Wang Cheng and Chu Yifeng had only been dating for a little over a month, yet the way they got along felt more like a couple who had been together for years. Unlike new lovers who constantly wanted to cling to each other, the two of them had developed an easy understanding. As long as nothing unexpected happened, their relationship should continue that way. Of course, that was on the premise that they did not make it public. Society was still far from accepting of same-sex relationships.
“Boss Chu, I think there’s a two-hundred-percent chance my mom won’t approve of us, so I have a once-and-for-all solution. Want to hear it?” Wang Cheng sat down beside Chu Yifeng and suddenly made the suggestion.
Chu Yifeng glanced at him. “Let’s hear it.”
Before Wang Cheng even spoke, he started laughing to himself as though his suggestion were brilliant. Then he said, “Simple. If we break up, won’t all our problems disappear?”
Silence…
Chu Yifeng abruptly hoisted him over his shoulder and gave his backside a hard smack. “That makes a lot of sense. We can discuss this problem in bed.”
Wang Cheng’s backside stung. Apparently he had accidentally poked one of this man’s sore spots. That was bad news. Chu Yifeng was fierce enough in bed that even Wang Cheng sometimes struggled to keep up. If Chu Yifeng seized the chance to fuck him half to death, he would not be getting out of bed tomorrow. He hurried to explain.
“Boss Chu, I was joking. Look at this sincere face of mine. How could I possibly break up with you? If there’s a problem, we can talk it through properly. There’s no need to get physical.”
“Too late.” The man strode toward the bedroom.
Wang Cheng seized the doorframe at the first opportunity and refused to let go no matter what.
Chu Yifeng’s progress came to a halt, leaving the two of them locked in a stalemate at the doorway.
“Let go.”
“Not even if I die.”
“If you don’t, this won’t be settled in only two or three rounds later.” Chu Yifeng spoke unhurriedly, looking entirely certain that he had Wang Cheng cornered.
Wang Cheng nearly choked on his words. This man’s stamina was already abnormal enough, and now he was talking about two or three rounds? Wang Cheng had heard stories about men who could go seven times in one night, but with Chu Yifeng, he suspected a whole night might only be enough for two or three.
“Can we negotiate?” Wang Cheng knew perfectly well that he was no match for him. At this point, compromise seemed to be his only way out.
“Go ahead. I’ll consider it.”
Wang Cheng wanted to bite off his own tongue. That was what he got for running his mouth. Everything had been fine, yet he just had to suggest breaking up. Chu Yifeng did not care whether it had been a joke. Whenever he found an opportunity to take advantage, he never hesitated, and this time Wang Cheng had practically delivered himself into the man’s hands. The initiative was now firmly on the other side.
“You know I’m getting old. I can’t take too much of this, so twice at most.”
“Twenty-five counts as old?” Even now, Chu Yifeng could not resist mocking him.
“What do you know? Try being the one underneath someday. Every time we do it, I age another year. My mental age is already older than yours.” Wang Cheng snapped in embarrassment. Anyone who had never been on the receiving end had no idea what it was like.
“If that’s the case, I’d better give you a proper examination.” Chu Yifeng rested one hand against his backside and teasingly caressed him a few times.
Wang Cheng shivered, and his grip on the doorframe loosened without his noticing. Chu Yifeng, whose senses were extremely sharp, caught it immediately and carried him into the bedroom without another word.
“You still haven’t answered me!” Wang Cheng shouted.
“Twice is out. Four times.”
“Are you trying to kill me? No. Twice.”
“Four.”
“Three.”
“Deal.”
Defeated, Wang Cheng did not feel happy about winning any concession at all. He had barely been tossed onto the bed before his pants were stripped off, and it felt as though not only his legs but his entire lower half had gone cold. When he looked back, Chu Yifeng was staring straight at him, his eyes burning with unmistakable desire, while Wang Cheng was lying there with his legs spread toward him. This really was what people meant by courting disaster.
Chu Yifeng looked down at him while undoing his own shirt one button at a time, gradually revealing a strong chest and defined muscles. That body always seemed capable of producing more strength than Wang Cheng expected. Sometimes he could not understand how a young master from a wealthy family could be so formidable. Chu Yifeng was nothing like those pampered rich heirs. If anything, he seemed like a privileged young man who had once rolled through mud and hardship himself.
By the time Wang Cheng came back from his thoughts, Chu Yifeng had finished undressing and leaned over him. The heat of bare skin against bare skin seemed almost enough to set the air ablaze.
