DIHBSG chapter 29

Song Jian quickly stripped off his wet clothes, then wiped himself down with a cotton cloth, thinking he would hurry and get dressed. He hadn’t expected to get stuck at the step of putting on his clothes.

The pale blue-and-white winter outfit Xiao Yongning had tailored for him was indeed beautiful, but it was far too complicated. Song Jian had never worn anything like this before.

He turned around and around in the corner, trying to see what his back looked like.

No, what kind of design is this?

The meditation room was already dim at night. After fumbling around for quite a while, Song Jian finally just draped it over himself and tied it with the belt. He was going to sleep soon anyway, so wearing it however was fine.

He walked out.

“Your Majesty, I’m done changing!”

Hearing the movement, Xiao Yinghuai looked over and soon frowned.

“What kind of appearance is this?”

Song Jian looked down at himself.

What’s wrong? Isn’t it just a bit of neck showing?

Xiao Yinghuai picked up the scroll on the table again and stopped looking at him.

“Get properly dressed before coming out.”

“…”

Song Jian didn’t move. After standing quietly for a moment, he scratched at his fingers and admitted weakly,

“I don’t know how to put it on…”

Xiao Yinghuai thought he had heard wrong.

Song Jian shuffled two steps closer, still scratching at his fingers as he spoke meekly,

“Your Majesty, if you really can’t stand looking at it… could you help me…”

Xiao Yinghuai: “?”

The clothes really were uncomfortable to wear. Song Jian tugged at his collar.

“Your Majesty, look at this collar. I’ve tried wearing it the normal way, backwards, inside-out, outside-in, and none of it feels right… And this inner layer…”

As he spoke, he reached inside his chest and tugged at it twice.

“I can’t really figure it out. Is this supposed to be worn on the inside? And back here… why is there so much extra fabric…”

As he spoke, Song Jian started craning his neck around in circles again to look behind himself.

After turning around twice, he lost his balance.

Bang.

The scripture in Xiao Yinghuai’s hand flew away, replaced by the person who had crashed into his arms.

For a moment, the meditation room became frighteningly silent.

Xiao Yinghuai was about to speak.

“Achoo!”

The person in his arms suddenly sneezed with his head lowered.

“…”

Song Jian hurriedly stood back up.

“Actually, I could also not… achoo!”

Before he could finish, another sneeze interrupted him. Rubbing his nose, he continued, “…wear it.”

The young man’s fair neck was illuminated by the dim candlelight. His black hair was still damp, with loose strands framing his face.

“Achoo!”

His delicate brows knitted together in discomfort. Presumably, he had caught a chill after falling into the pond.

After a long silence, Xiao Yinghuai finally extended a hand.

“Come here.”

Song Jian sniffled, “Huh?”

“Didn’t you ask me to help you get dressed?”

Song Jian blinked twice.

A short while later—

“Raise your arms.”

Song Jian obediently replied, “Oh!”

“Turn around.”

Song Jian: “Okaaay!”

“Tie this here.”

Looking down at the man’s long, neat fingers, Song Jian opened his arms in advance, predicting what was coming.

Xiao Yinghuai raised a brow ever so slightly before casually remarking, “You’re quite self-aware.”

Song Jian pursed his lips, looking extraordinarily obedient.

“Your Majesty, you always had Gong Defu help you change before. I always thought you didn’t know how to dress yourself.”

Xiao Yinghuai: “…”

He gave the belt a light tug, pulling the young man in front of him.

Lowering his eyes, Xiao Yinghuai tied the belt around his waist.

“Stop saying such useless nonsense in front of me all the time. I don’t have that much patience.”

Song Jian hurriedly covered his mouth, a few muffled syllables leaking out between his fingers.

“I wun’t say it anymore…”

After getting dressed properly, Song Jian thanked him for his grace and immediately ran off, afraid of annoying the boss again.

Standing nearby, he looked his clothes over from front to back.

They looked so nice. Xiao Ba really had good taste!

Still, Song Jian felt the outfit looked oddly familiar.

After thinking for a while, his gaze suddenly shifted to the man beside him.

Hiss.

