CH 40

Jun 08 2023

I also really like your shy demeanor

Chang Le was initially rejoicing silently over the words “Brother Le, you’re amazing. I’m proud of you!” But in the next moment, he stood frozen in place.

He stared blankly at Yu Qingze’s face, which gradually enlarged before his eyes. A warm and soft sensation lingered at his forehead where Yu Qingze had kissed him, and then slowly faded away.

He dumbfoundedly reached up and touched his forehead, feeling as if it had been branded and turned scorching hot, so hot that it burned not just his hand but also his heart.

A kiss, he was kissed…

Did Brother Yu just kiss him?!

Realizing this, Chang Le felt his face burning up. He dared not look at Yu Qingze anymore, covering his forehead with his hand and bowing his head. He didn’t know where to direct his gaze. Brother Yu was right in front of him, at such a close distance. No matter where he looked, he saw his figure. He could only stare at the front of Yu Qingze’s robe.

Yu Qingze loved seeing Chang Le’s shy appearance, which tickled his heart. If it weren’t for being in ancient times, he would probably have kissed him right away. Not on the forehead but on the lips he had been longing for. And who knows, if their passion drove them further, they might even achieve perfect harmony in their lives!

However, this was ancient times, and before they were married, the most they could do was hold hands, embrace, and give a few kisses. They had to be extremely careful not to be seen. If they acted on their impulses and word got out, Chang Le’s reputation would be ruined.

Emotion is the source, but propriety is the limit. Before marriage, they mustn’t go too far and must exercise restraint!

Especially with the little turtle in front of them, who had just poked its head out. Kissing his forehead had likely pushed him to his limit of shyness. Yu Qingze wasn’t sure if this little turtle would immediately become so shy that it would run away if he tried to kiss his lips.

They had to take it slow, step by step!

Yu Qingze was well aware of this. Although they couldn’t do anything more, he could still tease a little.

He reached out and released Chang Le’s hand from his forehead, feeling particularly good and mischievously leaned closer to his ear, whispering softly, “I also really like your shy demeanor.”

Boom—

The little turtle was successfully teased and exploded. It turned its head and tried to run into the room.

Yu Qingze quickly grabbed his hand and pulled him back, embracing him tightly and pressing his head against his chest. He caressed the back of his head and soothed him, “Alright, alright, I won’t tease you anymore. Be good and let me hold you.”

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Chang Le still remembered this embrace that made his face flush and his heart race. Although it made him shy, it also brought him an inexplicable sense of peace and security.

So, even though his face felt like it was on fire, he remained quietly in place, subtly moving his head to expose his nose and secretly inhaling the intoxicating scent that captivated his heart.

Yu Qingze felt the little head against his chest nudge slightly and chuckled softly. He then said, “Brother Le, I’m very happy today. Do you know why?”

The little head swayed gently. Was it because they had received a lot of mooncake orders from the Cai family today?

Yu Qingze ran his hand along the little head, tightened his other arm, and whispered, “Because I see our future.”

Future? Chang Le was puzzled. He quietly tilted his head back, looking at Yu Qingze with an incomprehensible gaze.

Yu Qingze loosened his grip on him a little, looked into his eyes, nodded, and joyfully said, “Yes, our future, a happy future. You’ve given it a different and even happier outlook.”

Chang Le blinked, still not understanding.

Yu Qingze reached out and pinched his nose, saying, “Because a certain little turtle is willing to crawl out of its turtle cave and enjoy the sunshine and beach with me.”

The little turtle didn’t realize that he was the said little turtle and gestured, asking, “Where is the little turtle?”

Yu Qingze continued to gaze at him, smiling without speaking, just watching him.

After watching for a while, the little turtle finally realized that he was the true identity of that little turtle!

Boom—

The little turtle exploded again, this time in an angry embarrassment. He pushed away from someone’s gentle embrace, turned his head, and retreated into his turtle cave to cool down privately.

