Eat More

Tang Feiliu had always been someone who acted on impulse.

He possessed little ambition or desire, so his actions lacked any real planning. Instead, he simply addressed whatever inconvenience arose in the moment.

In his mind stood a tower of humanity's accumulated spiritual wealth, built over millennia. Yet its sheer magnitude made it feel fragmented. Unless triggered by a specific situation, Tang Feiliu faced too many choices to attend to them all.

Fortunately, Edward's only requirement was that he pursue what brought him joy. Had he been bound to fulfill every duty expected of an administrator, Tang Feiliu would now be perpetually buried in blueprints, construction sites, and negotiations with cunning merchants—tasks neither suited to nor appealing for him.

Now, as construction on Black Swan City began, merchants were already moving swiftly. Some had already entered the city-building phase. One moment Tang Feiliu was busy teaching people how to refine wine; the next, he was thinking about renovating the cellars for food storage. In the midst of this, the apple harvest arrived. Grandpa Dave mentioned this year's apples weren't fetching high prices due to an exceptionally bountiful harvest, but they could only be stored until autumn at most. Tang Feiliu immediately turned his attention to spraying the apples with white wine, buying cotton jackets, and instructing the servants on how to cellar the apples—this would prevent selling them at rock-bottom prices. By winter, these apples could multiply their value several times over!

And most importantly, York had so few fruits to eat in winter. With freezing temperatures outside, if there weren't even apples, fruit would be practically nonexistent. Peaches and grapes couldn't be stored either. Tang Feiliu regretted that peaches couldn't be canned; he could only make jam to sweeten their winter... In short, this entire process revealed that Tang Feiliu was no master planner. When he saw Lily, he'd merely recalled a classic marketing case study on impulse, then spontaneously extended an olive branch. With the city undergoing construction and vacant factory land available, Tang Feiliu thought of York's cotton-processing mills and their crude machinery... Everything seemed primitive, yet Tang Feiliu suddenly grasped the staggering profits these machines could yield.

Especially with the approaching harvest, Edward's domain would grow increasingly prosperous. Then there was the wealth brought back by overseas travelers, the budding technologies stirring to life... The thought struck Tang Feiliu, and since he had someone before him who clearly understood these matters, he voiced his idea.

By the time he finished speaking, Lily was still lost in thought, but Stewart eagerly agreed.

Then the Duke noticed something peculiar. As he waited for Tang Feiliu to join him for supper, he saw Tang wearing a shirt that was clearly not his own, hanging loosely over his shoulders. Beside him stood Ivans, bare-chested. The pair stood side by side—one tall, one short; one sturdy, one slight— The pair resembled court jesters, drawing snickers from the castle servants all the way back.

"Lance?" Edward lifted his chin, frowned, and pursed his lips—clearly not a happy expression. The Duke was clearly awaiting Tang Feiliu's explanation. Tang Feiliu sighed and said to Ivan, "I told you this looks even stranger!"

After speaking to Ivans, he resignedly removed his outer shirt, turning his back to Edward. Edward immediately snapped, "Put it back on!"

Tang Feiliu instinctively pulled the shirt back on. The duke, already shedding his own coat, strode over, launching into a rapid reprimand: "How could a gentleman be so reckless as to take off his clothes... Now, come upstairs with me. Change properly before dinner!"

"But I smelled potato pancakes..." Tang Feiliu protested as the duke stripped off his outer shirt, tossing it back to Ivans with a warning glance. He wrapped Tang Feiliu in his own jacket while the boy lingered, sniffing the air for imaginary fried potato pancakes—clearly starving after a day of play.

The gentle Duke, unusually, ignored his demands. Instead, he simply hoisted the mischievous little fellow onto his back and carried him all the way back to the room. Once inside, Tang Feiliu was still eager to eat this year's freshly dug potatoes. He scrambled down, kicked off his little leather shoes, and ran around the carpet in his socks, shouting, "Edward, where are my clothes! Hurry up and get dressed so we can eat!"

After a moment of chaotic shouting, he dashed into the walk-in closet, rummaging through clothes. Just as he was about to grab something random to put on, he suddenly realized Edward hadn't made a sound. Turning around, he found the Duke standing in the doorway, scrutinizing him. He looked like a big cat squinting, searching for the perfect spot to sink its teeth into its prey. Tang Feiliu could swear he could even see the Duke's tail swaying contentedly behind him.

But after living together so long, Tang Feiliu had grown accustomed to the Duke’s scorching gaze. He provocatively wiggled his hips and said with a smile, "Ed-ward... what are you looking at?" His tone was drawn-out and sweet. He even pulled open his shirt to show Edward his snow-white belly, grinning as he said, Whatever you're looking at, you can't possibly... Mmm, mmmph..."

Just as Tang Feiliu was smugly flaunting his snow-white belly, mocking Edward for being powerless to do anything, Edward suddenly stepped closer. He swept Tang Feiliu into his arms and pressed a deep kiss upon him. It was an incredibly tender yet semi-forceful kiss. Tang Feiliu felt his ability to think vanish almost instantly. Edward lifted him completely off his feet, his large hands caressing Tang Feiliu's back like electric currents.

