Liu Haoyu carried Yao Yuxuan as though he weighed nothing, which likely wasn't even far from the truth after all of the time he'd been spending in deep meditation or asleep as his body struggled to recover. They made their way down the stairs of the inn with the two children in tow. Guests who hadn't been there a few nights before gave them curious glances, but didn't appear to have any idea that it was in fact two men exiting the establishment and not some married couple.
"There's actually a few nice shops just down the street. This inn is very conveniently located," Liu Haoyu explained quietly to the man in his arms. "So we can just walk over to them. Is there anything you'd like besides makeup, Yao Yuxuan?"
He was slightly surprised to hear the other man call him by his name. He'd almost expected that the demon would ignore his earlier pleas and continue to call him gege. An indecipherable feeling bubbles in his chest. Was it appreciation that he'd respected his wishes? Or maybe it was disappointment…
Yao Yuxuan didn't pursue the train of though any further and instead busied himself answering the dragon prince's question. "I need strings for my guqin, they all broke when my qi burst."
"You can't use your spiritual energy for a while still," Liu Haoyu said, brown furrowing. "Why do you want to fix it so soon?"
"I enjoy the zither, not just as a weapon but for purely musical reasons as well," Yao Yuxuan replied, coughing a little into his sleeve. He still didn't have much energy and he wasn't used to talking very much, so his throat became exhausted very quickly. "…The zither also used to belong to my mother. I hate leaving it in such a miserable state."
The demon continued to walk and listened to Yao Yuxuan's explanation thoughtfully. He nodded in understanding and didn't bother to ask any further.
The streets were incredibly busy at this time of day. Many street vendors were open and their loud voices echoed through the bustle of people, adding to the unique and tumultuous market atmosphere. All varieties of carts traversed the cobble and dirt roads, so the sounds of hooves and wheels made for a decent amount of ambient noise. Yao Yuxuan, though a little overwhelmed, felt calmed by all of the stimulation around him. He unconsciously rested his head against Liu Haoyu's chest with his eyes closed, and released a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. It was nice.
After a few minutes, the two men and their servants arrived in front of a luxurious rouge shop. Liu Haoyu gently squeezed Yao Yuxuan's shoulder that he was holding. "We're here. Keep an eye out and point to A-Mei what you'd like. Don't worry about cost, I've plenty of money."
Yao Yuxuan nodded, and they entered. Strong incense permeated the air inside of the establishment. Various kinds of makeups and perfumes were displayed throughout the place. Liu Haoyu patiently walked through the aisles and around the perimeters of the building, allowing Yao Yuxuan ample time to scrutinize each product and decide which ones he thought would be best. Whenever he saw something that caught his eye, he would point to it and Meili would quietly grab the item to bring closer. After closer inspection, he'd decide whether or not they would buy it.
They were in the rouge shop for around half an hour before they had picked out all of the things that Yao Yuxuan wanted. Liu Haoyu ended up paying a decent amount for all of the products, but he really didn't seem to mind. Yao Yuxuan figured he was probably used to living frivolously, so prices in the mortal realm were nothing of note to him.
'It must be nice being a prince…' Yao Yuxuan thought defeatedly to himself. He couldn't help but remember all of the bitter and lonely nights he spent on Qinyang Cliffs, with no semblance of freedom or leisure to go shopping like this.
"Thank you kind sir for your patronage! And thank you to your beautiful wife for having such good taste!" The middle-aged woman who ran the shop called after them as they were leaving. "I'm sure your husband will be very impressed when you wear our products! Do come again!"
Liu Haoyu's body tensed at the words, but he said nothing. Yao Yuxuan felt his ears and face increase in temperature. He really needed to heal, and fast. At this rate he'd end up having to pretend to be a woman forever!! Maybe he could talk the dragon prince into getting him an invalid's seat after all…
While Yao Yuxuan was lamenting his poor health, Qin Meili and Qin Lei distributed the purchased goods evenly between themselves and continued to follow close behind their master. Though she did her best to maintain a neutral expression, it was clear that Meili was elated at the prospect of being able to learn something so feminine as a leisure activity.
