Rock Sugar And Pear Stew Chapter 58

Chapter 58 – A kiss (Translated and edited by Xing)

After they finished eating, Liao Zhenyu and Li Yubing considerately helped to load the dishes into the dishwasher.

Tang Xue washed a few apples and crunched on one as she commanded them.

Liao Zhenyu said, “Boss, will uncle and auntie get a shock later when they come back and see that we’ve emptied the fridge?”

Tang Xue pursed her lips. “They won’t be coming back today.”

Li Yubing’s brows rose when he heard this and he thought of how this brat was afraid of ghosts. Though he was willing to stay and coax her to sleep, it was not guaranteed that he would not be kicked out.

Done with the ch.o.r.es, Tang Xue sat in the living room and watched the television. Li Yubing sat down beside her and reached for the remote control.

Then, he browsed through the channels until he found one that was broadcasting Go matches.

Still gnawing on her apple, Tang Xue tossed him a side glance. “Stop being pretentious, silly child. Do you even know how Go is played?”

Li Yubing used the remote control to point at the screen and started explaining the strategy board game to her.

Tang Xue was not sure if his explanation was accurate. In any case, she did not understand a single word and it felt like she was communicating with an alien.

Go was a slow game and after Li Yubing explained it patiently to her for a while, Tang Xue began to yawn. “All right, I know how amazing you are now. Can we change channels already…”

Li Yubing was extremely obedient. He clicked away at the remote control in his hand and switched to a fis.h.i.+ng channel.

This was the first time Tang Xue discovered that the television has a channel that specializes in fis.h.i.+ng. A man stood by the riverside, the fis.h.i.+ng rod he held barely moving. In the background, a dubbed voiceover prattled on and on about the technicalities. Rather than a television channel, this was a PowerPoint presentation wasn’t it?

“Now, let me share with you the mechanics of fis.h.i.+ng,” Li Yubing said.

Tang Xue plonked her body back against the sofa, raised a leg and pretended that she was going to kick him. “You just don’t want me to watch television, do you?”

Li Yubing caught her ankle and put it down slowly. “Stop fooling around.”

Tang Xue, “…”

Perhaps due to his strength, she felt a sense of oppression from being entrapped when he caught her ankle. She also felt a tinge of embarra.s.sment out of the blue.

That was weird. Tang Xue scrubbed her cheeks and shook his hand off in silence. She did not say another word and turned to concentrate on the television.

After a short while, she dozed off.

Li Yubing lowered the television volume, put down the remote control and moved over. He leaned over Tang Xue and waved his hand in front of her eyes. Her breathing was even and her long black eyelashes did not move at all.

He bent over, intending to carry her up. Liao Zhenyu was finally unable to continue watching in silence and voiced an objection. “Hey, what are you trying to do to my boss?”

Li Yubing felt that Liao Zhenyu was too noisy and gestured for him to shush. He then explained softly, “She’s afraid of ghosts.” This chapter is a labour of love that should not be found outside of teafragrance[dot]wordpress[dot]com.

A look of realization appeared on Liao Zhenyu’s face. Li Yubing thought that Liao Zhenyu was going to comment something but instead, he suddenly lowered his head, his fingers swiftly tapping out a message.

Liao Zhenyu: Li Yubing’s worried that my boss is afraid of ghosts and can’t fall asleep. So he’s coaxing her to sleep before leaving!

Xiao Menghuan: Alright, this is something that I can’t do. I’m afraid of ghosts as well. The wretched consort gets 1 point.

Liao Zhenyu: He’s managed to carry my boss! My boss who’s 1.68 m has been easily carried by him with a swoos.h.!.+ Like a little chick! If he bullies my boss in the future, I definitely won’t be able to win him in a fight!

Xia Menghuan: Pictures! Pictures!

Liao Zhenyu raised his phone and snapped the back view of Li Yubing walking off with Tang Xue. The lighting at night was not good, the camera angle was terrible and the shot captured was unfocused. The bulk of the photo was taken up by Li Yubing’s broad and well-built back. As for Tang Xue, only part of her lower legs could be seen along with the pink slippers she wore.

From this bit of legs and the pink slippers, Xia Menghuan could completely visualize the image of Tang Xue being held in Li Yubing’s embrace.

