Husband, Let Me Touch Your Abs - Chapter 152

Extra Chapter 2: Stomachache

 

Lu Miao stared at the doorway in silence. Ge Changbao hadn’t even taken off his armor. His face, covered in a thick beard, made him look as though he’d aged ten years, returning to the appearance he had when they first met.

 

It wasn’t until the man opened his mouth and spoke, “Ah Miao, I’m back…”

 

That Lu Miao seemed to awaken from a dream. He ran toward him, flying into his arms.

 

“Why did it take you so long to return? I thought…” Lu Miao reached out to hold his hand, only to discover his right side was empty, with only an empty sleeve hanging there.

 

“In… in battle… my arm was accidentally chopped off by… the barbarians…” Ge Changbao stammered.

 

Lu Miao walked to his left side and took his hand, saying, “I thought it was something serious. It’s fine as long as you  came back safely!”

 

The heart that had been suspended all this time finally settled down. Ge Changbao hugged his husband tightly, inhaling the familiar scent at his neck, and only then did he feel truly alive again.

 

“Have you eaten yet? I’ll have Lu Qing make you some soup noodles.”

 

“Okay.”

 

The two of them entered the shop. At this hour, all the workers had gone home. Only Lu Qing and Lu Ming, who lived in the back, remained in the shop.

 

Hearing that General Ge had returned, the two hurried to light the stove and prepared a large bowl of soup noodles, cutting up a braised chicken and stir-frying two side dishes.

 

“Eat slowly, don’t choke yourself.” Watching him eat with his left hand so proficiently, Lu Miao realized that Ge Changbao must have lost his right arm some time ago. Thinking back to the letter he received a while ago, its handwriting scrawled and containing only a few brief sentences, Lu Miao felt a sharp pang in his heart but held back his tears.

 

Ge Changbao quickly finished the large bowl of noodles, drinking the soup to the last drop, then gnawed down half a chicken before letting out a satisfied burp. “The food at home is still the best. I’ve been craving this ever since I was stationed at the border.”

 

“From now on, you can eat it every day.”

 

Ge Changbao carefully looked Lu Miao over. “You’ve lost weight; your face is so thin. Have you been worrying about me?”

 

“Bah, who’s worrying about you?” Lu Miao retorted, denying it despite the truth.

 

“Hehe, even if you don’t miss me, I missed you. I thought about you day and night. If it weren’t for you… I’d be afraid I wouldn’t have made it back.”

 

At those words, Lu Miao could no longer hold back his tears and began to sob uncontrollably.

 

Ge Changbao was startled and quickly got up, putting his one arm around Lu Miao’s shoulder. “Don’t cry, I’m back now, aren’t I?”

 

“Does… does your arm… still hurt?”

 

“It doesn’t hurt. It hasn’t hurt for a long time.”

 

“Waaah, let’s go home. Dandan misses you.”

 

Ge Changbao wiped away his tears, grinning, “Alright, let’s go home.”

 

—

 

Lu Yao didn’t find out that Ge Changbao had returned until the next day. He immediately hosted a welcoming banquet at his restaurant, inviting the family over for a meal.

 

Although Lu Yao and Zhao Beichuan had suspected earlier that Ge Changbao might have been injured, they hadn’t expected it to be this severe! His entire right arm, from the upper arm down, was gone.

 

Zhao Beichuan hurried forward. “Your arm…”

 

Ge Changbao, unconcerned, waved his sleeve. “I lost it in a fight with the barbarians. They chopped off my arm, and I chopped off their leader’s head.”

 

Zhao Beichuan’s expression turned solemn with respect.

 

“Come, come, don’t block the doorway. Come inside and have a seat,” Lu Miao called from the private room.

 

Before long, Lu Lin and his wife, along with Lu Yun and his spouse, arrived. No one brought their children today, deciding to have a peaceful meal to celebrate the return of their brother-in-law.

 

Before Hu Chunrong even entered the room, her hearty laughter could be heard. “Brother-in-law is finally back! If you hadn’t returned, Lu Miao would’ve turned into a stone waiting for his husband!”

 

“Second Sister-in-law~”

 

“Hahaha, are you embarrassed now? The captains who often dine at our place said you’d visit the camp every day.”

 

Lu Miao shot her a glare and began pouring tea for everyone.

