The child's hair was also very dirty, so Xia Xi loosened the braids on her head and cleaned it. After washing her thoroughly, he felt that she looked different from most little girls; her eyebrows were definitely much more fierce. Xia Xi carried her to the couch and got some little girl's clothes for her to wear but the child refused, dodging and stubbornly resisting. Xia Xi had no choice but to find a set of bigger boy's clothes to wear and give her them so that she would be willing to change.
While drying her half-wet hair, Xia Xi thought deeply, when the child's hair dried, he suddenly asked, "Would you like to follow me?"
Even if such a child lived in the nursery, it would still be extremely difficult. She was a completely Xia-looking person, most Barbarians would hardly be willing to adopt her. Xia Xi thought of himself when he saw her and couldn't help but come up with this idea. When the child heard him, she lowered her head and licked the sugar in her hand, then she nodded.
Xia Xi's identity was the Queen of the Barbarians, it was very easy to take in a child by his side. Even Yue Ling'er agreed with him, thinking that his behaviour was a kind of charity, so the child was kept beside him in this way. She stayed with Xia Xi for more than ten days, but still didn't speak a word, Xia Xi could only conclude that she shouldn't be able to speak, and after confirming that she didn't understand nor had the ability to tell him her name, he said: "You can just have my last name, Xia, I'll call you..." He hesitated, looking out the window, his eyes fell on a sprout in the corner and he chuckled, "I'll just call you Xia Chun, my mother told me that spring was the beginning of all things and also the season of hope. She always wished that there would be hope in my life, and I also wish that there'll be hope in your life, so I'll call you Chun'er in the future, alright?"
The child looked at him with dark eyes and nodded without comment.
Xia Xi couldn't help laughing, he reached out and touched her head lightly. Xia Chun refused to treat herself as a girl, so Xia Xi treated him as a boy, he gave him boy's clothes to wear and did his hair like a male's. In his spare time, he saw that Xia Chun was interested in books, so he taught him how to read Chinese. Xia Chun studied very seriously, writing under the candlelight every night. He had very crooked writing at the beginning, but it gradually healed itself. After he recognized all the ten numbers, Xia Xi wrote all the ten numbers on the paper and then asked: "How old are you?"
The child looked at him and then slowly moved his finger to the "seven". Xia Xi was taken aback for a moment and said in disbelief, "Are you seven years old?"
The child nodded. Xia Xi looked at his thin head, knowing that he must have suffered a lot before meeting him, he felt sorry for him and hoped that he would get better.
______
Every vernal equinox, there would be a sacrificial ritual in the Barbarian state asking for year-round rain. On this day, the King would personally come to the temple for divination. Xia Xi hadn't seen Chu Lan for a long time and couldn't help but look forward to that day.
He was anticipating it, but he hesitated, worrying that Chu Lan wouldn't come to see him even if he came. There were already two concubines around him, had he already forgotten his existence?
Thinking like this, the closer he got to that day, the worse Xia Xi's mood was. Even the smile on his face was heavier. Whenever he did needlework, he would often stop, as if his mind had been stolen by something.
Soon the day before the vernal equinox came, Xia Xi had dinner with Xia Chun and began teaching him to write again. The child which had the appearance of a five-year-old had a very upright posture, but the tip of his pen still trembled minutely. He used ordinary water to practice his calligraphy, not on paper, but a smooth wooden board. Paper in the Barbarian country was expensive, even Xia Xi didn't have much clean paper lying around. He let Xia Chun practice on a wooden board so that when the water marks were dry, he could start again.
After learning for more than an hour, the child became a little sleepy and couldn't help but yawn. When Xia Xi noticed this, he said: "Let's stop here for today, first wash your face and brush your teeth, and then rest early."
The child nodded and was obediently taken away by Lan Duo'er to wash up, after that, he walked back and stretched out his hands to pull on Xia Xi's sleeve, startling him. Xia Xi returned to his senses, he leaned down to look at him and asked softly, "What's the matter?"
The child's robe had already been taken off, and his hair had fallen out, he was wearing nightclothes. He looked at Xia Xi with bright eyes, his mouth refusing to open. Xia Xi thought for a while and then smiled lightly, "Want to sleep with me?" He had slept together with Xia Xi before and he always had this expression.
The child nodded, Xia Xi said: "Well, you go lie down on the bed first, and I'll go to wash." Although he didn't want to go to bed so early, he might see Chu Lan the next day. He estimated that tonight should be a sleepless night, now that there was someone by his side, it made him a little more relaxed.
When Xia Xi came back after washing, the child was already lying on the bed with a book beside him, it was a storybook suitable for children. Xia Xi smiled gently and said, "Want to hear a story?" The child nodded again and Xia Xi sat next to him and began to read the words in it.
