Yuan Zhao naturally knew he was kind.
It was just a little embarrassing to say it so directly himself, so he simply smiled and finished bandaging the wound.
Fortunately, he had changed into clean clothes today and hadn’t walked through mud; otherwise, he wouldn’t have dared to bandage the young man’s wound, fearing it would worsen.
“Remember to clean the wound with medicine when you return,” Yuan Zhao reminded him while helping him sit up. “I’ll help you onto the carriage. There are many insects on the ground—you’ll definitely be afraid.”
Only after lifting him up did Yuan Zhao realize this young man was actually much taller than him, at least a head taller. It was the first time he had seen such a tall and sturdy young male.
From the look of the carriage, he must be from a wealthy family, well-fed and well-dressed since childhood, which explained his stature. Yuan Zhao thought he should also make sure Wenge’er eats better in the future.
After placing him on the carriage, Yuan Zhao said, “Then stay here. I’m leaving.”
The young man suddenly asked, “Wait—what village are you from? I would like to repay your kindness someday.”
“I’m from Qing Shui Town. No need for repayment. I’m leaving.”
After speaking, Yuan Zhao hurried back. There were still two children in the carriage.
But he did not see that the young man’s earlier timid expression had faded, replaced by a deep, unreadable gaze as he rubbed the fabric scrap on his leg.
Yuan Zhao quickly returned to the carriage and saw the two children peeking out anxiously. Seeing they were safe and sound, he finally relaxed.
“Brother, did you find anything over there?” Wenge’er asked curiously. “Why were you gone so long?”
“Someone was injured. I bandaged his wound,” Yuan Zhao said.
Wenge’er stopped asking further questions. As long as his brother was fine, that was enough.
Back at the shop, Lu Xiu noticed Yuan Zhao’s odd expression and asked concernedly, “Did something happen? Why are you back so late?”
“Nothing. I took them to the county town to play and bought a lot of things,” Yuan Zhao said, unable to suppress a silly smile when thinking of the hair ribbon. “Very, very good things.”
Lu Xiu lowered his gaze while working the abacus. Without looking up, he said, “For Shi Wuxiang?”
Yuan Zhao nodded enthusiastically.
Lu Xiu murmured, “You really like him…”
“What are you muttering about?” Yuan Zhao leaned closer but still didn’t hear clearly. He quickly shifted the topic, asking about Lu Xiu’s trip to the provincial city.
Shi Wuxiang would be going there for the imperial examination, so the more information the better.
Lu Xiu had taken the exam three years ago, but things were mostly the same—prepare all essentials, bring common medicines, avoid unnecessary conversations with others, or trouble would often find its way in.
He spoke mostly words of caution against others, and Yuan Zhao listened and nodded along. Although he had never seen much of the outside world, he understood that people could be both good and evil—no matter where one went, it was always the same.
After resting briefly at the eatery, Yuan Zhao went to the back alley to find Old Man Wang’s family to repair the house. They had just finished a job and were worrying about where their next work would come from when Yuan Zhao arrived.
Yuan Zhao brought them straight to the residence to take a look and showed Old Man Wang a simple set of drawings, explaining everything according to Shi Wuxiang’s instructions and his own understanding.
“Most of these can be repaired,” Old Man Wang said with a dark, weathered face, “but it’s best to replace the roof tiles with new ones. Everything else is fine. The larger furnishings inside will need to be made by someone else.”
By “larger furnishings,” he meant tables, chairs, cabinets, and the like. Yuan Zhao immediately thought of a suitable craftsman and thanked him with a smile.
“We have connections for bricks and tiles, so I’ll handle that. You can come with us too. If there’s more work like this in the future, you’ll be familiar with us, and we can give you a better price,” Yuan Zhao said.
“Ah, alright! Thank you, boss!” Old Man Wang thanked him repeatedly. He had never seen such a kind and easygoing patron before.
A selfish thought even crossed his mind—he secretly hoped this Yuan boss would keep buying houses and shops endlessly so they could always have work!
