Striving for Science C72

Shen Chang'an was carrying a bag of snacks as he returned home. Dao Nian was sitting in the courtyard, feeding the koi in the small pond with fish food. He was wearing a dark gray coat, leaning back lazily. Against the hazy sky of the Imperial Capital, he was the most striking color.

Seeing him return, Dao Nian opened his half-closed eyes, throwing all the feed in his palm into the fish pond, attracting a group of plump carp to compete for it, splashing water all over the pond.

"Back?"

"Yeah." Shen Chang'an put the snacks he was carrying into Dao Nian's arms, rubbing his hands that were emitting cold air, saying, "It's so cold, this pond hasn't frozen over, my hands are almost turning into ice cubes."

"Give it to me."

"What?"

"Your hand, give it to me." Dao Nian threw the snacks aside, grabbed Shen Chang'an's hand, and held it against his chest.

Warmth flowed from his icy fingertips to his limbs, Shen Chang'an maintained a half-bent posture, his face hotter than his hands.

"Dao Nian, don't you think... this action is a bit off?"

"What's wrong?" Dao Nian's tone was calm, "On TV, when a child's hands are frozen, his parents do this."

"But I'm not your child, and you're not my dad…"

Shen Chang'an felt his own heart heating up, he was about to say something when Shen Tu brought him a low stool, then quickly walked away.

Looking at this thick, fluffy stool, Shen Chang'an couldn't help but think, since he could bring a stool over, why couldn't he bring a coat or a brazier?

"Want to feed the fish?" Dao Nian placed a plate of fish feed in front of Shen Chang'an.

Since he was already sitting here, he might as well feed the fish for a while. Shen Chang'an pulled his left hand out from under Dao Nian's clothes, grabbed a handful of feed and threw it into the pond, but all his attention was on his right hand.

Through the fabric, he could almost feel Dao Nian's skin, bones, and even the beating of his heart, his mind felt like a crowded farmers market, chaotic and noisy, but he didn't know what they were arguing about.

"Want to put it back in?" Seeing Shen Chang'an staring at his chest in a daze, Dao Nian reached out and grabbed his left hand, then frowned, "You're frozen like this, didn't Shen Tu help you carry things?"

"He's carrying things too." Shen Chang'an didn't want Dao Nian to offend a powerful subordinate, even though the other party had already sworn an oath, but even a dog would jump over a wall when it's cornered, let alone a yao.

A yao who has fallen to the point of working for humans, his life is already difficult enough, he doesn't want to add to his troubles.

"When I came back just now, I saw a doll in a shop that looked exactly like you, so I bought it." Shen Chang'an said, "Didn't  you see Shen Tu holding it?"

Dao Nian: "I only saw you, I didn't pay attention to him."

Shen Chang'an: "..."

No matter how good brothers are, saying this kind of thing will lead to misunderstandings.

***

Inside the house, by the floor-to-ceiling windows, Liu Mao, Zhao Shu, and Shen Tu were sitting around a carved wooden tea table, watching Shen Chang'an and Dao Nian's backs, picking up their hot tea and taking a sip.

"Do you think Sir and Chang'an will come inside?" Zhao Shu rubbed his round belly, smiling with a simple and honest expression.

Shen Tu: "Half an hour."

Liu Mao: "Before dark."

"It's still cold." Uncle Zhao sighed, "This kind of weather makes you want to drag someone to the fish pond and sit there, then casually put their little hand in your pocket. When did you learn this trick, sir?"

Liu Mao and Shen Tu both turned their heads to look at the television on the wall. It's all those TV dramas that are corrupting people.

"We'll be going back in two days. Do you have any friends you want to see here?" Uncle Zhao blew on his hot tea, "Once we return to the Divine Mansion in Wuming City, coming back to the Imperial Capital will require the sir's permission."

The Imperial Capital is the capital of a nation, a place of extraordinary significance. The more powerful a deity, the less they can easily come to this place.

