Husband, Let Me Touch Your Abs - Chapter 97

Chapter 97

 

As soon as Lu Yao heard Lu Lin’s voice from the carriage, his nose tingled with emotion, and he quickly pushed open the door. “Second Brother!”

 

“Ah Yao!” Lu Lin reached out to help him off the carriage. The two brothers looked at each other, their eyes brimming with tears.

 

Hu Chunrong came out holding a bowl and exclaimed excitedly when she saw Lu Yao, “Oh my, Lu Yao is back!”

 

“Third Brother is back?!” Lu Miao and Lu Yun rushed out upon hearing the news.

 

“Third Brother!”

 

“Ah!” The brothers hugged each other tightly, their longing for each other evident after a year apart.

 

Hu Chunrong helped the children off the carriage. “Come down quickly. Are you cold or hungry? Come inside; I’ll get you a bowl of tofu pudding!”

 

Little Douzi had long wanted tofu pudding and nodded enthusiastically at her words.

 

Hu Chunrong held one child in each hand and noticed another boy trailing behind. She asked curiously, “Who is this child?”

 

Zhao Fengchun nervously clutched his clothes, unsure how to introduce himself. But Xiaonian cheerfully spoke up, “This is our second brother’s name, Zhao Fengchun. Big Brother and Sister-in-law adopted him.”

 

Zhao Fengchun said softly, “Just call me Xiaochun.”

 

Hu Chunrong smiled and patted him on the shoulder. “First time home, huh? Come inside, and I’ll introduce you to everyone.”

 

The uneasiness in Xiaochun’s heart was immediately soothed, and he nodded as he followed Xiaonian and Xiaodou into the shop.

 

At this time, the breakfast shop was still quite busy. Hu Chunrong led them to the back, where water was boiled and dishes washed, and had them sit down. She served each of them a bowl of hot tofu pudding and two sticks of fried dough.

 

“Eat first. If it’s not enough, help yourselves from the bucket.”

 

“Sister-in-law, you go on with your work.”

 

Xiaonian fetched a few wooden stools for his younger brothers and second brother. “I used to eat here with Xiaodou while helping wash dishes during market days.”

 

Xiaochun curiously looked around the room. So this was where Big Brother and Sister-in-law used to live?

 

At the front, Lu Lin was about to close up shop and go home, but Lu Yao stopped him. “You’re making money today. I’m not leaving right away.”

 

“Then you and Bei Chuan can take the kids home first. We’ll come back after we’re done here.”

 

Zhao Beichuan measured the door and waved his hand. “The carriage might not fit through. It’s too wide.”

 

Hu Chunrong made the decision. “We’ll wait here at the shop. Later, we’ll pick up Mother and head to Lu Family Village together. She’s been wanting to go back for the New Year these past few days.”

 

Lu Yao agreed, “That works. I’ll help out a bit in the meantime.”

 

Lu Miao pulled him down to sit. “You’ve come from so far. You should rest, not work.”

 

“I’ve been resting the whole way here. Sitting in the carriage made me numb. I need to move around.”

 

Seeing Lu Yao dressed so neatly, Hu Chunrong quickly took off her apron and tied it around him to prevent his clothes from getting dirty.

 

As he stood at the front, customers who came to buy food exclaimed in surprise, “Wow, Shopkeeper Lu is back!”

 

Lu Yao smiled. “You still recognize me?”

 

“I’ve been eating your tofu pudding for over a year. How could I not? But where have you been this past year?”

 

Lu Yao skillfully grabbed some fried dough sticks and called Lu Yun to serve tofu pudding. “I moved to the provincial capital and opened a restaurant there. I’ve come back for the New Year.”

 

The customer clicked their tongue in admiration. “Impressive!”

 

More people recognized Lu Yao, and seeing the front well-handled, Hu Chunrong took over her husband’s task. “You go spend some time with Bei Chuan. I’ll handle the frying.”

 

Lu Lin handed her the long chopsticks. “Be careful not to get burned by the oil.”

 

“Got it.”