Yuan Zhao then brought him to the bricklayer recommended by Niu Dashu, and both sides negotiated everything smoothly. Yuan Zhao paid the deposit on the spot.
He was busy to the point of not touching the ground, but managed to arrange everything properly.
In the blink of an eye, it was the day they were supposed to meet. Yuan Zhao brought the food and clothes he had prepared and went to the academy happily.
Seeing Yuan Zhao bringing out so many dishes had already become routine, but Shi Wuxiang still offered different praises each time—emotional value had to be given properly.
“A few days ago when I went to the county town, I saw a hair ribbon that seemed perfect for you. The shop assistant even packed it in a box for me, though I think I also paid for the wooden box.”
As he spoke, Yuan Zhao took the ribbon from behind him and handed it over. “Take a look and see if you like it.”
Shi Wuxiang opened the wooden box and revealed the striking hair ribbon inside. It was clearly an inanimate object, yet when one looked at it, it felt as though it shimmered with flowing light—like a clear stream reflecting sunlight.
“It looks very nice. The color is chosen well. I like it,” Shi Wuxiang said softly, his eyes lowered as he gently touched it, as though he were touching Yuan Zhao’s vibrant heart.
“You like it, that’s great! I bought a lot more things too.”
Next, Yuan Zhao enthusiastically listed everything he had bought in the county town, including new clothes that Madam Shi Zhang had helped tailor.
He scratched his head a little embarrassedly. “My sewing skills aren’t good enough to handle such fine fabric without ruining it, so I asked my mother to sew it. Try it on later—if it doesn’t fit, I’ll bring it back for her to adjust again. It’s been hard on her.”
“You’ve worked hard too,” Shi Wuxiang said, then asked softly, “What about you? Did you buy anything for yourself?”
“For me?” Yuan Zhao replied honestly, “The cloth I bought earlier is enough to make clothes for me.”
He didn’t think he needed anything else. What he had was already sufficient.
Shi Wuxiang looked at him quietly, a complicated hint of heartache rising in his eyes. He had always found people who only gave to others but neglected themselves somewhat foolish—but in Yuan Zhao’s eyes, he saw only sincerity.
He truly believed he didn’t need anything, not out of pretense, but genuine conviction.
“I don’t think that’s good,” Shi Wuxiang said. “If everyone in the household gets something, then you should too. Otherwise, next time they may not accept the things you buy.”
Yuan Zhao frowned slightly. “But I really don’t need anything. Buying things I don’t need is just wasting money, isn’t it?”
Shi Wuxiang considered this, then said casually, “Then in the future, don’t buy anything for us either. We don’t need it either.”
“???” Yuan Zhao immediately grew anxious. “You’re doing this on purpose!”
“If you don’t want us to deliberately refuse your gifts,” Shi Wuxiang said patiently, “then you should learn to prepare gifts for yourself too. Even small things are fine. Or buy hair ribbons—you don’t want to wear something matching with me?”
“…Heh heh.” Yuan Zhao smiled a little sheepishly.
“You want it, so you deserve it,” Shi Wuxiang said very seriously. “Do you think you don’t even deserve a hair ribbon?”
Yuan Zhao immediately straightened his chest. “Of course not!”
Shi Wuxiang liked this about him the most. People with strong self-worth didn’t wallow in self-pity, and Yuan Zhao always had a clear sense of self—that was a rare and valuable trait.
“If you deserve it, then you should have it,” Shi Wuxiang continued. “If you even think about wanting something small, you should just buy it. That’s what you deserve.”
Seeing Yuan Zhao still look a bit confused, he added, “How about this—every time you come, tell me what you bought. It’ll entertain me a bit. We only meet once a month now, it gets boring.”
Yuan Zhao thought about it. “Then don’t get annoyed with me.”
“If I were annoyed with you, I wouldn’t bother teaching you these things,” Shi Wuxiang said, lightly pinching his cheek. “You’ve barely gained any weight, but you’re already getting taller.”
Yuan Zhao cupped his face and checked. “I think it’s fine. I eat plenty now… maybe I just don’t gain weight easily?”
“As long as you’re healthy,” Shi Wuxiang said.
