Five years later, inside Qingzhou City, Xiao Du wore a brand new dark green robe embellished with gold embroidery. He adjusted the jade crown on his head and suddenly turned to Xiao Chun, who was tidying his robe. “Do you think I look handsome?”
Xiao Chun stumbled, nearly tripping over. He didn’t know what had gotten into the young master today, asking such a question out of the blue. But he pretended to be serious and replied with a smile, “Very handsome!”
Xiao Du raised an eyebrow and asked again, “Do you think I was more handsome before, or am I more handsome now?”
Xiao Chun gulped, feeling that this question was a bit dangerous no matter how he answered it. But his skill in flattery wasn’t acquired for nothing, so he smiled and replied, “You are always handsome, sir.”
Xiao Du snorted lightly, but he seemed satisfied with the answer and let Xiao Chun off the hook. He looked at himself in the bronze mirror, still the same with his monkey arms and slender waist, and grumbled to himself resentfully, “Clearly, I haven’t become ugly or old. Why does my wife prefer to dote on that dirty and smelly little brat rather than me?”
It’s no wonder he was so self-pitying. Ever since Yuanxi finally gave birth to their son, Xiao Mu, a few months ago, Xiao Du’s initial joy gradually turned into disappointment. It was because Yuanxi loved this child so much that she was practically obsessed with him, unwilling to let go of him all day long, doing everything herself and hardly letting anyone else intervene.
As a result, Xiao Du, the husband, was completely neglected. He thought that after enduring ten months of pregnancy, he would finally have a chance to be affectionate with Yuanxi. Who knew that when the son was born, every night he couldn’t leave his mother, and Yuanxi didn’t want to find a wet nurse to feed the child? So, Xiao Du could only watch his son eat and drink to his heart’s content, and fall asleep in Yuanxi’s arms, while he tossed and turned, feeling very lonely and empty.
Thinking of the miserable situation he had been in for the past few months, Xiao Du felt so resentful that he wanted to scratch himself. He swore that he would throw that stinky little brat into Nanny Li’s room tonight. He couldn’t let him monopolize his wife anymore; those little hands, that body, that embrace should rightfully belong to him.
With this firm belief in mind, he pushed open the bedroom door. But before he could say anything, Yuanxi rushed to him and said, “You’re just in time. Mu has wet his diaper again. I just changed it for him. Can you entertain him for a while? I’ll take the dirty diaper to Nanny Li to wash, and then I’ll bring a clean set of clothes over.” Then she hurried out like a gust of wind.
So Xiao Du was left hanging in the room, accompanying the little rascal on the bed who was happily sucking on his fingers, his eyes wandering around. He sat at the edge of the bed, feeling very unwilling, and looked at the chubby little meatball wrapped in blankets: his chubby face with rosy cheeks, his lotus-like little hands grabbing aimlessly in the air, looking at him with curiosity. Xiao Du snorted disdainfully and poked his chubby face, saying, “You’re so ugly, nothing like your dad.”
As if understanding these words, the baby murmured for a while before spitting out a mouthful of saliva. The saliva dripped down sticky and landed on his chin. Xiao Du hurriedly found a handkerchief to wipe it dry, then poked his chubby cheeks with annoyance, saying, “You’re born so ugly and dirty, not even half as dashing as your dad. Tell me, why does your mother only want to look at you and never glance at me?”
The dark pupils of Xiao Mu turned, seeming very dissatisfied with the finger poking his face, so he opened his small mouth and started crying loudly. Xiao Du was startled and quickly reached out to cover his mouth, clumsily trying to soothe him, “Don’t cry, don’t cry, otherwise your mother will think I’m bullying you again.” But once this baby started crying, it was unstoppable. Seeing that his mouth was about to be covered again, he cried even louder, making a deafening sound.
Yuanxi heard the crying from afar and quickly rushed in, picking up Xiao Mu who was crying with a red face and tears streaming down his face. She scolded Xiao Du with dissatisfaction, “Look at how you handle being a father. You’ve only been with your son for a while and you’ve already made him cry!”
Xiao Du suddenly felt very aggrieved. He hadn’t done anything wrong; he just spoke a few truths. But after this ordeal, all the courage he had gathered outside the room vanished. He opened his mouth to say something, but seeing that Yuanxi had no intention of talking to him, he just lowered his head in frustration and walked away. Turning back at the door, he saw his son, who had been crying loudly just moments ago, now smiling happily in his mother’s arms, rubbing and kissing her affectionately. He couldn’t help but feel resentful in his heart, thinking, “At such a young age, he’s already so cunning. Let’s see how I deal with you, my boy.”
