After The Coquettish Fake Master Was Driven Away - Chapter 10

After all the commotion and finishing lunch, it was already late afternoon. Yan Yi cleaned the bowls, scooped out the remaining porridge from the pot, and quickly drank it.

He had a big appetite—what filled Xie Jinning was barely enough to wet his own stomach.

He didn’t plan to light a fire to cook for himself. He put the smoked meat into the cabinet, tidied up the pots, pans, and stove, then went next door to grab his pack and wooden bow, heading toward the southern mountains.

There was no fresh meat at home. The chickens were kept for eggs and couldn’t be slaughtered. To satisfy the delicate young master’s needs, he had to check the mountains.

If luck was on his side, he might catch some fresh wild chickens or rabbits.

Then Yan Yi realized he had forgotten to ask the boy’s name. He also didn’t know the extent of his injuries or if he needed medicine.

He quickened his pace, thinking he needed to go and return quickly.

“小严, you’re hunting again?”

At the foot of the mountain, a middle-aged man came toward him, carrying a bundle of firewood. His skin was tanned and reddish, his face honest and plain, and he also held a few wild vegetables and some round green fruits.

“Uncle Li,” Yan Yi nodded in greeting.

Seeing him carrying a bow, Li Yong laughed, “You’re impressive—using that wooden stick, you can take down creatures that run and jump from far away. I can’t do that, at most I can set little traps.”

Yan Yi, unsure where his skills had come from, politely replied, “Practice makes perfect. You’ll get it with more practice.”

“Ah, well, it’s fine. You taught me for so long last time, but I still couldn’t manage. I won’t trouble you this time.”

Li Yong waved off the topic, then leaned closer, whispering mischievously, “Little Yan, I heard that Xie Zhu next door is actually from a wealthy family, right?”

Before leaving, Xie Zhu had caused quite a commotion, which villagers noticed. Last night, when Xie Jinning’s carriage entered the village, some villagers saw it too.

The village was small and news traveled fast. It wasn’t surprising that Li Yong knew.

Since everyone saw him often, Yan Yi just nodded, “That’s true.”

“So the one staying at the Xie family now is just a kid they kept from the rich household?”

Once gossip starts, it flows like water. Li Yong continued talking without waiting for a reply: “Looking at it, Xie Zhu really is… He’s always been aloof, not close to others, praised as quiet and calm before, but turns out he’s cold-blooded. The old master and Xiaofang raised him with everything good for years, and he just leaves without a word of thanks.”

“Look at rich people—they either don’t want their kids or don’t want their fathers. Really, they’re nothing alike.”

Yan Yi stayed silent.

Li Yong scoffed and asked, “And the young master, how is he? Did he make a fuss with you? Raised by people like that, I guess he’s not a good one. He surely won’t stay here long…”

Yan Yi furrowed his brow slightly and interrupted, “Uncle Li, your wife has prepared a meal, she’s waiting at home.”

“Oh, I almost forgot,” Li Yong said, then turned and pointed in a direction, “The wild chestnuts over there are ripe. Boil them in water, then crack them open. They’re delicious.”

Yan Yi thanked him and looked around. After confirming no prey was nearby, he headed toward the chestnut patch.

Not far ahead, peeking through the leaves and branches, a patch of green spiky chestnuts lay quietly on the large dark green leaves.

Yan Yi rolled up his sleeves. His thick calloused palms weren’t afraid of the chestnut shells’ sharp spikes. He easily filled half of his pack, estimating it would be enough for both the Xie family and himself. He left plenty behind.

On his way back, he slowed down, attentive to every sound. From afar, a suspicious noise caught his ear. He gently set down his pack and stealthily approached.

Over a hundred meters away under a tree, a grey-brown wild chicken cautiously looked around. Not sensing humans, it began pecking at insects, its tail feathers gleaming in the sunlight.

As it swallowed a caterpillar, an arrow whistled through the air and struck the chicken’s neck, pinning it to the tree. Instant kill.

On returning to the village, Yan Yi’s pack was full. He first gave some chestnuts and wild vegetables to elderly villagers who had difficulty moving, then took the rest back to the Xie household.

