Husband, Let Me Touch Your Abs - Chapter 155

Extra Chapter 5 – Uncle and Aunt

May 26th was the baby’s full-month celebration. Lu Yao hosted the banquet at home, inviting only close family members, along with Zhang Yu and his wife, Lord Cao Wu, Manager Qu, and a few others.

Three tables were set in total, and Zhao Beichuan and Zhao Fengchun personally took charge of the cooking, ensuring that the dishes were impeccable.

The weather was pleasant today, with warm sunlight shining outside. Lu Yao dressed little Quanbao in an apricot-colored silk outfit, with a matching small melon-shaped cap on his head. His two chubby little arms, resembling lotus roots, each bore a gold bracelet.

The little one was not shy at all, staring wide-eyed at everyone he saw. His adorable appearance charmed everyone, and they all vied for a chance to hold him.

The children were also fond of their little brother, circling around and teasing him.

“Quanbao, call me ‘big brother,'” they coaxed.

Yinzi whispered, “He’s still too young; he can’t say ‘big brother’ yet.”

Dandan solemnly declared, “I know, but I’m the eldest brother now. When he grows up, he’ll still call me ‘big brother.'”

Dandan now had an official name, which was given by Zhao Beidou—Ge Yunxiao—symbolizing the hope that he would be as brave and valiant as his father.

“Go wash your hands. We’ll be eating soon,” Lu Yun instructed, leading the children to the side room to wash up before they sat at their own table.

Near noon, Liang Zhong and his wife arrived, bringing a full-month gift for the baby—an exquisite golden abacus, with jade beads meticulously crafted, showing how much thought had gone into the present.

Zhang Yu gently touched the child’s little hand and said, “In the future, our Quanbao must take over your mother’s business and make Lu’s Restaurant even more prosperous.”

The golden abacus was still too heavy for the baby to hold, so Lu Yao asked Xiaonian to put it away and bring it out again when the child was older.

Speaking of full-month gifts, nearly everyone in the family had prepared something. The pair of gold bracelets on Quanbao’s hands were made by Old Madam Lu, who had used the gold hairpins that Lu Yao had gifted her. She had been reluctant to wear them herself and instead took them to the workshop to be made into tiny bracelets for her grandson.

Lu Lin and Hu Chunrong had crafted a gold longevity lock for Quanbao, but since it was a bit heavy, they didn’t put it on him yet. Lu Yun and his husband gifted the baby three bolts of cool cloud-patterned brocade, which they had purchased from southern merchants and cherished for a long time, saving it specifically to make clothes for Quanbao.

Lu Miao and Ge Changbao directly led in two young foals, intending for the child to learn horseback riding once he grew older.

Xiaochun and Zhang Qiulan gifted a jade-carved gourd, symbolizing blessings and prosperity for the child. Xiaonian personally embroidered a “Hundred Blessings” outfit, while Beidou wrote a poem for his nephew:

“Everyone wishes their child to be a dragon or phoenix,
Yet the path of dragons and phoenixes is never easy.
All I hope for my nephew is a carefree life,
Safe and sound, without hardship, till he reaches nobility.”

The poem was simple yet deeply affectionate, filled with the care of a loving uncle.

Lord Cao Wu and Qu Tian were more straightforward in their gifts—each handed over a hundred taels of gold, telling Lu Yao to buy good food for the baby.

Lu Yao was both amused and exasperated. A hundred taels of gold amounted to a thousand taels of silver—just how much food could they buy? Quanbao truly lived up to his name, the beloved treasure of the whole family.

A few days later came Xiaonian and Ma Kuan’s wedding.

Lu Yao sent invitations to all their friends in the city. Having learned from past experience, he prepared twenty extra tables of food this time to ensure there would be enough for everyone.

As expected, even more guests attended than last time. Due to Ma Kuan’s connections, several merchants from other regions came specifically for the wedding.

It had to be said—Ma Kuan was quite capable, having nearly perfected the art of social networking. Every merchant who had worked with him spoke highly of him.

Yet, despite being such a smooth talker, today, at his own wedding, he was so nervous that he stumbled over his words. During the wedding ceremony, tears streamed down his face uncontrollably.

Lu Yao couldn’t help but tear up as well. “Come on, get up now.”

After the ceremony, Zhao Beichuan took Xiaonian’s hand and placed it in Ma Kuan’s. “From now on, my little sister is in your care. If she ever suffers even the slightest grievance, I won’t let you off!”

Ma Kuan immediately raised his hand and swore, “In this life, if I ever wrong Zhao Xiaonian, may the heavens strike me down with lightning!”

Xiaonian was startled and quickly covered his mouth. “Don’t say such things.”

“I’m not saying it lightly. Every word I said is true.”

