Chapter 59: The Night is Still Long. Every time they had a break, He Feng

always found something for Song Qingshu to do. On Friday afternoon, he took Song Qingshu on a bike ride to the bamboo forest where they'd spent the New Year.

Because the bamboo forest crossed the South Bridge, Song Qingshu sat in He Feng's back seat. Children, freshly finished school, greeted him, and he smiled back.

"Teacher Song, where are you going?"

"To the bamboo forest over the bridge." Song Qingshu clutched He Feng's shirt and turned to speak to the young boy.

A car approached ahead, just as it was turning. He Feng braked suddenly, and Song Qingshu immediately embraced He Feng as the child also turned.

"Brother?" Song Qingshu rubbed his forehead.

He Feng waited for the car to leave, then leaned over and said, "Be good, little one. Hold me."

"Okay." Song Qingshu obediently hugged his waist. The sleeves of his thin cotton jacket were not very long, revealing a slender wrist like a piece of jade.

Arriving at the bamboo forest, He Feng parked the car by the roadside and asked Song Qingshu to get out.

"Why isn't anyone digging?" Song Qingshu tiptoed into the grove.

He Feng held two small hoes. "We don't have many people eating here, and sometimes I can't remember when the bamboo shoots are ready to eat."

Song Qingshu bent over, staring at the shoots poking out of the ground. He Feng walked over. "There'll be a bunch of spring vegetables ready to eat soon."

"What else?"

"There's a small Chinese toon tree in our yard. Didn't you see it, kid?"

"I don't think you noticed." Song Qingshu took the hoe, found a shoot with a small section poking out, and started to dig. But he mis-aimed at the soil and cut the shoot in half with his hoe.

He touched his nose and turned around. "Brother, I made a mistake."

The cross-section he had cut wasn't smooth, but you could see the bamboo shoot nodes inside. "It's okay. Take the ones above that node first, and I'll dig it out for you to see."

Song Qingshu took the shoot and took two steps back, resting the small hoe on the ground.

To dig bamboo shoots, one had to dig slowly down the soil next to the shoot, leaving some space between them. Once they reached the bottom, they could bend over and break it open to remove the whole shoot.

"Some shoots look too protruding, so don't use the ones at the bottom. Just break them off, or find another one,"

he instructed. Song Qingshu uttered an "oh," and the setting sun's rays filtered through the layers of bamboo leaves, illuminating him as he squatted on the ground, searching for any shoots that had poked their heads out. Once he

successfully dug out a whole one, he'd show it to He Feng, his eyes narrowing with a smile. "Brother! Look!"

He Feng, who was digging a large one, paused and looked at him. "It's so complete! You're so smart, kid."

Hearing him praise himself delighted Song Qingshu. He had nothing to do at home, except being coaxed into bed, and there were no opportunities for He Feng to praise him.

Seeing him eagerly searching for his next target, He Feng warned him, "Don't push too hard. Your arms will hurt tomorrow."

Song Qingshu waved his hand. "Got it."

The forest wasn't large, but the bamboo was growing well, and the grass on the ground wasn't very tall.

In the summer, no one dared to come here because they were afraid of snakes. It was only early spring, and the weather wasn't very warm yet. If it were a few days later, He Feng wouldn't dare bring Song Qingshu here.

Even if it wasn't poisonous, it was scary enough.

Not long after, Xiao Hei ran over, slipped into the bamboo forest, and ran straight towards Song Qingshu, sticking out his tongue and rubbing against him.

"Hey, Xiao Hei, how did you get here?"

He Feng picked up the last one and threw it into the bamboo basket, then walked towards where Song Qingshu was. "It smelled something."

"It's gone, right?" He Feng picked up the ones Song Qingshu had just dug up from the ground. "Go back and peel them. They'll be enough for us to stir-fry meat or stew soup for two or three meals."

Song Qingshu kicked the hoe at his feet, rubbing Xiao Hei's ears. "Is this big basket only enough for two or three meals?"

"The bamboo shoots look big, but there won't be much left after peeling them. It's still empty inside, so we can't sell much."

Song Qingshu said, and He Feng picked up the basket. "Let's go home, little one."

"Where's Xiao Hei?" Song Qingshu picked up the hoe and followed He Feng outside.

"It needs to run around outside for a while." He Feng put the hoe in the basket, and Song Qingshu followed him in.

"Kid, you have to sit on the front bar, and the bamboo basket has to be placed on the back seat."

"Okay."

Two ropes were tied under the back seat from the beginning. After watching He Feng fix the bamboo basket on the seat, Song Qingshu finally understood why the ropes had to be tied.

