Cry of the Midnight Jackdaw

Chapter Ninety-three,
The Waking of Insects

A sound of thunder outside the window blasted half the skies into oblivion, the night rains that were one step away came down with heavy downpour, and surged down with the force of tens of thousands of horses stamping together, pouring over the entire city of Qing Ling.

Xiao Zuo lifted open the blankets, shuffled into his shoes and pushed the window out a sliver. The damp rainwater outside mixed with the grass and wood’s vigorous morning air came right in the face, ripping a hole in the oppressive winter day.

“Today is the Waking of the Insects[1].”

Xiao Zuo turned his head back, He Xuan was draped in an outer robe sitting on the bed, looking at him with narrowed eyes.

“Considering the days now, it should be here.” Xiao Zuo pushed out the slivers of rain risking their lives to come in out the room again, “Why are you awake?”

“Got woken up by the thunder.” He Xuan waved his hand, “It’s still early, come back and sleep some more.”

Xiao Zuo pulled the blanket over the top of his head, and rolled into a bundle and nestled inside, only revealing a fluffy head, and he really was like a small cat.

“It’s already spring so fast.”

He Xuan responded with an en, “Before, we made plans to visit Mr. Chen Hong Dao in spring, would you like to go there together to relax?”

Xiao Zuo immediately got excited, and stuck his head out to ask, “To Mei Province?”

“En, Mei Province.”

“When I was young, I went to Mei Province. During the winter in the plum forests ten miles long, when it snows, the snow would seep with a cold fragrance.” Xiao Zuo’s gaze darkened, “Who knows what it looks like now.”

“After a whole winter of snow, even if it collects dust, it will all be washed clean.”

Xiao Zuo turned over, another blast of thunder sounded outside again, and the continuous thunderclaps illuminated the skies as light as day. Perhaps it really was as He Xuan said, in this kind of mountain and river-swallowing big rainstorm, every place it goes through, all the filth would probably be rid of.

❀

After the Waking of the Insects, it turned to spring. The weather evidently got warmer, and the morning winds coming into the face brought an unknown flowery fragrance, teasing the pedestrians to remove their thick fur hats.

“You really aren’t cold?” Xiao You Ci looked at Xiao Zuo’s thin clothing with wrinkled eyebrows, her face filled with disagreement, “You are still like when you were young, careful not to get cold again later.”

“I won’t, I know my bounds.” Xiao Zuo winked at Xiao You Ci with a grin, “The carriage outside has arrived, let’s go.”

He Xuan went out when it wasn’t even light out to instruct on his remaining miscellaneous tasks, and at this time, was waiting for them in the horse carriage. Xiao Zuo lifted up the curtains of the carriage, and saw He Xuan leaning on an embroidered pillow, with the hand holding a book. The two legs crossed and were laying on a small stool in the front, making the legs look even longer and the waist thin, showing off the good body.

Hearing movements, He Xuan lifted his eyes up, and his finger pointed to a bench on the corner, “Add another outer robe, Mei Province is colder than Qing Ling, don’t get cold.”

Xiao Zuo slowly took two steps forward, then bent down and got close to him, “What are you reading?”

He Xuan seldom lightly coughed in embarrassment, and quickly closed the book, “Nothing much.” Xiao Zuo suspiciously glanced at him, is it not some policy on governance? He Xuan was reading…… erotic books behind his back?

Xiao Zuo imagined He Xuan putting on a cold face while seriously reading an erotic book, and immediately got overwhelmed with joy, then secretly laughed as he put on the outer robe, and occasionally glanced at that book in He Xuan’s hands.

He Xuan calmly pressed his elbow on top of the book, and looked for something to talk about, “Is there anything you want to do when we get to Mei Province?”

“Mei Province, hm……” Xiao Zuo gave it some thought, “There is a mountain slope in Mei Province that is quite a good destination.”

“How so?”

“At Mt. Xun Yang to the north of Mei Province, a spring outing there is the most suitable.”

“Alright.” He Xuan curled his lips, “After we meet with Chen Hong Dao, we will go there together.”

“Brother Xuan is the best.”

He Xuan noncommittally glanced at him, and just when he was going to open his mouth, he saw Xiao Zuo quickly pull that book out, the cover was shockingly written with, “The Records of Longevity in the Path of the Sword.”

He Xuan closed his eyes, and deeply felt him bringing this book out in the morning to pass the time was practically a false step into lifelong regret.

“Didn’t you say I always read light books? Why are you reading it too?” The chance of teasing He Xuan was practically hard to come, Xiao Zuo firmly grasped the spine of the book in one hand, and vigilantly took one step back.

He Xuan did not have any intent of going up to steal the book, he used a hand to prop his head, and lifted his eyes and indifferently said, “Seeing how you read it with such fascination, I wanted to understand some things you like too.”

Xiao Zuo froze, seeing a teasing smile in He Xuan’s eyes float up, he immediately rose his voice in attempts to not show weakness, “I like you.”

This time, it was He Xuan’s turn to choke up. He originally wanted to tease Xiao Zuo a bit, but did not think that the small cat now now had a sharp tongue, but either way, he was not some proper gentlemen, and crooked his hand shamelessly, and narrowed his eyes while smiling, “Then Li Nu should show it.”