Sometimes, deities are simply a symbol. Interfering in human affairs and affecting the normal course of human development goes against the laws. Even the sir, when walking among humans, doesn't like to come to the Imperial Capital. It's not like the world is in chaos, nor are there large-scale wars. The fact that the sir can stay in the Imperial Capital for so long is already an anomaly in a thousand years.

"Have you ever thought, if the sir really intends to spend his life with Chang'an…"

"What does it matter? Not to mention the sir's side, even we have no shortage of longevity pills. As long as the sir likes..." Shen Tu paused at the word "likes." Likes?

The Heavenly Dao is emotionless. If one has attachments and emotions, is it still Heavenly Dao?

***

As darkness fell, Shen Chang'an, who had been sitting in the courtyard, pushed Dao Nian back into the house. He picked up the stuffed animal on the sofa, "Dao Nian, look, does this look like you?"

Dao Nian: "..."

This expressionless rabbit, with its eyes narrowed into a slit, how could it possibly resemble him?

"This rabbit is so fluffy, it feels so good to touch." Shen Chang'an rummaged around in the rabbit's belly, "You can put your hands in here. I bought an automatic reading device on the shopping platform during this Double Eleven sale. This winter, you can put your hands in the rabbit's belly, lie on the chair, and comfortably read books."

"Come on, try it and see if it's warm." Shen Chang'an stuffed Dao Nian's hand into the rabbit's belly, "How is it?"

"Hmm…"

Dao Nian slowly nodded. Although it was a bit childish, as long as Chang'an was happy.

"Dao Nian, I want to stay at the compound for a night tomorrow night, and I'll be back the next morning." Shen Chang'an said, "Call me if you need anything, okay?"

"Okay." Dao Nian turned his head and glanced at Liu Mao.

"Mr. Shen, someone sent the sir a lot of pure natural herbs today. They're good for the elderly, and we don't need them. You can take them back for those grandpas and grandmas to eat." Liu Mao immediately understood Dao Nian's meaning, "These herbs are good stuff, you can't buy them outside."

"Thank you." Shen Chang'an didn't stand on ceremony with Dao Nian, nodding in agreement. If it could really make the grandpas and grandmas live long lives, he wouldn't even care about losing face.

After dinner that night, Shen Chang'an pulled Dao Nian onto the soft sofa to play games and eat snacks. In the end, because he ate too much, Dao Nian supervised him to take a few digestive tablets before he went to take a bath and sleep.

***

The next day at noon, after lunch, Shen Chang'an stuffed all the big and small bags of herbs that Dao Nian had given him into the car. There were also several thermoses, filled with the health-preserving soup that Uncle Zhao had brewed. Uncle Zhao claimed that "drinking one bowl extends your life by five years," although it was quite exaggerated, Shen Chang'an had tasted it and found it truly delicious, so he took it without hesitation.

Watching Shen Chang'an drive away with his luggage, Shen Tu leaned against the door frame and said to Liu Mao, "Brother Liu, look at Chang'an now, doesn't he look like he's taken all the things from his husband's family and is carrying them back to support his own family?"

Liu Mao turned his head and silently looked at him for a few seconds, "You have the guts to say that to his face."

Shen Tu: "..."

Can't afford to offend him, dare not offend him.

***

Shen Chang'an drove the car into the compound and shouted for people to carry the things. The grandpas and grandmas watched Shen Chang'an walk in with the security personnel, carrying big and small bags, and couldn't help but feel a little worried. Their Chang'an, wouldn't he have emptied his friend's house?

"These are herbs that someone gave to Dao Nian, they're all good stuff. You can use them to make tea or soup." Shen Chang'an distributed the things to the grandpas and grandmas, then turned to see Grandpa Yang holding the bag of herbs tightly. Thinking he liked them, he smiled and said, "Grandpa Yang, if you like these, next time Dao Nian gets new herbs, I'll have them delivered to you."

Grandpa Yang looked at Shen Chang'an with a mix of emotions, as if he were watching his own cultivated radish sprout suddenly become a ginseng, clinging to someone else's leg and becoming a ginseng sprout, bringing fortune to them all.

