Work Text:
It was the hour of rooster when Young Master Hou prepared for bed. He had just taken his evening medicine and was feeling quite sleepy.
Although he was so tired that his eyelids started drooping unconsciously, he still fought the fatigue. Half reclining on the bed, with his arm as his pillow, he looked towards the door as if expecting someone.
_
Lin Qingyu was initially going to burn the overnight candle to finish up the accounts but a sudden memory surfaced in his mind.
That spring morning, with the wind blowing slightly and the sun shining brightly, had a certain someone up and energetic, lacking the usual sickly aura. Lu Wancheng was happily feeding his myna bird, coaxing it to say “Doctor Lin”.
The courtyard was right behind the study, where Lin Qingyu was, sporting a headache over the account with manager Zhang.
That stupid bird’s call was annoying him to death, making Doctor Lin’s headache even worst. He got up, opened the window to give that certain someone a scolding.
But who would expect the scene before his eyes. Lu Wancheng had his usual full faced smile, that same youthful sparkle in his eyes, the only different thing was the rare cheerful vigor in his gait, like a wilting tree sprouting a few green leaves, leaving even Doctor Lin quite mesmerized.
Lu Wancheng held the colorful myna in his hand and called out, “Doctor Lin, have you come to praise my good bird too?”
The headache that momentarily subsided came back.
“What’s there to praise.”
Young Master Hou chuckled, handing the perching myna to Hua Lu, he stepped towards the window: “Oh? So could it be, Doctor Lin came because he missed me?”
This shameless loafer! Lin Qingyu was about to wack him on the head, if not for the fact that he might past on the spot if he did. He restrained his temper, coldly telling him: “what’s there to miss?”
Lu Wancheng put on his full theatrics, hand moving towards his chest: “Ow, my chest, it hurts.”
Lin Qingyu thought the only thing he was missing was a pair of puppy ears and a drooping tail.
“It hurts? Good.”
“Qingyu ah, why are you so mean. My heart is about to freeze from your coldness.”
Lin Qingyu was unimpressed. He lifted his hand and closed the window in Lu Wancheng’s face.
Not a minute goes by and Lin Qingyu heard heavy footsteps coming towards the study. His headache intensified by one hundred folds.
Lu Wancheng came into the study, acting pitiful at the cold Lin Qingyu.
“Qingyu, if you always ignore me, how will I get better?”
“You won’t.”
That got Lu Wancheng to sober up a bit, but only for a little bit. He turned to manager Zhang and Huan Tong who were being ignored, silently dismissing them.
Lin Qingyu raised his head to see manager Zhang bowing and leaving, with Huan Tong blabbering about overcooked porridge and running off as well. He raised an eyebrow at Lu Wancheng, his face written with “do you have too much free time?”.
Lu Wancheng deliberately ignored him. Throwing away all his dignity, he sidled up to the aloof beauty. Taking the inkstick, he proceeded to diligently grind the ink on the inkstone, the picture of a pitiful maiden.
Seeing Lu Wancheng like this, Lin Qingyu couldn’t keep a straight face. He kind of wanted to laugh a little, but also wanted to smack him. He kept his emotionless face: “what are you doing?”
Lu Wancheng put on a wronged expression: “my husband is being a cad.”
Now, now, Young Master Hou, who is being a what? Lin Qingyu’s expression was that of disbelief and faint anger, his temper rearing its head.
Lu Wancheng, the little porkchop on the chopping board, covered his face with his sleeve as he wept: “Last night he climbed into my bed but today he pretends he does not know me.”
Lu Wancheng’s acting was very convincing. Lin Qingyu was a little indignant, when did he, a gentleman, climb into anyone’s bed?
Suddenly, Lin Qingyu had an epiphany. Last night he had stayed up late reviewing a prescription sent by his father, and Lu wancheng had stubbornly accompanied him too, becoming so tired that he could barely walk back to the bedroom. It had made Lin Qingyu a little guilty, so he performed acupuncture for him, but because his eyes were so tired, it took awhile. By the end of it, he was so tired he could barely keep his eyes open, so when Lu Wancheng offered to let him rest on the bed next to him. Lin Qingyu all but passed out on the bed.
“How could he be so heartless? I was just a weak patient, how could he take advantage of me like that?” Lu Wancheng sniffed a little.
What weak patient? What take advantage? You clearly invited him to sleep on the bed! If anything, you’re the most calculated of them all!
