Chapter 74: CH 74

The sky was pale, the wilderness was vast, and the wind blew the grass so low that the cattle could be seen grazing.

It was summer, the most beautiful season of the year in the Wusu Steppes. The sky was blue and clear as if washed, the grass was green, and the herds of sheep were scattered around, like the reflection of the white clouds in the sky.

With his bow in hand, Wei Chongrong spurred his horse to fly forward, chasing a snow fox that fled in a hurry.

After running for a long time, the snow fox seemed to have lost its strength and gradually slowed down.

With a satisfied smile, Wei Chongrong pulled an arrow from the quiver and drew his bow to aim at his prey.

With a soft “whoosh”, the arrow shot out like a meteor and plunged straight into the snow fox’s body.

Wei Chongrong rode closer, jumped off the back of his horse and picked up the snow fox that had fallen to the ground. He was about to get on his horse when he suddenly heard a rapid sound of horse hooves from behind him. When he turned around, it was Dongfang galloping towards him.

Rushing up to Wei Chongrong quickly, Dongfang stopped his horse and jumped down, cupping his fist in greeting: “Master Shizi, I just received a letter from Lord Gu, saying that the young Shizi of Hou Zhaoyang came to Qingjia to find you. When he heard that you went to the grasslands, he chased after you.”

“Give me the letter.” Wei Chongrong stretched out his hand, feeling quite shocked in his heart. He had been in Lingzhou for nearly two years and exchanged letters with Jun Hua, but in the last letter, Jun Hua said that he would go to Yujing at the end of the year and would come to Lingzhou next year.

Last month, Lu Ming sent him a letter inviting him to go hunting in the Wusu Steppes. When Wei Chongrong saw that everything was going well in Lingzhou, he gave himself a vacation and took Dongfang to Youzhou, ready to satisfy his hunting addiction. In previous years in Yujing, hunting could only be done in Shanglin Park where the animals were bred in captivity and were not afraid of people. Even without the help of the guards, it was too easy to hunt, which was boring. There were many wild animals in Lingzhou, but unfortunately they were all in the mountains, unlike in Youzhou, where there were endless grasslands and hunting on horseback was excellent.

Wei Chongrong hurriedly finished reading the letter, shook his head and said, “Gu Chuan’s letter is late, I guess Huaixi has already arrived.”

Dongfang couldn’t help but wonder when he heard this: “Since Young Shizi is already here, why didn’t he come to see you?” Dongfang had only seen Jun Hua once, when he followed Wei Chongrong to save Wei Mao two years ago, but he had seen how clingy Jun Hua was to Wei Chongrong.

Therefore, Dongfang was very puzzled to learn that Jun Hua had arrived in Youzhou but didn’t show up.

As the two were talking, a small, fiery red shape leapt past Wei Chongrong, very nimble.

Dongfang’s eyes were extremely good, and he immediately raised his finger and exclaimed, “Master Shizi, it’s a fire fox!”

Wei Chongrong narrowed his eyes slightly, secretly thinking that he was lucky. He had just hunted a snow fox and immediately met a fire fox. He and Dongfang glanced at each other, nodded in tacit agreement and flew on their horses at the same time, slapping the horses to chase the fleeing fire fox.

The fire fox was fast, but not as fast as Wei Chongrong’s horse, and the distance between them was getting closer and closer. But just as Wei Chongrong drew his bow, the fire fox cried out and suddenly collapsed. There was a sharp arrow sticking out of its head, right in the centre of its brow.

Wei Chongrong put down his bow and rode in the direction where the arrow had come from, his expression slightly complicated.

Since Jun Qing explained Jun Hua’s feelings to him two years ago, Wei Chongrong’s mood was very subtle and he felt somewhat overwhelmed when he faced Jun Hua.

All along, Wei Chongrong’s feelings for Jun Hua were about owing and compensating him. Jun Hua was the child he had cared about with all his might since birth, wanting to give him everything he desired, not wanting him to be sad, not ever wanting to see an unhappy expression on his face.

But was this love? Wei Chongrong didn’t know.

He was very fortunate that soon after Jun Qing said that to him, he and Jun Hua separated. It gave him enough time to sort out his thoughts. In any case, he was unwilling to hurt Jun Hua.

“Brother Rong!” The young man sat on the back of the white horse with a silver saddle. His expression was relaxed and there was a smile in his voice.

