Husband, Let Me Touch Your Abs - Chapter 60

Chapter 60

 

“Officer, my husband brought something for me with the kids. I’ll be back shortly!”

 

The clerk waved his hand. “Go quickly and return!”

 

Zhao Beichuan dashed off in a hurry.

 

Lu Yao, pulling two kids along, was out of breath from running. They had asked around all the way and almost missed him.

 

“Why are you here?” Zhao Beichuan rushed over, heart aching as he saw their sweat-drenched and panting faces.

 

“Xiao Dou… when he woke up and didn’t see you, he… cried so much…” Lu Yao, hands on his waist, finally managed to catch his breath.

 

Zhao Beichuan picked up Xiao Dou, pinching his little face. “No backbone. What did Big Brother tell you yesterday?”

 

“I-I’m the only man in the family. I need to protect my sister-in-law and my sister.” Xiao Dou wiped his eyes with his arm, barely holding back tears.

 

“Stay home, listen to your sister-in-law, and don’t make him angry, you hear?”

 

“I hear you.”

 

Lu Yao handed him a bag with marinated eggs. “Eat this on the way. I was in such a rush this morning I forgot to bring it for you.”

 

Zhao Beichuan glanced back to see the officer waving at him, signaling to catch up with the team. “You should head back now.”

 

“Take care of yourself and come back safely. The kids and I will be waiting for you at home…”

 

Zhao Beichuan looked at his lover’s eyes welling up with tears again, reached out to stroke his hair, then turned and ran off.

 

The three of them stood there, watching his figure grow smaller until it vanished completely. Only then did Lu Yao rub his eyes. “Let’s go home.”

 

On the way back, Xiao Dou didn’t cry anymore, but he looked downcast. Lu Yao decided to go to the academy and ask for a day off for him.

 

Hearing this, Xiao Dou quickly shook his head. “The teacher will be lecturing on the Analects today. I can’t miss it. We need to hurry home and get my school bag, or I’ll be late.”

 

Lu Yao felt both comforted and heartbroken. “Alright, let’s hurry home then!”

 

When they arrived back at the alley, they happened to see Lu Lin escorting Father Lu over.

 

“Father, Second Brother.” Lu Yao went forward to help open the gate, and the group entered the courtyard together.

 

“You went to send off Beichuan?”

 

“We just went to see him briefly.”

 

Lu Lin said, “I heard they’re heading to Fanyang for service this year. That’s far from here. Who knows if he’ll make it back by autumn?”

 

Lu Yao couldn’t stand hearing such things now. Just thinking about not seeing Zhao Beichuan for months made his chest tighten.

 

“Sorry for troubling you to stay and help out for a while, Father.”

 

Lu Guangsheng replied, “Why are you talking about trouble with me?”

 

Lu Lin helped chop some firewood and repaired a few broken planks in the pigsty before leaving.

 

With the old man around, Lu Yao felt more at ease. That morning, he soaked some beans and went out with a basket to buy eggs. The eggs laid by their own chickens weren’t enough, and he had to marinate more to sell at the shop the next day.

 

Many men from the town had been called for labor service, including two from the Liu family next door. Only Old Master Liu, his two daughters-in-law, and their grandchildren were left at home.

 

Lu Yao knocked on their door, and it was opened by Liu’s second daughter-in-law. “Did Beichuan leave?”

 

“Yes, early this morning.”

 

“Come on in.” Her eyes were also red, likely from crying earlier.

 

Before long, the second daughter-in-law brought out 35 eggs. “I’ve already cleaned them. You can marinate them right away.”

 

“Thank you so much.” Lu Yao quickly handed over the money. Eggs were sold at one coin each in town.

 

“Don’t mention it. Cleaning them doesn’t take much effort.” Without Lu Yao’s shop, she’d still be washing clothes for others.

 

Though doing laundry earned ten coins a day, soaking her hands in water all day made her skin peel, and winter was even worse. Her hands would be covered in painful, pus-filled frostbite.

 

She had tried learning embroidery from her sister-in-law but had no talent for it. Fortunately, Lu Yao let her help out at the shop. She only worked two hours a day and didn’t fall behind on any household chores.

 

After chatting briefly, Lu Yao took the basket and went to another house to buy more eggs.

 

He knocked on the door, which was opened by a short, skinny, and tanned old woman. She peered out. “Lu Yao, you’re here. Come in.”

 

This old woman, surnamed Fang, had been widowed for years. Her two sons were married and lived elsewhere, leaving her alone in the house.

