Husband, Let Me Touch Your Abs - Chapter 158

Extra Chapter 8: Another Five Years

After seeing off the guests, Lu Yao pulled Quanbao aside and gave him a good lesson. “From now on, you are not allowed to hug other children too hard, and you must not push anyone.”

Quanbao lowered his head, pinching his fingers with a wronged expression, and nodded. “Mother, I didn’t do it on purpose. I just really like him.”

Seeing him like this, Lu Yao couldn’t bear to scold him too harshly. He rubbed his son’s head and said, “Mother knows, but you still can’t use too much force. Your older brother will get hurt.”

“Then can I hug him gently next time?”

“…Alright then.”

Lu Yao had no way to deal with his son. This little one took after his father—his strength was already obvious at such a young age. A solid wooden stool weighing seven or eight jin, he could lift with one hand.

Even the small stone sculptures placed in the courtyard, each weighing over thirty jin, he could easily lift with both hands, which was truly alarming.

The next day, Lu Yao personally brought some homemade food and went to the Wu Ping Marquis Manor to apologize in person.

Madam Xue laughed and said, “Children playing and roughhousing is completely normal. There’s no need for you to make a special trip. Besides, I really like your Quanbao. Whenever you’re free, bring him over to play.”

It seemed that older people all liked sturdy and well-fed children. Quanbao’s fair and chubby appearance was practically every elderly lady’s dream grandchild.

Her own grandson had been a picky eater since childhood—eating was a constant struggle. He wouldn’t eat this, wouldn’t eat that. He wouldn’t eat anything with skin, wouldn’t eat anything with bones, wouldn’t eat the filling in dumplings. He barely survived on a few bites of soup and noodles every day, which had worried Madam Xue endlessly.

“What do you usually feed Quanbao?”

“That child isn’t picky. Whatever the adults eat, he eats too.”

“How wonderful! It must be because your cooking is delicious!”

That wasn’t necessarily the case. Quanbao liked to eat no matter who cooked the food. Even at the relay station, he could happily munch on half a flatbread with just some salted vegetables.

Lu Yao was a little worried. If Quanbao were a boy, it wouldn’t be a problem—being strong would make him look mighty and imposing. But he was a ge’er. If he ended up looking like his father, Lu Yao had no idea what kind of husband he would find in the future…

Madam Xue seemed convinced that Lu Yao’s cooking was excellent. She said, “I have a presumptuous request. I wonder if you would agree?”

“Madam, please speak freely.”

Her eyes sparkled. “Could you let Xue Ning come to your house to eat lunch with Quanbao in the future? After eating, the maids can take him back. I’ll pay fifty taels of silver per month for his meals.”

Lu Yao was startled and quickly said, “It’s just a few meals. How could I take your money?”

“That’s a separate matter. If you agree, I’ll have the maids bring Xue Ning over tomorrow.”

“Of course, that’s fine. I’m just worried he might not be used to my cooking.”

“It’s fine. Let’s try for a few days. If he really can’t get used to it, we’ll reconsider.”

Madam Xue was a straightforward person. It was rare for someone in the capital to be willing to send their child to a newly acquainted neighbor’s house for meals.

From then on, around noon each day, maids and servants would bring Xue Ning to the Zhao family’s home.

No one was happier about this than Zhao Quanbao. Back in Pingzhou, there were many older brothers and sisters. Lu Yao often left him at the old madam’s place, where he played with Dandan, Taozi, and Yinzi. But since arriving in the capital, he hadn’t had any young friends. Other than occasionally visiting the restaurant to play with his second uncle’s wife for a while, he had no one his age to play with.

Now that Xue Ning came over, Quanbao clung to him every day.

Although Xue Ning was only a year older than Quanbao, he was clearly much more mature. Every time he saw Lu Yao and Zhao Beichuan, he would politely greet them.

Lu Yao didn’t dare act superior and would return a half-bow. After all, Xue Ning was the young master of a marquis’ household, while Lu Yao was just a merchant.