A few days later, Xiao Du presented several food boxes to Yuanxi with a mysterious smile, inviting her to open them. Curious, Yuanxi opened the boxes and found inside her favorite pastries from when she was in the capital: lotus seed paste cake, steamed yogurt cake, and green bean cake… the whole box was filled with them, making her excitedly rub her hands together and blush with anticipation.
Since moving to Qingzhou with Xiao Du over the years, she had gotten used to everything except for missing the delicious food of the capital. Qingzhou didn’t have as rich resources as the capital, nor could they produce such delicate and soft pastries. Although she felt a bit sentimental about missing the food, she kept this regret in her heart, never mentioning it. Who would have thought that Xiao Du could see through her thoughts and especially bring these pastries from the capital?
Thinking of this, she felt sweet and warm in her heart and quickly picked up a piece to taste. The long-lost fragrance filled her mouth, making her feel satisfied as she closed her eyes. Seeing Yuanxi enjoying the food so much, Xiao Du felt even happier than if he had eaten it himself. He boasted, “To keep these pastries fresh, I wrapped the food boxes with ice and changed the horses day and night to deliver them.”
Hearing this, Yuanxi felt a little distressed and said, “Just for a few boxes of pastries, you’ve gone to such trouble. People will think you’re too extravagant if they find out.”
Xiao Du shrugged indifferently and said, “As long as it makes you happy, what others say doesn’t matter.”
Seeing Yuanxi’s bright smile, he continued, “You’ve been taking care of Mu these days. Let me give you a massage to help you relax.”
Yuanxi had never known that he knew how to give massages, so she lay down with some curiosity. Feeling his warm and powerful hands wandering around her shoulders and neck, applying just the right pressure, Yuanxi felt extremely comfortable and couldn’t help but hum softly in satisfaction. But then his hands began to stray to inappropriate places. Xiao Du deliberately used his fingers to glide down her smooth back, gently kneading and teasing, slipping under her skirt, mischievously pinching and twisting. Yuanxi’s body, still sensitive from childbirth, felt a rush of heat surging from her lower abdomen. Her face turned red, and she bit her lip to suppress the almost-uttered moan. Suddenly remembering that their son was still sleeping beside them, she quickly turned her head and saw Xiao Mu staring at them wide-eyed, sucking his thumb. She hurriedly pulled away his hand, saying, “No, the child is watching!”
Xiao Du leaned close to her ear and whispered with a hint of grievance, “My dear… we haven’t… in a long time.” Yuanxi blushed even more, understanding that he had indeed been holding back for too long. She felt a bit sympathetic but still hesitated, saying, “But Mu is still young, someone has to take care of him.”
Xiao Du waited for this sentence and quickly added, “Tonight, let’s send him to Nanny Li’s room first and find a wet nurse to feed him. I can’t bear to see you struggle with breastfeeding every night.”
Yuanxi shook her head, “But I don’t want a wet nurse. I want to feed our child myself.”
Xiao Du pleaded with a sad face, “Then just for tonight, let him sleep in Nanny Li’s room. If he cries, we’ll bring him back to breastfeeding.”
Unable to resist his soft pleading, Yuanxi felt a pang of guilt for neglecting her husband during this time. She sighed softly and said reluctantly, “Okay, but only for tonight.”
Xiao Mu stared with a pair of innocent big eyes, only now understanding his fate. He quickly let go of his fingers, opened his mouth, and burst into tears. Yuanxi’s heart softened, but Xiao Du immediately picked up Xiao Mu and said, “Let me comfort him.” Then he turned away, showing a victorious smile to his son.
So, in the evening, Xiao Mu was sent to Nanny Li’s room. Nanny Li, being experienced, understood the couple’s intentions and assured them that she would take good care of their son, allowing them to relax.
Xiao Du, finally fulfilling his long-awaited wish, quickly arranged for the room to be scented with Yuanxi’s favorite perfume, changed the bedding, and even scattered rose petals, making thorough preparations. Just as Yuanxi stepped into the room and before she could even marvel at it, Xiao Du impatiently pulled her onto the bed. Yuanxi found his eagerness amusing and hadn’t had a chance to tease him when his lips fiercely sealed hers, tangling and demanding until Yuanxi was breathless and soft in his arms.