He Feng sat on the seat and asked Song Qingshu to sit sideways on the front bar. It was actually a bit uncomfortable for his butt, but fortunately it was not far from home and there were no bad roads, so it was not too uncomfortable.

Moreover, sitting in the front, holding the handlebars, with his back against He Feng's chest, it was like He Feng was holding him in his arms, which made him feel very safe.

Song Qingshu felt a little shy when he met people, but he didn't know that since the malt sugar was made and distributed, everyone started to spread the word. They

said that He Feng had picked up a little ancestor for him to support the family, and he couldn't lift it on his shoulders or carry it with his hands, but he had learned how to make sugar and sew dolls.

Mrs. Liu made that doll for Nannan to take out. When Nannan saw Song Qingshu's doll last time, she realized that her grandmother made it according to Song Qingshu's design. She went out and said that her young master made it for her grandfather.

It was spread like this until everyone knew about it.

Song Qingshu had never heard of these rumors, but He Feng had heard of them. He just smiled and didn't refute them.

He took the photos of the two of them to the brigade to show people. People who had seen Song Qingshu or not, the first reaction after seeing the photos was that He Feng had found a beautiful wife.

Suddenly, they could understand why He Feng was going to be with a man.

After all, who doesn't like beautiful people?

In the evening, He Feng fried a plate of bacon and bamboo shoots. Mrs. Liu brought the bacon back from her mother's house. She said that she made too much for the New Year, and since not all the nephews and nieces from her mother's house came home, they couldn't eat it all, so they shared it.

There was also a string of homemade sausages, which He Feng asked him to keep for steaming rice for Song Qingshu to try.

He Feng kept them all.

Anyway, it's a give and take, so He Feng also gave some of the unpeeled bamboo shoots to Mrs. Liu, asking her to keep them for when her daughter came.

The dishes on the table were grease-covered bacon mixed with bamboo shoots cut into strips. He Feng sprinkled some white sesame seeds on them before serving, which made them look even more fragrant.

"Try it." He Feng picked up a piece of bacon with chopsticks and put it on the white flour bun in Song Qingshu's hand.

I thought it would be a bit greasy, but this bacon was probably smoked with some charcoal, so it didn't have much oil and had a bit of woody fragrance. The lean meat was not dry either, but the more you chewed it, the more fragrant it became.

"Let's see if there's a pig being slaughtered tomorrow on the street, and buy some spare ribs to make soup."

After dinner and washing the pot, He Feng boiled a large pot of water. When Song Qingshu saw him boiling water, his waist reflexively ached.

The lights in the yard were on, and Song Qingshu went to look for the Chinese toon tree that He Feng mentioned next to the persimmon tree.

He searched for a long time and found it at the base of the wall. It was a thin tree, only as thick as his index finger, and only as high as his waist.

But many Chinese toon shoots had already emerged from the top. They were not green, but red at the tips, yellowing on the leaves, and green at the base. The color transition was very natural.

He Feng boiled some water and came out, not looking at anyone, and called out "Zi Zi".

Song Qingshu poked his head out from behind the persimmon tree, "Here you are?"

"I thought Zi Zi had scared you away." He Feng looked at the man standing behind the persimmon tree with a teasing look, "What do you think of the Chinese toon tree?"

"Yeah, it smells a strange smell." He came out from inside, pretending not to hear He Feng's previous words.

"Try it later and see if you like it. If not, there are other spring vegetables. I see a bunch of horse food amaranth in the field. In a few days, there will be acacia flowers, shepherd's purse, elm seeds, and young cloth twigs (1). They are all edible."

Song Qingshu had never heard of these wild vegetables before. "Can flowers be eaten?"

He Feng led someone to turn on the bathroom light. "Yes, you can eat it. You can make dumplings, scrambled eggs, or steam it."

Song Qingshu imitated his pronunciation. "What is young cloth twig?"

"I don't know what it is called, but people here call it that. It looks like a caterpillar. I'll take you to find it later. Hook it down and have a look."

Song Qingshu nodded. He wanted to ask more, but He Feng sealed it with a kiss. He just touched his lips. "Baby, it's time to take a bath."

"I'll go get some clothes." Song Qingshu pursed his lips and didn't dare to look He Feng in the eye.

Last time, because he glanced up at He Feng before taking a bath, the two of them took a bath together.

This time, he learned his lesson and resolutely did not look up.

He Feng grasped his fair wrist, his hot breath falling on the clean side of Song Qingshu's neck. "Brother, get it. Go wash, son. The water's ready."

Now without an excuse, Song Qingshu took the towel and went into the bathroom. "Don't worry, brother won't disturb you, but you can't stay in there too long."

