Husband, Let Me Touch Your Abs - Chapter 187

By the time the two arrived at the hospital, a crowd had already gathered at the ward entrance to watch the commotion.

Zhao Beichuan’s second aunt was sitting on the floor, slapping her thighs while crying and wailing. “Elder sister, I’m not trying to force you, but our family is waiting for the money! How long are you going to drag this out?”

Zhao’s mother, her face dark, pulled at her. “Chunxia, get up first. Don’t make a scene and let people laugh at us.”

“Let them laugh if they want! As long as I get my money back, I don’t care if they mock me. You’ve been treating him for three years already, that’s enough! Do you really want to drag my nephew down with him before you’re satisfied?”

Zhao’s mother’s eyes turned red. She knew her sister was only after the money, not genuinely concerned for her son, but what she said wasn’t wrong either.

Beichuan was already twenty-six years old. If they kept delaying, he might not even be able to find a partner. Even if he did, she had no means to help him get married. They had spent everything they had on treatment, even sold their house—what kind of girl would still want him?

“Enough, we won’t continue the treatment… we won’t…”

Tears welling up, Zhao’s mother took a towel and wiped Zhao Guangsheng’s face. “Old man, let’s go home.” As she spoke, she reached out to remove the oxygen tube from his nose.

“Mom!” Zhao Beichuan, leaning on his crutch, hopped into the room.

“Beichuan, why are you here? Didn’t you say you were working out of town… And what happened to your leg?!”

“It’s nothing. Don’t worry.” Zhao Beichuan tossed aside his crutch, supported himself against the bed, and walked to his mother’s side. “How much do we owe Second Aunt? I’ll pay her back first.”

Liu Chunxia, who was sitting on the floor, lifted her head. “Twenty thousand. I won’t ask for interest.”

Zhao Beichuan took out his phone. “I’ll transfer it to you.”

Liu Chunxia immediately took out her phone and opened the payment QR code.

Zhao Beichuan scanned and sent her twenty-two thousand, with the extra two thousand as interest for the past two years.

With the money in hand, Liu Chunxia stopped making a scene and muttered, “Don’t blame me for being harsh, but if you keep dragging this out, you’re just throwing money into a bottomless pit. Wouldn’t it be better to save that money for Beichuan to buy a house and get married? Throwing it into the hospital won’t even make a sound.”

“That’s none of your concern.”

Liu Chunxia pursed her lips. “You don’t appreciate good intentions.” With that, she left with her husband and a few relatives.

Lu Yao quickly closed the door, shutting out the onlookers in the hallway.

Zhao’s mother covered her face and sobbed softly. In the end, she was just too useless, making her son worry about everything.

“You said you were working out of town… Did you lie to me? What happened to your leg?”

“A car ran a red light and hit me while I was delivering food. I’ve already had surgery. It’ll be fine in a few days.”

Zhao’s mother raised her hand as if to hit him but couldn’t bring herself to do it. Instead, she turned and punched Zhao Guangsheng, who was lying in bed. “You heartless bastard, are you really going to drag our son down with you? Get up! Hurry up and get up!”

“Mom!” Zhao Beichuan grabbed her hand. “I’ve saved up enough money for Dad’s surgery. Let’s see if the hospital can schedule it in the next few days. This time, no matter the outcome, we have to take the gamble. If he wakes up, that’s great. If not… we’ll stop treatment.”

Zhao’s mother gradually calmed down and suddenly noticed Lu Yao standing at the door. “Isn’t this your friend?”

“Hello, Auntie.”

“Sorry to let you see such a mess…”

“Auntie, please don’t say that. Every family has its struggles, I understand.”

Zhao’s mother sighed. Looking at her son’s cast-covered leg, her nose tingled with sadness again. “Does your leg still hurt?”

Zhao Beichuan reached out and wiped the tears from her face. “It doesn’t hurt anymore. It’s not a big deal. The doctor said it’ll heal completely, just like normal.”

“When you’re riding, can’t you slow down a bit? Who’s been taking care of you these days?”

“Lu Ge has been looking after me the whole time.”

“That’s really troubling you.”

Lu Yao quickly waved his hand. “Not at all, it’s no trouble at all.”

“Beichuan, once your leg heals, make sure to properly thank him.”

“Mm…” Zhao Beichuan had planned to tell his mother about his relationship with Lu Yao, but after what happened with Second Aunt just now, she was clearly exhausted. He didn’t have the heart to give her another shock and decided to wait until after his father’s surgery to tell her.

Lu Yao also understood that now wasn’t the right time. Seeing that it was getting late, he said, “Auntie, you probably haven’t eaten yet. I’ll go downstairs to buy some food.”

Zhao’s mother quickly stopped him. “No, how can I let a guest spend money? I’ll go buy it.”

Zhao Beichuan added, “Let my mom go.”

“Lu Yao, is there anything you don’t eat?”

“No.”

Zhao’s mother put on her down coat, took some money, and went downstairs. The room was left with just Zhao Beichuan and Lu Yao.

Zhao Beichuan pulled a chair over for him. “Did you see your sister off?”

“Yeah, I got your call just as I was heading back.”

Zhao Beichuan held his hand. “Thank you.”

“Why are you saying thank you again?”

“I can’t pay you back for the hospital expenses right now. After my dad’s surgery, I’ll…”

“It’s fine. If you can’t pay me back, you can offer something else in return.”