 

Lu Lin, curious about their life in the provincial capital over the past year, wiped his hands and sat beside Zhao Beichuan. Looking at the large carriage, he asked, “Did you buy or rent this?”

 

“Bought it.”

 

“Must’ve cost a lot?”

 

“Altogether with the horse, it was 180 taels.”

 

Lu Lin gasped and patted Zhao Beichuan on the arm. “You two really dare to spend!”

 

Zhao Beichuan laughed. “Lu Yao earns well. This isn’t much.”

 

Lu Lin asked, “In your letter, you mentioned renting a shop in Pingzhou to open a restaurant. How’s that going?”

 

“Well, it’s a long story.” Zhao Beichuan began recounting their journey, from finding a shop to the recent success of their restaurant, where selling copper hotpots was so popular they made over ten taels of silver in a day. Lu Lin was left dumbfounded.

 

“Is business that good in the provincial capital?”

 

“There are more people in the capital, and wealthy ones too, so business is naturally better than in a small town. But it still depends on the quality of your product and whether it can attract customers. There are plenty of restaurants in the capital, but not all can survive. Our restaurant thrives thanks to Lu Yao’s talent.”

 

Lu Lin nodded. He admired his younger brother, who was both smart and bold. These were things he couldn’t do himself.

 

“I noticed you brought a child back with you?”

 

“It’s fate that we met him. When we first arrived in the capital, Xiaonian and Xiaodou were kidnapped by traffickers.”

 

Lu Lin was startled. “What?!”

 

“They were tricked by a woman into going to her house, supposedly to buy a rabbit cage. But it turned out to be a group of traffickers who captured and locked them up.”

 

“And how did you find them?”

 

“This was all thanks to Lu Yao,” Zhao Beichuan said, recounting the story of Huang Yazi to Lu Lin. Although he kept the description brief, Lu Lin was still shaken by the details.

 

It was pure luck that the children were found. If they hadn’t been, he couldn’t imagine how the couple would have carried on. The prefecture city was clearly no place for ordinary folks to live.

 

After finishing their conversation about the prefecture city, Zhao Beichuan asked about the family over the past year.

 

“Things are still the same. The shop’s business has been pretty good, and you’ve built a solid customer base. But not long after you left, another breakfast shop opened nearby. They tried copying our soybean products, but they were so unhygienic that people said their broth had maggots in the summer. They closed down within three months.”

 

Zhao Beichuan nodded. “In the food business, it’s all about taste and cleanliness. We follow the same principle in the prefecture city—meat and vegetables left overnight in summer are never served to customers.”

 

Lu Lin continued, “Nothing much has changed in the village either, though we heard about a murder case not long ago.”

 

“What happened?”

 

“I’m not entirely sure, but it seems a guy got into gambling and lost all the family’s land. His parents couldn’t handle it anymore and strangled him in his sleep with a rope.”

 

Zhao Beichuan thought for a moment and guessed the man was probably Fang Laosan, who had stolen from their home years ago.

 

It had only been two years, but it felt like a lifetime ago.

 

“Is the family’s land still being farmed?” After the Zhao family moved their household registration, their land was taken back by the village. However, the Lu family’s land remained, though Lu Lin was too busy with the shop to farm it.

 

“No, we leased it to my second uncle’s family. They give us some grain as rent each year. This year’s harvest was great—there were twelve stone of millet from the mountain field!”

 

“That’s fantastic.”

 

As they talked, the number of customers in the shop dwindled, and the buckets of soy milk and tofu pudding were nearly empty.

 

Hu Chunrong called Lu Lin to fetch the cart and prepare to close up shop.

 

Lu Lin hobbled back home and went inside to tell his mother to pack.

 

“Mom, bring out the bedding and clothes. We’re heading back to Lu Family Village later.”

 

The old lady was feeding the two grandchildren bowls of egg custard. Surprised, she asked, “We’re going back to the village today? It’s not even lunchtime. Shouldn’t we eat first and leave in the afternoon?”

 

“We’ll have lunch at home. Lu Yao and the others are back.”

 

The old lady dropped the bowl onto the kang in shock, and Xiao Shitou quickly reached out to catch it. “Grandma, the custard spilled.”

