BYBOTE Chapter 17: Little Donkey

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Luo Fei wasn’t just scared off—he was terrified!

Had Xi Yanqing turned into a completely different person after getting married? Ahhh! Not only had he stolen a kiss, but he had even pressed him against the peach tree!

Beast! Absolute beast!

At the beginning, even when a film company’s boss offered him the male lead role in an idol drama in exchange for a year of companionship, he refused. How could he possibly give in to Xi Yanqing?!

No way!

No matter what, he had to find a way to clear Xi Yanqing’s mind of those thoughts. What he wanted was mutual affection, not being with someone just because they liked him.

Luo Fei decided to set some ground rules with Xi Yanqing.

Xi Yanqing watched as his little duckling, which was almost in his grasp, flapped its little wings and flew away again. But he wasn’t in a hurry. He gently fiddled with a peach blossom bud that was just about to bloom, carefully making new plans in his mind. His first goal had been achieved—he had brought home the little treasure he had been longing for. Next, it was time to create a warm and comfortable living environment for this little treasure, making sure he wouldn't want to leave.

"Hey! Xi Yanqing, are you outside?!" Luo Fei didn't dare to open the door wide—mainly because he felt that not only was he poorer than Xi Yanqing, but he was also physically weaker. Since he couldn't win in a fight, he had to negotiate properly. So, he crouched down and peeked his head out halfway. "Can we set some ground rules?"

"What kind of rules?" Xi Yanqing walked over with a smile. "A date? A meal? A hookup?"

"Screw you! Can you be serious?! Also, stop right there!" Luo Fei took on a stance that clearly said if Xi Yanqing dared to take another step forward, he would shut the door. "I'm saying, can we have a proper talk? I need to tell you that I don’t have those kinds of feelings for you—"

"Shh!" Xi Yanqing signaled that someone was coming.

Luo Fei reacted quickly and immediately shut his mouth.

Xi Yanqing naturally stepped forward. Standing at the door, he lowered his voice. "This village doesn’t have many secrets. Do you want the whole village to know what you're thinking?"

The thought of Zhang Yangfan still having feelings for him made Luo Fei reconsider. In the end, he let Xi Yanqing inside. Though, having this man inside made him a little nervous—before, he knew Xi Yanqing was tall, but he had never felt him to be this tall. Right now, he seemed as intimidating as a tiger in the eyes of a little rabbit.

"Relax, I’m just teasing you." Xi Yanqing closed the door. "I wouldn’t stoop that low."

"As if I’d believe you! If you were so upright, why did you steal a kiss from me?!" Luo Fei immediately regretted saying that and backed into the corner. "I-I mean…"

"That was stealing?" Xi Yanqing shamelessly said, "That was a perfectly legitimate kiss. Kissing my lawful spouse—what’s the problem?!"

"There is a problem! A huge problem!" Luo Fei argued. "You were the one who said you wanted to find someone with common interests to get married and keep each other company. You never said you—you had those kinds of feelings for me. If you had, I wouldn’t have married you in the first place."

"And how does marrying someone with common interests contradict me liking you?" Xi Yanqing lay on the heated brick bed (kang) and patted it. "Come, sit here and talk. Don’t stand in the corner. You’re not a student being punished."

"No need, I’m fine standing here." The moment Luo Fei thought about the pain from his injury, he wanted to bury himself in the wall. No way was he going to sit on that bed. "How about we just talk about the ground rules?"

"Sure, go ahead. I’m listening."

"So, first of all, our marriage is more like cohabitation, right? Since we’re just living together, then we should…"

"Should what?" Xi Yanqing asked with a smirk. "Why’d you stop talking?"

Talk my ass! Luo Fei was cursing in his head. How could he have forgotten the difference between cohabitation and living together as a couple?! The difference was that in cohabitation, each person had their own life, their own finances. But what about him?! He had nothing. The little bit of money he had was given to him by Xi Yanqing.

He had already left the Luo family, and there was no way he could go back. Staying there for a day or two might be fine, but after a while, people would start talking. Most importantly, his parents wouldn’t allow it. That meant he had to rely on Xi Yanqing for food, drinks, housing, and daily expenses. What right did he have to negotiate terms with Xi Yanqing?! This was basically a glorified form of being kept!

Luo Fei instantly deflated like a wilting eggplant.

He thought about the small-time actors he knew who were kept by sponsors—what were they like? At their patron’s beck and call, forced to cry when told, to laugh when told, to bend over when told.

Not all of them were like that, of course, but most lived without much dignity.

Xi Yanqing saw his little spouse getting all gloomy and didn’t rush him. Instead, he started making the bed—he especially liked this bedspread. Even though it was stitched together, it was still one big piece. Just thinking about sharing this bed with Luo Fei made him happy.

Luo Fei counted his dowry, wondering how long he could last before he had to earn money himself. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized he didn’t have much—two blankets, two pairs of shoes, some vermicelli, a bag of flour, and some peanuts and sunflower seeds. How many days would that last? Oh, and the land under his name, which was now part of the Xi family’s property. But he wasn’t good at farming, and even if he was, it wouldn’t be enough to feed himself, let alone pay taxes in autumn.

Xi Yanqing saw him struggling internally and left for a moment. When he came back, he brought food—a bowl of rice, some vegetables, and soup.

"Your stomach has been growling for ages. Don’t you feel it?" Xi Yanqing handed Luo Fei a pair of chopsticks. "No matter what you're thinking, eat first."

