The Ger's Contract Marriage [BL]
Chapter 611: Love in the Air

Chapter 611: Love in the Air

Xu Feng stood still for a moment, watching as Min and the children disappeared down the path he’d just come from. The laughter of the two children was trailing softly behind them. But his gaze didn’t linger on Min’s retreating figure.

Instead, his eyes kept drifting—again and again—toward the familiar snow-dusted path leading back to Budding Courtyard.

His steps wavered.

It wasn’t hesitation. Not quite.

He had already eaten breakfast—albeit a later one—but the day was still young. Logically, he knew where they were, what they were doing. Studying.

Not just likely—he was 99.9 percent sure of it.

Pacing once, then twice, he exhaled, shifting his weight like a restless cat before turning on his heel to take another step forward. Just as he was about to start his third lap of indecision, a pair of approaching figures emerged at the crossroads.

Xuan Jian and one of his men strode toward him, moving with effortless confidence.

Before Xu Feng could fully school his features into something less contemplative and probably guilty-looking, Jian had already reached him. And, as if he had been waiting all morning for this moment, his Torann of a husband wasted no time.

Xu Feng barely had the chance to say anything before warm lips pressed against his own.

The greeting was firm, unapologetic, and so very Xuan Jian—recently. He’d regained some of his previous confidence and the relaxed demeanor that came with the overwhelming self-assurance.

A deep chuckle hummed against his mouth as Xuan Jian pulled back just enough to murmur playfully, "Good morning, beautiful."

Xu Feng’s lips parted slightly, a response forming—but it wasn’t one that made it out. Instead, his face flushed instantly, heat rising in a way that had nothing to do with the cold air. Even with everything they’d done that same morning, and even the night before, he was still self-conscious.

"We already said our good mornings."

His tone was impassive, but the warmth dusting his cheeks told another story entirely.

Xuan Jian’s smile stretched, slow and unbothered. "And yet, every time we meet, I want to greet you again. Every time, I want to show how much I miss you.."

Xu Feng exhaled, trying—failing—to push past the words.

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered, as if dismissing it, but his gaze softened as he took a long, deliberate look at his husband.

This man...

Xuan Jian wasn’t shy, never had been. If they had an audience, he’d do the same thing—only he’d probably dip him lower, press him closer, maybe add a smirk just to rile him up.

Even now, with no one but Xuan Jian’s own man guarding and bearing silent witness, Xu Feng’s body still reacted before his mind could properly protest.

Before another word could leave him, Xuan Yang spoke.

"Go see them." His voice was calm, amused. "It’s daylight, I’m sure they’re fully clothed like you and I."

For a second, Xu Feng’s brain short-circuited.

Then—

He froze, his ears burning, the words sinking in all too quickly.

"Of course, they’re clothed!" He almost pouted. That was his friend, his good brother, and his... other brother. His three brothers were fully clothed! Even their books were fully clothed! Xu Feng almost wanted to defend them to the death.

Steam practically came out of his ears.

He didn’t quite acknowledge why he was even hesitating to visit them—not fully—but his entire being rejected the joke with the force of someone who absolutely, definitely was not thinking about that.

"Uhm, they are definitely studying right now—" Xu Feng started, but—

Xuan Jian raised an eyebrow, his smile growing at the state his little lover was in. He was trying so hard to stay calm, but his ears, cheeks, and even his neck were a cute shade of pink that not even his layers of clothing could hide.

Xu Feng rolled his eyes, but his lips twitched despite himself.

Jian just smiled—smug, entertained. "Are you going to town?"

Caught off guard, Xu Feng blinked as his brain rebooted.

"Oh." Right. That was his original dilemma—whether to go straight to work or to visit Budding Courtyard first.

A silent battle of priorities had been raging in his head, but now that Xuan Jian asked so plainly, the answer was easy.

Xu Feng nodded, quietly.

Jian gave him a knowing look before returning the nod. "I’ll visit Yang—I need his help with something—then I’ll meet you at the carriage."

Xu Feng glanced up at him, surprised but pleased.

There was something comforting about this—about Xuan Jian always making time despite his endless responsibilities. He always had space for them.

Xu Feng smiled, a small but genuine curve of his lips.

His personal space heater was nothing like an iceberg now. Not anymore.