“Right.” Yuan Zhao then added, “Oh, the house repairs are already arranged. Old Man Wang and his family have started work. He said only the roof tiles need replacing, but the interior furniture needs new pieces. I was thinking of asking Brother He’s husband to do it.”
He watched Shi Wuxiang’s expression as he spoke.
Either way, it was someone earning money, but he felt more comfortable letting Brother He’s family benefit.
Shi Wuxiang said, “Do as you see fit. Just don’t let people take advantage of familiarity.”
“Got it.”
After eating and chatting as usual, Shi Wuxiang sent Yuan Zhao back.
When Yuan Zhao returned to the shop, he felt the spring weather was already getting too hot. The sun was so strong it almost stung his face.
“It’s getting really hot lately,” he muttered.
Inside the shop, customers were still buying porridge, but most waited for it to cool before drinking. The workers were all sweating heavily.
Madam Shi Zhang wiped her sweat and sighed. “I don’t know what’s going on. It’s only just the beginning of summer, but it’s already unbearable. Hot porridge and soup aren’t selling well anymore.”
“Then make less,” Yuan Zhao said. “Shi Wuxiang gave me a recipe—something to clear heat and prevent heatstroke. We can get the herbs from the pharmacy and cook it into soup. Customers might like it.”
He paused. “If there’s extra, we can give it to the beggars in town. That way it won’t go to waste.”
“That makes sense,” Madam Shi Zhang agreed.
As expected, there was a lot of leftover porridge.
Yuan Zhao asked Da Gou to go to the broken temple where they had stayed before to call the beggars over. People in hardship naturally wouldn’t refuse a free bowl of porridge.
When they heard that Duo Wei Eatery was distributing porridge, the beggars were overjoyed. Even some poor families came running with bowls.
At first, everyone was nervous, but when they saw the beggars in front receiving full bowls of golden millet porridge, they gradually gained courage and lined up eagerly.
Chen Yishu called out, “This porridge was made fresh this morning by the eatery. What wasn’t sold is being given out. If you mind, you don’t have to take it—we guarantee it’s fresh.”
He relayed Yuan Zhao’s instructions clearly. Yuan Wan’er and Ranran also explained things to the queue. They even said that if anyone got an upset stomach, it had nothing to do with the shop. Perhaps because they were young, no one argued.
Those who came were already struggling to survive, so they didn’t mind whether it was leftover porridge or not.
Watching them carefully hold their bowls and sip the hot porridge as they walked away, Yuan Zhao felt deeply comforted. At least they could have one full meal.
“Close up shop,” he said.
By the time they finished, it was already evening. The heat had finally begun to fade.
On the way home, they talked again about the strange weather. It was indeed much hotter than previous years, and even in the evening there was no cool breeze—only oppressive heat.
“Brother, I feel like I’m melting…” Yuan Yuan said with a silly grin. “I’m going to take a cold bath later—no, I’ll use well water!”
“You want well water? Fine, I’ll draw you a bucket later,” Yuan Zhao chuckled.
Madam Shi Zhang sighed again. “This weather is going to ruin the crops. We should stock up on grain. Our fields won’t be enough…”
Their land was not ideal, and though it could still be farmed, such extreme heat with no rain would likely destroy the crops.
“If that’s the case, we’ll just buy more grain in town,” Yuan Zhao said. “Even a few hundred jin won’t be enough for the shop and our own use.”
“Just don’t buy too much from one place,” Madam Shi Zhang reminded him. “Otherwise people will start spreading rumors.”
Yuan Zhao nodded.
Everything he said was about being cautious around others, and Yuan Zhao nodded along to it all. Though he had never seen much of the outside world, he understood that people could be good or bad—something that held true no matter where you went.
After resting briefly at the eatery, Yuan Zhao went to the end of the alley to find Old Man Wang to repair the house. They had just finished their previous job and were worrying about where to find work next when Yuan Zhao showed up.
He took them straight to the residence, showed Old Man Wang the simple blueprint, and relayed the instructions that Shi Wuxiang had given him.
