Exile.

Hearing this little guy called his childhood friend ‘dad’, Zhang Su immediately looked at said childhood friend and his eyes were incredulous.

As far as he knew, his childhood friend had a fiancée in his childhood, but she had already broken the engagement with Su Qingbai.

The child looked less than a year old, but he’s already very big. It’s only a year and a half since Su Qingbai and Lou Jingyu broke their engagement. Unless Su Qingbai and Lou Jingyu broke their engagement and he found someone to enter the household immediately, he could have such a big son.

“Caicai, say Shushu.” Su Qingbai pointed to Zhang Su and said to Su Caicai.

=[叔叔shū shu = uncle] caicai actually called SQB Dad because in chinese, it was very easy for babies to say it. but you might find it very strange so i changed to Da instead.=

Su Caicai had been calling Da for a few days. Su Qingbai was not satisfied yet. He always wanted his son to learn something else.

Su Caicai listened to his Dad, turned his head and saw another person, whom he had never seen before and immediately put aside the ‘hehe’ laughing look of his.

Su Qingbai watched his stiff small face sizing up this Zhang Su. He internally thought: as expected he and Jiang Mao are father and son. There was no limit for them to act coquettish and roll about in front of family but in front of outsiders, they put on airs.

In fact, how could Su Caicai, this little a.s.s kid under one year old knows to put on airs in front of people? He was just embarra.s.sed to see strangers.

Su Qingbai forcefully urged this poor child, who could not yet call shushu, to call out shushu.

Su Caicai couldn’t call, but Dad taught him to call. Su Caicai’s small face was crumpled into wrinkled buns.

He was not even very good at calling Dad yet. He irritably sucked his finger. Being urged and coaxed by his Dad over and over again made him feel helpless. In the end, he really couldn’t say anything, so he jumped out a word to Zhang Su, “Da!”

He could only call out Da.

Su Qingbai suddenly turned black.

Zhang Su turned blank by that call.

At this time, Su Lingchuan came back.

“Teacher…” Zhang Su was thrilled to meet Su Lingchuan. Despite being excited he had not forgotten his courtesy and bowed respectfully.

“Zhang Su?”

So far in his dire straits, Zhang Su was the only student to come to see him. Su Lingchuan was really happy.

Su Lingchuan asked Madam Su to cook a good dish and then talked with Zhang Su.

They inevitably talked about the situation in the capital city.

“The emperor is now sick in bed, and since March this year the country has been supervised by Third Prince. It is said to be supervised by Third Prince, but in truth…”

In truth it was Du Cheng, the current prime minister, was in charge of the country’s affairs.

Su Lingchuan also guessed that. In the first place, he was framed and his family exiled to this town.

The teacher and student sighed together, they were feeling helpless.

“Third Prince has a general talent, and the reason why he can overwhelm the other princes is that, in addition to Du Cheng’s support, a large part of the reason was Yue w.a.n.g with strong financial resources to support him.”

At this point, Zhang Su took a complicated look at Su Qingbai. He wondered why Yue w.a.n.g, who was supposed to support Third Prince in the capital city, would appear in this town and be even familiar with Su Qingbai.

Su Qingbai stopped teasing Su Caicai and looked up at them. What did it has to do with his family’s Jiang Mao?

Su Lingchuan, without knowing it, continued, “Although I have never met Yue w.a.n.g, I had heard that he has never been involved in the princes’ fight for the throne. I don’t know why he changed his mind and stood over to support Third Prince.”

About these, the two people could make nothing of it.

So they put down Yue w.a.n.g’s matter and talked about things in the capital city.

When Xu Qian’s family was killed, Xu Qian escaped alone and followed Zhang Su to the border town.

Su Lingchuan felt very sad. Come to speak of it, Xu Qian’s father and he were scholars and rare friends of similar interests and purposes. The affairs of the world were inconstant. He didn’t expect that the old friend of many years would disappear like this.

“Why don’t you bring Xu Qian since he comes to the border town with target on his back?” Su Lingchuan said to Zhang Su, “My old friend has only one descendant, Xu Qian. You will pick him up with Qingbai tomorrow. Du Cheng’s people won’t find him in this remote town.”

