Chapter 51 You Are Not Allowed to Wear That

"Cousin."

Qi Shaokang forcibly suppressed his anger and said politely.

"Hmm." Qi Shaolin nodded at him, then whispered to Jiang Luan, "Wife, why is he wearing a bamboo hat to cover his face?"

Qi Shaokang: "..."

However, the alley was so narrow that even the sound of breathing was clearly audible, and no matter how softly they spoke, it could be heard very distinctly. Therefore, Qi Shaokang heard Qi Shaolin's words crystal clear.

Once upon a time, Qi Shaokang was not only handsome and dashing, but also a man of fine appearance. He had always been extremely sensitive about his disfigured face, and his mind was even more fragile at this moment.

Then he heard Jiang Luan reply softly to Qi Shaolin:

"Don't expose other people's shortcomings so casually..."

Qi Shaokang: "..."

It was practically a critical hit.

Qi Shaolin found a piece of rope and tied up the howling men lying on the ground, stringing them together like a bunch of grasshoppers, and handed one end of the rope to Jiang Luan.

Jiang Luan originally wanted to turn these people over to the authorities directly, but seeing Qi Shaokang standing there looking truly pathetic, he felt a slight pang of sympathy.

After all, this brat was only trying to pursue him and had never caused him any substantial harm.

Even though he had uttered a few vicious words earlier and had his teeth knocked loose all over the ground by Qi Shaolin.

Jiang Luan thought about it and simply gave Qi Shaokang a way out, handing the rope to him. "Young Uncle, I must trouble you to hand these people over to the officials."

"You are too polite, Sister-in-law. It's just a small effort," Qi Shaokang said hurriedly.

With that, Jiang Luan and Qi Shaolin left, tugging at each other playfully.

Only after seeing the two of them walk far away did Qi Shaokang untie the rope in his hand and say to the thugs, "You guys can leave."

The men scrambled to their feet, groaning and moaning, and still had the nerve to ask him, "Young Master, what about our reward..."

Hearing this, Qi Shaokang viciously kicked them a few times. "Useless trash! You botched the job and still have the gall to ask for a reward? Get lost!"

The men had no choice but to scramble away in a panicked retreat.

Qi Shaokang felt so stifled inside that he clenched his fist and struck the wall hard.

At that moment, Liu Deng walked up to the mouth of the alley.

He watched the fleeing men for a moment in silence, then said helplessly to Qi Shaokang, "Young Master Qi, why must you insist on winning that person's heart? If you only wanted his body, wouldn't it be much simpler?"

"What the hell do you know!" Qi Shaokang cursed angrily.

Knowing that Qi Shaokang was in a fit of rage, Liu Deng couldn't be bothered to provoke his bad temper.

He simply changed the subject. "Your mother bribed the physician at the Crane Medical Hall and added some special ingredients to Qi Shaoyang's healing ointment."

"Pay no attention to it," Qi Shaokang said.

"Are you sure?" Liu Deng asked. "Qi Shaoyang's face is practically completely ruined. If he doesn't go to the capital for the Celestial Longevity Festival, won't it affect our plan?"

"You can rest easy," Qi Shaokang sneered. "Dou Kou will definitely take him."

Meanwhile, in the Southern Courtyard of the Qi Estate.

Qi Shaoyang was strictly following the physician's instructions, applying the ointment three times a day.

He sat before a bronze mirror, facing his unrecognizable self, smearing the ointment in patchy white and yellow strokes, until eventually, it became itchier and itchier...

Although he knew this was a sign of scabbing and healing, Qi Shaoyang still couldn't resist scratching his face.

Then he scratched it again...

Finally, Qi Shaoyang could no longer restrain himself and began scratching wildly at his scabbing wounds.

Blood-crusts fell to the floor like snowflakes.

A maid walked in carrying a basin of water, and upon seeing Qi Shaoyang who had clawed himself into a bloody mess, she let out a scream, dropped the basin, and fled out the door.

A moment later, Prince Suoping rushed in.

He embraced his blood-covered son, trembling as he tried to stop him, "Yang-er, no! You must endure it, just bear with it a little longer..."

"Father," Qi Shaoyang burst into loud tears, "This child thinks I will never heal, and I will be an ugly monster for the rest of my life..."

After all, Qi Shaoyang was only thirteen years old. To suffer such a setback just as his life was beginning naturally broke his heart... But a moment later, he didn't dare to cry anymore because his tears caused a sharp, burning pain in his wounds.

Prince Suoping said with a heartache, "Endure it a little longer, Yang-er. Once we reach the capital, it will be fine."

"Father, can this child not go to the capital?" Qi Shaoyang anticipated that he would only be mocked if he went, and sudden cowardice seized him.

Unexpectedly, Prince Suoping, who had always dotingly spoiled him, shrieked harshly at these words, "No, you must go!"

Qi Shaoyang was startled by Prince Suoping's intense reaction, and his tears successfully stopped.

Prince Suoping sighed, gathered his terrified, quail-like son into his arms, and gently patted his back.