Didn’t Xiao Yinghuai wear this color yesterday too? And wasn’t the style also…

He secretly stole a few glances, only to find the man’s expression completely normal, without the slightest comment about the clothes he was wearing.

“What are you standing there for? Dry your hair.”

Song Jian jumped.

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

He dutifully dried his hair with the cotton cloth. Only after a long while was it barely dry enough. He loosened it and ruffled it a few times, considering the task complete.

Not long afterward, a little monk brought over the vegetarian meal and, on Wuwei’s behalf, asked after Song Jian’s condition.

Song Jian replied in a muffled voice, “I’m fine, I’m fine. I’ll be alright after one night’s sleep. Please tell Master Wuwei not to worry!”

Xiao Yinghuai quietly lifted his eyes.

After dinner, it was already getting late. Today, without Xiao Yinghuai having to stare at him, Song Jian very consciously climbed into the inner side of the bed himself.

He pressed himself against the wall and lay there stiff as a board.

Seeing that the man was also changing clothes, he even patted the spacious area on the right side of the bed.

“Your Majesty, I’ve left you lots of room!”

Xiao Yinghuai paused while untying his sash and glanced over at him.

The young man’s eyes shone brightly in the candlelight.

“Close your eyes. Go to sleep. Don’t speak anymore.”

Song Jian hurriedly mimed zipping his mouth shut.

The candle snuffer lifted and lowered, and the dim yellow light in the meditation room faded away.

Xiao Yinghuai lay down still wearing his inner robe.

In the darkness, the young man gave another tiny sneeze.

“Achoo~”

Xiao Yinghuai closed his eyes, deliberately dulling his five senses with his internal energy.

His mind was always burdened, and he had always slept lightly. In the palace, he rarely had peaceful sleep. Only during these yearly visits to Fuhui Temple could he cast aside distracting thoughts.

Yet this time, for some unknown reason—

It was the same as that day in the palace.

Chaotic dreams.

Bright red candles.

A burning-hot person.

…

He abruptly opened his eyes.

The night was still deep.

Xiao Yinghuai frowned deeply. Even after calming himself several times, the fire in his heart still refused to die down, so he decided to go for a walk in the bamboo grove beside the meditation chamber.

Unexpectedly, the moment he got up, the person sleeping on the inner side rolled over.

Heavy breathing echoed clearly through the silent meditation room.

“Your Majesty… I’m hot…”

Xiao Yinghuai paused.

“…”

Song Jian panted heavily a few times before rolling over with a rumble.

Whether awake or not, the young man clung to Xiao Yinghuai’s arm and asked, “Your Majesty… where are you sneaking off to…”

Xiao Yinghuai touched his abnormally high body temperature and reached out to feel his forehead.

As expected.

Song Jian mumbled, “Are you sneaking out to eat something delicious… without taking me…”

Xiao Yinghuai fell silent for a moment.

“Even now, you’re still thinking about food.”

“I’ll eat. I’ll eat.”

Song Jian stubbornly insisted before quickly adding, “Your Majesty, I’m hot. Touch… I’m burning…”

An unreadable emotion flickered through Xiao Yinghuai’s eyes.

Song Jian rambled deliriously,

“Dumplings should be eaten hothot.”

“Men should love hot-hot…”

Xiao Yinghuai said in a deep voice,

“What nonsense are you saying?”

Song Jian let out a little whimper, tears welling up as he rubbed himself against Xiao Yinghuai.

“QnQ.”

Even Xiao Yinghuai’s hand seemed hot from the scorching heat. He warned in a low voice,

“Let go.”

Several tears rolled down Song Jian’s cheeks.

“I’m sick… and you’re still so mean. I hate you.”

Xiao Yinghuai: “…”

As he spoke, the young man wrapped himself around him again, chanting like a monk reciting scriptures.

“I hate you I hate you I hate you I hate you I hate you I hate you I hate you…”

After muttering for who knew how long, he suddenly added, “Unless you stop making me work overtime.”

Xiao Yinghuai tried pulling his hand free.

Song Jian: “Wuu~”

Xiao Yinghuai frowned, “Song Jian, do you know who I am?”