Zhang Su listened to Su Lingchuan’s intention to take Xu Qian in, he was happy. He stood up and thanked by raising clasped hands, and said, “I thanked teacher in behalf of Xu Qian.”

Su Lingchuan waved his hand. “Old Xu and I have been friends for decades. I can’t do much. I just hope Xu Qian can be safe and sound and pa.s.s down the heir of Xu’s family.”

Upon hearing that Su Qingbai glowered. He absolutely never expected that his father would take in Xu Qian.

Su Qingbai was very unhappy, but n.o.body paid any attention to his opinion. The next day Zhang Su did not need Su Qingbai’s help and went to pick up Xu Qian in the early morning.

Yet, Su Lingchuan did not agree. He ran to the village and rented an oxcart. He had planned to let Su Qingbai go to rent. In the end, he ran in person.

Su Qingbai was watching Su Caicai at home.

When he was still a baby, he was a bit like Su Caicai. He basked in the sun in the yard with Su Caicai in his arms.

“Da, ahh ahh ahh ~” Just sitting down, Su Caicai’s b.u.t.t twisted and struggling to come down to play by himself.

Su Qingbai had no choice but to hold him and kiss him on the lips. In the past, Su Caicai was not obedient. As soon as he was kissed, he giggled and became obedient.

This time, he was kissed by his Lao Zi, but Su Caicai just perfunctory returned the kiss, and still struggling to go down to play by himself.

Su Qingbai put down Su Caicai with a puzzled heart. He kind of had a son that has grown up and wants to go fly away by himself. He felt that he already been unfamiliar with him.

Su Qingbai suddenly thought of Jiang Mao.

Su Qingbai only coaxed the still a baby Su Caicai and at this time, he was very obedient. Whether it was work or rest, he put Su Caicai in his basket at the side. Caicai was all alone and he was very well-behaved. If a person teased him, he would be grinning his toothless mouth for joy.

Su Caicai tossed about by himself for a while and became sleepy. Su Qingbai picked him up and put him on the heated brick bed. At present, it’s hot. Su Qingbai was afraid he would be getting hot, so he just covered him with a thin blanket.

When Su Lingchuan came back, he said to Su Qingbai, “Xu Qian sleeps with you and Zhang Su sleeps with Su Huai.”

Zhang Su was taller and could make do with Su Huai, if he was with Su Qingbai… Plus Su Caicai, the tender little thing, was there, he feared it would be inconvenience.

Su Qingbai was reluctant, and Xu Qian was also reluctant. Only because he was at someone else’s house, he was ashamed to say so.

Just like that, it was only Su Qingbai who was objecting. Su Lingchuan just looked at him and said nothing. Su Qingbai was stared at by his Lao Zi, and after a few seconds, he backed down.

Zhang Su helped Xu Qian into Su Qingbai’s room. Looking around, Su Qingbai’s room was still very clean.

Xu Qian’s injuries were not completely healed, so Zhang Su directly supported him to the heated brick bed and let him lie down and rest.

Being supported by Zhang Su to the bed, Xu Qian’s uneasy heart for many days finally came down to calm.

He lay in bed, head on arm, looking at the room. Coming to a strange place, he couldn’t help thinking about his family, but… His family was no longer there.

Right now there was Xu Qian alone and he was not afraid of being seen. He couldn’t hold back. A person lay in bed and wept silently.

“Hu~hu~”

When Xu Qian heard the tender ‘huhu’ voice, he froze and sat up quickly, rapidly wiping away his tears.

Was there anyone else here?

Xu Qian looked around, and finally fixed his eyes on a small lump that was hard to notice.

It happened that at this time the little lump rolled over and sat up.

Xu Qian stared at him.

Su Caicai woke up to find that Dad was not there, Grandpa was not there, and a stranger was sitting on his turf and staring at him. Su Caicai’s mouth suddenly shriveled up and his eyes burst into small tears.

Xu Qian was anxious and called for Zhang Su.

Zhang Su was having a drink and rushed over. Su Qingbai followed after him.

They saw the ‘want to cry but don’t want to cry’ child at a loss of what to do, as though he confronted by a formidable enemy.

Su Qingbai pulled them apart, then held Su Caicai in his arms and patted him on the b.u.t.t to coax.