Wei Chongrong had been thinking about what he should say when he saw Jun Hua again and was very confused when he thought about it. Unexpectedly, when he really saw Jun Hua, he blurted out: “Little Monkey, didn’t you say that you would come next year? Why are you suddenly ahead of schedule?”

Jun Hua raised his beautiful eyebrows, chuckled and said, “What’s the matter? Brother Rong doesn’t welcome me?”

Wei Chongrong shook his head hurriedly and quickly said, “How could you not be welcome? I’m just a little curious.” What he was even more curious about was how Jun Qing was willing to let Jun Hua see him. Jun Hua complained in his letter earlier that his daddy was more strict with him than with Little Tiger, which was really unfair.

Jun Hua smiled and then said seriously: “I miss Brother Rong, so I came to see you.”

Wei Chongrong was startled and opened his mouth but didn’t know how to continue the conversation.

Jun Hua paused, as if admiring his stunned expression, then smiled and said, “Brother Rong, shall we race?”

Wei Chongrong replied without hesitation: “Sure.” He took off the snow fox hanging from his saddle and threw it to Dongfang who followed him, saying loudly: “Little Dongzi, take the two foxes back and deal with them. We will be back later.”

Dongfang took the snow fox, picked up the fire fox that was on the ground and nodded listlessly.

As soon as Wei Chongrong turned his head, he saw Jun Hua flick his whip, and the white horse suddenly charged forward. Jun Hua’s clear voice floated with the wind: “Brother Rong, for the sake of being a newcomer, let me take a little advantage!”

“No problem, go as far as you can!” Wei Chongrong agreed, patting his chest graciously.

The corners of Jun Hua’s lips were slightly raised, showing a clever smile as he continued: “The person who gets to the lake first is counted as a winner. The loser must agree to one condition of the winner and must not go back on his word.” After speaking, he galloped away, quickly disappearing from sight.

Sensing that something was wrong, Wei Chongrong swung his whip and hurried forward in pursuit. He had never expected that Jun Hua would play such a trick on him. If he lost, there was no telling what strange and bizarre demands he would make.

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There was no doubt that Jun Hua was a very good horse rider. After all, he was the son of Ji Xin and Jun Qing. If he couldn’t ride a horse and shoot a bow skilfully, wouldn’t it be a shame to his family name?

But Wei Chongrong had a clear advantage over him, both in terms of age and experience, and if they set off at the same time, Jun Hua would have certainly lost.

However, Jun Hua played a trick and set off with a big lead over Wei Chongrong, and this place was not very far from the lake he mentioned, so it was hard to say who would win and who would lose, each having a fifty-fifty chance.

When Wei Chongrong started, he couldn’t see Jun Hua’s figure in his sight, but less than halfway through the race, he could faintly see the white horse in front of him, and it was getting clearer and clearer.

Feeling that someone was approaching behind him, Jun Hua didn’t dare to relax. After this time, he wouldn’t have such a good opportunity again.

After two-thirds of the way, Wei Chongrong saw the light of victory but instead of trying harder, he slightly controlled the speed of his horse.

Because he suddenly thought of a problem; Jun Hua wanted to race with him with great enthusiasm and had gone out of his way to use some tricks. If he lost, who knows how upset he would be. Besides, even without the so-called condition, if Jun Hua wanted him to do something, could he still refuse?

In the end, Jun Hua reached the lake before Wei Chongrong by a horse’s head.

Looking at the slight gap between the two, Jun Hua smiled meaningfully. Leaping off his horse, he sighed, “Letting me win just so, Brother Rong, it was really hard for you!”

“Where, where? Obviously, Little Monkey’s riding skills have improved greatly. You really deserve to be the son of Wang Changning and Hou Zhaoyang!” Wei Chongrong shook his head again and again, resolutely denying Jun Hua’s statement of throwing the victory, and his tone was so sincere that even he himself believed it a bit.

Jun Hua laughed more happily when he heard this, and said, “Brother Rong, I know you let me win on purpose. Your stallion is one of the best horses in the world. My horse was just bought from a herdsman. No one will believe you couldn’t win.”

Wei Chongrong smiled bitterly. Could he say that he hadn’t considered this issue in the first place? He had thought that Jun Hua’s horse was brought by him from Yizhou, so it couldn’t be too bad. Later, he found out the truth, but it was too late and he had to bite the bullet and let Jun Hua win anyway.

