Husband, Let Me Touch Your Abs - Chapter 123

Chapter 123

 

The next morning, the sun was shining brightly.

 

The adults had gotten up early, but the children were still sleeping in.

 

Today, everyone had changed into plain and modest clothes, preparing to go up the mountain to pay respects to the old master.

 

In this dynasty, it wasn’t customary to burn paper money yet. After all, paper was a rare commodity; even the living didn’t have enough of it, let alone the dead. They only brought some incense, candles, snacks, and a braised chicken.

 

“Shitou, wake up. It’s time to visit Grandpa,” Hu Chunrong gently patted her son. Shitou immediately sat up and rubbed his eyes.

 

Next to him, Xiao Taozi also woke up. “Mother, who is Grandpa?”

 

“He’s your father’s father.”

 

“Then where is Grandpa?”

 

“He’s on the mountain… You’ll see him in a bit.”

 

XiaoDandan and XiaoYinzi were also woken up. None of the grandchildren were left behind this time; everyone was going to the mountain to bow to the old master.

 

After getting everything ready, the group carried their offerings and walked toward the mountain. The path was rough, so they didn’t take the carriage.

 

Along the way, they passed many villagers working in the fields. Everyone stopped their work to watch the group, sighing in their hearts, “Lu Guangsheng truly lived a meaningful life, with such a prosperous and accomplished family.”

 

The further they went up the mountain, the harder it became to walk. There were shrubs everywhere, many of which were thorny. A careless scrape could be both painful and itchy, and there was also the danger of insects and snakes.

 

Zhao Beichuan and Ge Changbao wore leather boots and wielded sickles, clearing the way ahead. Lu Lin and Wang Youtian sprinkled sulfur powder on either side to repel snakes. The women, husbands, and children followed behind, and after half an hour, they finally arrived at the Lu family’s ancestral graves.

 

It was clear that the second uncle’s family had taken good care of the graves over the years, regularly adding soil to the mounds. Otherwise, being on a hillside, the rain would have flattened the burial mounds long ago.

 

Lu Lin started by cutting the grass on his father’s and elder brother’s graves, then tidied up the graves of his grandfather, grandmother, and great-grandfather nearby.

 

Afterward, he began using a spade to add soil to the mounds. Once all the graves were properly tended to, they laid out the offerings and lit incense. Everyone knelt on the ground and bowed.

 

Madam Lu stood to the side, looking at her husband’s and eldest son’s graves, and said, “You can rest assured now. The children are all doing well, and so am I. I only hope that our family continues to live peacefully and smoothly.”

 

When the incense burned out, everyone rose to their feet. Unlike previous visits, there was less sorrow this time and more fond remembrance.

 

Looking at the mound of yellow earth, Lu Yao’s mind blurred for a moment, and he could almost see the smiling face of the old man, asking him how his business was doing, if life was going smoothly, advising him to let go of worries, and to take care of his health and not overwork.

 

Lu Yao’s eyes grew misty. In his heart, he silently said, “Father, I’m doing well. You don’t need to worry about me.”

 

As they descended the mountain, Madam Lu, who had trouble walking, was carried by Zhao Beichuan.

 

The sons and sons-in-law were all strong and capable, especially Beichuan, who carried the frail old lady effortlessly.

 

By the time they returned home, it was almost noon, and they busied themselves preparing food and drink again.

 

—

 

The next day, Zhao Beichuan wanted to make a trip to Wanggou Village to tend to his parents’ graves and visit Grandma Zhao. He had been thinking about relocating his parents’ graves to Qingzhou.

 

Last time he had to abandon the idea due to Zhao Guang’s conscription duties. But now, with Ge Changbao around, there was nothing stopping them from taking care of it.

 

Under the big elm tree at the village entrance, many people were sitting in the shade. Spring plowing had just ended, and there wasn’t much work in the fields, so people liked to gather and chat.

 

From a distance, they spotted a large carriage coming their way, and everyone stood up, curious.

 

“Whose guest is arriving in such a grand carriage?”