"What about you?" Luo Fei asked, holding the chopsticks between his teeth. "Aren’t you eating?"

"I drank earlier, my stomach doesn’t feel great. I’ll just have some soup." Xi Yanqing picked up another bowl. "Put the fish bones here. I originally wanted to sneak a fish into the house for you, but I figured picking out the bones would be a hassle, so I didn’t. Try it—Han Yang’s mother made it. It’s really good, so I had someone set aside a whole fish just for you."

"Thanks." Luo Fei noticed the fish hadn’t been touched at all—it was completely intact. There were even a few pieces of tofu that had soaked up the broth, making them look extra delicious.

"Don’t feel pressured." Xi Yanqing watched Luo Fei eat and casually said, "I like you. Maybe even before you liked Bo Yuan, I already liked you. But that doesn’t change how we live together from now on. You can think of me as a friend or even a brother—just go with the flow. If one day you still want to leave, or if you meet someone you like—"

"You’d let me go?"

"Nope." Xi Yanqing smirked. "I think I’d just use force by then."

"Xi Yanqing! You are absolutely—" Luo Fei was so angry he felt dizzy. This man was insane!

"Alright, alright, just eat your fish before it gets cold and fishy." Xi Yanqing looked at the floor. "We should get a small table in here. That way, we can eat inside when it’s cold."

"Then just get one made!" Luo Fei huffed.

"And the garden fence needs repairs. There are a few broken spots I haven’t had time to fix yet."

"Then fix it!"

"You’ll help me?"

"Of course—wait! I’ve got it!" Luo Fei’s brain suddenly clicked. "How about I work for you? You pay me wages, cover my food and housing, and I’ll help you with chores. How’s that?!"

"A boss-and-employee rural love story?" Xi Yanqing chuckled. "Didn’t expect my wife to be so creative."

"Creative my ass! I’m serious! Yes or no?!" Luo Fei was speechless—why did this guy always twist things in a weird direction?!

"Alright then." Xi Yanqing sighed. "Starting today, food and lodging are included, and the wages are thirty wen a month." He still had to take care of his wife's little self-esteem.

"Thirty wen? That’s not even one tael of silver in a year." Luo Fei hesitated. "But when you came to pick up the bride today, you were riding a fine horse. Isn't thirty wen a little too little? We’re fellow villagers, can't you be a little more generous?"

"Thirty wen is already quite a lot. Don’t forget, I’m covering food and lodging. A laborer in town, who has to take care of their own food and housing, only earns about 150 wen a month. Besides, the wedding alone cost me seven or eight taels of silver in total. I still need to set aside some money for living expenses. And this house needs repairs, haven’t you noticed? If we want to farm, we need to buy seeds. If we don’t buy seeds, we can’t grow crops. If we don’t grow crops, what will we eat in the fall? You love eating rice so much—how could I let you survive on porridge every day?"

"Wh-who needs you to care about that? Besides, I’m already used to it!" Luo Fei turned his head away, uncomfortable. "Fine, thirty wen it is. But during this time, we are strictly in an employer-employee relationship!" After hearing Xi Yanqing agree, Luo Fei finally felt a little more balanced inside. "I’ll go clean up first."

"Go ahead." Xi Yanqing watched Luo Fei carry out the dishes, thinking to himself—this wasn’t a wife he had married, but a little donkey!

The little donkey felt that he had successfully negotiated a temporary peace treaty with the big tiger, so he happily washed the dishes. He was determined not to fall into the pit Xi Yanqing had dug for him. He had to work hard to earn money and support himself, otherwise, he might not even get to enjoy a few peaceful days before being angered to death by this man.

Come to think of it, how had he never noticed before that Xi Yanqing was such a chatterbox?!

And it seemed like Xi Yanqing wasn’t actually that wealthy.

He had originally wondered if that horse belonged to Xi Yanqing, but now it seemed that the person who came to retrieve the horse last night was the real owner.

It made sense. A good horse was worth as much as a house in town. If Xi Yanqing really owned a horse, why would he return to this rundown place?

Luo Fei, however, forgot that no matter how rundown this place was, he was still here.

Xi Yanqing was probably exhausted from preparing for the wedding these past few days, or maybe the alcohol was hitting him late. After washing up, he got into bed and fell asleep almost immediately.

At first, Luo Fei thought Xi Yanqing was faking it, but after waiting a long time and seeing no reaction, he unknowingly dozed off as well.

Luo Fei had a dream. In his dream, the peach blossoms in the yard were blooming, their soft pink petals drifting down like snowflakes, landing on his and Xi Yanqing’s shoulders. Xi Yanqing stood beside the peach tree, opening his strong arms toward him.

Xi Yanqing was sleeping soundly when he suddenly felt something moving toward him like a little bug. When he opened his eyes, he saw Luo Fei, who had forgotten to cover himself with a blanket, burrowing toward him.

Luo Fei’s blanket was still neatly in place, untouched. Meanwhile, most of Xi Yanqing’s blanket was covering him, and one corner had been crumpled up by Luo Fei’s movements.

Walking into my arms on your own? No need to be polite then!

Without thinking, Xi Yanqing lifted the blanket and pulled Luo Fei into his embrace. He planted little kisses and caresses here and there, stopping only when Luo Fei let out a sleepy hum in the morning. At that moment, Xi Yanqing shamelessly turned his back and subtly moved Luo Fei’s hand onto his waist—making it look like Luo Fei had voluntarily snuggled up to him!

—

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