The Little Fox Spoils Her Blind Husband - Chapter 7

“Lift your arms.”

Sitting amidst the swirling steam, Xu Yanqiu obediently raised both hands so Li Ting could strip him of his clothes. Now, he was left wearing only a pair of trousers which, of course, also belonged to Li Ting.

He waited for Li Ting’s next instruction. The surroundings were steaming hot. Even without clothes, he did not feel the slightest bit cold. Li Ting tossed the tunic onto a nearby folding screen and looked at the little blind boy sitting perfectly still and obediently. The little fox said, “Take off the rest yourself.”

“Okay.” Xu Yanqiu stood up, carefully removed his trousers, folded them slowly, and handed them to Li Ting. Whether it was a trick of his senses or not, he thought he heard Li Ting let out a low chuckle. A moment later, Li Ting spoke. “Directly in front of you, four steps forward is the bathtub. Splash some water on yourself first so you do not get scalded when you get in.”

Xu Yanqiu nodded, counting the steps in his mind until his front brushed against the warm wooden edge of the tub. He felt along the rim, reached inside, and scooped up the warm water to splash over his body. After doing this several times until he was wet all over, he turned back toward Li Ting and said, “Brother Li, I am ready.”

“Can you get in yourself?” Li Ting was busy tying up his hair. Otherwise, his dark locks would get soaked and it would take forever to dry them. He was not sure how long the sun outside would last, and he still wanted to let the little blind boy bask in it.

Xu Yanqiu held onto the edge and tried, but the slippery floor made him give up immediately. He chose to ask Li Ting for help. “Brother Li, I cannot get in. Can you help me?”

He knew that the most important thing right now was to get clean. He had to set aside his shame for the moment so as not to delay Li Ting’s work.

The little fox tied his long hair into a high ponytail and then into a small bun at the top of his head. Only then did he remove his outer robe, roll up his sleeves, and step forward to support Xu Yanqiu’s back. Upon contact, he felt that the boy was shockingly thin. He could feel the prominent spine and shoulder blades. The little fox paused. He had originally intended to simply lift him in by the armpits, but he changed his mind, sliding his other hand behind the boy’s knees and picking him up in a horizontal carry. Hearing Xu Yanqiu let out a startled gasp at the movement, the little fox could not help but look down.

And then he saw “Little Yanqiu.”

Fair, obedient, and actually quite cute.

Li Ting: ” ”

The little fox cleared his throat, telling himself it was normal to accidentally see. They were both men, so it was no big deal. He slowed his movements and lowered the little blind boy into the warm bath. As the water rose to Xu Yanqiu’s chest, Li Ting noticed a faint pink pattern on his collarbone.

It was not a tattoo, but something naturally formed.

In the Great Chen Dynasty, there were not only men and women but also Shuang’er. A small number of Shuang’er possessed such unique markings. Li Ting’s pupils contracted. He hid the shock in his eyes the moment he noticed Xu Yanqiu’s expression becoming settled and calm.

Xu Yanqiu was a Shuang’er.

“Brother Li, is something wrong?” Xu Yanqiu turned his head to ask. “Do you want to wash together? I can scrub your back!”

Perhaps the bath had made him feel peaceful and relaxed, as his voice carried a hint of joyful excitement. “I used to scrub my father’s back often. I will not hurt you.”

Li Ting looked at the other bathtub. He had indeed prepared two tubs of water, but his original plan was to wash the little blind boy first and then take him out to sunbathe. Hearing Xu Yanqiu’s offer, Li Ting did not have the heart to dampen his enthusiasm. “Wait for me.”

Hearing that Li Ting had not refused, Xu Yanqiu became even happier. He could finally be of help to Brother Li!

Although scrubbing a back was not a massive favor, it was normal for brothers to scrub each other’s backs. Xu Yanqiu thought to himself secretly. He and Brother Li were brothers!

Because his mother had passed away when he was born and his father was always busy working hard to support them, no one had ever told Xu Yanqiu that he was a Shuang’er. Thus, the little blind boy was completely unaware that Li Ting had already discovered his greatest secret.

Li Ting reached out and hooked the edge of his own tub, pulling with slight force to bring the two bathtubs together. He did this because he feared the tubs were too far apart. If the little blind boy fell out while trying to reach him, a fall would be troublesome.

He stripped off his clothes and soaked in. He was also somewhat tired from the past two days. After all, he had traveled a long distance to East Xu Village and spent the following two days busy caring for a patient. Sinking into the warm water, his whole body felt much lighter.

“Brother Li?” Xu Yanqiu said beside him. “I cannot reach you.”

The little fox turned his head and saw that Xu Yanqiu was indeed feeling around the edge of the tub, but he could not find anything. Li Ting moved closer and turned his back toward him. The little blind boy’s fingertips suddenly brushed against a patch of tight, firm muscle. It took all his effort not to pull his hand back in fright.

