Hot Spring (1)

Qin Yuan let go of his hand and climbed onto the bed, lying on his side next to Ruan Qingmu in a crooked position.

“You really don’t need me to massage it?” he leaned close to Ruan Qingmu’s ear, whispering seductively. “If you miss this opportunity, it’ll be hard to come across it again.”

Ruan Qingmu moved quickly and rolled to the other side of the bed, taking the big snow-white quilt with him and wrapping himself up like a silkworm pupa. “No need. No need. It has been hard on you too. It’s tiring on the road. Hahaha!”

Qin Yuan rolled over and laid his head on the pillow on one side. “Okay. Let’s rest then.”

Ruan Qingmu suddenly buried his face in the fluffy goose-down mattress, covering his red face. “The goose-down from this shop is fake!”

Qin Yuan was slightly surprised. “Why do you say so?”

“It’s all static and crackles when you touch it.” Ruan Qingmu grunted sullenly.

Qin Yuan held back his laughter and reached out from afar to pull his buried head from under the duvet. “Okay, you can come out now. Don’t suffocate yourself.”

Ruan Qingmu ignored him and quickly rolled around again, wrapping himself tighter.

Qin Yuan reluctantly let go of his hand and lay down next to him properly.

The bed in the room was in the Chinese style and because it was the main room, it was by default for couples or lovers. The four thick bed pillars were carved with flowers and the bed was topped with a dark purple and red bed curtain, with bright yellow concentric knots along the edge of the curtain.

The room was quiet and warm as the snow drifted outside. The room next door was also very quiet. Not sure if it was because Mu Wanli had taken Xiao-Zhuang to rest or if the room was soundproofed in the first place, but it was quiet here as if it was isolated from the rest of the world.

Ruan Qingmu’s eyes were closed and his heart slightly pounded in his chest.

Whether it was doing questions and boxing at Qin Yuan’s house or Qin Yuan coming to his house as a guest, the two had never really spent the night together. While Ruan Qingmu’s place was small and though Qin Yuan’s home was large, there was no reason to sleepover once night came around.

Those few hours spent sleeping in his bed on Lunar New Year last year were also in broad daylight, not exactly at night.

That said, this was going to be the first time the two would sleep together properly, and… were about to share a bed for several days.

“Ruan Ruan, my lunar birthday just passed,” Qin Yuan suddenly whispered.

Ruan Qingmu’s heart leaped and he forced himself to calm down. “Oh, I know! I’ve also celebrated your lunar birthday this year.”

The promised gift of a painting for every year was not missed this year either. This time, he didn’t paint a landscape, but instead had painted a small picture of peach blossoms in the spring breeze, a small piece in size but he had spent a lot of effort on it.

Qin Yuan sulked. “But, I don’t feel much different.”

Ruan Qingmu: “…”

He slowly arched over and reached out with difficulty from under the covers, poking the person next to him. “This fellow boyfriend, are you condemning my present?”

Qin Yuan fiercely turned his face, looking at him with a gleaming, unblinking gaze. “Of course not. I mean, there’s nothing different about myself.”

“Of course there is.” Ruan Qingmu glared at him seriously. “Since you’ve become an adult, you have to learn self-control. You can’t keep acting spoiled and miserable like before, understand?”

Qin Yuan looked at him for a long time before he faintly closed his eyes. “Okay. Let’s sleep then. We have to get up in a bit for dinner.”

The snow fell silently outside. Their journey here had tired them out and the two fell asleep side by side, slowly drifting into a light sleep.

The two woke up to Mu Wanli knocking on their door outside. It was past five o’clock and Qin Zhufeng had called and booked a private room at the restaurant outside called, Xiaozhu Li.

Xiao-Zhuang had already woken up and was sitting outside on the sofa watching TV that was on mute. When he saw them coming out, he ran over again, holding up two bananas and handing them to the two of them with an attentive “ahhh.”

Ruan Qingmu stared at the large yellow-orange bananas but suddenly put them down on the coffee table quickly. “Cough! We won’t eat this. We’re having dinner soon.”

The family followed the bluestone path to the restaurant a few dozen meters away, where Qin Zhufeng and the others were waiting. The two little girls were looking excitedly around the koi pond while Qin Zhufeng and his wife had a fine tea set in front of them. A pretty waitress girl dressed in a Chinese-style lined jacket was quietly performing the tea ceremony.

When he saw Mu Wanli coming, Qin Zhufeng smiled and got up. “How is it? Did you have a good rest?”

Mu Wanli hurried to thank him. “It’s very good. The bed is very soft and we slept extremely well.”

Looking back at his son and Ruan Qingmu, she added with a smile, “Look at these two children. They slept until their faces were red. The heater was also a little too adequate.”

When everyone was seated, Qin Zhufeng took the menu and asked Mu Wanli to order. The little mute looked around timidly and when his eyes fell on the aquarium, he looked slightly distracted.

Qin Yuan saw his eyes and knew he was curious, so he took him by the hand and led him over there. “Xiao-Siquan, can you take the little brother out to play?”

Xiao-Siquan had heard that this was a deaf and mute child, and her heart was full of sympathy. Seeing how good and cute Xiao-Zhuang was, she quickly took his hand. “Okay! Okay! We will take you out to play!”

Uncle Yan’s daughter was slightly taller and more understanding. The two girls were both kind-hearted and giggled around the little mute, who was somewhat frightened at first, but quickly began to stand silently at the water’s edge, watching with rapt attention.

The dishes came up in a few minutes, all of which were exotic delicacies. The chef’s workmanship was excellent and the presentation was even more beautiful. Both families ate together in a lively fashion and joyfully while Wei Qinglian exchanged pleasantries with the guests and simultaneously looked after the baby on the side.

After the meal, the adults became a bit friendlier, and Xiao-Siquan and the girl played even better with Xiao-Zhuang.