Zhao Beichuan’s eyes lit up. “Then… can I pay you back tonight when we get home? I promise I’ll make it worth your while.”

Lu Yao laughed and knocked him lightly on the head. “What are you thinking? I meant go back and start livestreaming to make money.”

Because of Zhao Beichuan’s injury, they had only posted one video recently, and his fans were already starving for content. The internet moved fast—if they didn’t seize this wave of popularity, making a comeback later would be difficult.

“Alright, once things at the hospital settle down, I’ll go back to streaming.”

“No rush. Take care of your parents first. I can tell Auntie’s not in the best mood. Don’t let this situation stress her too much.”

For some reason, Lu Yao felt an unusual sense of familiarity with Zhao’s parents. Every time he met them, he felt a deep connection, as if they were family from long ago.

He looked at Zhao’s father lying in bed. The man had become skin and bones from being bedridden for so long, but something about him felt oddly familiar. Lu Yao was sure he had never met him before.

Before long, Zhao’s mother came back with the food. “It’s starting to drizzle outside. I think it’ll get colder tomorrow. You two should dress warmly when you go out.” November in City A was already winter, and soon, it would snow.

Lu Yao got up and took the food from her, placing it on the small table beside them.

“Eat up. I didn’t know what you liked, so I bought fish-flavored pork and braised eggplant.”

“I like both of them.”

Zhao’s mother smiled. “The moment I saw you, Lu Yao, I felt a sense of closeness, like I’ve met you before. Where’s your hometown?”

Lu Yao was stunned. “I’m from Jincheng.”

“That’s quite far. Our family originally came from Shandong before migrating to the northeast. We probably don’t have relatives from Jincheng.”

Zhao Beichuan said, “Maybe it’s fate. I also felt close to Lu Ge the first time I met him.”

Lu Yao’s face turned red as he glared at him, but Zhao Beichuan secretly squeezed his hand under the table.

Zhao Beichuan didn’t know how to say comforting words. Before leaving, he hugged his mother. “Don’t take Second Aunt’s words to heart. Back then, the fact that she was willing to lend us money was already a kindness. Now that she wants it back, it’s understandable. I don’t blame her, so you shouldn’t either.”

“Mom knows.” Zhao’s mother looked at her son with relief. This child had truly grown up—he had become a man who could stand on his own.

*

On the way back, the two of them gradually calmed down. Lu Yao played a piece of soothing music, and Zhao Beichuan leaned against the seat, closing his eyes for a brief nap.

In just a short while, he unexpectedly had a dream. In the dream, he was back in ancient times, carrying a load of firewood down from the mountain. When he arrived at the courtyard, he saw Lu Yao feeding the chickens, while Xiaonian and Xiaodou crouched nearby, playing.

Zhao Beichuan called out, “Ah Yao.”

“Hey, you’re back.” Lu Yao put down the sieve in his hand and ran toward him.

Zhao Beichuan took out a small cloth bag from his pocket and handed it to him. “I saw a wild jujube tree halfway up the mountain and picked some for you.”

Lu Yao picked one out and popped it into his mouth. The sourness hit him so hard that his eyes almost teared up. He waved his fist and lightly thumped Zhao Beichuan. “What is this? It’s so sour!”

Zhao Beichuan grinned. “You’re not supposed to eat it directly. You have to let it soften first.”

“Then why didn’t you say so earlier?”

Zhao Beichuan didn’t reply. Truthfully, he just wanted to tease him—to see his reaction when he got upset.

“Hurry up and wash your hands. Let’s go inside to eat.” Lu Yao called the two children into the house.

Zhao Beichuan followed behind the three of them. As he reached the doorway, he glanced at the worn-down earthen house. A strange yet familiar feeling surged through him. Just as he was about to step inside, a familiar voice suddenly rang in his ears.

“Wake up, Beichuan…”

Zhao Beichuan opened his eyes. The Lu Yao from his dream overlapped with the person in front of him. He couldn’t help but reach out and touch his face. “Ah Yao.”

“Mm.”

It took Zhao Beichuan a moment to fully wake up. “Are we home?”

“You slept the whole way.”

“I just had a dream.”

“You dreamed of me?”

“How did you know?”

Lu Yao chuckled. “You were calling my name in your sleep.”

Zhao Beichuan scratched his head. “It’s really strange. I feel like I’ve had dreams like this many times.”

“What kind of dreams?”

“In the dreams, it’s like we’re living in ancient times.”

Lu Yao’s heart skipped a beat. “I’ve had dreams like that too!”

When they got upstairs, Lu Yao recounted his dreams to Zhao Beichuan. He didn’t remember much, only the last few dreams that had left a particularly deep impression.

Zhao Beichuan listened, his expression growing odd. “The dream you just described—I’ve had the exact same one.”

He remembered holding Lu Yao, stroking his belly, giving their child a name… Even the way they made love afterward was exactly the same. Could something this coincidental really exist in the world?

“Could it be that these dreams aren’t just dreams, but memories of our past lives?”

Lu Yao said, “I don’t know either. But I just thought of someone—maybe he can answer this question.”

[Author’s Note]

There are probably about seven or eight more extra chapters before this story concludes. Originally, I didn’t plan to write this much, but since so many people in the comments said they loved the modern timeline, I decided to give them a perfect ending.

In the end, the two of them probably won’t fully remember their past-life memories. But in this life, they will still love each other.