At first, Xue Ning was reluctant to come, but he couldn’t resist his mother’s persuasion. Madam Xue, coming from a humble background, had great respect for her mother-in-law. Upon hearing that her son would be sent next door for meals, she packed him up and sent him without hesitation.

Lu Yao felt immense pressure and had no choice but to resume his old profession—researching children’s meals.

On the first day, he made sweet and sour pork, a bowl of steamed egg, and a simple stir-fried chives dish. The meal was basic home cooking, but paired with soft, fragrant rice, it turned out to be surprisingly delicious.

Xue Ning, who usually couldn’t finish even half a flatbread at home, actually ate a full bowl of rice in one go. The maid serving him was stunned, afraid that the young master might overeat and get indigestion.

After lunch, Lu Yao let the two children play in the courtyard for a while. Quanbao took out all his little knickknacks and proudly showed them to Xue Ning.

After all, children were children. Xue Ning kept up a dignified front at first, but soon enough, he joined in and played along.

The two of them rode small wooden horses around the courtyard, running back and forth until they were drenched in sweat. It wasn’t until the maid came forward to remind him, “Young master, it’s getting late. We should head back,” that Xue Ning reluctantly put down the toy and bid farewell to Quanbao.

Quanbao was also reluctant to part with him, holding onto Xue Ning’s hand and repeatedly saying, “Ning-gege, you have to come again tomorrow!”

“Alright, tomorrow I’ll bring the wooden sword my father made for me.”

Seeing the two children get along so well, Lu Yao finally felt at ease.

After eating together for nearly half a month, Xue Ning had actually put on a few jin of weight. This made the Wu Ping Marquis extremely happy—he even made a special trip to the Zhao family to express his gratitude.

From then on, the relationship between the two families grew closer, to the point where they practically treated each other as relatives.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, another five years had passed.

Many things had happened in the Zhao family over these five years.

First, Zhao Beidou was promoted from a sixth-rank Division Director to a fifth-rank Ministerial Aide in the Ministry of Personnel. Among his peers, he stood out as an exceptional talent. He was also highly regarded by the emperor, often summoned to the palace to recite books.

The Lu family’s restaurant played a significant role in this. Every time Zhao Beidou went to the palace, he brought food from their restaurant. One time, he forgot, and the emperor actually complained, leaving Zhao Beidou at a loss—was he being summoned to discuss state affairs or just to deliver food?

Two years ago, he married Chen Qingyu, the daughter of the Grand Censor. Their marriage was harmonious, and their life was going very well.

This match was arranged by Minister Liu, who was an old friend of Grand Censor Chen Song. Knowing both families well, he believed Chen Song’s youngest daughter was a perfect match for Zhao Beidou and brought it up.

Chen Song took it to heart and secretly observed Zhao Beidou for a long time. Seeing that he was indeed an outstanding and upright man, he agreed.

Their wedding was grand, with Lu Yao contributing fifty thousand taels of silver to ensure a magnificent ten-mile-long bridal procession.

Because of this, Zhao Beidou was even impeached for extravagance—by none other than one of his father-in-law’s subordinates…

“Come on now, I’m not even a tenth of our mentor. But why have you grown a beard? Aren’t you afraid of getting food stains on it?”

Hearing him speak in the same familiar way, Lin Zijian couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s really great, coming back to the capital is really great!”

“Do you regret spending these years away? If you had stayed in the capital back then, with your social skills and connections, your rank wouldn’t be lower than mine now.”

“I don’t regret it. Beidou, you really should go out and see the world, see the vast land of our Wu Dynasty, see the lives of the common people.”

Zhao Beidou chuckled. “I saw it when I was very young.”

“That’s true. I may have been a few years later than you, but I’ve grown a lot from it. In the future, I hope we can continue to support each other in court and petition for the people!”

“Agreed!”

