Ch 29: My Wolf Husband

Lin Shuishi quickly withdrew the hand that had touched Fuli’s lips, discreetly rubbing his tingling fingertips.

Then, his eyes darted nervously as he glanced at Fuli, who was still staring intently at him. He started to feel uncomfortable, awkwardly coughing to break the tension.

But the other person continued to watch him, making Lin Shuishi feel like he couldn’t escape those piercing eyes!

Feeling a mix of shame and anger, Lin Shuishi thought to himself, What’s the big deal? I just stuffed it in his mouth! So what? If he doesn’t want to eat it, he can spit it out. Why keep staring at me like that, trying to scare me?

In his mind, he was all bravado, but his body betrayed his true feelings.

Fuli watched as Lin Shuishi, holding his bowl, slowly turned his back on him, his small frame huddled on the low stool. With his thin, slender back now facing Fuli, Lin Shuishi kept his head down and, in a flustered manner, shoveled food into his mouth with his chopsticks, eating quietly.

Fuli’s gaze lingered on the reddish nape of Lin Shuishi’s neck and the tips of his ears. He silently chewed the burnt chestnut in his mouth until it was ground into tiny bits, swallowing it down without even noticing the taste. Then, baring his sharp teeth, he tore into a piece of lamb, carefully chewing and savoring it.

Hearing Fuli’s heavy chewing and swallowing behind him made Lin Shuishi feel a chill down his spine, causing him to curl up even more. After quickly finishing his meal, he slammed his bowl and chopsticks down on the stove with a clatter and hurried outside to feed the little horse and wolf cub.

Fuli’s hard bangs fell over his sharp eyes as he watched Lin Shuishi’s panicked retreating figure. His slit pupils tightened, and after swallowing a mouthful of meat, he finally averted his gaze.

That evening, the winter wind rustled the bare branches, shaking off large clusters of ice-crusted twigs from the trees on the opposite bank, sending them fluttering down like snow.

Lin Shuishi stood outside, braving the cold, but it was the little black horse who couldn’t resist the warmth first, slipping back into the side room. With nothing left to delay him, Lin Shuishi reluctantly stomped his feet, rubbed his hands together, and headed back inside.

But he was determined! He immediately carried a large pile of firewood into the house—he was going to keep the place nice and warm tonight!

He just hoped that, if it got too cold, he wouldn’t end up wandering around looking for another warm spot. After all, that natural “heater” was already awake. But now, that heater wasn’t just warm—it was a furnace! If he accidentally got too close, he might just get burned to a crisp!

After all, his frame was thin and fragile, not nearly as tough as Zheng Dongsheng’s.

As Lin Shuishi watched the dwindling pile of firewood in the empty granary, he felt a wave of worry. Sigh, life is tough, and everything has to be done by hand!

No wonder he always found the Zheng family busy, even when they didn’t have work lined up. In a typical farming household, everything—food, firewood, clothing, shelter—had to be managed personally, requiring constant effort.

But despite the hardships, Lin Shuishi felt like his life now was more fulfilling. Isn’t this better than spending every day staring at the wall, wasting away? At least now, life feels more vibrant.

Lin Shuishi hugged the firewood and stuffed it into the stove under the kang bed, using a bundle of dry grass to ignite it. His movements were stiff the whole time because he could feel the gaze on his back without even turning around.

Fuli stood by the doorway, watching the busy “little thing.” He kept analyzing and learning from Lin Shuishi’s actions and habits as a “human.” This little guy had always been like this, bustling around like a little bee flitting to and fro.

Thinking of this, Fuli recalled the flower valley deep in Dongshan, where there were massive honeycombs and countless bees. That sweet honey from the bees was something the female likely had never tasted.

When he was younger, Fuli had once sneaked into the flower valley with the young wolf king, but in their youthful ignorance, they paid the price for their recklessness. Both came back to the wolf pack with swollen heads and faces, attracting the eager attention of all the white wolves.

Fuli had fared better, as the bees rarely stung him, but the young wolf king wasn’t so lucky—his snout was swollen high, and his once bright blue eyes were reduced to mere slits. He hid in the queen mother wolf’s den until his face finally regained its normal shape, only then quietly emerging.

At that time, mother had issued an order prohibiting the young white wolves from approaching the flower valley again. Fuli was disappointed but still obediently followed the leader’s command.

However, that night, while he and his swollen-faced brother were sound asleep, the queen mother wolf went out alone for most of the night. It wasn’t until the first light of dawn that she returned, covered in frost and dew, panting heavily as she placed a large chunk of the honeycomb in front of the two brothers…

Now, the little “worker bee,” Lin Shuishi, had finally finished his tasks, even washing his little white feet! He quickly burrowed into the warm blanket, curled up into a ball, and stopped moving.

The sky was very dark, and Lin Shuishi had already blown out the oil lamp. Fuli remained in the shadows near the doorway, slightly lowering his head, leaning against the doorframe, and quietly watching Lin Shuishi on the kang bed, bundled up in the blanket. His eyes glowed with a dark golden light in the night.

He noticed that not long after the little creature lay down, it started shifting around, rustling under the covers.

Soon, Fuli caught the rich scent of the female’s skin, mixed with the slightly bitter smell of medicinal herbs, and the faint, lingering scent of blood from healing wounds. The smell of blood made Fuli frown deeply. Silently, he moved closer to the wriggling “blanket bundle.”

