UCTOOT CH61

“…………”

Shi Shu’s eyes widened. “Aren’t you disgusted?”

He put down the bowl. “I don’t want to eat anymore. You eat it yourself.”

Shi Shu really couldn’t eat. He felt like something was stuck in his mouth, even more uncomfortable than the fishy smell. After he finished eating and took the things downstairs, the group was still playing cards. The person who had come for lunch was gone, but Laifu had an extra steamed bun and was chewing on it.

Shi Shu asked, “The person who wanted lunch just now, did he leave?”

The station attendant said, “He left. He ate and left, seemed to be in a hurry to travel.”

Shi Shu went upstairs with some doubt to find Xie Wuchi. Xie Wuchi’s fever hadn’t subsided, and he seemed to be on the verge of sleeping. “I met someone strange when I went out to buy things today.”

Xie Wuchi’s hand hung limply by the side of the bed. “How was he strange?”

Shi Shu: “He was muttering to himself in front of the stele in Shukang Prefecture, seemed to be looking for you. But your situation is special right now, and I don’t know if he’s a fan of yours or what. It might cause trouble, so I didn’t tell him.”

When asked for more details, Shi Shu explained. Xie Wuchi slightly raised an eyebrow, a thoughtful look on his face. “Alright.”

“Should we find him?”

Xie Wuchi’s eyes seemed to be veiled in mist. He said, “No need. The people in the Eastern Capital know I’ve been exiled to Taiyin Prefecture. If he wants to find me, he’ll see me sooner or later. I have a premonition, perhaps very soon.”

Shi Shu didn’t dwell on it. “Fine. Since you became famous, countless people have wanted to meet and discuss things with you. After all, talking with smart people can yield more useful things. If you don’t want to see him, then so be it.”

Seeing that there was nothing else, Shi Shu said, “Then you rest first. Let’s see if the fever can go down this afternoon. Xie Wuchi, can you be a little more cooperative? Get well soon.”

“I’ll try.”

Xie Wuchi lay down to sleep. Shi Shu went downstairs to the stables to see Laicai chewing on beans and fodder, and also watched them play cards for a while. When he entered the room at night, the man was in a deep sleep. Blowing out the lamp, they shared the bed. Just as Shi Shu lifted the quilt and climbed into bed, Xie Wuchi woke up as if reanimated and went to take his hand.

“Brother, you scared me!”

It started again! Shi Shu fought with him in the dark. After a life-and-death struggle, his clothes were torn open and pressed against his, forced to entangle with the man’s body, the heat of their skin intertwining and transmitting, his legs also pressed into the mattress.

“…”

Shi Shu looked up at the top of the bed and took a breath.

“Xie Wuchi, are you really having a fever? You have endless energy.”

Xie Wuchi’s voice was hoarse. “I like it.”

Shi Shu: “I understand you’re psychologically fragile because you’re sick, but I suspect you have some bad habits spoiled by an ex-boyfriend, right? Making me hold you to sleep every night, even my own parents wouldn’t do this.”

Xie Wuchi’s breath was by his ear. “I don’t have one.”

“How many days are you going to hold me? If you hold me again, I’m going downstairs to sleep with Xu Erlang.”

As soon as he finished speaking, his wrist was gripped tighter. “You won’t go. He’s not as good as me.”

Shi Shu: “…Xie Wuchi.”

What does it feel like to be forced to sleep naked with a 1.9-meter-tall man? Especially when the other person’s sexual orientation is not right. Shi Shu’s scalp was tingling. His shoulder rested against his chest, and he inexplicably cursed in his heart, damn, how did he train them, his pecs are so big.

The kind that if you took off your shirt and filmed a video, the comments below would be densely filled with: Want to lick big brother. That kind.

Shi Shu supported his forehead and just lay in his arms. Outside the window was the sound of a torrential downpour, washing away the late autumn chill.

Sometimes you really can’t predict what the next step in life will be. For example, half a year ago, he probably wouldn’t have imagined that he would be hugging a man in ancient times without a stitch of clothing on.

People really do change. Shi Shu aimlessly thought of his parents. At first, he always felt very sad, but now that he thought about it, no matter where he was, as long as he was happy, brave, and optimistic, it would be a comfort to them.