“All of this can be repaired,” Old Man Wang said, his dark face creased in a troubled expression. “But the roof tiles would be best replaced with new ones. Everything else is fine, though the larger furnishings inside will need to be made from scratch.”
By “larger furnishings,” he meant things like tables, chairs, and cabinets. Yuan Zhao immediately thought of someone suitable for the job and smiled as he thanked him.
“We know someone for bricks and tiles. I will take care of that. You can come along too—if there is similar work in the future, we will already be familiar, and you will get better rates,” Yuan Zhao said.
“Ah, thank you, boss!” Old Man Wang said repeatedly. He had never met a kinder employer.
In his private thoughts, he could not help but hope that Boss Yuan would keep buying more shops and houses—so all the work would come to his family.
Yuan Zhao then brought him to the brickmaker Old Man Niu Dashu had previously introduced. After both sides reached an agreement, Yuan Zhao paid the silver on the spot.
He had been so busy he barely touched the ground, but everything was arranged properly.
In the blink of an eye, the day to visit arrived. Yuan Zhao brought the food and clothes he had prepared and happily went to the academy.
Seeing Yuan Zhao lay out so many dishes had already become routine, but every time, Shi Wuxiang would give a different kind of praise—he always made sure the appreciation was felt.
“A couple of days ago when I went to the county town, I saw a ribbon that would suit you very well. The shop clerk even packed it in a wooden box—I think they charged me for the box too,” Yuan Zhao said, pulling the ribbon out from behind him and handing it over. “Take a look and see if you like it.”
Shi Wuxiang opened the box, revealing the striking ribbon inside. Though it was just an inanimate object, when his gaze fell upon it, it seemed to shimmer like a clear stream reflecting sunlight.
“It is beautiful. The color you chose is excellent—I like it very much.” Shi Wuxiang lowered his eyes, gently stroking the ribbon as if he were touching Yuan Zhao’s lively heart.
“I am glad you like it! I bought a lot of other things too.”
He went on to list everything he had bought in the county town, and also took out the new clothes that Madam Shi had rushed to make.
Scratching his head a little awkwardly, Yuan Zhao said, “My sewing is not very good, so I was afraid I would ruin such fine fabric. I asked Mother to make it. Try it on later—if it does not fit, I will take it back and have her adjust it. She worked hard on it.”
“You have worked hard too.” After listening to him, Shi Wuxiang asked softly, “What about you? Did you buy anything for yourself?”
“Me? The fabric I bought is enough to make clothes for me,” Yuan Zhao replied simply. He already had enough things, so there was no need to buy more.
Shi Wuxiang looked at him quietly, a trace of complicated tenderness surfacing in his eyes. He had always found people who neglected themselves while caring only for others somewhat foolish—but in Yuan Zhao, all he saw was sincerity.
He truly believed he did not need anything—it was not an act.
“I do not think that is right. If everyone in the family has something, then you should buy something for yourself too. Otherwise, next time no one will want to accept the things you buy,” Shi Wuxiang said, knowing how much Yuan Zhao cared about the family.
“But I really do not need anything. If I do not need it, why buy it? That would just be wasting money,” Yuan Zhao said, confused. Still, if his family refused his gifts, he knew he would feel hurt.
Shi Wuxiang thought for a moment and said casually, “Then do not buy us anything in the future either. We do not need it. We truly do not.”
Yuan Zhao blinked. “…?”
“You are doing this on purpose!” he said anxiously.
“If you do not want us to refuse your gifts on purpose, then you need to learn to prepare gifts for yourself too,” Shi Wuxiang explained patiently. “Anything small will do. Or you could buy a ribbon—do you not want to have the same one as me?”
“Hehe…” Yuan Zhao laughed shyly.
“If you want something, then you should have it,” Shi Wuxiang said seriously. “Do you think you are not worthy of even owning a ribbon?”
Yuan Zhao immediately straightened up, full of confidence. “Of course not!”
Shi Wuxiang liked him most when he was like this. People with a strong sense of self-worth did not wallow in self-pity, and Yuan Zhao always had a clear understanding of himself—an extremely rare quality.