"Father was wrong; Father shouldn't have yelled at you... But you must attend this Celestial Longevity Festival. Father will find another way."

Buried in Prince Suoping's arms, Qi Shaoyang could only mumble a hesitant nod.

...

...

Upon returning to the Qi Estate, Qi Shaolin quite shamelessly trailed behind Jiang Luan into the bedroom.

Surprisingly, Jiang Luan did not chase him out; instead, he simply stared at him with burning, analytical eyes.

Unaccustomed to being stared at like that, Qi Shaolin could only say, "Wife, I understand. I'll go right out..."

"Wait a moment," Jiang Luan called out, stopping him.

He turned to rummage through the wardrobe, retrieved a set of clothes, and handed them to Qi Shaolin. "Put these on and let me see."

Qi Shaolin nodded.

Without asking why, he closed the bedroom door and changed right on the spot.

The two of them were already extremely close, so there was no need for modesty.

Jiang Luan looked at Qi Shaolin as if looking at a piece of stone, his heart completely as calm as still water.

Qi Shaolin changed swiftly and showed off the outfit to Jiang Luan.

The clothes were quite simple: short-sleeved top and long trousers, entirely in a dark navy blue, cinched at the waist with a belt, banded at the wrists, and featuring large Chinese characters for "Eight" (八) emblazoned on both the front and the back.

"And the leg wraps."

Jiang Luan made Qi Shaolin sit on the bed, then squatted down to personally wrap the leg bandages for him.

Qi Shaolin looked down at his attire. "Wife, what is this..."

"Didn't I mention organizing a football team earlier? This is the uniform,"

Jiang Luan said, "Oh, and I forgot, you people call it cuju. There's also a red uniform; I'll change into it later for you to see."

"Does Wife want to play ball with Ling-er?" Qi Shaolin tilted his head, looking at Jiang Luan.

Jiang Luan finished wrapping the bandages, smiled, and said, "What's the fun in just two people playing? Naturally, it's most interesting when a whole group plays. And not only do I want a group to play, I want even more people to come watch."

"Oh, then Ling-er doesn't want to play." Qi Shaolin lost interest, raised his hand, and made to untie his clothes.

Anticipating this move, Jiang Luan clicked his tongue, pressed down on Qi Shaolin's hands, and said, "There's a prize for the best player of the winning team. Don't you want to know what it is?"

Qi Shaolin thought for a moment. Instead of asking about the prize, he told Jiang Luan,

"Wife, you mentioned there's a red uniform just now. Put it on and let Ling-er see it now!"

"Alright, wait right here." Jiang Luan eagerly went to fetch the uniform.

He had made these two sets of clothes a long time ago.

Jiang Luan had been interested in ball sports since childhood, and every time class ended, he would go out to kick the ball around a bit.

With no entertainment in this era, Jiang Luan's hands were itching for a game, and making these two sports uniforms served as a way to indulge his nostalgia.

Jiang Luan changed into the uniform and showed it to Qi Shaolin. "How is it?"

He wore an expression of considerable pride.

Qi Shaolin: "..."

Jiang Luan's red uniform looked vastly different from Qi Shaolin's.

The outfit Jiang Luan wore was a typical modern-style sports uniform—short sleeves and shorts, with a wide collar exposing his neat collarbones.

Actually, he had made two versions: the one given to Qi Shaolin was a modified version fitting ancient aesthetics, while the one reserved for himself was the sports uniform from his memories.

Jiang Luan stroked the fabric with a sense of nostalgia, failing to notice that while he was changing, the look in Qi Shaolin's eyes had already transformed.

In Qi Shaolin's eyes, Jiang Luan was exposing his fair arms and calves, while innocently leaning closer to him. This was truly...

"Well? Say something!"

Jiang Luan impatiently pinched Qi Shaolin's ear, only to have his hand captured by him.

A jolt of alarm went through his heart, and he instinctively tried to pull away, but he heard Qi Shaolin mutter softly.

"What did you say?" Jiang Luan asked, puzzled.

"I said," Qi Shaolin narrowed his eyes, "I want my prize right now."

With that, Qi Shaolin grabbed Jiang Luan's arm and dragged him onto the bed.

Furious, Jiang Luan shoved at Qi Shaolin. "Get lost! Indulging in lust in broad daylight—have you no shame? I still want mine!"

"But you were the one who seduced me first!" Qi Shaolin finally managed to say those words with righteous confidence.

"Nonsense! Get lost!"

However, as Jiang Luan struggled and struggled... he gradually stopped struggling.

Who could blame this frail body for turning weak at the mere touch of Qi Shaolin... besides, the two of them were still in their "honeymoon phase."

Male animals often expressed "love" in more direct ways, and their physiological structures also determined that their demand for sex was greater and much more intense.

"This outfit is no good," Qi Shaolin whispered into his ear. "Wife, Ling-er won't allow you to go out dressed like this..."

Damn it.

Jiang Luan thought with a blank expression.

So this was your excuse to tear my clothes apart?