"Liu Haoyu, do you like sugar figurines?" Yao Yuxuan asked quietly, coughing a little after his question.
The man seemed puzzled by the question. "…I don't think I've ever had one."
"Could we get some and share with the children?" Yao Yuxuan said. "There's a stand just down the road a little more that is selling them. I can smell them from here."
Liu Haoyu cast a glance at the twins behind him, then looked back at the thin man in his arms. After a moment, he replied thoughtfully, "Sure. I don't see why not."
"Four sugar figurines please," Yao Yuxuan said to the shop owner without thinking. Liu Haoyu seemed ready to protest, but the man running the stand just smiled!?
"Of course, my lady! What shapes would you like?" the man asked.
Though Yao Yuxuan's voice was very obviously deeper than a woman's, he spoke with such grace and his throat's tiredness made it believable that perhaps this lovely woman was just suffering from a cold. He didn't allow himself to dwell on the fact he had not only been dressed up as a lady, but passed as one even when he spoke.
Instead, he simply answered the man, "Can you make two dragon-shaped ones and two lotus flower ones?"
"Of course!" he answered, immediately busying himself with shaping the sugar figurines. He continued to talk while he worked. "Usually I'd charge a bit extra for the dragons since they're harder to make, but since the dear lady is so sick, I will just charge the normal price!"
"Thank you, sir," Liu Haoyu said with a meaningful expression. Yao Yuxuan didn't miss the mischievous look in his lavender eyes when he glanced down at him, though. "We've only been married for a week, now. She's not used to my incredible stamina yet, so not only is she unable to walk after last night, but she came down with a cold, too!"
Yao Yuxuan wanted to cease existing at that moment. He wished his daoist spirit would burst in a spontaneous deviation of his qi, and that he would die right there in Liu Haoyu's arms out of spite. His face became red with rage, the tint in his cheeks visible above the corners of his mask. Liu Haoyu looked down at him in triumph.
The shop owner made an impressed sound and winked at Liu Haoyu. "Wow! Poor thing. Don't worry, it'll get easier. If you do it every night once your cold is gone, she'll get used to it in no time!"
"I'll make sure we do that, then," Liu Haoyu said deviously, a wicked smirk on his face. He leaned his face close to Yao Yuxuan's head, so much that the latter could feel his warm breath on his ear as he whispered, "Get well soon, Gege."
Yao Yuxuan suddenly felt as though he were about to combust. He couldn't put up any sort of fight or fuss in this busy street, especially since he was cursed not to embarrass Liu Haoyu again.
"It's nice of you to carry her around like this and buy her treats to feel better. I love to see young, doting husbands! Reminds me of my wife and I when we were young," the man finished up the figurines and handed them to Yao Yuxuan. Liu Haoyu tossed a whole ingot into the guy's hands, leaving him with a blank expression as they left the vendor.
"Give the children their treats," Liu Haoyu said casually, as if he hadn't just entirely humiliated Yao Yuxuan just moments prior. He called the servants closer with a whistle.
Yao Yuxuan didn't even know what to say, so he simply did as the other man suggested. He placed one of the dragon shaped ones into Lei-er's hands and one of the lotus blossoms into A-Mei's. After he did, Liu Haoyu looked at the two of them and spoke again, "Go back to the inn. We will return soon."
The twins nodded obediently and, with a farewell bow, disappeared into the crowd.
"Where are we going?" Yao Yuxuan asked apprehensively, his grip on the bag of treats tightening slightly.
"Don't be so nervous. I'm just going to find us somewhere to rest for a minute, then we will go find some strings for your zither," Liu Haoyu said with a chuckle. "About earlier – it's just an eye for an eye. We are even now, I won't do it again."
Yao Yuxuan heaved a sigh of relief. For some reason, although it wasn't an apology, the words still felt genuine. He was just glad he didn't have to be worried about such humiliation again.