A wet sensation passed over Shi Shu’s earlobe. Xie Wuchi’s breath condensed into a mist on his earlobe. His palm touched Xie Wuchi’s forehead; it was burning hot. Perhaps because he was uncomfortable, he squeezed into the crook of Shi Shu’s neck, relying on holding him tight to relieve the discomfort.

“Xie Wuchi.”

“Whose child are you, being so pitiful here.”

Just as Shi Shu finished muttering and turned his face, Xie Wuchi, in his daze, sensed the movement and leaned over to kiss Shi Shu’s lips. He naturally and skillfully pressed against his lips for a few kisses, and then the sticking of their lips and teeth turned into a deep kiss.

“…………”

Xie Wuchi definitely has an ex-boyfriend, he’s too skilled.

He’s been unwilling to talk about his messy past. Could it be that there’s still someone waiting for him in the modern world? So he just wants to be friends with benefits?

Damn it, you gay men really play around.

Shi Shu’s hands were gradually clasped by one large hand and pinned behind his back. Every time Xie Wuchi kissed someone, he would either grab their neck or pin their hands behind their back, in a posture of complete control, methodically enjoying his prey.

Shi Shu was dizzy, being kissed on the lips again and again, his hands pinned behind him. Xie Wuchi’s other hand held his chin, kissing him, then pausing, then kissing again. It wasn’t as lustful and thirsty as before; it was a kind of lingering feeling that Shi Shu found rather inexplicable.

Shi Shu’s mind was very clear. After a few kisses, Xie Wuchi, as if laying a foundation step by step, transitioned into a deep kiss with his tongue. Because there was a strange intimacy, it made one’s scalp tingle.

Shi Shu himself could feel it; he was being boiled like a frog in warm water.

It’s over, this life is really going to be like this.

Kiss me, kiss me to death.

I’m not worthy of anyone.

Shi Shu turned his head away, looked at him, and under his sense of morality, he asked for confirmation, “Xie Wuchi, you’re single right now, you don’t have any romantic partner, do you?”

Xie Wuchi: “I don’t.”

“…”

Why does it feel not very believable? This peacock.

Shi Shu: “If you have a partner and are still doing this with me, may you be struck by lightning.”

Xie Wuchi chuckled lightly. “Alright. Here, inspect me.”

After saying that, he took Shi Shu’s lips again and pecked them. Perhaps because of his fever, his body temperature was much higher, rubbing against Shi Shu’s lips, parting them to wetly lick his tongue, stirring up dizzying ripples, back and forth.

Shi Shu’s rationality was still thinking. Before, a single kiss from Xie Wuchi would usually send him flying away like he was on chicken blood. But perhaps it was because they were already lying in bed, and it was time to sleep, and there was nothing else to do, that they were kissing so inexplicably, for longer than ever before.

Shi Shu stared at the tempting face before him.

He could still remember sternly telling Xie Wuchi not to mess around a few months ago. Now it was like a dog had eaten his words. The thought of this made him feel like his life was over again.

Shi Shu’s mood dimmed. He said, “Stop.”

Then, his face was caressed, and his nose was rubbed. “Be good.”

Good for what? Who talks to a man like that.

Just as Shi Shu was about to struggle free, he suddenly heard a noise from outside the door. The bailiffs and eunuchs had finished playing cards and were preparing to sleep. The wooden floorboards creaked under their feet, and a few voices appeared at the door.

“Lord Xie and his brother, asleep already?”

“Asleep. Let’s see if his cold gets better tomorrow. Eunuch Li said we have to travel tomorrow, otherwise we’ll be served with a club.”

“Let’s take a look.”

“…”

To monitor the prisoner’s movements at all times, their door was not allowed to be closed. He could clearly feel the footsteps stop outside the door, confirming the prisoner was still in the room.

The night was dark. The bailiff fumbled in the dark without an umbrella. He could only see the bulge in the bed curtains, two pairs of shoes under the bed, the doors and windows shut tight. The person seemed to be in a deep sleep.

Shi Shu’s spine went cold, his mind racing. Unexpectedly, Xie Wuchi showed no intention of restraining himself. He held his lips and licked inside, and seemed to get even more excited. His mouth became wet and hot from the stimulation, sticking together. It was a completely different kind of fervor from what was outside the door, making wet sounds of exchanging saliva.

