Chapter 113 : Lingering the Snow

“Go ahead,” Wang Xiaomei said with a smile, waving her hand in agreement. “Stay close to your uncle, and don’t fall.”

On a snowy day, the roads are slippery, and even adults can easily slip. It’s especially risky for someone as small as Songzi.

“Okay, thanks, Mom!” Songzi immediately jumped up, grabbing Liang Junqiang’s hand. His enthusiasm was unusual, making everyone laugh and leaving Songzi blushing, urging Liang Junqiang to leave quickly.

The two of them left the yard with an umbrella, and not long after, Liang Shuqiang and Fan Yanxing returned.

“We got lucky. There was still some beef left at the supply and marketing cooperative, so I bought it all. I’ll make you tomato-braised beef tonight,” Fan Yanxing said, waving a large bag with a beaming smile.

Liang Qingqing’s eyes lit up. Last time, she had described the taste of tomato-braised beef to Fan Yanxing from memory, and he actually made it. Although the taste was average at first, he improved over time, and now it’s one of his specialties.

This time, their trip to the city was to get prenatal medicine for Wang Xiaomei and to buy beef for the tomato-braised dish.

Seeing the bag full of beef, Liang Qingqing rewarded Fan Yanxing by stuffing half of a peeled orange into his hand. “Thank you for your hard work. Try this orange, it’s really sweet.”

“Really?” Fan Yanxing eyed Liang Qingqing with suspicion, recalling the last time she had tricked him into eating an extremely sour orange. It left his teeth sore for two days.

Liang Qingqing clearly remembered this and laughed awkwardly. “Really, I wouldn’t lie to you. I’ve eaten several of these with my sister-in-law, and none were sour. Although I haven’t tried this one yet, it should be sweet.”

Wang Xiaomei, who was watching and had heard her name mentioned, nodded in confirmation, “It’s sweet.”

Seeing them both say so, Fan Yanxing glanced at the scattered orange peels and hesitated for a moment before tearing off a segment and eating it. Instantly, a sour taste filled his mouth, making him frown deeply. He looked at Liang Qingqing with a face full of grievance. “It’s so sour, Qingqing, you…”

His unfinished statement was obvious.

Seeing this, Liang Qingqing widened her eyes, feeling guilty despite having no prior knowledge of this orange’s sourness. She quickly approached Fan Yanxing and urged him to spit it out. “I really didn’t mean to this time. Don’t eat it!”

Fan Yanxing shook his head, forcing himself to swallow the orange and quietly pocketing the rest. He smiled and joked, “I guess I’m just unlucky.”

“I’ll find you a sweet one,” Liang Qingqing said, turning to pick an orange from the bamboo basket. She tasted one herself first before handing it to Fan Yanxing. “This one is sweet. Eat this.”

Fan Yanxing looked at the orange held up to his lips, cleared his throat, and took it. Seeing Liang Qingqing’s eager expression, he couldn’t help but smile. “It’s sweet.”

Liang Qingqing breathed a sigh of relief. When she looked up again, she noticed that Wang Xiaomei and Liang Shuqiang had turned their heads, looking at the sky and the ground, deliberately avoiding looking at them. She then realized that her gesture of feeding Fan Yanxing the orange had been too intimate.

A slight blush appeared on her face as she hurriedly urged Fan Yanxing to go to the kitchen and start cooking the beef brisket.

In the evening, after everyone had dinner together, Liang Qingqing and Fan Yanxing took a leisurely stroll back home. Snow was still falling from the sky, and the branches and eaves were beginning to show a faint layer of snow, thin but sparkling with a translucent white.

“Do you think we’ll be able to build a snowman when we wake up tomorrow?” Liang Qingqing asked as she touched the snow on a tree leaf, turning to Fan Yanxing with a hint of joy.

Although she had seen snow many times before being from Beijing in her previous life and having traveled to various places this was different. Snow in the south was gentle and delicate, unlike the heavy snow she was used to. More importantly, this was the first snow she had experienced in this world, making it more meaningful.

Fan Yanxing, thinking she was excited because she seldom saw snow, replied, “If it keeps snowing like this, we should be able to build a snowman. But I’m not sure if it will stop. After the New Year, when we go to Beijing to visit relatives, there will be even more snow. You can build as many snowmen as you like, and I’ll be there with you.”

Liang Qingqing nodded vigorously, envisioning a grand scene of red walls and white snow. She was determined to visit the area around the Forbidden City, enjoy some candied fruit, take a stroll, and build a snowman or two. It would be a perfect day.

After exchanging just a few words, they returned home. Fan Yanxing immediately started the stove, and the room gradually warmed up. Only then did Liang Qingqing dare to take off her coat and scarf. He came over, skillfully lifted the hem of his sweater, and gestured for her to slip her hands inside.

Liang Qingqing smiled as she felt the warm, firm abs, savoring the solid lines. Looking up at him with a playful gaze, she said, “You’re like a big furnace, so warm and comfortable.”

“There are even warmer and more comfortable places. Want to feel them?” Fan Yanxing leaned closer, his deep, attractive eyes tempting her, each word laced with unspoken seduction.

Liang Qingqing swallowed reflexively, her eyelashes fluttering as she quickly grasped the meaning behind his words. Her fingers curled together, and she hesitated, suddenly recalling the consequences of similar situations before. She immediately backed off, shaking her head like a rattle drum. “This is enough. I’ll take a hot bath later, and then it won’t be cold.”

