Golden Lotus Seed - 'I'm just a pervert.' Part 1

Just as he left the kitchen, Xu Wu popped out. It ran ahead of Yu Zhen to the side of the Revolving Vessel and began to circle it, turning its head to meow at him from time to time, as if it was anxious to show him something.

"What's wrong?"

Yu Zhen walked over, and when his eyes fell upon the scene inside the Revolving Vessel, his jaw dropped in shock.

Only a few hours had passed, but the lotuses in the Revolving Vessel, which had been mere tender shoots when he left, had now grown to the size of normal adult plants. Their branches and leaves were lush, and a few small flower buds had even emerged from among the leaves.

The ceramic basin was clearly no longer big enough for them. The leaves were crammed together, forming a large mass of green that seemed ready to burst with life.

"Meow~"

Xu Wu cried out again, then turned and ran into the Revolving Vessel. It crouched in front of the ceramic pot, raised its head, closed its eyes, and placed a paw on the pot, striking a pose of devout prayer.

"You want me to, uh, pray to the flowers?" Yu Zhen made a reasonable guess.

Xu Wu immediately opened its eyes, stood up, and spun around anxiously twice. It suddenly turned back and ran to his side, scrambling up his pant leg and nudging his hand with its head.

'My hand? And I have to close my eyes and touch the pot?'

Yu Zhen lifted his arm to hold it, and he finally had a flash of insight and understood its meaning. He asked, "You want me to feed them some Merit?"

"Meow, meow, meow." Xu Wu wagged its tail and affectionately rubbed its tilted head against his chest.

After pretending to be a kitten in front of Bu Lian for a while, it was now acting more and more like a cat.

Yu Zhen couldn't help but laugh. He pinched its chubby little face, felt its perpetually warm body, and stepped into the Revolving Vessel, saying, "Alright then, let's feed them a little. Do you want some? I just got a whole bunch of Merit, I can spare a bit."

For any spiritual creature, receiving a gift of Merit was a tremendous blessing, yet Xu Wu immediately fell silent. It looked up at his smiling face, then turned and leaped out of his arms in silent refusal.

"You don't want any?" Yu Zhen pressed.

Xu Wu flicked its tail. "Meow."

Yu Zhen looked at its round little rear and couldn't resist stepping forward to bend down and give it a rub.

Yu Zhen was already very skilled at giving away Merit. After teasing Xu Wu, he walked to the ceramic pot, squatted down, and extended his hand.

A golden light gathered at his fingertips. The flower bud closest to his finger, as if smelling something delicious, actually swayed its stem and chased after it.

Yu Zhen watched in fascination. His body moved before his brain could think, and his fingertip shifted over, lightly tapping the top of the flower bud.

As the golden light sprinkled down, the flower bud swayed within it. Its clustered petals slowly grew larger and separated. The fragrance of lotus filled the air, and in what seemed like the blink of an eye, a lotus with white petals and a golden center bloomed beneath his hand.

Yu Zhen was dumbfounded, his finger frozen in place.

'W-what is this?'

His finger didn't move, so the golden light continued to fall. The flower bloomed more and more magnificently, and a small lotus seed pod grew out, getting larger and larger. The petals began to wither and fall off, while the seed pod grew fuller.

Swish!

Xu Wu, which had been squatting nearby, suddenly shot up and pounced precisely next to the lotus seed pod. It opened its mouth and plucked it off.

Yu Zhen finally snapped back to reality. The golden light in his hand vanished as he quickly looked down, only to see that Xu Wu had already pried open a corner of the seed pod with its paws, pulled out the lotus seeds inside, and was pushing them toward him, wagging its tail happily. "Meow~"

The lotus seeds Xu Wu pushed over were a little different from ordinary ones. They were exceptionally plump and round, with a slightly whitish outer skin, creating a very fresh, milky green color.

Still in a state of shock, Yu Zhen picked up a lotus seed and turned it over to examine it. He glanced at Xu Wu, then carefully peeled off a bit of the seed's skin.

A very faint, yet undeniable, glint of gold was revealed. The slightly bitter fragrance of lotus wafted toward him, carrying with it a comfortable aura.

