This year’s snowfall was not heavy compared to last, so the ski resorts started using artificial snow. But the technology was still in its infancy, and the outdoor snowmaking machines were all of an outdated design. These machines made deafening noise, as they sprayed out clusters of white foam-like substance that took a good while to cover only a small area.
After observing for a while, Guo Jingyu turned to Li Tongzhou and said, “Why does this machine look so familiar to me?”
Li Tongzhou also looked up.
Guo Jingyu said, “Doesn’t it resemble the stove the old man selling popcorn by the roadside used when we were kids? It was also this kind of pitch-black, and at the right moment, it would go ‘bang’ with a loud sound—”
As he was talking, the snowmaking machine started spraying snowballs again, fittingly timed.
Li Tongzhou was amused by his words. It really did look like it.
Guo Jingyu waited for a while, thinking that they would probably only be able to ski for about ten meters today with continuous snow spraying. Since the snow wasn’t thick enough, he decided to take Li Tongzhou elsewhere to play.
There was a strawberry field nearby, and in the winter, the strawberries in the greenhouse ripened, making it the perfect season for picking.
Inside the artificial greenhouse, it was stuffy, and the height was not high enough. Guo Jingyu and Li Tongzhou took off their down jackets, bent over, and started picking. Guo Jingyu was quick in his movements, following the strongest scent of fragrance. “Li Tongzhou, come on, the ones over here are delicious.”
Li Tongzhou followed along, feeling a bit curious, “How do you know?”
Guo Jingyu replied, “Didn’t you smell it? The ones here have a milky fragrance, especially fragrant!”
Although Li Tongzhou couldn’t discern any difference in smell, hearing Guo Jingyu’s words, he went ahead and joined in the picking.
They had just picked two small baskets when the owner brought over new customers. Seeing the strawberries in their hands, he smiled and said, “Hey, young folks with good taste! I didn’t have a chance to tell you earlier. This row here is planted with cream strawberries, an experimental crop. Even our staff haven’t tried them yet. Later, give them a taste and let us know how they are.”
Guo Jingyu smiled, “No problem, I’ll go wash them now.”
Like other agricultural zones on the outskirts of the city, the strawberry field charged per person. It was thirty yuan per person, and you could freely eat the strawberries you picked on the spot. When leaving, there was an additional charge based on the weight of the strawberries you took away. Fair dealings for everyone.
Guo Jingyu’s favorite fruits were all vibrant and beautiful, and almost all in shades of red. He especially loved fruits like cherries, strawberries, and cherry tomatoes. Now, he washed a basket and arranged them on a plate to share with Li Tongzhou. The freshly picked strawberries were not as large as those a decade later, but each one looked small but vibrant, and had a rich fragrance. Guo Jingyu took one and bit into it. The skin cracked open, releasing a delightful blend of sweet and tart juice. The flesh was tender, with a subtle hint of creamy fragrance. It was extremely delicious.
Guo Jingyu kept eating the strawberries one after another, sometimes tossing two or three into his mouth at once. He chewed with narrowed eyes, savoring the taste so much that he even sucked his fingers.
Watching him lick his fingers, Li Tongzhou’s gaze paused and coughed awkwardly.
Guo Jingyu looked up, “What’s wrong? Did you taste something sour? I’ll go get you some water.”
Li Tongzhou shook his head, “I can go by myself.”
Guo Jingyu didn’t stop him, casually saying, “Go ahead and wash the ones in that basket too. I’ll keep eating for a while.”
Li Tongzhou was a bit surprised, glancing at the plate beside him. “I’m done eating. Why don’t you enjoy these first? You can take the rest home and eat them slowly. Eating too many might make your teeth ache.”
“Why don’t you wash them for me? It’s rare to come across such fresh ones.”
Li Tongzhou still indulged him and washed a basket. Guo Jingyu held a large plate and grabbed handfuls of strawberries and enjoyed them in one go.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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“Smaller ones taste better.”
Guo Jingyu sat there chatting with the owner about strawberries, while Li Tongzhou took advantage of this time to pick some more from the greenhouse, planning to take them home to enjoy.
No one knew how Guo Jingyu managed to praise them, but as they were about to leave, the owner generously gave them more than half a basket of strawberries, smiling and saying, “Homegrown, fresh and delicious this season. We got along well in our chat, so here’s a gift for you. Come back again!”
Li Tongzhou looked at the two small baskets of strawberries, but in his heart, he couldn’t help but think about Guo Jingyu’s teeth.