“If you are worthy, then you should have it. Anything you have ever wanted, even just a little, should be bought and enjoyed. That is what you deserve.” Shi Wuxiang paused, seeing Yuan Zhao still a bit slow to catch on. “How about this—every time you come, tell me what you bought for yourself. It will help pass the time. With only one visit a month, it gets rather dull.”
Yuan Zhao thought for a moment. “Then do not find me annoying.”
Shi Wuxiang smiled and pinched his cheek. “If I found you annoying, I would not bother coming up with ideas for you. You have not even filled out yet, and you have already grown taller.”
Yuan Zhao cupped his face and felt it. “I think I am fine. There is plenty of meat to eat now… maybe I just cannot gain weight?”
“As long as you are healthy, that is enough,” Shi Wuxiang said.
“Oh right—the residence has already been arranged. Old Man Wang and his family have started the repairs. He said replacing the tiles should be enough, but the large furnishings need to be newly made. I was thinking of asking He Ge’er’s husband to do it,” Yuan Zhao said, watching his expression.
After all, someone would be earning the money anyway—he would feel better if it went to He Ge’er.
“Do as you see fit. Just do not let them overcharge you because you are familiar,” Shi Wuxiang replied.
“Got it.”
After their usual meal and some chatting, Shi Wuxiang sent Yuan Zhao off.
Back at the shop, Yuan Zhao felt that even in spring, it was already unbearably hot. The sun burned his face.
“It has been really hot lately.”
Inside the shop, customers were still buying porridge, but they waited for it to cool before drinking. The workers were all sweating heavily.
Madam Shi wiped her sweat and sighed. “I do not know what is going on. It is only just getting warm, but it is already unbearable. Hot porridge and soup are not selling well lately.”
“Then cook less. Ah Xiang gave me a recipe—we can get some ingredients from the pharmacy and make a cooling soup to reduce heat. Customers should like it,” Yuan Zhao said, trying to suppress his own irritation. “If there is too much left, we can give it to the beggars in town so it will not be wasted.”
“That makes sense,” Madam Shi agreed.
As expected, a lot of porridge was left over.
Yuan Zhao had Da Gou go to the dilapidated house and temple where they had stayed before to call people over, inviting the beggars to come drink the porridge. Ordinary people might mind the heat, but those who lacked food and clothing certainly would not.
When word spread that the eatery was giving out porridge, the beggars were overjoyed. Some poor families also came, carrying their bowls.
At first, they were hesitant, but seeing the beggars ahead of them receiving full bowls of golden millet porridge, they grew bolder, staring eagerly at the line.
Chen Yishu called out, “The porridge was made fresh this morning but did not sell out. If anyone minds, you do not have to force yourselves. We can guarantee it is still fresh.”
Following Yuan Zhao’s instructions, he made everything clear. Yuan Ge’er and Ranran also explained it to those in line, even saying that if anyone got an upset stomach, it was not the shop’s responsibility. Perhaps because they were young, no one objected.
After all, giving away the day’s porridge was an act of kindness. Those who minded simply would not line up.
And anyone who did line up was struggling too much to care whether it was leftover.
Watching them hold their bowls, carefully sipping the porridge as it nearly spilled over, Yuan Zhao felt deeply content—at least they could have one full meal.
“Let us close up,” Yuan Zhao said.
By the time they finished, it was evening. The sun was setting, and the heat finally eased a little.
Back home, they continued talking about the strange weather. It was hotter than in previous years—even at dusk, the air felt stifling, and even the wind brought discomfort.
“Brother, I am melting from the heat…” Yuan Yuan giggled foolishly, wiping his sweat. “I am going to bathe in cold water later—no, well water!”
“You want well water? Fine, I will draw you a bucket later,” Yuan Zhao laughed. He knew the boy would start yelping the moment he touched it.
Madam Shi sighed again. “This heat is going to ruin people. The crops in the fields might not survive. We need to buy more grain—our land is not very good…”
When they had first reclaimed the land, only the poorer plots remained. Normally, as long as there was rain for irrigation, it would still produce something. With six or seven people in the family, they did not rely entirely on the crops, but having them was better than nothing.
