Chapter 60 Happy Birthday. Around the Spring Equinox, He Feng took...

Around the Spring Equinox, He Feng took Song Qingshu to the fields to plant the sunflowers Song Qingshu had been dreaming of. In just two months, the field would be covered in sunflowers.

He claimed to be taking Song Qingshu to plant, but in reality, Song Qingshu had only dug a few holes and sowed a few seeds when Wang Shun, who had arrived, summoned him to He Sheng's pharmacy to explain a problem to a child.

Song Qingshu suspected Wang Shun had made an appointment with He Feng. He Sheng even called his son out, telling him to ask Teacher Song if he had any questions.

He Sheng had done Song Qingshu a favor, so Song Qingshu helped teach him for a while.

"Is there any water at home? I want to get some for my brother."

He Sheng was prescribing cold medicine for someone and asked his son to go inside and get another glass of water. Song Qingshu carried the water to the nearby field.

It wasn't far away, but he still covered the glass with his hand to keep out dust.

He Feng was resting at the edge of the field. He Ping's parents happened to live nearby. They were both quite elderly. During the Lunar New Year holiday, He Ping had gotten into a fight that nearly resulted in a fatality and landed him in jail again.

The old man hadn't been in good health for the past two years, his hand trembling as he held his cigarette. He called out to He Feng, asking if he had anything to say.

"Don't feel guilty. He Ping is He Ping. I won't blame you. Some children are just born bad."

The old man sighed, barely holding back his tears.

"After all, we raised him," his cloudy eyes moistened.

Song Qingshu, who happened to be carrying water, glanced at the old man and nodded with a smile. Unaware of their relationship, he hesitated to address him.

"Just call me brother," Song Qingshu said, smiling. "Brother,"

even though the man looked at him at least twenty years older.

The old man looked at Song Qingshu in silence, his lips trembling as he took a drag from his cigarette. He remembered the rumors in the village about Song Qingshu's poor health and He Feng's quitting smoking.

He pressed the rough cigarette in his hand to the ground. "Son, I apologize to you on behalf of that kid He Ping."

Song Qingshu's eyes widened. It had indeed been a long time since he had heard of such a person.

He waved his hand to refuse the old man. "No, I'm fine now, and it's his fault."

He Feng took the water from his hand and gulped down a few gulps. The glass of water was empty. He helped him say a few more words to the old man. Shouting came from the house, and the old man returned home.

Song Qingshu stood beside He Feng. "If you're tired, can we come back tomorrow?"

"We're just getting started. He had something to tell me, so I came over here and said I needed a break. Otherwise, he'd be even more uncomfortable."

He Feng returned the empty cup to Song Qingshu, squeezing his soft palm. "Go rest over there with He Sheng. In an hour, we'll go back as the sun sets. We'll steam purslane for dinner."

"What about the Chinese toon we just picked this afternoon?"

"We'll make that too, scrambled eggs."

Song Qingshu nodded and turned to leave. He Feng then instructed him to stay away if he was sick, as he wasn't feeling well.

Accustomed to He Feng's paternal nagging, Song Qingshu agreed, but he kept walking.

...

These past two days, Song Qingshu had a clear sense of what He Feng was busy with, but he knew he was busy.

He had a vague suspicion that he was preparing a birthday gift for him, but he couldn't guess what it was.

He Feng wasn't knitting or sewing anything. Whenever Song Qingshu peeked at him, he'd be pushed to bed, fussing around, and then fall asleep.

He had no idea what He Feng was doing.

On the evening of February 29th, the dishes He Feng had learned from Li Xia were laid out on the table: fish with grapes, sweet and sour pork tenderloin, stir-fried chrysanthemums, roast chicken with potatoes, braised sausage with rice, and a small bowl of longevity noodles with two poached eggs.

The sausages were topped with green beans, chopped vegetables, and a drizzle of sesame oil, making them incredibly fragrant.

"We made too much, we can't finish it all," Song Qingshu couldn't help but say, looking at the dishes on the table.

He Feng smiled, "There are others."

With that, He Lishu, Chen Yun, Er Qing'er, and Sister Liu, who had been hiding in the room, emerged.

Now, it seemed like there was so much food to cook.

Er Qing held a jar of rice wine in her arms, claiming it was brewed by Chen Yun herself. He Feng had asked her a few days ago to learn, and Chen Yun, who also wanted to make it herself, had made two extra jars.

He Feng, He Lishu, and Mrs. Liu were drinking baijiu, something they were used to. Rice wine was just a drink for them.