When he saw it was his loved one, Su Caicai plunged into Su Qingbai’s arms and showed only a b.u.t.t to Zhang Su and Xu Qian.

Su Qingbai touched his little b.u.t.t soothingly.

Looking up and seeing Zhang Su was staring at them, the father and son, Su Qingbai pointed to Su Caicai’s b.u.t.t. “My son! In four months will be a year old.” [Caicai is 8 months]

Then he bowed his head and coaxed Su Caicai, “Dear son, hurry to get up, your b.u.t.t is being looked at.”

Su Caicai also felt bad and raised his head. He lay on Su Qingbai’s shoulder, peeping at Zhang Su and Xu Qian from time to time.

About the child, Zhang Su wanted to ask yesterday. “What about his mother? Why didn’t we see her?”

“The child has no mother.” Su Qingbai lowered his head and shifted his eyes from the two of them to the moving Su Caicai.

Hearing that the child had no mother, Zhang Su suddenly thought of Su Qingbai’s engagement with the girl from the Lou family. He guessed in his heart that it would be a sad thing to ask again.

Su Qingbai didn’t know what he was thinking. He was relieved that he didn’t ask again and gave an excuse that Su Caicai had peed to change his diaper.

So Xu Qian stayed in Su Family’s house and Zhang Su hadn’t left yet.

For the first few days, Su Qingbai and Su Caicai accompanied the guests as hosts for several days, until they gradually became familiar with the living environment here.

Su Qingbai went to the county alone that day.

These days he had been accompanying Zhang Su and looking after Su Caicai. Although he was concerned about the person in the county, he had no time to see him.

Su Qingbai quickened his pace when he thought of him. Today he came empty and brought nothing, just to meet Jiang Mao.

The light cart went into Jiang Mao’s house’s alley, and he could see the door of Jiang Mao’s house open in the distance.

It was time to cook but there was no smoke in Jiang Mao’s chimney. Jiang Mao was always like this. As long as he didn’t come, he didn’t start the fire to cook. He always ate things outside.

Soon Su Qingbai arrived at Jiang Mao’s door.

He found that Jiang Mao’s house was somewhat different today. The yard was full of group of people. He didn’t know anyone in the yard.

The door was only half open, and Su Qingbai pushed the other half open and went straight in. He was not good at dealing with people and he did not know them, so he did not speak to them and went straight into the house.

“Stop!” A tall and handsome man held a blade and stood in front of him as an obstruction. He frowned at Su Qingbai. “Who are you? What are you doing here?”

Su Qingbai looked at the man in front of him. The man was much taller than him. At this time, the man was staring at him with an unfriendly face. If it was the normal Su Qingbai, he would back down, but today he was not normal.

Who was Jiang Mao? It’s his man. Did he need anyone else permission to meet Jiang Mao?

Su Qingbai was seldom upset. He wet his lips and said, “I’m a friend of Jiang Mao. I have something to do with him. Please let me.”

“Audacious, to actually dare to call w.a.n.g… Gongzi’s name.” With that, the man put the blade around Su Qingbai’s neck.

[Gongzi = the son of a n.o.bleman]

He frowned at Su Qingbai, apparently not believing what he said. This person was not very good-looking, short, rude, worn ragged clothes. Would Gongzi make such friends?

Su Qingbai was anxious and shouted, “Jiang Mao, come and save me!”

Hearing Su Qingbai shouting, the man frowned and raised his foot to kick Su Qingbai down.

“Stop it! Lin Feng.” Jiang Mao appeared in time.

“Gongzi, this man tried to break in and was stopped by this subordinate.”

“Well, I see.” Jiang Mao gave him a faint look and took Su Qingbai’s hand and walked into the room. “This is Su Gongzi, my friend. You’ll let him in directly when he comes. You can leave.”

“What’s the matter?” Su Qingbai looked out of the house.

“My men.” With that, Jiang Mao smiled at him. “They don’t know you at first meeting. When they know your ident.i.ty, they won’t dare to treat you unreasonably anymore.”

Su Qingbai touched his head and felt a little embarra.s.sed. “What’s my ident.i.ty? I’m a little common man.”

Jiang Mao gave him a meaningful look. “What about my wife’s ident.i.ty?”