“…………”

Shi Shu’s back went cold, his scalp tightened. He thought, Xie Wuchi, are you getting off on this again? Two people who are thought to be real brothers, doing such a sordid thing under the covers.

You really get more excited the more perverted it is.

Shi Shu carefully listened to the sounds outside the door. A moment later, the footsteps walked away.

Shi Shu breathed a sigh of relief and broke the kiss with Xie Wuchi. A silvery thread of saliva connected them. The high feverish breath spread out. His dark eyebrows were slightly raised, his face full of satisfaction.

Shi Shu looked at him, thought for a long time, and only said, “My dear brother, you’re truly awesome.”

Before long, Xie Wuchi finally fell into a deep sleep holding him. His eyelashes drooped, casting a faint shadow, his nose straight. Shi Shu felt the straight calf resting on his leg, gritted his teeth, and gently supported his chin, letting Xie Wuchi fall into a comfortable sleep.

Their tacit understanding needed no words.

How could he and Xie Wuchi be separated, even though their current relationship was very strange.

Xie Wuchi’s high fever had subsided a little, but his spirits were still not good. He walked and stopped while holding an umbrella on the road. On the third day, the fever finally went away completely.

Shi Shu had never walked for such a long time before. He could have ridden a horse, but he still insisted on walking with the group. Because of this, he got along quite well with everyone.

A few times he really felt he couldn’t walk anymore, but the long-distance trek was similar to his long-distance running training. Only by persisting and challenging the limits of his physical strength with his willpower would he be satisfied.

But Shi Shu had very good stamina. He probably spent more than half his energy on robbing bird nests, climbing trees, and running around. Sometimes when he was tired like a dog, it was purely his own fault. The group had to look at him with admiring eyes.

“Lord Xie, this brother of yours…”

“It’s hard to say…”

Usually, when they said this, Shi Shu might have just swept up to a mountain ridge like a gust of wind and was looking at the scenery in the distance.

“Has your esteemed brother forgotten that this is an exile?”

The eunuch said sarcastically, “His Majesty’s intention for this trip is to temper your mind and body, my lord, and to have you reflect on the mistakes of the New Policies. Is your esteemed brother’s behavior a bit too frivolous?”

Xie Wuchi’s gaze focused. He saw Shi Shu running down from the mountaintop, a reed in his mouth, and a stalk in his hand which he offered to him. “One for each of us.”

Xie Wuchi opened his palm to receive it. Every day he would receive the various random spoils of war that Shi Shu brought him from time to time—sometimes reed flowers, dried leaves, a bird’s feather, or maybe even a pigeon’s egg.

Xu Erlang also received a pile of souvenirs. “The difference between you two brothers is truly like heaven and earth.” One was emotionally unpredictable, distant, and indifferent; the other had a sunny smile and seemed to have no cunning at all.

Xie Wuchi only said.

“Let him play.”

Clouds flowed, stars shifted.

The weather grew colder and colder. The closer they got to the northern border, the geography changed from the initial lush green trees and fields to sparse, grassy slopes and yellow earth. The trees shed their leaves and became desolate. Sand was swept up by the wind on the ground, and the sky turned a dull, pale yellow.

On this day, on the bare mountain land, Shi Shu was staring at the columns of carriages passing by at the foot of the mountain. Unconsciously, a light snowflake fell on his eyelashes. He rubbed his eye, and it was cold.

Shi Shu suddenly broke into a run. “Did you see that? It’s snowing! It’s actually snowing!”

From the Eastern Capital to Taiyin Prefecture, from late autumn, they had actually walked into winter.

Large flakes of snow fell, quickly covering Xie Wuchi’s hair. “This is not the first snow.”

Shi Shu: “Is it almost the New Year?!”

Xu Erlang sighed with emotion. “Yes, it’s almost the New Year.”

Shi Shu: “Can we not travel on New Year’s Day?”

“Who travels on New Year’s Day? Even prisoners have to rest during holidays. We’re far from home, we have to celebrate the New Year too.”

The bailiffs all started laughing. “I wonder how things are at home.”

“I’m not there this year. My mother will have to prepare the New Year goods all by herself. Her back is not good.”