“Oh, so you want to feel them only after taking a bath,” Fan Yanxing nodded knowingly, deliberately misinterpreting her words with a serious expression.

Liang Qingqing shot him an exasperated look and huffed, “You’re always thinking about such frivolous things, you shameless man.”

But Fan Yanxing, with his thick skin, completely ignored her scolding. Instead, he took her hand and placed it on his belt, pressing his forehead against hers and softly calling her name, “Qingqing.”

The way he spoke made her entire body feel weak. He always knew exactly how to make her completely willing.

The belt that she had helped him put on back then was now being undone by her own hands, a cycle of cause and effect.

Her fingers traced the warmth, and indeed, as he had said, it was warm and comfortable…

The sound of his breathing grew heavier by her ear. His teeth grazed her earlobe, then slowly traveled down her neck, lingering just below her collarbone, leaving a trail of intimate marks. Liang Qingqing gasped, trying hard to control the pressure of her hands.

Her fingertips brushed over the damp, sticky surface. A persistent blush colored her cheeks, deepening with each passing moment. Large hands were wrapped around her waist, firmly holding her at the small of her back, but at some point, they began to slide down, rubbing against the fabric of her pants.

Liang Qingqing’s legs instinctively tensed, her red lips slightly parted. Her hand involuntarily tightened its grip, causing his brow to furrow momentarily as his breathing grew more rapid, until it eventually steadied.

“I haven’t washed my hands yet. I’ll take care of you later,”Fan Yanxing said, placing a kiss near her lips. “Qingqing, I love you.”

The mixed emotions left Liang Qingqing feeling a bit hollow. Her eyes were filled with confusion as she glanced at her disheveled hands, then wiped them on his face with a hint of irritation. Fan Yanxing didn’t even flinch, the satisfied man even had the mood to pull her into a hug and kiss her.

“Let’s go take a bath.”

“I’m not going with you.”

Liang Qingqing refused without a second thought. She knew that if she joined him, they would be in the bath for at least thirty to forty minutes. While the experience in the water was unique, she still preferred the softness of the bed.

“Be good, we’re not doing this in the bathroom today.” As the weather got colder, he wasn’t going to risk doing such things. What if she caught a cold?

Hearing this, Liang Qingqing, though still somewhat skeptical, allowed Fan Yanxing to lead her to the bathroom. The hot water had been prepared when they returned, so they could bathe immediately.

Before long, they returned to the room wrapped in towels. As soon as they reached the pillows, a deep and lingering kiss followed naturally. This tender gesture prompted her to respond in kind.

She shifted position, her soft red lips trailing kisses from his neck downwards. The kisses lightly brushed his skin, especially lingering on his firm abdomen, causing a mix of ticklish and tingling sensations that felt as though his entire body had been set ablaze.

Outside, the sound of snow continued, but inside the room, the temperature was rising. Their hearts quietly melded together in the night.

“What’s that, so cold?” Liang Qingqing, who had been lying down and softly murmuring, suddenly felt a few drops of what felt like water on her back. She quickly turned to see what was happening, but Fan Yanxing restrained her hands, preventing her from looking. He mysteriously said, “You’ll find out soon enough.”

Her curiosity was piqued by the unknown, especially given Fan Yanxing’s teasing demeanor.

The liquid continued to roll from her back to the front, chilling her. Fan Yanxing let out a soft groan, then picked her up and positioned them face to face. Before Liang Qingqing could fully grasp what was happening, she watched as he leaned down and licked the liquid clean.

Faintly, she smelled a hint of orange. Just as she was thinking about it, he kissed her.

In the next moment, her mouth was instantly filled with the tangy taste of orange. She frowned, wanting to resist, but he held her against the headboard, letting her taste drop after drop of the orange juice.

“Why are you holding a grudge like this?”

Liang Qingqing was nearly in tears. It was just a prank from before, was it really necessary to hold onto it this long?

“I’m not holding a grudge, it’s just a bit of fun between us,” Fan Yanxing said, patting her rounded, full bottom with a soft laugh. “Don’t you like it?”

“…” She couldn’t find a counterargument. With the room filled with the scent of oranges, she muttered, “Next time, make it a sweeter one.”

“Alright.” Fan Yanxing gently kissed every inch of her skin. The closeness between them was suffocating, and their affectionate feelings wrapped around each other like a delicate spider’s web, inseparable. He understood her contradictory words and always made sure not to disappoint her.

Their eyes were filled with uncontrollable passion, slowly losing their rationality.

The next morning, Liang Qingqing snuggled by the bed with the blanket while Fan Yanxing fed her porridge. Her large eyes, however, were excitedly fixed on the window not far away. The yard was already covered in a blanket of white. The heavy snow had lived up to her expectations, creating a thick layer perfect for building a snowman.

The red camellias were enveloped by the white snow, a beautiful clash of colors that was indescribably stunning.

“Shall we go build a snowman together later?”

“Of course you can.”

“I want to build two, one on the left and one on the right.”

“As many as you want, we’ll build as many as you like. I’ve got the gloves all ready for you.”

“Hehe, Brother Yanxing, you’re so good to me.”

The long-forgotten term of endearment made Fan Yanxing’s eyes darken. “What did you just call me? Say it again.”