Ger, So Proud

Chapter 49

“What are you doing!”

Seeing that He Ze’s other hand was getting closer and closer to him, Lin Yu widened his eyes and pulled the hand off his mouth.

“I…”

He Ze snapped out of it and withdrew his hand, which was still suspended in mid-air. Just now… he actually had the impulse to poke Lin Yu’s cheek.

Their gazes met, and they fell into silence. The air grew increasingly still, so still they could hear each other’s breathing.

Lin Yu then realized that his face was still pressed against He Ze’s shoulder, and his palm was resting on He Ze’s chest. His heart was beating fast.

Just as fast as his own.

Strong and steady.

An inexplicable atmosphere fermented between them, their warm breaths mingling. The wind had stopped, and the night… seemed much hotter.

His palm… was burning hot!

Lin Yu pushed He Ze away abruptly. This time, he forgot to control his strength.

He Ze didn’t fall; in his haste, he grabbed a beam and, with Lin Yu’s quick reflexes, was pulled back.

“Are you okay?” Lin Yu asked, a bit embarrassed. Seeing He Ze sit down again, he immediately lowered his head. “It’s all your fault, getting so close to me for no reason!”

“…”

“Why aren’t you saying anything?”

Not hearing He Ze’s voice for a while, Lin Yu glanced at him furtively.

“You’ve said everything, so what else is there for me to say?” He Ze replied in a calm voice.

“…Well, are you mad? I… I didn’t mean to, I just… I…”

“Hehe—” Seeing Lin Yu’s anxious expression, He Ze couldn’t help but chuckle. “Just teasing you. I’m not mad. In fact, I should thank you for pulling me back just now.”

“…Fun, was it?” Lin Yu gritted his teeth.

“Well…not reall— oof—” Before He Ze could finish his sentence, he received a punch on his back.

“That’s for teasing me! I’m still older than you!”

Lin Yu’s fist was hard, but it lacked real force when it landed on He Ze. Despite this, He Ze still playfully dodged.

“Stop hitting me. I was wrong, okay?”

After a round of playful fighting, He Ze lay down on the roof with his hands crossed over his chest, while Lin Yu knelt beside him, one hand on the ground, the other still raised in a fist.

“…Coward!” Lin Yu glared at him.

This glare was dazzling, filled with a charming allure.

He Ze was momentarily stunned. When he snapped out of it, he heard Lin Yu’s clear laughter.

“Brother! Do you have a crush on Brother Lin!”

A crush on Lin Yu? If it was the person in front of him… He Ze looked at Lin Yu, his gaze slowly becoming distant as memories of Lin Yu flashed through his mind.

The first meeting, with that sharp arrow in a life-and-death moment, his striking features; the second meeting, with Lin Yu’s disdainful eyes; the third time, with his questioning; and later, as they grew familiar, his tears, his laughter, his strength, and his vulnerability, his care, and his restraint…

In such a short time, unknowingly, they had so many shared experiences.

Each memory, each moment with Lin Yu, He Ze now realized, was etched clearly in his mind, vivid and precise, which was somewhat frightening.

A crush on Lin Yu? Was it true?

Lin Yu’s head was raised, his laughter clear. From He Ze’s perspective, he could only see the rounded curve of his chin, slightly swaying.

Oddly…adorable.

He Ze’s brows gradually relaxed, and a smile spread across his face.

“What…what are you daydreaming about!”

Lin Yu lowered his eyes, meeting his gaze, and then quickly sat up. He Ze glanced at him, his smile deepening. He placed his hands behind his head and quietly gazed at the sky.

Neither of them spoke again. The night grew deeper.

It wasn’t until the moon was high in the sky, and midnight had almost passed, that He Ze’s voice softly broke the silence, “Lin Yu, happy birthday.”

Yes, happy birthday.

Lin Yu silently curved his lips into a smile. He Ze’s eyes looked over.

The moonlight was even brighter, and even more beautiful.

…

The next morning, before dawn, in the dim mist, He An stretched lazily as he came out of his room, only to see He Ze sitting at the table…with a bright smile on his face.

It was particularly…eye-catching.

“Brother, why are you up so early?”

“Aren’t you up early too?” He Ze glanced at He An, picked up the teapot on the table, poured a cup of tea, and handed it to him. “Try it, it’s the tea leaves Dad has been saving.”

Though they were just aged, ordinary tea leaves, they had a lingering fragrance.