Song Qingshu, Chen Yun, and Erqing were drinking rice wine. He was about to ask Erqing if he could drink it, but the child took a big gulp the moment he arrived.

Chen Yun snatched the teacup from him and told him to eat instead of just drinking. The

square table was full of people, and He Feng only discovered later that Song Qingshu actually loved the hustle and bustle more than anyone else. He was just afraid and didn't dare to interact with others.

But he was obviously very well-behaved, and it was easy to like him just by looking at him. Yet

, he always seemed to feel that he wasn't good enough. He was obviously very gentle with children and elders, playing with them and chatting with the elderly.

So he had prepared for this dinner several days in advance.

Before everyone started eating, He Feng asked Song Qingshu to eat noodles first. He was busy cooking today, so Mrs. Liu helped roll the noodles. There was only one long, thin noodle, neatly arranged in the bowl.

Chen Yun had cooked the clear soup noodles; she liked light food, and the flavor was just right, with the egg being slightly runny.

He lowered his head and finished a noodle under their smiling gazes. Everyone raised their glasses, "Happy birthday, little babe/little Song/little uncle/little grandpa!"

Erqing was a child after all, and his arms weren't that long, so he simply stood up and tiptoed to clink glasses with everyone else's.

Everyone had smiles on their faces, and the warm yellow room was lively and warm.

"This kid is such a smart kid," said Mrs. Liu.

Chen Yun smiled as she served food to Erqing. He ate very well, holding the bowl and stuffing food into his mouth with his chopsticks.

Like a little hamster, he wouldn't start chewing until it was full.

Song Qingshu felt like crying as he laughed, but he held it back. He Feng sat down next to him, put down his chopsticks, and suddenly touched his hand with his right hand.

It was warm, tender, and soft.

At the dinner table, we talked about when Erqing was younger. Chen Yun’s brothers from her mother’s family came to visit relatives and brought a small jar of bayberry wine, which was as big as the can of yellow peaches.

Erqing’s uncle picked up a bayberry with chopsticks and fed it to Erqing, saying that it was sweet and sour, and tasted different from the bitter and spicy wine.

He kept saying it was delicious, so Erqing really stuffed it into his mouth.

As a result, the child fell into a coma for the whole afternoon, which almost scared Chen Yun to death. He took him to the brigade to see a doctor, and it turned out that he was drunk.

When Erqing woke up in the evening, he didn’t know what happened in the morning when asked.

"I am angry and funny when I think about it now. From then on, no one dared to feed Erqing white wine. He just

wanted to drink some rice wine." "When he grows up, he can drink as much as he wants."

Chen Yun said, looking at Song Qingshu, "Do you have such a rule for drinking over there? Today I am your maternal family, so I will get He Feng drunk."

Song Qingshu was stunned. He didn't remember if there was such a rule, but looking at Chen Yun's expression, he nodded almost unconsciously.

He wanted to see what He Feng looked like when he was drunk.

Chen Yun patted He Lishu, "Come with our aunt and get our master drunk."

He Feng was also happy today, and he accepted everyone. If you didn't know, you would think it was his and Song Qingshu's wedding banquet.

Later, when Song Qingshu poured him tea, he thought it was just tea. After taking it, he handed the rice wine on the table to Song Qingshu, and the two stood together.

Just like when Jin Yan and Zhao Yuanhui got married, they toasted to everyone at the table.

He Feng's face did not show when he drank, and he did not shake when he stood there. There was just a layer of drunkenness in his eyes, but it was not obvious.

"Here, I toast you."

Everyone understood what He Feng was doing. Mrs. Liu and the others all stood up. There was no need to clink glasses at this time. "Cheers!"

After drinking this glass of wine, Chen Yun put his arm around He Lishu's swaying waist and said, "Uncle, he's drunk. I'm going home first."

Mrs. Liu was also a little drunk, but she looked sober. Song Qingshu didn't know that Mrs. Liu could drink so much, and she even wanted to help Song Qingshu clean up the dishes.

He Lishu was brought home by Chen Yun and Erqing together. Mrs. Liu went home alone.

Song Qingshu stood at the gate, watched them leave, and then closed the door.

As soon as he turned around, he was hugged by He Feng, "Baby, baby." He kept calling out.

"Baby, baby," he kept saying. "Baby, I'm here, brother." Song Qingshu put his arm around his waist, listening to his beating heartbeat, "I'm here."

On a moonlit night with sparse stars, Xiao Hei and Xiao Hua had eaten a lot of bones and meat tonight, and buried some in the yard. They were now cleaning up the traces.

