Yong Ge walked into the yard, and Cheng Duo was already waiting for him. Seeing him holding a chicken in one hand and smiling mischievously, like a cat that had stolen something, Cheng Duo casually joked, "Are you that happy?"
"Yeah!" Yong Ge quickened his pace and approached Cheng Duo, showing off his spoils while eagerly proposing, "How about I make braised chicken for you?"
Originally, stewing the young hen in soup was the best option, but Cheng Duo said he had gotten tired of soup, so Yong Ge thought of trying a different method on his way back.
"Being so generous, not leaving it to lay eggs?" Cheng Duo was a bit surprised. The chicken was still alive, and he thought that Yong Ge, being frugal, wouldn't be willing to eat it.
Yong Ge sheepishly lowered his eyes. "Well, it's more important to nourish your body…"
Cheng Duo had become so thin, and Yong Ge couldn't bear to see him like that. Besides, he always ate Cheng Duo's food. Finally obtaining a chicken, he naturally wanted to give it to him.
Hearing this, Cheng Duo's heart softened. Before the apocalypse, his father used to love buying roasted chicken from a certain shop at the street corner. Whenever he made some money, he would buy one. But when the roasted chicken was served on the table, the best parts, like the wings and legs, always went to Cheng Zhao and Cheng Wei. Even if he tried to take a bite, his father would educate him, saying that as the eldest brother, he should let his younger siblings have them.
Was it because his father couldn't afford roasted chicken? No, that wasn't the case at all. He just felt it wasn't necessary to buy it exclusively for him.
However, Yong Ge's family didn't raise chickens, which meant this chicken was the only one he had. Yong Ge didn't even hesitate to give it to him.
Cheng Duo helped Yong Ge tidy up the stray strands of hair floating in front of his eyes, smiled as he looked down at him, and said, "Silly boy, your uncle's chicken is still in my space. Let's eat that one, and let this live chicken stay to lay eggs." Worried that Yong Ge might not agree, he added, "I also really like eating eggs."
"Oh." Yong Ge felt a bit disappointed, but when he heard Cheng Duo say he liked eating eggs, he calculated in his mind how much money he had and planned to buy another hen. That way, even if one chicken laid an egg every other day, he could still make it for Cheng Duo.
After a while, he reacted and asked, "Was it really you who did that with Uncle's chicken?"
Yong Ge was both surprised and unsurprised. After all, Cheng Duo had mentioned it before he left, and it was clear that he knew what would happen next.
"Yes, is that satisfying?" Yong Ge nodded vigorously, and a cunning gleam flashed in his eyes. "How did you come up with it? Aunt… I mean, Wu Guihua, broke all her front teeth and now speaks with a lisp!"
Not only did Cheng Duo feel warm in his heart, but Yong Ge also felt delighted. No one had ever gone out of their way to seek revenge for him and do so many things. Although his father treated him well, he always taught him not to provoke others on his own. They were too honest and always got bullied by others.
This was the first time he had gained an advantage from Wu Guihua!
Yong Ge smiled beautifully, his eyes curved like crescent moons, his gray-blue irises sparkling, and his long eyelashes curled upwards. Cheng Duo unconsciously leaned in a bit closer, looking at Yong Ge's eyes, his voice gentle. "I didn't expect her to break her teeth."
Yong Ge's heart suddenly started beating faster. With Cheng Duo so close, was… was he going to kiss him?
They had kissed only twice before. The first time was in the underground cave when Yong Ge asked Cheng Duo not to feed him blood anymore, and Cheng Duo said they should make it official. The second time was when Cheng Duo found the way back, and in his excitement, he kissed Yong Ge… Each time, it ended quickly, and Yong Ge hadn't even had time to react.
Just as Yong Ge was thinking about it, Cheng Duo suddenly straightened up and looked outside the yard. "Someone is coming. Let's go inside."
"…Okay." Yong Ge suddenly felt deflated. But when the visitor knocked on the door, a young man named Sha Yang, who greeted him warmly and asked if he was afraid to be home alone or needed any help… Yong Ge's disappointment turned into anger, and he slammed the door shut. "No!"
It wasn't that Yong Ge had become better-looking and his temper had grown, but it was because Sha Yang was one of the young men who kept staring at him. They weren't familiar with each other, and he had never spoken to him before today…Cheng Duo noticed something and thought for a moment before calmly saying, "Actually, I saw it. When Wu Guihua came to cause trouble before, many men stood up for you."
Yong Ge felt empty inside. "I… I can handle it myself. I don't need their help…"
"I feel a bit sad. You're so popular. When your father returns, will you still want to marry me?"
"I won't!" Yong Ge quickly came over, grabbing Cheng Duo's arm in a flustered manner. "We made a promise, didn't we? You said you would propose once my father returns…"
Towards the end, Yong Ge wore a mournful expression, looking as if he was about to cry.
Cheng Duo couldn't bear to see his future wife upset and quickly changed his tone, "Alright, I was just teasing you. Yong Ge, you're hardworking and have a good personality. Now that you've become fairer and more attractive, anyone with eyes can see how good you are."
Cheng Duo held Yong Ge's hand. "We've experienced life and death together. Don't you believe in me? You haven't done anything wrong, so you don't need to be so cautious."
Cheng Duo knew that Yong Ge had always been submissive in their relationship, and he didn't expect him to change immediately. But he still needed to clarify things and praise Yong Ge as much as possible to build his confidence.
"Cheng Duo, why are you so good…" Yong Ge truly started crying this time. The incident with Wei Gongzi was one thing, and now, with Liu Shusheng, Sha Yang, and others, Cheng Duo easily believed him every time.