"Meow!" Xu Wu jumped onto him, standing up to push at his hand.

Yu Zhen quickly reached out to steady its small body, suppressed his surprise slightly, and asked, "You want me to eat it?"

Xu Wu nodded and continued to push his hand.

The lotus seed was fragrant, especially fragrant. It was also round, plump, and moist, looking absolutely delicious. But Yu Zhen didn't move. He put away the seed, carefully picked up the lotus seed pod and fallen petals from the ground, stood up, and ran out of the Revolving Vessel.

"Yin Yan, the lotus bloomed and even grew a seed pod, look!" Yu Zhen jogged into the kitchen, his eyes full of excitement and joy.

Yin Yan turned his head. His gaze swept over the lotus seed and seed pod in Yu Zhen's hand. He reached out, took the lotus seed directly, peeled it deftly, and tossed it into the soup he was cooking.

"???"

Yu Zhen stared dumbly at his empty hand, then at the bubbling soup pot in front of Yin Yan. For once, he raised his voice, shouting, "My lotus seed!"

"Mm, your lotus seed." Yin Yan nodded, his face still calm. He sprinkled a little more salt into the soup and said, "A Bodhi Golden Lotus Seed ripened with Merit. It's perfect for flavoring."

Yu Zhen glared at him. His temperament was too gentle to truly lose his temper. He fumbled around on his person and only found a few milk candies that the roast duck restaurant had given him when he paid. He took them out, unwrapped them, strode forward, and plunked them into the pot, muttering sullenly, "Then I'll add some flavor too!"

After speaking, he turned and left, deliberately throwing the candy wrappers on the floor instead of in the trash can.

Yin Yan looked at the candy wrappers on the floor, then at the soup pot. He lowered his eyes and remained silent for a few seconds, then the corners of his mouth suddenly curled up into a faint, satisfied smile.

'He's learning to throw tantrums. That's good.'

After Yin Yan's little stunt, Yu Zhen's excitement faded. He returned to the Revolving Vessel and started to repot the lotuses and add water.

"If only I could dig a pond here," Yu Zhen muttered, feeling a little sorry for these lotuses that were crammed together and could only grow in the ceramic pot.

The lotuses he had were clearly not the smaller ornamental type, but the edible kind that could grow large lotus seeds and, in the future, lotus roots. No matter how big the ceramic pot was, its space was limited. When the lotuses started to grow roots, this pot would definitely not be enough.

"Should I go buy a few large vats?" Yu Zhen had a fanciful idea. He raised a hand to prop up his chin, smearing a streak of mud on it without realizing.

Xu Wu, who had been frolicking in circles around him, heard this and tilted its head to look at him. It suddenly trotted to a corner of the Revolving Vessel, lowered its head, and began to dig, making quite a bit of rustling noise.

Yu Zhen heard the sound and looked over. At first, he was puzzled about what it was doing, but then something occurred to him. His eyes lit up, and he hurried to get his small trowel, also burying his head and starting to dig.

The man and the cat worked with great gusto in the Revolving Vessel. By the time Yin Yan finished cooking and came out, a freshly dug little pond had appeared in the corner of the basin. The pond was filled with diluted Boundless Water, and the surface was covered with a carpet of lotus leaves, with a few flower buds nestled in between. The greenery was delightful.

"Done!"

Yu Zhen put down the bucket he was using to carry water and looked at the pond with satisfaction. Smelling the lotus fragrance floating in the air, his bad mood was swept away.

Xu Wu leaped onto his shoulder and lay down, meowing and wagging its tail, also looking very happy.

"Time to eat." Yin Yan appeared at the right moment and knocked on the wall of the Revolving Vessel.

Yu Zhen turned his head, and Xu Wu also turned its head. The man and the cat, with matching dirt-streaked faces, looked at him, exuding a matching air of silliness.

Yin Yan was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly stepped back. He turned and walked to the table, picked up the lotus seed pod Yu Zhen had left there with only one seed peeled, skillfully peeled another, and popped it into his own mouth.

"..."

"!!!"

Chou Feiqian felt that something was a bit off between Yin Yan and Yu Zhen. Although they appeared fine on the surface, the atmosphere between them was strange in an indescribable way.