Xia Menghuan: My heavens, the cuteness is overwhelming me. Help, I feel like delivering my king to Li Yubing in nothing but a bow!

Liao Zhenyu: … Please wake up!

……

Li Yubing’s movements were a little stiff. With the soft body of a girl resting in his arms, his heart pounded wildly and he did not dare to be careless with his actions. Tang Xue was usually very energetic. Now that she was quiet and still after falling asleep, Li Yubing could feel from her a delicateness unique to girls which she rarely gave off. This caused his actions to turn even more careful as if he held a rare and valuable porcelain piece

Li Yubing carried Tang Xue into the bedroom and nudged the door shut with his feet. He walked to the bed and placed her down gently before removing her shoes and covering her with a blanket.

Then, he sat on the bed and scrutinized Tang Xue’s face.

I’ll replace this with the fanart of TX & LYB later. Come back again if you want to see it!

Tang Xue’s head was tilted to the side and there were some strands of hair covering her cheek. Her appearance was comical as she had yet to wash off the tiny moustache. Li Yubing stretched out his hand and pushed back the hair strands before smoothing it behind her ear.

After neatening her hair, he did not withdraw his hand and left it hovering next to her cheek. He then used the back of a finger to brush her cheek lightly.

“How did I end up liking you.” Li Yubing mumbled. His statement was both a confession and a sigh.

He suddenly bent over and slowly drew closer. One hand pressing against the pillow, he lowered his head and kissed her forehead.  This was an extremely light touch akin to dragonflies tapping on water and he did not dare to linger. However, this was enough to increase his heartbeat rapidly, to the point that it felt like the concentrated beating of drums.

“Li Yubing.” Tang Xue suddenly spoke.

Li Yubing was shocked. His body froze and he lightly replied, “Mm?”

“Pa.s.s me the remote control…”

Li Yubing exhaled in relief. He turned and saw a torchlight on the bedside cabinet. He picked it up and stuffed it into Tang Xue’s hand. “Here.”

Satisfied, Tang Xue quietened down.

Li Yubing tucked her in properly and stood up. He turned and looked at her room.

Tang Xue’s bookshelf held numerous high school textbooks and revision papers. Besides these, there were books that were not designated school materials, manga and small trinkets on display. On the wall were some celebrity posters. All these were foreign to him, things belonging to a time when he was not part of her world.

He was somewhat discontent and tried to seek for something that belonged to him. Finally, on the bottommost shelf of the bookshelf, he saw a wooden board fitted with an arching gla.s.s case. In it, numerous thumb-sized toys were displayed.

These toys were all collected from Kinder Joys.

And most of the Kinder Joys were bought using his money.

Li Yubing cradled the wooden board. He smiled faintly and suddenly released a sigh.

Screech——

The door was suddenly pushed open by a crack and Liao Zhenyu stuck his head in.

Li Yubing glanced at him.

“You’re not doing anything nefarious to my boss, are you?” Liao Zhenyu asked.

Li Yubing put the wooden board back and stood up. “Let’s go.”

“Let’s wash our faces before leaving.”

Yes, they needed to wash their faces. One looked like the devil while the other looked like a nightmare. Someone might just call the police on them if they went out like this at night. 

The two straight guys naively thought that eyeliners were the same as pencils and could be washed off easily. In the end, reality taught them otherwise…

Liao Zhenyu looked into the mirror, at his wits’ end. He felt that he was looking more and more like a nightmare.

Li Yubing used his phone to search for ways to remove eyeliner and read that they need makeup remover. After searching the washroom for a while, they found something labelled ‘makeup cleansing oil’.

Li Yubing’s eye lines were drawn along his eyelids. He rubbed the area vigorously with oil and felt that he was going blind. That moment, he was struck with how amazing girls who put on makeup were; they managed to do this every day without going insane.

Finally done with this task, the two of them were exhausted. They left the house together. Faced with a small gust of chilly wind, Liao Zhenyu suddenly moved to wrap his coat a little tighter and asked Li Yubing, “You want to be my boss’s man, right?”

Li Yubing was walking in front with his hands in his pockets. He asked, “What do you like?”

