Chapter 106

 Heading to Jiangnan; Leisure on a Painted Boat

"Go to the Lu Family Academy in Jiangyi to give lectures? In your place?" Lu Lizhi’s expression turned serious. "Is Master Shen truly Master Qishan?"

Shen Feng nearly choked on his own breath. "Who else but Master Qishan could possibly teach you?"

It was a roundabout compliment, even if the tone was somewhat reluctant.

Lu Lizhi’s look of disbelief clearly pleased the other man.

In truth, he had already formed some suspicions after spending time with him, yet he was still pleasantly overwhelmed, feeling as though he had stumbled upon a priceless treasure.

Turning back to see the little one playing with her tiny hands, Lu Lizhi’s heart instantly melted. "Jiaojiao really is Daddy’s little lucky charm!"

Jiang Baiye happened to walk over to feed the baby, and Lu Lizhi caught the scent of medicine on him. "Did you take medicine?"

Startled, he nearly dropped the bottle. "No—well, I wasn't feeling quite right."

"Where were you unwell?" Lu Lizhi immediately grew anxious. Although Jiang Baiye had recovered easily from the epidemic earlier, the experience had left a deep psychological scar on Lu Lizhi.

He lived in constant fear of Jiang Baiye facing such danger again; back then, he had even contemplated dying alongside him.

Jiang Baiye calmed down a bit. "Oh, I work with medicine, you know. I just got back from the workshop in Chongzhou, so the scent probably just clung to me."

"So you aren't feeling unwell?" Lu Lizhi eyed him skeptically, but Jiang Baiye managed to laugh it off and change the subject. @Unlimited great stories, all at Jinjiang Literature City

After feeding his little darling, Jiang Baiye looked at the man sitting by the window reading. Handsome and elegant, with an otherworldly air, Jiang Baiye admired him for a moment, only to find him increasingly difficult to fool.

That evening, Lu Lizhi tugged at his belt, seemingly casually, and asked, "Are you going to Lingzhou again tomorrow?"

The affairs there are quite complex. Jiang Baiye wants to expand into more markets; it's no longer something he can simply abandon based on temporary fame.

"Jiangnan truly lives up to its name, the most prosperous and wealthy place, and also more open and inclusive, offering numerous opportunities for development."

"Aren't we earning enough money?" Lu Lizhi has written less over the past year, and the initial buzz surrounding his posts has gradually died down. However, he still receives a thousand yuan in bonuses every month, and with the money he received after becoming a Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations), it's more than enough to support his family.

Jiang Baiye needs no introduction. His pharmacy, Huichuntang, and Xianzhuang only require him to make monthly inspections and handle some issues.

There are also some miscellaneous incomes such as the harvest from his farm, and rents from his houses and shops.

Lu Lizhi took out their money; the silver notes in the hundred and thousand taels were already overflowing the original box, so he exchanged them for ten thousand tael silver notes, and there were several of them.

"These are the red envelopes everyone gave when Jiaojiao turned one month old; they were all very generous. Father and Mother alone gave four thousand."

Jiang Baiye didn't pay much attention to such details, but he was somewhat surprised. "Do they have that much money?"

He had changed how he addressed them after the baby was born; while it had felt awkward at first, he was quite comfortable with it now.

"Father's carpentry business has grown significantly; people from as far as Chongzhou seek him out. He always felt we put a lot of effort into the sketches and designs—money we refused to take—so he likely used this occasion to give us a bit more."

Before Jiang Baiye could say anything, Lu Lizhi lowered his voice. "That’s enough money to last us several lifetimes. I don't want you working so hard."

Running a business is never easy, though Jiang Baiye simply possessed boundless energy and never shirked his duties.

Jiang Baiye was on the verge of agreeing; deep down, he really did want to be a "salted fish"—someone who just spends money without doing any work. But then he imagined a future where Lu Lizhi had become a powerful official while he remained a lazy loafer...

"No, no. Once this busy spell passes, I’ll take a break. I’m not tired."

"Can't I support you?" Lu Lizhi coaxed. "Once I pass the imperial exams, making money should become quite easy..."

"Lizhi, do you want to become a corrupt, treacherous official?" Jiang Baiye’s eyes widened. "It’s not impossible..." Before he could finish his sentence, Jiang Baiye silenced him with a firm, lingering kiss. Lu Lizhi, despite having already given birth to a child, found his heart racing and his ears flushing crimson under the influence of that teasing, passionate kiss.

He felt Jiang Baiye’s chest and discovered that the other man’s heart was pounding just as vigorously and loudly as his own...

The next day, Lu Lizhi rose early and finished packing their belongings.

Jiang Baiye hadn't expected Lizhi to accompany him on this trip to Lingzhou to handle urgent business.

Although their little one was already five months old, he was still just a baby and deeply attached to both his fathers; if one was absent, the other had to be close by, or else the baby wouldn't even feed well.

Consequently, they simply brought along the wet nurse and the maid who cared for the baby, and the family of three set off for Jiangnan with a long caravan moving at a leisurely pace.