Xiao Zuo was not the young boy who would go red in the face after holding hands from that year in the end, so when he heard him, he went along with it and took one step forward, then bent over and touched He Xuan’s lips. Both hands held up He Xuan’s face, and the tongue followed along the lips and stuck in.

“Mm, I’m thirsty.” Xiao Zuo wiped away the silver thread on the corner of his lips, his eyes were filled with a pool of gentle spring water, the top was fallen with strongly fragrant flower petals, and dyed that pool of water into a hazy faint pink in an instant.

He Xuan moved his gaze away, and pushed Xiao Zuo who was sitting on top of him, then spoke with a slightly hoarse voice, “En, I’ll bring water, get up first.”

Xiao Zuo then realized after the fact and rushed up, then guiltily stared at the soft veil covering over the carriage’s walls, and his face slowly started burning with a mild fire.

❀

“Your Highness, Mei Province is just to the front.” Travelling together with them was a close subordinate He Xuan brought, called Fang Shao, that person knocked on the door panel from the outside, and reminded them.

Xiao Zuo was leaning on He Xuan’s legs taking a nap, his body was covered with a thin blanket, and at this time when he heard sound, he sleepily yawned, and his voice carried a weak drowsiness to it, “What is it?”

“We’re here, still sleepy? I’ll sleep with you a while more.”

Xiao Zuo shook his head, and dizzily sat up straight. He lifted up the curtains and peeked outside- the skies were already smeared black, and from a distance, one could see every family lighting up tiny specks of candles, propping up an easing strength in the borders of the light and dusk.

“Let’s go.” Xiao Zuo put on a thick outer robe, when he turned back and saw that He Xuan was still sitting and not moving, he urged him, “Once the skies turn completely dark, it will be hard to walk.”

“En, my legs are numb.” He Xuan glanced at him, and pointed to his own legs. Xiao Zuo was sleeping on his legs the entire way just now, and at this time, the gaze He Xuan looked at him with seemed like he was a heartless man who did not recognize people after lifting up his pants. Xiao Zuo hurriedly bent down and massaged his legs, and interrupted with a smile, “No hurry, no hurry, just let them wait, at that time, we will just go in and have dinner.”

“There is a famous dish in Mei Province you must try, watershield with beef soup, it’s very delicious.”

He Xuan’s lowered eyes swept by Xiao Zuo’s busy hands, and quietly made an en sound.

Once the two slowly reached the dining hall, the dishes were almost all placed, Mei Province’s dishes were a bit more sweet to taste, He Xuan only gave it a taste, Xiao Zuo actually did not like it very much either, and choosily ate a bowl of rice, and drank half a cup of sweet wine.

“Your Highness, the rooms have been prepared.” Before they came, He Xuan had people long already prepare a residence. The original owner had quite an elegant taste, the abode was not big, but was decorated very thoughtfully, the pond even had a beautiful porous rock, so when the swaying candlelight passed through the small openings in the middle, there was quite an image of tranquility.

“En, be more thorough in serving Lady Xiao.”

“This servant understands.” When Xiao You Ci just came out from the dining hall, she heard these words, and could not help but give He Xuan a glance.

Xiao Zuo saw Xiao You Ci came, and got close to her side and said, “Sister, just now I had the kitchen make some snacks. I saw you did not have much for dinner, so I’ll send it to your room later.”

“A’Zuo now knows how to take care of people too.” Xiao You Ci lightly laughed, “A’Zuo’s wife will be lucky.”

“Sister!” Xiao Zuo secretly peeked at He Xuan, seeing his face unchanged, he then sighed a breath of relief, and hurriedly changed the topic, “Then Sister, you go back to the room and tidy up, I will go there in a while.”

“Alright.”

That maidservant led Xiao You Ci through, while another maidservant dressed in green thin silk dress came over to lead them to the bedroom. Xiao Zuo looked at the landscape all around, and secretly commended that this owner’s tastes were not bad, when He Xuan reached out and pulled on his sleeves, and said without moving his eyes away, “What did you say to Lady Xiao just now?”

“I saw that she ate very little in the evening, and had the kitchen make some snacks, and that I would bring it to her later.”

He Xuan knitted his eyebrows, “I ate little in the evening too.”

“This much makes you jealous?” Xiao Zuo started laughing, held He Xuan’s hand, and scratched his palm with his pinky, “You naturally have some too.”

“To me…… you always have one.”

He Xuan slightly paused, he felt a winding itch coming from his palm. Xiao Zuo was still saying something by his side, He Xuan stopped walking, then reached out and pulled him into his arms, and both his arms firmly tightened up, like he was going to fuse him into his bone and flesh.

Xiao Zuo struggled in his embrace, then did not move anymore, and let him blow scorching breaths into his ear, and then be dispersed by the winds in the cold night.

After a long time, XIao Zuo arduously patted his back, and his head buried into his chest and said with a muffled voice, “Loosen up a bit, it hurts.”

“Li Nu.”

“En.”

He Xuan softly sighed, and fixed the messy hair for Xiao Zuo, “Let’s go back to the room.”