Liao Zhenyu let out a scoffing laugh. “Thinking of bribing me? I can tell you that I’ll never betray my boss.”

Li Yubing stopped his feet and turned to look at him. “A pair of limited edition Jordans.”

“…”

“Two pairs.”

“…”

It was said that the male obsession with shoes could rival the female obsession with lipsticks.

Li Yubing stopped looking at Liao Zhenyu. He turned and continued walking, a faint hint of a smile on his face.

Liao Zhenyu chased up with him and said, “Do you think you can do whatever you want when you’re rich? I’m telling you, you can!”

……

When Li Yubing reached home, his parents were watching television.

As he changed his shoes at the entrance, he heard his mother call out to him from the living room, “You’re back? Have you had dinner?”

“Mm.”

“Come here and have some fruits then. The honeydew today is really sweet.”

Li Yubing put away his luggage and sat in the living room to chat with his parents. His father was quiet and reserved and did not usually speak much. At home, his mother was usually the one talking while his father was responsible for listening.

“Whose house did you visit to have fun today?” Mama Li asked.

“A cla.s.smate.” Li Yubing’s reply was vague.

Mama Li perked up her ears. “Oh? Primary or secondary school cla.s.smate? Male or female?”

Li Yubing did not reply. He pretended to be absorbed by the television screen as he looked at it intently while eating the honeydew with a toothpick.

Mama Li observed him secretly. At first, she simply wanted to see if there was anything unusual in his expression. However, when she scrutinized him, her attention was slowly drawn to his eyes.

Subsequently, her expression was stunned and full of sorrow for the remainder of the night. She also showed traces of distress, causing both father and son to be utterly puzzled.

When it was time for bed at night, Papa Li asked her, “What’s wrong?”

“Hubby, Li Yubing lined his eyes!”

“???”

“Really.” Mama Li held her forehead, her brows deeply furrowed. “He didn’t remove it cleanly.”

“…”

The more Mama Li thought about it, the more terrible she felt. “I was hoping that he’ll bring a girl home. Great, now he’s turned himself into a girl!”

Chapter 58 – A kiss (Translated and edited by Xing).

After they finished eating, Liao Zhenyu and Li Yubing considerately helped to load the dishes into the dishwasher..

Tang Xue washed a few apples and crunched on one as she commanded them..

Liao Zhenyu said, “Boss, will uncle and auntie get a shock later when they come back and see that we’ve emptied the fridge?”.

Tang Xue pursed her lips. “They won’t be coming back today.”.

Li Yubing’s brows rose when he heard this and he thought of how this brat was afraid of ghosts. Though he was willing to stay and coax her to sleep, it was not guaranteed that he would not be kicked out..

Done with the ch.o.r.es, Tang Xue sat in the living room and watched the television. Li Yubing sat down beside her and reached for the remote control..

Then, he browsed through the channels until he found one that was broadcasting Go matches..

Still gnawing on her apple, Tang Xue tossed him a side glance. “Stop being pretentious, silly child. Do you even know how Go is played?”.

Li Yubing used the remote control to point at the screen and started explaining the strategy board game to her..

Tang Xue was not sure if his explanation was accurate. In any case, she did not understand a single word and it felt like she was communicating with an alien..

Go was a slow game and after Li Yubing explained it patiently to her for a while, Tang Xue began to yawn. “All right, I know how amazing you are now. Can we change channels already…”.

Li Yubing was extremely obedient. He clicked away at the remote control in his hand and switched to a fis.h.i.+ng channel..

This was the first time Tang Xue discovered that the television has a channel that specializes in fis.h.i.+ng. A man stood by the riverside, the fis.h.i.+ng rod he held barely moving. In the background, a dubbed voiceover prattled on and on about the technicalities. Rather than a television channel, this was a PowerPoint presentation wasn’t it?.

“Now, let me share with you the mechanics of fis.h.i.+ng,” Li Yubing said..

Tang Xue plonked her body back against the sofa, raised a leg and pretended that she was going to kick him. “You just don’t want me to watch television, do you?”.

Li Yubing caught her ankle and put it down slowly. “Stop fooling around.”.

Tang Xue, “…”.