…

Meanwhile, Xie Jinning spent the afternoon in boredom.

He tried to get out of bed and walk, pulling his pants up despite the pain. But just a few steps and he was sweating from friction, his rear feeling as if roasted and sprinkled with chili. Every movement of fabric against the injury caused immense discomfort.

He gave up and returned to bed, lying on his stomach, though it was still painful. Shouting yielded no response. Realizing everyone was likely out, he half-removed his pants and underwear.

The slightly cool air soothed his injuries. He exhaled a heavy breath and hugged a pillow, burying his face in crossed arms.

Out of boredom, he peeked at the window, seeing nothing but a yellow wall embedded with stones under a blue sky.

“So annoying,” he muttered, counting a few stones before losing patience, then grumbled, “Bastards, leaving me here alone, saying they’ll take care of me… they lied!”

If it weren’t for him, he might have already run off. Instead, he lay half-paralyzed on this hardish bed, counting stones.

Annoyed, he rubbed his face, feeling like he’d lost some flesh, sighing in frustration. He reached under the pillow for the jade pendant.

The jade was warm to the touch, smooth and delicate. Xie Jinning traced every detail: the qilin’s body, dragon scales, wolf hooves, ox tail, a corner of its head intricately carved in sheep-fat white jade—a qilin.

Qilin… Lin’er.

His fingers paused on the eyes. A tiny crack had appeared there.

Thinking he had accidentally damaged it, his heart raced. Upon closer inspection, it was an old injury, likely caused when he tossed it back into the jewelry box over the years. It had been buried at the bottom of the box, unseen.

Flawed jade, qilin without eyes.

So… everything had signs all along.

A sour feeling spread in his chest. Xie Jinning forced himself not to overthink and blinked away the tears, pressing the pendant to his chest, and eventually fell into a deep sleep.

The sky darkened.

In his dream, he smelled meat. His eyes hadn’t opened yet, but his nose twitched as his consciousness gradually cleared.

Lifting his eyelids, he became fully aware of the numbness in his arms from lying too long, bl00d circulation stopped. He tried to move his hands to his sides but could only shift them slowly. Attempting to lift himself, he collapsed again.

“Ugh…”

Legs together, toes curled, he buried his forehead in the pillow, breathing rapidly, too scared to move.

The porridge from lunch had digested into just water, and he had lain prone all afternoon. Pressing on his lower abdomen, he nearly…

It was… too… embarrassing!

His earlobes and cheeks flushed crimson, like ink spilling on a painting. Xie Jinning bit his lip, and after regaining composure, exhaled in relief.

Just as he was about to get up, the door opened. Yan Yi entered carrying a ceramic bowl, and the two froze.

In the dim room, the boy on the bed was the only bright spot.

Dressed in a water-green brocade robe, black hair, snow-white skin, and exquisite features, his exposed skin gleamed.

Yet his clothing was disheveled, waist collapsed, and the area around his hips was red and tender, covered with handprints.

Beneath thick lashes, his amber eyes shimmered with tears. Biting his lip, he looked at Yan Yi like a wronged child seeking sympathy, radiating a dangerous yet innocent allure.

Yan Yi, usually proud of his keen senses, felt flustered. The smell of food in his hands was overpowered by the subtle sweetness from the boy.

He stepped over the threshold, caught between entering and retreating.

Xie Jinning, focused on the ceramic bowl, didn’t notice his hesitation. The aroma invaded his nose, and his tongue twitched as if tasting invisible saliva.

“Come in already, what are you standing there for?”

Yan Yi lowered his gaze and quickly placed the tray on the table, turning away, unable to look again. That one glance, however, lingered in his mind.

Clenching his fists by his sides, veins bulging, he exhaled sharply, voice stern: “In broad daylight… taking off your pants… this is shameless!”

Only then did Xie Jinning realize he had forgotten to pull his pants fully up. Some shame arose, but he was also angered and laughed:

“You hit me first, hurt me, and now you say that to me? You’re unreasonable!”

Earlier, he was alone in the room—who cares about propriety or shame? Yet this man was as pedantic as his old tutor.

No way—how would a mountain villager even understand such concepts?

