Spring Once More

 chapter 34

(Traditional Chinese cover scanned by Dairytea)

Chapter Thirty-four

Master Su turns out to be an excellent companion – easygoing comportment, moderate walking speed, and brief commentary on interesting sights. If he were a dish, he"d be steamed dumplings dipped in vinegar: a person of any background would be able enjoy it, and it has just the right amount of flavour and stimulation.

At the end of the main road, we turn back, having seen all the festivities. When we return to the inn, the servant from earlier is sitting by the door munching on a handful of sunflower seeds.

“Did you sirs enjoy yourselves?” He stands up and greets us enthusiastically.

“Not too bad,” I reply, nodding. “It was indeed festive.”

Looking rather proud, he continues, “It"s a pity you will miss the race tomorrow. Now that"s a real swell time! Even the masters from the city come here especially to watch. Is there something urgent that demands your immediate attention, sirs?”

I chuckle dryly while Master Su answers, “Some family matters, not of significance but urgent nonetheless.”

The tactful servant changes the subject. “Where is your hometown, sir?”

“This gentleman here is from the capital,” he replies casually. “And my ancestral home is Huizhou.”

“A good place, Huizhou.” The servant brushes his hands. “I"ll fetch some hot water for you sirs to wash up. If you have any other commands, just call for me. I"m on night shift this evening.”

I head upstairs with Master Su and run into Moyu, Fu Qingshu"s boy, standing at the top of the stairs looking rather anxious.

“M"lor-... My sirs, have you seen my young master?”

I frown. “Didn"t your master say he would go to bed after dinner since he wants to get back on the road first thing in the morning? What are you waiting here for?”

Moyu shakes his head and steals a nervous glance at me. “My young master asked this servant to fetch him a tub of good wine from the front, then he left for a while before coming back. Then he left again and hasn"t been back since. I a.s.sumed that he went with you two sirs, but since I see he isn"t with you, I had to inquire.”

I can barely hold back my laughter. “Your young master isn"t a girl who"s never left the house. He probably went out to drink or something. He"ll come back when he"s ready.”

The pathetic servant scrunches his face. “But my young master has been in a bad mood these days, not to mention he doesn"t even know this town well. If he drinks too much, he won"t be able to find the inn"s door!”

Cannot find the inn"s door? Who the h.e.l.l is training these idiots in the Anguo manor?

“Did your young master bring anything with him?”

“a tub of wine.”

I rub my chin. “Go take a look at the rooftops in the courtyard.”

An hour later, Moyu and the room service come knocking with hot water.

“I"ve come to express my thanks. How did you know my master would be on the roof?”

So I was right!

Then in another hour, another knock sounds at my door. Groggily I open the door to find Li"l Marquess holding a tub of wine. Without a word, he barges in and drops the tub on the table.

“Say, Li"l Marquess.” I frown at him. “If you can"t wake up in the morning because of a hangover, we won"t hit the road in time.”

Fu Qingshu flips over the two bowls on top of the tub and places them on the table.

I shake my head. “Not even going to have a few side dishes?”

He tips the tub and fills the two bowls. Sighing, I take one and down it. It enters smoothly with a pleasant taste but stings like fire after. Good wine. Putting the bowl back, I wipe my lips.

Fu Qingshu glances at me and downs his bowl. I reach out for the tub at the same time as he does. I clap his shoulder.

“Yeah!” I guffaw.

He c.o.c.ks a brow with a coy smile. Then he breaks into laughter, too. “Yeah!”

The tub isn"t that big to begin with, so we reach the bottom after five or six rounds. I lean on my chair craving some more, and soon I lose control of my stupid tongue.

“Say, Brother Fu...”

Fu Qingshu is a bit pink since he already drank a tub before.

I lick my lips. “I still haven"t figured out how I upset you.”

His expression darkens a little, and he asks a seemingly unrelated question. “Where the h.e.l.l did you come from?”

“I told you already,” I reply as I roll up my sleeves. “You wouldn"t believe me even if I said it. I shouldn"t frighten you anyway.”