 

Fang was known in the alley for her penny-pinching ways, though she wasn’t as brazen as the notorious Tian Second Wife from Wan Gou Village. Still, Lu Yao figured she lived alone and had it tough, so he didn’t mind buying from her as a way of helping out.

 

“I’ve saved up over 20 eggs for you. Let me fetch them.” Fang hurried to the chicken coop. The eggs were still in the nests, dirty with feathers and droppings.

 

Lu Yao carefully separated these eggs from the ones he bought earlier. He counted 22 eggs but left out two that were cracked. Eggs like those would fall apart when boiled and couldn’t be marinated.

 

Fang clicked her tongue. “You’ve got it easy now. Back in the day, if an egg cracked, people would lick it clean right off the ground.”

 

Lu Yao just smiled without replying and handed her 20 coins.

 

“Take these two as well. Just give me one more coin.” Fang stuffed the broken eggs into his basket. Left with no choice, Lu Yao handed over another coin.

 

“Could you spare me some bean dregs? My pigs don’t have enough to eat.”

 

Lu Yao replied, “We’ve got too many animals at home, and it’s not enough for us either.”

 

“Then I’ll go pick some chives from your garden. My patch was harvested by my eldest son yesterday.”

 

Lu Yao: …

 

Seeing that he didn’t refuse, Fang happily grabbed a sickle and followed him home. Thankfully, chives grew quickly in the summer. If they weren’t picked, they’d just get overgrown.

 

Once home, the eggs had to be washed again. Lu Yao was meticulous about food hygiene, especially in the summer heat. If cracked eggs weren’t picked out, they’d become maggot-infested in days.

 

He left this task to Lu Miao and Xiao Nian while he went to buy bones for broth.

 

At the butcher’s shop, he spent 60 coins on two large marrow bones. Pork prices had dropped with the heat since it wouldn’t keep and spoiled within days.

 

He also went to the medicine shop for some cinnamon and alum. The clerk there knew him by now since he always came for the same things.

 

Back home, Lu Yao started preparing the broth while Lu Guangsheng yoked the mule to grind the soaked beans into soy milk.

 

The first day without Zhao Beichuan passed in a busy blur.

 

At dinner, Lu Yao, as usual, asked Xiao Nian to call Zhao Beichuan in to eat.

 

Xiao Nian ran outside and returned after a while, lips quivering. “Brother-in-law… Big Brother isn’t home.”

 

“Ah, my bad.” Lu Yao sighed, his appetite halved.

 

That night, Lu Guangsheng took Xiao Dou to sleep in the west room, while Lu Yao stayed in the east room with Lu Miao and Xiao Nian.

 

Daytime was fine, but at night, Lu Yao couldn’t shake a gnawing anxiety, as if something was missing. He tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

 

Reaching out to touch the empty bed, tears welled up out of nowhere.

 

Burying his face in the quilt that still carried Zhao Beichuan’s scent, he tried to suppress his sadness.

 

Why had he become so sentimental? It wasn’t like Zhao Beichuan wouldn’t come back. It was only a few months. He still had to wake up early and open the shop tomorrow. He shouldn’t let his mind wander.

 

Even after comforting himself, Lu Yao lay awake until nearly dawn before getting up to boil soy milk.

 

Zhao Beichuan also spent the night sleepless.

 

On the first day, they traveled nearly sixty li(30 kilometers), resting in Zhangming Pavilion by evening. A cook set up a simple stove and boiled bean rice with fetched water.

 

People from each village sat together, with closer relations from the same village gathering in small groups.

 

Zhao Guang and Zhao Beichuan sat side by side. Since they shared the same surname, they were closer than others in the village. Zhao Guang’s feet were covered in blisters; he had taken off his shoes and was using a stick to pop them. If left unpopped, they would hurt even more the next day.

 

Zhao Beichuan sat with his arms wrapped around his knees, staring off in the direction they had come.

 

At this time of day, his family would likely be preparing dinner. Lu Yao would have surely asked Xiaonian to call him to eat. The family would sit around the stove, eating gray steamed buns with relish and greens, thoroughly enjoying their meal.

 

“Clang! Clang! Clang!” The sound of a gong rang out—it was time to eat.

 

Zhao Guang tossed aside his stick and hobbled off to get food.

 

Zhao Beichuan retrieved a bowl from his pack and followed the crowd to line up. When it was his turn, the cook ladled a spoonful of dry bean rice into his bowl.

 

How long had it been since he last ate bean rice?

 

It seemed like ever since Lu Yao joined the family, he hadn’t touched the stuff. Taking a bite, the gritty sand in the rice almost cracked his teeth.

 

Zhao Beichuan spat out the sand and took out the marinated eggs Lu Yao had packed for him. Eating them with the rice made the meal barely tolerable.

