SGSHE107

‘Beauty is a feast for the eyes’, that saying certainly held true.

As Jing Heguang munched on a steamed bun, he glanced at Xing Ming sitting opposite him and thought the bun tasted especially delicious.

The vermicelli-filled buns made by Sister-in-law Zhou were quite large. Xing Ming was full after just two.

After he finished eating, five buns and three plain steamed buns remained on the table.

Jing Heguang polished them all off.

Realizing he had eaten everything without thinking, Jing Heguang sheepishly rubbed his waist.

The original owner had carried a pouch containing silver, but it had been lost on the journey.

He still had two banknotes, but there was nowhere in Wucheng to exchange them for silver.

— In short, Jing Heguang was currently living off others’ hospitality.

Seeing his embarrassed look, Xing Ming asked, “Brother Jing, are you still hungry? The meal is simple, but there is enough to fill one’s belly.”

As he spoke, he started to rise from his seat.

Jing Heguang hurriedly held him back. “I’m full, truly. It’s just…I’m a bit short on funds, so I feel rather awkward about it.” The original owner had practiced martial arts, so his appetite was naturally large.

Xing Ming smiled. “There is no need for such formalities, brother Jing. I should be thanking you for scaring off that woman earlier. I take it you know martial arts?”

“A little. I have great strength. If you ever need it, younger brother Xing, just say the word.” Jing Heguang confidently touted his ‘superhuman strength’.

***

However, Jing Heguang had no use for his ‘superhuman strength’ over the next few days, as he remained in his room recovering from his injuries.

His backstory was established: he was a relative of uncle Yu, a bodyguard hired after news of the thieves had spread.

Xing Ming had Li Xia keep Jing Heguang company so he could pick up the local accent of Jin country and avoid raising suspicion later.

However, Li Xia was young, so before long, he found himself picking up Jing Heguang’s accent instead!

When Xing Ming came to check on them, he listened with a helpless sigh and swapped Li Xia out for Chun Fen.

Chun Fen kept asking Jing Heguang about Wu country, and he shared a great deal in return.

He spoke of Wu’s capital, its interesting tales, and its customs. He also described the perils facing the country’s northern and southern borders, noting that the war in the south had raged on until just this past spring.

At first, only Chun Fen and Li Xia were listening, but soon, every evening, the theater stage would be cleared so that everyone in the building could gather to hear Jing Heguang’s stories about Wu.

Sixteen years had passed, yet the people of Jin still looked down and ostracized the former citizens of Wu living in Wucheng, maintaining control solely through the presence of a powerful garrison.

It was precisely this attitude from the Jin people that made everyone in the theater acutely aware of the truth: they were people of Wu, not of Jin.

Knowing now that Wu country hadn’t abandoned them but was simply unable to reach them brought the people a sense of relief, and their long-held grievances began to fade.

As they listened to Jing Heguang, expressions of yearning appeared on their faces.

No longer having to fear being dragged into a Jin prison, no longer facing scorn for no reason other than the fact that a Jin person deemed themselves superior, no longer worrying that their lives and livelihoods could vanish in an instant…

Even Xing Ming, whose childhood memories were hazy, felt a sense of reverie, as if he were back in those days.

A perfect, moonlit night, his family admiring the flowers and the moon in the courtyard of the magistrate’s residence.

His sister had embroidered a handkerchief with a green bamboo pattern and tucked it into his small pocket for wiping his face;

His mother had made delicious osmanthus cakes—sweet and delightful. His father had played the flute for his mother in the dead of night, accidentally waking him up.

After a moment of dazed reflection, Xing Ming refocused his attention and looked toward Jing Heguang on the stage. Jing Heguang smiled at him and said, “Alright, that’s all for today. We’ve got rehearsals tomorrow, we’re all looking forward to seeing you take the stage!”

The people in the theater hall chuckled and drifted away in group of twos and threes. Uncle Yu hoisted Chun Fen and Li Xia up to clear the space.

Once they reached the back courtyard, Chun Fen kicked his legs. “Uncle Yu, put me down!”

Uncle Yu asked, “Put you down for what? If you go eavesdropping again, watch out, you might get punished.”

Chun Fen replied, “So what if I get punished?”

Uncle Yu glanced at the well-behaved Li Xia and sighed helplessly, “You aren’t even as sensible as Li Xia. The troupe leader hasn’t made a move precisely because you’re always spying on things, just wait a few days before you look again.”