 

The old lady slapped her thigh and laughed heartily. “So what if it spilled? We won’t eat eggs anymore—later, I’ll cook meat for you!”

 

Seeing his mother so happy, Lu Lin felt relieved. “I’ll go hitch the cart and bring the shop’s things back. The shop’s closed until after the New Year.”

 

“Good, good, good!” The old lady was so overjoyed she spun around on the kang and picked up Xiao Jin for a kiss. “My precious boy, your third uncle is back!”

 

“Uncle…” Xiao Jin stammered.

 

“That’s right—your uncle!”

 

Xiao Shitou looked up curiously and asked, “Who’s third uncle?”

 

“You should call him third uncle. He’s your dad’s brother, older than your fourth and fifth uncles.”

 

When Lu Yao left, Xiao Shitou had only been two and a half years old and had long since forgotten him.

 

The old lady coaxed the two children for a while before suddenly remembering Lu Lin’s instructions. She quickly got up to pack.

 

The bedding had to be brought along since there wouldn’t be enough blankets back home for everyone. She gathered her clothes and those of her sons, daughters-in-law, and Xiao Shitou, folding them neatly into bundles. She also packed ten or so bowls and ladles into a wicker basket. The rest of the household items could stay since they had everything they needed back home.

 

She waited for a long time but didn’t see Lu Yao and the others return, so she anxiously stood at the door, peering out.

 

After about half an hour, Lu Lin and Wang Youtian finally came back with the cart. Lu Yao and the others also arrived, riding their own flatbed cart.

 

Before entering the yard, Lu Mu’s voice rang out. “A Yao!”

 

Lu Yao jumped off the cart and ran into the yard. “Mom!”

 

“Oh, my, my, I’ve finally waited long enough for you to come back!” Lu Mu cried, hugging Lu Yao tightly. Both mother and son were overcome with emotion and couldn’t help but shed tears.

 

Hu Chunrong teased with a smile, “Mother still dotes on the third one most. Now that he’s back, you don’t even see the rest of us.”

 

Lu Mu couldn’t help but laugh through her tears. “Pfft, I see you every day. I’m sick of looking at you!”

 

She looked Lu Yao up and down. Seeing that he was ruddy-faced and energetic, she knew he had been doing well over the past year. “Why are you back alone? Where’s Da Chuan and the others?”

 

Lu Yao wiped his tears and snot. “The cart couldn’t fit into the yard, so they’re all waiting out front.”

 

Hu Chunrong said, “Mom, have you finished packing? Let’s hurry and leave so we can make it home in time for lunch.”

 

“All packed. Just grab the two little ones, and we’ll go!”

 

Lu Yao went into the house and saw Xiao Shitou and Xiao Jin playing on the kang. He couldn’t resist waving at them. “Stone, do you remember me?”

 

Stone looked at Lu Yao, then at Lu Yun and Lu Miao, and shook his head. “You look like my fourth and fifth uncles.”

 

Lu Yao laughed. “They look like me. Xiao Jin, come to uncle for a hug.”

 

Xiao Jin walked a few steps toward Lu Yao but suddenly hesitated and turned to dive into Lu Yun’s arms, muttering, “Bean, bean…”

 

Lu Yun corrected him, “It’s uncle.”

 

“Un-un…”

 

Everyone burst into laughter. Lu Yao stretched out his arms. “Come on, let me hold you.”

 

The little one was chubby, dressed in thick cotton-padded clothes, and surprisingly heavy. After holding him for a while, Lu Yao’s arms grew sore, and he quickly passed him to Lu Yun. “Jin is so chubby!”

 

“Eighteen jin now—we can barely carry him anymore.”

 

Lu Mu said, “Chubby is good. It means he’s strong and won’t get sick easily.”

 

The group bustled out the door. “Mom, bring the kids onto the cart. It’s warm inside.”

 

The old lady had never ridden in a cart before, and the thought excited her. “Alright, once we get back to the village, I’m going to show it off to everyone!”