 

Lu Lin looked Ge Changbao up and down, suddenly noticing his empty right sleeve. “Your… your arm, what happened?”

 

Lu Miao’s hand paused mid-motion. “He got injured on the battlefield. It couldn’t be saved.”

 

“Hiss—” Lu Lin and Lu Yun both gasped in shock. The cheerful atmosphere suddenly grew heavy.

 

Ge Changbao quickly said, “It’s nothing. I’ve already gotten used to eating with my left hand, and I can even write with it now.”

 

He recalled how it had taken him three whole days to write that letter to Lu Miao, filling a basket with wasted drafts. Even the Prince of Zhenbei couldn’t stand it anymore and offered to write it for him.

 

But Ge Changbao had refused outright. “My spouse is very meticulous. If he sees the handwriting doesn’t match, he’ll get suspicious. I’ll write it myself.” And so, he practiced until he mastered it.

 

When everyone was seated, Lu Yao instructed the staff to serve the dishes. The group began chatting about family matters, avoiding any mention of Ge Changbao’s injuries to spare Lu Miao’s feelings.

 

“Third Brother, you’re due soon, right?”

 

“There’s still half a month to go.”

 

“Hehe, our Dandan will be a big brother soon.”

 

Among the group, Ge Changbao was the eldest in age. However, due to Lu Miao’s position in the family, he had to address everyone as an elder. Soon, his son would no longer be the youngest.

 

Lu Lin asked, “Now that you’re back, are you going to return to the border?”

 

“No, I’m retiring for good this time.”

 

Hearing this, Lu Miao’s spirits lifted. “The Prince of Zhenbei rewarded him generously and reassigned him to Pingzhou Prefecture as a logistics officer. He also got a promotion and is now a Fifth-Rank General of Dingyuan.”

 

“Good!” Everyone was delighted.

 

Wang Youtian clapped his hands. “I say it’s better not to return to the border. It saves everyone the worry and fear. Have the barbarians been driven back?”

 

“Yes, they have. The King of Khitan was killed, and the remaining remnants are no longer a threat. The prince said that for the next twenty years, there won’t be any wars on our northern front!”

 

“That’s wonderful! Let’s drink to that!”

 

Everyone raised their cups to toast Ge Changbao’s safe return and the Zhenbei Army’s resounding victory.

 

Ge Changbao brought up the alcohol Lu Yao had sent to the border. “If it weren’t for the three thousand catties of alcohol Third Brother sent later, countless lives would’ve been lost in this battle!”

 

Lu Yao paused mid-bite. “All that alcohol was used?”

 

“Yes! Just the Battle of Yangshan alone used over a thousand catties. We had 13,000 wounded soldiers and killed over 30,000 of the enemy! My arm was lost in that battle. Thanks to the alcohol for cleaning wounds, almost everyone who wasn’t fatally injured survived!”

 

The alcohol’s sterilizing effect, combined with the cold weather, had greatly increased the survival rate of wounded soldiers. It was an unprecedented phenomenon in the past hundred years.

 

Some soldiers had their stomachs split open, with their intestines spilling out. After cleaning and stitching, they still survived—something unimaginable in the past.

 

“Plus, the supplies sent by Pingzhou merchants were a tremendous help. In December, the King of Khitan personally led an army to besiege Yingzhou City. With reinforcements delayed and our forces outnumbered, we were forced to hold out inside the city.

 

The standoff lasted nearly forty days. The enemy ran out of supplies and couldn’t keep up the siege. When they launched an assault, the prince led a flank attack, catching them off guard and wiping out over 40,000 enemies!”

 

Everyone was so engrossed in the story they stopped eating, staring at him eagerly.

 

“That battle crippled the Khitan forces. When they attempted to retreat across the Baling River, how could we let them escape? A 100,000-strong army pursued them and fought a major battle by the river. The King of Khitan was beheaded on the spot!”

 

“Excellent!” Everyone applauded enthusiastically.

 

Ge Changbao, having drunk some wine, was flushed and emotional. “Over these years, we’ve fought hundreds of battles, big and small, with the Khitan, always at a disadvantage. This time, we’ve finally vented our frustration!”

 

Lu Yao, deeply absorbed in the tale, keenly sensed that with the northern Khitan pacified, the region’s development would undoubtedly accelerate. He realized he needed to seize this opportunity!