Sniffling, Song Jian answered,

“You already called yourself… and you’re still asking… silly.”

“…Besides, the way you said that… sounds just like a cannon fodder villain…”

“?”

Song Jian said, “That Semi-Truck from Cheng Yujin’s family… said the same thing before…”

Xiao Yinghuai had no idea what a “Semi-Truck” was, but that wasn’t important.

“So?”

“So… so he went to the border to farm.”

“You’d better be careful.”

“If you raise a flag like that, even I won’t be able to save you.”

In the dim bedchamber, Xiao Yinghuai was so angry that he laughed instead.

Song Jian started crying again.

“Wuwuwuwu… waaahhhh…”

The fire in Xiao Yinghuai’s heart subsided somewhat, only for another kind of fire to rise. He grabbed Song Jian by the back of the collar and laid him back down.

“Lie there properly.”

Song Jian’s face was flushed red with fever as he weakly pointed at him.

“Y-you threw me… that’s workplace bullying…”

“I’m going to report you to the central government…”

“…report you to the United Nations…”

Xiao Yinghuai got up to wring out a towel.

Lying limply on the bed, Song Jian weakly raised a hand.

“I’m going to defeat feudalism… defeat imperialism…”

After shouting for a while, he was probably tired. He pitifully bit the corner of the blanket.

“I’m begging you… call 120 for me… I don’t think I’m going to make it…”

“Plop.” A warm towel landed on Song Jian’s forehead.

He blinked quietly.

“If you keep making noise, I’ll throw you into the mountains to feed the wolves.”

Song Jian: “..QnQ..”

He choked back tears and started singing:

“All alone~ crying~ in~ the~ middle~ of~ the~ night~”

“I’ve become a little cabbage~ wuu~ nobody cares~ nobody loves~”

Xiao Yinghuai wanted to stuff this fool’s mouth shut.

“Wuwuwu… little, little cabbage~”

“Little cabbage~”

By the end of the song, Song Jian tilted his head and fell asleep.

The breath Xiao Yinghuai had been holding nearly refused to come out.

One came to meditation retreat not to enjoy oneself.

But surely not to suffer like this either.

The next day.

When Song Jian opened his eyes, his entire body felt refreshed. Stretching his arms, he let out a huge yawn.

Aaaaaaaaah—good morning—

Once again, there was no one in the meditation room.

Putting on his shoes, Song Jian pushed open the door.

“Your Majesty~ Where did you go again~”

At this moment, Xiao Yinghuai was sitting in the meditation chamber with dark circles under both eyes.

Wuwei asked, “What did Your Majesty do last night? Why do you seem so exhausted?”

Holding the wooden fish striker in his hand, Xiao Yinghuai was silent for a long while before saying,

“If I wasn’t sleeping in the middle of the night, what else could I have been doing?”

Wuwei smiled meaningfully, practically wearing the words ‘I don’t believe you’ on his face.

Xiao Yinghuai cast him a cool glance.

Wuwei immediately stood up.

“Your Majesty, why don’t we have breakfast? Today we made emerald tofu soup. It should taste better than the usual vegetarian meal.”

Xiao Yinghuai said nothing as Wuwei walked out.

Soon, a table was set up in the corridor outside the meditation chamber, holding several light vegetarian soups.

Xiao Yinghuai stepped outside and looked.

Emerald tofu soup…

Wasn’t it just cabbage tofu soup?

A whole table full of little cabbages.

That magical song from last night echoed in his ears again, and Xiao Yinghuai suddenly lost his appetite.

Just then, a hopping figure appeared on the path outside the meditation chamber. A little monk led the way, saying softly, “Benefactor Song, we’ve arrived. The Abbot and His Majesty are just ahead.”

Upon seeing Song Jian, Wuwei shifted his gaze back and looked over the man’s pale blue-and-white robes once more. His smile deepened.

“Your Majesty, won’t you invite Benefactor Song to join us for breakfast? Today’s emerald tofu soup is truly quite good.”

Xiao Yinghuai lowered his eyes.

“Your Majesty!”

“Your Majesty, Your Majesty!”

After a long while, he finally said,

“How can one’s own kind eat one another?”

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