And just like that—as if ignited by the chance to go to town together—the indecision, the battle of wills, the hesitation evaporated from Xu Feng’s mind.

Without another word, he nodded once and turned, padding swiftly down the path to Budding Courtyard.

Behind him, Xuan Jian watched him go, his gaze warm, amused.

.

.

.

At the gate to Budding Courtyard, Xu Feng paused—but only for a moment. Maybe two moments and several heartbeats.

The gate stood wide open, much like Blooming Courtyard’s had been recently. More hands, more eyes watched over their home now, yet the place felt more secure than ever.

It was a contrast to before like the difference between night and day.

He remembered his pregnancy.

The way he had been locked away, tucked behind layers of walls and his husbands and closest friends, distant from the world outside.

Logically, he had understood the necessity of it—understood that his safety had been the most important thing only second to his children’s safety.

But now?

Now, life at Nanshan Estate felt like he was actually living.

Even with the white expanse of winter covering everything in sight, the atmosphere was lighter, more relaxed.

Warmer.

A small smile curved his lips as he made his way toward the study.

The budding courtyard now resembles his own courtyard after all the renovations.

There were the major upgrades he had personally commissioned, and then there were the smaller, thoughtful projects Xu Zeng had taken upon himself—roping in Xu Hu Zhe and even Bai Momo to ’assist’ throughout the winter.

They were small fixes—but ones that modernized the space subtly, seamlessly.

Of course, the bigger additions weren’t visible at all. Hidden in the storage room and cellar, behind a few innocuous-looking jars of wine, lay a solar generator and a few carefully placed outlets within the main building.

And Xu Zeng had set it up himself.

Like—who the hell installs a solar generator on their own?! And in an ancient cultivation world at that!

Okay, technically, he’d had help from Xu Hu Zhe and Bai Mo—but they had never even experienced electricity before.

Xu Feng shook his head, half exasperated, half ridiculously proud.

His little brother was actually a genius.

No literally.

And Xu Feng was excited to see how his "experiment" played out.

For now, Budding Courtyard was a test run. If everything worked well, the plan was to electrify the greenhouse next.

Not just because it was Xu Feng’s favorite place.

Not just because it was the children’s favorite place.

...Okay, that was exactly why.

And after that?

A few key areas of Blooming Courtyard—nothing too obvious, nothing too disruptive. They had enough generators, solar panels, and equipment to power the entire estate if they wanted to.

But for now? They had to blend in. Fit. Be smart.

Xu Feng breathed deeply, letting the crisp air clear his thoughts as he reached the study.

It had been expanded during the latest round of renovations, making it far more spacious than before. Almost three times as large as the one in his own courtyard.

And it wasn’t just a space for Xu Zeng’s studies.

The study had become a heavily used space, with Xu Hu Zhe and Bai Mo also making full use of it.

At first, Xu Feng assumed Xu Hu Zhe was only studying because of whatever words Xu Zeng had said to him last fall. He’d even gone out of his way to find time for a proper conversation, intending to set things straight.

If Hu Zhe was forcing himself to study just for the sake of courtship, then Xu Feng would have to intervene.

He had planned to tell him—reassure him—that there was no need to go through all this effort if it wasn’t what he truly wanted.

But before Xu Feng could even launch into his well-rehearsed words—before he could steer his good brother back to being true to himself—

Hu Zhe had promptly burst his bubble.

Xu Feng had been entirely wrong.

Xu Hu Zhe hadn’t started studying because of Xu Zeng. He had already wanted to take the Xiucai exam long before they’d met. He had taken his studies with Xu Feng seriously. He had taken those lessons to heart. And he wanted to prove that all the time spent learning wasn’t in vain.

Xu Feng hadn’t expected that and was thrown off balance for a moment.

But even as he mulled it over, he knew one thing for certain—he couldn’t let Hu Zhe tie his self-worth to him.

So instead of trying to talk him out of it, Xu Feng had simply expressed the truth.

He was proud of him.

And if he truly wanted to take the Xiucai exam, then he should go for it.

Xu Feng exhaled softly, shaking his head to himself.

Even with all the study in the air, something else had settled thickly over Budding Courtyard.

Love.

It wasn’t spring, but even so—the season of romance seemed to have arrived early.