The two gazed at each other affectionately.

Lu Yao, unable to bear watching, turned away. Behind him, several sisters-in-law laughed, “Stop standing there! Hurry and send them to their wedding chamber!”

Amidst laughter and cheers, the newlyweds were ushered into their room, while outside, the wedding feast began.

Zhao Beichuan and Zhao Beidou took the lead in drinking with the guests, getting pulled around from table to table. Lu Yao, eager to check on the baby, only ate a few bites before heading back.

The little one had just finished drinking milk and was fast asleep, wearing only a red bellyband. His skin was soft and milky white, chubby and adorable. Madam Lu sat beside him, sewing tiny tiger-head shoes.

“You’re back. Is everything done over there?”

“They’ve finished the ceremony. There wasn’t much for me to do, so I came back first. Have you eaten yet? I can ask someone to bring some dishes over.”

“No need, I ate with Aunt Qian.” Aunt Qian was the kitchen lady, and Madam Lu got along well with her.

Putting down her needle and thread, she asked, “Now that all the children’s marriages are nearly settled, only Xiaodou remains. What do you and Beichuan plan to do?”

“I wouldn’t dare decide Xiaodou’s marriage. He’s apprenticed under the Grand Chancellor in the capital. His master will surely make the arrangements in the future.”

“What?! Xiaodou has apprenticed under the Grand Chancellor?”

“That’s right. The boy seems to have luck on his side.”

At the mention of this, Lu Yao couldn’t help but sigh. He never expected Xiaodou to have such a fortunate turn of events.

After the Qionglin Banquet, the Chancellor’s residence sent an invitation for Xiaodou to discuss affairs, along with Lin Zijian.

Liu Cheng’en spent an entire night earnestly talking with the two of them. By the end, both formally accepted him as their master, officially joining the ranks of the Chancellor’s disciples.

However, Lin Zijian ultimately chose to serve as a local official instead of staying in the capital. Despite his outstanding results in the palace examination, he decided to gain experience elsewhere for a few years for the sake of his mother before returning.

The Chancellor did not object, arranging for him to serve as a sixth-rank assistant magistrate. After completing his term, he would be given a suitable post in the capital.

As for Zhao Beidou, he was set to enter the Imperial Academy upon his return.

The Academy was where the Six Ministries trained their future officials. There was an old saying in court: “Without the Academy, one cannot enter the Six Ministries.” This alone showed its significance.

Lu Yao and Zhao Beichuan knew little about officialdom and had few pieces of advice to offer Beidou. Since they weren’t as capable as their younger brother, they wouldn’t interfere, but they would support him in every other way so that he never had to compromise his principles for material needs.

After Xiaonian’s wedding, Zhao Beidou returned to the capital, along with Xiaochun and Zhang Qiulan.

Ma Kuan and Xiaonian, bringing along Ma Lan’er, also left for Zhongzhou, as business matters couldn’t be delayed.

Once they had all departed, the house suddenly felt empty. During the day, Zhao Beichuan went to the restaurant, and aside from Lu Miao occasionally bringing Dandan over to play, most of the time, it was just Lu Yao, Madam Lu, and the baby at home.

The more time Lu Yao spent with the little one, the deeper his attachment grew. At first, he had felt awkward calling himself “mother”—how could a grown man, well, not quite a man anymore, be addressed that way?

He once asked Madam Lu about it. She said, “In the past, there weren’t so many rules. ‘Father’ or ‘A-ma’ were both fine. Later, people just followed the trend and started calling ‘mother.’ It’s just a title; why worry about it?”

Over time, Lu Yao gradually got used to it.

He often teased the baby, “Little Quanbao, call me ‘mother.’ If you do, I’ll kiss your little feet. Let me take a bite—ahh!”

The baby wailed loudly.

Madam Lu quickly pulled her son away. “Be gentle! Did you hurt him?”

“I didn’t use any force. Look, there’s not even a tooth mark.”

The chubby little feet were like a piece of glutinous rice cake. Madam Lu rubbed them and couldn’t resist punching her son twice. “If you’re going to soothe him, do it properly. If you make him cry again, I’ll beat you to death!”

Lu Yao grimaced in pain. Judging by the strength of the old lady, she should have no problem living another twenty years.

That night, as they lay in bed, Lu Yao couldn’t help but nudge his husband. “When are we going to the capital?”

“It’s too hot now, and Quanbao is still too young. The long journey would be too hard on him.”

Lu Yao was just asking casually. He was well aware of the medical conditions of this era—infant mortality rates were over thirty percent, and even a minor cold could be fatal for a child.

“Then let’s stay in Pingzhou for now and wait until spring next year to go back.”

“Alright.”

