Husband, Let Me Touch Your Abs - Chapter 157

Extra Story 7: The Boy Who Rode a Bamboo Horse

Lu Yao and Zhao Beichuan took Quanbao to Shangjing when he was three years old.

Since Zhang Qiulan was pregnant, it was truly unreasonable for him to manage a large business while carrying a child. So, they decided to return to Shangjing while the autumn weather was still pleasant.

“Mother, where are we going?” Xiao Quanbao leaned against the carriage window, excitedly peering outside.

“We’re going to Shangjing to see your uncle and uncle’s husband, okay?”

“Okay!”

Though he was young, his memory was excellent. During the New Year, Zhao Beidou and Xiaochun had returned home once, and he still remembered how Xiaochun had carried him out to buy candied hawthorns.

It was the child’s first time traveling far, and Lu Yao was worried he wouldn’t adapt. But to their surprise, he spent the journey either eating or sleeping, and when he woke up, he was quiet, simply lying against the carriage and looking outside, never getting enough of the sights.

On the way, Zhao Beichuan was concerned about their fatigue and arranged for several stops at relay stations. Whenever they arrived at a bustling place, Quanbao would become lively, greeting everyone he met.

He was good-looking, dressed in fine clothing, and had a sweet little mouth. He called the elderly “Grandfather,” the middle-aged men “Uncle,” and the younger ones “Big Brother,” making the inn’s patrons burst into laughter.

A merchant at the inn even gifted him a small coral ornament about the size of a child’s palm. Though tiny, it was quite valuable, worth three to five guan if sold in the city.

Lu Yao treated the merchants to a meal in return. Seeing how approachable they were, the merchant leader came forward to strike up a conversation.

“May I ask where you two gentlemen are from?”

Zhao Beichuan replied, “We’re from Pingzhou, heading to Shangjing.”

“What a coincidence! We’re also planning to go to Shangjing! It’s our first time there, and we heard that selling goods requires joining some sort of guild. Otherwise, it’s difficult to do business.”

Lu Yao understood this matter well. He pulled Quanbao in front of him and wiped the cake crumbs off his face before explaining, “Foreign merchants must join a guild to sell goods in the city. If you don’t plan to open a shop, you only need to pay fifty taels of silver and register your merchandise. Buyers will soon contact you.”

“It’s that simple?” The merchant seemed doubtful.

“If you don’t know where to register as a merchant, I can write you an address. Once you arrive in Shangjing, you can find it with a little inquiry.”

“Many thanks for your guidance, sir!” The merchant hadn’t expected Lu Yao to be so knowledgeable—he felt he had met a benefactor! He quickly ordered his men to bring over a half-foot-tall red coral ornament to gift Lu Yao.

After repeatedly declining but failing to refuse, Lu Yao finally accepted it.

Xiao Quanbao looked at the coral in his mother’s hand, then at the smaller coral in his own. “Mother, is mine the coral baby?”

“Yes, and this big one is the coral father.”

“Wow! Just like me and Father!”

Lu Yao glanced at Zhao Beichuan’s helpless expression and couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

The carriage traveled for twelve days before reaching Shangjing.

The merchant caravan, in a hurry, had arrived earlier and entered the city ahead of them.

After three years away, Shangjing remained as prosperous as ever. Quanbao stared at the bustling streets and dazzling storefronts, his mouth agape, constantly exclaiming in wonder.

Lu Yao nudged Zhao Beichuan. “Look at your son acting like he’s never seen the world before.”

“As if we weren’t just as amazed the first time we came.”

Lu Yao couldn’t help but laugh. “Three or four years have passed in a blink. I wonder how our restaurant is doing—let’s stop by Xifang first.”

“Yes.” In front, Lu Jia steered the carriage toward Xifang.

Many shops had changed owners and names. The previous Changhe Residence had been renamed Chang’s Restaurant, with a sign advertising “Authentic Shangjing Roast Duck.” Lu Yao found it somewhat amusing.

