“Let’s do it now,” Gu Wenxi said calmly.

Du Yunyan looked at him blankly, not quite sure, “Are you saying… what I think you’re saying?”

It wasn’t that Du Yunyan was pretending to be ignorant, his mind was naturally quite pure, and besides, Gu Wenxi wasn’t particularly experienced in this regard either. Including the first time, they had only “done it” three times this month, and it was always in situations where only a small lamp was lit, brought about by goodnight kisses.

“What do you think I’m saying?” Gu Wenxi leaned casually against him, his gaze briefly grazing his lower body. “Don’t you think we should add more… um, activities to enhance our relationship?”

Du Yunyan stared at him intently, his normally slightly flushed face now deepening by a shade. “Have you been thinking about this for a while?” His smile broke out uncontrollably, no wonder he felt that Gu Wenxi had been a bit clingy these past few nights.

“What’s wrong with thinking about it?” Gu Wenxi enjoyed this kind of experience, even though he once thought of himself as straight. But he noticed that Du Yunyan didn’t seem to have such a strong need, always waiting a few days between.

Could this also be part of “abstinence”?

“You—” Du Yunyan laid an arm over his abdomen, hesitated, then spoke, “Do you really like it?”

Gu Wenxi was puzzled, “Why would I do it with you if I didn’t like it?”

Du Yunyan couldn’t control his laughter anymore, rolling over onto his stomach, “I thought you weren’t too fond of it.”

“Where did you get that idea?”

“You sounded so terrified the last few times,” Du Yunyan said, half-blushing, “And you’re not naturally inclined toward same-sex relationships, so I was afraid I might be pushing you too hard.”

Terrified? Gu Wenxi finally understood, it seemed both of them had misunderstood each other.

“Do you think I’m forcing it… and still want to be with me?”

“I’m with you not just for these things,” Du Yunyan rested his head on his hand, turning his face towards Gu Wenxi, “I’m already happy with our current life, other things can come slowly.”

“Ahem,” Gu Wenxi’s voice lowered slightly, “then let me tell you, I don’t want to take it slowly.”

“Got it now,” Du Yunyan said as he leaned in, “I’ll turn off the main light.”

There was also a switch above the bedside table that could control the main light, easily accessible.

After the main light went out, only a soft yellow hue remained, gently spilling over the head of the bed.

---

Indulging in desires at night wasn’t particularly strenuous, but the excitement lingered for a long time afterward, making it difficult for Gu Wenxi to fall asleep, and he woke up late the next day.

Approaching noon, there was a brief shower, leaving some puddles on the ground that reflected rainbow colors under the sun. Two children under ten who were staying at the inn were jumping around, breaking the rainbow reflections in the water.

In the morning, Du Yunyan made corn porridge because Yangyang and Beibei liked it, and he could share it with them. Gu Wenxi took the remaining porridge to feed the two dogs. While they were eating, he squatted down and played with their fur for a while. The kids who had been playing with the water just now came over to see the dogs, but they didn’t dare to touch them and stood nearby.

“Uncle, are these dogs fierce?” one of the boys asked.

“They’re friendly once you get to know them,” Gu Wenxi gently stroked Yangyang’s back.

“But yesterday when I got out of the car, it barked really loudly,” another boy said.

“Because it didn’t know you yet, but they won’t hurt people,” Gu Wenxi said, then stood up. He felt a bit stiff from staying in one position for too long and instinctively rubbed his lower back.

“Uncle, is your back hurting?”

“Huh?” Actually, the soreness wasn’t just from squatting for too long; it was also from being too excited and indulging in desires the night before.

“You should exercise more,” the boy continued, “My grandma never has back pain because she dances in the square regularly.”

Gu Wenxi awkwardly tugged at the corner of his mouth, unable to tell the truth in front of the children.

The boy might have realized he said something inappropriate, and he made a silly face, “Uncle, we’ll go play in the backyard!”

“Oh,” as the two of them ran out a few steps, Gu Wenxi suddenly remembered something and shouted after them, “Hey, don’t step on the vegetables!”

“We know!”

That afternoon, Yun Han came again. His holiday wasn’t long, and he would return to S City the next day. This time, he came to the inn to guide them in making cakes.

Inside the kitchen was a small room dedicated to making pastries. Although it wasn’t big, it was well-equipped. One wall had a long operating table, while the other side had an oven and a shelf with various tools. The flower-shaped cake Gu Wenxi had eaten in early winter last year was completed here.