*

On June 23rd, Grandma Zhao, who had gone to Qingzhou to move the graves, finally returned!

The trip had taken three and a half months, but she had successfully transported the remains of Zhao’s parents and Zhao Guang back to their hometown and reburied them in the ancestral grave.

This time, Grandma Zhao also brought Qiao Sheng and his wife back with her.

There had been some complications. The house that Zhao Beichuan had rented for his uncle was taken back by the landlord under the pretense that his child was getting married and needed a home.

Having no one to rely on in Qingzhou, Qiao Sheng and his wife had no choice but to endure the grievance in silence and move to a cheaper small courtyard elsewhere.

So when Grandma Zhao and the others arrived in Qingzhou, they couldn’t find them at the given address.

They asked around but got no news, leaving Grandma Zhao extremely worried. In the end, Lu Jia suggested that Grandma Zhao and the others go to Zhao Village first to settle the remains while he stayed behind in Qingzhou to search.

After searching for nearly half a month, he finally found Qiao Sheng and his wife. Qiao Sheng was working as a porter at a grain shop, earning thirty wen a day, which he scrimped and saved to buy medicine for his wife.

When Lu Jia explained the situation, the couple hesitated. They were old and didn’t want to travel so far and trouble Beichuan’s family, fearing they would become a burden to him.

Lu Jia chuckled. “Oh, Uncle, don’t worry about that! Our master is doing very well these days. You’ll be going there to enjoy life!”

Qiao Sheng still shook his head. “I didn’t help Beichuan in the past, so how can I shamelessly go and take advantage of him now?”

Seeing that the couple were honest and principled, Lu Jia had no choice but to say, “Our master and his husband are expecting a child. Won’t you two go see them?”

“A child?”

“Yes! Master and his husband have been married for over ten years, and now they’ve finally had a child. By the time we reach Pingzhou, the baby should be born.”

Hearing this, Qiao Sheng finally wavered. “How about… we go to Pingzhou and visit Beichuan? If it really doesn’t work out, we can come back.”

Madam Li nodded in agreement. Both of them were curious to see the husband Beichuan always spoke about and to formally acknowledge their family ties.

Meanwhile, back in Zhao Village, Grandma Zhao had properly settled the remains.

Before leaving, Zhao Beichuan had given her a thousand taels of silver specifically for repairing the family tomb and renovating the Zhao burial grounds with new stone tablets.

Grandma Zhao spent over ten days fulfilling his request, and news of Zhao Beidou becoming the top scholar finally spread throughout Zhao Village.

On the day the new tombstones were erected, all the notable figures from town came, including the county magistrate himself, who hurried over to pay respects to the Zhao family’s elders.

After all, this was the tomb of a top scholar’s parents! These low-ranking seventh-grade officials might never set foot in the imperial city in their lifetime, so of course, they had to seize the chance to curry favor.

But that was another matter. For now, let’s return to their journey home.

They encountered several heavy storms along the way.

The northern region was in its rainy season in June, with violent thunderstorms and torrential downpours making travel impossible.

They were delayed for four or five days, but at long last, they reached Pingzhou at the hour of Wei (around 1–3 PM) today.

Through the carriage window, Qiao Sheng and his wife looked at the unfamiliar city of Pingzhou, feeling uneasy. Although Lu Jia had told them their nephew was doing well, they still had no idea just how well.

When the carriage passed by the Lu family restaurant, the one in front stopped, and Grandma Zhao got out to head into the backyard.

Lu Jia also halted. “Uncle, Aunt, this is our master’s restaurant.”

Qiao Sheng and his wife widened their eyes in shock, staring at the towering restaurant bustling with customers, too astonished to speak.

“I’ll go check if the master is inside.”

Lu Jia quickly ran inside and asked the staff, only to learn that the master had just left, so he ran back out.

“I’ll take you both to Changrong Street first.”

“O-okay… okay.” The couple nervously clutched their clothes, glancing at each other, seeing hesitation reflected in each other’s eyes. Were they really just showing up like this…? Would their nephew think they were here to mooch off him?

The carriage traveled for another half an hour before stopping in front of Zhao’s residence. Lu Jia helped the elderly couple down.

The young gatekeeper recognized Lu Jia immediately and excitedly called out, “Brother Jia, you’re back!”

“Yes, go tell the master that Uncle and Aunt are here.”

The couple followed Lu Jia into the courtyard, feeling even more overwhelmed as they took in the beautifully arranged rocks and flowers. Their hands stiffened, unsure of where to put them.

Before long, Zhao Beichuan and Lu Yao hurriedly emerged.

“Uncle! Aunt!”

*

[Author’s Note]

① The poem is adapted from Su Shi’s Poem for Washing My Son.