It's definitely not as simple as asking him to peel chestnuts.
The chestnut rolled in the porcelain plate, coated with a layer of jujube blossom honey. Gu Fengyan ate half of it but found it too sweet, so he offered the other half to Huo Duan's lips.
"What did Father say to you this morning?" After Huo Duan finished eating, Gu Fengyan began to probe for information.
"You think you can bribe me with this little bit of food?" Huo Duan poured a cup of tea to cleanse his palate and held it to Gu Fengyan's lips. "Don't even think about it."
Gu Fengyan straightened up and pushed aside the celadon cup, "I want to go too, take me with you, President Huo."
In the morning, while the sun was shining, Huo's father took out the dried vegetables and fruits to dry and asked Huo Duan to go and buy some New Year's goods, and to pick out some things he liked to eat and play with to prepare for the New Year.
Huo Duan didn't tell him, probably because he didn't want to take him along.
I knew it was for this reason.
"There are plenty of people, do you really want to go?" Huo Duan smiled and handed him a piece of paper with half a sweet potato dripping with honey.
"I'm really bored these days," Gu Fengyan said, his eyes shining, nodding vigorously, "I want to go."
Huo Duan watched him take small bites of the sweet potato, his throat bobbing for a moment, and some inappropriate images flashed through his mind.
"Please beg me and I'll take you," he chuckled maliciously. "I love hearing Ah Yan's voice... Didn't I teach you that day?"
What good things can be taught in bed? It's all just filth and obscenity.
Gu Fengyan's ears turned bright red, and after a moment of hesitation, she whispered, "My lord, my husband..."
It was truly very useful.
Huo Duan narrowed his eyes and smiled, capturing Gu Fengyan's lips in a tender kiss, "Your moans sound so sweet. Your husband will take you there, but..."
Gu Fengyan inwardly cried out in alarm, when Huo Duan smiled and leaned closer, whispering the second half of the sentence... Gu Fengyan blushed deeply upon hearing it.
"Beast." He glared at Huo Duan and cursed in a low voice.
Huo Duan's fingertips caressed Gu Fengyan's lips, parted them, and probed inside, stirring them with sensuality... His laughter was low and husky, "Ayan, save your mouth for tonight, so your voice won't be hoarse again..."
These days, the more attentive she was to him, the more ruthless Huo Duan became once they were in bed. Although she didn't dare to actually have sex with him, she did most of what she wanted to do and explore.
This caused Gu Fengyan to deeply regret it; he shouldn't have set this precedent last time.
Watching Huo Duan serve him with a smile, he always felt inexplicably like a weasel paying respects to a chicken.
Something just doesn't feel right.
"You even prey on pregnant men, you're a dog." Gu Fengyan retorted defiantly.
Of all her husband's qualities, his mouth is the most stubborn.
Huo Duan wasn't angry at all, and smiled in a roguish way, "If I'm a dog, then what about Ayan who hangs out with me every night, huh?"
Gu Fengyan suffered a heart attack.
No matter how stubborn he was, he couldn't escape a beating that night.
The next day, Gu Fengyan woke up with trembling legs, pain in the inner thighs where they touched the fabric, probably from redness, a hoarse voice, and red eyes, clearly indicating he hadn't slept well.
Huo Duan brought in breakfast, looking refreshed.
Seeing that Gu Fengyan was still curled up in a ball in the corner of the bed, she went over and pulled the blanket up, and said with a light laugh, "Ayan, we went to buy New Year's goods today, get up and eat quickly."
"Stay away from me." Gu Fengyan choked, his throat feeling like it was filled with rough sand.
Huo Duan chuckled softly for a moment, then leaned down and kissed his bare, snow-white nape. "Not going? Then I'm leaving?"
"Dream on!" Gu Fengyan sat up abruptly on the bed.
I've worked hard all night, and I haven't even received my payment yet. I can't let that bastard Huo Duan take advantage of me.