“Hmph.”

I squint at him. “Why are you so stuck on this one thing like a girl? I know, you must be still mad at the time I offended you when I got drunk. Oh well, it was my fault after all. You can do whatever you want with me, as long as it"ll appease your anger.”

“What was that?” His head snaps around.

I pat my chest with cert.i.tude. “You heard me. As long as it cheers you up I"ll take whatever you throw at me.”

He scoffs and rises from his seat. I get up too, instantly feeling regretful – Hero Batwing is a martial artist. I"m probably going to get a cast or at least physiotherapy no matter where he hits me.

As I expected, he approaches and grabs me by the collar. Knowing it"s what I deserve, I let him. He stares into my eyes, and his grip tightens and then…

You reap what you sow. Karma is real, and karma is a b.i.t.c.h.

Oh Buddha, I will remember your teachings by heart.

So it"s only fair that I get bitten back by Li"l Marquess. An eye for an eye, a kiss for a ki…

Wait a d.a.m.n second!!! How the h.e.l.l did I come up with that? Because this is simply too much to handle for my little heart!

Fu Qingshu removes his lips from mine, f.u.c.k, no, that"s not right! He lifts his head from my face, no, d.a.m.n it! How the f.u.c.k am I supposed to tell this d.a.m.n story?!

What"s even more embarra.s.sing is that the moment our lips touched, I felt this electric current run from the crown of my head down my spine, and I… No, impossible. Although he"s good-looking and his lips are super soft, I can"t possibly have any reactions to a man… I must be hallucinating…

Anyways, he releases me. f.u.c.k, wrong again… So after he and I separate, I"m gazing straight at him like a deer in headlights. He looks pretty amused having taken advantage of me.

But I, Ma Xiaodong, have seen many things in my lifetime, and I won"t take this lying down. I steady myself and adjust my collar.

“Brother Fu,” I remark with a smirk. “You haven"t dated many chicks, have you?”

His delighted smirk stiffens.

I cross my arms, shaking my head, and step towards him. “Kissing requires technique. From what I saw, you"re still green.”

I draw even closer. He"s completely glued to the spot. Hah, child. He"s a couple years too young to play with this bad boy.

Now it seems I"m much bigger than him. I grab him by the collar, wicked grin spread on my face. “If you want, Big Brother here can give you a few pointers, show you what real technique is.”

Before he can even react, I bare my teeth, aim and fire.

I wasn"t lying about kissing being all about technique, and one must continue practicing in order to improve. After all, I"ve dated more girls than I can count with my fingers. Dealing with Fu Qingshu is a walk in the park.

From the dragonfly skittering across the pond to a dragon tumbling in the deep ocean blue, from the drill to the blender – Fu Qingshu succ.u.mbs to my techniques and loosens his grip on me, his body falling limp. When he finally lies in the crook of my elbow, soft and pliant, I wrap up my work and shoot him a smug look.

“What did I tell you? Pretty good, eh?”

I find his reaction very amusing. Face flushed red, eyes wet and dewy... d.a.m.n I almost felt something there.

No wonder the little prince was a cut-sleeve; it"s definitely got its perks.

Fu Qingshu"s face instantly darkens, his eyes glaring holes into me.

“What did you say?”

Oh s.h.i.t. Oh f.u.c.k. I accidentally let my thoughts slip when I got lost in his eyes.

“No wonder the little prince was a cut-sleeve. It"s definitely got its perks.”

His expression gets gloomier by the second. Then he starts chuckling. Then WHAM! I see shiny gold stars in my left eye. As my hand reflexively reaches up, I feel a draft whip by. By the time I look up, I"m lonely ol" me again.

After the numbness came the burning pain.

I heave a long sigh. “Why does it have to be the left side again?”

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Dairytea: Hehe. He"s soo cute! Manhua pic time!

I draw even closer. He"s completely glued to the spot. Hah, child. He"s a couple years too young to play with this bad boy.

Chapter Thirty-five

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