After all that work, he had broken into a light sweat and went to heat water for a bath.
He used a shallow wooden tub. This was the bathing tub Li Feng had had a carpenter make for him after he became pregnant. Even after the children were born, he still used this tub—it was convenient.
It was an entirely ordinary day. He was soaking in the bath like usual when he suddenly heard men’s voices outside, startling him so badly that he curled up instinctively.
Listening more closely, he picked out Li Feng’s voice among them. Only then did he realize that Li Feng had returned.
He could not continue bathing. He hurriedly got out, dried himself, and dressed.
Once everything was done, he found himself reluctant to go outside.
There were other men in the courtyard, and he had just bathed—how could he go out like this?
After a short while, he heard the crowd leave and the courtyard fall quiet.
Lu Liu walked toward the door and listened carefully. Just then, there was a knock, making him jump.
Outside, Li Feng asked, “Xiao Liu, are you done? I’m coming in.”
Lu Liu was done. He did not even know what he was doing—he retreated into the room, ducked behind the bamboo curtain, and stopped by the bathing tub. His reply came muffled through steam and fabric.
“I’m not done. You can’t come in.”
Li Feng had sharp hearing. Standing outside, he could clearly hear the footsteps inside.
He tried pushing the door, but it would not open. He asked Lu Liu to open it for him.
“I need to grab something.”
Hearing how serious his voice sounded, Lu Liu blinked, came out from behind the curtain, and went to open the door.
He could not explain what he had been hiding from earlier, so after the door opened, Li Feng held him and kissed him for a long time. When Li Feng pressed him afterward, asking what he had been hiding from, Lu Liu could not say a word.
Asked again, Lu Liu finally said, “I—I was bathing just now. I heard a lot of men talking, so I hurriedly stopped. Then I heard them leave and wanted to keep bathing. I wasn’t hiding. I just wasn’t finished washing.”
Li Feng leaned down and breathed in along his neck and chest, saying he smelled good.
Lu Liu’s skin immediately flushed red—from his face all the way down—like he had been scalded by hot water.
He seemed to realize what he had been hiding from.
He said, “We haven’t been intimate for a long time. I’m a little scared.”
Li Feng laughed. “I’m not going to eat you.”
His large hands moved over Lu Liu’s face with just the right pressure, as if naturally portioning him apart while still keeping him whole. When he lowered his head to kiss him lightly, his tongue gathered and claimed him bit by bit, as though swallowing him whole.
Li Feng said he would not eat him, yet every movement made it seem otherwise.
The room had no heated kang. After bathing, one had to return to the bedroom quickly.
It was late in the second lunar month, and it was still chilly down the mountain.
Li Feng straightened Lu Liu’s rumpled clothes, wrapped an arm around his waist, pulled him close, kissed him once more on the lips, and only then released him, holding his hand as they went back to the bedroom.
When the two entered the room, his mother quietly left.
Lu Liu’s face flushed red again. “M-Mom… did she know you went to look for me?”
Li Feng said, “Some things don’t need to be said out loud. That way, no one feels awkward.”
Lu Liu gave a couple of soft “oh”s and stopped asking. He pretended to be busy, tidying the embroidery basket and kang table, then leaned over to look at the children. Even then, he still thought about Li Feng and asked, “You seem to have come back earlier this time?”
Li Feng answered briefly. “The shop is rented, and there’s still some stock left. No rush. Jiu Ge’er is about to give birth, so we came back early. Wang Meng can make it in time.”
Seeing Lu Liu hide behind the babies, Li Feng’s gaze followed him as he asked, “Didn’t we just get close? What are you still afraid of?”
Lu Liu looked up at him, then circled past the children and moved close again, studying his expression. “Da Feng, do you really not know?”
Li Feng truly did not know. He had not done anything.
Lu Liu said, “I feel like you’d smash me to pieces. Your eyes look so fierce.”
Hearing this, Li Feng pulled him close and kissed him again.
“I thought you didn’t want to be close with me anymore.”
Lu Liu shook his head. “I still like you. It’s just that it’s been so long, I’m a little scared.”
Li Feng asked him, “We don’t have to be intimate. When you see me, why do you think about this?”