Lin Qingyu couldn’t keep on listening to Lu Wancheng spill his woes, putting his fragile heart on display. He looked to find Huan Tong and Hua Lu to escape, but found that Hua Lu was outside pretending to be dirt and Huan Tong had run off to who knows where.
He gnashed his teeth internally, but could not vent his anger onto this ancestor lest he keels over, taking two deep breaths to calm himself, he shouldn’t be petty to a patient.
Lin Qingyu gritted out: “What do you want?”
Lu fragile-glass-heart Wancheng fluttered his long lashes: “I want nothing. I simply wish to accompany my husband in all his affairs.”
“Oh? But there’s no husband here, only sworn brother.”
“We worshiped the heaven and earth together. Husband must be joking.”
“I worshiped with a rooster. If anything, it would be the rightfully wedded one.”
Young Master Hou could not retaliate, he could only internally gnash his teeth. If only I was a day earlier!
_
Sorting out the accounts and grinding ink, in the blink of an eye, it was already the tail end of the hour of the monkey. Lu Wancheng had unknowingly fallen asleep on one side of the table.
Lin Qingyu raised his eyes from the columns of numbers and words to find Lu Wancheng pillowing his head on his arm atop the table.
He was conflicted between waking him up and letting him sleep, but Doctor Lin was still Doctor Lin, sleeping sitting up like this is bound to hurt the back and neck.
A strand of hair fell onto Lu Wancheng’s face. Lin qingyu thought it would tickle Lu Wancheng’s face and disturb him so he gently parted it away, tucking it securely behind his ear.
Only up close does Lu Wancheng’s beauty shine the brightest. His long eyelashes fluttering softly atop his cheekbones, his slightly pointed nose and his thin lips made for the perfect dignified noble appearance when awake, but a soft one when asleep.
Lin Qingyu gazed a little more before gently shaking him awake.
Lu Wancheng dazedly roused from his sleep. As he was still not fully awake, the sleepy quality of his voice was extremely gentle.
“Good morning beauty.”
Little deers quietly bumped heads within Lin Qingyu’s heart, but he still kept his cool demeanor: “it is way past noon, the sun is about to set.”
Lu Wancheng was undeterred: “Ok then, good evening beauty.”
Lin Qingyu sighed like he’d given up on him, quickly getting up to call for Hua Lu to get Young Master Hou to a proper bed, but Lu Wancheng held onto his sleeve. He was not done acting coquettish.
Taking advantage of the fact that Lin Qingyu was unwilling to use force, he slightly tugged his sleeve, beckoning him.
Lin Qingyu could only concede, sitting back down next to Lu Wancheng.
“Qingyu, I’ve accompanied you for so long, don’t you think I deserve a reward?”
“...”
“How about you accompany me to sleep early today?”
“...”
“Ok?”
“...”
“Qingyu my back hurts.”
“...”
“My neck hurts too…”
“...”
Lu Wancheng was a bit exasperated at the stone statue Lin Qingyu, but he had a secret weapon. He quickly covered his face with his sleeves and began sniffing.
Lin Qingyu, realizing what Young Master Hou was up to, quickly got up again to make his escape, but his plan was foiled when the hand on his sleeve tighten somewhat.
Lin Qingyu’s temper flared: “are you a five year old?”
The five year old that is about to start airing his grievance looked at Lin Qingyu with his big round eyes as mist started to gather in them.
Lin Qingyu, for fear of alerting everyone in the manor of Young Master Hou’s tendency to play damsel, helplessly conceded once again: “fine, fine, I’ll accompany you ok?”
Lu Wancheng’s about-to-fall tears quickly went back into his tearducts. He happily smiled: “no going back on your word.”
Somehow that little strand of hair had fallen into his heart instead it seems.
_
As Lin Qingyu went out to call for Hua Lu, he turned back, seeing Lu Wancheng’s slumped back, his morning youthfulness no longer there, replaced by a tired aura, almost as if it was in his bone, he quietly decided to amuse Lu Wancheng for a night.
_
Lin Qingyu made his way into the bedroom.
As soon as the faint creak of the hinges were heard, Lu Wancheng snapped out of his lethargic gaze. His eyes sparkled a little when Lin Qingyu walked into the room.
Lin Qingyu was almost blinded by his cheerfulness. Seeing Lu Wancheng reclining in that manner made him feel as if he’d already known he was coming.