When they returned home to wash up and sleep that night, Guo Jingyu really let out a soft “sigh.” The sound wasn’t loud, but Li Tongzhou still heard it and asked, “What’s wrong? Toothache?”
Guo Jingyu shook his head, brushing his teeth while muttering, “It’s nothing, not hurting.”
When they went to sleep at night, every time Guo Jingyu turned over, Li Tongzhou would ask if his teeth were hurting.
Guo Jingyu, feeling irritated and embarrassed, pushed Li Tongzhou’s leg with his foot, “What’s wrong with you? My teeth weren’t hurting, but now they feel like they are because of your words.”
Li Tongzhou ignored him, reaching over to pull him into an embrace. Using his fingers, he touched around until he reached the small pointed tooth on the left side. Guo Jingyu immediately started exclaiming, “Ouch ouch ouch.”
Li Tongzhou suggested, “Should we go to the hospital?”
Guo Jingyu pushed him away, “For such a small thing, why go to the hospital? No need.”
“But if you start hurting in the middle of the night, and there’s no clinic nearby…”
Guo Jingyu mumbled, “I won’t go anyway. I’ll sleep it off.”
Li Tongzhou could only go along with him.
The last time they came together, they stayed in the same room. This time, Grandma Gu insisted on preparing a guest room for them, but Guo Jingyu declined, and the two of them ended up sleeping in the same small room as last time. Guo Jingyu kicked off the covers at night, and Li Tongzhou covered him twice before simply holding him from behind to sleep.
The next morning, Guo Jingyu licked his teeth and felt fine, craving strawberries once again.
This time, Li Tongzhou didn’t allow it. Guo Jingyu patted his hand, telling him to move aside. Then, Li Tongzhou called Grandma Gu.
The old lady came in and asked, “What’s going on?”
Li Tongzhou pointed at Guo Jingyu and said to the old lady, “Jingyu ate too many strawberries yesterday. His teeth hurt, and now he wants to eat more.”
Grandma Gu tapped her little grandson’s head, feeling both amused and exasperated. “Who eats strawberries early in the morning? Wait, eat after breakfast. You young ones rely on having good teeth because you’re still young. Just wait until you’re old, and you’ll see. You’ll be stuck with congee if your teeth go bad!”
Guo Jingyu looked at his studious counterpart across from him with a surprised expression. When Grandma Gu confiscated the strawberries and walked away, he leaned over and whispered, “Li Tongzhou, you’re quite something, even reporting to my grandma.”
Li Tongzhou rubbed his nose against Guo Jingyu and said in a calm tone, “If I catch you eating again, I’ll report you.”
Guo Jingyu thought, “My little boyfriend is really strict,” but he couldn’t help but forgive him for being so handsome.
At noon, Li Tongzhou went out for a bit.
Guo Jingyu was currently playing chess with Grandma Gu. After looking around for a while and not seeing anyone, Grandma Gu took advantage of his distraction, secretly pinching a chess piece and hiding it in her sleeve. Urging him, she said, “It’s your turn, it’s your turn!”
Pretending not to notice, Guo Jingyu continued gazing outside into the courtyard. “Just realized I haven’t seen Li Tongzhou for a while. He’s not familiar with this place. I’ll go look for him.”
Grandma Gu saw that she was about to win, and didn’t let him leave. “No worries, this is an old neighborhood, and it’s just one street. Xiaozhou will be back soon. You didn’t let me leave when you were winning just now. Why, now that you’re almost losing, do you want to rub away?”
Guo Jingyu laughed and sighed, sitting back down to finish the game with the old lady.
Li Tongzhou quickly returned, carrying a bag of things in his hands.
Guo Jingyu noticed and asked, “What did you buy? Why didn’t you tell me? I could have gone with you.”
Li Tongzhou replied, “I just went to the nearby convenience store to buy some milk.”
Li Tongzhou didn’t buy the milk for himself. He went to the kitchen, took a glass, crushed a few strawberries, mixed them with milk, and made strawberry milk for Guo Jingyu.
Grandma Gu chuckled, “Drinking it like this is fine too. The milk helps soothe the teeth, and the pain will subside.”
Guo Jingyu felt a sweet sensation in his chest, drank a large cup, and used the excuse of losing the chess game to avoid playing. He dragged Li Tongzhou back to the room for an afternoon nap.
As soon as they entered the room, Guo Jingyu asked, “Is this a reward for not having strawberries in the morning?”
Li Tongzhou nodded.
