On New Year's Eve, there were quite a few people at home. Aside from Third brother who was on a night shift, Eldest brother's family and Second brother's family would all go home to celebrate the Spring Festival. Fourth brother, Fifth brother and He Nuo's younger brothers were setting off firecrackers in the yard. His nephew Dongdong wanted to join them too, but his parents were busy making lunch and dinner so he went to pester the nicest Sixth uncle whom he was closest to instead.
He was just a kid so He Nuo didn't dare to give him any dangerous firecrackers; Dongdong could only handle fireworks and sparklers, so they slowly set them off one by one. His nephew played with them for a half an hour before he returned to the room, temporarily satisfied. After He Nuo walked into the warm room, he shivered because of the contrast in temperatures and suddenly realised that he had not worn a mask just now. Because Shi Yan was the one who would give him a mask, he was used to wearing them only after he left the house, but he actually didn't cough though he had stood outside for such a long time!!! He Nuo was incomparably thrilled — not because he didn't need to suffer from his cough anymore, but because he had thought about how happy Shi Yan would be. If Shi Yan knew about this, he would definitely die of excitement.
On the second day of the New Year, his parents and younger brothers went to their grandmother's house to celebrate the New Year. His older brothers who had families of their own had to go to their wives' family homes, while those who were on night shift went for their shifts, and his fifth brother who was currently in university went out with his old high school classmates. He Nuo was used to enjoying this kind of quiet holidays. After he finished his lunch, he laid on his bed to rest when he heard someone knocking on his windows. It couldn't be anyone else but Shi Yan. He Nuo jumped to the window and gestured to him to walk over to the front, then ran out to open the door. When Shi Yan saw that he wasn't wearing any cotton-padded clothing and was only adorned in a woollen sweater as he stood at the door, he began to scold him, "Do you want to die? How could you come out without wearing anything proper?!"
After he entered the house, he realised that it was very quiet, "Your family isn't around?"
"Un, they all went out."
No wonder this guy asked him to come in through the door, and it seemed like this was the first time He Nuo invited him into his house. He Nuo brought him water and some apples and oranges too. Shi Yan took two huge pomegranates out of his bag and opened them up. The insides were chock full of plump, crystal-like seeds, and they looked so lusciously red that it would make any onlooker drool. He Nuo accepted it and asked, puzzled, "Why are there pomegranates during winter?"
"Somebody gave them to us, idiot. It's not cold in the South, so what kind of fruits would they not have? They eat all kinds of fresh fruits all year round."
"Is it warm in the South now?"
"Of course. You wouldn't need to wear sweaters in Hainan all year round, and you can even swim during winter there since even their sea waters are warm. Eat up."
He Nuo pulled one seed out and put it in his mouth, as if he couldn't bear to bite down on it too hard. Shi Yan took it back, "You really are a young master aren't you? Who eats it like that?"
He Nuo looked at him with a confused expression. Shi Yan pulled off a handful of pomegranate seeds, "Open your mouth!"
He Nuo opened his mouth upon orders. Shi Yan plunked his hand on He Nuo's mouth and sent a handful of pomegranate seeds into it.
"It's more enjoyable to eat them like this. You always look so shy when you eat, as if you're a girl."
Meanwhile, He Nuo was stunned by Shi Yan's sudden action and the seeds went straight down into his throat which choked He Nuo until he had to cough the whole mouthful of pomegranate seeds out. Shi Yan busied himself with patting his back, "Okay, okay fine, you should just eat them slowly one by one ba."
He Nuo pulled on Shi Yan's arm that was patting his back, then said after he could breathe properly, "I just remembered that I haven't told you yet, my cough has recovered."
Shi Yan immediately stopped moving like someone had casted a spell on him. His raised his sword eyebrows1, "What did you say?"
"My cough has recovered." He Nuo repeated slowly word by word, and saw a rare stupefied look on Shi Yan's face, "Didn't you realise that I hadn't coughed even once when I went out just now?"
Shi Yan thought about how He Nuo stood at the door in his woollen sweater, and how he hadn't heard any coughing sounds ever since he came in. No wonder he kept feeling like something was amiss. The Shi Yan who was sitting by the bed stood up and looked around.
"What are you looking for? Do you want something?"