Su Qingbai came here with an empty stomach on purpose. He hadn’t eaten Jiang Mao’s meal for several days. He was thinking about it very much.

When Jiang Mao heard it, he laughed. “All you think is my cooking cook, not me?”

“Think-think-think, think to death.” Su Qingbai simply could not do anything about him, he looked at him helplessly. Jiang Mao always said he wanted him to be his wife. Every now and then he hugged and forced him to think about him. He thought Jiang Mao was more like his wife.

Jiang Mao kissed him and was instantly satisfied.

“Come, someone.” Jiang Mao immediately called for a burly man and told him to go buying groceries.

Su Qingbai and Jiang Mao chatted while waiting for the man to return.

“You… Are you going back?” Su Qingbai looked nervously at Jiang Mao.

Jiang Mao had said before that he was chased and forced to flee here. Now, Jiang Mao’s people were here. Would he go back?

Jiang Mao looked at him and the groceries happened to have bought back. It was not the man who had just went to buy that came in, but the man who had stopped Su Qingbai at the door earlier. Jiang Mao smiled and said, “Not going back, I’ll be here to take care of you.”

When the voice fell, the man suddenly changed his face. “Gongzi…”

Jiang Mao looked in his eyes, but pretended not to see it. He raised his hand and motioned him to shut up. Then he took the basket in his hand.

When Lin Feng went out, Jiang Mao continued to say, “But the time for renting this house is coming soon. What if I have no place to live?”

Su Qingbai also thought carefully about the problem. He compared the surroundings and prices in his mind, and mentioned to Jiang Mao what he thought was the best.

But Jiang Mao did not want to hear that. He pinched Su Qingbai’s chin and gnawed on his lips. “I’m going to stay here for a long time. I can’t always rent a house. Better… You take me in.”

When it was time for Su Qingbai to go home, he was satisfied because he had met his lover and had a meal cooked by his lover himself.

After watching Su Qingbai leave, Jiang Mao immediately pulled back his smile and entered the house.

Lin Feng, who had been following him all the time, followed him into the room before opening his mouth. “Gongzi, you said you didn’t plan to go back to the capital today…”

Jiang Mao sat down and raised his cup, looked at him, then looked down at the cup carefully and said to him, “En, not going back.”

“But Gongzi, we have an agreement with Third Prince. If you stay in this town, the Third Prince over there…”

Jiang Mao frowned. “I was chased all the way and almost lost my life. Could my Third Elder Brother not know? He knew and turning a blind eye, might as well be like before. Before, I was an idle w.a.n.gye. I had nothing to do but make money all day long and nothing meddlesome happen.”

Lin Feng’s face turned white when he heard that, he said, “w.a.n.gye thinks twice, if we break the contract rashly, afraid that we will offend Third Prince.”

Jiang Mao took his reaction into account and drank tea without commenting.

The family was having a meal when Su Qingbai got home.

Madam Su got up and said, “Why are you home so late?” Then she said, “Niang left your portion of meal for you. Wash your hands quickly. Niang will heat it up for you to eat.”

Su Qingbai immediately stopped Madam Su. “Niang, no need, I’ve eaten. Don’t be too busy. Eat quickly.”

Then he went straight into the room with Su Caicai, the first one to eat.

Half lying on the heated brick bed, he put Su Caicai face-to-face on his legs. Su Qingbai held Su Caicai’s hands and shook them. Su Caicai cackled in joy.

It was not until Zhang Su came in with Xu Qian to let him lie down that he put Su Caicai down.

There were three people in the room and n.o.body spoke.

Su Qingbai skillfully picked up Su Caicai and tucked him into bed.

The days of private meetings with Jiang Mao were always good.

In the end, it was not long before they talked about their affairs. Su Qingbai was happy to be intimate with Jiang Mao. Since then, Su Qingbai often came here to meet Jiang Mao secretly.

Another day at noon, Jiang Mao cooked a table of feast for Su Qingbai. Su Qingbai finished lunch with Lin Feng’s condemning eyes.

The man who bought the groceries was very considerate. He bought a pot of good wine. Now it’s autumn. Su Qingbai was not very busy. He was not afraid of delaying his business today, so he drank a few more cups.

