TIPS – Chapter 159

“……” Prefect Luo pondered for a moment and said, “Now that you’re being asked to turn swords into silk and peace, I’m afraid you wouldn’t agree to that either.”

“I will agree, because I’m just a commoner. Why would I go against an official like you?” Song Jingwei lowered his gaze and replied calmly.

“…Truly?” Prefect Luo still seemed uneasy.

“Yes.” Song Jingwei answered without hesitation.

“Good…”

In the dim dungeon, when he saw the young man sitting in the corner, Song Jingwei’s heart clenched violently—it hurt. He quickened his steps toward the iron bars and called out to the young man, “Shen Junxi?”

Thinking he had misheard, Shen Junxi didn’t lift his head. He missed his family and his beloved more than ever.

“Shen Junxi.” Song Jingwei called again.

“……” Shen Junxi looked up in astonishment and actually saw the person he had longed for day and night. He was so overwhelmed with emotion that he tried to stand up, only to fall to the ground from the pain in his body.

“What happened to him?” Song Jingwei’s face darkened as he turned to question Prefect Luo.

Prefect Luo slightly avoided his gaze and didn’t answer. Instead, he simply ordered the jailer to open the door quickly.

“……” Now wasn’t the time to tear things apart, so Song Jingwei had to hold back his anger. He stepped into the dungeon, walked over, and helped the young man up. “How are you feeling? Anywhere uncomfortable?” From his face, there didn’t seem to be anything seriously wrong, just a bit worn and haggard.

“……” Shen Junxi shook his head and hugged his beloved tightly around the waist. But he was still worried about him, so he quickly signed: “Why are you here?”

Seeing the fear in the young man’s eyes, Song Jingwei patted his hand and explained, “I’ve come to take you home. Everything’s fine now.”

Shen Junxi stared at him closely, trying to confirm: “Really?”

“Mm, really,” Song Jingwei nodded firmly again, then led him out of the cell. As they passed Prefect Luo, he paused for a moment.

Prefect Luo thought he was going to say something, but in the end, he said nothing and just left.

“Lord Luo, we take our leave.” Zhang Benqing cupped his hands toward Prefect Luo and followed them out.

Once they left the dungeon and saw sunlight again, Song Jingwei lowered his voice and asked Shen Junxi, “Tell me, did they torture you?” There was barely restrained fury in his tone.

“Mm.” Shen Junxi, under his intense gaze, had no choice but to nod.

“Those bastards…” Song Jingwei muttered angrily, already thinking of a hundred ways to bring that Luo down from his post.

“Jingwei, let’s take Young Master Shen to the clinic first. As for Prefect Luo, we can deal with him later.” The most important thing was that Shen Junxi had been rescued; the rest could wait.

“Mm, alright.” Song Jingwei nodded in agreement.

The two of them took Shen Junxi to the nearest medical clinic. Fortunately, his injuries weren’t serious—mostly bruises and sprains. With some medicated wine and a few weeks’ rest, he’d be fine.

While the physician was applying the medicated wine to Shen Junxi, Zhang Benqing turned his head and asked, “How did that person’s handwritten letter end up with you, Jingwei?” Song Jingwei had never told him, and he had been quite surprised at the time.

“It was by chance. I don’t actually know him at all,” Song Jingwei replied with a smile. It had been a coincidence when he got it, and he hadn’t thought much of it—he just kept it.

Thankfully, Prefect Luo hadn’t had the guts to demand to read the contents of the letter. If he had, things would’ve turned out very differently.

“I see.” Zhang Benqing relaxed upon hearing that. Song Jingwei had taken a trip recently and visited many places—it was likely he got the letter then.

“Mm. I really have to thank you this time. And as for Prefect Luo, I’ll still need your full support,” Song Jingwei said.

“Haha, no need to say that. I think plenty of people are eyeing Prefect Luo’s position. His downfall is just a matter of course.” It wasn’t out of personal revenge—he had it coming.

“Mm.”

After the medicated wine was applied, Shen Junxi fastened his clothes and looked up to see his beloved watching him. His eyes were filled with both anger and concern. Shen Junxi quickly shook his head to reassure him that he was fine.

“Still hurting?” Song Jingwei touched his chest; earlier, he had seen bruises there. Those people had really gone too far, daring to strike him in the chest.

“Mm.” Shen Junxi nodded honestly with a frown. It did hurt. But then he smiled, grabbing Song Jingwei’s hand, feeling deeply content.

“What are you smiling for? After all this, you can still laugh?” Song Jingwei didn’t pull his hand back; instead, he turned it over and held Shen Junxi’s hand in return.