Although he had not won squarely, Wei Chongrong knew he was cheating and was willing to give in; Jun Hua was still very happy. He ran over, took Wei Chongrong’s hand and said with a serious expression: “Brother Rong, even though you gave in, the condition is still valid, oh.”

Wei Chongrong took a handkerchief from his sleeve, wiped the sweat from Jun Hua’s forehead, nodded and said, “It’s valid, it’s valid. I promised you something, when did I not keep my word? Come on, Little Monkey, what do you want me to do for you?”

Jun Hua blinked and smiled at him: “I haven’t thought about it yet. Let’s put it aside first. It will come in handy in the future.”

Wei Chongrong smiled helplessly, reached out and scratched Jun Hua’s clever nose: “You little smartass, you are really getting better and better at playing tricks.”

Jun Hua frowned with a smug look on his face. He suddenly realised he was hot and sweaty after riding the horse, so he asked, “Brother Rong, are you hot? After riding for so long, I’m sweaty all over and not feeling comfortable at all. Shall we take a swim before we go back?”

Wei Chongrong was startled. Not only did he not go to the lake, but he subconsciously took two steps back. If Jun Hua had said such a thing before, he would agree without thinking, without the slightest hesitation. Just like in the Hundred Flowers Garden that year, they were huddled in the same bathtub to take a bath and it was no big deal at all, couldn’t be more normal. But knowing Jun Hua’s feelings for him – even if Jun Hua hadn’t said anything himself – and then asking the two to see each other naked… Wei Chongrong felt a little weird, in some indefinable way.

“Brother Rong, why aren’t you coming?” Jun Hua said as he took off his clothes and jumped into the water.

Compared to the time when they parted two years ago, Jun Hua had grown much taller, his body had become more slender, and due to his long-term martial arts training, he already had beautiful muscles on his shoulders and back. His whole body had shed a layer of childishness, becoming more eye-catching.

Wei Chongrong was stunned for a moment and replied finally: “Little Monkey, I’m not hot, you can swim by yourself.”

“You can accompany me even if you’re not hot. It’s boring to swim alone…” Jun Hua said in a raised voice, quite critical of Wei Chongrong’s reply. If Wei Chongrong didn’t get into the water, wouldn’t he be unable to see his body and have no way to make comparisons?

Wei Chongrong had always obeyed Jun Hua. After listening to him complain a little bit, he couldn’t retain his original position and immediately replied: “Fine, fine, I’ll come down to accompany you. I really can’t do anything with you…”

After Jun Hua received a satisfactory answer, his smile became even more smug: “Brother Rong, come on, the water is cool!”

Wei Chongrong smiled at him, took off his clothes and jumped into the lake. Jun Hua didn’t cover his eyes with his hands this time but watched with his eyes open.

On a hot afternoon, the cool lake water soaked the whole body, which was really a comfortable feeling. Wei Chongrong took a deep breath, dived into the water and opened his eyes. The lake was clear and transparent, and a few unknown little fish stared curiously at the uninvited guest.

Wei Chongrong was amused and stretched out his hand to catch them, scaring the little fish into fleeing quickly.

It took Jun Hua a long time to persuade Wei Chongrong to go into the water, but when he didn’t surface for a while, Jun Hua became a little worried and dived down with him. Seeing Wei Chongrong having a lot of fun underwater, he couldn’t help but raise the corners of his lips and swim over to join him.

Jun Hua remembered very well how he was taught by Wei Chongrong to swim. At that time, he was still very young. He didn’t know if he was three or four years old. Seeing Wei Chongrong playing in the water made him very envious, so he clamoured to learn. But when he got to the edge of the pool, he was scared and didn’t dare to get into the water after all.

At that time, Ji Xin and Jun Qing were not yet officially married. Ji Xin didn’t spend much time at Hou Zhaoyang’s residence, and Jun Qing was not the type of person who would hold his child every day without letting go. Therefore, when Jun Hua was little, he spent more time under the care of his nanny and maids.

Wang Changning had no time to spare and Hou Zhaoyang didn’t want to watch the child. So, when the little prince from Wang Qin’s residence came to play with the little son of Hou Zhaoyang, Jun Hua’s nanny was happy. But when Jun Hua started making a fuss, demanding to learn swimming from Wei Chongrong, the nanny was not so unhappy.

The little prince, really, did he have to run to Hou Zhaoyang’s mansion to play in the water, provoking the little son of Hou Zhaoyang to mess around with him? Besides, even though the pool was not deep, only up to the waist of an adult, the little hou was still young. What if there was an accident? They couldn’t afford it.