It wasn’t that members of the opera troupe couldn’t marry, it was just that, given their low social standing, many simply paired up when two people within the troupe took a liking to each other.

There were already several such couples in their theater.

Xing Ming was handsome, and a few years back, some of the young girls in the troupe had set their sights on him.

But he liked men, and he had been open about it.

In Wucheng, under the control of the Jin’s, a relationship between two men was the sort of novelty people loved to gossip about.

Even within the troupe, no one dared to act on such feelings. Xing Ming had always remained single, and he was the first to openly admit he preferred men.

Word of this inevitably leaked out, which gave that Jin woman a pretext to berate Xing Ming. After all, who could blame someone for finding fault when Xing Ming liked men?

On the stage.

Jing Heguang took a few steps toward Xing Ming.

However, one was on the stage and the other was on the ground, unless one walked all the way around to the other side, any path taken would only increase the distance between them.

Jing Heguang glanced down, he figured he’d get scolded if he jumped, yet he didn’t want to walk the long way around.

Thus, he gathered up his robes, swung his long legs over the edge of the platform, and sat right there on the stage, looking Xing Ming straight in the eye. Jing Heguang leaned against the counter, smiling with a relaxed air. “Young brother Xing, what would you like to hear? I’ll perform it just for you.”

On the first day he woke up, Jing Heguang had looked truly terrifying when he deliberately tried to scare people. However, after spending the past few days with him, Xing Ming knew well enough that he was good tempered.

Xing Ming looked at him with a faint smile. “The osmanthus flowers in the courtyard are fragrant right now, I’m craving for osmanthus cakes.”

The craving had sprung up suddenly after the man stirred up those memories, though there was also a hint of deliberate, playful testing on Xing Ming’s part.

The mutual affection between the two was an open secret throughout the opera troupe, even if neither had explicitly said the words.

Jing Heguang was taken aback. “Make osmanthus cakes?”

That was a task well outside his usual repertoire.

However, he was willing to give it a try. “I’ll give it a go later. It’ll take a while to gather the blossoms, though, so you might have to wait a bit before you can eat them.”

Xing Ming asked him earnestly, “You’re really going to make them for me?”

Jing Heguang laughed. “It’s no big deal, why would I lie to you? Just don’t tell me if they taste awful.”

***

Early the next morning, as the sounds of vocal warm-ups drifted from the back courtyard, Jing Heguang grabbed an umbrella and went to the flowering tree to shake down the blossoms.

Listening to the distant voices, he tried to pick out which one belonged to Xing Ming.

Accompanied by the sound of singing, Jing Heguang shook down a generous heap of osmanthus flowers.

Having just finished wreaking havoc on one tree, he was about to turn toward the next when he bumped straight into Xing Ming.

The two stood face-to-face, mere inches apart.

Jing Heguang smiled. “Younger brother Xing, you startled me.”

Xing Ming caught the scent of osmanthus on him, a sweet fragrance, almost honey-like. Looking up, he saw Jing Heguang’s hair dusted with the tiny blossoms that had rained down upon him.

The last person to shake osmanthus flowers over him like that had been his mother.

Xing Ming already held Jing Heguang in high regard, and now he felt his heart stir even more deeply.

His adam’s apple bobbed almost imperceptibly as he spoke: “Brother Jing, you smell wonderful.”

Xing Ming took a step forward, closing the distance between them just as his words were said.

As he drew near, Jing Heguang caught a blend of tea and osmanthus, a scent that was both fragrant and elegant.

Younger brother Xing was actually complimenting his scent?

Jing Heguang replied, “You smell better.”

He knew perfectly well that he didn’t have any natural fragrance of his own, at most, he had simply picked up the scent of the osmanthus.

Since they were standing so close, Jing Heguang tilted his head toward Xing Ming. “Don’t believe me? Smell for yourself.”

Xing Ming: …

Seeing the man earnestly insisting he didn’t smell good, Xing Ming felt a mix of amusement and exasperation.

Was this really the time to debate who smelled better?

In a fit of playful annoyance, Xing Ming leaned in and nipped the man’s chin.

As the man’s body went rigid, Xing Ming pulled away. “I’ve tasted it now, you really don’t smell like anything.”