...

"...I was wrong," Tang Feiliu murmured to himself, staring at the kiss marks on his belly. After a long moment, he sighed. "I knew he wouldn't dare touch me now, but I never imagined he could collect interest in other ways..."

"What are you talking about?" Edward emerged, freshly dressed, and found Tang Feiliu burrowed under the covers, muttering to himself. The sight of him was enough to melt Edward's heart.

"I'm saying you don't mess with a tiger's tail!" Tang Feiliu snapped, still irritated after his ordeal. "And he's mocking me for being a fool."

"No!" Tang Feiliu suddenly snapped her head up, her eyes blazing as she stared at Edward. She grabbed the front of his shirt and demanded, "You clearly didn't understand anything before! I thought you were going to hold out until I was eighteen or twenty... How did you know to collect interest first?!"

Edward clearly felt a bit overwhelmed. While he had done certain things, he was, after all, a man raised in this era, his thinking far more rigid than Tang Feiliu's. Discussing this now, Tang Feiliu—the one paying the interest—hadn't really... well, ever since they'd become intimate, this guy's face had thickened tenfold. Yet it was the Duke, the one collecting the interest, who now seemed somewhat embarrassed. He cleared his throat, his eyes darting around as he murmured, "Well... you know, nobles tend to have their own... various lovers."

"What do you mean?" Tang Feiliu's expression clouded over in an instant, his voice darkening.

"No, no... what I meant was," the duke hastily clarified, clearly sensing Tang Feiliu's misunderstanding, "I meant some physicians understand these matters—like when it's safe to engage in certain activities without harming the body, how to maintain health while still... well..."

"...and charge interest, right?" Tang Feiliu suddenly flushed with belated realization. He stammered, "So... so you went asking others?!"

"...Don't worry, it's fine. No one else knows. I just asked some people I know in my domain... and doctors. After all, your health... I'm genuinely concerned..." Edward's explanation only made Tang Feiliu's face burn brighter. He felt steam rising from his head, his stammering beyond his control. Still, he managed to ask, "So... so what did the doctor say..."

"...He said not to rush it," Edward's gaze softened. He scooped Tang Feiliu up in his arms, carrying him over to the mirror. Then, whispering softly into his ear, he murmured, "You can take your time, but I want you to grow steadily—fatter, taller, stronger—before you accept me..."

"Mmm..." As Edward gently licked his ear, Tang Feiliu suddenly realized just how sensitive that spot was. He couldn't help but let out a kitten-like whimper, his whole body trembling with excitement. Edward continued licking while murmuring softly, his voice husky with breath, "I can wait as long as it takes... But you are mine. All of you, completely mine... Don't let anyone else see..."

As he spoke, he deliberately kneaded Tang Feiliu's back with force. The calluses on his hands scraped against the smooth skin, sending waves of electricity through Tang Feiliu's body. He let out a soft gasp, trembling with excitement, his entire body limp like dough, thoroughly kneaded by the duke.

By the time they went downstairs for dinner, night had fallen completely. Tang Feiliu, her face flushed, poked at the potato pancake before her. This year's new potatoes were sweet and fluffy, utterly delicious, but Tang Feiliu's mind hadn't yet recovered from the earlier stimulation.

They hadn't actually gone that far, yet why was it so thrilling? Even now, the memory made her shiver uncontrollably. Tang Feiliu felt utterly hopeless about herself. But this Duke, who'd secretly gathered knowledge and mastered techniques while she was distracted, had made such rapid progress that he was truly overwhelming.

In truth, Tang Feiliu was starting to worry. Had he been too harsh lately, pushing the Duke to become a self-taught genius? And clearly, he'd excelled—the kind of talent that could win scholarships. The Duke hadn't even lifted the restrictions yet, and he'd already nearly reduced Tang Feiliu to tears. If the restrictions were lifted... Tang Feiliu felt his hand holding the silver fork tremble, though he couldn't tell if it was from fear or excitement.

"Eat more." The Duke himself seemed oblivious, ladling a bowl of creamy mushroom soup before Tang Feiliu and fixing him with an intense gaze. His eyes burned with an almost palpable desire to see Tang Feiliu grow to six feet tall before his very eyes, transforming into a robust young man.

Hearing "Eat more" now stirred complex emotions within Tang Feiliu. He finally understood the pig's predicament behind the fence, being cheerfully urged by humans to eat more—knowing that eating meant slaughter, yet starving otherwise.

Fortunately, he wasn't facing actual slaughter. Steeling himself, Tang Feiliu resolved to eat heartily.

The Duke watched him tenderly, like a farmer fantasizing about the joy of a bountiful harvest after his pigs had fattened up.

Hmm... That thought was far too unromantic. With a piece of beef in his mouth, Tang Feiliu resolved to banish that notion to the Arctic.

Author's Note:

Writing this made me hungry...