Wei Chongrong understood what Jun Hua’s nanny was worried about, but Jun Hua was both afraid and still eager to learn to swim. Wei Chongrong needed to coax him, so he didn’t have time to pay attention to the nanny’s thoughts. Besides, with him present, how could it be possible for Jun Hua to have an accident?

More importantly, Wei Chongrong never forgot that Jun Hua had been thrown into the water before. Although he vowed that he would never let such a thing happen again, teaching Jun Hua to swim was an additional survival skill that could do no harm.

So he coaxed Jun Hua slowly and patiently, even promising him the sweets that Jun Qing always controlled very strictly, and finally coaxed him into the water. Jun Hua was a bit scared, so he hugged Wei Chongrong tightly when he got into the pool, not daring to let go of him at all, let alone learn swimming.

Wei Chongrong had no choice but to let Jun Hua lie on his back while he swam with him in the water. Gradually, Jun Hua became less afraid, and only then did Wei Chongrong begin to teach him, and spent the whole summer training him to be a perfect swimmer.

Suddenly remembering the past, Jun Hua was a little lost in thought, and when he came back to his senses, he realised that he had swum behind Wei Chongrong.

Without thinking, he lunged towards Wei Chongrong, just like he had done when he was a child, and plunged onto his back.

Wei Chongrong didn’t expect Jun Hua to make such a move, and his whole body stiffened unconsciously.

Of course he knew that what Jun Hua was doing was the same action he had done when he was a child. But being a naked chubby little kid and a naked slender, upright teenager gave a completely different feeling to the touch.

Wei Chongrong hesitated for a moment, gently broke free from Jun Hua and turned to look at him.

Even in the water, he could see the hurt look in those clear, dark eyes.

Wei Chongrong grabbed Jun Hua’s arm, and the two floated upwards together, both bursting out of the water.

Jun Hua wiped the water from his face, looked at Wei Chongrong in a daze, and said after hesitating for a long time: “Brother Rong, don’t you like me anymore? Why are you pushing me away?”

Wei Chongrong was stumped by him; he could neither say he liked him nor say he didn’t like him.

Seeing Wei Chongrong silent for a long time, Jun Hua bit his lip and asked, “Brother Rong, talk to me. If you really don’t like me, I will go back to Yizhou and never bother you again.” After saying that, he was going to swim towards the shore.

How could Wei Chongrong let him leave like this? He quickly took his hand and explained: “Little Monkey, I didn’t say I didn’t like you…”

“Then you like me?” The speed at which Jun Hua’s face changed was breathtaking.

Wei Chongrong was silent again, neither saying yes nor no, because he had already discovered that what he meant by ‘like’ and what Jun Hua meant by ‘like’ didn’t seem to be the same, and he really didn’t know how to answer.

This time, Jun Hua didn’t urge Wei Chongrong again but looked at him silently, and after a long time whispered: “Brother Rong, I understand what you mean. Originally, I had something I wanted to ask you, but now it seems that there is no need to do so.”

After Jun Hua said these words, he broke away from Wei Chongrong, turned around and swam towards the shore. Wei Chongrong didn’t stop him anymore. He knew very well that if he couldn’t give the answer Jun Hua wanted, there was no point in keeping him.

Wei Chongrong stood blankly in the water, silently watching Jun Hua go ashore, slowly pick up his clothes and put them on.

However, before the belt was fastened, Jun Hua seemed to be a little uncomfortable, clutching his stomach and kneeling on the grass by the lake.

Wei Chongrong suddenly regained his senses and rushed ashore with a splash of water. He didn’t care that he was stark naked, he quickly got to Jun Hua’s side, supported his body and asked, “Little Monkey, what’s wrong with you? Does something hurt?”

Jun Hua raised his head, gave him a distorted smile and whispered, “I’m fine, Brother Rong, don’t worry about me.”

Seeing Jun Hua’s bloodless face and lips, how could Wei Chongrong not worry about him? He haphazardly picked up his own clothes and wrapped them around himself, then carried Jun Hua to his horse and rushed to the tent where he was staying.

On the way, Wei Chongrong’s heart was burning with anxiety, as he remembered that Jun Hua had always been a healthy child since he was born, and he had never seen him sick before.