But with the weather like this, and no sign of rain, even daily watering might not keep the crops alive.
If that happened, they would have to buy more grain from the town’s grain shops.
“Let us plant them for now. Tomorrow I will go to the grain shops in town and buy more. Between the eatery and our household, even several hundred jin will not be enough,” Yuan Zhao said after a quick calculation.
“Alright, but do not buy too much from a single shop. Otherwise, rumors might spread that we are stirring panic,” Madam Shi said. She understood well the power of gossip—even normal purchases could be twisted into something else if the quantity was too large.
Yuan Zhao nodded. “I understand. I will buy more from the suppliers we already work with, and for the rest I will spread it out—smaller amounts from different shops.”
He was always efficient. The next morning, he set out early with Jia Xiaomei to the town. He did not even step into the eatery—he went straight to the grain supplier who provided for them.
The shopkeeper was not surprised to see him, but a little puzzled. “Boss Yuan, you are here? It is not time for delivery yet, is it?” Especially with the recent heat—porridge was not selling and had to be given away. It did not seem like they would need more grain.
“It is not time yet,” Yuan Zhao said with a smile, “but we have been using a lot lately, and there is not much left. I will trouble you to send it today. Also, I would like to buy some extra for home use. The land at my place is not good—it has all dried up.”
“That is true. This cursed weather is really killing us farmers. We rely on those crops to live, and it is this hot without a single drop of rain!” The shopkeeper was drawn into the topic and started complaining. “My land is irrigated every day, and it still dried out! How can that not make you angry?”
Yuan Zhao nodded in agreement. “It is unbearably hot. If only we could get a few rains, the crops might survive.”
He did not say the harsher possibility aloud.
At this rate, a drought was not impossible. And if that happened, people would not even be able to think about farming—life itself would become uncertain.
The shopkeeper quickly arranged for workers to deliver the grain and asked how much he needed.
After thinking for a moment, Yuan Zhao said, “Let us start with five hundred jin each of rice and flour. There are many people in my household—we eat every day.”
The shopkeeper seemed to recall something and teased him, “I heard Boss Yuan often goes to the academy to deliver meals to Scholar Shi. No wonder it is not enough.”
“The academy meals are simple. My husband prefers stronger flavors—if he does not eat well, it will affect his studies. Studying is already hard enough. If he cannot even eat properly, then it is suffering all around,” Yuan Zhao sighed.
The shopkeeper praised him outwardly as a devoted spouse, but inwardly thought Yuan Zhao was rather short-sighted. Because of that, he did not think much of this grain purchase either—someone like him doing such things was not surprising.
In any case, they were only business partners. As long as the transaction itself had no issues, there was no need to concern himself with others’ family matters.
Seeing that the shopkeeper had lost interest in conversation, Yuan Zhao thought to himself that his goal had been achieved.
The workers made two trips to deliver the grain. Yuan Zhao followed to settle the bill, had everything sorted, and then went on to other grain shops to buy more.
Soon, the backyard of the eatery was piled high with grain. Fortunately, the recent heat meant there was no need to worry about moisture spoiling the rice and flour.
When Yuan Zhao went to visit Shi Wuxiang, he explained everything. “Buying more grain is fine—we will eat it eventually, right?”
“You did well,” Shi Wuxiang praised him. “Even if the weather turns out fine, this much grain means we will not need to buy more for a long time. And if things worsen, we can rely on it to get through.”
“I am glad you think so. I was worried I might have done something wrong,” Yuan Zhao admitted. It was his first time spending so much money on so much grain—if something went wrong, all their hard-earned money would be wasted.
“Even if it were a mistake, it would not matter. Everyone makes mistakes. If it happens, we can correct it. And even if it truly were wrong, no one in the family would blame you,” Shi Wuxiang said.
After all, the children could not make such decisions, and both Madam Shi and he supported Yuan Zhao’s actions. There was no one to blame.
