Silver Leaf Whale Chapter 25

little happiness

Chapter 25·Little happiness

In order to catch the morning market, everyone got up at dawn today. Qi Zhixuan was in the back seat of the car, looking at the car window, especially silent.

“What’s wrong? Your stomach still feels uncomfortable?” Pang Jing looked at him, worried that he was still suffering from indigestion yesterday.

“No.” Qi Zhixuan’s voice was calm, but his mind was as chaotic as a volcano erupting.

Yesterday, his stomach felt uncomfortable. He lay down in bed early to rest. When he was about to fall asleep, Pang Whale held his hand and wiped something with it. He felt cool and comfortable.

In the afternoon, he felt his hands were itchy. He thought he had frostbite. Pang Whale was applying medicine to him, and he wanted to continue sleeping peacefully.

But after a long time, Pang Jing still held his hand and kept touching his wrist gently. By this time, he had woken up a little and remembered that there were… many scars on his wrist.

But he didn’t dare to open his eyes. He didn’t know what Pang Whale would think of him, whether he would think him pitiful or cowardly. This was not what he wanted to see.

But in the end, Pang Whale kissed his wrist.

Very light.

Qi Zhixuan almost thought it was his illusion, but it wasn’t.

It was indeed a kiss.

He didn’t know what was going on, and thought it might be a dream. He must have been dreaming again. He just wanted to go to sleep quickly, and just wake up. Everything would go back to how it was before.

But when he woke up and smelled the faint scent of medicine on his hands, he knew that without dreaming, Pang Whale had indeed kissed his wrist, kissed that ugly wrist, that evidence of cowardice and incompetence.

“Xiao Xuan?” Pang Jing dangled in front of his eyes, and when he came to his senses, he had already arrived.

“Old Pang, Mom said we almost didn’t buy anything for the New Year. Let’s go shopping with Mom, brother and the others. Xiaoyu, you take Xiao Qi to go shopping. I’ll call you when you’re done shopping. Let’s go together.”

Pang Jing said “Okay.” and got out of the car.

We drove two cars today, and a whole family came. Meihua first arranged the people in his own car, and then went to look for people in his uncle’s car in a hurry.

“Is your stomach really uncomfortable? You still haven’t woken up.” After getting off the car, Qi Zhixuan forgot to take his scarf and hat. Pang Jing took it off for him and wrapped it up for him.

“It’s not uncomfortable. I slept…and woke up.” He wrapped her around her little by little, leaving only a pair of eyes.

Qi Zhixuan felt that his face must have turned red under his scarf. Pang Jing had done this before, but at that time he didn’t think much about it, but today he felt… wasn’t this… too intimate?

“Brother, my mother asked me to come with you. Don’t bother her.” Li Yunyao floated over from the side, exhausted. She hadn’t gotten up so early for a long time since she was on vacation. She felt like she was awake and her soul was still at home.

Pang Jing frowned and didn’t pay attention when he set off, thinking that Li Yunyao really wasn’t coming. He thought that he and Qi Zhixuan hadn’t gone out alone to play yet, so they could have a nice stroll together, and he didn’t want to have to bring another oil bottle.

“Hey! Why are you looking at me! I won’t follow you anymore, Brother Xuan, I’ll go with you!”

Li Yunyao saw the unkind look in his brother’s eyes, so he decided to go to another brother and hugged Qi Zhixuan’s arm.

“Okay, I haven’t been to the morning market yet, so you can recommend something to me that is more delicious.” The temperature in the morning was more than 20 below zero. As soon as Qi Zhixuan spoke, the hot air floated upwards, forming small frost on his eyelashes, which were shiny.

“Of course…” Li Yunyao was about to recommend the best beef flatbread in the morning market.

“Li Yunyao, hurry up, Li Ji beef cake.” Pang Jing pulled his sister off Qi Zhixuan’s hand, twisted it to the side, and pointed to a place.

“Hey! This is the one, this one is the most delicious! I’ll go over and line up first!” Li Yunyao quickly jumped over like a monkey who discovered a banana.

“Let her wait, and let’s look at other things. There are a lot of delicious things here.”

Pang Jing led Qi Zhixuan forward with satisfaction. The morning market was endless and there were all kinds of food on both sides. The bosses were selling fried dough sticks, stuffed pancakes, egg burgers, and chive boxes. The steaming aroma overflowed from every corner, and diners stood in small groups waiting in front of their favorite delicacies.

Qi Zhixuan also found his favorite food. When he saw the sweet Nuojiji, he couldn’t walk, but he couldn’t digest it well, so Pang Jing only let him buy a small piece of Wuhua cake.

“Wow, this is so delicious! Do you want to eat it?” Qi Zhixuan ate his beloved sweet Nuojiji and let out a satisfied sigh. He handed it to Pang Whale. When he saw his own teeth marks on it, he felt something was wrong and wanted to take it back.