Yu Qingze didn’t stop him this time. He smiled at Chang Le’s closed door, stood there for a moment, and then prepared to return to the kitchen to continue his work.

However, just as he took a few steps, the door behind him opened again.

He turned around and saw Chang Le, with a flushed face, walking towards him.

“Hmm? What’s wrong?”

Chang Le glanced at him and hesitated for a moment before slowly gesturing with his hand. He indicated that the little turtle didn’t like staying in the turtle cave all the time. He also envied the sunny beach outside. He, too, wanted to go out.

Yu Qingze’s eyes lit up. He reached out and held Chang Le’s hands, asking excitedly, “Does the little turtle know what it’s saying?”

The little turtle nodded.

“Then, is the little turtle willing to work hard with me and see the sunny beach, the sea breeze, and seagulls outside?”

The little turtle looked at him and nodded again.

Yu Qingze was overjoyed. He let go of Chang Le’s hands, then cupped his head in both hands, leaning closer, looking into his eyes, and said very seriously, “Brother Le, you have to remember what you said today. No backing out and no giving up. From now on, I’ll be by your side. Don’t be afraid, understand?”

Yu Qingze was so close that Chang Le found it hard to breathe, but he bravely nodded.

Seeing his grandpa, little brother, and Yu Qingze so happy about his small changes, he was willing to become better for them. He also wanted to be like Brother Chang, cheerful and confident, so that his grandpa, little brother, and Yu Qingze would no longer worry about him.

He wanted them to be proud of him!

Yu Qingze saw the determination gradually forming in Chang Le’s eyes and smiled. He pressed a kiss firmly on his forehead and said, “Good boy, I believe in you!”

Being kissed again, Chang Le still felt shy, but this time he didn’t just stand there dazed. However, his gaze still avoided direct eye contact with Yu Qingze.

Yu Qingze laughed and said, “Alright, go back to your work.” He couldn’t hold back Brother Le any longer, or he would turn into a wolf soon!

Chang Le nodded and quickly turned around, running to grab the broom and dustpan from the corner of the wall before hurrying back to his room.

Yu Qingze watched his hurried figure and chuckled, feeling quite happy, and then went back to the kitchen.

When he returned to the kitchen, he noticed that Chang Hao was looking at him with a mischievous smile.

Yu Qingze: …This kid, did he peek? Or did he eavesdrop?

But since Grandpa Chang and Brother Chang were both present, they wouldn’t let him sneak around, right?

Yu Qingze pretended to threaten him with widened eyes, and the little monkey covered his cheeks with both hands, rolled his eyes, and stuck out his tongue, making a funny face.

Yu Qingze: …Good, he didn’t peek.

Yu Qingze walked over and took over the task from Brother Chang. As it was getting late, Brother Chang went to check on Chang Le first before bidding them farewell and returning home.

In the evening, just before going to bed, Yu Qingze deliberately approached Grandpa Chang and had a conversation with him about himself and Brother Le.

Since they had been expressing their intentions to each other, he hadn’t formally talked to Grandpa Chang about it yet. Although Grandpa Chang probably already knew and tacitly approved, he still needed to have a proper conversation with him. It was a sign of respect for Grandpa Chang and showed how much he valued this relationship.

After ensuring that Chang Le had gone to sleep, Yu Qingze sat face to face with Grandpa Chang in the kitchen.

Yu Qingze didn’t beat around the bush and sincerely said, “Grandpa, I like Brother Le, and I believe you have already noticed.”

Grandpa Chang didn’t expect him to bring up this matter and paused for a moment before nodding, saying, “I know. What does Brother Le think about it?”

Yu Qingze scratched his head, feeling a rare embarrassment when facing a parental figure, and said, “Brother Le… he also likes me.”

Upon hearing this, Grandpa Chang nodded and said, “That’s good. I already saw through our Xiao Le’s intentions as well.”

