Ch3 - Bruises

“Senior brother?”

Seeing Shen Xingcong, Xiao Lin’s tone was somewhat puzzled. 

Shen Xingcong looked left and right but didn’t see Yu Mi’s group. Those few had gone before him, so they should have arrived earlier.

The water in the bathhouse has been drained, and the area was so large that it will need a lot of time to completely clean it up.

“What about the others.” Shen Xingcong asked.

Xiao Lin tilted his head and didn’t seem to understand his words. 

Shen Xingcong: “Isn’t this Fourth Group’s work? Why are you alone.”

“… senior brother is really strange today.” Xiao Lin laughed.

Shen Xingcong’s reaction was relatively slow.

Wait a minute, is it possible that apart from the original owner, others were also openly oppressing and exploiting Xiao Lin? It wasn’t written in the original book!

Xiao Lin: “Senior brother had quarreled with Senior Brother Yu Mi yesterday, so he naturally won’t come over.”

Yesterday? Is it the dispute that Yu Mi mentioned?

Not only was there a quarrel yesterday, but there was also a quarrel just now. He definitely won’t come anymore.

Shen Xingcong curled his lip: “Petty.” 

Either way, chatting didn’t interfere with work. He went to another corner and began cleaning. He splashed the water first, then swept it away along with the mud.

After swishing for a long time, when he got up to straighten his waist, he saw Xiao Lin still standing in the same position as before, not moving at all.

Shen Xingcong gasped: “Are you watching me performing my skill.”

Xiao Lin suddenly said, “Until when does senior brother want to work?” 

Shen Xingcong: “Huh?”

“Steward Hu has already urged us, so he won’t come back.” Xiao Lin said, “Even if I were alone, it wouldn’t be discovered.”

Shen Xingcong: “…”

So this person believed that he had been forced to come here. 

Although Shen Xingcong didn’t have a good impression of Xiao Lin, he had no interest in oppressing and exploiting people. He didn’t plan to loaf around on the work he should do himself.

“Let’s talk about it after work.”

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

After saying this sentence, he continued immersing himself in cleaning.

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“Vfclbg ygbatfg, jgf sbe gfjiis uba tla bc atf tfjv?”

Vtfc Wlcumbcu atgfk tlr ygbbw jcv iloafv tlr riffnfr jr tf uba eq: “Tbe ilaaif yjrajgv—!”

Lf rfglberis rerqfmafv atja tjio bo atf gfjrbc kts Wljb Olc kjr yeiilfv ys atf bglulcji bkcfg kjr yfmjerf bo tlr rffxlcu-vfjat rfio.

Xiao Lin saw Shen Xingcong approaching him, but he didn’t intend to avoid it. His eyes were staring straight across. 

As Shen Xingcong got closer, he was somewhat timid when being stared at by those eyes.

These really didn’t resemble human eyes. Could it be that the original owner’s initiative to hit also has a hint of fear?
For example, stressful behavior out of fear.

Shen Xingcong’s real intention was to scare him, but it didn’t work at all. He snatched the broom from Xiao Lin’s hand and handed over the wooden barrel: “You go over there and finish cleaning up as quickly as possible.”

Xiao Lin’s ink-colored eyes were still watching him as he reached for the wooden barrel.
Nothing has been said since then. By the time the two had finished cleaning, it was almost evening. 

The bottom of the pool was connected to a natural spiritual spring. Although the content of spiritual energy was weak, it still had a certain effect of repairing the body. Meanwhile, by burning flint, the entering water will automatically become hot water.

After Shen Xingcong opened the plug, hot water came pouring in immediately. Looking at the brand-new bathhouse, he felt a sense of pride and just wanted to take out his phone to take a picture.

He felt out his trouser pocket, but there wasn’t even a seam.

Oh, that’s right.
Shen Xingcong was suddenly sad.
In this day and age, there are no mobile phones anymore. 

Xiao Lin picked up the cleaning tools: “I’ll go store them.”

“Oh, just go.” Shen Xingcong talked as he undressed.

Xiao Lin was about to go out and couldn’t help but stop: “Senior brother, you are…”

“Take a bath.”
As a matter of course, Shen Xingcong said, “I’ve been sweating after working for so long, and I’ve wanted to wash up for a long time. Come over after you put away your things.” 

Xiao Lin: “There are rules for a bathing time.”