When Yuanxi came to from her dizziness, she found herself lying on the bed, Xiao Du’s big hands exploring under her loosened clothes, skillfully touching all her sensitive spots. Yuanxi felt a tingling sensation spreading from his palm, making her whole body hot and restless, unable to help emitting a muted moan from her lips. This sound destroyed Xiao Du’s composure. He leaned down to nibble and bite at her clean neck, about to remove her last barrier when suddenly they heard frantic crying from outside the door.
This sound startled both of them. Fortunately, Nanny Li was just outside, calling out, “Young master is crying incessantly. He probably wants to breastfeed. Madam, do you want to come out and see?”
Yuanxi tried to get up, but Xiao Du, his desire still raging, held her down. At that moment, something unexpected happened. Yuanxi felt her chest inexplicably wet, and she quickly covered her face in embarrassment, saying, “No! I need to breastfeed!”
Xiao Du stared dumbfounded at Yuanxi’s increasingly wet chest. Now, there was no way to continue. Reluctantly, he let Yuanxi take Xiao Mu to breastfeed. Nanny Li, seeing his grim expression, felt even more guilty. After Xiao Mu finished breastfeeding and fell asleep contentedly in his mother’s arms, she quickly took him back to their room.
Yuanxi adjusted her undergarments, seeing Xiao Du sitting on the bed looking awkward. Suddenly, she found the previous scene quite funny and couldn’t help but burst into laughter, making Xiao Du turn his head in annoyance and lie down on the bed. Yuanxi laughed as she leaned on him, poking his chest gently and whispering in his ear, “Don’t be mad. I promise you, tonight we’ll try again with a few more attempts.”
Xiao Du couldn’t resist her teasing. He turned over, pressing her beneath him, and in a blink of an eye, they entangled again. But just as Xiao Du was about to intensify the intimacy, there was another knock on the door.
Xiao Du’s mood was on the verge of collapse. He couldn’t help but roar angrily, “Who is it? Do you want to die? Get out!”
There was a moment of silence outside, and then a very aggrieved voice said, “Big brother, sister-in-law, it’s me!”
Yuanxi and Xiao Du were both surprised. Why would Xuan’er come at this time? They hurriedly and flusteredly adjusted their clothes before opening the door. As soon as the door opened, Xuan’er collapsed into Yuanxi’s arms, saying, “Sister-in-law, that guy surnamed Xia bullied me. Please help me.”
Yuanxi was taken aback, quickly welcoming her in and instructing the servants to bring tea for her. After Xuan’er finished pouring out her grievances, Xiao Du’s face was extremely ugly. He said, “You came to Qingzhou just for this trivial matter and knocked on our door in the middle of the night?”
Xuan’er wiped her tears and said, “It’s only been five years since we got married, and he dares to treat me like this. Besides, I missed you, so I came to see you. Big brother, if you don’t take me in, Xuan’er will have nowhere to go.”
Xiao Du couldn’t help but roll his eyes inwardly, thinking that his little sister must have made that guy Xia suffer a lot over the years. Being pampered and becoming a mother had spoiled her even more. Yuanxi quickly signaled Xiao Du not to provoke her further and held Xuan’er’s hand, saying, “Xuan’er, you can sleep with me tonight. Let’s have a good chat.”
Xuan’er smiled through her tears and hugged Yuanxi tightly, saying, “That’s great, sister-in-law, I missed you so much. I have so much to talk to you about.”
Seeing Xiao Du’s face twisted in anger, Yuanxi quickly said, “Let Nanny Li bring the child over. Mu has never left us before, and I’m afraid he’ll cry again.”
Xiao Du gritted his teeth and said, “You chat with Xuan’er. Tonight, Mu will sleep with me.”
So, that night, Xiao Du went from holding his wife to holding his son, feeling miserable. He looked at his son sleeping soundly in his arms and sighed, “You brat, your mother abandoned me for you. You must treat her well in the future and be filial to her, understand?” He seemed to remember something, his tone softened, and he continued, “Your mother has had a hard time. She accompanied me to this faraway place and stayed here for five years. Fortunately, she met your father.” Yes, how lucky they were to meet each other.