Huo Duan couldn't help but chuckle. He gave him some clothes to wear, and after the meal, he carefully wrapped him in a cloak, held a hand warmer, and covered half of his face with the hood before leaving the house.
It was still early, and the fresh snow outside had not yet melted. The red lanterns hanging high by the roadside spun around, casting a festive glow on the snow.
Having not been out for a long time, Gu Fengyan found everything new and exciting. Grabbing Huo Duan, her free laborer and money bag, she wanted this and that. After wandering around for half an hour, she didn't buy much for the New Year, but instead bought him little trinkets.
"Mr. Huo, look at this! Buy it for Jianjian, he'll definitely love it." Gu Fengyan's eyes lit up as he stared at the pair of chubby, round clay dolls in front of the stall.
"Is this really for Jianjian?" Huo Duan picked up the clay doll and examined it closely, raising an eyebrow and smiling. "Could it be that you, as her little father, are trying to push all the blame onto Jianjian?"
Gu Fengyan's tactics are really simple.
Anything he wants to eat but can't, or anything he wants to play but isn't appropriate for, he can always blame on Jianjian... It's clear how much blame this little brat has taken for his little father.
Gu Fengyan remained unfazed when his secret was exposed. "The child is in my belly, so whatever I say goes..."
He smiled slyly, "What, you don't want to buy it? The baby isn't even born yet, and Mr. Huo already wants to mistreat us, father and son?"
Huo Duan pinched his cheek and smiled indulgently, "You've said everything you need to say."
I picked out a pair of brightly colored clay figurines from the stall owner, paid the money, and turned around to see Gu Fengyan running away again.
He explored the entire street. Huo Duan was like a mother hen, buying New Year's goods, watching over the eaves, and bringing him little trinkets from time to time... Before long, both of his hands were full.
The food, supplies, and toys bought for the New Year were all things that Gu Fengyan liked. Father Huo instructed that they should just buy whatever Yan-ge'er liked.
During the New Year, one should always seek good fortune. The two eventually stopped at the entrance of the fabric shop. There were quite a few people inside. Gu Fengyan and Huo Duan were regular customers. The shopkeeper, with his sharp eyes, quickly led a young assistant out to greet them and respectfully invited them into the back room. He immediately offered them the best fabrics.
"You two can take a look at this piece of cloth. It's brand new, and there aren't many people in the whole county wearing it yet... The color is also festive." The shopkeeper personally greeted them.
The fabric is red, which is suitable for wearing during the holidays.
Huo Duan really loves seeing Gu Fengyan in red, and all the clothes he wears these days have been made in red.
"Okay, this one will do." Gu Fengyan didn't care much about his clothes and spread his arms to call for the shop assistant to take his measurements.
After much deliberation, Huo Duan made himself a new moon-white dress, while his father's was made of a light brown fabric with gold trim.
Although Jianjian wasn't born yet, she was also included, wearing a light, thin shirt the same color as her little father, and a tiger-head hat and shoes adorned with five-colored beads...
As dusk settled on the horizon and the streets were gradually lit up... I was surprised to realize that it was already evening.
After a day of fun, it was time to go home. Huo Duan had someone send his things back first, and planned to walk back with Gu Fengyan. They would stroll along the road and spend some time alone together. The warm yellow light from the red lanterns made them feel cozy.
Gu Fengyan was reluctant to go back, and dragged Huo Duan to the teahouse to listen to one last story... It was the same old story of a scholar and a young lady meeting by chance, secretly promising each other their lives, but ending up heartbroken and dying.
The plot was so old and worn out that Huo Duan listened with little interest, focusing only on drinking tea and eating snacks.
Gu Fengyan listened with rapt attention, and by the end, his eyes were red and swollen from crying.
The teahouse was empty as the music ended and the guests dispersed. Thin snowflakes began to fall from the sky, glistening under the lamplight, and it was a bit chilly.
Under the lamplight, Gu Fengyan's eyes were red-rimmed, and the snow-white fur around his hood fluttered around his pointed chin.
"Still crying?" Huo Duan wanted to laugh but didn't dare, and took out a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe his tears.