 

The cart was spacious, seating six or seven people without feeling cramped. They decided to let the sisters-in-law and brothers ride together to enjoy the lively atmosphere.

 

“Giddy up, giddy up!” Zhao Beichuan drove the cart along the familiar road, accompanied by the laughter of the women, men, and children onboard.

 

Lu Yao was especially fond of Xiao Jin. The child was adorable, with a good temperament, and giggled with a few white teeth whenever teased.

 

Lu Yun remarked, “You like kids so much—why don’t you hurry up and have one of your own?”

 

“Other people’s kids are great. Having your own isn’t so easy.”

 

Mother Lu thought of the difficult labor that the fourth son’s wife had gone through and couldn’t help but sigh. “It’s up to you, but don’t wait too long. If you want children when you’re older, it’ll be much harder.”

 

“Then I’ll just take Xiao Jin with me,” Lu Yao joked, pretending to snatch him.

 

Xiao Jin was so frightened that he quickly buried himself in Lu Yun’s arms. “Bad… bad…”

 

Lu Yun was shocked and looked at his son. “What did you just say?” He had never heard his son say something like this before.

 

Hu Chunrong clapped her hands and laughed heartily. “Hahaha! He even knows what’s good and bad now.”

 

Mother Lu also burst out laughing. “This little rascal! Come here and let Grandma hold you.”

 

The carriage swayed and bumped into the village. Lu Jiu, who was chopping wood outside, heard the sound of creaking wheels and looked up. He was startled by the sight of the large carriage.

 

“Dad, come out quickly!”

 

“What’s going on?”

 

“Take a look! There’s a big carriage coming into the village!”

 

Father Lu, Lu Changzhou, put on his hat and came out. From a distance, he too was taken aback. “Could it be an official’s carriage?”

 

“I don’t know!” The father and son hurriedly ran out to follow the carriage, trailing behind it.

 

Before long, several other families also came out, following curiously. None of them had ever seen such a grand carriage before—it was truly impressive.

 

Some villagers recognized the mule carts following behind. They belonged to Lu Guangsheng’s second son and fourth son-in-law. Could the carriage also be from their family?

 

They followed all the way until the carriage stopped at Lu Guangsheng’s house. Only then did they clearly see that sitting in the carriage were none other than Mother Lu and her sons and daughters-in-law!

 

Someone who was acquainted came forward to greet them. “Sister-in-law, are you back for the New Year?”

 

Mother Lu smiled and nodded. “Yes, back for the New Year. We can’t celebrate without bringing Guangsheng home for dinner on New Year’s Eve.”

 

At the mention of her late husband, everyone sighed. The old man had been a kind-hearted soul, always getting along well with the neighbors.

 

“This carriage…”

 

Mother Lu pulled Lu Yao forward and said, “My third son and his family just came back from the provincial capital.”

 

Everyone’s attention shifted to Lu Yao, scrutinizing him closely. So they had been to the provincial capital!

 

Although Lu Yao’s appearance hadn’t changed, his clothing and demeanor were completely different. They couldn’t quite put their finger on it, but he seemed transformed. In modern terms, it was a matter of presence and aura.

 

Back in the day, they had lived frugally and could barely save any money after a year of hard work. But now, he could casually afford a hundred taels of silver to buy a carriage. Such ease and composure naturally set him apart from the villagers.

 

Hu Chunrong opened the courtyard gate. “It’s cold outside. Come in and warm up.”

 

Zhao Beichuan drove the carriage into the yard. The children were carried inside first, while the others unloaded the goods from the carriage.

 

The purchased fabrics were all wrapped in oilcloth to protect them from the snow. Other gifts and food were packed in baskets, and Zhao Beichuan carried them in with ease.

 

Lu Lin and Wang Youtian also drove their mule carts into the yard. Once unloaded, they tied up the animals in the shed and fed them hay. The courtyard was soon bustling and full.

 

Mother Lu hadn’t been home for over half a year. The house hadn’t been heated in a long time, and it was cold and damp.

 

Hu Chunrong brought in a pile of firewood from the stack in the back and lit fires in both stoves, finally bringing some warmth into the house.