“Why are you making tea so early in the morning?” He An’s mouth twitched as he looked at He Ze with a complicated expression.

“To drink, of course. What else?”

“Drink? You specifically dug out tea leaves from years ago, went to the kitchen to boil water, and then… made tea?”

He An looked at the somewhat murky tea in the cup, took a tentative sip, and immediately his face scrunched up as he spat it out. “Brother, this is so bitter! You…”

Wasn’t his brother the one who used to hate bitterness the most?

“Bitter? It’s not that bad. This is tea, not a dessert. Did you expect it to be sweet?” He Ze said nonchalantly and took another sip, clearly enjoying it.

“Brother…”

“Yes?”

“You…” He An bit his lip, took a few steps towards He Ze, and reached out to feel his forehead. “Don’t move, let me check if you have a fever.”

His brother recovered so quickly last time; did he perhaps have some lingering illness?

“…”

“No, you don’t have a fever,” He An muttered to himself, “Could it be a problem with your brain? No, I have to tell Dad and get Doctor Xu!”

With that, He An turned to run towards He Youcai and Dad Li’s bedroom.

“Come back here!”

“Brother?” He An paused, then remembered something and ran back to feel He Ze’s forehead again. “Brother, don’t worry, even if there’s something wrong, Doctor Xu is very skilled. He will—”

“He An! Shut up!”

“Brother!” He An clutched his clothes, his eyes red.

He Ze sighed and rubbed his forehead. “I’m fine. Why are you overreacting?”

“But, Brother, you—”

“Really, I’m fine. Tea helps clear the mind and eyes. I just wanted to try it.”

“Really?” He An still looked doubtful.

“Of course it’s true,” He Ze sniffed the tea and took another sip. “Want to try again?”

“No!”

He An shook his head quickly, gave He Ze another glance, and hurried off to the kitchen.

Brother is scary!

Watching He An’s retreating figure, He Ze couldn’t help but laugh.

…

Similar to the He family, the same situation was happening at the Lin household. Early in the morning, Zhang Su saw Lin Yu sitting with his chin propped up, grinning foolishly.

He called Lin Yu’s name several times, but Lin Yu didn’t respond.

Until—

“Yu’er, Dad is going to Matchmaker Wang’s after breakfast. Do you want to come with me?”

“Huh? Matchmaker Wang?” Lin Yu stood up abruptly.

“Yes, didn’t I tell you yesterday? I ran into him on the road, and he mentioned a good match for you. He asked me to go check it out. Come with me after breakfast.”

“No… no! Dad, can’t you calm down a bit? I…” Lin Yu frowned.

“You’re not in a hurry, you are already twenty-one. How can I not be anxious? When I was your age, you were already five!”

“Dad!”

“Don’t worry, I understand your feelings. But we’ve asked Matchmaker Wang for help for so long, and he worked hard to assist us. We have to at least go take a look. Whether it works out or not, I won’t force you. If you don’t want to go, just rest at home, and I’ll tell you everything when I get back.”

Zhang Su rubbed Lin Yu’s hair and then brought out the freshly heated food from the kitchen.

He left the house and didn’t return until midday. Lin Yu sat at the table, sometimes frowning, sometimes smiling, enduring the morning with difficulty.

Fortunately, what Zhang Su said put him at ease.

“Matchmaker Wang told me it’s a good family, but the Dad of the family just passed away not long ago. Even if the match is successful, you would only be engaged first and could only marry after two years. I was anxious, so I declined. Matchmaker Wang said he would keep an eye out for any other suitable matches.”

Seeing Lin Yu’s face relax, Zhang Su sighed inwardly.

Now he understood that the He family boy was a good match. Even though Lin Yu wouldn’t admit it, he seemed to have feelings for him. But as for how that boy felt about Lin Yu…

Zhang Su frowned and returned to his room. Lin Yu stood there, his smile dazzling in the sunlight.

…

Days passed, and the weather turned colder. After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the bai Zhi (Angelica) in the fields sprouted, which finally eased He Youcai and Dad Li’s worries.

Due to the weather, He Family Village had lost its usual bustle. The villagers had swapped their thin clothes for thick cotton ones and hurried about their business.

The autumn wind turned into winter wind, bringing with it a biting chill that turned the entire Xiangyang Mountain yellow.

At this time, on the eastern peak, in the forest, an arrow flew through the air and disappeared into a distant thicket. He Ze looked up and said to Lin Yu beside him, “Guess if I hit it?”