“Sigh…”

Walking in the snow, talking, it wasn’t long before the snow began to fall more heavily. After walking for another half an hour, the ground was covered with a light blanket of snow. The north wind swirled with snowflakes, like sharp knife blades cutting at their faces. Shi Shu turned his face to avoid the wind, went to Xie Wuchi’s side, and wiped the snow from his face. “The weather is getting colder, how are you?”

Two months.

Xie Wuchi was wrapped in dust and snowflakes, clinging to his dark eyelashes. His complexion was much worse than in the Eastern Capital, his eyes seemed even darker. “Clank, clank,” the chains on his ankles dragged through the snow and sand on the ground. Like a prisoner, like a god or a demon.

His pupils reflected the gloomy sky, the sand-filled wind, the overgrown weeds, and the bitterly cold and desolate border. He sized it up with great interest, a thoughtful look in his eyes. He only came back to his senses when he heard Shi Shu’s words and looked at him.

Xie Wuchi’s eyes had always been very cold. Sometimes, it took a moment to see a different kind of warmth.

Xie Wuchi: “I’m fine.”

A chill suddenly rose in Shi Shu’s heart. He felt his mental state was worrying.

If Xie Wuchi complained often, sighing every day, he would seem more human. But he hadn’t said a word. For a full three thousand li, even Shi Shu had times when he complained of being tired. Xie Wuchi, wearing a cangue and carrying a heavy load, had not said a single word of hardship.

The eunuchs who wrote Xie Wuchi’s observation diaries every day couldn’t even write anything.

“Truly terrifying.”

He showed no emotion at all, a person who would never vent his anger on others.

In this aspect, Shi Shu truly admired him. He was a real man.

Shi Shu was about to speak when, from behind, a crisp neighing of horses sounded. The unruliness of this sound was completely different from the horses of the dandies on the bustling streets of the Eastern Capital. It was carried by the fierce wind and snow.

Shi Shu turned his face. A few tall horses were in front, ridden by whip-wielding officers. Behind them followed columns of laborers pushing carts, their backs bent, struggling to trudge forward in the snow. The carts were loaded with grain and fodder packed in bundles. There were nearly a hundred people, and the wheels of the carts made sounds as if they were overloaded.

Shi Shu was surprised. “This is already the scene at the border!”

It was the first time he had seen the soldiers of the border, and this scene of yellow sand filling the sky. It was a complete, cold desolation, different from the prosperity of the Eastern Capital.

In the swirling snowflakes, this group of people was connected like ants, moving slowly forward. Up ahead, sounds echoed.

“Who told you to stop! Stand up!!”

“The front line at Nancha River is waiting for grain and fodder! We can’t rest today. If there’s a delay, you’ll be dealt with by military law! We’ll have your dog lives!”

“I told you to move! No resting! Crack—”

A whip lashed a young man’s back, splitting the skin and flesh. As Shi Shu was shocked by the sight, Xu Erlang bumped his arm. “Your brother is being exiled to Taiyin Prefecture to do this kind of work.”

“What?”

“Either transport grain and fodder, or repair the city walls, clear corpses on the front lines of the war zone, build sheds, or manage the military horses, grain, and supplies in logistics. It all depends on how the supervisor in Taiyin Prefecture arranges it. If you pay more, the work is easier.”

A eunuch behind them coughed. “Ahem, ahem!”

Xu Erlang: “Looks like it will be difficult.”

Shi Shu: “Isn’t this even harder than exile?”

Xu Erlang: “What did you think? After exile, few people survive. They all die at the border and fill the trenches with the soldiers.”

Shi Shu felt an extreme cold. “So cold.”

Shi Shu couldn’t help but ask again, “Are they all criminals?”

Xu Erlang said, “Not all of them. With so many people, most of them should be ‘choufu’.”

Shi Shu: “‘Choufu’?”

Xie Wuchi’s gaze shifted. He replaced the unclear explanation of Xu Erlang and said more accurately, “Similar to the ‘Beilainu’.”

