TAMW CH73

After the New Year holidays, the laborers at the port resumed their daily work.

The festive atmosphere at the Zhou estate had also begun to fade; nearly twice as many red lanterns had been hung compared to previous years, adding vibrant splashes of color to the somber gray compound.

Snow was rare in Baizhou; even when it did fall, a newly built snowman would melt within just a few days.

Zhou Xiao had built one in the courtyard to amuse the child.

Yuqing was terrified of Qingming falling ill, so while they played in the snow, he stood beneath the veranda watching, gently reminding him whenever he saw a snowball clenched in Qingming’s hands, or calling the boy over to warm himself with a hot-water warmer for a spell.

Little Qingming played with wild abandon, giggling nonstop as he dashed all over the courtyard.

Breaking into a heavy sweat, the child was none the worse for wear, but Yuqing, standing beneath the veranda, began coughing softly.

Ever since Yuqing gave birth, Zhou Xiao treated his health with paramount care; a Western-style fireplace had been custom-built in the old bedchamber, fired alongside the underfloor heating all winter long out of dread that he might catch a chill.

Zhou Xiao had heard from the physician that anyone who had borne a child was most susceptible to the cold.

Indeed, after bearing Qingming, Yuqing had hardly fallen ill for over two years; yet standing in the chilly draft just to watch the child play in the snow had unexpectedly brought on a fever.

Zhou Xiao was naturally the first to notice.

That morning, he discovered the inside was far hotter than usual, the wetness overflowing, and the man so limp he possessed not an ounce of strength.

He quickly slipped out, turned him over, and pressed forehead to forehead to test his temperature.

The temperature on his forehead rose slowly, but the heat ran deep within his flesh, allowing Zhou Xiao to catch it all the sooner.

This at least held an advantage: taking medicine before the ailment fully took hold meant it would recede much faster.

Doctor Liu no longer ran his apothecary; the Zhou family had brought his wife and children over, housing them in the servants’ side wing, guaranteeing them a lifetime free of worry over food and clothing so long as he attended diligently to Yuqing’s diet and medicinal broths.

With his wife and children taken in as collateral, how would Doctor Liu dare not do his utmost?

Truth be told, Doctor Liu wanted to say that even without his family brought over, he would still do his absolute utmost!

When Master Zhou threatened someone, he cared nothing for whether you had a wife and children at home; if he truly meant to deal with you and wanted you dead today, even if your name wasn’t written in the King of Hell’s ledger of life and death, he would storm down to the underworld just to ink it in himself. Faced with such a man, who would dare be careless?

Doctor Liu hurried over to examine him, diagnosing that cold evil had entered the body and he must be kept warm.

Yuqing’s body had endured childbirth, and on top of his lifelong frailty, his vital essence was already depleted, demanding extreme caution.

Zhou Xiao felt a wave of vexation, tempted in his anger to kick over the snowman he had built yesterday.

But remembering the boy loved it, he could only huff in irritation and leave it untouched in the courtyard.

Doctor Liu prescribed some medicine, all liquid herbal decoctions.

The internal chill had not yet erupted, and suppressing the symptoms now to stave off a full fever was best, so he could only swallow the bitter brew for now.

Yuqing had always possessed an indifferent, placid nature, save for a distinct aversion to bitter things.

Back when he was trying to conceive Qingming, he had downed countless bitter drafts until his mouth went numb, an experience that was thoroughly unpleasant.

Holding the medicinal bowl beside the bed, Zhou Xiao tasted a spoonful first, his brow furrowing at the intense bitterness. “Don’t drink this, it tastes foul. No, I need him to write a new prescription.”

“Wait,” Yuqing stopped him. “Why make things difficult for him?”

“It’s too bitter…” Zhou Xiao quickly ordered candied fruits set beside them. “Drink slowly. Taste some sweets first.”

Yuqing looked at the platter of sweets beside him, ranging from dates to sweet apricots, and even leftover holiday candies and Western chocolates, all laid out neatly; Zhou Xiao coaxed him, saying he should eat sweets first to line his stomach before the medicine.

Once his mouth grew cloyed with sweetness, swallowing the bitter decoction would be far easier.

Yuqing looked at him with gentle helplessness, tilting his head before bursting into soft laughter. “Are you coaxing me like you coax Qingming?”

Though he disliked bitter medicine, he was a grown man after all; could he truly be afraid of taking a draft?

Disliking it and being unable to drink it were two entirely different matters.

Yet whenever Zhou Xiao ran into something Yuqing disliked, it was treated as a catastrophe of monumental proportions.

“When have I ever coaxed Qingming like this?” he countered.

Thinking carefully, Yuqing realized he truly never had.

While not an overly strict father to Qingming, Zhou Xiao disciplined him regularly, carrying himself with the authority of the master of the house, rarely indulging in doting coaxing.

Blowing the medicine cool, Zhou Xiao offered it forward, murmuring softly, “I only coax Qingqing.”

“My,” pleased by his coaxing, Yuqing parted his lips and drank the bitter draft. “Coaxed by Zezhi, this medicine truly isn’t bitter in the slightest; it’s turned sweet.”

“Truly?” Zhou Xiao bent forward, extending his tongue to ask him to spit a bit out for him to taste.

“There is plenty in the bowl.”

“Qingqing…” His mouth remained open, demanding only what belonged to his wife.

Yuqing could hardly bring himself to do such a thing, so he dipped his head helplessly to kiss him; Zhou Xiao turned to capture his lips, sealing them tight, as though seeking to sweep away every trace of bitterness within.

Even if the taste was bitter, inside his mouth it turned completely sweet.

How could one ever tire of such days?

Zhou Xiao only lamented that there were merely twelve two-hour periods in a day, several of which had to be spent sleeping, begrudging that they could not cling to each other in dreams, wasting so much precious time in vain.

