Husband, Let Me Touch Your Abs - Chapter 122

Chapter 122

 

Wang Youcai’s face flushed red from being scolded by his father, but he still argued defiantly, “Why can the third brother do it, but we can’t? Aren’t we all born of the same parents? How are my elder brother and I any different?”

 

Beside him, Wang Youliang, fearing he would be scolded, quickly distanced himself. “If you want to go, say it’s your idea, don’t drag me into it.” He knew he didn’t have the capability; managing his own farmland was already a challenge. Over the years, he had also learned how to care for livestock from the old man. He planned to live a stable life and had no intention of heading to the county seat.

 

Wang’s mother couldn’t stand it anymore either, saying, “If you have the ability, go ahead, no one is stopping you. Stop fixating on your younger brother. They’ve come back from afar; instead of asking how difficult the journey was, you’re only thinking about taking advantage of them. It’s shameful behavior!”

 

Wang Youcai, feeling humiliated, put down his chopsticks and stormed out of the room.

 

“What a disgraceful sight!”

 

“Enough, Father, don’t get angry.”

 

“Yes, yes, third brother rarely visits. Let’s just eat.” Wang Youliang, having mellowed with age, was no longer as hot-tempered as before. Moreover, he genuinely missed his third brother after so many years apart, so he pulled him aside to chat about family matters.

 

Next door, Lu Yun, who had returned with his children, entered the room he used to live in. Though the elderly man had been cleaning it regularly, it was still full of cobwebs, and the kang and cabinets were coated in dust.

 

Lu Yun told the children to play at the doorway while he grabbed a broom and started cleaning.

 

Jinzi, taking his little brother with him, curiously explored the courtyard. He had some vague memories of the place, but they were fuzzy since he was still very young when they left.

 

As the two played in the courtyard, they heard a quarrel and a child’s cries coming from the house next door.

 

“If you’re angry, take it out on them! Why hit the child?”

 

“How did we end up with such useless kids?”

 

Li Shi began wailing loudly, “Our kids are useless? Then go find someone better! Go ahead! See if anyone would even look at you!”

 

“Shut up! If it weren’t for your stupid idea of asking about how much the third brother earns in the county seat, would Father and Mother have scolded us?”

 

“And who was I doing it for? For myself? It’s for these kids so they can eat and dress well, and live a better life!”

 

“Don’t give me that! Are you starving, or are you left without clothes?”

 

Li Shi, furious but not daring to lash out at her husband, turned her wrath toward Lu Yun and Wang Youtian.

 

She cursed loudly, “Born of the same womb, but so stingy! Living a good life themselves, they won’t even let their own brothers have a sip of soup! No wonder they can’t have a son; they’re destined to have no descendants!”

 

Coincidentally, Guo Shi, returning with his two sons, happened to overhear this as he stepped into the courtyard.

 

He didn’t have a son either, and this had always been a sore spot for him. Hearing such a curse made him explode with rage.

 

“You despicable wretch! Who are you cursing?” Guo Shi, known for his loud voice and short temper, grabbed a hoe lying by the house and stormed toward the second family’s room.

 

“E-Eldest Brother-in-law, what are you doing?” Wang Youcai tried to stop him.

 

“Spit! You two shameless people, who are you cursing to be childless? It’s you who’ll be childless! Your eldest will meet an early death!”

 

Upon hearing this, Li Shi also exploded with rage. He rushed over and began pulling Guo Shi’s hair, and the two started brawling fiercely.

 

Hearing the commotion, Lu Yun quickly pulled his two children inside. Back when they all lived together, he had endured plenty of mistreatment from these two, and he had no intention of getting involved in their business now.

 

The others rushed over to break up the fight. Li Shi, being pregnant, ended up straining himself and his water broke in the chaos.

 

The old man, furious, gave both Wang Youda and Wang Youcai a slap each. Wang’s mother sat there crying, “What a sin!”

 

Everyone hurriedly carried Li Shi inside while Wang Youcai ran to the village to fetch the midwife.