“Twenty years ago, during the reign of Emperor Ai, the Great Jing was overrun by the iron cavalry of the Great Min, losing three routes and six prefectures, namely Yong’an Prefecture, Chuituo Prefecture, and the dynasty’s place of origin, Dasheng Prefecture. In these three places, millions of Great Jing’s people were forced to become slaves of the foreign race under their iron hooves. Many of them were unwilling to be slaves for the foreign race, so they fled from the occupied territories, crossed the river to Taiyin Prefecture and Changping Prefecture, and were enlisted as military households or slaves. The military households who joined the army were called ‘choujun,’ meaning ‘to share a common enemy and seek revenge,’ while those who did not join the army were ‘choufu,’ with men serving as slaves and women as maids, serving the army on the border, waiting for the day to recover their homeland.”

Shi Shu’s pupils contracted. “So that’s how it is…”

“Don’t underestimate a person’s desire to go home.”

Shi Shu looked at the people before him. Indeed, since there was no way out, these laborers didn’t complain much, pushing the grain carts in the wind and snow. Shi Shu looked closely. In the bitter cold of winter, these people’s hands and feet were chapped and wounded, their faces had frostbite, and they exhaled cold breath.

“No wonder the border poems are all about hardship and desolation. Who wouldn’t suffer here?”

It felt like the people here had more resolute faces.

Shi Shu let out a cold breath, hiding his nearly frozen hands in his sleeves. It was too cold to bear. “Let’s go, let’s go. The snow is falling heavily. Let’s get to the station and rest early.”

As soon as they arrived at the station, the travel cangue was removed, and the chains were also unlocked. The weather was extremely cold. Shi Shu tied Laicai in the stables. When he returned, a group of people were rushing to the station attendant for hot water, pushing and shoving in a hurry. A few eunuchs even got red in the face with each other.

Xu Erlang said with a smile, “These eunuchs need to wash their butts. Otherwise, they’ll have a smell. You know, their castration isn’t clean, so they always leak urine, that’s why they have to rush for hot water to wash every day.”

“Is that so.”

“Of course, I know everything.”

Shi Shu watched for a while, then walked to Xie Wuchi’s side.

He stood there properly, watching the winter snow in the courtyard, a thoughtful look on his face. Even though he had few human rights these past two months, his back was always straight, his posture extremely high.

Shi Shu pulled him into an empty room and rolled up Xie Wuchi’s sleeves. “Come on, come on, today’s inspection begins. Let me see if you have frostbite.”

In these one or two months, Shi Shu had discovered Xie Wuchi’s problem. He had an enduring personality that wouldn’t make a sound even if he was severely injured and his golden core shattered. But as winter came, there were more and more variables. Shi Shu was very afraid of an accident that he wouldn’t see in time, so he had to check his hands and feet from time to time.

Shi Shu first looked at his ears. “No frostbite.”

Then he took his hand. “The index finger has slight frostbite, not a big problem. I’ll wash the gloves, dry them by the fire, and you can wear them again tomorrow.”

Shi Shu had never taken care of anyone before. He recalled how his parents took care of him when he was a child and emulated them. He pulled at Xie Wuchi’s trouser leg. “Take off your shoes, let me see. Nothing here either.”

After confirming that the handsome guy had no disfiguring injuries on his entire body, Shi Shu said with relief, “Good, this is good. Xie Wuchi, we just have to hold on for a few more days and we’ll be in Taiyin Prefecture. Your freedom and victory are in sight.”

Thinking of this, Shi Shu was happy.

Through the wind, frost, rain, and snow, a journey of three thousand li, but because the two of them were always together, even arriving at this bitterly cold land of the Taiyin border, thinking about it carefully, there was nothing to be afraid of.

Shi Shu drank a cup of water and said as if he had survived a catastrophe, “Just now I saw that group of laborers, and thought that your future life will be like that. It’s really scary. But it’s okay, luckily I came with you. If you serve, I’ll serve with you.”

Xie Wuchi looked at him.

Shi Shu said, “Isn’t it almost New Year? This is our first New Year here. We don’t have to travel, so let’s celebrate it properly. Last time in Qian’an Prefecture, you promised me that you would treat me to a celebration banquet when we returned to the Eastern Capital. We still haven’t had it. We can finally have it this time, right?”

Xie Wuchi lowered his eyes, not knowing what to say.

Shi Shu nodded, understanding his thoughts. “It can also be a celebration of you finally successfully completing this three-thousand-li journey. The future is a smooth path.”

Shi Shu patted his shoulder and walked out, preparing to find hot water for Xie Wuchi to wash his hands and feet and wipe his body. Xie Wuchi followed behind him. It had always been Shi Shu following Xie Wuchi, but now he was quiet, a stark contrast to before.