The carriage stopped in front of Lu’s Restaurant. Lu Jia first helped the young master down, while Zhao Beichuan assisted Lu Yao. The group stood before their familiar restaurant sign, feeling nostalgic.

“Let’s go in and take a look.”

As soon as they stepped into the main hall, a young waiter greeted them. “How many guests? Do you have a reservation?”

Lu Yao asked, “Where is your manager?”

The waiter hesitated. “The manager is upstairs attending to guests. He’ll be down soon. If you’re dining, you can sit and order first.”

Since they were a bit hungry, they decided to sit in a small private area on the first floor and ordered three dishes and a soup.

Quanbao curiously looked around. “Mother, I want to play for a bit.”

“You can play in the hall, but don’t run outside.”

“Okay!”

Since there weren’t many diners at the moment, only a few waiters were cleaning the hall. Quanbao found everything fascinating, touching and poking at things, while a waiter nervously followed behind, afraid he might knock over a vase.

Zhao Beichuan was also a bit worried, standing up to keep an eye on his son.

Before long, Zhang Qiulan came downstairs. A waiter approached him and said, “Manager, someone is looking for you.”

“Where are they?”

“They’re dining on the first floor.”

“Oh.” Just as he was about to head over, Xiao Quanbao suddenly ran up and hugged his leg. “Uncle’s husband! Uncle’s husband!”

“Eh! Quanbao?” Zhang Qiulan squatted down in surprise. “Is that really you, Quanbao?”

They hadn’t seen each other for over six months, and Quanbao had grown so much that Zhang Qiulan almost didn’t recognize him.

Xiao Quanbao grinned and tilted his head. “It’s me!”

“Good boy, what are you doing here?”

“Father and Mother brought me!”

“Where are they?”

Lu Yao and Zhao Beichuan called out, “Over here.”

“Sister-in-law! Big Brother! When did you arrive?” Zhang Qiulan picked up Quanbao and walked over quickly.

Lu Yao immediately took his son from him—he was pregnant and couldn’t carry this energetic little boy.

“We just got here. We haven’t even gone home yet, so we stopped by for a meal first.”

Just as they were talking, Xiaochun came over with a roast duck, ready to carve it for a customer.

To his surprise, the customers were his elder brother and sister-in-law. Overjoyed, he ran over. “Big Brother! Sister-in-law! You’re here! Oh, and Quanbao too! Come give Second Uncle a hug!”

Xiao Quanbao spread his arms and threw himself into Xiaochun’s embrace. “Second Uncle!”

“Aww, my precious boy!”

The uncle and nephew were incredibly close—no one would guess they weren’t related by blood.

Nearby, a waiter curiously whispered to a senior staff member, “Who are they? Are they related to the manager?”

The older waiter hushed him. “Shh! That’s our big boss!”

“Don’t just stand here—let Big Brother and Sister-in-law eat first. After they finish, we’ll head home together.”

“Alright! Quanbao, is there anything else you like? Second Uncle will make more dishes for you.”

Lu Yao quickly stopped him. “No need! We won’t even finish these. This kid is a meat lover—roast duck is all he needs.”

Back in Pingzhou, Lu Yao had tried making roast duck, but it never quite matched the flavor of the restaurant’s large oven. Now, finally tasting the authentic dish, it was simply divine!

Zhang Qiulan, having nothing else to do, sat beside Lu Yao and wrapped duck meat for Quanbao. The child eagerly ate piece after piece, clearly enjoying himself.

“How’s business lately?” Lu Yao scooped some soup for his son to prevent overeating.

Zhang Qiulan replied, “Same as always. We’re not too busy during the day, but things pick up at night. On rest days, reservations are required—otherwise, there are no available tables.”

“That’s pretty good.”

“By the way,” Zhang Qiulan suddenly lowered his voice and said, “Some time ago, I heard Beidou say that the imperial family seemed to have sent someone here to buy roast duck from us. I don’t know if this is true or not.”

Lu Yao was stunned. “Such a thing actually happened!”