The young man signed: “Because you came for me. So I’m happy.”

“Tch.” Song Jingwei scoffed, “Why wouldn’t I come for you?”

“……” Shen Junxi went quiet. Because… they had had a falling out before. At that time, Song Jingwei seemed like he no longer cared about him. Now that he had come so quickly to rescue him, Shen Junxi felt incredibly happy. He gestured, clasping Song Jingwei’s hand, and signed: “Are we reconciled now?”

At first, Song Jingwei was confused, then chuckled helplessly. “Did we ever fight or argue? How can there be a reconciliation when nothing happened?” Things were already good between them…

“Mhm.” Shen Junxi was reassured by those words and broke into a brilliantly bright smile.

“You’ve been gone for two days, let’s hurry home now,” Song Jingwei said, then took the young man’s hand and walked out of the medical clinic with him.

They boarded the carriage for the return journey, and the rush home took an entire day.

When they arrived back at the village, a thought struck Song Jingwei. Instead of going straight home, he took a detour toward the small grove.

“What are we doing here?” Shen Junxi gestured curiously but didn’t pause. He stayed close beside Song Jingwei.

“Just taking a look,” Song Jingwei replied. At this moment, the sky was painted with vibrant sunset clouds, and night was quickly approaching. That place… was probably beyond its time; it likely couldn’t be activated anymore.

Even so, Song Jingwei still went there. He stood at the spot where he had once bid farewell to Qin Xiaodong and remained lost in thought for a long time.

He had never considered it before—if nothing had happened to Shen Junxi, would he have come early and left through this very place? But now that everything had passed, time would never turn back. He had made his decision to stay behind, to accompany the person who needed him the most.

“Let’s go home.” He looked up at the drifting clouds and sighed softly, holding the hand beside him even tighter.

The answer was clear: since he was willing to give up returning for Shen Junxi’s sake, it meant he truly wanted to stay.

“Are you unhappy?” Shen Junxi signed. He was carefully watching his wife’s expression and noticed his mood seemed low. Why? He didn’t know, and it made him feel heavy inside.

“It’s nothing,” Song Jingwei continued walking.

“…” Shen Junxi tugged on him and refused to move, standing his ground like a stubborn mule.

“What is it?” Song Jingwei turned and looked at him.

Shen Junxi signed, “We agreed before—if there’s anything bothering us, we’d talk about it. Otherwise, I won’t know.” Not knowing what Song Jingwei was thinking made him panic.

“But you don’t have to know everything. Everyone has things they don’t want to talk about,” Song Jingwei said.

“Even to me?” Shen Junxi looked at him with bright, sincere eyes, full of expectation.

“It’s not that I don’t want to tell you. I just don’t want to talk about it right now,” Song Jingwei took a deep breath and replied.

“…” Shen Junxi could accept that answer. He nodded, moved closer, and gently kissed Song Jingwei on the lips—so cautiously, as if afraid of being rejected.

“…” Song Jingwei cupped his chin and didn’t allow such a timid kiss. Instead, he gave him a deep, lingering kiss full of passion.

By the time the kiss ended, Shen Junxi’s cheeks were flushed, and their breaths were uneven as they parted.

But he was very happy. Their kisses were still filled with emotion—no awkwardness, no distance. In fact, he had a secret deep in his heart: he really enjoyed being kissed roughly by Song Jingwei. The more forceful it was, the more secure he felt.

“Let’s go home.”

“Mhm.”

With the clouds above them, they returned to the home they had left for three days.

Shen Dongming and Yang Shi were overjoyed. They had been anxious for days, and now, at last, they could breathe a sigh of relief.

That night, the two lay entwined on the bed, lost in each other. Their feelings remained harmonious and unaffected. Many matters were thus quietly laid to rest, and life returned to its peaceful norm.

Although Song Jingwei had once said he would one day explain everything to Shen Junxi, it seemed he never did.

It wasn’t until a month later, when a letter from Zhang Benqing arrived saying that Magistrate Luo had fallen from power, that he suddenly realized how much time had passed. With Luo removed from his post, all those issues were buried for good. Song Jingwei never brought them up again.

In any case, the decision had been made—he would stay by Shen Junxi’s side for life.

That year was quite different from others. Though there wasn’t a good harvest, there was a sense of joy in surviving the storm. After the New Year, everyone was full of energy, hoping for a better yield in the coming year.

Song Jingwei’s plans were also progressing. Over the next two years, he gradually transformed the entire Chashan Village.