It was Shi Shu’s first time in such a remote northern territory. The wind was like a knife to the face. It was so cold that even going to the toilet was freezing. When he went to get hot water, there was only half a bucket left. The remaining firewood had to be saved for cooking tomorrow.

With this half bucket, he wiped his body. The rest was used to wash his feet. Xie Wuchi said, “Let’s wash together, otherwise it’ll get cold.”

“…”

Shi Shu’s heart skipped a beat. He poured the remaining water into the basin.

Two pairs of feet stepped into the same wooden basin. Shi Shu didn’t dare to make a sound. Xie Wuchi’s toes seemed to be stepping on the back of his foot. The water rippled, their skin touching.

Shi Shu had no choice but to wash his feet nonchalantly, turning his gaze away from Xie Wuchi. After washing, he poured out the water from the wooden basin and wiped his hands clean.

Shi Shu stood at the door, looking at the snow in the courtyard. He had a faint feeling that Xie Wuchi’s covetousness for him was not just limited to his lips and teeth. These days at night, he didn’t always hold him to sleep. Generally, if Shi Shu didn’t agree, Xie Wuchi could respect his wishes.

It was just a strange atmosphere that lingered between them. But Xie Wuchi’s body and mind had been frustrated on this journey, so Shi Shu hadn’t paid much attention to it. He was naturally carefree, and some things were easily forgotten.

It was just that he couldn’t get over the fact that Xie Wuchi liked men.

As Shi Shu was thinking, the wind and snow at the station entrance intensified. A person walked in like a gray mushroom, shaking the snow off his body. “Please, masters, I need a bite to eat—”

The station attendant in this northern border was a bit nicer. He probably understood that some people were just short of a meal, otherwise they could freeze or starve to death. Hearing this, he gave him a steamed bun.

Shi Shu watched as the person sat down at the entrance and began to eat voraciously.

Shi Shu squatted on the steps, watching idly. Unexpectedly, Laifu suddenly ran to the person’s side. Just as Shi Shu thought Laifu was going to bite him, the person recognized Laifu at a glance. “Huh? Wangcai? Why is it you again?”

Shi Shu walked closer. “How do you know my dog?”

The person looked up, his face ravaged by the wind and snow. “You, you, you, last time at the station in Shukang Prefecture, we met!”

Shi Shu remembered. “Oh, so it’s you. You were looking at the plague stele. Weren’t you going to the Eastern Capital? How did you end up in Taiyin Prefecture?”

“Of course I asked around—” The person was silent for a moment, then suddenly said in a tentative voice, “When it’s odd, it changes; when it’s even, it doesn’t—”

Shi Shu hadn’t been paying attention at first, but after thinking about it, his pupils suddenly widened, and he stared fixedly at the person.

A cold meaning echoed in the air. Shi Shu blurted out, “Holy shit.”

The other person: “Holy shit?”

“Holy shit!”

“Holy shit!!!”

Blood rushed to Shi Shu’s head, a dizzying feeling, as if witnessing a miracle. Then he suddenly turned and beckoned to Xie Wuchi. “Come here, come here, come here!”

No way, for real? In this world, there’s actually another transmigrator.

Shi Shu was calling for Xie Wuchi, but this person had already identified him by the several “holy shits.” He hugged Shi Shu’s leg and wailed, “Are you Xie Wuchi! Are you! Brother, I’ve had such a hard time looking for you! Valence one is hydrogen, chlorine, potassium, sodium, silver; valence two is oxygen, calcium, magnesium, barium, zinc! When it’s odd, it changes; when it’s even, it doesn’t; the sign depends on the quadrant! The price of the shirt is nine pounds and fifteen pence!”

“My kin, my kin! I never thought there’d be another of our kind!”

In the vast snow, at the border pass, Shi Shu’s heart was filled with extreme excitement. He had never thought he would meet another modern person here. He was about to pat him on the shoulder in response.

A presence approached from behind. Xie Wuchi said, “Let go.”

Du Zihan didn’t hear clearly. In the next second, his arm was twisted, and he cried out, “It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts—”

He let go. Shi Shu quickly said, “Don’t do it, he’s also a modern person.”