Before he could take it back, Pang Whale had already bitten off the top piece.

“Well, it’s very sweet.” Pang Whale commented.

Qi Zhixuan felt like he was exploding. Why did he just hand it to him? Why did he eat it?

Ever since that gentle kiss on the wrist, Qi Zhixuan felt that something was wrong with him, something was wrong every moment.

He didn’t know what Pang Whale meant to him, whether he had a good impression of him or pitied him, but the age gap between them, the gender issue, and himself, and even being a patient who often needed to be reviewed, made him unable to accept anything calmly.

However, looking at the bite marks left on the five-flower cake, he really felt that his heart was beating very fast at this moment.

“Brother! Brother Xiao Xuan!” Li Yunyao ran over from the opposite side holding the beef patties. “Eat quickly! It’s hot.”

Qi Zhixuan was pressed by the beef patties against his wildly beating heart, forcing himself not to think too much. Maybe he was just overthinking. They had no other intentions at all, so why bother asking for trouble.

The three of them ate beef patties and walked around. Today is the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, “making noodles and applying flowers” is the day to put couplets on the windows. Many stalls are covered with red couplets, swaying high in the wind, like a sea of ​​red.

There were many people on the road, the excitement of bargaining and the smell of fireworks could be heard in his ears. Qi Zhixuan slowed down and stood in the bustling crowd, as if he suddenly found a sense of reality in this world, and his soul was soothed by ordinary gentleness.

“Hey, be careful.” The stopped footsteps were accidentally squeezed into the red sea by the people around him. On the left was the joy of the whole family, and on the right was the word “All the best”, with gold letters on a red background. As he walked through, the broken gold powder stained his body, shining brightly.

When he was fished out by Pang Whale, he was facing a big blessing.”The blessings are all on your face, Brother Xuan, remember to give red envelopes~” Li Yunyao said New Year greetings from behind the word “Fu”, and the three of them laughed.

“Okay, no, the key isn’t there. Let’s wait by the car.”

“Well, they’re all together, uh-huh, I’m done.”

The uncle called Pang Jing. He had almost finished shopping and asked the three of them to wait by the car for everyone to go back together.

Along the way, Pang Jing and Li Yunyao ate all kinds of snacks. Qi Zhixuan still had half a beef cake in his hand after walking all the way. It was cold, and he felt like eating half a cake filled his stomach with wind, and he began to feel uncomfortable in his stomach again.

Pang Jing bought him a cup of hot soy milk to let him take his time, and ate his leftover cake.

“Brother, I have some here too.” Li Yunyao watched his brother cleaning up the leftovers, and handed over half of his remaining fried dough sticks, hoping that he would clean them up together.

Pang Jing glanced at it but didn’t answer, saying he was full.

Li Yunyao got angry and started to fight with him, “How dare you dislike me? You took a lot of the spicy chips I had when I was a kid.”

Pang Jing dodged her and Li Yunyao was not a vegetarian either. The two started to fight and fight again. Qi Zhixuan got tired of standing and squatted beside him, drinking soy milk and looking at them with his head held high, feeling envious.

He didn’t have many relatives in his family. He had never seen any elders from the previous generation since he was a child, and he was the only child in the family. Later, when he got older, he had a senior sister to keep him company, but his mother got sick again. Later, his mother passed away, and his father also passed away. Now, except for his senior sister’s concern, no one in the world is related by blood to him.

In the past few days at Pang Jing’s home, he felt so happy, like a bystander, like a participant, more like a greedy thief, secretly stealing a little bit of happiness into his heart. Just a little bit, he felt that he could stay away from that extreme.

The two brothers and sisters chased each other like children for a while. It was too cold and Li Yunyao couldn’t bear the cold. She ran to urge the adults to get the keys and open the door. Pang Jing and Qi Zhixuan waited there.

“Well…” Qi Zhixuan’s eyes were suddenly covered, and the familiar smell of the sea with a bit of winter coldness lay behind him, very close.

“What are you doing…” Qi Zhixuan smiled in confusion.

Warm palms covered his eyes from behind, and the two of them were very close. When Pang Jing and Li Yunyao were playing around, they found that this man kept looking left and right with his head raised. Although his eyelashes were covered with frost, his round eyes were warm, as if he was looking at some treasure. He was eager and eager. Pang Jing couldn’t stand this, and he only felt sad and distressed.

The frost on his eyelashes melted into water droplets and flowed down under the warmth of his palm. He let go of his hand and wiped away the crystal with his thumb.

Qi Zhixuan raised his head and looked at him upside down, only his chin could be seen.

“Xiao Xuan, don’t cry.”

A low voice fell from above.

Pang Whale slowly lowered his head, his palm still resting on his cheek. Qi Zhixuan looked over and looked into his astonishingly bright eyes, which contained a bit of sadness.