He had a nice voice, like the breeze blowing on one's face during the hottest summer season, it made people feel extremely comfortable. After Xia Xi finished reading the short story, the child closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep. Xia Xi collected the books, covered the child with the quilt, blew out the candles, and laid down on the bed.
He originally thought that he wouldn't be able to sleep, he didn't know if it was because there was a heat source around him but Xia Xi gradually felt drowsy and fell asleep.
He didn't know how many hours passed, Xia Xi dreamed that he was meeting Chu Lan. The boy smiled brightly at him, he picked up a fruit to feed him. The fruit was very sweet, Xia Xi took a bite. He kissed his lips, licked his lips, and sucked at his tongue. His long-lost kiss caused Xia Xi to become hot, his body quickly reacted, actually responding involuntarily.
The hot and lingering kiss seemed to be happening in reality, Xia Xi once again tasted the familiar taste of the other party. His heart was sour and he couldn't help crying. His movements became more fanatical, he didn't restrain himself at all. And Chu Lan seemed to miss him too, his hot lips kept entangling with him, swallowing everything from his mouth. The kiss intensified, and Xia Xi gradually fell short of breath. When he was about to reach the critical point, he suddenly opened his eyes and realized that it wasn't a dream, there was really someone kissing him in the dark.
Xia Xi panicked and subconsciously pushed against the other person's chest, trying to drive them away while kicking them violently, when his heart was about to jump out of his chest, a familiar voice suddenly rang in his ears, "You were so enthusiastic just now, why did you stop?"
There was a pleasant smile hidden in that voice. Xia Xi was taken aback and his whole person seemed to be alive again. His tears flowed uncontrollably from the corners of his eyes, he opened his mouth and said dumbly: "C-Chu Lan..."
Chu Lan laughed, "Who else could it be besides me?" It was dark in the room. He lifted the quilt to hug Xia Xi, but his arm suddenly touched another body, his brows tightened and his tone became sharp, "Who's sleeping beside you?"
Xia Xi reacted and blushed when he heard Chu Lan's tone of voice that seemed to have caught a cheater, he quickly said: "It's Chun'er, don't scare him."
After lighting the candles once again, the room lit up. The child was awakened by the movement, his eyes were a little hazy when he opened them, after seeing Chu Lan, he immediately became alert and spread his small arms. Xia Chun glared at Chu Lan angrily. Xia Xi hid him behind his back in panic and said: "Chun'er, don't be afraid, he's not a bad person. H-he's my husband and our great King."
Chu Lan looked displeased and glared at the child behind Xia Xi, he asked, "This is the kid you took in? Why is it on your bed?" He reached out to grab Xia Chun by his back collar and easily lifted him up. The child suddenly hung in the air was not afraid, even trashing around his limbs with a grin, as if to attack Chu Lan. This scene scared Xia Xi and he quickly explained: "He was afraid of the cold so I made him sleep with me, Chu Lan, he's still young, don't blame him for this. Lan Duo'er, Lan Duo'er..." He eagerly called Lan Duo'er, and when Lan Duo'er came in, he quickly asked her to take Xia Chun out.
The door to the his room was closed again, Xia Xi was a little relieved, when he turned his gaze to see Chu Lan who was close at hand, his heart suddenly began beating fiercely.
How long had they not seen each other?
Had it already been half a year? After they got married, it was rare occurrence for them to not see each other for such a long time, even when Chu Lan went out on expeditions, he would come back every three to five months. At that time, Xia Xi only had feelings of responsibility and fondness for him, he didn't feel the love between adults, so he didn't think that it was anything too much. But this time the separation seemed to have hollowed out his heart. If it weren't for the endless list of things to do, his days might've been extremely sad.
Chu Lan was wearing thick clothing. The weather outside the temple was obviously still cold but he didn't wear many layers. He seemed to be taller and stronger than before, he looked more mature. Xia Xi stared blankly and then said after a while: "The King has grown up again."
Chu Lan was still thinking about the matter just now, he came over to hug him and stretched out his hand to pinch Xia Xi's face. He said with envy in his tone: "You're not allowed to sleep with others in the future!"
Xia Xi whispered: "I know..." He stared at the young man in front of him without blinking, no, he could already be called a man by now, he said again: "The King has really grown up."
Hearing the obsessiveness and deep longing in his tone, Chu Lan put aside his previous thoughts, pinching Xia Xi's chin, and kissing his lips again. The two people changed angles and shared an extremely lingering kiss. After kissing, both sides panted a bit, separating slightly. Their foreheads touched and two pairs of eyes were fixed on the other side. Without a word, their lips joined together again. Xia Xi couldn't even count how long they kissed. Chu Lan suddenly whispered, "I've also grown up elsewhere. Xi'er, try it."
<b>_____</b>
<b>PastTimer: The author is really great, all the overbearing president tropes gets turned to wholesome traits! On another note, next chapter is M! (excuse me while I suffer) </b>\n