Guo Jingyu said, “The taste is good. Can I pre-order a cup for tonight?”
Before Li Tongzhou could say anything, Guo Jingyu pressed him against the door and kissed him for quite a while, mumbling, “I’ll pay a deposit. You can’t back out, okay?” Unlike the previous kiss, this time, he repeatedly rubbed against the other’s lips, not stopping after a brief taste. Instead, he opened up and engaged in a more in-depth communication.
Li Tongzhou tasted the sweet fragrance of strawberry milk, half-closing his eyes as he observed the person he was kissing, feeling the softness of their lips.
Guo Jingyu wasn’t exactly a great teacher. He possesses a vast amount of knowledge but lacks practical experience.
On the other hand, Li Tongzhou was a diligent and earnest student, repeatedly and consistently working hard to hone his skills.
When Guo Jingyu separated from him, his head felt a bit dizzy, and he only sensed the warmth on his face. The touch of Li Tongzhou’s hand rubbing his cheek and feeling the slight coolness of his fingertips, was incredibly pleasant. He unconsciously nuzzles his cheek against the fingers, leaning into Li Tongzhou’s palm like a contented cat, squinting his eyes, eagerly waiting the next caress.
Li Tongzhou’s gaze landed on Guo Jingyu’s crimson lips. His thumb gently traced them twice before he lowered his head and gave him another soft, light kiss.
“This is my reward.”
Guo Jingyu was coaxed into a good mood, seeing the other person’s heart soften like a puddle.
During these few days of winter break, Guo Jingyu was content.
Although strawberries were limited, there was still strawberry milk to drink. Li Tongzhou almost unquestioningly followed his lead, and the two explored all the interesting places around them, even climbing a mountain together.
In the suburban town, there weren’t as many lights, especially on winter nights. It got dark early, and the households in the small town turned off their lights quite early as well.
The darker it was, the brighter the stars shine.
Guo Jingyu accompanied Li Tongzhou to the top-floor attic to stargaze together.
The attic was inadequately heated, so Guo Jingyu brought over two thick blankets. But Li Tongzhou quickly pulled him into an embrace, and they huddled together, wrapped in the blankets, watching the stars.
Li Tongzhou rested his chin on the top of Guo Jingyu’s head, as if laughing softly.
When Guo Jingyu tried to look up, he received a kiss on the cheek.
Guo Jingyu’s face blushed slightly, but he insisted on giving Li Tongzhou a peck on the corner of his mouth before feeling satisfied and asking, “What were you thinking just now?”
Li Tongzhou didn’t respond immediately. After a moment, he spoke gently, “Jingyu, do you know that due to the division of labor between cone cells and rod cells, humans can’t see rich colors in the dark? But under better observation conditions, we can still see some parts of the night sky that are usually invisible.”
“For example?”
“I’ve seen a red giant star, very beautiful,” Li Tongzhou told him about stars, sharing a lot and expressing a rare interest in the night sky.
Guo Jingyu listened quietly, and when he finished, Guo Jingyu said, “You’ve never told me about this before. I thought you were more into scientific research, like physics or chemistry.”
Li Tongzhou smiled, “I like both. It’s just that I have a more exploratory interest in the night sky.” He looked up for a moment and continued, “When I was little, there was a time my mom took me on a business trip. I was too young, and she didn’t feel comfortable leaving me alone at home. So, she had to bring me along to Yunnan. My mom’s work required inspecting the terrain, which, to be honest, was quite hard. I don’t remember how the journey was, but what I remember is that one night, during our camping, I could look up and see the stars.”
The camping site was in a desolate, uninhabited area. At night, you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. Besides the faint light from the campsite and the convoy, there was no second light source nearby.
Standing beneath the vast expanse of twinkling stars, the little child nearly lost himself.
In this moment, the echoes of his childhood overlapped. He thought such a breathtaking sight only happened once in a lifetime, but he never imagined that holding the person in his arms could revive the heartbeat of those times. A heart throbbed in his chest, beating faster with each moment.
Li Tongzhou lowered his head to kiss the top of Guo Jingyu’s head, his gaze so soft and gentle.
It was an unmistakable expression of affection.
And an anticipation for the future.
May the starry sky be with you.
The author has something to say:
My love, may the starry sky be with you.
— Sweet words from Prince Li Tongzhou.
K: I also want to stargaze with someone ( ⸝⸝´꒳`⸝⸝)
Also please note, chapter release will be changed from sundays to mondays. Thank you everyone for your patience (づ ᴗ _ᴗ)づ♡