The first step, of course, was to make money—by managing their twenty mu of lotus roots and the large tea plantation well.

The silver they earned in the second year gave the Shen family’s main branch a sense of hope. Building a residential compound in the future didn’t seem so far-fetched anymore.

Although money was being made and Chashan Village had a promising future, there was still one thing in the family that wasn’t quite perfect: Pei Hongxuan’s second son was due at the end of the year, yet Song Jingwei hadn’t shown any intention of having a second child.

Yang Shi had said before that there was no rush and that she wouldn’t pressure her daughter-in-law.

But every time she saw Wu Xi’s big belly, she couldn’t help feeling regretful. If only Song Jingwei was willing…

It wasn’t that Song Jingwei was intentionally avoiding it—he had truly forgotten amidst his busyness. Watching Benben grow up day by day, he became busier too. All his remaining time was spent with father and son, leaving no room to even think about a second child.

In the blink of an eye, it was time for Pei Hongxuan’s younger son’s one-month celebration. He really was a chubby little baby. The Shen family’s main branch went to the celebration and adored the little one the moment they saw him.

Shen Junxi sat beside him, holding their son Benben in one arm, and poked Song Jingwei’s arm with the other, urging him to look.

“I saw it already,” Song Jingwei said helplessly.

“He’s so chubby.” Shen Junxi gestured, indicating that the baby was even fatter than Benben had been at that age.

“Fat brother, fat…” Benben clapped his hands happily in Shen Junxi’s arms and soon began to wriggle to get down.

“Go hug your little brother.” Song Jingwei set him down on the ground, letting him go play by himself.

Shen Chang was almost two years old. He could run and jump and even speak, though he still stumbled over longer sentences.

“Are you envious?” Glancing back at the youth’s expression, Song Jingwei asked with a smile.

Shen Junxi smiled as he watched the two cheerful husbands showing off their kids. He nodded—not because he envied Pei Hongxuan and Wu Xi’s good relationship, but because he envied that they had two children.

“Then go have one yourself,” Song Jingwei teased.

He gestured seriously, “Alright, I’ll have one.”

Back home, after placing Benben in Yang Shi’s room, Shen Junxi hurried back to their own room. He had drunk a little wine and now his heart was pounding like a startled deer. He looked excited.

Song Jingwei had taken a bath and was lazily lying on the bed. He lifted his eyelids sluggishly and told him to go bathe.

Shen Junxi loved this lazy side of him. He leaned down and kissed him, feeling utterly satisfied and happy.

After bathing, Shen Junxi didn’t put on much—just threw on an inner garment. The cool breeze brushed across his bare chest, bringing a slight chill.

He went over and embraced him tightly, full of affection and longing.

Song Jingwei cupped the young man’s face and began planting delicate kisses from his forehead all the way down to his lower belly, not stopping.

“…” This was the first time Shen Junxi had experienced such intense teasing. He was clearly flustered. He stopped Song Jingwei with a shy and confused look in his eyes.

“You don’t like it this way?” Song Jingwei chuckled softly. Then he propped himself up and didn’t tease him further, instead kissing him on the lips.

The night was full of passion, both of them deeply satisfied.

Shen Junxi closed his eyes and held the man in his arms tightly. His heart was bursting with words of love, yet he couldn’t speak them aloud.

All he could do was show it through his actions—just how much he wanted, how deeply he loved, how badly he needed to express it all.

Luckily, tonight Song Jingwei was particularly passionate too. No matter what Shen Junxi did, he tried to match it. Sometimes, when he saw the sparkle in the young man’s eyes, Song Jingwei couldn’t help but smile.

The next morning, after a night of love and indulgence, Shen Junxi got up early, full of energy, bustling around the house.

Though he didn’t outwardly express his joy, anyone could tell at a glance that he was in a very good mood.

“What’s this? Hongxuan’s family had their second son, and you look even happier than they do,” Yang Shi teased her son.

“I am happy.” Shen Junxi signed to her with a hand gesture, then picked up a bucket and went outside to water the vegetable patch in the courtyard.

“What’s making you so happy?” Yang Shi asked curiously. A thought flashed in her mind and her imagination started running wild. Could it be…

While Shen Junxi watered the plants, he glanced back at his mother’s expression and immediately knew she’d misunderstood. Laughing, he gestured: “What are you thinking? Thinking about our second little one?”

Yang Shi admitted it straightforwardly. “And what if I am? Are you going to give me one?”

Shen Junxi signed: “Even if I want to, I can’t. My wife’s not that interested in me.” He laughed at his own joke and continued watering.

