Date

 

“Brother Xia Xia ! I’m here!”

 

Jing Yi had just parked the carriage in front of the Lin family’s house when Xiao Shu started calling him “Xia Xia Ge,” tugging at his neck.

 

Jing Yi quickly closed his mouth, which had just opened, feeling utterly speechless.

 

Today, he was supposed to have a romantic outing with Chuxia, but he had once again overlooked the strict social etiquette of this era. Whenever he got involved with Chuxia, he seemed to lose his head.

 

Just before leaving, his mother had forcefully handed him two small light bulbs.

 

“After all, Xia Xia is a brother! You should think of him more!”

 

His mother spoke seriously to her eldest son before turning to instruct the two younger ones.

 

“You two go with them just in case. We don’t want any rumors about your brother Xia Xia. Today is their date. Yes, don’t disturb them on their date!”

 

“We understand, Mother!” They were thrilled to go out and play, so they were sure to be obedient.

 

Hurray! Big brother said that they were going to visit Liyang Mountain today, enjoying the scenery, paying respects to the gods, and having a picnic!

 

Liyang Mountain was located to the south of Fuyang Town. Although its name sounded majestic, it was actually a low hill with gentle slopes and picturesque views. On the north side was Fuyang Town, and on the south side lay Bai Li Town.

 

In Jing Yi’s words, this place was easy to develop for tourism.

 

Because there was a temple on the mountain known for granting wishes, the temple’s incense offerings were quite prosperous.

 

Jing Yi thought it would be nice to climb the mountain with Chuxia, pay respects at the temple, and pray for their future happiness.

 

Planning the date had been a bit of a headache for him. There wasn’t much to do in the countryside, so Jing Yi inquired around town and finally, shopkeeper Huang from Jixiange Pavilion recommended Liyang Mountain, saying it had beautiful scenery and was best visited in spring or early summer. Going in May or June, when the weather got hot and mosquitoes were abundant, wasn’t as pleasant.

 

“Here they are!”

 

Chuxia, carrying a basket, followed Lin Father out of the house. He hadn’t paid close attention earlier, but now, seeing Xiao Shu and Xiao An in the car and Jing Yi’s slightly troubled expression, he immediately understood what was going on and couldn’t help but smile secretly.

 

He had always known that Jing Yi respected him and cared for him deeply. So now, he felt nothing but pure joy and a tiny bit of sympathy for him.

 

Father Lin was overjoyed when he saw the two little ones. He had been torn between wanting his children to enjoy themselves and fearing gossip. Now, with Xiao Shu and Xiao An joining them, everything was perfect.

 

Jing Yi stared at Chuxia directly.

 

Today, Chuxia was wearing a light green outfit, the fabric was new, and the design accentuated his waist. In early summer, the clothes were thin, and he looked not only beautiful but also youthful and fresh, like a tender green shoot.

 

Of course, beauty was subjective, and different people had different preferences. However, in Jing Yi’s eyes, he appeared calm and noble on the outside but had already ignited a fiery passion on the inside.

 

“Ahem” After calming down a bit, Jing Yi glanced at Chuxia’s expression. He realized that he didn’t seem upset at all about his two little brothers joining them. Instead, there was a hint of comfort in his expression.

 

“Uncle, are Xiao Shan and Xiao Jiang at home? If they are, let’s invite them to come with us. With more people, it’ll be livelier, and Xiao Shu and Xiao An will have playmates.”

 

“At home? Well, they are, but with four children, you two won’t be able to keep an eye on them.” Lin Dad tried to decline, suggesting that it was Jing Yi’s responsibility, especially since Chuxia was a brother.

 

“Hey! These three kids are all eleven this year. They’re almost as tall as my mother now. Where do they still need someone to watch over them? Xia Xia and I will look after Xiao Shu just fine.” Jing Yi said confidently.

 

“Xiao Shan! Xiao Jiang! Come out quickly, your Brother Yi is taking you out to play!”

 

Jing Yi didn’t give Father Lin a chance to refuse. He shouted loudly through the courtyard gate.

 

“You little rascal, alright then, just be careful on the road.” Father Lin looked at Jing Yi with a wry smile and then went into the yard to let Lin Dongshan and Lin Dongjiang change into new clothes.

 

Since February, the Lin family’s business had been booming, and they had made some money. Father Lin generously provided each family member with two sets of new clothes, one for spring and one for summer.

 

After the two little brothers quickly changed into their excited new outfits and hopped onto the donkey cart, Jing Yi bid farewell to Father Lin, and they set off.

 

As they passed through Wangjiazhuang Village, they encountered several young girls and boys. Some were bold and looked at Jing Yi with shy interest, making Chuxia’s expression somewhat unpleasant.

 

But when Chuxia saw Jing Yi, who was either rushing the cart or turning to chat with him, completely ignoring the people standing by the roadside, he felt relieved.

 

Jing Yi was puzzled by Chuxia’s rapidly changing expressions. Sometimes he seemed upset, and other times he appeared happy.

 

Forget it, he thought. Let’s just cheer him up.

 

The donkey cart trotted along the road, which was a good route after leaving Wangjiazhuang village. Luckily, Jing’s family’s donkey cart was large, as it was primarily used for transporting goods.

 

They left Wangjiazhuang Village at around 8 AM and arrived at the foot of the mountain at approximately 10:30 AM. They found a relatively large inn to store the donkey cart, and the six of them took a break after sitting for a long time. Then, they began their climb.

 

This low hill wasn’t just low; its slope was gentle and the path was about two meters wide. On both sides, there were wildflowers and weeds, and every few steps, there were poplar and willow trees providing shade, making it quite comfortable.