Jun Hua snuggled in Wei Chongrong’s arms. Although he couldn’t see Wei Chogrong’s expression, he could feel his mood just by looking at his panicked movements. Jun Hua’s fingers were clenched tightly because of severe pain, but there was a faint smile at the corner of his mouth.

Wei Chongrong had driven his horse a long way before, when he chased the snow fox, and then even further when he raced with Jun Hua.

By the time they returned to the tent from the lake, half a shichen had passed. Wei Chongrong jumped off the horse with Jun Hua in his arms, not even listening to what he was saying, and carried him straight into the tent, yelling all the way for someone to get a doctor.

Originally, Dongfang thought that Wei Chongrong and Jun Hua would not return until sunset, but they returned in the early afternoon, and it was Wei Chongrong who carried Jun Hua into the tent, both of them in messed-up clothes. No wonder Dongfang’s imagination ran a little wild.

Before Dongfang could draw a complete picture in his mind, Wei Chongrong’s order came: “Little Dongzi, go and get the doctor, return as soon as possible, without delay.” Dognfang didn’t dare to think anymore and immediately left.

In the tent, Wei Chongrong carefully put Jun Hua on the bed, asking repeatedly what was wrong with him, whether he was better now, don’t be afraid, the doctor would be here soon and so on.

Jun Hua’s lips moved slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but when he opened his mouth, he didn’t say anything after all.

Wei Chongrong poured a cup of hot water and gave it to Jun Hua. Seeing that Jun Hua’s face looked better than when he was by the lake, he relaxed a little bit. It didn’t seem to be a serious illness. Little Monkey should be fine.

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Dongfang was always quick at doing things, and it didn’t take long for him to return with a white-haired doctor.

Wei Chongrong immediately invited the doctor into the tent to check Jun Hua’s pulse. Jun Hua was a little reluctant at first, but after thinking about it, he slowly extended his right hand.

The old doctor checked his pulse carefully, first on his right hand, then on his left, and each side took at least one incense stick.

He didn’t say anything after finishing, but looked up at Wei Chongrong, then at Jun Hua, and finally stroked his long white beard and said, “Young man, don’t rely on your good health to act recklessly. In special periods, it’s better not to be greedy when seeking coolness.”

Wei Chongrong listened to him in confusion; this was summer, what was wrong with him and Jun Hua going to the lake to swim, it was a normal thing. Besides, even in winter, he could get in the water without problem. Although Jun Hua’s skills were not as good as his, he wouldn’t be weak to this extent.

Jun Hua’s face flushed slightly, and he nodded to indicate that he had been educated and would not be capricious in the future. The old man nodded in satisfaction and wrote a prescription, saying that this was not a major illness, just a cold, and he would be fine after two days of recuperation.

After sending away the old man, giving Dongfang the prescription and asking him to find someone to decoct the medicine, Wei Chongrong returned to the tent, determined to make Jun Hua explain clearly what was going on. Who knew that Jun Hua had been prepared for it. He closed his eyes and fell asleep as soon as Wei Chongrong left the tent. Wei Chongrong couldn’t bear to wake him up, so he had to let him go temporarily.

It was not a long-term solution to escape the problem by sleeping. After an hour, Dongfang brought back the decocted medicine, and Wei Chongrong woke Jun Hua up.

Jun Hua took the bowl of medicine, drank it obediently, and then returned the empty bowl to Wei Chongrong, looking straight at him.

Wei Chongrong put the bowl on the table casually, pulled a stool closer and sat down, then said slowly, “Little Monkey, are you hiding something from me?” Don’t think he didn’t see it. When the old man spoke, Jun Hua’s eyes were obviously guilty.

Jun Hua sat up straight on the bed and coughed softly: “Brother Rong, I have figured out what is the thing I want you to do.”

Wei Chongrong’s eyes widened, and the expression on his face changed again and again as he stared at Jun Hua. Did he plan this in advance? The thing he meant Wei Chongrong to agree to was not to ask what was going on with his health, right?

Just when Wei Chongrong felt inexplicably frustrated, Jun Hua spoke again: “No matter what I say next, Brother Rong can’t be angry with me. Don’t scold me, don’t beat me, let alone drive me away. If you agree, I will tell you everything.”

Wei Chongrong wanted to say, “No matter when, I have never scolded you”, but he held back and nodded silently.

Having received Wei Chongrong’s promise, Jun Hua didn’t speak immediately, but hung his head, as if he was organising his statement.