 

The eggs, left in the sun all day, had started to go bad. He shared two with Zhao Guang and wolfed down the rest himself.

 

After dinner, many people went off to relieve themselves. Zhao Beichuan counted everyone carefully and followed them. If someone went missing, he had to report it to the overseer immediately.

 

By the time it was nearing the Hour of Rooster (5–7 PM), most people had settled down. Zhao Beichuan counted heads again, confirming no one was missing, laid out straw bedding, and lay down to rest.

 

As soon as he closed his eyes, Lu Yao’s image filled his mind—her laughter, irritation, pride, and reluctance when he left.

 

Zhao Beichuan turned over with a sigh, a knot of unease tightening in his chest. Was Lu Yao asleep yet? Did her father visit today? If not, was she scared taking care of the three children alone?

 

The more he thought, the more worried he became. He sat up for a moment but eventually lay back down.

 

Around him, others were already snoring, the sounds rising and falling like the croaks of frogs after rain, irritating him to no end.

 

That night, he tossed and turned, unable to sleep a wink until dawn.

 

—

 

Early the next morning, the Lu family’s breakfast shop opened for business.

 

Lu Yao carried in firewood to start the fire, while Lu Miao brought over the oil jug to pour into the pot.

 

Before long, Mrs. Liu from next door also arrived, bringing a bucket of water to wipe down the tables and windows. She was a clean and diligent woman, never doing things halfway. Lu Yao planned to raise her wages in a while.

 

Soon, customers began trickling in. This year, many men from the town were conscripted for labor, which made running a business harder.

 

Most of the customers were elderly men, women, or young boys around 13 or 14 years old.

 

These people mostly worked for wealthy households in town. As for why the rich didn’t have to perform corvée labor? Five hundred taels of silver could buy a token government title, and with it, one’s entire family could be exempted.

 

Lu Yao’s current goal was to save up 500 taels of silver to buy Zhao Beichuan such a title, so he wouldn’t have to travel far to build a tomb for the emperor.

 

The weather wasn’t great today. The sky was overcast, oppressively hot, and seemed to be holding back a storm.

 

By mid-morning, there were only a few customers. Half a pot of soy milk hadn’t sold, and there was plenty of leftover tofu pudding. They had earned less than 500 wen in total.

 

Watching the sky grow darker, Lu Yao wiped her hands and said, “Lu Miao, go home and call Dad over. We’ll pack up for the day.”

 

“But there’s still so much left unsold.”

 

“Forget it. Once the rain starts, there’ll be even fewer customers.” She resolved to grind fewer beans tomorrow—no point in wasting food in this heat.

 

“Alright.” Lu Miao put down her cloth and went home to fetch their father.

 

The oil in the pot had cooled by then, and Lu Yao ladled it back into the jar. Before long, Lu’s father arrived with the mule cart. They loaded the unsold tofu pudding and soy milk onto the cart.

 

“Rumble—” Thunder echoed, and Lu Yao hurriedly locked up the shop before rushing home. The rain began to pour as she neared the courtyard, soaking her clothes in just a few steps.

 

Once inside, Xiaonian handed her a dry towel, his small face filled with worry as he glanced outside. “I wonder how Big Brother is doing—did he get caught in the rain?”

 

The mention of Zhao Beichuan made Lu Yao’s heart ache. She could only busy herself to keep from thinking about him.

 

By noon, the rain showed no signs of letting up. Lu Yao donned a straw raincoat and umbrella, preparing to pick up Xiaodou from school.

 

Just as she stepped outside, the sound of horse hooves approached.

 

Opening the gate, she saw a covered carriage stop nearby. A servant helped Xiaodou and Lin Zijian, the boy Lu Yao had argued with before, out of the carriage.

 

“Sister-in-law!” Xiaodou called, his head peeking out as the servant helped him down.

 

Lin Zijian, his face a little shy, spoke in a formal tone, “It was raining heavily, so I offered your brother a ride since it was on my way.”

 

Xiaodou imitated him, clasping his hands and saying, “Many thanks, Brother Lin.”

 

The scene of two gap-toothed children speaking like adults was amusing. Lu Yao chuckled, patting Xiaodou’s head. “Hurry inside. Zijian, would you like to come in and wait out the rain?”

 

Lin Zijian hesitated but shook his head. “No, thank you. Perhaps another time.”

 

After sending Xiaodou inside, Lu Yao took two marinated eggs and handed them to Xiaodou to give to Lin Zijian as thanks for the ride.