 

Chuxia held Xiao Shu’s hand, Jing Yi carried a small bamboo basket on his back, and the three of them leisurely climbed up.

 

These three eleven-year-old boys had boundless energy at the moment. When they didn’t like people, they quickly ran far ahead. Jing Yi hadn’t even finished giving them instructions before Xiao An and the others had run off. Well, they all had a sense of responsibility.

 

As expected, they ran around for a while, browsed the scattered stalls, and then returned.

 

“So, did you see anything interesting?” Jing Yi asked.

 

“Not much, just some little trinkets. I also brought a paper kite and a cuju ball. After we come down the mountain, we can find a place to play!” Xiao An replied, then enthusiastically discussed the games they would play later with his little buddies.

 

“Awesome! You even brought a cuju ball! I don’t play with paper kites; those are for little kids.” Xiao Shan chimed in.

 

“Hey hey hey, be careful with your words. If you guys don’t play with paper kites, it’s your choice. Don’t say it’s for little kids; people don’t even like playing your cuju ball. Right, Xia Xia?” He ended with a flattering smile directed at Chuxia.

 

“…I understand, Big Brother Yi .”

 

Xiao An / Xiao Jiang: Brother, you’re the one who’s complaining now.

 

Chuxia, seeing the lively scene, smiled slightly and secretly tugged at Jing Yi’s hand.

 

It has to be said that Jing Yi was completely captivated by these ambiguous little actions.

 

After about two quarters of an hour, they reached the top of the mountain. The temple was not small, with three courtyards. The front courtyard had the Guanyin Bodhisattva, the second courtyard had the Mother Goddess of Fertility, and on the sides, there were depictions of young boys and girls. Many women and young men were praying, mainly for marriage and fertility.

 

Jing Yi and his group paid their respects to Guanyin and the Mother Goddess of Fertility in the front and second courtyards and then headed to the main hall in the backyard.

 

Inside the main hall was a statue of Buddha, and many common people were sincerely praying for blessings. The altar table was filled with various offerings, and the rising smoke from the incense burner added to the solemn atmosphere.

 

Jing Yi and Chuxia, along with their four younger brothers, followed the crowd into the temple. When it was their turn to pay respects to the Buddha, Jing Yi took six free incense sticks from a nearby table. All of them knelt devoutly, even Xiao Shu followed suit gracefully.

 

After leaving the temple, there was a side hall on the east side where they could make requests to the Buddha and Bodhisattvas. Both the Jing and Lin families believed in going with the flow, so they only requested a peace charm for their family members.

 

However, Jing Yi did something different. He confidently requested a red silk ribbon and had the monk write his and Chuxia’s names on it. Then, with his younger brothers, he walked proudly to the central courtyard and threw it onto the Lover’s Tree adorned with red ribbons and cords.

 

His younger brothers also joined in, and when the red ribbons were hung, cheers echoed throughout the entire courtyard. Most of the people here were young men and women praying, and when they saw this scene, they couldn’t help but laugh secretly. Many people envied Chuxia; it was rare to find a husband so devoted. Most men didn’t even want to accompany their wives into this courtyard, feeling embarrassed.

 

Jing Yi didn’t care about this embarrassment; he had earned his own respect. Besides, as long as Chuxia was happy, he didn’t care about appearances.

 

After paying their respects to the Buddha and offering incense, it was time for some fun. When they went up the mountain, they had decided to have a picnic by the stream after coming down, fly kites, and play cuju.

 

So, without much rest and fueled by their youth, they had some water and quickly started their descent. Today was the tenth day of the lunar calendar, so there were quite a few people out enjoying the scenery.

 

As the saying goes, “Going up the mountain is easy, but coming down is hard.” However, on this gently sloping little mountain, coming down was especially easy; it was like sliding down.

 

Along the way, they also looked at the snacks being sold, picking up some fresh fruits and unfamiliar snacks, which they put into a small bamboo basket.

 

In addition to snacks, there were toy vendors. Although Jing Yi’s younger brothers weren’t particularly interested, they kept looking at Jing Yi with puppy eyes, as if to say, “Don’t shop around; we want to go play cuju.”

 

However, Jing Yi remembered that today was Chuxia’s birthday and wasn’t swayed by his brothers’ pleading looks.

 

First, he bought a sky-blue hairpin for Chuxia and another finely crafted cloud-patterned silver hair ornament. Then, he bought several tender yellow and green hair ties for Xiao Shu.

 

Once the urge to shop hit, it was hard to resist. Finally, they rushed to a clothing store at the foot of the mountain to buy some embroidered canopies. These light cassock-colored canopies with cloud patterns were a specialty of Liyang Mountain and had beautiful designs.

 

This shop was also highly recommended by shopkeeper Huang. He said that it was run jointly by the temple on the mountain and a wealthy philanthropist from the neighboring town. Most of the income earned here would be used for temple maintenance and distributing congee on the first and fifteenth of every month.

 

Buying clothes here not only brings blessings but also merits. If the shopkeeper hadn’t said that it’s better to wear them personally for the best effect, Jing Yi would have definitely bought one for each family member.

 

After each person got one small cassock, Chuxia couldn’t take it anymore. Seeing his younger brothers giving him pleading looks, he couldn’t resist any longer. With a rare show of determination, he pulled Jing Yi along and walked past every stall without allowing him to stop.

 

Little did Chuxia know that Jing Yi had already finished most of his shopping. With nothing else to do, his eyes roamed aimlessly, just to tease Chuxia. Seeing his beloved spouse get angry, Jing Yi found it adorable. Those bright eyes, raised eyebrows, and even the pouty lips when he was upset – it was all so charming!

 

Hey! No wonder they say that when a beautiful person throws a tantrum, it’s called being cute. So good-looking!