He picked up his washcloth, wrung it out slightly, and began to scrub Li Ting’s back with all his heart, just as he had done for his father. But he soon realized it was completely different. When they had napped together yesterday, Brother Li had not felt this strong!

The skin beneath his hands was supple and firm without being overly bulky. As he scrubbed upward from the shoulder blades, he felt the muscles twitching slightly. Without realizing it, Xu Yanqiu’s ears turned red. His scrubbing grew weaker and weaker until Li Ting said alertly, “You have not fainted from the steam, have you?”

Xu Yanqiu shook his head like a rattle. “No, no, it is just my hands are a bit tired.” He did not know why he made up such an excuse. He only knew that if this continued, things would become very strange.

He would become very strange.

Li Ting caught a scent of arousal in the air. Foxes are naturally lustful creatures. Though they cannot compare to dragons or snakes, they are extremely sensitive to such things. The little fox looked back at Xu Yanqiu, who had his head lowered, lost in thought. Casting his gaze through the clear water, Li Ting understood everything instantly.

However, his first reaction was to bow his head and sniff himself. Foxes occasionally emit a soul-seducing scent to lure mates, but he smelled of nothing but soap.

Yet Xu Yanqiu’s reaction was not fake. The little blind boy could not see and perhaps did not even realize what was happening, but Li Ting was not blind. “Little Yanqiu” was quite lively.

The little fox cleared his throat, intending to pretend he had not seen. “That is enough. Do you want me to scrub your back in return?”

The little blind boy seemed to snap awake. He shook his head frantically and tried to submerge himself. In his daze, he nearly choked on the water, but luckily, Li Ting was quick enough to fish him out.

“Cough, cough, Brother Li, I am fine.” Xu Yanqiu clung to Li Ting’s arm, coughing softly, his entire face flushed red like a cooked shrimp. “Let me go.”

“I really have to keep an eye on you. You nearly drowned yourself just taking a bath.” Li Ting sighed. He stood up in the tub, propped the little blind boy up with both hands, took his specially made soap, and lathered his palms. He applied it all over the boy, washed him clean, and set him down on a small stool. Only then did he turn back to give himself a quick rinse.

Hearing the splashing water, Xu Yanqiu knew he had caused trouble for Li Ting again. He was about to apologize when Li Ting wrapped him in clean clothes and scooped him up under his arm.

Xu Yanqiu: “?!”

“Brother Li, I can walk myself!” The little blind boy was mortified, his voice cracking. Li Ting was startled, thinking to himself that Xu Yanqiu could actually make such a noise.

The little fox did not care for his protests. As he walked toward the bedroom, he glanced at the sky. The sun was gone, and there likely would not be any sunlight this afternoon. It was better to tuck the boy into bed quickly so he would not catch a cold.

No sooner said than done. He placed the little blind boy on the edge of the bed, dried him from head to toe in a few strokes, and briskly tucked him into the blankets. Before Xu Yanqiu could even react, while his body was still steaming hot, he was back in the bed that still carried a familiar scent.

The little blind boy blinked his eyes. Just as he was about to speak, he heard Li Ting say, “I know you can walk.”

The words Xu Yanqiu was about to say were swallowed back down. After a moment of thought, he pulled the quilt tighter around himself. “Brother Li, are you going to sleep with me later?”

Li Ting took a dry towel to wipe the water dripping from his dark hair and sat on the edge of the bed. He pulled Xu Yanqiu upward through the quilt and tugged the fabric down slightly, revealing the pattern on his collarbone that had turned deep red from the hot water. He felt he really needed to explain some things to Xu Yanqiu, as it seemed no one had ever told him.

“Xiao Qiu, is it alright if I call you that?” Li Ting found his change of clothes and the two sets he had bought for Xu Yanqiu. While waiting for his body to dry completely, he spoke to the little blind boy. Only after seeing him nod did he continue. “Did your father ever tell you that you are a Shuang’er?”

A momentary blankness appeared on Xu Yanqiu’s face. Li Ting knew he had guessed correctly, so he rephrased the question. “Do you know what a Shuang’er is?”

This time, the little blind boy’s head moved up and down. “I know.”

“Good.” For some reason, Li Ting felt inexplicably relaxed. He picked up his clean undergarments and put them on. “I will protect you, but at the same time, you must protect yourself. A Shuang’er cannot just bathe with anyone.”

“But Brother Li is not anyone,” Xu Yanqiu said firmly. His certainty caught Li Ting off guard. “Brother Li is like my father. You are my important family.”

Li Ting’s throat tightened. He thought he should be moved, but instead, he just felt a warmth in his heart. He rubbed Xu Yanqiu’s head, only to hear the boy continue. “I will not bathe with anyone except Brother Li in the future.”

Li Ting choked on his own breath. Before he could speak, the little blind boy added, “I will not eat or sleep with anyone except Brother Li, either.”

The little fox: ” ”

He did not think he said all that.

“So, can Brother Li promise me one thing?” The little blind boy reached out from under the covers and grabbed Li Ting’s wrist, gripping it tightly. “Can you please not abandon me?”