 

This was Li Shi’s fourth child, and the birth happened so quickly that the midwife hadn’t even arrived by the time the baby was born. Wang’s mother cut the umbilical cord—it was another boy.

 

Guo Shi, still fuming, went inside and lay on the kang, refusing to get up.

 

Wang Youtian looked at his two brothers, who weren’t speaking to each other, feeling utterly exasperated. He hadn’t expected their relationship to deteriorate this much over the years.

 

Lu Yun and his wife only stayed one night at the Wang family home before heading to Lu Village in their carriage. They couldn’t stand it anymore; the constant quarrels in the courtyard gave them headaches.

 

On the road, Lu Yun cradled Yin Zi and said, “Do you know what they were fighting about yesterday?”

 

“No idea.”

 

“Your second sister-in-law was cursing us for being childless, but your eldest sister-in-law overheard it, and that’s why they fought.”

 

Wang Youtian’s face darkened. “Don’t listen to her nonsense. What does she mean by childless? With Jinzi and Yin Zi, and the children they’ll have in the future, who isn’t my descendant?”

 

“True, but she’s too vicious. Do you know how hard we’ve had it over the years? In her eyes, just because her lips move, we’re suddenly ungrateful for not supporting our brothers. How can someone be like that?”

 

Wang Youtian sighed. “I don’t care about anything else; I just care about my elder brothers. When I was little, they looked after me so much. I practically grew up on my eldest brother’s back; wherever he went, he carried me…” Who would’ve thought things would turn out this way?

 

Lu Yun comforted him, “Don’t feel bad about it. Look at the other villagers—they all manage fine. Why can’t they? It’s just jealousy because we’re doing well, and they’re not happy about it.”

 

Wang Youtian completely gave up the idea of taking his two brothers’ families to the county seat. With such troublesome sisters-in-law, who knows what kind of trouble they’d cause in the city?

 

Back in Lu Village, they arrived just as the roof was being repaired. Wang Youtian quickly stopped the carriage and joined in to help.

 

Lu Lin and Zhao Beichuan were on the roof, replacing the rotten thatch with fresh straw.

 

With the rainy season approaching in June, if the roof wasn’t repaired, the house would surely leak.

 

Lu Yun took the children inside and went to the kitchen with his third brother and sister-in-law to knead dough. They were making meat-filled buns for lunch.

 

Lu Yao washed his hands, preparing to chop the filling.

 

The filling consisted of pure meat with a bit of scallion and chives. The pig had been slaughtered yesterday, and the meat needed to be eaten quickly before it spoiled in the heat.

 

Hu Chunrong asked, “How was it going back? Are Father and Mother-in-law doing well?”

 

“They’re doing fine, but the old man is a bit hard of hearing now. Sometimes he doesn’t catch what’s being said.”

 

“That’s common at his age.”

 

Hu Chunrong continued, “Did your brothers and their wives pester you about life in the county seat?”

 

Hearing this, Lu Yun recounted the events of the previous day, leaving his third brother and his wife stunned.

 

“Back then, they ganged up to bully me. Now that I’m gone, they can only turn on each other! It’s so satisfying!” Lu Yun felt vindicated.

 

Lu Yao frowned. “With things like this, your parents might not be able to leave.”

 

Parents are like that—they won’t let their children become estranged, no matter how bad things get.

 

Lu Yun also worried about this. They had originally wanted to take the elderly couple to the county seat for a peaceful life, but the couple couldn’t stop worrying about their other sons. There seemed to be no solution at the moment.

 

Lu Yao said, “Don’t rush to fix it. In a few days, when I have time, I’ll go back with you.”

 

“Great!” Lu Yun immediately felt reassured. With his third brother’s capability, he trusted his judgment completely.

 

After lunch, Ge Changbao needed to take the soldiers to the town for accommodation. These men had slept on the ground last night and hadn’t rested well, so he planned to put them up in the inn at the town for a few days to recover.