After Gu Fengyan became pregnant, she started crying more often, as if she were made of water.
He didn't say anything, but hugged Huo Duan's waist and snuggled into his cloak, rubbing his face against Huo Duan's chest like a little animal cuddling.
Huo Duan leaned close to him and asked with amusement, "What are you doing, Ayan? Tired?"
The crowds were bustling with people, all returning from teahouses and taverns, rushing home through the snow before curfew.
Seeing the two of them so inseparable, she wasn't surprised at all and teased, "Young man, why don't you take your husband home? The snow is getting heavier..."
"Yes," Huo Duan replied with a smile.
He cupped Gu Fengyan's face and kissed him. "I'll carry you back, okay?"
My belly is big now, and carrying her on my back will put pressure on Jianjian. I'm also worried about letting her walk on the slippery road by herself.
"I'm sleepy, I want to go to sleep." Gu Fengyan was truly spoiled like a child by Huo Duan.
Huo Duan untied his cloak and wrapped it around his head, then laughed, "Okay, let's go home."
He wrapped his arms around Gu Fengyan's knees and lifted him up, letting him sit on his arms with his neck hooked so that his stomach wasn't pressed down.
Gu Fengyan was slender and much smaller than Huo Duan, so it was no effort to pick him up...
The wind and snow intensified, swirling and scattering all over his body and head. Gu Fengyan seemed no longer sleepy, lifting his hood and tilting his face up from under Huo Duan's neck to look at the dark blue sky.
"What's wrong?" Huo Duan asked as he walked, pulling his cloak tighter and wrapping it around himself again. "Keep your hat on, you'll catch a cold."
You should bring an umbrella when you go out.
The lanterns along the roadside swayed gently, sometimes bright and sometimes dim, casting overlapping shadows of two people... Their heads and cloaks were covered in snow-white, which gradually melted into cold water.
Gu Fengyan shook his head, raised his hand to catch a snowflake, and waited for it to melt into a cool sensation.
“Mr. Huo,” he said, looking down at Huo Duan under the warm yellow light, a smile playing on his lips, “we’ll grow old together.”
Several drunkards, arm in arm, sang toasting songs as they staggered past on their way home... The laughter and curses vanished in the wind in the blink of an eye.
“What’s this about growing old together…” Huo Duan stopped and stared at a string of messy footprints on the snow for a long time before he came to his senses. He raised his hand and pulled his hood up over the brim of the windshield. “We still have ten, twenty… a hundred years to go. By then, you and I will both be old men.”
He lifted his foot and continued walking forward, gazing at the sky in a daze, as fine snowflakes rushed towards him.
"Who wants to grow old with you!" Gu Fengyan chuckled, resting his chin on Huo Duan's shoulder as he laughed and scolded.
Huo Duan remained noncommittal, walking forward step by step, a smile playing on his lips, his thoughts unreadable.
After a long pause, he finally said, "There is no moon tonight..."
He stopped again, and in the flickering lamplight, he gazed at Gu Fengyan, a glimmer in his eyes, "Ayan, I love you."
As I approached the entrance to Huofu Alley, I saw two lanterns swaying back and forth in the distance... That was home.
The tips of his ears turned bright red, almost dripping blood.
"Bastard," Gu Fengyan said softly, their noses touching and their lips rubbing together.
He didn't respond, but just kept calling Huo Duan's name and cursing him as a bastard.
Isn't that bastard?
He lost face and his heart, and he was pregnant... He gave himself to Huo Duan, his heart to Huo Duan, and the baby in his belly was also Huo Duan's.
But he won too; Huo Duantan gave him everything as well.
On a snowy night, they fell in love... From their initial mutual benefit and close dependence, to their complete emotional and physical commitment.
There will be countless days and nights to come, mornings and evenings.
May we grow old together.
Huo Duan couldn't suppress the smile playing on his lips.
"We're home, Ayan!" He carried Gu Fengyan and ran towards the two lanterns.