“Hehe.” Yang Shi looked him over and laughed too. Then she sighed, “Ah well, who told you to be born with such an unremarkable face?”

Mother and son joked around. Not long after, Shen Dongming showed up with his eldest grandson in tow. Shen Chang was now at the age of being a handful—constantly moving, running around. So Shen Dongming had tied a rope around his waist to keep him from running off.

“Look, our little bull has arrived,” Yang Shi said with a hearty laugh. Her grandson looked at her with a pitiful expression.

“Hahaha, this little guy caused trouble again this morning, so I’ve got to keep a close eye on him,” Shen Dongming said. Shen Chang had broken his teacup earlier, and he still felt the loss.

“You little rascal, why are your hands always so busy?” Yang Shi said. Her grandson loved using the adults’ cups to drink water. She had even prepared a special one just for him, but he refused to use it and insisted on grabbing Shen Dongming’s instead. He was definitely a handful.

“Grandma…” Shen Chang pouted and reached his hands out to Yang Shi, asking her to save him from being tied up.

“Ah, Grandma can’t save you either. Be good and behave, alright? I’ll give you something tasty in a bit,” Yang Shi coaxed him, a bunch of green onions still in her hand, ready to be washed and cooked.

Song Jingwei, stretching his limbs, walked out from the courtyard and saw all of them standing around chatting casually.

Everyone wore smiles on their faces, looking content and happy.

He stopped walking, choosing not to interrupt. He just stood there and quietly observed the scene. A voice within him said:

“See, staying behind was worth it.”

If he hadn’t chosen to save Shen Junxi that day, and instead left this world…

What would have become of this family?

It would’ve been broken, surely. At the very least, smiles like these would never have appeared again.

“……” After finishing watering the plants, Shen Junxi looked up and saw his wife standing at a distance. He smiled and waved at her.

“Ah, Jingwei, you’re awake?” Yang Shi, who had just cleaned the last green onion, smiled at her daughter-in-law and said, “I made porridge and there are dumplings too. You both go wait inside; it’ll be ready in just a moment.” After saying this, she hurried into the kitchen, chopped the green onions into small pieces, and added them to the pot of porridge.

A fresh and fragrant aroma wafted through the air—the sweet and savory scent of shrimp rolling in the porridge.

There were also several steaming baskets of dumplings, thin-skinned and generously filled, freshly cooked, each one plump and exuding a delicious and inviting smell.

“Let me help you.” Song Jingwei rolled up his sleeves and came over to help carry the dumplings.

Shen Junxi followed closely behind, carrying the steaming hot porridge. The two of them, one in front and one behind, disappeared from Yang Shi’s sight and walked into another warm corner of the home.

This was what a home was.

A family sitting around the table, enjoying delicious food, talking about their hopes for the future—what could be more blissful?

To Shen Junxi’s family, this was happiness. There was nothing to complain about in such a life; it was already the most ideal existence. If you asked Song Jingwei, maybe he’d say the same. He still had a long, long time to go through this journey, and a definite answer could only be given before he left this world.

And “leaving” meant death. Those strange, bizarre incidents—no one could be sure if they would ever happen again. After the Qin Xiaodong incident, Song Jingwei never thought he would have to make another choice, because those weren’t choices anymore.

Since he had already promised Shen Junxi to be with him forever, he wouldn’t change that.

Even though Shen Junxi was just a simple farm boy who hadn’t seen much of the world in his life, and he didn’t fully understand Song Jingwei nor did they have much in common to talk about, the fact that they could live together in mutual understanding and chose to spend the rest of their days together was already something worth celebrating.

So there was no need to talk about whether they were “suitable” or not. Just “willing” was enough.

As spring passed and autumn came, standing under the gentle moonlight, the young man turned his head and gently kissed his beloved wife, gesturing, “The moon is beautiful.”

Song Jingwei looked up at the full moon in the sky and said, “Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival,” a holiday the young man had never heard of.

“Mid-Autumn Festival? What’s that?”

“It’s a long story. Let me tell you slowly. In the Heavenly Palace, there was a beautiful fairy named Chang’e…”

He told many, many stories, but in the end, the only two sentences Shen Junxi remembered deeply were:“Though thousands of miles apart, we share the same moonlight.
May we live long and share this beauty forever.”

The End

_{So finally this story came to an end. Few more extra chapters and we will say goodbye to our fav Jianwei and Junxi. And our very very cute and adorable Benben. I loved this story and I hope you loved it too.}