I really don’t know what he said carelessly. It was probably because it was too cold. Qi Zhixuan’s nose felt sore inexplicably. He quickly turned away his eyes and muttered a low-pitched retort: “Who is crying? You are spreading rumors.”

Pang Jing didn’t say anything, but smiled and touched his head. Just as everyone was back, they drove back home together.

“Mom, did you buy what I wanted?”

“Oh, I bought it. It’s in the kitchen.”

When Pang Jing returned home, he didn’t know what he was doing in the kitchen. Qi Zhixuan was curious, but he didn’t have time to look. He was busy writing couplets.

The reason is that the couplets I bought today were left by my uncle at some stall, and my aunt buried them. For the sake of family harmony, Qi Zhixuan offered to write them himself.

He had just written a few couplets when he was spotted by a neighbor who was borrowing a stool, so he had one more couplet to write.

“Oh, the writing is so good. Xiao Qi, you’re already in the printing factory.” Grandma looked at Qi Zhixuan and waved his hand gracefully, and the beautiful big characters immediately jumped onto the paper. It was so neat. Although grandma didn’t know calligraphy or anything, it was obvious whether it looked good or not.

Qi Zhixuan is a painter of traditional Chinese paintings, so one stroke is not a problem, but this is not a single stroke. Houses of all sizes have to be decorated, and even the cellar has to be written with the word “福”. He is now like a processing factory, writing a room full of red paper.

Pang Jing came back to look for him after finishing his work and saw a man buried in a pile of red paper.

“Oh my god, how much did you write…” Pang Jing was shocked.

“Haha… Grandma Wu’s house next door came to borrow a stool. When she saw it, she asked me to help write it. Then the village cadre from your Xiaohongqi Village came to distribute the New Year’s fire prevention propaganda and asked me to write some for the village committee. I don’t know why, there are so many…”

It sounds a bit pitiful, but Pang Jing is holding back a little happiness in his heart. On the one hand, he thinks he is cute, but on the other hand, he is lucky that he can integrate him into his life like this. It feels like he is one step closer to him.

Qi Zhixuan is good at everything, but he is a bit too independent. He is always rejecting, always afraid of being indebted, and is always alone. He seems gentle, but he is not so approachable. If he can bring him into his life, I wonder if it will make him feel happier.

“I’ll write again later, follow me.” Pang Jing waited for a long time, looking a little anxious as he continued to write.

“Huh? What are you doing…” Qi Zhixuan wanted to continue writing, but Pang Jing grabbed his arm and sneaked into the kitchen.

Pang Jing looked around while walking, which made Qi Zhixuan nervous. He couldn’t help but lower his voice and asked, “What are you going to do?”

Pang Jing made sure that no one was there, so he took out a plate from the hot stove. It was bright red in color, fragrant and round in the shape of a gourd. It turned out to be Babao duck.

“This…” Qi Zhixuan looked at the things on the plate, and his heart suddenly swelled.

Babao duck is a bit troublesome to make. His mother only makes it during the holidays. My grandparents are from Laohaicheng, so they make this very delicious. My mother also passed down their craftsmanship. Later, my mother passed away, and my father took over and made it several times. Although it is not as delicious as what my mother made, there is always such a bite during the New Year. It seems that if you don’t eat it, it won’t be a New Year.

“What’s wrong? Does it look… weird?” Pang Jing saw him staring at the duck without saying a word, and explained a little nervously: “I made it according to the tutorial. It’s the first time I’ve made it… it may be a bit ugly, but maybe it’s not unpalatable. Why don’t you try to take a bite?”

Qi Zhixuan felt his eyes were a little bitter, sniffed, shook his head and said, “No, it’s very cute.”

He took a bite with chopsticks, and Pang Jing immediately asked expectantly if it was delicious.

“Yeah, it’s delicious.”

In fact, it cannot be said that it is very delicious, but it is very happy. For the first time, he knows that eating can be described by feelings instead of taste.

Pang Whale also took a bite and said, “Hmm… It’s a bit salty. I’ll make the sauce lighter next time.”

Qi Zhixuan smiled and said nothing. He lowered his head and ate attentively. The duck skin was wrapped in glutinous rice mixed with diced mushrooms and bamboo shoots. It was very fragrant when dipped in the sauce.

“But…why are we doing this?” After eating a few more mouthfuls, Qi Zhixuan became confused about the two men’s behavior of sneaking around the stove to eat.

Pang Jing was a little helpless, “Tsk, if Li Yunyao finds out, you won’t have to eat it. It’s specially made for you. She wants to eat it for the Chinese New Year. I’ll make it again.”

Qi Zhixuan didn’t expect this and laughed softly. Pang Jing was usually very generous and forthright, but he didn’t expect him to protect the food. At this moment, he felt that he was really a child.

The firewood in the stove would burst out sparks from time to time, and the two of them squatted next to each other. You and I shared this bowl of happiness one bite at a time.