Wei Chongrong didn’t rush him either, sitting in the tent with him. He was actually a little curious as to what Jun Hua had done to be so afraid of his anger. He knew that no matter what Jun Hua wanted to have or what he wanted to do, he had never refused him before.

After a long time, Jun Hua finally raised his head and said in a low, inaudible voice, “Brother Rong, I have taken Suyun Pill…”

His voice was so small that even though Wei Chongrong’s skills were deep and he was sitting only a few steps away from him, he could not hear clearly what he had said. Wei Chongrong froze and asked quickly, “Little Monkey, what are you talking about?”

Jun Hua had already said it once and wasn’t that scared, so he repeated, “I said I have taken Suyun Pill.”

This time, Wei Chongrong could hear clearly, but he was completely stunned.

Of course Wei Chongrong knew what Suyun Pill was. It was a medicine that allowed men to conceive a child.

However, Suyun Pill was not effective just after taking it once. It needed to be taken continuously for a year. The first three months of taking the medicine were particularly painful. Some people couldn’t get through it and had to give up, and then their previous efforts would come to naught.

Moreover, Suyun Pill also had a time limit for taking it. The earliest age when it could be taken was usually thirteen or fourteen years old, and the latest one was no more than twenty years old. If you took it too early, when your physical development was immature, taking it was not only useless, but also caused damage. If you took it too late, you would suffer in vain, and the possibility of effect was minimal.

Wei Chongrong could guess why Jun Hua wanted to take Suyun Pill, but he didn’t understand why he didn’t discuss it with him.

Seeing Wei Chongrong’s face getting gloomy, Jun Hua became obviously uneasy, and said, “You said you won’t be angry…”

Wei Chongrong was too angry to speak, and said after a long time: “Don’t worry, I’ll keep my word. I won’t scold you, I won’t beat you, and I won’t drive you away. I just want to go out and get some air. If you are tired, just rest. If you need anything from Little Dongzi, just tell him.”

After hurriedly saying these words, Wei Chongrong fled. Jun Hua wanted to say something but there was no chance.

Jun Hua wanted to get up and go after Wei Chongrong, but there was still some faint pain in his lower abdomen, and if Wei Chongrong really wanted to hide from him, how could he find him? He sighed softly and fell back to the bed in a daze.

Thinking of what Jun Qing had said before he left Yao’an, Jun Hua murmured: “Daddy, I seem to have done something wrong…”

Wei Chongrong got out of the tent, but he didn’t know where he was going for a while. He casually took a horse and got onto it.

Dongfang asked anxiously: “Master Shizi, where are you going? Aren’t you going to stay with Young Shizi anymore?” What was going on? Earlier, they had been as good as glued to each other, why did the two of them turn against each other in the blink of an eye, and his Master Shizi was about to run away from home?

Wei Chongrong casually dropped a sentence: “I’m going out for a walk, you don’t have to worry about me, just take care of Huaixi. If he has any orders, do it quickly, don’t neglect him.” After speaking, he slapped the horse and left.

Dongfang was inexplicably confused by Wei Chongrong’s actions. After thinking for a moment, he lifted the curtain and entered the tent.

When Jun Hua heard the sound of footsteps, he thought it was Wei Chongrong who had come back, so he sat up and called, “Brother Rong…” When he saw that it was Dongfang, disappointment flashed on his face, and he lay down again.

Brother Rong lied saying that he would not be angry. He was so angry that he ran away, and left him alone.

Dongfang was amused by Jun Hua’s vivid expression, and said plaintively: “Young Shizi, even if it is me who comes in, not Master Shizi, don’t show such obvious disgust, okay, I’m devastated, oh…”

Jun Hua ignored him, pulled the quilt over his face and wrapped himself up. After a while, probably because he felt stuffy under the quilt, he poked his head out again. Seeing that Dongfang was still sitting there and hadn’t left, he asked, “Where’s Brother Rong, where did he go?”

Dongfang shook his head: “The grassland is boundless. Master Shizi went out on a horse. Who knows where he will go.”

Jun Hua didn’t get the answer and was a little disappointed. After a while, he asked again: “Does Brother Rong like to be angry with others? Or is it just me?” As Daddy said, he and Brother Rong hadn’t seen each other for several years, and their temperaments might no longer be what they remembered. While Brother Rong was away, he should have asked his confidants about it, in case Brother Rong had become fierce in general, not towards him alone.

