Old Master Wu was thoroughly shocked—this was the first he’d heard of it.
Lu Yang said, “There was nothing we could do. When fate arrives, you can’t stop it.”
He said it as if, the first time he’d met Xie Yan, they’d already been bound for three lifetimes.
Old Master Wu was a worldly man. Seeing how calm they were, he didn’t make a show of his surprise. After asking Lu Yang’s name once more, he simply went, “Ah, I see, I see,” and let it be.
With everything out in the open, Lu Liu no longer had to be afraid of Wu Pingzhi. When they chatted about everyday things again, he could talk about life in the stronghold without worrying about slipping up. He kept smiling, looking a little foolish—exactly like Lu Yang.
By the time the meal was over and they headed home, it was already afternoon.
A mule cart was parked in the alley, its flatbed wide and unmistakable. It was the cart Lu Yang had exchanged with Li Feng.
Seeing the familiar cart and then the mule, Lu Liu suddenly felt it looked familiar. Before the thought fully formed, he was already calling out, “Da Feng!”
Li Feng came out from the courtyard, water droplets still on his face and hands, grinning so wide his gums showed. “You’re back? I just got here. Auntie told me to wash up and wipe my face, said I should sit and rest for a bit.”
People fresh off the road don’t fear the cold. Li Feng was dressed lightly, in a sleeveless shirt—at home he wouldn’t even bother fastening the buttons. Coming into Lu Yang’s place, he’d at least buttoned it up. A belt cinched his calf-length pants, straw sandals on his feet. He looked like it was still summer.
In Sanshui County, the lingering heat of autumn faded quickly. By the time Mid-Autumn approached, people were already wearing padded jackets.
Seeing how he was dressed, Lu Liu knew Li Feng ran hot and couldn’t stand heavy clothes. He felt as if Li Feng had suffered terribly, and his heart ached for him.
He hurried over. Lu Yang supported him, said nothing teasing, and quickened his steps to keep up.
At the doorway, Lu Yang let go, giving the couple space to be together.
Unexpectedly, Lu Liu still had his brother in sight and immediately grabbed his hand again.
Lu Yang patted his hand. “Alright. Go inside first.”
Li Feng had just returned from the prefectural city. The brothers had all gone back to the stronghold ahead of him. News didn’t stay hidden there, and his family was waiting.
Inside the house, Lu Yang glanced around. Seeing the disappointment on his mother’s face, he knew Xie Yan hadn’t returned. He blinked, settled his emotions, and spoke plainly.
“You two rest a bit, then head back to the stronghold together. Give me the short version of what happened in the prefectural city. The details can wait.”
Lu Liu was stunned. “Brother…”
Lu Yang casually rubbed his cheek. His brother’s face was soft and full.
“Mid-Autumn’s almost here. You should go home. Li Feng just got back—if he doesn’t go see his mother and instead stays in the county with his husband, it wouldn’t look right. And if he came back and didn’t take you with him, that’d look even worse. Be good and listen. Next time Xie Yan goes to the prefectural city to study, I’ll go stay in the stronghold with Mom for a while. There’ll be plenty of chances to be together. Don’t cry.”
Lu Liu knew he was right, but it still hurt.
He’d just reunited with Da Feng, and now he had to part with his brother. It was too hard.
Seeing this, Li Feng felt awful too.
It wasn’t easy to come down from the mountains, and Lu Liu didn’t have many close relatives. Rare gatherings like this were precious.
He said to Lu Yang, “Let Xiao Liu stay here with you. I’ll be busy when I get home anyway and might not have time to look after him. I also need to head back into the mountains to dig up ginseng.”
Lu Yang told him to rest and took his brother back inside to pack.
Sitting on the edge of the kang, Lu Yang spoke to him again. “Even if Li Feng hadn’t come back today, I was planning to send you home. His family treats you well and understands you. Since they’re reasonable, we should be too—there has to be moderation.
“Li Feng’s already twenty-four. He married late. Other men his age already have kids running all over the place. You did well—married the first year and got pregnant right away, and with twins at that. Do you think his family doesn’t care about these two children? They’re like the apple of their eye, their very lifeline. I’ve never had experience with childbirth. I’m bound to overlook things. How could I compare to your mother-in-law taking care of you?”
He wiped Lu Liu’s face. “I’ll go see you after a while. I’ll be there when you give birth too. Go home first. Li Feng’s been away a month—are you really going to let him sleep alone in a cold bed?”