Lin Qingyu sat on the luohan. He lit a small candle on the nightstand and grabbed a book in passing. He felt Lu Wancheng's eyes staring at him even through the screen partition.
Silence reigned.
The quiet lasted late into the night, with the occasional sound of rustling blanket and book flipping. Suddenly, Lu Wancheng called out, “Qingyu.”
“Hmm?”
“I can’t sleep.”
“What does that have to do with me?”
“Don’t be so cold ah, Doctor Lin. At least I'm still your patient…”
Lin Qingyu put his book down with a quiet sigh.
Due to consideration of his illness, Lin Qingyu had conceded to Lu Wancheng almost every time nowadays, spoiling him rotten. Now he acts like a tyrant and Lin Qingyu can’t seem to win against him.
“Alright, what do you want me to do then?”
Lu Wancheng secretly cheered. He said: “what were you reading?”
“Documentation of common diseases.”
“That’s not interesting. How about you read me a novel?”
“I don’t have novels.”
“No problem. I asked Huan Tong to go buy some in the market this morning, it should be in the bottom drawer.”
Lin Qingyu got up from the luohan. Opening the bottom drawer, he randomly grabbed the first book before leisurely going back to his prior reclining position.
“Then I’ll read you this one,” Lin Qingyu read the title written in bold, “Trials and Tribulation of Lin Lu.”
Lu Wancheng: “...”
Lin Qingyu: “...”
Lin Qingyu threw the book away as if touching hot coal. He composed himself, saying: “not this one, I’ll read you another one.”
Lu Wancheng quickly interjected: “but this is the one I want to hear. Hua Lu said it was the bestseller for three weeks now.”
Lin Qingyu adamantly rejected, “then you can read it by yourself tomorrow.”
“But you promised…”
“I promised to accompany you, not read to you.”
Lu Wancheng was dejected for a little but he quickly found a solution, “oh great Doctor Lin, if you read it to me, I promise to not annoy you for a week.”
Lin Qingyu was unimpressed.
“Ok, I’ll not annoy you for a week and help with the accounts.”
“...”
“Ok? Doctor Lin. Treat it as my dying wish.”
“Why are you in more of a hurry than me?”
“With my condition, it’s only a matter of time, might as well enjoy it to the fullest.”
Doctor Lin remembered his rare spring charm from the morning and couldn’t help his heart tighten. He squeezed out another sigh, at this rate, he’ll be calling him grandpa before he even kicks the bucket.
It’s fine though, it’s only temporary. As much as Doctor Lin does not want to say it, Lu Wancheng’s smile brings him a little joy as well.
He picked the book back up, silently flipping it open.
“In a time when gods and ghosts roamed the world, a young swordsman named Lin Lu was admitted into the Heaven’s Wind sect. He worked hard in both his literary arts and his swordsmanship skills, and under the careful guidance of the sect leader, he became a flourishing youth.
Soon, it was time for him to go down the mountain to expand his knowledge and broaden his horizon.
He bid farewell to the sect leader and his fellow martial siblings and made his way down the mountain. With a dashing spirit and an enthusiastic vigor, he made his way across the jianghu.”
Lu Wancheng interjected: “he sounds like me from before.”
Lin Qingyu ignored him.
“One day, while making his way north, he encountered a fox spirit in need of help.
The fox had white flowing hair reaching all the way to his ankle, with a pair of fluffy ears on his head. Somehow he had fallen unconscious and fell into a boar trap, being suspended high in the air.”
“That fox sounds like you.”
“The honest youth Lin Lu felt pity well up in his heart and decided to save him.
When the fox came to, he mistook Lin Lu for the hunter and gave him a good beating, smacking Lin Lu unconscious.”
“...”
Lin Qingyu continued to narrate the lengthy and intriguing tale of Lin Lu’s various adventures, getting lost within the book.
_
Some time later, Lin Qingyu felt that he hadn’t heard a comment from Lu Wancheng in a while. Lin Qingyu set the book down as he got up. He went around the screen to find Lu Wancheng dead asleep, head resting on his arm, a small, barely there smile playing on his lips.
Looking out the window, Lin Qingyu realized he’d wasted a whole night’s rest amusing this young master. He felt quite vexed, but upon seeing that carefree expression, he resigned himself to moving Lu Wancheng into a more comfortable position.
He might’ve sacrificed a good night’s sleep, but that little smile on Lu Wancheng’s made it a little bit better somehow.