They were worried that a bumpy journey might affect the child's health or cause issues with the change in environment.

As it turned out, the journey took a full five days. The baby remained perfectly fine—full of life, crying and laughing by turns—while the adults were the ones who suffered.

"Do little babies always have this much energy?" Lu Lizhi had never cared for the child at night before, so he hadn't experienced the misery of constantly waking up to feed or change diapers. During the trip, the baby was incredibly clingy, refusing to be apart from him or Jiang Baiye for even a moment.

The two dads found themselves flustered and sleep-deprived; meanwhile, the baby slept soundly and blissfully during the day... Lu Lizhi’s hand slipped away.

Eventually, he simply gave up on trying to stay awake and fell into a deep, heavy sleep while holding Jiang Baiye.

When he woke up again, he heard hushed voices outside. Lu Lizhi lifted the carriage curtain slightly and saw a richly dressed young man talking to Jiang Baiye.

The man appeared amiable, smiling and chatting pleasantly; it seemed they were discussing serious business.

Just then, the other man seemed to notice him; he glanced over, and the smile on his lips faltered for a moment.

Jiang Baiye was the first to realize Lu Lizhi had woken up. After exchanging a few words with the young Master Wei, he walked over to the carriage, his voice gentle enough to make one’s ears burn.

"Did I wake you?"

Lu Lizhi shook his head and looked at the person standing behind him.

Jiang Baiye introduced him: "This is the young Master of the Wei family, Wei Feng." As for the other person, he didn't know who he was.

Wei Feng took the opportunity to speak up: "This is my cousin. When he heard Baiye was coming here, he was curious and tagged along with me to welcome him. You must be Lu..."

Wei Feng knew who he was; whenever he drank with Baiye, he heard him mention this person constantly—or rather, Baiye did nothing but talk about this man, whose handsome features seemed almost otherworldly. Lu Lizhi spoke up first: "My spouse."

A smile reached the depths of Jiang Baiye’s eyes. "That’s right, this is my spouse, Lu Lizhi."

Just as Wei Feng was about to speak, the young man beside him interjected, sounding utterly astonished: "I never heard that you were married."

"We aren't close, so it’s only natural you wouldn't have heard. But now you know," Jiang Baiye said with a smile.

Despite the clear air of aloofness he projected, the young man was momentarily dazzled.

Just then, the loud cry of an infant rang out, instantly shattering the atmosphere that had formed among the men present.

Lu Lizhi lowered his gaze and picked up the baby; the little one stopped crying immediately, gazing curiously at the surroundings with wide eyes—quiet, well-behaved, and adorable.

Wei Feng, of course, already knew Jiang Baiye had a child. "She looks just like you—you can tell at a glance she’s your own flesh and blood!"

"No kidding," Jiang Baiye said with a laugh, taking the baby from Lu Lizhi’s arms. Seeing them side-by-side, the young man realized they looked exactly alike, and—blunt as ever—he blurted out, "So, you had a child with a woman?"

"Yuanlang!" Wei Feng scolded.

Lu Lizhi stepped forward to stand beside Jiang Baiye. Looking at the baby in Jiang Baiye’s arms, the young man suddenly noticed that the child bore a resemblance to this man as well.

It was a strange thing. Wei Feng apologized and found an excuse to send the young man away, finally letting out a sigh of relief.

However, Jiang Baiye declined Wei Feng’s invitation to stay at the Wei family estate. "We’ve rented a house here; we won't be staying long anyway."

"Fair enough. But if you visit Lingzhou often, you might as well just buy a place."

Once the man had left, Lu Lizhi spoke up immediately: "You are not to buy one."

"I wasn't planning to." Jiang Baiye felt he was suffering undeserved trouble. "Why are you angry? He’s just an irrelevant stranger."

Lu Lizhi wanted to gouge that man's eyes out; one shouldn't forget that before Jiang Baiye had softened his rough edges, he was someone who didn't mind using ruthless methods.

In the end, Jiang Baiye had to endure quite a few bites from him before the anger subsided. When they happened to run into Wei Feng on the street the next day, the man offered a tactful reminder.

"Heh heh, I lost control for a moment; I couldn't help myself."

The young man looked at the bruises on his neck—the marks clearly revealing just how intense the encounter had been—and lost interest.

Upon arriving in Lingzhou, Lu Lizhi’s first order of business was to pay his respects to Prefect Yan, who was stationed there; naturally, the teacher and student spent a long time in conversation.

Realizing he could no longer stump Lu Lizhi with questions—and was instead being stumped by him—Yan Ya hurriedly wiped away cold sweat as he saw him out.

It was late at night by then, and Jiang Baiye took him to grab a local late-night snack: wontons from a vendor carrying a shoulder pole in a deep alleyway. Amidst the swirling, steaming mist, the wontons gave off a rich, enticing aroma.