Quanbao has been training in martial arts with the old marquis lately…

Just thinking about it gives Lu Yao a headache. He wasn’t a traditionalist and firmly believed in gender equality—there was no inherent superiority or inferiority between men, women, and ge’ers.

But if this child keeps training like this, he might really have trouble finding a husband in the future…

At eight years old, he was already close to 1.5 meters tall, towering over other kids his age by a whole head, even surpassing Xue Ning. Not only that, his energy was boundless, and his strength was shocking—he could already lift a full stone in weight.

Zhao Beichuan, however, was quite pleased. “Quanbao is stronger than I was. At seven or eight, I could only lift eighty pounds.”

Does he even hear himself?

Seeing Lu Yao’s worried expression, Zhao Beichuan reassured him, “Don’t overthink it. If he likes practicing martial arts, let him. As long as he’s happy and healthy, that’s all that matters. Isn’t the point of life to live comfortably?”

After thinking it over, Lu Yao realized he had a point. Quanbao had an official uncle above him, and merchant uncles and aunts below him. Even if he wanted to be a carefree playboy, the family could afford it.

Besides, their son wasn’t the type to be irresponsible. Training under the old Marquis Xue, he never once complained, enduring the hardship of horse riding and archery. Despite his young age, his fingers were already covered in calluses.

Seeing him as an example, Xue Ning also took an interest in martial arts and began practicing every day. Now, he was starting to look the part as well.

That noon, the two boys ran over from the Xue household, covered in sweat.

“Mother, what’s for lunch today?”

“Good day, madam.”

Shi Mo wiped their foreheads with a handkerchief and said, “The young master made cold noodles for you. In this hot weather, something refreshing will be nice.”

“Oh!” The two boys cheered and rushed into the dining hall.

Xue Ning especially loved Lu Yao’s cold noodles. The smooth, springy texture paired with crispy, sweet cucumber shreds and sesame sauce was absolutely delicious!

Unfortunately, Lu Yao didn’t make it often. Since the boys were still young, their digestive systems were delicate, and eating too much cold food wouldn’t be good for them.

Today was a rare occasion, so each of them got a big bowl of noodles and devoured them enthusiastically.

After lunch, they took a nap at the Zhao household before heading to the Xue residence in the afternoon for their studies. Originally, the tutor was hired solely for Xue Ning, but since Quanbao was also at the age to begin his formal education, the old madam decided to have him join the lessons as well.

For their nap, they used Zhao Quanbao’s bedroom.

Lu Yao had originally planned to set up a separate room for Xue Ning, but Quanbao refused, insisting that they had to sleep together.

Lu Yao explained over and over that their genders were different and that they shouldn’t be sharing a bed, but Quanbao wouldn’t listen. Every time they slept, he would cling to Xue Ning with both his arms and legs.

Xue Ning didn’t seem to mind either, which almost drove Lu Yao crazy. In the end, he had no choice but to install a bunk bed to separate them.

The Marquis of Wuping didn’t object at all. In fact, he was even considering arranging a child betrothal between the two families. He genuinely adored Zhao Quanbao. If the boy had been born male, he would surely grow up to be a great general. But alas, he was a ge’er.

Not that there was anything wrong with being a ge’er, but they often struggled during puberty. Right now, Quanbao was taller and stronger than Xue Ning, but once they reached thirteen or fourteen, boys would grow rapidly, and their strength would increase significantly. Meanwhile, ge’ers, due to biological differences, would see their growth slow down, and their physical capabilities would be comparatively weaker.

Lu Yao didn’t outright reject or accept the idea. He felt it was too early to discuss marriage. The boys were still too young to understand love, and if they were forced into an engagement now, it could cause problems for both families later if they changed their minds.

Madam Xue shared the same sentiment. It was best to let things happen naturally. If they were meant to be, they would come together in the future. If not, forcing them into marriage would only turn them into resentful spouses and damage the bond between the two boys.