“Mr. Gu, are you interested?” Yun Han prepared the ingredients and looked at Gu Wenxi, who seemed clueless.

“Yeah,” Gu Wenxi nodded, “but I don’t know anything about it.” He could only cook simple dishes; baking pastries with strict procedures was completely foreign to him.

“It’s okay,” Yun Han said enthusiastically, “I can teach you.”

“Thanks,” Gu Wenxi washed his hands, “actually, you can just call me Gu ge.”

“Okay, Gu ge,” compared to the previous day, Yun Han completely relaxed in front of Gu Wenxi. He carefully separated the egg yolks and whites and handed the stainless steel bowl with the egg whites to Gu Wenxi, “You need to beat it a bit longer.”

Making cakes required an electric egg beater, so it wasn’t too strenuous. The egg mixture thickened as the machine buzzed and stirred. During this process, Yun Han helped add sugar twice, and the completely whipped egg whites were as fluffy as cream.

Gu Wenxi lacked patience for this meticulous work. When Yun Han said “that’s enough,” he breathed a sigh of relief. Du Yunyan beat the egg yolks, then mixed them with sifted flour.

The three of them were in the same small space, and Gu Wenxi had lost his distractions from the previous day. He was more passive now, mostly watching the other two operate and occasionally chatting with them.

During the process of mixing the egg whites and yolks, Yun Han kept flipping the scraper up and down, repeating this action countless times.

“This is too troublesome,” Gu Wenxi sighed.

Du Yunyan glanced at him with a smile, “That’s why you should just focus on eating.”

Yun Han finished his work, looked up, and happened to catch Du Yunyan’s teasing expression, causing him to pause slightly.

“Is it okay?” Du Yunyan asked him, “Shall I pour it into the mold?”

“Sure,” he handed the stainless steel bowl to Du Yunyan, “you can pour it in.”

The oven was set to 170 degrees, and after nearly fifty minutes of baking, the cake was finally done. Even Du Yunyan wasn’t very good at spreading cream and piping flowers, so he left all of that to Yun Han.

The two children Gu Wenxi met in the morning disappeared for the afternoon, and they had just returned now. There was a flurry of excitement in the inn, and it seemed like they were about to overturn the roof. Gu Wenxi felt annoyed listening to them and ran out to stop the two children.

“What’s all the noise about?”

“Uncle,” one of the boys, who had been arguing with his companion, pointed to his friend, “I found a snake with a strange pattern outside. I said it was poisonous, but he didn’t believe me.”

Gu Wenxi still had lingering fear at the mention of snakes, but he remembered Du Yunyan’s words and casually said, “There are no poisonous snakes here; you must have mistaken it.”

“See, where’s the poisonous snake?”

“It’s impossible; I have a photo on my phone,” the child insisted, “Uncle, take a look.”

“No need,” Gu Wenxi immediately stopped him and changed the subject, “Do you guys want to eat cake?”

“What cake?” the boy’s eyes lit up, no longer concerned about the snake.

“Butter cake,” Gu Wenxi said, “you two wait here quietly, I’ll bring it to you.”

“Okay!” the two exclaimed in unison.

The cream flowers decorated by Yun Han were very delicate, with spiral patterns and a layer of strawberries on top. The adults weren’t as fond of sweets, mainly doing it for fun. The ones who ate the most were the children, each holding a plate, their mouths quickly smeared with cream and cake crumbs.

“Uncle, my birthday is in a few days, can I have an extra slice?”

“Then I just had my birthday; I should have an extra slice too!”

…

“Okay, okay, this is the last piece,” Du Yunyan helped them divide the cake, “we’re about to have dinner, so no more.”

After the Beginning of Spring, the days were getting longer, and it wasn’t yet time for the sun to set, but clouds had gathered outside, making it appear somewhat dark.

Before leaving, Yun Han told them that he would take a ride with a villager straight to the county tomorrow, so there was no need to trouble Du Yunyan to see him off.

“Then let me take you up there now.” Yun Han’s house was located a bit higher up the mountain road, not too far away. Du Yunyan said this and subconsciously looked at Gu Wenxi.

Distant thunder rumbled as if echoing from deep within the earth. Gu Wenxi asked them to wait for a moment and brought out a large umbrella from the storage room, looking up at the sky, “Looks like it’s going to rain, better take this with you.”