Lu Liu felt that this was completely natural. The two of them were together—how could they not do these things?
Li Feng rested his head on his shoulder and laughed, his laughter coming in waves, pulling Lu Liu into laughter as well.
Lu Liu nudged him. “I just changed clothes. You’ve rubbed them dirty again. Wait here—I’ll go heat water so you can bathe.”
Li Feng clung to him. “It’s fine. You can change again later. I’ll wash them for you.”
Lu Liu heard the longing in his words. He had originally worried about his mother knowing, but after thinking it over, he shook his head. As long as they did not say anything, everything would be fine.
He turned and hugged Li Feng properly. Last year, they had seen each other so rarely. During the few days they reunited, their closeness had been limited. After the children were born, Li Feng had gone deep into the mountains, then straight on to the prefectural city.
Lu Liu hugged him, held his hand, and traced the calluses on his palm. He said, “There are a few fish in the kitchen. Mom bought them to make fish soup for the wet nurse—she says it helps with milk production. I’ll kill two more later and make fish soup for you too. You said last year you were craving fish soup, but you were afraid the smell would bother me, so you only had it once or twice. I’ll make you a big pot this time!”
Li Feng had indeed been craving that.
Lu Liu added that he would also make vegetable soups. The season for radishes was almost over, but they could still have braised radish and mushroom-and-radish soup.
Once it warmed up a little more—around Qingming—he could go dig wild greens. The shepherd’s purse dumplings he made last year had been delicious. He wanted to make dumplings again, and also spring rolls. This year they had more money, so he wanted to try frying spring rolls.
Since frying was rare, the family would not be stingy. He could also make some other fritters, dough rings, fried fish, and fried peanuts.
As Lu Liu talked on, the sense of familiarity with Li Feng grew stronger, and the smile on his face widened.
He slipped out of Li Feng’s arms, reached up to the kang cabinet, took down the embroidery basket, and showed him the red dudou.
“Da Feng, look. I embroidered this. Can you tell what it is?”
Li Feng could tell. It was two water ducks.
Rough as he was, he was careful with Lu Liu. He only said, “Mandarin ducks playing in water?”
Lu Liu was delighted. “Yes! Mandarin ducks playing in water! I’ll wear this one. Does it look good? I also want to embroider one for my brother—mandarin ducks pecking a stone. Is that presentable?”
Li Feng answered quickly, without a hint of flattery. “It looks great. It’s very presentable. Anything you make is the best.”
Lu Yang would certainly have no objections to what Lu Liu embroidered.
And if Lu Yang wore it, how would Xie Yan dare object?
What water ducks—these were mandarin ducks.
“My Xiao Liu is skilled. Whatever you embroider becomes exactly that. So when are you going to wear the dudou?” Li Feng asked.
Lu Liu covered the lower half of his face with the dudou and said, “Later. You already stripped me today. Another day I’ll secretly wear it underneath. When you pull my clothes open and find there’s still another layer inside—that’s a surprise!”
Seeing him talk and laugh again, no longer distant like moments before, Li Feng laughed as well.
Just wait a little longer. Before long, they would be together every day and would not have to separate so often.
When Lu Liu noticed Li Feng had gone quiet, he looked up and met his gaze—so gentle, so tender. His heart stirred, and he leaned in to hug him again.
“Da Feng, you know me, right?”
He was not resisting, not hiding.
Li Feng knew. “I was washing dishes at home recently and even that felt awkward. I’d gotten rusty.”
Lu Liu smiled and kissed him. “Mm. Then go bathe. I’ll make you fish soup. After you drink it, come back and look at the children. You don’t know—those two already have different personalities. One is competitive, one is domineering, and both are little crybabies.”
Hearing the words “domineering crybaby,” Li Feng had an unpleasant association.
Lu Liu remained completely unaware, having long forgotten the earlier discussion about the children’s personalities.
He went on describing the children’s behavior. Only after listening did Li Feng finally relax.
So that was the kind of domineering he meant.
………………………
Early in the morning, chickens started crowing in other households.
Lu Liu heard it vaguely at first. After several more calls, he finally opened his eyes.
The children often cried at night. When the wet nurse was not there, Lu Liu would make do and feed them himself, then change their diapers and coax them back to sleep.