Lu Liu understood, but the Xie household felt so empty. With Xie Yan gone, he worried his brother would be lonely.
He wanted to invite his brother to stay in the stronghold for a few days. But his brother had a business, rooted in the county—there he could truly make something of himself. Whether resting or playing, socializing or minding the shop, everything was there. The county was where he belonged.
And he could always cheer his brother up.
As he packed, Lu Yang said to him, “Liu-ge, don’t worry about me being lonely. I really don’t feel lonely. Knowing that someone cares about me, loves me, that I have someone on my mind—my heart is full. When the heart is full, you don’t feel lonely.”
After hearing that, Lu Liu said nothing more.
He wasn’t convinced. He felt that inside Lu Yang’s thin body was a heart too full—heavy, tiring, and painfully dear.
But he also realized this was exactly how Lu Yang differed from him.
With his big belly, he could only hook arms instead of hugging.
He said, “Brother, I’ll listen and go home. Everything you taught me, I remember. I haven’t fully thought it through yet, but I’ll think it over carefully whenever I have time. I’ve been playing too much lately—the padded boots aren’t quite finished yet. I’ll take them back with me and have Da Feng bring them to you next time.”
He was quiet for a moment, then added, “Brother, would you be willing to come home for the festival? Father and Dad are both there by themselves. The day I came here, I went back to check—the house felt empty and quiet too. If you went home, they’d be so happy.”
Lu Yang smiled. “If I have time, I’ll go back and see them.”
Outside, Li Feng had already handed all of Xie Yan’s letters home to Zhao Peilan. When he saw the brothers come out, he passed along Xie Yan’s message to Lu Yang.
“Xie Yan asked whether you’ve gone to the clinic to have your pulse checked and your prescription adjusted. If you haven’t, go as soon as possible. Don’t wait for him to come back—have Auntie go with you.”
Lu Yang felt warm inside. “I’ve already gone. Early this month. I even took Liu-ge with me to get his pulse checked. Everything’s fine.”
With the delay, there wasn’t much time left to talk about the prefectural city. Li Feng summarized briefly. “I’ve made connections with the Hong family at the docks. The head steward agreed to reserve warehouse space for us. Next time we go to the prefectural city, we can stay directly in the warehouse—close by and convenient.”
Lu Yang raised an eyebrow, now very curious about their trip.
He urged them to head out. “Go on—if you don’t leave now, I’ll make you stay the night and tell me everything in detail!”
Li Village was far. If they were going home, they couldn’t delay—traveling at night with a pregnant husband wasn’t good.
After seeing the couple off, Lu Yang stood at the door for a long while, watching his brother smile through two streams of tears—and then smile again.
That child really was foolish.
…………………………………….
Once they passed the city gate, Lu Liu finally calmed down. He clutched Li Feng’s big hand and called, “Da Feng.” When the man turned to look at him, he broke into a sweet smile.
“You’re finally back. I missed you so much.”
Li Feng laughed when he heard that. “Oh? So you finally had time to think about me?”
Lu Liu felt a little shy, then said, “I actually thought about you a lot. Every day!”
Lu Liu was sitting facing backward, slightly offset from Li Feng. To talk, he had to tilt his head, which was tiring.
The road outside the city was bumpy. Li Feng told him to move. “Sit behind me. Lean against my back.”
Lu Liu didn’t move. He wanted to wait until he got tired.
“I want to look at you.”
His mouth was sweet—his words were sweet, and even the taste of them was sweet.
Li Feng lowered his head and kissed him, startling Lu Liu into glancing around.
On both sides was wasteland. There was nothing to see.
Lu Liu sniffed Li Feng’s scent and looked surprised. “Da Feng, you don’t smell sweaty at all.”
Li Feng had bathed in the river and changed into clean clothes.
The road was rough. After half a day, he’d picked up dust, but Lu Liu couldn’t tell.
He didn’t explain, just said he wasn’t tired this time, so Lu Liu wouldn’t worry.
Lu Liu didn’t believe him. Seeing that he wasn’t sweating, he said Li Feng must be cold.
Li Feng’s palm was blazing hot. After holding it for a while, Lu Liu’s own palm started sweating. As soon as he said it, Li Feng wiped his hand on Lu Liu’s sleeve, making him laugh.
“Alright, fine. You’re a furnace, I’m cold. Tonight I can hug you to sleep. Too bad summer’s already over—you hardly hugged me then. Sigh.”
