Chapter 4 (1/2)
Chapter 4: Two or Three Interesting Incidents at Home
There were three important things that yifu did every day.
One, sleep. Those familiar with him knew as soon as he lied down in his clothes, he could doze for half the day without waking up.
Two, growing medicinal plants. After sleeping, he would use the remaining half of the day to plant small herbs and touch the young flowers.
Three, eating flowers. Though this step required very little time, he had to use more beforehand to cook my meals. So you can imagine that because of this, I still took one-third of the s.p.a.ce in yifu’s heart.
With a brush in my mouth, I pondered a bit.
After writing these things down in the regular script[1], I folded the Xuan paper[2] into three sections before stuffing it into a small box beneath my bed. It was almost half full of my little paper strips from daily calligraphy practice.
How dull…
I gave a long sigh before lying on my desk, hanging my head.
This was still a boy’s robe, light purple in hue. The cool material, when worn in summer, made the skin felt refreshed and comfortable all over. This had to be made from high-quality fabric, and yifu often wore clothes from the same make. But why was it another male garment, and why was it the wrong size? Kneeling on the chair, one hand propping myself up, I lifted the robes with one hand as I grabbed a bronze mirror off the wall to peer at my reflection.
My eyes looked like eyes, and my nose looked like a nose[1]. I squinted as I tugged forward the hairs atop my head for inspection…hn, the strands were so withered and sallow. After being nursed back to health, my face was rounder and more mellow these days, but the skin was still as dark as before.
When I used to be a beggar, there was no way to take baths, so everyone was dirty. It wasn’t a big deal, but now that I lived with Fang Hua, who exuded a fragrant aroma every day and had skin like a pool of frosty snow, I couldn’t help but feel inferior.
Actually, it wasn’t such a big deal, it’s just that he was as beautiful as a girl, whereas I was dirty like a boy… I didn’t know why, no matter how I rubbed myself down with a damp towel, I simply couldn’t get clean. And if I lowered my head to sniff myeslf…
There was still some type of smell.
Could it be I was just paranoid?
“Shao’er…” the pile of bedding next to me moved a bit.
I continued to pinch the skin atop my arm, s.p.a.cing out a bit as I tidied myself up.
“Shao’er, give me a drink of water.” A head full of messy hair poked out of the bedcovers, following by a form with an alluring posture, the pillow in disarray on one side. His eyelashes were exceedingly long and trembled, while the bewitching cinnabar mark at the corner of an eye would startle all who saw him.
I nodded and fell down flat onto the ground with a clap. As I raised my head to wave, an affectionate gaze from a pupil that shone like moonlight gave me a rather pitying look.
My heart thumped wildly.
I randomly rubbed my hand on my clothes, quickly poured a cup of water, and carried it over in both hands.
“No wonder you’re so unrefined,” Fang Hua smiled, shaking his head in spite of himself. “Who would wipe their hand on their robes? The new clothes are dirty again.”
“I won’t dare to in the future,” I honestly admitted my mistakes. “Next time I’ll definitely wipe my hands clean before touching my clothes.”
His mood seemed exhausted as he ignored me to drink his tea. I carried over a small wooden stool and sat in front of him, both hands supporting my chin as I watched like an idiot.
Strictly speaking, his positions while drinking the water were exceedingly beautiful: one hand holding it in his palm, the other using his sleeve to s.h.i.+eld half his face, every gesture evoking the aura of an elite n.o.ble gentleman.
I studied his appearance and patterns until he looked sideways at me and spat in my face.
…in between the good feelings, surprise rose. I gave him a look full of profound meaning. He lowered his head and coughed, shoulders shaking uncontrollably.
“Yifu,” I used my sleeve to wipe my face, but after noticing his slant-eyed stare, consciously pulled out a small handkerchief from my robes, shaking it a few times before continuing to wipe….hn, a deep sigh. This was definitely water from him. There was a deep flowery fragrance floating in the water as I clicked my tongue to speak, “Why do you always call me Shao’er?”
He seemed stupefied. “Did you have a name before?”
“No.”
They called me little ragam.u.f.fin, beggar, and urchin, but these didn’t count as names…
“Then it’s correct,” he gave me an askance look, before reclining leisurely to speak. “That hairclip you’re wearing at the back of your bun is just like those little hair ornaments with the handle of a shao[4] (spoon). Don’t you think this name is pretty good?”
This time, I was tired to the point of exhaustion. He suddenly smiled and gave me an embrace.
“Your name is Shao Hua[5].”
He kept hugging me like this without moving until I was crushed to a point where I couldn’t breathe. At that time, I looked up at him to see his eyes closed, lost in sleep.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh…….
I was furious.