 

Zhao Beichuan was familiar with the inn in town and went along with him.

 

The two drove a cart to transport the soldiers to the inn where tofu used to be delivered. Coincidentally, Manager Xu was also there and actually recognized Zhao Beichuan. “Hey, aren’t you the one who sold tofu? I heard your family moved to the provincial capital. How’s life now?”

 

Zhao Beichuan replied, “Pretty good. Thank you for your concern, Manager Xu.”

 

“Did your husband also return?”

 

“Yes, the elderly at home were feeling homesick, so we all came back to visit and catch up with friends.”

 

“Are you still selling tofu in the provincial capital?”

 

“No, we opened a restaurant.” Zhao Beichuan didn’t want to show off, but his demeanor had changed significantly from before. Standing there, he exuded a dignified and impressive aura, clearly the result of a life of wealth.

 

After settling the soldiers, Zhao Beichuan and Ge Changbao left. Manager Xu watched as the two climbed into the large carriage at the entrance and couldn’t help but sigh, “Truly, you can’t judge a person by their appearance, just like you can’t measure the ocean. The once poor boy has turned into a wealthy man overnight!”

 

The two wandered around the town for a while, but Qiushui Town was too small and had little to explore. Even the food and drink on offer didn’t catch their eye, and the goods were meager.

 

Zhao Beichuan said, “When we used to live here, it didn’t feel bad. But now that we’ve seen the prosperity of the provincial capital, Qiushui Town does feel a bit shabby.”

 

Ge Changbao laughed, “You’ve got it good. When we went to Yingzhou for a troop rotation, that was truly a harsh and barren place. The cloth they sold was all coarse fabric that chafed your thighs when you wore it. Meat was scarce too, and whenever someone sold pigs or sheep, the officers would fight over them, all wanting to buy some to nourish their soldiers.”

 

“In that case, Qiushui Town isn’t too bad.”

 

“Indeed, it’s quite decent. There’s no war here, and the people live peacefully. When I’m old, maybe I’ll bring Lu Miao back here to retire.”

 

Hearing this, Zhao Beichuan felt tempted too. “Then Lu Yao and I will come back too. We can build a house next to yours, plant some crops, and go hunting. It sounds pretty nice.”

 

The more they thought about it, the more appealing it seemed, and they couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

 

Speaking of hunting, Zhao Beichuan couldn’t resist boasting about the time he hunted a wild boar weighing over 200 catties on the mountain. “It was such a huge boar that its tusks were as long as my forearm. When it rammed into a big tree that needed two people to hug, the tree shook three times.”

 

“How did you catch it?”

 

“I crafted a spear myself, hid in a tree, and waited for the boar to fight with a pack of wolves. When the wolves injured it, I took the chance to stab its neck. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have dared to provoke it.”

 

Ge Changbao said, “That’s nothing. In our barracks, there’s a young man who shot a tiger with a bow and arrow. It was a real, genuine tiger with white forehead and hanging eyes, weighing at least five or six hundred catties!”

 

“Wow! That big?”

 

“One arrow pierced the tiger’s neck, and another arrow hit its eye. Even then, the tiger roared for three whole days before it died. Its roars were so terrifying they made people tremble.”

 

Later, the tiger’s skin was presented by the Northern Frontier King to the imperial palace in the capital. Ge Changbao had seen it once. The fur was shiny and oily, thick and heavy, and over ten feet long!

 

The two continued to chat and brag all the way home. In the courtyard, several children were playing leapfrog, where one person bent over, and another jumped over them. The older kids were good at it, while the younger ones couldn’t jump and just stood by watching.

 

Ge Dandan was so anxious he was spinning in circles. Ge Changbao walked over, picked up his son, and lifted him over his shoulder. The little boy was finally happy. “Daddy, ride the big horse! Ride the big horse!”

 

In the afternoon, Zhao Beichuan and Ge Changbao, with a group of kids in tow, went to the creek to catch fish and shrimp.