He Feng wiped Song Qingshu's face with the tip of his thumb, his voice a little unclear. "Are you happy today?"

Song Qingshu smiled brightly and happily. "I'm happy! Brother, it's great to have you."

"Son, I hope I can always be like this today."

He Feng, pleased by the compliment, carried him back to the inner room and said, "Happy birthday, son."

Song Qingshu sat on the bed. He Feng's tongue, tinged with alcohol, darted into his mouth, searching for the sweet aroma of rice wine and the saliva oozing from the root of his tongue.

He kissed Song Qingshu until the root of his tongue was numb, then reluctantly pinched his cheek and withdrew.

"Son, take a break. I'll go wash the pots and dishes."

Song Qingshu's waist and legs were weak. He Feng had kissed him so fiercely that before he could catch his breath, he turned around and went out to clean up the dishes with steady steps.

He was afraid that He Feng was drunk, so after he recovered, he secretly ran to the kitchen door to watch He Feng wash the dishes.

He Feng didn't wear an apron, just lowered his head and washed the dishes. As he washed, a smile appeared on his face, and he even laughed out loud.

It seems that he is not the only one who feels very happy today.

Song Qingshu smiled at He Feng in the room through a window, and turned around to sweep the floor before He Feng noticed.

He Feng wet a towel and came in to wipe Song Qingshu's hands. He also brought a basin of water, and they soaked their feet together. He helped Song Qingshu wipe his feet clean before wiping his own.

"I'm too tired today. You have to go to class tomorrow. Go to bed quickly, babe."

When he came back after pouring the foot washing water, Song Qingshu, with his clothes half-undressed, was still leaning against the head of the bed and looking at He Feng, as if waiting for something.

He Feng swallowed his saliva, "Baby."

Song Qingshu pointed to the ointment on the table, "Just once, after you're done, I'll apply the medicine on me, and I won't feel uncomfortable tomorrow."

He Feng, who was a little confused, suddenly woke up and came over like a predatory beast.

They had always been gentle and soft, except for the occasional overreaction from He Feng, who always took Song Qingshu's feelings into consideration.

Today was more passionate and impulsive than ever. He Feng was like a wild man, tasting the sweetness of fresh wild fruit and unwilling to let it go.

But he remembered not to let Song Qingshu scream too much, so he kept kissing him, so that the sounds that escaped Song Qingshu were tinny and inaudible.

The original agreement was completely forgotten.

He Feng held her and kissed her, the aroma of alcohol mingling between their bodies, their heavy breathing mingling, the sticky kiss lingering and passionate. (This is kissing!!!)

Song Qingshu, held by the waist, trembled violently, his lower abdomen aching with pain. He cried out in a low, hoarse voice, "No," but He Feng could not hear him.

Until a different smell filled the air.

He cried so hard he was trembling, his sanity and shyness eating away at him like a flood. Realizing something, he buried himself in the quilt and sobbed, "Wow... so dirty."

He Feng kissed the sensitive skin behind his ear. "It's not dirty, baby, everything about you is clean and smells good."

Song Qingshu still refused to look up, his slender legs curled up, his pretty hands clutching the quilt tightly. His sobs were soft and heartbreaking.

"It's my fault, baby. I didn't hear you."

"Don't cry, baby. It's your birthday today. If you're upset, take it out on me."

He Feng held him tightly in his arms, their skin pressed against each other. The permeating fragrance of Song Qingshu's body wafted to his nose again. He Feng took a deep breath, his Adam's apple rolling, his eyes darkening.

He touched Song Qingshu's cheek and kissed the saliva that flowed from the corner of his lips, which seemed to be a little tearful.

Song Qingshu couldn't hear his soft coaxing words, only knowing that he had almost lost himself. The smell in the room kept reminding him of what he had just done.

He Feng put his hand on his back and patted it, "This is normal, baby. You are too comfortable, so you will feel like this. I will wipe it clean in a while."

His eyes were red, and his thin eyelids were a little swollen. He sniffed and choked softly, "We need ventilation."

He Feng carried him to the window and opened it. In the moonlight, he saw the shy expression on his face, which was both innocent and tempting. He kissed the pink nose, "Don't cry, baby."

The cool wind blew in from outside, and Song Qingshu shrank back. He Feng groaned and took him back to the bed and covered him with a quilt.

The crying continued for a while. Song Qingshu's lower abdomen was twitching when he fell asleep. A tear fell from the corner of his eye and was wiped away with a towel by He Feng, who was already awake.