In the drizzling rain of the Qingming season, pedestrians on the road are heartbroken.

Every year at this time, Duan Yelin would go to the desolate burial mound to pay tribute to the brothers who died together on the battlefield in the past. The burial mound had no tombstones, so he would bring several jars of good wine, pour the rest onto the ground, and finish one jar by himself.

When returning to the Golden Swallow Hall at night, fire was prohibited everywhere. The maid, Chan Yi, saw Duan Yelin and hurriedly came to guide him: "Commander, you have arrived? Would you like some Cold Food Festival dishes? They are still kept in the cabinet in the small kitchen. The master has already eaten."

"He fell asleep?"

"Indeed, it's rare today. Resting early!"

There are not many servants in the Jin Yan Hall, two maids and two little servants, all newly recruited four years ago. They are very trustworthy and have even signed a contract of life and death. Most of them understand the relationship between their masters and the commanding officer, but they dare not gossip outside.

Duan Yelin arrived after eating, and went straight into the room. Since it wasn't the time to light the lamp during the Qingming Festival, the room was dimly lit. Fortunately, it wasn't too late in the day, so one could still see some things clearly.

He saw a figure lying on the recliner from a distance, with one hand hanging outside the chair, holding a book in his arms, breathing steadily. He slowed his pace and approached slowly, but Xu Hang did not wake up.

Xu Hang rarely slept so soundly.

Duanye Linhuo looked down at him and couldn't help but reach out to touch his cheek. Suddenly, he felt something cold, like a trace of water.

Cried before?

Suddenly, this thought flashed through his mind. However, in the next moment, he dismissed it himself. With Xu Hang's temperament, how could he possibly cry?

Four years ago, despite tossing and turning in such a manner, he didn't cry. Instead, he rolled over and vomited directly onto the bed, in a posture that seemed like he was trying to regurgitate his bile.

Being disgusted like this by his own touch, for Duan Yelin, it was a great humiliation.

So, Duan Yelin's way of dealing with Xu Hang was to start from that time and pull him onto the bed every day from moonrise to sunrise, like two balls of dough kneading together, without any separation.

Xu Hang would vomit at first.

In the first few days when Duan Yelin just pinned him down on the gingko wood desk and his hands began to freely roam underneath him, he would lay back on the desk and start feeling a sour liquid rising in his throat, choking his nasal cavity and windpipe. It sent a shiver down his entire scalp. Duan Yelin would hold his breath and wait for him to finish retching before continuing.

Later, when Duan Yelin wanted to leave his mark on his body, he would convulse like an electrically shocked fish, his whole body spasming, his spine arching, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. At this point, Duan Yelin would tightly cover his mouth and nose, preventing him from choking and the urge to vomit, until a destructive affair was completed.

In the later days, after enduring until everything was over, Xu Hang sometimes had the strength to crawl to the bathroom and vomit. However, every time he did so, Duan Yelin would stand coldly by the door, then approach and turn on the faucet, using the weak Xu Hang to wipe off the vomit on the marble countertop.

We still have plenty of time. I don't believe that I can't cure you!" These words were spoken by Duan Yelin, during the first time Xu Hang begged him for mercy.

Habit is the best remedy. Sure enough, after a few months, Xu Hang no longer vomited.

After experiencing such a thing, if it were someone else, Xu Hang would not have shed a tear. He truly has a stubborn personality.

Duan Yelin reminisced for a long time, his hand also lingering for a while. Xu Hang, in his sleep, felt a rough touch stroking his face, gradually awakening him. Startled at the sight of a figure at first, he quickly calmed down upon recognizing the military uniform.

He sat up straight and asked, "Are they here?"

"Well," Duan Yelin smiled and said, "You knew I was coming, yet you're still asleep this early?"

"Look, I'm getting drowsy. Just a quick nap."

"I told Qiao Song to relay a message to you, why didn't you go to Xiaotongguan? What's with the attitude?"

Xu Hang got up and went to the table to pour himself a cup of tea, slowly drinking it down. "I don't like the cigarette factory across from Xiao Tongguan. The lights there are too dazzling."

Duan Yelin could only laugh and cry, "Just because of this?"

Xu Hang fell silent and found a towel to wash his face in the water. The sound of the water in the dim room was actually quite stimulating to his eardrums.

As Duan Yelin continued to watch, he couldn't help but embrace Xu Hang from behind. His lips and tongue began to spread against Xu Hang's ear, and his earlobe was lightly bitten, indicating a strong suggestive kiss.

Xu Hang pushed him and said, "Today is Qingming."

"You... are the most difficult master to serve in the world," sighed Duan Yelin.

His words were not groundless. It has always been difficult to understand Xu Hang's thoughts. Four years ago, when he wanted to open a pharmacy, Duan Yelin offered him several prime storefronts, worth a significant amount of gold, but he didn't choose any of them. Instead, he picked an abandoned factory that no one wanted and renovated it. When asked for the reason, he said that he liked the sweet rice cakes made on that street corner.

Because he detested opium, Xuhang even went so far as to buy the opium den located two streets away from the Golden Swallow Hall at a hefty price. However, after a thunderous explosion, it lay abandoned there, unused and unsold.

In his own words, he felt as if he had brushed against poppy seeds whenever someone who had come into contact with them passed by his doorstep, leaving him with a lingering scent of smoke.

Just because of this sentence, Duan Yelin ordered someone to set fire to the ten mu of medicinal poppy fields outside the city, and since then, for four years, he hasn't enjoyed smoking a cigar to his heart's content.

Difficult to guess one's thoughts.

Three days later, the military issued an order, and that cigarette factory began to be dismantled and demolished. The sign was taken down, and the building was left empty.

The new sign reads "Fangfei Cosmetics Company."