Su Qingbai drank until he was a little dizzy. He grinned foolishly at Jiang Mao. When Jiang Mao saw it, his heart and liver trembled. He didn’t want Su Qingbai to drink too much. But if Su Qingbai was drunk, he could stay.

They had been together for some time, but Jiang Mao felt nothing different from before.

At first, he thought maybe because Su Qingbai was a person from ancient times, so he was not very open about this. He understood that, and he did not force him. He kept holding back, thinking that it might be better to slow down.

Who knew, when he slowed down, there was nothing more.

When he liked a person, he just wanted to be together with that person open and aboveboard. He had tried to go to the next level, to no avail that Su Qingbai did not catch the trick.

“No more.” Su Qingbai put down his cup when he was a little dizzy. He was going back. He couldn’t drink too much.

Jiang Mao’s heart regretted. Listening to Su Qingbai, he got up and poured him a cup of hot tea.

Su Qingbai, with red cheeks, took Jiang Mao’s hot tea and sipped it a few times.

Jiang Mao couldn’t resist it. He grabbed Su Qingbai’s waist and kissed his lips. It was rare for him to lose his usual calmness.

Su Qingbai was frozen all over. Jiang Mao often just hugged and cuddled him on usually. Such kisses were really rare. He was a bit confused.

Jiang Mao saw him still in confusion and he regarded it as being drunk, he took the opportunity to deepen the kiss.

Su Qingbai, a rookie, soon became addicted to it. It was not long before Jiang Mao let him go.

Su Qingbai gasped and his lips were red. Jiang Mao just thought it was attractive.

After a moment, Jiang Mao picked him up and hugged him by his waist and threw him on the bed.

Watching the man standing from the bed eagerly unraveling his own clothes and looking at him like he was going to eat him, Su Qingbai felt anxious and rolled down from the bed.

Su Qingbai was frightened by this person sudden onset of going into heat. “You-you-you, what are you doing?”

Su Qingbai suddenly felt the pain of his chrysanthemum when he remembered their first time.

Jiang Mao had always been willing to consider Su Qingbai’s feelings. Today, he suddenly didn’t want to consider his feelings. He knew that Su Qingbai was frightened. He used to think nothing of it, just thought if Su Qingbai was frightened, then let him be frightened. Anyway, with him here, he wouldn’t let Su Qingbai be bullied by others.

But when this fright was to put on them, Jiang Mao didn’t think so.

“Do you want to avoid this again?”

“I didn’t avoid.” Su Qingbai looked at him piteously.

“No avoiding, fine ah. Don’t go tonight.”

Don’t go! Of course he knew what that meant. Su Qingbai opened his eyes and pleaded, “No, if I don’t go home, my Dad would come to the county for me.”

“Fine too.” Jiang Mao smiled lightly. “Then take me to your house to be familiar.”

Su Qingbai turned even more pitiful. “If my Dad knows, he’s going to kill me.”

Jiang Mao approached him and stuck him between himself and the wall. “Just say we’re friends, don’t tell him first, but wait till the time comes.”

Su Qingbai’s heart felt bitter, with Su Caicai in it, he dared not let his Dad see Jiang Mao. Others didn’t know that Su Caicai was born by him and at most, they would think Jiang Mao and Su Caicai looked alike. But his Dad knew how Su Caicai came to be. If Jiang Mao stopped by, the cat would surely be out of the bag.

Su Qingbai bit his lip. The consequences were serious if he didn’t go back tonight, and… After what he did with Jiang Mao last time, he had lain in bed for a few days and always felt his chrysanthemum pain.

Although he was a little delicate at that time, it was really painful.

Besides the pain, the key was that he still had to find ways not to let others see his abnormality. It was certainly impossible not to go home. His family would surely be worried and come find him at the county.

“You can’t let me watch by the sideline all my life, without name or truth.” Jiang Mao looked at the way he was unwilling to choose either. He pinched Su Qingbai’s face helplessly, and his heart was even more intent to force him.

Jiang Mao wanted to be on the next level of relationship for a long time. During that time Jiang Mao did not explain his ident.i.ty, so Su Qingbai had reason to refuse him, but now Jiang Mao’s posture of going to bed without going through the door [marry] was impossible for Su Qingbai to refuse.