ABPUBALC - Chapter 6

 Chapter 6: Boiled Fish in Spicy Broth

When they finally came to their senses, both were momentarily stunned. Gu Qiming withdrew his hand, awkwardly touching his nose, feeling as if the warmth from just moments ago still lingered on his fingertips. "I... I'll go cook," he said.

Lin Xing quickly finished washing the remaining vegetables, drained them, and hurried into the kitchen to start cooking, not daring to look back at Gu Qiming.

Gu Qiming also didn’t know what had gotten into him. They had only known each other for a few days, and even for brotherly affection, the gesture just now was too intimate.

He looked down at his hand and couldn't help but chuckle softly.

Upon entering the kitchen, Gu Qiming noticed that Lin Xing had already prepared the side dishes, and the fish was chopped into large pieces, ready to be cooked. The atmosphere was a bit awkward, and Gu Qiming didn’t know how to break the silence.

“I saw Aunt Zhang’s family has chickens and ducks. It's convenient for eggs. Why don’t we keep some small animals?” Gu Qiming had felt something was missing as he sat in the yard earlier. He realized that it was the lack of small animals around. He remembered that countryside families liked to raise such animals, not only for convenient eggs but also to have meat during festivals, which was more cost-effective than buying from the market.

He had lived in the village with his grandfather for a few years as a child, and they had raised quite a few chickens and ducks, which he would herd every morning.

Lin Xing paused before explaining, “We used to have some, but then they all got stolen, and since then, we haven’t really thought about it again.”

In truth, it wasn’t just theft; they were openly robbed by Lin Hao and Lin Qingguan, two unreasonable individuals. Initially, they claimed they were borrowing things, but their actions grew increasingly shameless, turning to outright theft in broad daylight.

Lin Xing had tried to resist, but every attempt resulted in more severe retaliation. Unable to prevent the losses, they ended up selling the remaining animals and never kept any more.

“That makes sense. Living alone does make you an easy target for thieves,” Gu Qiming responded. He understood that the village had its share of idle troublemakers who preyed on the vulnerable, leaving no evidence behind as the stolen goods were consumed. The matter often ended without resolution.

Gu Qiming smiled and said, "Don't worry, now you have me, right? If anyone dares to come, I'll make sure they regret it." While saying this, he also waved the fire poker in his hand, making Lin Xing laugh out loud.

He used corn cobs to light the fire, added a few thin twigs, and while idly, poked at the ashes under the pot with the fire poker, causing sparks to fly.

Lin Xing then added the prepared green onions, ginger, garlic, and dry chili to the oil until fragrant, followed by putting in the chopped fish head, frying it until golden brown on both sides. After adding water to cover the fish head, and once the broth was flavorful, the marinated fish chunks were added. Covering the pot, it only needed to simmer for a short while before being ready.

The weather in June was still hot. Gu Qiming, sitting in front of the stove, was sweating profusely. Fortunately, they chatted while cooking, making the ordeal somewhat bearable.

When the Fish Boiled in Water was ready, they quickly made their way to Aunt Zhang's house by the moonlight.

"Oh, you're finally here! Set everything down and come eat," she greeted them as they arrived.

By the time they arrived, Aunt Zhang had already prepared the meal and was waiting for them in the pavilion.

Upon seeing Lin Xing, Lin Fu insisted on sitting next to him, showing their closeness. Lin Daniu jokingly expressed his faux anger, "I say, I should just send Ah Fu to live with Lin Xing. Every time Lin comes over, Ah Fu doesn’t even recognize me as his father anymore."

"That's because Lin Xing helps Ah Fu pick out fish bones. You, on the other hand, only care about your own meal. Of course, he's more attached to Lin Xing than you," someone added.

Gu Qiming, who was focused on eating, couldn’t help but laugh upon hearing this. Lin Xing was attentive and caring, indeed very popular among the kids.

Naturally, he also attracted the fondness of the adults.

Lin Xing's Fish Boiled in Water was both spicy and fresh. Below were chunks of fish, complemented with bean sprouts and greens, stewed to perfection, and topped with a layer of vibrant red chili oil. Each spoonful revealed the mixed Sichuan peppercorns and prickly ash, generously used, making its aroma irresistible.