“If you don’t talk, who would know? Letting the two of us cleaned for so long, what’s the matter of being the first to bathe?”
Shen Xingcong didn’t care at all and was completely stripped of his clothes. He picked up the tub and poured water on his body. Looking at this scene, Xiao Lin hesitated to speak.
In the end, he acted as if he saw nothing and continued walking outside.

“Remember to come back here.” Shen Xingcong’s voice sounded from behind, “We are in the same room, don’t lie down on the bed if you smell so bad!”

“Bang.”
The door was closed. 

The outer room was the changing room. Xiao Lin stood there for a while, then put down the cleaning tools and continued walking outside.

The sun was already setting in the west, and the setting sun stretched his silhouette to a long distance.

Xiao Lin didn’t go very far when he came across a group of people. The leader saw him and sarcastically greeted him.

“Hey, isn’t this Senior Brother Shen’s little slave? Where do you want to go?” 

Xiao Lin stopped: “Senior Brother Yu Mi.”

Shen Xingcong was an eyesore to Yu Mi, and his (SXC) roommate also displeased him.
In particular, no matter how much he mocked, the other person didn’t respond as if he couldn’t understand it. It made him feel like he was beating up soft and weak cotton.

From this point of view, Xiao Lin was even more annoying.

However, the other person has done excellent work on the surface, and Yu Mi wouldn’t turn his face away in public as he did with Shen Xingcong.
“Have you finished all the work?” 

Xiao Lin: “I have.”

“It’s been hard work. We would have gone if we weren’t feeling unwell.” Yu Mi pretended to pat him on the shoulder, “Hurry and clean up. I could smell it even if it was from afar.”

After speaking, he laughed and left with the others.

Xiao Lin watched them go away. The afterglow fell on his body, and the tree cast down a mottled shadow. 

He lowered his head slightly and pulled up his collar lightly.

.

Soaking in a bath was really one of the happiest things in life.

Shen Xingcong was lying in hot water, only to feel that his exhaustion had dissipated. He put a towel on his face, and his pores relaxed.
Moreover, he could enjoy such a big bathing pool alone. 

He had never had this kind of experience in his previous life.

Shen Xingcong took a deep breath and removed the towel from his face.

In the end, that kid Xiao Lin never came. Why didn’t he like cleanliness so much? The two of them slept in the same room. In any case, before he slept tonight, he had to pressure someone to take a bath.

Feeling that the soaking was good enough, Shen Xingcong got up from the water. While wiping the water, he walked over to the changing room. As soon as he pulled open the side door, he saw a person standing in the outer room. 

He instinctively protected his birdie securely.

The person who came had just taken off his robe and looked sideways after hearing the sound.

Seeing his appearance clearly, Shen Xingcong coughed lightly. This person has long hair and a delicate stature, and he accidentally treats him as a little girl.
“Why have you only come just now and put things away for so long?”

Xiao Lin: “…” 

Shen Xingcong was terrified by that gaze: “What, what’s wrong?”

Xiao Lin: “Can you smell it when you stand there?”

Shen Xingcong: “What’s smell?”

Xiao Lin: “Smelly.” 

Shen Xingcong thought for a while and realized that it was something he had said just now. Actually, he was exaggerating. He couldn’t smell anything at all on Xiao Lin’s body.
But after all, he (XL) got sweaty, and he really couldn’t bear people to lie down with him in the same room.

“How can I smell it? I’m not a dog.”
He answered casually and went to put on his pants.

He didn’t expect this person to even care about this.

…it was true. After all, it was written in the original book that Xiao Lin’s appearance has always been glorious. 

There was a rustling of cloth beside his ear, and Xiao Lin was unfastening his shirt. Shen Xingcong only caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye and could sense the dazzling whiteness of the other person’s body.
—as well as a patch of blue and purple.

Shen Xingcong paused and quickly grabbed Xiao Lin’s arm sideways.

The other person had just taken off half of his clothes, and his exposed collarbone and chest were covered with bruises and red marks. Old and new wounds were interlaced, and it was even more shocking on the fair body.

Shen Xingcong opened his mouth but couldn’t spit out a single word. 

Xiao Lin looked at his grabbed arm, then lifted his eyes.

“Senior brother,” he asked puzzledly, “What are you looking at?”

The author has something to say:

The plot order of the first three chapters has been slightly adjusted.