Yu Qingze was momentarily stunned. Although he knew deep down that Grandpa Chang would surely agree to their relationship, the simplicity of the acceptance still caught him off guard.

“Does this mean you agree to us being together?” Yu Qingze asked.

Grandpa Chang blew out a smoke ring and nodded. “As long as Brother Le likes you and agrees, I agree.”

Yu Qingze snapped back to his senses and said solemnly, “Grandpa, thank you for agreeing. This is my plan: once I settle my household registration, I will arrange for a matchmaker to come and propose. I’ve calculated that by the end of this month, I should have enough money to buy land and register my household. However, after completing the household registration, I won’t have enough money left to build a house. So, I plan to save up some more and open a small restaurant to earn money more quickly.”

“Well, the food stall is a bit small now, and there’s no space to expand,” Grandpa Chang nodded, expressing his agreement with Yu Qingze’s plan.

“Yes,” Yu Qingze agreed and continued, “According to my plan, I hope the restaurant can earn enough money to build a house around the time of the Lunar New Year. Once the house is built, I will marry Brother Le.”

“Good plan,” Grandpa Chang nodded. Then he paused and asked, “What if the restaurant doesn’t earn enough money for the house before the Lunar New Year? Will you not marry Brother Le?”

Yu Qingze was taken aback and instinctively replied, “No, that’s not it. We will definitely get married. I just don’t want to make Brother Le feel uncomfortable.”

Satisfied with his answer, Grandpa Chang smiled. Then he sighed and said, “My grandson has suffered a lot, and I’m glad that you think this way. However, having a new house is not the most important thing for us to consider. I don’t think Brother Le would mind whether there’s a new house or not. What matters is that you treat him well, and that you both live harmoniously together. That’s more important than anything else.”

Yu Qingze nodded and said, “Of course, that’s a given.”

After spending this time together, Grandpa Chang had also come to understand Yu Qingze’s character, and he felt quite reassured entrusting his grandson to him.

After a moment of thought, Grandpa Chang asked with concern, “Are you not bothered by Brother Le’s inability to speak and the scar on his forehead?”

Yu Qingze shook his head and said, “No, I don’t mind. I love Brother Le as a person, I love his character, not just his appearance. Besides, I can communicate with Brother Le normally now, so these are not issues.”

Still worried, Grandpa Chang asked, “What about the issue of having children?”

Yu Qingze replied earnestly, “Grandpa, whether we have children or not is up to fate. Don’t worry, I don’t place such a heavy emphasis on having children.”

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Grandpa Chang didn’t know that Yu Qingze came from a different world. In the understanding of this world, being childless is considered a great filial failure. For a ger like Brother Le, whose birthmark had dimmed his prospects, it was equivalent to cutting off a good marriage opportunity. It was rare for someone like Yu Qingze to say that he didn’t place much importance on having children.

His grandpa hesitated for a moment before asking, “If Brother Le really can’t have children in the future, can you guarantee that you won’t resent him and bring in another spouse to bear children for you?” If Yu Qingze had shown even a hint of hesitation, Grandpa Chang would have had to reconsider.

However, Yu Qingze shook his head firmly and replied, “Grandpa, rest assured, I won’t. I promise you.”

So Yu Qingze went on to explain to Grandpa Chang about his own family’s situation, just as he had discussed with Brother Le. Then he said, “Grandpa, I despise people who are not faithful in their relationships, and I long for a truly harmonious family, just like this one.”

As he spoke, Yu Qingze looked around, indicating that the family he was referring to was Brother Le’s family.

Upon hearing this, Grandpa Chang felt somewhat relieved and said, “If you can think this way, then I can rest easy. I don’t care how much money you have or whether you have a house. My only requirement is that you treat my grandson well and never mistreat him!”

Yu Qingze, in response, raised his hand and made a solemn vow, nodding, “I promise.”

That night, Brother Le had trouble falling asleep again and only managed to doze off in the late hours. But this time, it wasn’t due to worries but rather to joy.