He Nuo had just asked when Shi Yan suddenly picked him up and twirled him around, "Trying to find something that we can celebrate this with……"
He Nuo placed his hands on Shi Yan's shoulders, "Let me down, let me down quickly. I, I feel dizzy."
Only then did Shi Yan let He Nuo down. He Nuo couldn't withstand the twirling, so he immediately fell onto his bed with his hands on his head.
"When did you stop coughing?" Shi Yan said with much joy and pride, "Didn't I say before that as long as Daye, I, spring into action, there isn't any illness that can't be treated."
"I don't know either, but I suddenly discovered it on the night of the 30th."
"You recovered on the 30th, and yet you didn't tell me so that I could have a happy New Year's? And to think that I was even wondering if the little guy was pestering you and causing you to catch a cold."
He Nuo felt so touched that he was in a complete mess, "You didn't go out to play yesterday?"
"How's it possible to not go out? That bunch of guys called me right after they ate dumplings on the 30th. I was hanging out with them the whole day yesterday, and this morning I went to my Grandma's place to celebrate the New Year's. I'm so damn exhausted, I haven't managed to get a good sleep yet so far." Shi Yan leaned backwards and closed his eyes.
"Thank you, Shi Yan."
"Un." Shi Yan paid no heed to it when he answered, but after he understood what that guy He Nuo was saying, he opened his eyes and found a face filled with gratitude as expected. He Nuo looked like he was on the verge of putting him on an altar to worship him everyday.
"Shi Yan, I want to do a little something for you, but I don't know what I can do."
When he saw the prim and proper He Nuo, Shi Yan knew that He Nuo must feel like he owed him too much, so he smiled and said in a flirtatious voice, "Well, there are a lot of things you can do. Right now, young master me is suffering from an intense backache from playing cards all night, come and give me a massage Xiao Nuo~~~"
"You," He Nuo's guilt vanished after his teasing, "I'm serious."
"Your Lord, me, is being serious too. I'm so sore and exhausted right now, and I'm so sleepy I'm gonna die." Right after he finished talking, Shi Yan really did close his eyes to rest.
Uniform breathing sounds travelled over from Shi Yan just a few moments later, and that was when He Nuo knew that he really had fallen asleep. He Nuo grabbed a coat and wanted to cover Shi Yan with it when he saw how Shi Yan was lying against the quilt in a half-lying half-sitting posture with his legs hanging off the bed. He was just complaining about how sore his back was, yet he was in this kind of position now. Wouldn't it hurt even more when he woke up? He Nuo took off his shoes for him and lifted his legs onto the bed. Then he pulled the quilt down as he planned to get Shi Yan to lie down properly, only to realise that this guy was awfully heavy. He had to exert effort comparable to the strength of nine cattle and two tigers before he managed to lay Shi Yan down flat on the bed. He was about to heave a sigh of relief before his body was suddenly pulled down onto the bed — no, onto a person.
An unbridled laughter resounded in his chest, and when the tremour travelled onto He Nuo's face, it even had a certain warmth to it. He Nuo propped himself up and looked at his mischievous eyes, "I was conscious the moment you took my shoes off."
"Then why didn't you get up?" He Nuo scolded.
"I was too lazy to move ma~ I wanted to continue sleeping anyway, but you ended up dragging me downwards like you were dragging a dead dog, how could I not wake up?"
He Nuo immediately laughed, Shi Yan's description was really on point. He couldn't move him by himself, so he could only pull on his legs to drag him until he was laying down flat on the bed. Now that he thought about it, Shi Yan's metaphor was really quite appropriate.
"Then lay down properly before you sleep ba, or else your neck and back would hurt when you wake up. What time do you want me to wake you up?" He Nuo supported himself up and was about to get off the bed.
"You should sleep too, let's sleep together for awhile." Shi Yan pulled him back.
"I'm not sleepy, don't wanna sleep." He Nuo didn't have the habit of sleeping during the day, and his bed was really narrow while Shi Yan had a pretty big build.
"Stop it, stop fussing about. I'm sleepy, hurry and sleep." Shi Yan laid him down inside as he mumbled sleepily.
If He Nuo wanted to get off the bed, he would have to climb over Shi Yan. He thought about it for awhile before he turned around, then closed his eyes with his back facing Shi Yan.
1.
T/N: I am SO thankful for these pockets of sweetness after almost 50 chapters of pure torture.