 

Second Sister-in-law Tian murmured, “Could it be Beichuan and his family returning?”

 

“From so far away? Could it really be them?”

 

As the carriage drew closer, to their surprise, the driver was indeed Zhao Beichuan!

 

The villagers rushed forward excitedly. “Beichuan, you’re back! Did Lu Yao and the children come too?”

 

Lu Yao opened the carriage door and said, “Yes, we’re back.”

 

“Wow!” Everyone’s eyes lit up as they took a good look at the three people in the carriage. Lu Yao was dressed in a stone-blue satin long robe with bamboo leaf embroidery on the cuffs and hem, making him look as elegant and upright as a bamboo tree.

 

Xiaonian was wearing a brown and yellow patterned ruqun, which made her delicate face even more charming. Only the unfamiliar XiaoChun caught their attention; some mistook him for Xiaodouzi.

 

“Second Sister-in-law,” Xiaonian called out sweetly.

 

Second Sister-in-law Tian finally realized who she was and exclaimed, “Xiaonian has grown into such a fine young lady! The more she grows, the prettier she gets!”

 

The Zhao family’s husband chimed in, “What brings you back?”

 

“The old lady missed home. It’s been so many years, and she wanted to come back and take a look.”

 

Everyone began asking about life in the provincial capital. Lu Yao answered with a smile, and after chatting for a while, they excused themselves, explaining they had to go up the mountain to tend to the graves.

 

Lu Yao took out a few boxes of pastries and candies from the carriage and handed them out to the villagers. “The journey was long, and we didn’t bring much. These are some specialty treats from the provincial capital for everyone to try.”

 

The women and husbands didn’t hold back, quickly grabbing a handful to tuck into their pockets, intending to save them for their children.

 

Second Sister-in-law Tian happened to be heading home, so Lu Yao invited her to ride with them.

 

It was her first time sitting in such a grand carriage, and she sat stiffly, looking around nervously. “What a splendid carriage! It must have cost a fortune!”

 

“It’s not too bad. It’s mostly used by the restaurant to pick up and drop off guests.”

 

There were inevitably days of bad weather when guests couldn’t bring their own transport, so Lu Yao often had the coachman drop them off.

 

“That’s wonderful! Lu Yao, you and your family are so capable. It feels like you’ve all changed so much in just a few years. Especially Xiaonian—I almost didn’t recognize her!”

 

Xiaonian beamed. “Second Sister-in-law, have I changed that much?”

 

“Not so much your looks—you’re the spitting image of your parents—but your demeanor. You have the bearing of a noble lady!” Second Sister-in-law Tian had once thought about letting her son marry Zhao Xiaonian, but now she realized her silly boy was no match for her at all.

 

Lu Yao and Xiaonian couldn’t help but laugh.

 

“Didn’t Xiaodou come back with you?”

 

“No, he stayed in the capital to prepare for the autumn examination. If he passes, he’ll become a juren.”

 

Second Sister-in-law Tian’s eyes widened. “That means he’ll be an official! Oh my, how impressive! I always knew he’d achieve great things!”

 

Before long, the carriage stopped at the Tian family’s gate. Second Sister-in-law Tian got off and said, “I’ll go home to start cooking. Don’t leave—you must stay for lunch!”

 

Unable to refuse, Lu Yao nodded in agreement.

 

Zhao Beichuan continued driving toward the mountain. His parents’ graves were at the old farmland, so the path wasn’t too difficult to traverse. They soon reached the spot.

 

Finding the graves took some time. Over the years, without anyone tending to them, the mounds had nearly flattened from rain.

 

Finally locating them, Zhao Beichuan and XiaoChun quickly started cleaning up. Lu Yao and Xiaonian couldn’t do much to help, so they squatted nearby, pulling weeds.

 

It took more than an hour to rebuild the graves, placing stones as markers. The four of them knelt, bowed, and burned incense before heading back down the mountain.

 

When they returned to the village, Lu Yao noticed that their old homestead had been replaced by a new house, with fresh fencing and a sturdy gate. There was no trace of what it once was.