“I also feel uneasy about it. There are too many customers ordering roast duck in the restaurant, and we don’t know exactly when they came. I’m not sure whether our roast duck suits the imperial family’s taste.”

Lu Yao thought for a moment and said, “Don’t worry about this matter. Since the imperial family sent someone to buy it in secret, they clearly don’t want others to know. We should just pretend we don’t know anything. Besides, it’s just a dish. Even if it doesn’t suit their taste, the imperial family wouldn’t do anything to us over it.”

“Mm.”

After finishing their meal, Xiao Chun changed his clothes and came over from the back kitchen. Zhang Qiulan gave a few instructions to the second shopkeeper, and then the family returned home.

Zhangtai Street remained the same, and the courtyard had hardly changed.

Zhang Qiulan and Xiao Chun still lived in the west wing, while the master bedroom was left vacant and cleaned by the servants daily.

The servants, seeing Lu Yao and the others return, ran over joyfully. “Master, Sir, you have finally returned!”

Shi Mo looked at the small child beside them and said, “This must be the young master! He’s grown so much!”

“Hello, big brother.”

“Aiyo, I can’t accept that. Just call me Shi Mo.”

“Shi Mo-gege!”

Shi Mo smiled so widely his teeth were visible, and Peng Yan also came over eagerly. “Young master, my name is Peng Yan.”

“Peng Yan-gege.”

“Hehe, thank you, young master!”

Lu Yao chuckled and patted his son’s head. “Go play in the courtyard.” Then, he and Zhao Beichuan entered the house.

Inside, everything was just as they had left it. The bedding on the bed had been sun-dried and felt clean and comfortable. The room was spotless, showing that the servants had put in a lot of effort.

“Give each of them two taels of silver as a reward later,” Lu Yao said.

Zhao Beichuan nodded. “Alright.”

After a long day of travel, Lu Yao was tired. He took off his outer robe and leaned lazily on the sofa, sighing in satisfaction. “This sofa is still the best. If it weren’t such a hassle, I would’ve made one in Pingzhou too.”

Zhao Beichuan also sat down, resting against the soft backrest. “Our current courtyard seems a bit cramped now.”

Back when Xiao Chun was unmarried, it wasn’t an issue. But now that he was married and still living together, it didn’t feel right. Plus, Zhang Qiulan was pregnant, and once the baby was born, the courtyard would feel even more crowded.

Lu Yao said, “I thought about this on the way here. In the next few days, I’ll visit some old friends and ask around to see if any houses in Mawang Street are for sale. We should just buy a large one so that Beidou will have a more convenient commute when he’s on duty in the future.”

“Alright.”

After arriving in the capital, Xiao Quanbao became incredibly attached to Zhang Qiulan. The boy had always been drawn to good-looking people.

Before, his favorite person had been his mother because he had never seen anyone more beautiful. But now that he had met Zhang Qiulan, he adored him and followed him around every day.

However, Zhang Qiulan was pregnant and couldn’t carry him, leaving Quanbao to pitifully hold onto his uncle’s robes.

Zhang Qiulan found him utterly amusing. He had never been particularly fond of children, having grown up without any biological siblings due to his mother passing away early. He was rather solitary by nature. He wasn’t close to the two younger brothers from his stepmother, and he had found them annoying since childhood, which led to his general dislike of children.

But somehow, he took a liking to Zhao Quanbao at first sight and became very fond of this little nephew.

Sometimes, he would take him to the restaurant to play, and the child wouldn’t cause trouble. He would just sit at the counter fiddling with the abacus for half a day.

When they had free time, Zhang Qiulan would take him for strolls around the streets, buying him all sorts of toys and snacks, making Quanbao even more attached to him.

The house purchase was settled quickly, thanks to Madam Xiao’s connections. They bought a confiscated estate from the Ministry of Justice under Zhao Beidou’s name.

The house was enormous—four courtyards from front to back, large enough to accommodate three generations living together. It cost a total of eighty thousand taels of silver.