Jing Heguang rubbed his chin, feeling like a total fool.

But he was only being foolish for a moment, he wouldn’t make that mistake again.

“I haven’t had a taste yet.”

Jing Heguang quickly lowered his head and planted a kiss on Xing Ming’s lips.

A gust of wind stirred the air, shaking yet more osmanthus blossoms down from the nearby trees.

Tiny blossoms drifted down, landing on the two of them and settling in their hair.

A couple of playful petals slid down their cheeks, coming to rest just above their lips.

Jing Heguang wondered: Perhaps these flowers are sweet?

He tilted his head back ever so slightly, and the petal that had been resting above his lip slipped right between them.

As it happened, a petal landed between each of their lips.

Xing Ming took the petal into his mouth before pulling back.

He held the petal between his lips.

Jing Heguang chewed it twice, then frowned. “I think I’d better make you a cake instead.”

They smelled fragrant, but to his surprise, the taste was astringent.

Xing Ming tasted his and swallowed it. “Astringent at first, but with a sweet aftertaste.”

Jing Heguang chewed a few more times, sure enough, he detected a hint of sweetness.

But he asked in confusion, “Why is mine different?”

As he spoke, he glanced curiously at Xing Ming’s lips, as if wanting to taste what he had tasted.

Before Xing Ming could react, Jing Heguang leaned in and kissed him.

With anyone else, Xing Ming would have suspected the move was intentional.

However, Jing Heguang was always a bit unconventional. He is the sort of person whose mere appearance could make one swoon and just moments ago, he had been arguing goofily about who smelled better.

Therefore, Xing Ming didn’t suspect him, instead, he took the initiative, teasing the lovable oaf.

Only when he caught a glimpse of the little ‘pigtail’ peeking in on them did Jing Heguang finally let Xing Ming go.

Jing Heguang: Me? A schemer.

***

Chun Fen sat beside Li Xia, grinning foolishly as they waited for the osmanthus cakes.

Li Xia was genuinely hungry, but Chun Fen was different. As he was looking at Jing Heguang, he felt as though he had gained a…father.

Chun Fen had been found and raised by Xing Ming. Although he called him ‘troupe leader’ or ‘big brother’, in his heart, he was just like a father to him.

Thus, looking at Jing Heguang, he felt like he had gained another father figure. It gave him a strange, happy feeling.

Jing Heguang hadn’t made only osmanthus cakes, he’d prepared a few other snacks as well.

As long as he made enough of them, surely a few would turn out delicious?

For some reason, even though he was preparing dishes he’d never attempted before, a surge of confidence welled up from deep within Jing Heguang, as if he were a master chef.

Gradually, even Chun Fen began to crave the food: “It smells so good!”

Li Xia slurped up some drool. His large, grape-like eyes lighting up: “It smells so good! Li Xia wants to eat some too!”

“It’ll be ready in a moment.”

Jing Heguang soothed the two little ones while deftly handling the final batch of ingredients.

A short while later, everything was finished.

Amidst the two little ones’ eager cries of ‘yummy!’, Jing Heguang’s confidence swelled. He carried the plate of food toward Xing Ming’s room.

However, Xing Ming wasn’t on the second floor.

Jing Heguang looked down the staircase and saw uncle Yu standing with Xing Ming, facing a man dressed in the official robes of Jin country.

The sound of footsteps on the wooden floor naturally drew attention. The official glanced toward the stairs and spoke casually: “For this king’s birthday on the seventeenth of the seventh month, troupe leader Xing must perform ‘Flower Startles The Branch’! I know you rarely stage grand productions, but this is a piece his highness personally requested.”

“Xing Ming understands. I am grateful for the King’s favor.”

“Think nothing of it. Just be sure to arrive early, troupe leader Xing, his highness said a special stage is being erected for the occasion.”

After giving these instructions, the official lifted the hem of his robes and walked out.

***

Xing Ming looked up and asked, “Who’s up there?”

Jing Heguang leaned out from the upper floor and spoke as he walked down: “I came from the kitchen. The osmanthus cakes are ready, I wanted you to taste them while they were still hot.”

He held the plate steady with one hand while resting the other on the banister, viewed from below, a prominent old scar was clearly visible on that hand.

Uncle Yu furrowed his brows, suddenly recalling the many scars on Jing Heguang’s body, and glanced over at Xing Ming.