Husband, Let Me Touch Your Abs - Chapter 11

Lu Yao stood frozen in place. He had imagined what Zhao Beichuan might look like before, most likely an ordinary, honest-looking man. But he never expected that he would be… this handsome!

 

Aside from “handsome,” he really couldn’t think of any other adjective.

 

Rugged, deep-set features paired with an impressive physique. He wasn’t conventionally handsome in a delicate way but exuded a raw, masculine charm full of hormones. And that bronze-toned skin, impossibly sexy—this man seemed to be made exactly according to Lu Yao’s preferences, hitting all the right spots.

 

Just the thought that this was his legal husband made Lu Yao’s heart race, thudding wildly like a fawn leaping around.

 

“You… why are you back?” Lu Yao felt his throat was incredibly dry, and the words came out in a barely audible whisper, like a mosquito buzzing.

 

But to Zhao Beichuan’s ears, it sounded like a lack of confidence. He didn’t reply, instead tossing aside the half-finished straw sandals in his hands and heading into the house.

 

Lu Yao quickly followed, watching him scoop water from a jar to drink. Droplets slid down his prominent Adam’s apple, following the curve of his strong muscles down to disappear into his waistband…

 

Those muscular arms, those large hands…

 

He had heard that the bigger a man’s hands were, the better developed *down there*. Lu Yao’s cheeks flushed uncontrollably as long-suppressed, inappropriate thoughts rushed to the surface.

 

“Glug.” Unable to help himself, he swallowed hard, feeling that for the first time, dying like this would be worth it—traveling through time had been totally worth it!

 

Maybe his stare was too blatant, because Zhao Beichuan shot him a glance, then went inside to put on some clothes.

 

Lu Yao withdrew his gaze somewhat disappointed, but the thought that they would have plenty of time together in the future made his heart race again like a little fawn.

 

“Come in.” The deep voice snapped him out of his daydream. Zhao Beichuan, now fully dressed, stood looking down at him from a height.

 

When Lu Yao had transmigrated, his height had shrunk, and he was now only around 1.65 meters, standing at least half a head shorter than Zhao Beichuan.

 

The stark height difference, combined with the powerful sense of pressure, made Lu Yao’s legs almost cramp.

 

“I married you, and I’ll treat you well, but only if you treat my younger siblings well. If you’re not good to them, I can divorce you.”

 

The cold look in Zhao Beichuan’s eyes made Lu Yao shiver, and the little fawn in his heart instantly crashed into an iceberg, shattering into pieces.

 

It seemed his new husband didn’t like him.

 

Well, not only did he not like him, but he seemed to harbor some dislike.

 

Lu Yao was a bit surprised. Had the original owner done something to make him unhappy?

 

He thought for a long time but realized the two of them hadn’t even spoken a single word. On their wedding day, the original owner had muddle-headedly gotten into the bridal sedan, and after the ceremony, he was told his husband had left for labor service. So why had he suddenly returned and wanted to divorce him?

 

Seeing that Lu Yao remained silent, a flicker of impatience crossed Zhao Beichuan’s eyes. The young man in front of him was indeed the most attractive person he had ever seen, especially those watery eyes that made his heart restless.

 

But that wasn’t what he was looking for.

 

Zhao Beichuan’s parents had passed away early, and for years, he had raised his two siblings alone. If it weren’t for the mandatory labor service, he wouldn’t have even thought about getting married.

 

He had asked a matchmaker to find him a virtuous wife. He didn’t care whether it was a boy or a woman, nor did he care about looks. He just wanted someone of a similar age with a good temperament.

 

The matchmaker had praised Lu Yao to the skies, saying he was hardworking, virtuous, and kind-hearted, someone who could be tolerant and understanding. So, he had agreed.

 

But who could have expected that aside from being good-looking, this Lu Yao was entirely useless—a decorative pillow, all show and no substance.

 

The more Zhao Beichuan thought about it, the angrier he became. He was about to say a few more harsh words when suddenly two children’s voices called from outside.

 

“Sister-in-law, are you back? Did you buy the baby chicks?”

 

Zhao Xiaonian and Zhao Xiaodou ran in, covered in mud. Their sister-in-law had promised to buy baby chicks today, so they had gone to the river to catch earthworms and had just returned with half a jar.

 

As soon as they entered the house, they froze. “Big Brother? Why are you back?”

 

Zhao Beichuan held out his arms.

 

The two children squealed and threw themselves into his embrace, and he lifted them up, spinning them around.

 

“We missed you so much!”

 

“Big Brother, are you going back to labor service?”

 

Zhao Beichuan put them down, patted their heads, and said, “I took a day off from the government. I’ll have to go back soon.”

 

“Ah? You have to leave again so soon.” The children’s faces instantly fell.

 

Actually, Zhao Beichuan had arrived home in the morning, but no one was around. During his free time, he had chopped a pile of firewood, fetched a jar of water, and then visited Aunt Zhao across the way to deliver a few messages for Uncle Zhao. While he was there, he asked about how things had been at home recently.

 

Aunt Zhao told him about how Lu Yao had tried to hang himself, and also how he had burned a cooking pot. Zhao Beichuan’s face had turned dark upon hearing this.

 

“This young man may not be very good at household chores, but his temperament is decent, and he’s not harsh with the children.” That was Aunt Zhao’s assessment.

 

Zhao Beichuan remained skeptical, still feeling that Xiaonian and Xiaodou must have suffered.

 

“How have things been for you these days?” Zhao Beichuan asked the children, but his gaze fell on Lu Yao. If he heard even the slightest hint of mistreatment, he was definitely kicking this person out.