What was Lin Shuishi doing? He was applying medicine. His body was indeed frail, and even a minor scrape took forever to heal, let alone the chafing wounds from that day.

But with Fuli in the room, Lin Shuishi felt too embarrassed, completely lacking the confident and fearless attitude he had when teasing and bantering with Zheng Dongsheng.

Lin Shuishi knew just how sharp Fuli’s eyes were. For this wild beast, it might even be easier to see without the lights on! So, he could only nervously fumble with undressing his upper body, hiding under the blanket as he slowly applied the medicine.

Just as he was awkwardly applying it to his chest, where the skin was badly chafed, he suddenly felt the blanket above him being lifted! Lin Shuishi looked up in alarm, only to find a strong hand pressing firmly against his chest, holding him in place.

“Hey! What are you… what are you doing? I’m shirtless and it’s cold!” Lin Shuishi quickly tried to push the hand away, but he could feel Fuli getting closer and closer.

The wild beast’s braided hair, now clean and dry after Lin Shuishi had washed it, fell in strands onto Lin Shuishi’s exposed skin, sending a shiver through him as he inhaled sharply.

Lin Shuishi wanted to escape, but he was held tightly in place until he felt Fuli’s breath on his chest, making him shiver from the cold.

They remained like that for a while until Fuli, after thoroughly sniffing the lingering scent of the female and the faint aroma of the medicine on the wound, finally pulled back. He pushed open the door and slipped into the night, quickly disappearing.

Blushing and gritting his teeth, Lin Shuishi hurriedly pulled his clothes back on and then peeked outside. The moonlit night was calm, with no sign of Fuli anywhere.

Pacing back and forth in the room, Lin Shuishi eventually stopped, then hurried to the side room, grabbed the little white wolf by the scruff of its neck, and tucked it securely into the bed, leaving only its twitching ears and confused blue eyes visible.

Hmph, with this little guy in hand, let’s see if Fuli doesn’t come back!

The little wolf, sensing something ominous in Lin Shuishi’s sinister grin, felt a sense of dread. Meanwhile, the little black horse, happy to see the little troublemaker in a bind, swished its tail and watched the scene from the doorway, clearly enjoying the spectacle.

Lin Shuishi, holding the wolf cub, eventually fell asleep on the warm kang bed. He didn’t realize that Fuli had quietly returned, applying the sweet-smelling green herb he used in Dongshan to the wounds on his chest. Fuli even pressed on the arrow wound on his back before finally lying down beside Lin Shuishi, falling into a pained but warm sleep.

In the early morning, as Lin Shuishi stirred awake, he felt incredibly comfortable. The bed was warm, and the wounds on his body that usually burned and stung had eased. When he opened his eyes, he found himself next to the large, mountain-like figure of Fuli, resting peacefully.

Sunlight streamed through the wooden window, casting a clear, gentle glow onto the wooden table below.

On the corner of the table sat a translucent, crystalline honeycomb, still dripping with honey, its sweet, inviting aroma seemingly reaching straight into one’s heart…

It wasn’t just Fuli who had traveled through the night; the Zheng family father and son were also returning home from the county town. The client was very satisfied with the sample goods and was just waiting for the rest of the order to be completed.

When they arrived home, they found Dongsheng resting on the kang bed in broad daylight instead of going up the mountain. This puzzled them greatly. Zheng’s third son was the most diligent, hunting even in bad weather, and today’s weather was particularly good—perfect for a productive day out!

Old Man Zheng quickly approached to ask, “Third son, what’s wrong? Are you sick?”

When Dongsheng turned over to speak, both father and son were shocked. He had a red mark around his neck, and his voice was hoarse. “Dad, big brother, I need to talk to you about something!”

Dongsheng then recounted his encounter with Fuli in detail. As he finished, he lowered his voice and marveled, “Dad, how can he be so strong? It’s like he’s not even human!”

The old man quickly shot him a stern look. “What nonsense are you spouting? Just because someone’s stronger than you doesn’t make them inhuman! You little rascal, you’re asking for a beating.”

But the eldest brother seized on a key point for once. “Dad, maybe we should go check on Shuishi and see that benefactor of his. It’s better to assess the situation ourselves.”

Old Man Zheng agreed, but being an experienced and cautious man, he did things thoroughly. He called out from the bottom of the slope, letting Lin Shuishi know that after they finished their meal, the Zheng family would be visiting his benefactor!

At that moment, Lin Shuishi was sitting at the table, happily swinging his legs as he dug into the honeycomb! The little wolf cub also got a taste and shook its head in delight.

Hearing the Zheng family calling from the slope, Lin Shuishi responded and then returned inside, feeling a bit anxious. He glanced at Fuli, who was still resting.

Fuli’s coarse hair was splayed out, his body strong and imposing. If he opened his eyes, the intensity of his gaze would be almost suffocating. Who else would look like him? He was too wild, too untamed.

Lin Shuishi thought for a moment, scratching his head. Then, as his eyes caught sight of the braided and dainty little black horse, an idea suddenly struck him!

He quietly shuffled over to Fuli’s side, looking at his hair, which spread out like a lion’s mane, and his slender, nimble fingers twitched instinctively.

“Fuli, um, let me tell you, the doctor said that to recover well, you need to start by braiding your hair!”