Contract Marriage

Chapter 15

T/n:
1. above pic, Ginkgo biloba aka Maidenhair trees.

2. Emboldened text is to show the use of the same word in the original work.
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Han Yang did not have a class the following day, so when he woke up that morning — with prompting from his biological clock, he noticed Helian Qing was still asleep, even though around this time, that man would have normally already left for work.

                                       
"Helian Qing." Han Yang shook the man, "Hurry and get up, you'll be late for work."

"I'm not going today, stop being so noisy." Helian Qing moved and hugged the lad tighter.

"Is it really okay for you to skip work like this?" Han Yang questioned.

                                  
Now peeved by his pestering, Helian Qing propped his head up with his arm and looked at the younger man with displeasure, "Last night you confessed to me but today you're pushing me to go to work? What is it you really want to do?"

"Who confessed to you, huh!" Han Yang held his forehead. That was only a suggestion, wasn't it?

"Dried salted fish."Helian Qing sneered.

"But aren't you the one who fell for a salted fish?" Han Yang retorted.

"Oh, you've even got backchats now, huh?" Helian Qing raised his chin before asking, "Then, do you know what people courting each other do right?"

"What do they do?" Han Yang asked unabashed and wholeheartedly.

"Date." Helian Qing stated, before laying back down and hugging the lad once more, "Let's sleep for a bit longer, why do you have to be so troublesome this early in the morning?"
                                     

Why does this give me a sort of "With a high risen sun bitterly cutting their Nights of Spring short; from then on his Majesty no longer attended his morning court" [1] kind of feeling...... Han Yang wondered. He then shook the thoughts away, rested his head atop his pillow and went back to sleep as well.
                                       

Later that day when the two rose again, it was already ten in the morning. Helian Qing went to wash up first, while Han Yang went to change his clothes. After Helian Qing was finished, he was able to go wash up too.

Done with cleaning himself up, he returned to the bedroom to the sight of a missing Helian Qing. Alerted by a sound from outside the bedroom, he then went out to investigate only to find Helian Qing in the kitchen, still wearing his pajamas.

"Are you making breakfast? I can do that." Actually, Han Yang was scared the man would burn the pot, so he went over to help him at once.

Helian Qing, paying no mind to the other man, turned off the stove before pouring the contents of the pot into a nearby cup.

It was milk.

The man then placed the used pot into the sink, his back still facing Han Yang as he spoke, "Drink the milk, we'll head out for something to eat in a little while."

Han Yang took the cup of milk and began drinking it.

The milk had just a bit of sugar added, giving it a faintly sweetened taste, which so happened to be just how he preferred it. Slipping down his throat, the warm liquid flowed into his gut, making the that place nice and warm, and gave him a very comforting feeling.

"Aren't you going to drink some?" Han Yang asked while cupping the drink within his hands.

Helian Qing put the washed pot aside, then turned to face the lad. Moving towards him before lowering his head to lick the traces of milk that stained the shorter man's lips, declaring, "Now I drank some. Tastes good."