“No.”

“Really didn’t?”

“…Do you find asking this every time interesting?” Lin Yu glanced at He Ze irritably and carefully wiped the autumn dew off the longbow in his hand.

“Actually, it’s still quite interesting.” He Ze laughed, took quick steps to the thicket, and then shouted, “Lin Yu, come here! It’s a fox!”

“A fox?” Lin Yu paused and quickly ran over.

Ever since he wanted to catch a fox for He An as a pet, Lin Yu had been thinking about it. Unfortunately, he hadn’t seen one during their hunts.

Hearing He Ze say it was a fox, he felt excited. But when he saw the gray wild fox, already lifeless in He Ze’s hand, his excitement quickly turned to disappointment. “It’s dead?”

“Yeah, look how accurate my shot was!”

“He Ze!” Lin Yu glared at him.

“Hmm? What’s wrong?”

“I told you I wanted a live one, and you went and killed it! I said I’d handle it, but you insisted on doing it! You…”

He had been searching for this fox for so long! And now He Ze had killed it with one shot! Bastard!

“…Didn’t you say Xiao An wanted a fox fur hat? You… you didn’t say you wanted a live fox…” If he had known Lin Yu wanted it alive, he wouldn’t have shot it!

Now…

“Okay, my mistake. I’ll get you a live one next time,” He Ze said earnestly. Seeing Lin Yu looking at him, he raised three fingers. “I promise!”

“……”

It’s already dead, what else could he do?

“Alright, don’t be mad. How about a smile?” He Ze pulled out the arrow and tossed the fox into the basket.

“……”

Lin Yu didn’t respond, his expression sour as he looked at He Ze.

“Really not going to smile?” He Ze raised an eyebrow and couldn’t help but pinch Lin Yu’s cheek. “A scowl doesn’t suit you. Give me a smile, and I promise we’ll find you a fox next time we go up the mountain, okay?”

“……You promise?”

“Yes.” He Ze smiled and nodded, then took hold of Lin Yu’s wrist. “Let’s go. It’s getting late; we should head down the mountain.”

With the bai zhi sprouting, He Ze had more free time and often went hunting in the mountains. He had grown to love it. Sometimes he sensed Lin Yu was also in the mountains, and they would “accidentally” meet, like today.

Looking at their linked wrists and Lin Yu’s natural demeanor, He Ze’s smile deepened.

“Why are you looking at me?”

“Nothing,” He Ze shook his head and chuckled. “Let’s go.”

Lin Yu gave him a suspicious glance but said nothing more. Recently, He Ze had been acting strangely, always smiling inexplicably and being exceptionally gentle. Yes, gentle!

It was strange yet sweet, soothing the bitterness in his heart.

As he thought about it, Lin Yu’s lips curved into a smile.

They descended the mountain together, and at the crossroads, He Ze let go of Lin Yu’s hand.

It wasn’t to avoid gossip, but to avoid Lin Yu’s punches if he realized what was happening. Since the incident with Wu Cui, who suffered from spreading rumors, the village gossipers had become more subdued.

They still gossiped, but only about the Lin family.

Despite the passage of time, rumors about the Lin family hadn’t died down. Just the other day, a notorious gambler, having lost money, spent a whole day cursing Lin ancestors outside their house. Eventually, the neighbors couldn’t take it and persuaded him to leave.

Perhaps because the Lin family was the center of attention, any misfortune in the village, big or small, was blamed on them. People would come to the Lin house to vent their frustrations.

“I heard from my Dad that an elder visited the Lin family yesterday,” He Ze looked at his empty palm, his expression unchanged. “It seems the Lin family’s good days are numbered.”

No, it should be said that their good days ended back when Wu Cui got into trouble.

“Yeah.” Lin Yu nodded.

He still felt a bit dazed. He couldn’t shake the feeling that the developments concerning the Lin family were strange. But Wu Cui’s tongue—only the supernatural could explain that.

Unknowingly, they had walked to the edge of the village. Lin Yu looked up and immediately froze in place, his expression bewildered.

“What’s wrong?”

He Ze followed his gaze and saw someone standing under a tree at the village entrance. Dressed in a light pink jacket, the person was staring intently at him. “Ah Ze…”

—

Author’s Note: Whenever it comes to writing sweet moments, I get stuck. Quietly deleted the update schedule and slipped away…