 

The water only reached an adult’s knees, so it wasn’t deep enough to pose a danger. The weather was warm, and damp clothes wouldn’t feel cold.

 

Lu Lin and Wang Youtian stayed at home to repair the fallen fence.

 

Mother Lu sat on the steps, basking in the sun, and watched her sons and sons-in-law work. She said, “Why bother fixing it? Let it be.”

 

Lu Lin wiped the sweat off his face and said, “We’re idle anyway. While we have time, we might as well fix it. It’ll keep thieves out of the yard.”

 

Mother Lu chuckled. “What would thieves steal? There’s nothing valuable left at home.”

 

“The farm tools in the storeroom are missing several sickles, and someone even took the iron spades.”

 

Mother Lu was surprisingly carefree. “If it’s gone, it’s gone. We don’t farm anymore anyway.”

 

Lu Lin smiled and said nothing. In truth, he just wanted to hold onto the memories. This was the house he had lived in since he was young, and it carried so many memories for him.

 

He remembered when his eldest brother took him and Lu Yao to climb a tree for fruit, and he accidentally broke his leg. He also remembered farming with his father and spreading fertilizer. And he especially remembered the day he married his wife, when Chunrong, wearing a red veil, entered the family courtyard…

 

He didn’t want to let this courtyard fall into disrepair.

 

The two worked hard all afternoon and finally managed to fix the fence. They even reinforced the parts that weren’t broken.

 

By dusk, Ge Changbao carried his son on his back, Zhao Beichuan carried Xiao Yin Zi, and they led the other children home, carrying half a bucket of fish and shrimp.

 

Lu Yao took the bucket and said, “These are so fresh. Let’s not waste them. I’ll fry some fish and shrimp cakes for you tonight.”

 

He coated the small fish and shrimp in flour, added a bit of salt, and fried them in oil until they were cooked. They were crispy and fragrant, and the kids loved them.

 

After dinner, everyone sat in the courtyard to digest and chat. Xiao Nian led the children to catch fireflies and put them into cloth bags. The glowing bugs flickered beautifully.

 

The chirping of crickets and the croaking of frogs in the fields formed a symphony. A gentle breeze blew under the starry sky, promising good weather for tomorrow.

 

At bedtime, Lu Yao, his two brothers, and their mother slept in the main room, while Zhao Beichuan, Ge Changbao, Lu Lin, and Wang Youtian, along with Xiao Chun, slept on the large kang in the east room.

 

Hu Chunrong and Xiao Nian, along with four children, slept in the west room.

 

Mother Lu fell asleep early again, leaving the three brothers whispering to each other.

 

Lu Yun said, “This trip reminded me of when Third Brother came back. At that time, the fifth hadn’t married yet, and we hadn’t moved to the provincial capital.”

 

“Yeah, it’s been six years. Time really flies. It’s been nine years since I came to this unfamiliar era.”

 

Lu Miao mumbled softly, “Mother’s snoring is just as loud as ever.”

 

Lu Yao and Lu Yun couldn’t help but laugh. Although they met every month in the provincial capital, their time together was limited because they were all busy with their businesses. They rarely had the chance to sit and chat like this.

 

“Third Brother, are you and Brother-in-law really not considering having children? I saw him holding Yin Zi today, and he seemed to adore him.”

 

When this topic came up, Lu Yao sighed helplessly. “It’s not that we don’t want to. Last year, I consulted a physician, and he said my health is fine. Da Chuan is perfectly healthy too, but for some reason, nothing has happened.”

 

Lu Yun turned over, lying on his pillow, and said, “Why not try a folk remedy or find an old Daoist who’s good at divination? I heard that if the date and time of the wedding are wrong or if there’s some kind of conflict, it could affect fertility.”

 

Lu Yao didn’t believe in these things but suddenly remembered something. He reached for the copper coin around his neck, which he’d been wearing for almost five years. Back then, the Daoist had told him to return it after five years and help rebuild the temple. He decided that after this trip, he really needed to visit the Daoist temple.