The Fish Boiled in Water had a strong flavor, and it would have been even better accompanied by rice. After finishing the fish, scooping a spoonful of the soup mixed with rice would have been divine. Unfortunately, it wasn't the busy farming season and there was no surplus white rice at home.

Gu Qiming saw that Lin Xing was continuously feeding Ah Fu and hardly eating himself, so he picked some scrambled eggs into his bowl. Everyone at the table was busy eating, naturally, they didn’t notice his subtle gesture, except for Aunt Zhang who had been paying attention to them. The smile on her lips never faded afterward.

She had thought so. How could Lin Xing possibly bring back some carpenter apprentice from the town to live and eat together? It really wasn't that simple.

In the end, the big pot of Fish Boiled in Water was finished without a trace left behind, the eggs and vegetables on the table were all eaten clean, and Little Fu's belly was round and full. He didn't forget to mumble asking Uncle Lin to come again next time. The child's speech was indistinct and his pronunciation not quite standard, which kept the laughter in the yard going non-stop.

Gu Qiming also enjoyed this meal very much. It wasn't just about satisfying his hunger and taste buds, more importantly, the lively atmosphere of a family made him genuinely happy.

After the meal, Aunt Zhang invited them to stay for watermelon, grown in her own field, not intended for sale. Perfect for a summer day, they didn’t refuse and agreed to have watermelon before leaving.

While enjoying the watermelon, Aunt Zhang pulled Gu Qiming aside, inquiring secretly, "Gu, tell me the truth between you and Lin Xing. Don’t say it's some apprentice nonsense again. You’ve brought him to your home. When do you two plan to get married?"

??

Gu Qiming was puzzled, "What are you talking about?" He felt confused, how could two men marry each other in the end?

Gu Qiming, baffled, could only press on to explain, "You’ve misunderstood, Aunt Zhang. My family faced a disaster, and Lin Xing took me in because I had nowhere else to go. It's not what you think."

Seeing that he still wouldn’t admit it, Aunt Zhang chuckled, "Oh, you still won’t admit it. Just now, in front of everyone, you were serving Lin Xiao food, and staring at him intently, as if your eyes were glued to him. Don’t say you don’t harbor those feelings. Your auntie isn’t here to tear you two apart."

Gu Qiming was taken aback. He was staring again?

Seeing him silent, Aunt Zhang thought he was tacitly agreeing, her face breaking into a smile, almost on the verge of clapping her hands in joy.

"Lin Xiao is a child I’ve watched grow up; I know his character best. He's been sensible since he was young. These past days, I've seen how well you treat him and even come to my house to help. If you two could get married, I would be at ease," she said, her voice choked with emotion. Lin Xing had not had an easy life, losing his parents early and dealing with bloodsuckers in the family, suffering a lot growing up. She always hoped that Lin Xing would find someone dependable; otherwise, who knows how the Lin family cretins would torment him.

She had suggested a few matches for Lin Xing, but due to some issues, they were never pursued, and Lin Xing was also not getting any younger. If the two of them could really be together, it would fulfill one of her long-standing wishes.

Hearing her words, Gu Qiming realized that something was indeed off. Why did everyone think he and Lin Xing were a couple? Not to mention in ancient times, even in the modern era with more open minds, it’s not easy for two men to marry.

He seriously said, "Aunt Zhang, I won’t hide it from you, actually, I fled here from another town due to famine. I was almost starving to death in the mountains when Lin Xing saved my life and took me in. But as for marrying that you mentioned, I really don’t understand. I’ve never left my village, don’t have much experience, and have never seen two men getting married in the village."

Aunt Zhang listened, realizing it was this matter. She grew up in Shiqiao Town, hadn’t been educated, or traveled outside, but she knew Shuang'er individuals were rare, and indeed, some villages had never seen Shuang'er, including their Lin Family Village, which had only a few.

But to have never heard of it seemed unlikely. Could it be that Gu Qiming was just extremely ignorant?