Xie Wuchi: “I heard.”

Du Zihan quickly explained, “Brother, I’m not a bad person. My name is Du Zihan. My name really is Zihan. I’ve been looking for you guys. I knew that ancient people could manage plagues and implement new policies, but to do it so efficiently was definitely not simple!”

Shi Shu quietly looked at the other people in the courtyard. The eunuch’s gaze was gathered here. He squatted down. “How long have you been here?”

“I came this spring, been here for a year! I could cry to death!”

Du Zihan had a look of utter despair. “I had a friend before, but he couldn’t take it and committed suicide. Since then, it’s been just me—”

Shi Shu turned to look at Xie Wuchi. Xie Wuchi’s eyes were dark and gloomy, quietly staring at him.

Du Zihan hugged Shi Shu again. “Are you Xie Wuchi! As expected, I’m a genius!”

Shi Shu said, “I’m not Xie Wuchi. He is.”

Du Zihan wiped his tears and turned to look at Xie Wuchi, then back at Shi Shu, and said, “No way, even transmigrating has an appearance requirement?”

Shi Shu: “You look pretty good too—I don’t know how we transmigrated either. Anyway, I met him three months after I transmigrated.”

Du Zihan said, “Alright, let’s talk somewhere else.”

Shi Shu turned around. The eunuchs had indeed swarmed over, seemingly wanting to listen to their conversation. Shi Shu made up an excuse, saying they were from the same hometown, and only then did they go into the room together.

Shi Shu poured Du Zihan a cup of water, his boiling emotions unable to calm down. He was almost resigned to his fate, but now a new transmigrator had suddenly appeared.

Shi Shu turned his head. Xie Wuchi stood by the window, not very warm towards this newcomer. A thought turned in his mind. He said to Du Zihan, “You sit here, we’ll go get something to eat.”

He pulled Xie Wuchi. “Come on, come on, you come too!”

They walked out the door together. In the kitchen, Shi Shu asked him in a low voice, “What do you think of this new transmigrator? I can accept him, but I don’t know if you’re willing. Also, about your affairs, if you don’t want to reveal them, I won’t say anything.”

Xie Wuchi: “Don’t say anything. Observe first.”

He was cautious in his actions. Shi Shu understood in his heart. “Alright, rest assured, I won’t speak carelessly. I will definitely keep your secret.”

After speaking, he saw Xie Wuchi’s side profile reflected in the snow’s shadow, his eyelashes lowered, his nose straight. He didn’t seem very happy.

Shi Shu: “What’s wrong, Xie Wuchi? You don’t look happy.”

Xie Wuchi looked up at him. “I don’t like it when others come between you and me.”

“…”

Shi Shu: “Huh?”

Xie Wuchi turned and went out the door. Shi Shu realized something was wrong and quickened his pace to follow Xie Wuchi into the room.

Du Zihan was sitting on a chair in the room, rubbing his hands to keep warm. When Xie Wuchi’s robed figure entered, he immediately slammed the table in excitement. “Big Daddy Bro! I know your story—”

Xie Wuchi looked at him calmly. “Did I let you sit?”

Shi Shu’s heart skipped a beat, a wave of heat rising behind his ears. He turned to look at him. What are you saying, Xie Wuchi… is this how you treat a new friend?

Du Zihan stood up, panicked. “That, I…”

Xie Wuchi spoke slowly, word by word, so he could hear clearly. “I’ll be direct. You want to follow me, but I don’t like useless trash, and I’m not in the mood to play at being friendly and innocent. This isn’t the modern world anymore. If you want to follow me, you have to be obedient. If you’re not obedient, then get lost.”

Du Zihan’s face flushed red, and he was speechless for a moment. Shi Shu’s fair face looked from side to side in surprise, ripples spreading in his heart.

“I say, don’t be so tense…” Shi Shu tried to ease the atmosphere. “Xie Wuchi, what on earth…”

Unexpectedly, Du Zihan nodded. “Okay, I’ll go sleep in the woodshed. Thank you for taking me in, thank you.”

He then picked up his bundle and walked out. Shi Shu’s gaze moved, a thousand words in his heart.

Why?

What was the difference?

A thought flashed through Shi Shu’s mind, and he suddenly remembered when he had first met Xie Wuchi long ago.

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