Although Yong Ge also believed he hadn't done anything wrong, the upbringing he received told him that behaving like this would only invite trouble and that he was being restless, especially since Cheng Duo had caught him in the act… he was genuinely afraid.
Is everything okay now?
Cheng Duo found it amusing. With a gentle lift, he pulled Yong Ge onto his lap. He wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes and then, to Yong Ge's astonished gaze, lowered his head and kissed his soft lips—just as he had wanted to before they were interrupted!
Cheng Duo had never kissed anyone before. He started by gently touching his lips and then teasingly nibbled and rolled them. Warm breath sprayed into Yong Ge's nose, filled with a hint of aggression. Yong Ge was so scared that he almost stopped breathing.
"Relax," Cheng Duo chuckled and patted the person in his arms. It had to be said that Yong Ge's performance gave him full confidence. Compared to Yong Ge, who was as white as paper, he may have lacked experience, but he had seen plenty of techniques.
In this post-apocalyptic world, where there was no tomorrow, some people didn't care whether others were present, even during a temporary rest.
Cheng Duo slowly pried open Yong Ge's lips. Although the person in his arms was stiff, they were willing to cooperate. The trembling long eyelashes looked like startled rain butterflies, appearing on the verge of collapse.
However, Cheng Duo didn't show mercy. His tongue imitated the scenes he had seen before, slipping into the mouth and teasing and rubbing… He was patient, like an experienced hunter, bringing himself pleasure while also sharing the same intimate sensations with his beloved partner.
Cheng Duo had never known that kissing could evoke such intense feelings. At this moment, he had forgotten his initial intentions and simply followed his instincts, enticing the other soft tongue to dance with his, over and over again.
Yong Ge had long been lost in a daze. Unconsciously, he reached out and hooked his arms around Cheng Duo's neck. His movements seemed to want to pull him closer, yet at the same time, he seemed to want to push him away. He was torn with contradictions…
Fortunately, before Yong Ge could no longer breathe, Cheng Duo released him. Both of them had flushed faces, and their breathing was rapid.
Suddenly, Yong Ge seemed to realize something. With an exclamation, he quickly got off Cheng Duo's lap and stumbled into the kitchen, his legs feeling as if they were walking on clouds.
Cheng Duo didn't chase after him; he just covered his face with his hand, wearing a wry smile. What to do, the old house was really catching fire now. When would his father-in-law return? He was getting anxious!
When Yong Ge came out of the kitchen with the cooked dishes, fifteen minutes had already passed. He noticed that Yong Ge's cheeks were still as red as a monkey's buttocks, and his eyes were dodgy, not daring to look at him at all.
But now, he shouldn't be bothered by other men. Yong Ge should only be thinking about him at this moment.
The porridge had already been cooked earlier, and now it was just lukewarm. Cheng Duo directly brought out the steamed buns and mantou. "Let's eat."
Yong Ge almost forgot and hurriedly went to reheat them, but Cheng Duo stopped him. "Forget it, it's not necessary. Let's eat them as they are."
It was already warm in the early morning, so it was perfect to eat something cold.
While they were eating, Cheng Duo wanted to say some affectionate words to Yong Ge. However, when he saw the other burying his face in the bowl, with even the exposed neck turning red, he couldn't help but feel soft-hearted and amused. Moreover, he felt a bit embarrassed himself, so he decided to just focus on eating.
After finishing the meal, Cheng Duo had Yong Ge prepare some containers for rice and oil. He helped him make space. He also gave him some cooking oil, seasoning, steamed buns, mantou, and the chicken.
In addition, he left behind the pot that could be used for stewing, frying, and boiling. Yong Ge's family didn't have a pot, so they could temporarily use this one. When he had time, he would go find Niu the Blacksmith and have a normal pot made, then exchange it.
Yong Ge had just been bullied by him, so he was very obedient now. He accepted everything Cheng Duo said without any objections.
Originally, Cheng Duo wanted to stay and cultivate their relationship, but seeing Yong Ge's shy appearance, he decided to leave for now. "Ahem, I'll come back to have dinner with you tonight?"
Yong Ge glanced at another direction with difficulty, nodding slightly. "Mm."
Cheng Duo was also a bit reluctant to leave. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Give me the bow Wei Ling made for you, and I'll make another one for you separately."
He had observed the entire process when Wei Ling made the bow, so he had a good grasp of it. The feathered arrows were not troublesome either, but he needed to go to Niu the Blacksmith to have a batch of arrowheads customized. It just so happened that he needed to go buy a pot, so he could take care of it together.
Yong Ge didn't hesitate and immediately brought out the bow for him.
Afraid that Yong Ge would misunderstand, Cheng Duo explained seriously, "It's not that I don't have a say in this. Wei Ling is different. He…"
Cheng Duo suddenly choked on his words. He was about to say how Wei Ling was different from Sha Yang, but in fact, they were the same. They both had ulterior motives towards Yong Ge.
However, Cheng Duo was conflicted because he had allowed Wei Ling to flirt with Yong Ge right under his nose. He wanted to smack himself for his actions at that time!
Moreover, Wei Ling's methods were unmatched by the village men, and Yong Ge had obviously felt differently about him. If we were to rank the people who were trying to snatch Yong Ge away, people like Liu Shusheng and Sha Yang were just ordinary onlookers, while Wei Ling was an exceptional male second lead, always ready to take over!
"What about him?" Yong Ge asked when he saw Cheng Duo remaining silent for a long time.
"He doesn't have good intentions!"