Perhaps due to his strength, she felt a sense of oppression from being entrapped when he caught her ankle. She also felt a tinge of embarra.s.sment out of the blue..

That was weird. Tang Xue scrubbed her cheeks and shook his hand off in silence. She did not say another word and turned to concentrate on the television..

After a short while, she dozed off..

Li Yubing lowered the television volume, put down the remote control and moved over. He leaned over Tang Xue and waved his hand in front of her eyes. Her breathing was even and her long black eyelashes did not move at all..

He bent over, intending to carry her up. Liao Zhenyu was finally unable to continue watching in silence and voiced an objection. “Hey, what are you trying to do to my boss?”.

Li Yubing felt that Liao Zhenyu was too noisy and gestured for him to shush. He then explained softly, “She’s afraid of ghosts.” This chapter is a labour of love that should not be found outside of teafragrance[dot]wordpress[dot]com..

A look of realization appeared on Liao Zhenyu’s face. Li Yubing thought that Liao Zhenyu was going to comment something but instead, he suddenly lowered his head, his fingers swiftly tapping out a message..

Liao Zhenyu: Li Yubing’s worried that my boss is afraid of ghosts and can’t fall asleep. So he’s coaxing her to sleep before leaving!.

Xiao Menghuan: Alright, this is something that I can’t do. I’m afraid of ghosts as well. The wretched consort gets 1 point..

Liao Zhenyu: He’s managed to carry my boss! My boss who’s 1.68 m has been easily carried by him with a swoos.h.!.+ Like a little chick! If he bullies my boss in the future, I definitely won’t be able to win him in a fight!.

Xia Menghuan: Pictures! Pictures!.

Liao Zhenyu raised his phone and snapped the back view of Li Yubing walking off with Tang Xue. The lighting at night was not good, the camera angle was terrible and the shot captured was unfocused. The bulk of the photo was taken up by Li Yubing’s broad and well-built back. As for Tang Xue, only part of her lower legs could be seen along with the pink slippers she wore..

From this bit of legs and the pink slippers, Xia Menghuan could completely visualize the image of Tang Xue being held in Li Yubing’s embrace..

Xia Menghuan: My heavens, the cuteness is overwhelming me. Help, I feel like delivering my king to Li Yubing in nothing but a bow!.

Liao Zhenyu: … Please wake up!.

…….

Li Yubing’s movements were a little stiff. With the soft body of a girl resting in his arms, his heart pounded wildly and he did not dare to be careless with his actions. Tang Xue was usually very energetic. Now that she was quiet and still after falling asleep, Li Yubing could feel from her a delicateness unique to girls which she rarely gave off. This caused his actions to turn even more careful as if he held a rare and valuable porcelain piece.

Li Yubing carried Tang Xue into the bedroom and nudged the door shut with his feet. He walked to the bed and placed her down gently before removing her shoes and covering her with a blanket..

Then, he sat on the bed and scrutinized Tang Xue’s face..

.

I’ll replace this with the fanart of TX & LYB later. Come back again if you want to see it!.

Tang Xue’s head was tilted to the side and there were some strands of hair covering her cheek. Her appearance was comical as she had yet to wash off the tiny moustache. Li Yubing stretched out his hand and pushed back the hair strands before smoothing it behind her ear..

After neatening her hair, he did not withdraw his hand and left it hovering next to her cheek. He then used the back of a finger to brush her cheek lightly..

“How did I end up liking you.” Li Yubing mumbled. His statement was both a confession and a sigh..

He suddenly bent over and slowly drew closer. One hand pressing against the pillow, he lowered his head and kissed her forehead.  This was an extremely light touch akin to dragonflies tapping on water and he did not dare to linger. However, this was enough to increase his heartbeat rapidly, to the point that it felt like the concentrated beating of drums..

“Li Yubing.” Tang Xue suddenly spoke..

Li Yubing was shocked. His body froze and he lightly replied, “Mm?”.

“Pa.s.s me the remote control…”.

Li Yubing exhaled in relief. He turned and saw a torchlight on the bedside cabinet. He picked it up and stuffed it into Tang Xue’s hand. “Here.”.

Satisfied, Tang Xue quietened down..