 

Not long after, Xiaodou returned, holding his umbrella. “Sister-in-law, Sister-in-law! Lin’s carriage is amazing! It’s fast and steady, like a little house that keeps out the wind and rain.”

 

“We’ll buy one when we can afford it.”

 

Xiaodou nodded excitedly. “Zijian said such a carriage costs over 200 taels. His family is so rich!”

 

“What does his family do?”

 

“His grandfather used to be an official in the capital. After he fell ill, his father moved the family back here to recover. But they say they’ll return once he’s better.”

 

So, they were from an official family—no wonder they could afford such luxuries.

 

“If his family is so well-off, why is he studying in this small town?”

 

Xiaodou scratched his head. “I don’t know. But Zijian said it’s because he didn’t want to study at home, so his grandfather sent him to see how ordinary people learn.”

 

Ah, a wealthy young master experiencing life.

 

Lu Yao thought it was fortunate she hadn’t intervened when the two boys fought days earlier. Offending the Lin family would have spelled trouble.

 

“Don’t provoke him anymore, alright?”

 

“Why? We’re great friends now! We study together every day, and he even said he’d bring me books to read soon!”

 

“You two aren’t the same—” Lu Yao stopped herself mid-sentence, realizing how feudal her thinking sounded. How could she say such a thing to a child?

 

“Never mind. Play nicely and don’t fight.”

 

—

 

Lin Zijian sat in the carriage, holding the two warm marinated eggs. He sniffed them thoughtfully.

 

The servant quickly interjected, “Young Master, these farm goods might upset your stomach. It’s best not to eat them.”

 

Lin Zijian shot him a warning look.

 

The servant fell silent, retreating awkwardly.

 

The carriage arrived at the Lin family estate, and the rain began to taper off. As usual, Lin Zijian went to the back courtyard to greet his grandfather and report on his studies.

 

“Grandfather, Grandfather, I’m back!” Lin Zijian ran into the courtyard.

 

“Ahem!” His father’s cough from inside the house startled him. His expression turned serious as he adjusted his steps and entered properly.

 

Inside, Lin Lang was attending to his father, who had just finished a bowl of bitter black medicine. Lin Lang handed him a cup of warm water to wash it down, helping him sip it carefully.

 

Afterward, the old man frowned and let out a long sigh, dabbing his mouth with a handkerchief.

 

“Father, take care of your health!”

 

The old man waved dismissively. “I’m fine. Go about your business. Zijian, come and tell Grandfather what you learned today.”

 

Lin Zijian sat beside the old man, reciting a passage from Mencius: “Confucius said: When Zi Lu was told of his mistakes, he rejoiced. When Yu heard good advice, he bowed in respect. Great Shun had a noble quality: he shared goodness with others, learned from others, and sought virtue wherever he could. From farming, fishing, and pottery to becoming emperor, he achieved greatness by learning from others. Learning from others to better oneself is the highest virtue.”

 

Lin Lang’s expression softened. His son seemed to have improved in his studies, no longer stammering and struggling to memorize a single passage.

 

“Do you understand its meaning?”

 

Lin Zijian shook his head. The teacher hadn’t explained it yet, instructing them only to memorize the text, believing that meaning would come after repeated readings.

 

Lin Jingxian invited his grandson onto the heated brick bed and explained the passage. Seeing this, Lin Lang quietly withdrew, leaving only the grandfather and grandson in the room.

 

After listening to the explanation, Lin Zijian’s eyes lit up. “I should learn from others’ good qualities and take their strengths to make up for my shortcomings!”

 

The old man chuckled approvingly. “Yes, that’s the spirit of a Lin family child.”

 

“Do your classmates have qualities worth learning from?”

 

“Yes! I’ve been learning how to memorize from Zhao Beidou!” Lin Zijian suddenly remembered something and quickly handed over the marinated eggs. “It was raining today, so I gave him a ride home. He gave me these eggs in return!”

 

“Oh, so our Zijian has made a new friend.”

 

“Yes! He’s great at memorization, though his handwriting isn’t as good as mine. I want to work hard and learn from him!”

 

The old man stroked his beard in satisfaction. “Good. That’s the attitude of a scholar.”

 

Lin Jingxian had been an instructor at the Imperial Academy, teaching countless students over the years. But with his own grandson, he had faced constant challenges.

 

This child had loathed studying since he was little. He would throw tantrums at the sight of a classroom and fall asleep as soon as he opened a book. In the capital, he had driven away four or five teachers in a row.

 

Now, during their return to their hometown for recovery, he had placed the boy in a local school as a last resort. Surprisingly, it had worked. It seemed he would have to meet this classmate his grandson spoke of so highly.