Chapter 60
This trip back to Dali was different from the last one.
Que Siming had given them a heads-up in advance. Young Master Jin and Huai’en had returned from their outing, while Zhaocai came back shortly after Jinbao was taken away by Que Siming. He had been so regretful that he didn’t get to see Jinbao that he was beating his chest in frustration. By now, he was eagerly waiting for them too.
Just as they entered the city gates, Jinbao spotted his fair-skinned Young Master in the distance, standing beside the expressionless, wooden-faced Zongzheng Huai’en, along with the always energetic Zhaocai and the gentle, graceful Miss Xiaorou.
Excited beyond measure, Jinbao jumped off his horse before even bringing it to a halt. “Young Master! Zhaocai!”
Jin Xiaobao and Zhaocai rushed towards him as well, the three of them colliding in a tight embrace, laughing loudly together.
“Young Master, Zhaocai, I’ve missed you both so much!”
“Don’t give me that bullshit. If you missed us, why didn’t you say anything before we came back? You left without a word and didn’t even leave a note. What’s going on with you, you rascal?”
Jinbao smiled sheepishly, “I didn’t want to interrupt your fun.”
Zhaocai gave him a light punch on the shoulder. “I was at Xiaorou’s old home in the countryside. It would’ve only taken me two or three days to come back. If you’d sent word, I would’ve returned right away. So what’s the deal? Why didn’t you let us know?”
Jinbao’s expression grew slightly awkward, unsure of how to respond. At the time, he had felt too ashamed to face them. In fact, their absence was a bit of a relief.
Just then, Que Siming draped his arm over Jinbao’s shoulder, interrupting rudely, “We’ve been on the road forever, filthy and exhausted. Can we rest first? Why all the pointless chatter?”
Zhaocai shot him a discreet glare—he still didn’t have much of a liking for this man.
Jin Xiaobao quickly took charge, “Yes, yes, let’s head back to the mansion first! We can bathe and have a proper meal.”
Jinbao let out a sigh of relief, turning to look at his Young Master with a grin. “Young Master, you’ve put on a little weight, haven’t you?” When he left last year, his Young Master had been thin and gaunt. But now, his complexion was healthy, rosy even, and he looked full of energy and joy—clearly well taken care of.
Jin Xiaobao laughed, rubbing his slightly rounded belly. “Yeah, I’ve put on a bit recently. But you know, as a man, this is a sign of fortune.” He then threw a smug glance in Zongzheng Huai’en’s direction, raising his chin in pride.
Zongzheng Huai’en coldly glanced at Jinbao, “Don’t call him fat. He still needs to put on a bit more.”
Jin Xiaobao pulled a dramatic face, “Come on, wife, that’s enough. If I get any fatter, I won’t look good anymore. I think I’m at my most handsome right now…”
But the moment Zongzheng Huai’en’s gaze landed on Jin Xiaobao, that icy expression seemed to melt instantly. His face softened as he gently poked Jin Xiaobao’s cheek with his finger, firmly stating, “You look better with a bit more weight.”
Jin Xiaobao lowered his head, rubbing his belly. After a moment, he gave Zhaocai and Jinbao a silly grin, “Really?”
Zhaocai stifled a laugh and agreed, “Really, our young master looks good no matter what—if he’s a bit chubby, he’s manly, and if he’s slimmer, he’s refined. Either way, he’s handsome, right, Jinbao?”
Jinbao paused, wanting to say that being too fat was bad for your health, but just as the words reached his lips, Zhaocai blinked at him, and he swallowed them back down. Feeling that long-lost sense of tacit understanding with Zhaocai, he couldn’t help but smile as well.
Young Master Jin was easy to please. Hearing this, he beamed with joy and happily led Jinbao and Que Siming into the Su family residence.
The first thing that happened after they entered was Que Siming forcing him to take a bath and change into clean clothes. By the time Jin came out, dinner was already prepared. Jinbao, starving to the point of dizziness, dove straight for the meat on the table.
While eating, Jinbao suddenly remembered something and asked, “Hey, where’s Young Master Su? Is he still in Jiangnan?”
At the mention of this, Jin Xiaobao immediately furrowed his brows, his face full of worry. “He went to the palace.”
“What? The palace?” Jinbao was shocked. “The imperial palace?”
“Yeah, he didn’t tell me why, but he said we won’t be able to see him for a while. I’m really worried about him. That little prince is no good. It’s so obvious he has ulterior motives for Su Yin. I’m really afraid Su Yin will suffer.”
Zhaocai, his mouth full of food, mumbled, “Young Master, don’t worry about him. Su Yin is no pushover. He’s incredibly capable—no one can take advantage of him. I’m sure he has a plan and will be back before long.”
Jin Xiaobao could only nod.