Li Yubing tucked her in properly and stood up. He turned and looked at her room..

Tang Xue’s bookshelf held numerous high school textbooks and revision papers. Besides these, there were books that were not designated school materials, manga and small trinkets on display. On the wall were some celebrity posters. All these were foreign to him, things belonging to a time when he was not part of her world..

He was somewhat discontent and tried to seek for something that belonged to him. Finally, on the bottommost shelf of the bookshelf, he saw a wooden board fitted with an arching gla.s.s case. In it, numerous thumb-sized toys were displayed..

These toys were all collected from Kinder Joys..

And most of the Kinder Joys were bought using his money..

Li Yubing cradled the wooden board. He smiled faintly and suddenly released a sigh..

Screech——.

The door was suddenly pushed open by a crack and Liao Zhenyu stuck his head in..

Li Yubing glanced at him..

“You’re not doing anything nefarious to my boss, are you?” Liao Zhenyu asked..

Li Yubing put the wooden board back and stood up. “Let’s go.”.

“Let’s wash our faces before leaving.”.

Yes, they needed to wash their faces. One looked like the devil while the other looked like a nightmare. Someone might just call the police on them if they went out like this at night. .

The two straight guys naively thought that eyeliners were the same as pencils and could be washed off easily. In the end, reality taught them otherwise….

Liao Zhenyu looked into the mirror, at his wits’ end. He felt that he was looking more and more like a nightmare..

Li Yubing used his phone to search for ways to remove eyeliner and read that they need makeup remover. After searching the washroom for a while, they found something labelled ‘makeup cleansing oil’..

Li Yubing’s eye lines were drawn along his eyelids. He rubbed the area vigorously with oil and felt that he was going blind. That moment, he was struck with how amazing girls who put on makeup were; they managed to do this every day without going insane..

Finally done with this task, the two of them were exhausted. They left the house together. Faced with a small gust of chilly wind, Liao Zhenyu suddenly moved to wrap his coat a little tighter and asked Li Yubing, “You want to be my boss’s man, right?”.

Li Yubing was walking in front with his hands in his pockets. He asked, “What do you like?”.

Liao Zhenyu let out a scoffing laugh. “Thinking of bribing me? I can tell you that I’ll never betray my boss.”.

Li Yubing stopped his feet and turned to look at him. “A pair of limited edition Jordans.”.

“…”.

“Two pairs.”.

“…”.

It was said that the male obsession with shoes could rival the female obsession with lipsticks..

Li Yubing stopped looking at Liao Zhenyu. He turned and continued walking, a faint hint of a smile on his face..

Liao Zhenyu chased up with him and said, “Do you think you can do whatever you want when you’re rich? I’m telling you, you can!”.

…….

When Li Yubing reached home, his parents were watching television..

As he changed his shoes at the entrance, he heard his mother call out to him from the living room, “You’re back? Have you had dinner?”.

“Mm.”.

“Come here and have some fruits then. The honeydew today is really sweet.”.

Li Yubing put away his luggage and sat in the living room to chat with his parents. His father was quiet and reserved and did not usually speak much. At home, his mother was usually the one talking while his father was responsible for listening..

“Whose house did you visit to have fun today?” Mama Li asked..

“A cla.s.smate.” Li Yubing’s reply was vague..

Mama Li perked up her ears. “Oh? Primary or secondary school cla.s.smate? Male or female?”.

Li Yubing did not reply. He pretended to be absorbed by the television screen as he looked at it intently while eating the honeydew with a toothpick..

Mama Li observed him secretly. At first, she simply wanted to see if there was anything unusual in his expression. However, when she scrutinized him, her attention was slowly drawn to his eyes..

Subsequently, her expression was stunned and full of sorrow for the remainder of the night. She also showed traces of distress, causing both father and son to be utterly puzzled..

When it was time for bed at night, Papa Li asked her, “What’s wrong?”.

“Hubby, Li Yubing lined his eyes!”.

“???”.

“Really.” Mama Li held her forehead, her brows deeply furrowed. “He didn’t remove it cleanly.”.

“…”.

The more Mama Li thought about it, the more terrible she felt. “I was hoping that he’ll bring a girl home. Great, now he’s turned himself into a girl!”.