Zhao Beichuan and Lu Yao took the time to visit the property. Since it had been confiscated due to a crime, nearly everything inside had been taken away, leaving hardly any furniture. The floor was still littered with broken tea sets and porcelain, showing the chaos left behind by the confiscation.

The estate had twenty-seven rooms, some of which were in disrepair and needed fixing. The backyard, however, had several fruit trees that Lu Yao liked—two peach trees, one persimmon tree, some crabapple trees, and a plum tree.

It was autumn, and the persimmon tree was heavy with bright yellow fruit, some of which had already been pecked by birds. They would have the servants pick the good ones the next day.

The peach trees, though untended, had borne large fruit, each about the size of Zhao Beichuan’s fist, with a lovely red hue.

“Beichuan, pick a few peaches to take home for our son.”

Zhao Beichuan, being tall, grabbed a branch and bent it down, plucking the ripest peaches and gathering them in his clothes.

After walking around, the two were quite satisfied with the property and planned to complete the transaction with the Ministry of Justice the next day.

The location of the estate was excellent. It was just two incense sticks’ walk away from the palace, and all the surrounding residences belonged to high-ranking officials and noble families.

To the left was the Xue family of Marquis Wuping, and to the right was the Tan family of the Minister of Revenue. Despite being in such a prime location, no one had shown interest in buying it before, which made Lu Yao curious.

The Ministry of Justice official explained, “You may not know this, but officials are very superstitious about living in properties confiscated due to crimes. They believe it’s unlucky. Even being demoted is better than living in such a house.”

Lu Yao understood. He wasn’t bothered by such things, and Beidou likely wouldn’t care much either. If it became an issue later, they could always buy another property.

It took a month to refurbish the new house. The custom-ordered furniture was gradually moved in, and on a bright, sunny day, the family had a simple meal together, officially marking their move.

The very next day, the Marchioness of Wuping came over with her grandson for a visit.

Initially, Lu Yao was extremely nervous. He had never interacted with such high-ranking nobility before and was afraid of saying the wrong thing.

But he soon realized that the Marchioness was an exceptionally kind and sociable old lady. She was quite the extrovert and talked to Lu Yao at length. Upon learning that their family had risen step by step from humble beginnings, she was full of admiration.

“Oh dear, I can’t imagine how much hardship you’ve endured. But now, your suffering has paid off.”

“We should have visited you first since we are new here, but instead, we’ve troubled you to come to us. That was improper of us.”

“Oh, nonsense! I’m not like those noble ladies in the capital, always nitpicking and making a fuss over etiquette. That’s just tiresome.”

The Marchioness of Wuping was a fascinating woman. It turned out that she was a local girl whom Xue Bing met while stationed in the northwest. They fell in love and got married. When he was transferred back to the capital, she followed him, but her unfamiliarity with the city’s customs led to many amusing mishaps.

Even now, in her old age, she remained straightforward and found it difficult to get along with the refined noblewomen of the capital. Instead, she hit it off with Lu Yao.

The two even made plans to pickle vegetables together in the winter. The Marchioness had tried making them a few times before, but they always turned out too sour and inedible. This time, she insisted that Lu Yao help her.

While the adults chatted, the two children also started playing together.

Xue Ning, the grandson, was a year older than Quanbao. He had fair skin, delicate features, and a pair of slightly upturned phoenix eyes, giving him an air of nobility even at a young age.

Zhao Quanbao was also fair-skinned but had a round, chubby face like a little rice dumpling. He especially loved beautiful people. Seeing Xue Ning, he was utterly fascinated and clung tightly to him, refusing to let go.

His grip was so strong that Xue Ning ended up crying, sending the servants into a panic as they hurried to separate the two.

Even then, Zhao Quanbao was still unwilling to let go, repeatedly calling out for “Ning-gege.”

Xue Ning, face pale and tearful, clung to his grandmother, crying to go home.

[Author’s Note]

Xue Ning is Zhao Jingshu’s little childhood companion.