 

Zhao Xiaonian said, “We’ve been great! We’re well-fed and sleep well!”

 

The two children started listing all the things that had happened lately: sister-in-law washed their hair, made new clothes, helped them dig the land and plant vegetables, and even stood up for them by dumping a bucket of manure on Grandma Songping.

 

“Oh, and sister-in-law took us to visit relatives too! We had sugar water and dumplings at Auntie’s house.”

 

Zhao Xiaodou, less talkative than his sister, simply added, “They were so good!”

 

Lu Yao couldn’t help but laugh, but as he laughed, he remembered that his husband had said he wanted to divorce him, and the smile on his face faded.

 

This guy really has no conscience. He didn’t even mind that he was poor, yet the other had the nerve to look down on him!

 

All along, Zhao Beichuan thought that his younger siblings had suffered greatly at home, but what he saw was completely different from what he’d imagined. He couldn’t help but wonder, could it be that the Lu family father and son held a grudge against Lu Yao and deliberately bad-mouthed him behind his back? Otherwise, how could he explain everything that had happened?

 

“Ahem, thank you for looking after them these past days.”

 

Lu Yao snorted, turned, and walked out of the house to settle the little chicks he had just bought.

 

“Big brother, did you upset sister-in-law?” Zhao Xiaonian asked curiously.

 

“You two, tell me the truth, did he really treat you this well? He didn’t scold or beat you?”

 

Zhao Xiaodou asked in confusion, “Why would sister-in-law scold or beat us?”

 

“Maybe I misunderstood him. I’ll be leaving soon, so make sure you behave. If anything happens, go find Grandma Zhao or Aunt Tian.”

 

“Oh.” Zhao Xiaonian and Zhao Xiaodou were reluctant to part with him, but they were quickly distracted by the chirping of the little chicks outside.

 

“Let’s go check on the chicks!”

 

“Go on.” After the two children left, Zhao Beichuan lifted the bed mat, moved aside two bricks, and took out a pitch-black clay jar that had been blackened by smoke.

 

Inside was all the money he had saved over the years, amounting to more than seven guan(1 guan = 1000 coins in a string).

 

Zhao Beichuan was a hunter. Every autumn after the harvest, he would go up the mountain to cut firewood and usually catch some wild game.

 

Smaller game, like wild chickens and rabbits, he would feed to the children. Larger animals, like wild boars, foxes, and deer, he would take to town to sell.

 

Every year at the end of October, merchants returning from Goguryeo would pass through this area, and selling to them could fetch a good price.

 

Last year, he caught a fiery red fox, and just its fur alone sold for three guan. The money was originally meant to build a new house. He spent part of it when he got married, and now there wasn’t much left. He planned to save for another two years to build a new house.

 

Zhao Beichuan took out two guan and put the rest back in the hole.

 

When he left for his conscription duties on his wedding day, he had hurried off and forgotten to leave any money for the household. Now that he saw that Lu Xiaolang was not too bad, he felt assured enough to leave the money with him.

 

Outside, Lu Yao was leading the two children in feeding the little chicks.

 

The ten chicks, newly arrived, were timid and huddled together, chirping non-stop.

 

“They’re so small.” Zhao Xiaodou reached out to grab one, but Zhao Xiaonian smacked his hand away, “Don’t grab them! You’ll hurt them!”

 

“It’s fine, just hold them gently,” Lu Yao said, lifting a chick and placing it in Zhao Xiaodou’s hand. The child was so nervous he couldn’t move, staring wide-eyed at the chick.

 

“Ah, it’s pecking my hand!”

 

Zhao Xiaonian, feeling envious, reached out her hand too, and Lu Yao picked up another chick for her.

 

“Sister-in-law, they’re so cute! All fluffy!”

 

When Zhao Beichuan stepped out of the house, he saw this scene. It seemed the two children hadn’t lied, and they were indeed getting along well.

 

The straw sandals weren’t finished yet, so he took the opportunity to continue weaving. He wanted to say something to Lu Yao, but he had just offended him. Not being someone with a glib tongue, he decided not to say anything.

 

Lu Yao ignored him too, and with the children, he found a few planks to make a coop for the chicks.

 

Such small chicks left outside overnight would likely be snatched by a weasel. But since it was currently the height of summer, keeping them inside would make the air smell terrible. He definitely didn’t want to sleep surrounded by the smell of chicken droppings.

 

Zhao Xiaonian and Zhao Xiaodou excitedly ran off to gather tree branches. There were still some shorter planks around the house, and Lu Yao planned to bind them with hemp rope to make a square pen.

 

They ran out of hemp rope, but Lu Yao saw that Zhao Beichuan had twisted quite a bit of straw rope.

 

“Hey, can I use some of your rope?”

 

Zhao Beichuan immediately handed over the twisted straw rope.

 

“Do you need help?”

 

“No.”

 

Lu Yao had Xiaonian and Xiaodou hold the planks while he quickly tied them together to form the pen. He placed the chicks inside, and at night, they could cover the top with planks. It should be safe.

 

“All done. From now on, these chicks are yours. You’ll be responsible for catching bugs for them to eat. Next year, when they lay eggs, sister-in-law will help you save them up. You can either eat them yourselves or take them to town to sell for money. Whatever you earn will be yours.”

 

“Really? Sister-in-law, you’re the best!” Zhao Xiaonian and Zhao Xiaodou excitedly hugged Lu Yao.

 

Lu Yao patted the children’s heads, thinking to himself, “These kids are so well-behaved, how could they have such an annoying brother?”