When Dongfang heard this, he immediately put on an expression of “Don’t wrong my family’s Shizi” and said, “Young Shizi, don’t you know what a good temper Master Shizi has? In all the years I’ve been with him, I have seen him angry just a couple of times.”

And those two times were also because of you; but this was a statement that Dongfang wisely swallowed and didn’t share.

“So, it’s like that…” Jun Hua’s unease deepened. The less prone to being angry people were, the more serious it was if they did get angry.

As soon as Dongfang cleared Wei Chongrong’s reputation, he saw Jun Hua’s face turning dejected, completely losing its usual lively energy. He suddenly felt sorry for Jun Hua, so he asked: “Young Shizi, what kind of trouble have you caused that could make Master Shizi angry like this?”

Two years ago at the Hundred Flowers Garden, Jun Hua had tried to approach Tuduo as a courtesan, which was already a very serious mistake in Dongfang’s view. After all, that Prince Tuduo was really a quite ferocious fellow, and if Jun Hua had fallen into his hands, the consequences would have been unthinkable.

But even then, Wei Chongrong was not so angry, so Dongfang couldn’t imagine what Jun Hua had done now. When Wei Chongrong came back with Jun Hua in his arms in the afternoon, Dongfang felt that things were weird, but at that time, Wei Chongrong still took good care of Jun Hua.

Who could have imagined that after Jun Hua took the medicine, the two of them only talked for a while and became like this. It was incredible.

Jun Hua thought for a while, then avoided the key points and said lightly: “I lied to Brother Rong on a very important matter…”

Because he refused to say specific things, Dongfang was not sure about Wei Chongrong’s attitude, so he could only comfort Jun Hua: “Young Shizi, don’t worry too much, Master Shizi just went out for a walk, and when his anger subsides, he will be back.”

Jun Hua was not as optimistic as Dongfang and sighed in a low voice: “What if his anger doesn’t subside?”

Seeing Jun Hua sullen, Dongfang could only amuse him to relieve his boredom. The two of them waited until dinner time, when it was almost dark, but Wei Chongrong was still nowhere to be seen. Dongfang was afraid that Jun Hua would be hungry, so he hurriedly brought him some light food from the kitchen.

Jun Hua was in a bad mood and had a bad appetite. He only ate a little bit and put the chopsticks down. Dongfang brought the medicine later, and Jun Hua drank it cleanly, without a mouthful left. After dinner, Jun Hua said he was tired and lay down, and Dongfang withdrew sensibly.

Wei Chongrong came back very late. When he came back, Dongfang was roasting a leg of a lamb for supper in the open space between the tents. When he saw Wei Chongrong, he waved his hand and asked, “Master Shizi, would you like some?”

Wei Chongrong made a silent gesture, walked over on tiptoe, and directly took away Dongfang’s freshly roasted lamb leg. After taking a bite, he said, “Of course I want it. I haven’t eaten yet. You can roast more…”

Dongfang nodded, and while continuing to roast the meat, he asked, “Master Shizi is in such a good mood that his appetite is so good?”

Wei Chongrong glanced at him, smiled and asked, “Is there a connection between the two?” When he was happy, he could eat more, but when he was angry, he could eat even more.

Dongfang turned the branch, rotating the lamb leg over the fire, lowered his head and said, “Of course there is a connection. Tonight, Young Shizi only ate a little bit, probably not enough to feed a cat.” As he said that, he glanced at Wei Chongrong’s face.

Wei Chongrong remained silent, continuing to chew on the lamb leg, and only after a long time did he ask what happened after he left.

Dongfang replied without any omissions but probably adding some things here and there.

Wei Chongrong was silent for a long time, and it took a while before he stood up and walked towards the tent. Dongfang thought he was going to lift the curtain and go in, but who knew that Wei Chongrong would not move when he reached the entrance and would just stand there.

After a while, he turned around and walked back: “Little Dongzi, I will squeeze in with you tonight.”

Dongfang was stunned and speechless. Was his family’s Shizi still angry? Just now he was clearly heartbroken. He really couldn’t understand.

Inside the tent, Jun Hua, who had a rare insomnia, got up from bed as soon as he heard Dongfang greet Wei Chongrong.

He walked softly to the door and listened to Wei Chongrong’s conversation with Dongfang, happy and worried in his heart. Later, he heard Wei Chongrong’s footsteps and hurriedly ran back to the bed to lie down. He didn’t expect Wei Chongrong to stand for a long time without coming in, and his heart was suddenly empty.