on making the filling and wrapping them himself. Si Xuanyang thought it wouldn’t be too exhausting with his help, and besides, his boyfriend had some baking experience, so making steamed buns shouldn’t be too difficult.
So he agreed, and they had all the ingredients prepared.
But as they started, he realized he had underestimated the task.
Mixing the dough wasn’t too difficult, with the machine doing most of the work. Although the proportions might have been slightly off, and the dough might not have rested for the right amount of time, they still managed to roll out the dough.
He could even praise a few words against his conscience, saying “baby, you’re really great.”
However, when it came to making the dumpling filling, Si Xuanyang could no longer smile.
At first, everything seemed normal—carrot, egg, mushroom, pork, beef, shrimp, sea cucumber, abalone, and even red bean paste with salted egg yolk… But after making those for a while, Yu Sen started to get bored.
He asked Aunt Zhang to bring over the leftovers from lunch that hadn’t been thrown away—black fungus, broccoli, stewed pear, chicken, bamboo fungus, oysters, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall (a Chinese delicacy)—and mixed them all into a filling to continue making more dumplings.
It was truly hard to imagine what that would taste like.
Si Xuanyang remained silent for a moment. Looking at the uneven and mismatched dumplings lined up on the prep table, he quietly walked out of the kitchen and sent a message to Si Nan.
“Come over with Luo Yu for dinner tonight. Yu Ge has been feeling good these days, and it’ll cheer him up if there are more people around.”
Si Nan quickly replied: “Sure, I’ll invite Ting Jie too. It’s been a while since we last saw her.”
That’s even better—who knows how many strange dumplings will be made by the end of this long afternoon? The more people, the quicker they’ll be eaten!
Si Xuanyang: “Alright, see you tonight!”
After taking a deep breath, he returned to the kitchen. By then, Yu Sen had already started stuffing the dumpling skins with apple cores, tomato, and grape fillings—basically a series of fruits…
When Yu Sen noticed him coming back, he lifted his eyelids: “Where did you go? You’re not even helping.”
“I sent a text to Si Nan, inviting him and Luo Yu to come over for dumplings tonight. Yun Ting will be coming too.” Si Xuanyang’s tone was very calm, showing no sign of guilt for setting them up.
“Oh… so many people, we’ll need to make more…”
Si Xuanyang: “…Go ahead, make as many as you want. They’ll finish them anyway.”
Yu Sen’s eyes suddenly gleamed with a mischievous glint, and with a hint of excitement, he asked, “Shall we mess with them?”
Si Xuanyang stared at the chaotic variety of dumpling fillings on the table, thinking to himself, isn’t this already messing with them?
Before he could say anything, Yu Sen skillfully took out an unopened box from the cupboard.
Si Xuanyang’s heart skipped a beat when he saw what it was—wasabi!
Doomed.
Finished.
The little troublemaker looked over at him with bright, eager eyes. “So, what do you think?”
Si Xuanyang stared blankly for a moment, then said, “Pretty, pretty good.”
After a pause, he began to worry again, “Should we make a mark? What if you end up eating one?”
If it’s too spicy, his lungs and trachea would suffer.
“No marks. What if they find out? You can eat mine first, then I’ll eat the rest.” Yu Sen spoke with righteous confidence.
“…Alright, you’re really smart.”
So, with Si Xuanyang’s indulgence, Yu Sen made a few more dumplings filled with wasabi and vegetables, carefully shaping them so that, in the end, the ones with wasabi filling turned out to have the neatest folds.
Si Xuanyang silently memorized their appearance.
Since there were quite a few dumplings, they were steamed in several batches. As the steam filled the kitchen, Si Xuanyang stood at the door with his arms crossed, watching Yu Sen gently poke the steamer lid with his finger, his focused expression softening in the mist that dampened his dark, clear eyes.
Si Xuanyang stared blankly, feeling a sudden urge to freeze this moment in time, here in this place filled with the warmth of everyday life, where the person who meant the world to him was present.
Amid the steam, Yu Sen turned around, meeting his gaze, and gave him a smile that made his heart skip a beat.
…
Ten minutes after the dumplings went into the steamer, people started arriving.
First came Si Nan and Luo Yu. Soon after they entered, the doorbell rang again.
When Aunt Zhang opened the door, her tone suddenly rose, whether out of surprise or shock: “Ah! Madam, you’re here too! Are you here… to eat dumplings?”
[1]Author’s Note: Don’t worry, even though we’re nearing the end, there are still at least a dozen chapters left—over half a month’s worth! Yesterday, I just announced an extra hot … Continue reading
References
↑1 | Author’s Note:
Don’t worry, even though we’re nearing the end, there are still at least a dozen chapters left—over half a month’s worth! Yesterday, I just announced an extra hot spring-themed chapter. No rush, no rush~ And don’t accuse Yu Ge of wasting food, because I’ll make sure they eat everything! |
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