Xie Jinning’s thoughts began to wander but were interrupted by the smell of meat. Shaking his head, he stopped thinking.

Yan Yi wanted to explain but felt he couldn’t argue with Xie Jinning, so he remained silent.

He exhaled, shaking off the inappropriate thoughts, and finally said in a hoarse voice: “Hurry and put your clothes on, it’s time to eat.”

“Also,” he added seriously, “you should call me ‘big brother,’ I’m over seven years older than you.”

“O-okay, Yan… Yi!”

Xie Jinning stuck out his tongue at his back, slowly starting to pull on his pants.

The underwear was made of fine fabric, smooth and soft, yet even the slightest touch of feather-light material against his tender flesh caused him to wince.

Behind him, the sounds of dressing were mixed with low groans and whimpers, likely from pain. The image of his reddened hips trembling under hands flashed in Yan Yi’s mind. He looked at his own calloused palms, frowning thoughtfully.

He had deliberately softened his strength, yet still caused such injury. Was the boy’s skin too delicate, or had his strength increased again?

No matter. Either way, it was his fault.

“Yan Yi!”

A voice called from behind. Yan Yi stiffened. “What is it?”

“I’m talking to you, turn around!”

He turned, carefully avoiding eye contact.

“Look, me,” Xie Jinning said impatiently. “You’re like a frog. I poke and you jump.”

At this moment, Yan Yi realized the slaps earlier had completely reversed the dynamic between them.

Now, the boy was no longer intimidated, taking the lead like a master over a servant, and Yan Yi didn’t even mind.

Strangely.

“Come help me,” Xie Jinning knelt on the bed, struggling to support himself, arms open. “I can’t move, take me down.”

He commanded confidently, as if it were a privilege to serve him.

His face was still youthful, delicate and blooming, destined to be enchanting in the years to come—if he remained in luxury.

The climate in Hetian Village was harsh, scorching in summer. Luckily, the boy wasn’t sent back then, or his skin would have suffered.

Yan Yi approached, lifting Xie Jinning carefully. The boy tripped on the thin blanket, falling into his arms.

The soft, fragrant body pressed against him, hair brushing his face and neck, sending tingling sensations through his body to his heart.

Yan Yi’s body tensed, hands instinctively around the slim waist.

So thin. No matter how many times he touched him, that was all he could feel.

Xie Jinning’s shoulder hit the man’s hard muscle, sharp enough to make him gasp. His hands rested on Yan Yi’s chest, feeling heat even through fabric.

Xie Jinning, naturally cold, envied the warmth but frowned, lightly pounding him. “How are you so hard? It hurts.”

The warmth flared at the points of contact. Yan Yi almost lost control, holding him by the ribs, half carrying, half hugging, moving him to the table.

On the table, chestnuts and roast chicken steamed, oil shimmering on the broth. Meat slices mixed with fresh vegetables, savory and flavorful.

A ceramic bowl held steamed buns, their color deeper than lunch, rougher surface. Rice was served separately.

Compared to previous meals, this was a feast.

Xie Jinning sat eagerly but winced in pain, glaring at Yan Yi.

True, people are inferior to food.

Yan Yi sighed, folding the blanket to use as a cushion on the wooden stool. He adjusted Xie Jinning’s posture, “Sit forward, lean slightly, put your weight on your thighs.”

Seeing the rounded lower back, Yan Yi felt a pang and quickly withdrew his hands. “Better?”

Xie Jinning groaned but relaxed his brows. This posture, though awkward, avoided pressing on the injury.

Picking up his chopsticks, he took a piece of chicken to his lips, looking at the man standing stiffly beside him: “Do you want me to invite you to sit?”

“…Understood.”

The food smelled and tasted delicious. Chicken tender and falling off the bone, chestnuts soft and sweet, vegetables crisp. Even the old rice was fine.

After swallowing, Xie Jinning cleaned his lips with his tiny tongue, then praised Yan Yi, “Not bad. Tastes good.”

Yan Yi was startled, replying uncertainly, “…Thanks?”

Xie Jinning smiled, “No need.”

Full and satisfied, the boy’s face flushed, eyes bright, smile radiant. The dim room seemed brighter.

“If I could eat this every day, that would be perfect.”