 

Xiaonian looked visibly downcast. Lu Yao patted her back and said, “Don’t dwell on it. Our household registry has already been moved, and this place doesn’t belong to us anymore.”

 

On the other hand, Grandma Zhao’s house across the way hadn’t changed much. It was still a low, thatched-roof cottage with a closed gate. Zhao Beichuan walked up and unlatched it easily from the outside.

 

“Grandma Zhao, are you home?”

 

Inside, Grandma Zhao heard the voice and sat up. Her hoarse voice called out, “Who is it?”

 

“It’s me, Beichuan.”

 

The old lady hurriedly got up, and when she opened the door, she saw the tall man standing outside.

 

Grandma Zhao grabbed his arm and looked him over, her cloudy eyes welling up with tears. “Beichuan, Beichuan, you’ve come back!”

 

At the sight of her, Zhao Beichuan was startled. How had she grown so old? Her once gray hair was now completely white, her face deeply lined, and her frame emaciated.

 

“Where’s Grandpa Zhao?”

 

Grandma Zhao choked up before replying after a long pause, “He’s gone.”

 

“Gone? How did he die?”

 

“Last winter, during a wedding in the village, he helped out and drank some wine. On his way back, he fell into a ditch and froze to death.”

 

Lu Yao and Xiaonian, standing behind, sighed at the tragedy of it. A life, just gone like that.

 

Now, Grandma Zhao was left all alone. Years of malnutrition and advancing age had made her, in her fifties, look like she was in her seventies or eighties.

 

“Come in, come in.” Grandma Zhao hunched over as she ushered them inside.

 

Lu Yao, Xiaonian, and XiaoChun followed. As soon as they entered, a strong smell of spoiled food hit them. The house was dark and damp, with a collapsed section of the roof patched with a wooden plank supported by poles.

 

Seeing the state of the house, Zhao Beichuan felt a pang of regret. He wished he had brought her along the last time he returned.

 

Grandma Zhao bent over and rummaged in a chest for a long time before pulling out a piece of black sugar, covered in straw and hair, intending to make sugar water for them.

 

Lu Yao quickly stopped her. “Don’t trouble yourself; we’ll be leaving soon.”

 

“Then let me boil some eggs for you.”

 

“No need, no need. We ate before we came.”

 

Zhao Granny finally stopped her busy work and sat by the kang, holding Xiaonian’s hand. “Xiaonian is already so grown up. Have you been promised to someone yet?”

 

“I’m already engaged. We’ll either get married next year or the year after.”

 

“That’s good. What about Xiaodou?”

 

“He stayed in Fucheng to study and didn’t come back this time.” Lu Yao didn’t tell her about the imperial examinations; explaining it would be too complicated for the elderly lady.

 

“And this must be Xiaochun?” Zhao Granny had a sharp memory. Even though Xiaochun had only been here once, she still remembered.

 

“Granny, you still remember me.”

 

After chatting about family matters for a while, Lu Yao suddenly said, “Granny, why don’t you come with us to Fucheng?”

 

Zhao Granny was startled. “Go to Fucheng? What for? I’m just an old woman with bad legs. I’d only cause trouble for you all.”

 

Zhao Beichuan held her hand and said, “I’m planning to visit Qingzhou, but I don’t know the way. Do you still remember the route back home?”

 

As soon as Zhao Granny heard this, tears streamed down her face. “Return to Qingzhou? When? I know the way! I dream about that road. I could find it even with my eyes closed!”

 

She had been longing for this moment all her life, thinking it was impossible. Now that the opportunity arose, she was overwhelmed, her tears flowing freely.

 

Zhao Beichuan’s eyes also reddened. “I remember when Father passed away, he held my hand and kept murmuring the name of our hometown. I want to go back and see if we can find any relatives. When the time comes, I’ll relocate my parents’ graves there.”

 

“Good, good child. If you can, help relocate your eldest uncle’s grave too,” Zhao Granny added.

 

Zhao Beichuan nodded. “Of course.”