The two of them ate with great satisfaction. Walking through the night, even as they held hands, they drew no strange looks. For a rare moment free from childcare duties, the two of them strolled along the riverside, taking in the dazzling, bustling night markets of Jiangnan and the many pleasure boats moored on the water.

On board, there was soft singing and graceful dancing; scantily clad men and women murmured and sang in hushed tones amidst fine silk canopies and the sound of laughter.

"No wonder you like Jiangnan so much."

Jiang Baiye felt a sudden sense of alarm and hurriedly put his arm around the other man, intending to head back.

"What a coincidence—running into you two here." An unpleasant voice rang out from behind; Lu Lizhi turned to see the young man who had been eyeing Jiang Baiye not long ago.

Yuan Lang.

He was dressed in a sheer begonia-red gown, wearing makeup and powder, and styled exactly like a woman; he held a round fan, waving it gently with a knowing, enigmatic smile.

"No wonder you say Jiangnan is open and inclusive," Lu Lizhi remarked with a soft, wry smile.

It was Jiang Baiye’s first time witnessing such a scene, too; he wondered if Wei Feng knew his cousin had such a side to him.

He was already itching to slip away immediately.

Just then, a massive pleasure boat slowly pulled up to the bank. Before stepping aboard, Yuan Lang called out, "Won't you come join the fun?"

He added, "Surely you aren't afraid? Everyone on board shares the same tastes. If your relationship isn't rock-solid, well, I suppose..."

Lu Lizhi naturally disliked such settings, yet the other man's provocative, mocking gaze struck a nerve. Jiang Baiye saw that the pleasure boat was filled not only with men possessing the coquettish charm of courtesans but also with strapping, handsome men; he frowned and said, "You aren't allowed to go over there."

"There's no harm in taking a look." Lu Lizhi was actually somewhat curious; besides, the very reason he had come here was to see what Jiang Baiye might encounter.

He wondered what this youth—who seemed to have a clear agenda and didn't look like someone to be trifled with—would have done to him had he not come along this time...

Lu Lizhi walked over. A group of men standing by the outer railing cheered the moment they saw two exceptionally handsome men approaching.

Their welcome was enthusiastic and eager.

However, one man looked aloof and the other sullen; as a pair, they appeared rather unapproachable.

Having frequented various bars in the modern world, Jiang Baiye naturally understood the nature of this pleasure boat. He kept a firm grip on Lu Lizhi’s hand while keeping his other arm around Lu’s waist, shooting a warning glare at anyone who dared to get too close.

The people there knew better than to overstep, though they weren't about to let the pair off easily; they insisted on dragging the two "newcomers" into a game.

By the time Lu Lizhi had seen enough and wanted to leave, the fragrant pleasure boat had already drifted to the middle of the lake.

"We won't be heading back until tomorrow morning."

"It’s a rare outing, so let’s just let loose and have some fun. But tell me, is the gentleman the one in front or the one behind?" The question was bold; Lu Lizhi’s appearance and temperament left these people guessing. Jiang Baiye’s face darkened; did he really look like the type to be on the receiving end?

Yuan Lang, who had instigated the outing, had slipped away. Lu Lizhi felt a sense of relief at his absence; after all, he had come here with a specific purpose in mind.

"Do you like these things?" he asked Jiang Baiye. Jiang Baiye’s expression grew even grimmer; he wondered if his occasional pursuit of novelty had given Lu Lizhi the wrong impression.

He sighed helplessly. "I only like *you*—even if we do absolutely nothing."

Lu Lizhi knew this well; otherwise, he wouldn't have dared to bring him to a place teeming with such temptations.

Yet, he still wanted to bring him boundless joy—pleasures of every kind, never-ending and never dull...

Having had a bit to drink, Lu Lizhi felt pleasantly tipsy and emboldened; he pulled Jiang Baiye along, willing to try games that pushed the boundaries of their usual limits.

When Yuan Lang emerged from the room to find them fully immersed in the fun, he was astonished. He had assumed that this aloof, haughty man would be stiff, uptight, and boring—

...the sort who would inevitably make a fool of himself in a place like this.

But the scene before everyone’s eyes was one that sparked nothing but envy.

One was playful, the other smiling; they were a perfect match—connected in both body and soul—leaving no room for anyone else to intervene.

It was as if nothing could tear their gaze away from each other. "Now they all know you belong to me," Lu Lizhi whispered near Jiang Baiye’s ear, chuckling with a hint of smugness. "They probably wouldn't dare come looking for trouble anymore."

Jiang Baiye, however, found himself thoroughly aroused by this; he promptly whisked Lu Lizhi away to one of the cabins.

"Tsk, they really are close." Yuan Lang completely lost interest and casually grabbed someone else to go find some amusement.

What he had originally considered a highly gratifying pastime suddenly seemed utterly dull and unappealing after witnessing the two of them together.

Then, thinking of them just next door—hearing the faint, fragmented sounds drifting through the relatively thin deck planks, sounds that were passionate and alluring—he felt a different kind of thrill stir within him...