She was worried, so she used the excuse of asking about the workers' condition to keep them both in the living room, observing them secretly while they talked.

"How are the workers recovering?"

"Very well. The two with lighter injuries have already been discharged. The one with the fracture needs to stay a couple more days. Also, I'm planning to go to the construction site to take a look in a few days."

"Mm, it's good to go take a look."

Chou Feiqian nodded, then very naturally shifted her gaze to Yu Zhen and asked with a smile, "Xiao Zhen, it's almost the New Year. Your father and I are both busy. Since you and Xiao Yan are both resting recently, why don't you help Mom out a bit with the New Year's shopping?"

Yu Zhen nodded obediently and replied, "Okay, just give me a list, and I'll go buy everything."

It was "I," not "we." He didn't even glance at Yin Yan beside him as he spoke, and his body language was filled with rejection.

Chou Feiqian had a good grasp of the situation now. She couldn't help but glare at Yin Yan before moving to sit next to Yu Zhen. She said, "Xiao Zhen, where did you and Xiao Yan go today? Why do you have this lotus fragrance on you? It smells quite nice."

"Uh, we went, we went to the roast duck restaurant and the hospital. As for the lotus scent..." Yu Zhen started to stammer, not knowing how to explain the apartment and the lotus scent. No matter how slow he was, he knew that some things couldn't be spoken of casually.

"We also went to Shangdu Community and ate Lotus Cake that I made." Yin Yan interjected, pulling Yu Zhen into his arms with unparalleled naturalness. He tilted his head and rubbed his chin against Yu Zhen's cheek, then looked at Chou Feiqian and said, "Mom, I bought a fully furnished apartment from Guan Tianyu. It's in Shangdu. I'm planning to move there with Yu Zhen after the New Year."

"Guan Tianyu? Since when did you two get so close?"

Chou Feiqian frowned at his words. Seeing them holding each other so intimately, she tactfully moved a bit farther away. She didn't have any objections to him moving out, but she was concerned. "Why did you buy another apartment? It's not like our family doesn't have other properties in the central business district. The one you used to live in was quite nice. A ready-made place can't be as comfortable as one you supervised the renovation of yourself."

Yu Zhen had been stunned speechless the moment Yin Yan embraced him. Because Chou Feiqian was present, he couldn't struggle free. He had intended to pretend nothing was wrong and subtly pull away, but Yin Yan wouldn't let go, holding him stubbornly. It was unclear what kind of tantrum he was throwing.

"The decor in the old place was too oppressive. Yu Zhen probably wouldn't like it." Yin Yan's hand moved down to rest comfortably on Yu Zhen's waist. He even went so far as to lean over and gently rest his head on Yu Zhen's shoulder, like a large cat possessively claiming its property. He squinted his eyes contentedly and continued, "The one I bought now is a duplex, and it's still quite empty inside. Yu Zhen can decorate it himself according to his own preferences."

Warm breath fanned against his ear, and the other man's warm chest was at his back. Yu Zhen was utterly dumbfounded, unable to understand what had gotten into Yin Yan, who would from time to time show his disdain and keep his distance. How could he suddenly be so intimate?

"You..."

[Mom will worry.]

Yu Zhen fell silent. He glanced at Chou Feiqian, who was clearly very pleased with their current intimacy and was turning her head to hide a smile. Suppressing his discomfort, he relaxed his body slightly and leaned against Yin Yan.

"That's true. You're newlyweds, of course you should live in a new house. Alright, alright, since you two have your own ideas, Mom won't meddle anymore. Later, if you want to buy any large items, tell Xiping. He can have someone arrange it, save you the trouble of running around."

Seeing that their relationship was good, Chou Feiqian's worries were put to rest. She stopped disturbing their private time and smilingly stood up to return to the third floor.

The moment she left, Yu Zhen immediately moved forward, slipping out of Yin Yan's embrace.

Yin Yan also cooperatively withdrew his hands and shifted back a little, leaning against the edge of the sofa.

Yu Zhen didn't know what to say, so he stood up and threw out a sentence, "I'm going upstairs to take a shower," and hurried away.