 

Zhao Granny mentioned the five taels of silver Zhao Beichuan had left her back then.

 

“I kept that silver locked in my chest and never spent it. But somehow, it disappeared…” The old lady got so upset that she fell sick for half a month before recovering.

 

“It was fine one day and gone the next. I don’t know which thieving scoundrel took it! May they meet a bad end!”

 

Lu Yao was stunned for a moment, thinking that no one else could have known where the money was kept. It was probably Zhao Guang who secretly took it to buy liquor.

 

Not long after, the wife of the second Tian brother came over to invite them to eat. Zhao Beichuan said, “We’ll set out in ten days or so. Start getting ready, and I’ll come pick you up when we leave.”

 

“Alright, alright!” Zhao Granny nodded enthusiastically, tears streaming again in joy.

 

Tian Brother’s wife, watching from the side, couldn’t help but feel envious. “Zhao Granny really has good fortune. She has no children of her own, yet Da Chuan is taking her to Fucheng to spend her old age.”

 

Lu Yao didn’t come empty-handed to the Tian household. He took two bolts of fine cloth and a box of pastries from the cart to gift them.

 

“This… this is too kind of you…” Tian Brother’s wife said politely, but her hands quickly accepted the gifts, her face breaking into a wide smile.

 

Having been neighbors for many years, Lu Yao knew her personality well. She loved small benefits, and these gifts were meant specifically for her.

 

“You’ve gone to such trouble! Da Zhuang, quickly go and buy another jug of wine!”

 

“Alright,” Tian Da Zhuang responded, walking out of the house. The lad hadn’t changed much since childhood. He was still clumsy and slow. Despite being taller than Tian Brother’s wife, he seemed shorter than Xiaonian.

 

“No need to go through the trouble. We’ll eat a little and head back soon.”

 

Tian Da Zhuang caught sight of Xiaonian and froze, his eyes widening in amazement. Then, feeling inferior, he quickly lowered his head and hurried out.

 

“Stay a bit longer. You rarely visit,” Tian Brother’s wife urged.

 

The Tian household hadn’t changed much over the years, except for the addition of a storage room to keep their belongings.

 

Second Brother Tian’s eyesight had worsened significantly, almost to the point of blindness. However, his hearing was still sharp. As soon as they entered, he called out, “It’s Da Chuan’s family, isn’t it?”

 

“Second Brother Tian,” Zhao Beichuan replied.

 

“Ah, Da Chuan!”

 

Second Brother Tian’s wife cooked a chicken, made four boiled eggs, a pot of vegetable porridge, and a plate of cold herbs. The room was dark, so they moved the table to the courtyard to eat.

 

“Please sit. We don’t have much to offer, but make do with what we have.”

 

“This is already great,” Lu Yao said, looking at the dishes. Memories of their tough times came flooding back. To be honest, he missed these herbs—they couldn’t be found in Fucheng.

 

Lu Yao asked, “Who built the house next door?”

 

“The Ding family. They built it two years after your last visit.”

 

Hearing about the Ding family reminded Lu Yao of Lu Miao’s marriage proposal. If the Ding family hadn’t acted so disgracefully, they wouldn’t have found such a good husband for her.

 

Tian Brother’s wife chimed in, “Did your fifth sister get married?”

 

“She did. She found a husband in Fucheng, and their child is already over two years old.”

 

Tian Brother’s wife clapped her hands. “That’s wonderful! It’s a good thing she didn’t marry into the Ding family back then!”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

She lowered her voice and said, “You wouldn’t believe it, but the Ding family has been in constant chaos these past few years! First, Ding Laosan was caught having an affair with Ding Fourth’s wife. When they got caught, they just swapped spouses!”

 

“What?!”

 

Lu Yao was shocked. “Is that even a way to live?”

 

She continued, “Later, Ding Laowu married a girl from the Gao family in the village—Gao Qinglian.”

 

“That girl was so young! She’s about the same age as Xiaonian, isn’t she?”