Miss Xiao Rou smiled as she gently patted Zhaocai on the back, softly scolding, “Don’t eat so fast, or you’ll choke.”
Jinbao glanced at the two of them with envy. He probably wouldn’t have the chance to experience a woman’s tender care in this lifetime, and to say he wasn’t the least bit jealous would be a lie.
Que Siming noticed his look, and his face instantly darkened. He picked up a rib and shoved it toward Jinbao’s mouth. “Eat.”
Jinbao was startled and quickly leaned back. “Wh-what?”
“Eat, I’m feeding you.”
Everyone at the table stared at them in disbelief.
Jinbao’s face flushed with embarrassment. “What are you doing? You have hands; feed yourself!”
“No, I’m feeding you. Now eat, open your mouth.” The doctor wasn’t letting this go, brandishing his chopsticks like a stubborn housewife, treating everyone at the table as mere spectators in his display of devotion.
Jinbao had no choice but to open his mouth, and Que Siming shoved the rib into it. Caught off guard, Jinbao almost spat it out.
Que Siming quickly patted his back, a hint of smugness in his voice, “Don’t eat so fast, or you’ll choke.”
Jinbao didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Zhaocai rolled his eyes at him, while Miss Xiao Rou, a bit embarrassed, covered her mouth and stifled a giggle.
After wiping his mouth, Jinbao turned to Zhaocai and Miss Xiao Rou and asked, “So, have you two set the date yet?”
Miss Xiao Rou shyly glanced at Zhaocai, her face blooming with a lovely blush.
Zhaocai burst out laughing, “Once spring comes, we’ll have the wedding. Then we’ll try for a baby. If all goes well, she can give birth in the winter, which will be easier on her.”
Miss Xiao Rou playfully punched him and whispered, “Shameless.”
Zhaocai laughed even louder, “Brother, it looks like you’re not too busy these days. Why not stick around until spring and drink at my wedding banquet?”
Jinbao laughed along, “Sure, I’ll definitely be there. Definitely.”
He was honestly a bit envious—a sweet, gentle wife and, in the future, a chubby little daughter or son.
Que Siming drained his cup in one gulp, then calmly said, “You’ll have to drink at Jinbao’s wedding first.”
The entire table froze, “What?”
Zhaocai and Young Master Jin stared at Jinbao with suspicion, while Jinbao, equally puzzled, looked at Que Siming.
Que Siming turned and gave him a mischievous smile. Jinbao had a bad feeling, but before he could stop him, Que Siming hurriedly announced, “Jinbao and I are getting married—no need to wait, the sooner the better.”
As soon as these words left his mouth, everyone froze in shock, except for Zongzheng Huai’en, whose eyes gleamed with interest. He cast a thoughtful glance at Jin Xiaobao, while the others remained dumbfounded.
Jinbao shot up from his seat, so flustered he could barely speak, “Wh-what are you talking about?”
Que Siming’s lips glistened with a touch of moisture, his eyes shining brilliantly behind his mask. “Marriage, of course. Didn’t we agree on this back then?”
Jinbao was completely dumbstruck. “Are you…serious?”
Que Siming, with an air of absolute certainty, replied, “Of course I’m serious.” Then he suddenly glared, “Are you backing out? How dare you back out? Are you going back on your word?”
Jinbao didn’t want to make a scene in front of everyone, so he awkwardly sat back down, his face full of discomfort. “I… it’s just… this is all too sudden.”
With a loud smack, Que Siming slammed his chopsticks on the table.
Jin Xiaobao followed suit, slapping the table as well. “Que Siming, what are you getting so aggressive for? Do you know whose territory this is?”
As soon as he finished speaking, Que Siming shot him a withering glare, scaring Jin Xiaobao enough to instinctively edge closer to Zongzheng Huaien for safety.
Zhaocai also gave him a challenging look, puffing up his chest in defiance.
Jinbao frantically waved his hands. “Hey, hey, no need to fight. Let’s just… discuss it, okay? We can talk about it later.” Under the table, he tugged on Que Siming’s sleeve, silently pleading for him not to cause a scene.
Que Siming pouted in frustration, then suddenly stood up, yanking Jinbao out of his chair. “We’re going to talk about it right now.”
Zhaocai jumped up and blocked their path. “Que Siming, what the hell are you doing? I swear, if you lay a hand on Jinbao…”
Que Siming sneered coldly, “This is between me and my future spouse. None of your business.”
Jinbao couldn’t help but laugh awkwardly, quickly patting Zhaocai on the shoulder to calm him down. “It’s fine, it’s fine. I’m done eating anyway. I’ll go with him and have a chat.”