He Feng had replaced the curtains at the door with a wooden door before the New Year. Otherwise, the heat from the bath would escape in winter, and Song Qingshu would definitely catch a cold.

He showered frequently, but only occasionally did he take too long or get too tired, and fall asleep as soon as his eyes closed, leaving He Feng to clean up bit by bit with a towel.

The nourishing ointment he bought from the provincial capital was truly effective, causing He Feng to become more and more uninhibited, not just restrained.

On the bedside cabinet sat a cup of hot water, a clean towel, and two ointments. Song Qingshu didn't know when He Feng had come in and put them there.

When he came back from the shower, his face flushed.

He Feng sat on the bed, leaning against the headboard, holding Song Qingshu on his lap, letting him lie in front of him and kiss him.

He was getting better and better at kissing, and Song Qingshu was falling for him faster and faster. His hands were limp on He Feng's shoulders, his eyes misty, and he felt dizzy as if he had been drinking.

He Feng remembered the dietary restrictions mentioned by the gentleman in the provincial capital. Alcohol was not mentioned there, but drinking a little grain wine or fruit wine was good for the body.

There were people in Hejia Village who made wine, and He Feng had tried it before. It tasted sweeter than ordinary white wine, and there was also rice wine that was not spicy at all. He could find a chance to let Song Qingshu try a little.

He Feng put his arm around his slender waist and pulled him up a little. Song Qingshu lowered his head and leaned against his collarbone to breathe. The hot breath he exhaled was fragrant, and He Feng felt tingling.

He lowered his head and kissed the white neck exposed in front of him, gently rubbing it with his teeth, then tilted his head to kiss Song Qingshu's earlobe, and blew air into his cochlea in a vicious way.

Song Qingshu shrank his neck and said, "Don't blow."

He Feng pretended to be obedient, "Then kiss me, little bastard, and I won't blow you if you kiss me."

Song Qingshu raised his head again, held He Feng's face and kissed him on the lips. He Feng held his neck with one hand, and absorbed the sweet saliva from his mouth.

The other hand also began to be unbridled, no longer satisfied with just lingering on the soft waist. The hand moved up and down Song Qingshu's smooth back like a snake.

When he found a sensitive spot, he would pinch it intentionally, and listen to the soft and gentle moans that came out of Song Qingshu's nose, which were tortuous and melodious. He Feng loved it very much.

Song Qingshu completely lost his strength. No matter how He Feng manipulated him, he was soft, really like dough.

The soft skin was kneaded by He Feng, leaving red marks, and his waist was completely collapsed. He Feng didn't need to look for the two waist dimples specifically, he could feel them with his fingertips by relying on his memory.

He Feng had developed a new mischievous taste. Seeing that he had no strength left, he made him lie on his stomach, propped a pillow under his groin, and half-kneeling, the hollow of his waist was exposed again. He poked that adorable little dimple with his hand.

Song Qingshu, realizing what was happening, was stunned for a moment. He reached out to cover his face, but was touched again... He bit his lip, and the tears welling in his eyes finally spilled out. He lay on the pillow, muttering in shame and anger, "Mm, I'm a pervert."

He Feng didn't care. He bent down and kissed the protruding bone at the back of his neck, leaving a kiss mark before licking his teeth in satisfaction. "Mm, I'm a pervert."

The cream he bought in the city was more fragrant, a ylang-ylang scent. Every time he applied it, Song Qingshu would groan in discomfort, making it impossible for He Feng to hold back. He

twisted Song Qingshu's face, licking the newly grown soft flesh of his cheek, blocking his mouth and conquering the city.

When he pulled out again, Song Qingshu could only babbled, his pink tongue jutting out, only to be sucked on by He Feng before he could retract it.

He disliked the kneeling position, so once he felt comfortable, He Feng turned him over, had him sit on top of him again, and held him, kissing him again.

There was no part of Song Qingshu he didn't like, and the kisses continued to fall. As Song Qingshu panted, he would move to his neck, collarbone, wrists...

He kissed and bit Song Qingshu everywhere, then slowly licked away the tears that spilled from his eyes, and asked if he felt comfortable when Song Qingshu trembled uncontrollably.

The bullied man whimpered continuously, and shook his hand with a trembling hand, "It feels good, make it good, brother."

He Feng was no longer satisfied with the name of brother. He leaned over Song Qingshu's already red earlobe and licked it, "Call me brother."

He had completely lost his rough-around-the-edges look, and Song Qingshu just let him flatten and round him, responding to his every word.

After shouting "good brother" many times in a hoarse voice, He Feng finally gave him what he wanted. The night is still long.