 

“Exactly! Gao Qinglian’s sister-in-law was terrible. She found her annoying, so she married her off to Ding Laowu at just twelve years old. The girl was small and frail. After a year of marriage, she got pregnant but died in childbirth with her baby.”

 

“Hiss—” Lu Yao took a sharp breath.

 

Even Xiaonian was stunned, recalling her childhood friend. Her eyes reddened slightly. “She’s really gone?”

 

“Gone. Since then, Ding Laowu hasn’t been able to find another wife. And I’ve heard…” Tian Brother’s wife glanced toward the Ding house. “He’s involved with his two sisters-in-law.”

 

Good heavens! What a mess of a family!

 

But since they had no ties to the Ding family, Lu Yao dismissed it as gossip and moved on.

 

Not long after, Tian Da Zhuang returned with the wine. Lu Yao invited him to join them. He sat down shyly next to Second Brother Tian.

 

“Da Zhuang has grown up,” Lu Yao remarked, remembering how naughty the boy used to be, often getting into fights with Xiaonian and Xiaodou.

 

Tian Brother’s wife laughed. “Do you remember when your house collapsed, and you stayed with us? Da Zhuang and Xiaonian fought all the time!”

 

Da Zhuang blushed furiously. “That was ages ago! Why bring it up now?”

 

Everyone laughed heartily, even Xiaonian covering her mouth as she chuckled. She remembered it vividly—she was a fierce fighter back then!

 

Suddenly, Second Brother Tian asked, “Has Xiaonian been promised to anyone? Our Da Zhuang…”

 

His wife coughed loudly, interrupting him. “Eat, eat!”

 

Second Brother Tian frowned, not understanding why his wife stopped him.

 

Under the table, she stomped on his foot. “Are you blind? Can’t you see their current status? Why would they consider Da Zhuang?”

 

If the Zhao family hadn’t moved away, she might’ve entertained the idea. But now, the Zhao family was thriving, and she could only hope to maintain a good relationship with them.

 

Lu Yao noticed this and felt relieved. They didn’t have many ties in the village, and it would be a pity to sour relationships.

 

After dinner, they left the Tian household, running into Lin Daman and his husband returning from the fields.

 

Lin Daman froze when he saw them, his voice trembling. “Is that Lu Yao?”

 

“Big Brother Daman?”

 

Lin Daman hadn’t changed much, except for being darker and looking stronger, almost like a robust farmer.

 

He rushed over, a mix of nervousness and excitement on his face. “I heard you came back a few years ago. I wanted to visit you in Lu Village, but when I went, you had already left. How have you all been these years?”

 

“Quite well. We’ve opened a restaurant in Fucheng.”

 

“That’s great, really great.”

 

Lu Yao knew he still felt guilty about the tofu recipe. After all these years, Lu Yao had long let it go. “Da Chuan, fetch two boxes of pastries and a bolt of cloth.”

 

Soon, Zhao Beichuan brought the items over.

 

Lu Yao handed them to Lin Daman. “The journey back this time was long, and we didn’t bring much. These pastries are a specialty of Pingzhou, and the cloth is fine—use it to make clothes for the children.”

 

“This… this is too much…”

 

Lu Yao pushed the items into his arms and turned to the dark-skinned man beside him.

 

Lin Daman quickly introduced him. “This is my husband, Meng Tao. He’s the one who’s been helping me raise the children. If not for you back then, we might’ve frozen to death in the ruined temple.”

 

Meng Tao was an honest and sincere man. He bowed deeply, unable to express his gratitude in words.

 

Zhao Beichuan helped him up. “It’s nothing. Daman helped us a lot too.”

 

Lin Daman wanted to invite them to his home.

 

Lu Yao said, “Next time. It’s getting late, and we need to return to Lu Village.”

 

“Alright, but next time, you must come!”

 

As their carriage disappeared into the distance, Meng Tao encouraged Lin Daman. “See? He even gave you cloth and food. He doesn’t blame you anymore.”

 

Lin Daman let out a sigh of relief and nodded. The guilt he had carried for so long was finally lifted. Now he could sleep soundly at night.