Miss Xiao Rou also stood up, placing a gentle hand on Zhaocai’s tense arm. In a soft voice, she said, “Dinner’s over, and they’ve been traveling for quite a while. Let’s let them rest.”
Back in the room, Que Siming and Jinbao found themselves locked in a silent stare-off.
Finally, Jinbao sighed, “This is ridiculous, isn’t it?”
Que Siming twisted his ear. “What’s so ridiculous? What’s wrong with me? I’ve swallowed my pride and agreed to marry you, and you still have complaints? Who do you think you are, huh? Why are you so against marrying me?”
Jinbao slapped his hand away. “Ow! It’s not about you! The point is, we’re both men. Have you ever seen two men get married?”
“If you keep worrying about what everyone else thinks, you’ll drive yourself crazy. I don’t care what anyone else says; we’re getting married, end of story. And don’t forget, you started this—fourteen years ago…”
“Ahhh!” Jinbao shouted, shaking his head in frustration. “Can you drop it already? You keep holding this over my head! I was just a kid back then; I didn’t know a damn thing! Are you really going to use that to hold me hostage for the rest of my life?”
Que Siming pulled at the corners of his mouth and smiled. “You always say the right things. I’m going to use this to keep you in check for your entire life. You have to be responsible to me.”
Jinbao was almost amused by his anger. “Can’t you use a different word?”
“Is this not enough? Let’s count how many things you’ve done wrong to me. Come on, first you led me astray when I was naive and ignorant, arranged a marriage proposal but didn’t follow through, and in the end you even forgot me…”
“Alright, alright.” Jinbao, with a pale face and anxious expression, reached out to cover his mouth.
Que Siming grabbed his hand and applied a subtle force, pushing him onto the bed.
Jinbao’s face flushed and his neck stiffened from holding back. “Que Siming, did I owe you something in my past life? Why are you still clinging to me?”
“You still blame me? Who told you to shamelessly propose to me? Who told you to forget about me? Are you even human? You’re worse than a beast. You tricked me, and then abandoned me after having your way with me. I was so young when I agreed to your proposal, and you’ve slept with me so many times. Tell me, are you going to take responsibility? Do you dare not to?”
Jinbao was torn between laughing and crying. “I-I slept with you?”
“Do you think I can sleep alone? This was a two-person thing. What else would you call it if not you sleeping with me?”
Jinbao was at a loss for words against his nonsensical reasoning and could only roll his eyes to the ceiling in frustration.
Que Siming held his arm, pressing his lips against the outline of his cheek, lightly kissing it. “Xiaohu, how long has it been since we last did it? Hm? We’ve been on the road this whole time. I miss you so much. Let’s do it, let’s do it.”
Jinbao shivered, his face turning a rosy red, but still pushed him away twice. “Wait, let’s finish talking about this first.”
Que Siming frowned, looking at him. “What’s there to discuss? It’s decided. We’ll pick an auspicious day, and the two of us will get married.”
In the end, Jinbao couldn’t resist Que Siming’s shamelessness and muddle-headedly agreed.
Although he regretted it after agreeing, when he saw the servants of the Su household bustling about, decorating with red lanterns and banners all over the courtyard, a sense of unspeakable joy and anticipation grew within him.
He thought to himself, hey, I’m getting married after all. Sure, the bride isn’t exactly ideal, and sure, it’s a bit unconventional, but still, it’s a bride. And at least I’m fond of him, and at least he’s mine, and we’ll spend a lifetime together.
Thinking this, a sense of satisfaction and happiness swelled in Jinbao’s chest.
He originally thought his young master and Zhaocai would stop him, but to his surprise, they joined in the chaos, not even hesitating as they set up the bridal chamber for them.
At first, he felt a bit awkward and troubled, but eventually, he let go and happily joined in the wedding preparations.
The only regret was that neither of their families could attend. He didn’t dare tell his parents about this. Even though they didn’t expect him to carry on the family line, he didn’t want to scare the old couple. And as for Que Siming’s master, that was out of the question—he’d probably beat him to death if he found out.
Thankfully, he still had his young master and Zhaocai by his side.
As the wedding day drew closer, Jinbao was so happy that the smile on his face practically froze, and he even found himself laughing in his dreams.
Que Siming had tried several times to get intimate with him, almost to the point of losing his mind, but Jinbao had his own thoughts. He felt that since they were about to get married, they should follow proper traditions. How could they consummate the marriage before the wedding? Que Siming was so frustrated by this that he cursed him for being overly fussy.
Jinbao simply replied that he wanted to experience the thrill of entering the bridal chamber, lifting the bridal veil, and then savoring the preciousness of that first night together. How exhilarating would that be? Que Siming thought his reasoning made sense, and from then on, looked at him with a different kind of intensity.
They both eagerly awaited the day, and finally, the joyous occasion arrived.