“As for the eatery, keep cooking the usual amount of porridge. It is fine to give more away,” Shi Wuxiang added. “If the drought continues, even the magistrate will grow anxious. What you are doing will help. Just be careful of the merchants in town.”
“Then in a few days, I will ask around and see which merchants are willing to contribute grain for distribution. With the Li family setting an example, they will want a good reputation too,” Yuan Zhao said. “If everyone participates, no one will pay special attention to us.”
Shi Wuxiang looked at him with surprise, his gaze filled with admiration. “You learn quickly and apply it well—you are quite clever.”
“That is because you taught me well,” Yuan Zhao said with a grin.
Shi Wuxiang smiled, reaching up to wipe the sweat from his forehead. “It has been very hot lately. Do not keep running back and forth. If business is slow, stay home and rest. Do not risk heatstroke—it is not worth it.”
“I understand. I will handle it properly,” Yuan Zhao said. “A few days ago, I checked the river—the water level has dropped a lot. Not just our fields—many families’ paddies are suffering. If things really go bad, I plan to pay Uncle Yang early. His family is struggling—they will need to buy grain too.”
“Handle it as you see fit. It is fine to give a bit more,” Shi Wuxiang said. He understood the hardships of ordinary life.
Yuan Zhao nodded. He knew Ah Xiang was a good person—someone who thought far beyond what he himself could see. So the everyday matters of the household were his responsibility.
“Oh right—please make more meat sauce next time you come. In this heat, those light dishes are even more tasteless,” Shi Wuxiang added, a little embarrassed.
It was rare for him to be particular about food, so Yuan Zhao naturally agreed.
“I know. I will make more so you and Chengdu can share. I will also bring some to Ah Yue—I have not visited him lately, he is probably unhappy,” Yuan Zhao said with a laugh.
His bright, lively eyes curved into crescents, his small mouth forming a lovely smile that revealed glimpses of white teeth.
Shi Wuxiang had long known how fair his skin was—the darker tone came from years of labor under the sun.
Skin color aside, prolonged exposure could damage the body. In severe cases, it could even lead to heatstroke—people had died from it even in more advanced times, let alone now.
“This summer, you must take care of yourself. If you go out, use an umbrella. Apply the ointment I bought you—it prevents sun damage,” Shi Wuxiang instructed carefully. Then, fearing Yuan Zhao might not listen, he added, “If I find your face peeling from sunburn again, just see how I deal with you.”
Yuan Zhao instinctively touched his face and pouted. “I know.”
“Stay home and be cautious,” Shi Wuxiang said, cupping half his face and pressing his hand into his palm. “Right now, I depend on you to support me. You are the pillar of this family. If anything happens to you, I will have no way to live.”
“You are exaggerating… hehe… hahaha…” Yuan Zhao tried to hold back, but ended up laughing anyway.
Under Shi Wuxiang’s hand, his expressive face—partly hidden by his darker complexion—was kneaded and squished, lively and full of life.
Shi Wuxiang’s gaze deepened as he looked at him. Slowly, Yuan Zhao’s laughter faded, and a strange flush crept onto his ears and cheeks, adding brightness to his otherwise muted complexion.
“Ah Xiang?” Yuan Zhao called softly.
“I am here.”
“Your expression is strange… can you not look at me like that?” Yuan Zhao tried to turn away, but his chin was held firmly, leaving him no choice but to lower his gaze.
Shi Wuxiang smiled. “What is strange about it? It is clearly you whose mind is wandering. What are you thinking about?”
His voice dropped, low and hoarse, carrying a subtle temptation. Drawn in, Yuan Zhao looked up—
—and blurted out the same words he had once said on New Year’s Eve.
“I want to kiss…”
The moment he finished, he snapped back to his senses, quickly covering his mouth, eyes wide as if someone else had said it.
Shi Wuxiang clicked his tongue. “Look at you—so shameless. What do you think about all day?”
“Now it is my fault?” Yuan Zhao puffed up angrily. “You were the one who asked! I answered, and now you call me shameless? You are the shameless one! I do not care—you owe me a kiss!”
“Alright, alright—owed, owed…”