 

The meal stretched from noon until evening. Several of the men were thoroughly drunk, while the others had drunk just a little. Only Lu Yao abstained due to his pregnancy. He called for attendants to prepare carriages and send everyone home.

 

As people were being sent off, he grasped Lu Miao’s hand. “Don’t be upset.”

 

Lu Miao calmly shook his head. “I’m not upset, Third Brother. Honestly, I don’t feel sad at all. Just thinking about being able to see him every day from now on makes me happy.”

 

“It’s good you think that way. As the saying goes, a blessing in disguise. This could be considered a well-earned retirement for him.”

 

“Mm.”

 

As time passed day by day, Lu Yao’s belly grew visibly larger. It was just a few days until the end of the month, and the baby was full-term.

 

Previously, his belly hadn’t seemed so large, but in recent days, it had ballooned like an inflated ball, stretching his skin tight.

 

Alongside the growing belly came other discomforts: backaches, frequent urination, poor sleep, and occasional difficulty breathing.

 

Although he had seen several doctors, they all assured him these were normal pregnancy symptoms and only prescribed some nourishing medicines.

 

Lu Yao could distinctly feel that the child he was carrying was larger than average. With genes like these, it wasn’t surprising. Zhao Beichuan had a large frame, and Zhao Dou wasn’t small either. When his mother-in-law gave birth to Xiao Dou, she’d died from complications during childbirth… These thoughts only made Lu Yao more anxious.

 

Zhao Beichuan was even more worried than he was, often unable to sleep through the night. His eyes were dark with fatigue, and any time Lu Yao so much as shifted, he’d immediately sit up and ask, “Are you alright?”

 

“I’m fine. I just need to use the chamber pot.”

 

“Don’t move; I’ll get the bucket.” Zhao Beichuan scrambled out of bed, fetched a small bucket, and held it for him.

 

“You staring at me like this is making it hard for me to go.”

 

“There’s nothing of yours I haven’t seen or kissed. Just go already.”

 

Embarrassed, Lu Yao untied his undergarments and took a while to get started. When he was finished, Zhao Beichuan even used a cloth to gently wipe Little Lu Yao, making his face flush red.

 

After all that, he wasn’t sleepy anymore and decided to prop himself up with a pillow and sit for a while.

 

Zhao Beichuan, having emptied the bucket and washed his hands, climbed back into bed. “Not tired anymore?”

 

“Mm. You sleep; I’ll sit here for a bit.”

 

“I’m not sleepy either. Let’s chat.”

 

“Chat about what?” Lu Yao leaned his head on Zhao Beichuan’s shoulder, finding a comfortable position.

 

“Tell me about… that place where you used to live.”

 

Lu Yao was momentarily taken aback before realizing what he meant. It had been ten years since he’d transmigrated here, and he hadn’t thought about that world in a long time…

 

“Where I came from is completely different from here. There’s no emperor, no slaves. Everyone is equal.”

 

“Equal?”

 

“Yes. For example, here, oxen can only be slaughtered and eaten by nobles. A commoner who harms an ox would be whipped. But in my world, anyone could eat beef freely.”

 

“Is beef tasty?”

 

“Delicious. Beef shank can be braised, brisket stewed, and thinly sliced beef can be cooked in hotpot. It’s all amazing.” Talking about it made Lu Yao a bit hungry. He nudged Zhao Beichuan with his elbow. “I feel like eating something.”

 

Zhao Beichuan didn’t mind the trouble. He lit the lamp, got out of bed, and went to the kitchen to reheat leftover porridge from dinner. He also stir-fried a small plate of cucumber and eggs, not daring to prepare any meat dishes.

 

As Lu Yao ate, he continued, “Take white rice and flour, for instance. Nowadays, only the wealthy can afford to eat them. But in my world, even ordinary families could eat them. Meat was also accessible to everyone.”

 

“That’s amazing.” It seemed Lu Yao must have lived comfortably in that world.

 

“And in our world, people can fly in the sky. The vehicles on the ground can travel thousands of miles in a day. If we had one of our cars, we could leave in the morning and arrive in the capital by the afternoon.”

 

Zhao Beichuan was wide-eyed with astonishment. “That… That amazing?”

 

“Unfortunately, I can’t take you to see that world.”

 

After finishing his porridge, Lu Yao felt much better. Just as he was about to stand up, he suddenly felt a heavy ache in his belly.

 

“Ah!”