The others present didn't know, but he knew very well that these were not ordinary herbs, but rather celestial herbs and spiritual grasses that grew in places with abundant spiritual energy. Humans could consume them to cure illnesses, relieve pain, and prolong their lives. Because these celestial herbs were extremely rare and guarded by celestial beings, even when he was a yao, he only dared to look at them from afar, not even daring to touch them.

Things he once couldn't even touch, Shen Chang'an casually gave them each a box of. This kind of life was too stimulating, he couldn't quite handle it.

"I almost forgot." Shen Chang'an ran back to the car, carrying two large thermoses in each hand. "Before I came, my family made some health-preserving soup, it tastes really good, so I brought it all. You guys should drink it while it's hot."

The spiritual soup, swirling with thick celestial energy, was just casually placed in a thermos?!

That's soup brewed by a celestial being!

Does this child even know that any one of the things in his hands could drive yaos and humans crazy?

Grandpa Yang carefully took a sip of the soup. The rich spiritual energy flowed down his throat and into his already shattered yao core. Although it couldn't repair the core, it did rejuvenate his entire body. Looking at the others, they all had rosy complexions after drinking the soup, as if they had become several years younger.

The elderly people didn't have large appetites, but for some reason today, they drank all four thermoses of nourishing soup, leaving not even a drop of the broth at the bottom.

"Chang'an, how did your friend's family make this soup? It's so delicious." Grandma Zhao wiped her mouth, looking at the empty thermos in front of her, feeling a little regretful. She felt like she could drink another whole thermos.

"I don't know either. He usually cooks all the meals at home." Remembering when he first moved into Dao Nian's place, he had said he would help Dao Nian cook. But except for the first few days, he had been living a life of having meals delivered to his mouth. Even the clothes he wore were arranged for him by someone else.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt like he was living a life of luxury. No wonder he hadn't felt the pinch of money lately, even though he had been buying quite a few things. It was because... Dao Nian was supporting him.

Realizing this, Shen Chang'an covered his face, feeling like he was the legendary pretty boy who relied on his looks to get by.

Hearing that Shen Chang'an would be staying overnight, Grandpa and Grandma were very happy. They excitedly pulled him aside, showing off the things they had been researching lately. Shen Chang'an's mind was still buzzing with the technical terms of their research even during dinner that night.

After dinner, everyone gathered together to chat. The main topic of conversation was Shen Chang'an and his friend Dao Nian. To be more specific, they were collectively praising Dao Nian and urging Shen Chang'an to learn from Dao Nian's mature and steady demeanor, to be sincere towards his friends, and to respond with sincerity when others treat him with genuine affection, and so on.

"Actually, when I heard you were going to stay in Wuming City, I was quite against it." Grandma Zhao said suddenly, "But a few days ago, when I saw you bring that friend of yours, and you were laughing so happily while playing with him, I thought to myself, our Chang'an has always been a good boy in the eyes of others, he doesn't play pranks with other children, he doesn't make a fuss, he gets good grades, he has high moral character, he's our little cotton-padded jacket."

"But that day, I suddenly felt that our Chang'an actually needed to be mischievous and playful, he just didn't have the chance to be." Grandma Zhao patted Shen Chang'an's head with a kind smile. The little radish head back then had already grown into a fine young man.

“There are some things we can’t give you, but perhaps he can.” They were scholars, always teaching Chang’an to study hard and strive for progress, but it robbed him of the joy of playing with his peers.

"Wuming City is pretty good. If you like it there, just stay there peacefully and come back to see us old folks every year." Grandma Zhao thought for a moment. "Don't come back too often, we're all quite busy and don't have time to play with you."

Shen Chang'an: "..."

Although I know you're speaking the truth, can we not be so honest?

Grandpa Yang looked at Shen Chang'an, wanting to say something but stopping himself. When Chang'an learns what kind of existence his friends are, will he be scared?

Humans, they are always gentle and cruel.