Room for the Night or Just a Meal?

[Cheerful cactus-like shou x neurotic, gloomy gong, little fox x fake gentleman]

A gloomy, neurotic, oblivious gong who wants to die but can't and is strangely lucky x a cheerful shou who can survive anywhere and has eight hundred tricks up his sleeve

*

Wu Yuan has always been unlucky. Before he transmigrated, he suffered through years of illness; after he transmigrated, he was forced to become a homeless orphan, despite already being an adult.

Carrying a battered bundle, he stood at the door of a dilapidated hut on Eryang Slope and thought: As long as I'm healthy, I can survive anywhere.

The old teahouse on Eryang Slope had fallen into disrepair, but now it was as good as new. A sign out front read, "Stay the Night." The young, smiling owner stood at the entrance and greeted him warmly. "Welcome, honored guest! Just stopping for tea, or staying the night?"

One day, a strange guest came to the little shop.

The guest wore a dark expression and said nothing. He finished his meal and didn't pay.

Wu Yuan: ...You dare skip the bill at my place?

The guest: "I'll stay the night and work off the debt."

Wu Yuan: "Oh? Oh!"

Looking at the newly cleared fields, the firewood piled high in the back yard, and the game hanging under the eaves, Wu Yuan felt that this meal had been well worth it.

The other man ate a lot, but he liked working and wasn't picky about food, so he could finish the leftovers. He always looked gloomy, but he was obedient and didn't have many tricks. He was always trying to die, but he was lucky enough to keep surviving... Ahem.

He might be a little neurotic, but he was handsome, and pretty lucky, too!

*

Lin Youqian left that troubled place full of disappointment, hoping to eat a hearty meal and then dig a hole to bury himself in.

He was determined to die, but a meal from Wu Yuan saved his life.

The cheerful young man had eight hundred tricks up his sleeve, yet he treated him with nothing but sincerity. Afraid he would try to kill himself if he had nothing to do, he had him clear fields, chop wood, and hunt so he would stay busy. Worried he wasn't eating enough, he gave him half the food in his own bowl. And though Lin Youqian's face was gloomy, he let him stand at the door to greet customers.

With such a wonderful young man around, Lin Youqian suddenly didn't want to die anymore. He wanted to stay and work off his debt for the rest of his life.

*

More and more guests came to Stay the Night: peddlers and porters stopped for tea, escort guards and merchant caravans shared tales of strange happenings, rich young men from the prefectural city lamented how hard life was while indulging in cockfights and dogfights, and local gentry came for an extended "stay"...

The customers drinking tea in the little shop changed from one table to the next.

In the rocking chair beneath the persimmon tree by the courtyard wall, Lin Youqian gently fanned himself with a palm-leaf fan while Wu Yuan drifted into a deep sleep in the breeze.

Half the tree was golden orange, the rocking chair swayed gently, and the midday breeze beneath the fan was cool.

Over tea, food, and idle conversation, Lin Youqian stayed with Wu Yuan night after night.

*

#Mini-scene 1#

The first time Lin Youqian said to Wu Yuan, "I want to kiss you."

Wu Yuan smacked him. "You nutcase!"

The second time he said, "I want to kiss you."

Wu Yuan: "Go ahead, then."

The third time... Before he could say it, Wu Yuan leaned in and kissed him.

#Mini-scene 2#

After one of their workouts...

Wu Yuan panted heavily. "I feel like I'm getting the short end of the stick."

Lin Youqian: "How so?"

Wu Yuan: "Didn't you say you'd work off your debt?"

Lin Youqian, sounding satisfied: "I did."

Wu Yuan held his aching waist. "...You did more than just work!"

Note dated January 4, 2025

Reader's Guide

1. An ancient setting with lots of original worldbuilding, so don't overanalyze it. Farming, business, food, everyday life, a slow pace, and slice-of-life storytelling.

2. Same-sex marriage is not legal, and there are no male pregnancy elements.

Theme: The most important things in life are food and drink.