Wang Cheng disliked the way Chu Yifeng always went at sex with such brute-force thrusting, but he could not deny that much of the time it felt good. Otherwise, as a grown man, he would never willingly keep taking the bottom role.
Their heated kisses completely ignited the desire between them. They went from the headboard to the foot of the bed, trying almost everything, face-to-face and from behind. Wang Cheng was caught between pain and pleasure: he wanted to feel good, but he had no desire to be completely spent.
Two days later, Papa Wang found a place that could serve as the new workshop. It was not in Chengping but in Guanjia Village, not far from their house. It was a single-story building of decent size. The owner had originally used the rear portion as a warehouse, but business had not gone well, so he later converted the property into rental rooms to earn a little rent each month. Two days earlier, one tenant’s lease had expired and had not been renewed, so the owner posted a notice advertising the vacancy. Papa Wang happened to see it.
Papa Wang had already asked around. Since there were not many tenants, the property was currently empty. He had spoken with the owner the previous day, and the man agreed to rent it to them and allow them to convert it into a workshop, provided they paid for the alterations themselves and also covered the cost of restoring the place afterward.
Papa Wang told Wang Cheng about it. After discussing it, father and son decided to find time to inspect the place together. The owner’s conditions were reasonable, but they wanted to make sure there would be no trouble later, so everything needed to be settled clearly in advance.
That same afternoon after Wang Cheng returned, he and Papa Wang went to see the building. Wang Cheng discovered that the interior spaces had merely been divided by wooden panels. They would only need to remove a few boards. After confirming there were no problems, they found the owner and signed a one-year lease. Wang Cheng had wanted two years, but the owner refused, so he had no choice but to give up on the idea.
Once the contract was in hand, Wang Cheng immediately hired several people to start work. Demolition and cleanup took only a day, while the renovation afterward took another three or four. In less than a week, everything was finished and they could move in whenever they wanted.
One morning, Wang Cheng got up early and went to the shop with Papa Wang. Papa Wang stayed behind to mind the shop while Wang Cheng loaded the equipment there into the vehicle and drove it back to Guanjia Village. Mama Wang was already waiting at the rented building.
Eldest Maternal Aunt had gone to the fruit mountain with Eldest Cousin that day. Autumn was already over, so many fruits were out of season, but the fruit mountain still had a few varieties that ripened throughout the year, such as citrus fruit. There was not much, but there was enough for their use, and one variety could be made into marmalade.
“Chengcheng, more and more people are buying our jam now, but the autumn harvest is over and there isn’t much fruit left to pick on the mountain. What are you planning to do?” Mama Wang asked casually while putting things away.
“I’ve thought about that too. There are plenty of villagers here and in the nearby villages who grow fruit trees. We can buy from them. They should be happy to sell to us.”
There were quite a few fruit growers in the area who made their living from orchards. If someone offered to buy directly from them, they would naturally be pleased. They would not have to make special trips into the city to sell their fruit, nor would they be squeezed by wholesalers. Some fruit dealers had repeatedly used fierce competition and poor sales as excuses to force prices down.
“All right. Handle it however you think best.”
Once production started, Wang Cheng hired three more people in addition to the original workers, both men and women. They divided the work among themselves, forming a small production line from cooking the fruit to filling the jars. The only person still missing was a delivery worker. Wang Cheng had wanted to hire one for some time but had never found anyone suitable. Whoever he hired needed to know Shanhai City well, or they might get lost making deliveries.
At five thirty, the workers left one after another. Wang Cheng and Mama Wang locked up and stopped by the market first. With the days growing shorter, the sky at this hour was no longer as bright as it had been in summer. By the time they finished buying groceries and returned home, it was already dark. Papa Wang did not arrive until nearly seven, when the bowls and chopsticks were already laid out on the table.
“Dad, perfect timing. Mom already finished cooking. We’re having free-range chicken today.” Wang Cheng came out of the kitchen carrying a bowl of winter-melon soup.
“I’ll go wash my hands.” Papa Wang took off his coat as he spoke. There was no heating inside, but the house was still much warmer than outdoors.
Wang Cheng set the soup on the table and suddenly heard a faint sound outside. He leaned toward the doorway and immediately spotted a furtive figure pacing back and forth in front of their house, apparently unable to decide whether to come in. Who else could it be but Madam Zhang?
Second Uncle’s new house had already been renovated, and the whole family had moved in. The two homes were not far apart, close enough that they practically saw each other whenever they looked up, but ever since the earlier incidents, the families had barely interacted. For Madam Zhang to suddenly come over for no reason, Wang Cheng guessed there was an eighty-percent chance she was up to no good.