 

Mother Lu took off the children’s shoes and invited the older ones onto the kang. “Come on, take off your shoes and get on the kang. Cover your feet with a quilt to stay warm.”

 

The children all took off their shoes and gathered on the kang.

 

Lu Yao brought out some candies and pastries from the provincial capital and placed a plate on the table. “Everyone, have a taste.”

 

“Mother, try this. It’s Osmanthus Cake, a sweet pastry made from flowers in the south. It’s fragrant and delicious.”

 

Mother Lu took a small bite, smacked her lips, and said, “It’s really good. Save it for the children.”

 

“Please, have more. We bought plenty!”

 

Lu Miao picked up two pieces, eating as he gave a thumbs-up. “Things from the provincial capital really are better.”

 

Lu Yao teased him, “You like it? Then come with me to the provincial capital.”

 

Lu Miao’s eyes widened. “Really? Mother, can I go to the provincial capital with Third Brother?!”

 

“Go to the provincial capital? After the New Year, you’ll be getting married. How could you have time to go anywhere?”

 

Lu Miao pouted. When he had been with Lu Yao in town before, apart from being busy during work hours, he could play freely and even earn wages every month. The thought of marrying into the Ding family and living under the same roof with all those people made him feel utterly miserable.

 

Outside, a few men were chopping firewood and preparing to cook. Lu Lin had bought a pig in the village to slaughter and stew for lunch.

 

Hearing the commotion, the children wanted to go outside to watch. Lu Yao quickly dressed them in warm clothes, hats, and gloves before letting them out.

 

By the time they ran out, the pig had already been slaughtered, and its blood was being drained.

 

Xiao Shitou was so frightened that he covered his face, unwilling to look. Xiao Jin seemed scared too, but Xiaonian wasn’t afraid at all. She even remembered her big brother once bringing back a wild boar from the mountains!

 

The pig was quite large and covered in thick fat.

 

Boiling water was poured over it to remove the bristles. Scraping the pig’s hair was a laborious task, so Zhao Beichuan handled it efficiently with a scraper, leaving the skin clean and smooth.

 

Wang Youtian poured more hot water to scrape it again. After three rounds, the pig was finally spotless.

 

Next came gutting the pig and removing its innards. With a sharp knife, a cut was made from its neck all the way down, revealing the thick layers of pork and all the entrails spilling into a wooden basin.

 

The offal was carefully cleaned for later use. The tripe would be perfect for hotpot, and the intestines, once cleaned thoroughly, could be stir-fried.

 

The pig’s head and trotters were set aside for separate preparations, while the rest of the meat was prime pork.

 

For lunch, they stewed a pot of pork belly and a large pork knuckle. With so many people, they made a full pot. Whatever wasn’t finished could be kept, as the cold weather would preserve it well.

 

Lu Yao brought out some liquor for his second brother and brother-in-law to try.

 

They had only ever tasted rice wine and had never encountered strong spirits before. Seeing the clear liquid being poured out, they curiously sniffed it.

 

“This smells amazing!”

 

Wang Youtian couldn’t resist taking a sip, which left him coughing and red-faced from the intense burn. It took him a while to recover.

 

Zhao Beichuan patted his back, laughing. “This liquor packs a punch. Take it slow.”

 

Lu Lin sipped carefully and said, “Phew—this is great liquor! The spirits from the provincial capital are nothing like the ones we have in town.”

 

Lu Yao didn’t dare mention that he had made the liquor himself, lest his mother start asking how he had learned distilling.

 

The men drank and chatted while the women and children ate meat.

 

Meals always felt more enjoyable with a crowd. Meat was rare in the countryside, and everyone loved the fatty cuts. Even Xiao Jin ate several pieces of pork fat, leaving his face smeared with grease.

 

After lunch, it was already late afternoon. Mother Lu decided to have Lu Yun’s family stay over as well. Since Lu Yao rarely came back from the provincial capital, the brothers could spend a few more days together.

 

Lu Yao asked Zhao Beichuan to bring out the items he had bought in the provincial capital. With everyone present, it was the perfect time to distribute the gifts.