Fateful Encounter [BL]

Chapter 8

24/11/2018

I've got 916 reads so far !!! Did not expect this at all. Whoever read my story, i wanna say thank you so much. (*´∀｀).。o○

In a blink of an eye, two weeks have already passed. As the days went by, Xingfu who was reluctant to stay at first was also slowly got used to his new life. Every morning, as an early bird, he would wake up before the breaking dawn, cleaning the house and then making breakfast for Cheng.

Usually, after having breakfast, Cheng would leave the house and he wouldn't come back until evening. As a result, Xingfu had the rest of the day to himself. Instead of slacking off, Xingfu who is a very industrious person would tend the garden, learn how to brew tea or cooking. Occasionally, he would sneak into Cheng's study which has tons of books about medicines, poems, literatures and so on. There he leisurely spent his noon times reading books until afternoon he would prepare dinner and wait for Cheng.

The idea of running away seemed to have been pushed to the very back of his mind. Unconsciously, he started looking forward to Cheng's arrival. Like today, as the sound of the open doors could be heard, he halted all his activities and dashed from the kitchen to the front doors.

Cheng's tall and slender figure donned in his usual black robe walked in. His lips upwardly curled in delight when seeing Xingfu emerged from inside the house to welcome him, but then it turned into straight line when he spotted something.

"You are wearing eye-patch again? "He voiced in a scolding tone while creasing one of his eyebrow.

As if he had just remember something, Xingfu flinched and involuntarily probed his left eye. He helplessly glanced at Cheng and protested, "I am not used to let it bare..."

"Don't cover it. Your eyes are really beautiful."

The simple statement that Cheng blurted out of nowhere made him stunned and blushed furiously.
This was the first time someone praised him and it was the eye that everyone at his village hated.

Unsure how to react to such compliment, he could only look down at his feet and quietly mumbled to himself , "Are they?"

However, Cheng could still catch the gist of it so he replied in a serious tone,"Of course they are so stop hiding it."

Xingfu did not reply but having spending time together for two weeks; Cheng knew that this silence means he agreed. Seeing Xingfu being so cute and obedient, he lightly patted his head with fondness.

Xingfu did not protest at all because Cheng's big warm hand unexpectedly felt really nice. Recently, the physical contact between them has increased significantly. Of course it was pretty awkward at first, but when Xingfu thought about how easy-going Cheng actually was, this might be how he treated others as well so Xingfu did not burden his mind with this matter.

When having dinner at the same table, they typically had small talk about this and that. Since Xingfu was a timid and shy person, most of the time Cheng was the one who engaged him in the conversation by asking about this and that and one day they talked about Xingfu's origin.

Despite his diffident characteristic, Xingfu was, in fact, an extremely positive and optimistic child, so he did not regard it as a sensitive topic when talking about his tragic life.

Cheng has an indifferent expression while listening, but inwardly he was amazed by Xingfu's resolution and positive outlook on life. He secretly made a promise to himself that he would protect this youth and treat him better from now on.

On the other hand, when it came to his background, Cheng did not talk much. All Xingfu knew was his name, Nie He Cheng, and that he is a retired government official...and of course a loaded one.

The one thing that baffled Xingfu at the beginning was how he was treated. Though Cheng told him that his job was to work as a servant, he was not sure which household would let their servants had meals with the masters and not to mention the fact that he and Cheng would be having small chat from time to time as if they were friends.

When he informed Cheng about this matter, he simply replied, 'It is lonely to eat by myself.' with a puppy-like face. How could he have the heart to refuse?

Their relationship was definitely not that of a master and a servant; Xingfu also did not know how to define it either. But seeing how genuinely nice Cheng was toward him, he simply concluded that Cheng was a lonely loaded man who needed companion.

While they were eating, Cheng suddenly announced, "Tomorrow is the lantern festival."

"What is the lantern festival?"

"You really don't know?"

Xingfu shook his head.

As if he could see a big question mark above Xingfu head, Cheng sighed helplessly. This kid really does not know a thing. Putting the bowl of rice down, he then started explaining.

Lantern festival is celebrated around this time of year in Jin Sheng. During the festival, houses are festooned with colorful lanterns, often with riddles written on them. It celebrates family reunions and society. The many activities during the festival are lighting lanterns, appreciating the bright full moon, guessing riddles written on lanterns, lions and dragon dances, setting off fireworks and eating tangyuan (rice ball)!

After the explanation, Xingfu was wonderstruck. He could vaguely remember celebrating this with his mother when he was young. How could he forget that such a joyous festival exists? Now he really wanted to go out and explore. He turned his beaming face toward Cheng in expectation.

"You can go but-"

The first sentence almost made him jump in excitement then the sudden pause made him anxious.

"I will go with you and you need to promise me that you won't go off somewhere by yourself."

Xingfu's face immediately distorted into a scowl. There was no need to treat him like a country bumpkin. He used to journey to the city by himself for a few times; at least he knew his way around the city of Zhao. Nevertheless, he still promised because he was afraid that Cheng might have a change of heart.

To Cheng, this was the first time he saw Xingfu sulked.  This Xingfu is also really adorable. Maybe i should tease him more often? He then took a mental note to bully him later when he got the chance.

Today's dinner was merrier than usual because Xingfu, who was always passive in the conversation, could not conceal his enthusiasm. Cheng was bombarded with a continuous flow of questions but he gently smile while clearly explained each one of them to the eager child in front of him.