Watching the young man’s curious eyes, and then glancing at Lin Xing playing with Lin Fu, she felt it wasn’t such a big deal, carefully explaining, "Let me tell you…"

After listening to Aunt Zhang’s explanation, Lin Xing had cleaned up and even washed the dishes in the kitchen. He was already waiting in the pavilion for him. Seeing Gu Qiming come back, he didn’t ask him anything; they greeted each other and then left.

"Brother Gu, here’s the remaining eighteen taels from today. You can't let me keep it anymore."

In the evening, Gu Qiming and Lin Xing tallied up the day's expenses, totaling less than seventy taels, where the bulk of it, over fifty taels, was spent on Gu Qiming's bow and arrows, with the rest on sundries and fabric.

Gu Qiming laid on the table, counting the coins with his finger, not speaking, which made Lin Xing somewhat nervous without reason.

Having spent the past few days together, Lin Xing had come to understand the kind of person Gu Ge was. Normally very gentle, he treated Lin Xing well, but he actually had a stubborn temper, even childishly so at times. Once he set his mind on something, Lin Xing found him immovable, and he didn't want to upset Gu Ge.

"Okay, I'll keep these, but you hold onto the copper coins. When I go hunting in the mountains, don't be too stingy to spend them."

After saying this, he added, "Xingxing, you are now my only family. If it weren't for you, I might have died in the mountains."

Of course, he could have been arrested instead. But Gu Qiming didn't dare say that. "We are a family. You shouldn't distance yourself from me like that."

Saying so, Gu Qiming collected the eighteen taels of broken silver, pushing the remaining pile of copper coins towards Lin Xing.

With his head lowered, Lin Xing hadn't been treated this well by anyone since his mother passed away. It felt unreal, like a dream.

He didn't dare let Gu Qiming see his expression now, only responding with a soft "mm."

Gu Qiming sensed his emotional shift and didn't press further, quickly taking a bath before returning to his room.

Tonight, from Aunt Zhang, he had learned of the existence of Shuang'ers in this world, which he could hardly believe. However, amidst his shock, he didn’t neglect the slight joy that sprang within him.

Shuang'er. A few hundred years ago in Qing Country, suddenly there appeared a group of people born with both male and female characteristics. Initially, everyone thought it was a disease, with many Shuang'er abandoned or drowned.

But gradually, people found that Shuang’ers weren’t much different from ordinary people and could even assume women's roles...

Soft and delicate, their status was somewhat awkward. As time passed, most people gradually accepted this gender, after all, these people were still their own flesh and blood, not something they could heartlessly abandon. 

Regarding the matter of marrying or being married, there weren't strong norms for Shuang’ers. However, those who could marry were mostly from very few wealthy families, because when Shuang’ers and women wed, they were likely to give birth to Shuang’er children. Throughout history, most families still preferred to have a boy to carry on the family line.

Gu Qiming was stunned for a long time. Intersex, a term he had only briefly encountered in books, referred to a developmental disorder in the modern context. This world was more magical than he had imagined. 

It was true that he had favorable feelings towards Lin Xing, but they had only known each other for a few days. He dared not think in that direction, after all, in the unenlightened ancient times, it was too challenging for two men to be together, the burdens they had to bear were far heavier than imagined.

 But Lin Xing turned out to be a Shuang’er, capable of marrying a man. In the modern era, Gu Qiming was not without romantic encounters. Having lacked love since childhood, he was especially eager for someone to love him, to get married, have children, and he had yearned for a family of his own.

Through the matchmaking of comrades, he had tried to get along with many people, but all ended in failure. It felt like there was a barrier between him and those people. He didn’t like loneliness, yet he was always alone. However, Lin Xing was clearly different. When with Lin Xing, he always wanted to be closer to him, even closer. 

Thinking of this, Gu Qiming was startled. Then, did touching a certain someone’s face today really turn him into a lecher? He had even casually touched his hair before! Damn, how could this happen? Before closing his eyes, there was only one thought in his mind: It's over, now I’ve really become a pervert!

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Xiao Gu: I also want to stick to my wife.