Yuqing, on the other hand, had long grown accustomed to his clinginess.

He even felt there was nothing wrong with Zhou Xiao being this way.

It was his first time being a wife as well; loving his husband deeply was good for the child too.

Used to his clinginess, he found Zhou Xiao quite endearing day in and day out; such a grown man, constantly calling him “Qingqing, Qingqing” without a shred of shame.

Yuqing could scarcely imagine whether Zhou Xiao would still call him that when they both grew old.

Hearing his musing, Zhou Xiao was overjoyed.

Because Yuqing was already thinking of growing old with him…

With those few words from Yuqing, Zhou Xiao felt his life had not been lived in vain.

Naturally, he intended to grow old alongside Yuqing; even when death came, they must depart together.

Otherwise, someone as captivating as Yuqing would surely be coveted even in the underworld; even against the denizens of King Yanluo’s court, Zhou Xiao feared nothing, determined to guard his wife and follow wherever he went.

Hearing these obsessive and childish words, Yuqing could not help smiling, chiding him for having the temperament of a child.

“Then this child should coax Mother more; drink a bit more,” Zhou Xiao struck while the iron was hot, holding out the medicinal bowl.

Yuqing took it with a smile. “Always spouting nonsense.”

He tipped his head back and drank the dark herbal broth in one go, a few stray drops trickling down the corner of his lips; taking the empty bowl with one hand, Zhou Xiao leaned close, kissing his way up from his neck to lick the corner of his mouth clean.

Whatever touched Yuqing’s skin, Zhou Xiao had every reason to adore.

“You exercised restraint today, letting me off the hook just like that once you realized I had a fever,” Yuqing praised him.

“I am not someone whose eyes are blinded by lust; naturally, your health comes first.” A faint blush crept over Zhou Xiao’s ears.

Yuqing’s eyes widened slightly, his expression filled with amused skepticism.

“Besides, when you’re uncomfortable in deep sleep, it’s too tight,” Zhou Xiao murmured, scratching his palm lightly. “It hurts a bit.”

Yuqing: “…”

That was probably the real reason!

Yuqing knew no proper words would ever leave that mouth of his, and could only poke his forehead. “You, really…”

“You asked me to speak,” Zhou Xiao said. “Now that I have, you blame me again.”

Terrified that Yuqing might pull away, he hurriedly clasped both hands tightly around his, refusing to let go.

As he spoke, he slipped off his coat and crawled directly onto the bed.

Qingming had long passed the age of weaning, but Zhou Xiao had developed the persistent habit of suckling morning and night.

Over these years, Yuqing’s chest had been bitten and teased so often that an extra layer of lining had to be stitched inside his thin summer gowns.

Sometimes, looking down at his own body, Yuqing felt it appeared rather indecent.

While not exaggerated, those spots were undeniably slightly more prominent than an ordinary man’s.

Zhou Xiao, however, found this version of Yuqing utterly captivating.

A part of his wife’s body had been sculpted entirely by his own mouth; he cherished it, adored it, and lingered over it every single day.

Having taken the medicinal brew, Yuqing needed a nap, so Zhou Xiao pulled the quilt over them, burrowing straight into his embrace.

Suddenly, a childish voice piped up from outside: “How did Mother fall sick? I want to see Mother! Daddy—”

“I am the young master, out of my way!”

Deng Yongquan tried to block him, but the young master put on the imperious airs of a master of the house, clearly learned from his father, displaying them in full force.

None of the servants could hold him back.

It was fortunate that the couple had moved Qingming to the side room before he could speak; otherwise, the boy would surely have thrown a tantrum, refusing to leave his mother’s side to sleep alone.

“Mother, how did you get sick? What kind of sickness is it?” Little Qingming pushed the doors open and came running straight inside.

The curtains hanging over the bed were pulled aside by the child.

Before Yuqing could prop himself up, Zhou Xiao poked his head out from beneath the quilt, turning to see the chubby, bright-eyed boy leaning against the bedframe, asking, “Daddy, why haven’t you gotten out of bed yet?”

“Qingming has already reviewed his books.”

Zhou Xiao drew a deep breath and cleared his throat, just about to speak.

Noticing a faint glistening sheen on the corner of his lips, Yuqing reached out to wipe it away, giving him a hasty shove. “Go coax him.”

At Qingming’s current weight, Yuqing could no longer lift him.

“I don’t want Daddy to coax me.” Propping himself up with tiny hands, Qingming kicked off his shoes and scrambled onto the bed. “I want Mother. Mother is sick.”

“Qingming has come to care for you.”

“Hey, hey, hey—?” The little rascal tried to dive right beneath the quilt, wedging a chubby bundle between Zhou Xiao and his wife, tempting Zhou Xiao to give him a stern scolding.

“It is the child’s filial heart; do not brush aside his good intentions.” Yuqing pinched Zhou Xiao’s ear.

Zhou Xiao was in the midst of aching frustration; interrupted so abruptly by the child, he could only turn his back to compose himself for a moment.

Yuqing gathered the boy into his arms with one hand, asking how his studies had gone today.

Nestled obediently in his mother’s embrace, Qingming answered, then asked, “Mother, why is your collar open if you are sick?”

Yuqing coughed softly, pretending nothing was amiss as he buttoned it with one hand. “It was a bit warm.”

“Then this child will fan you.” Qingming’s chubby face turned utterly serious.

He was a filial boy, taking after Yuqing in this regard; a truly good child.

Yuqing stroked his head with tender fondness. “My good treasure.”

Praised by his mother, Qingming beamed with delight, waving his little hands to fan him even harder.

“Stop fanning. You’ll make your mother catch another chill in a moment. Come bother me instead and let him sleep for a bit, alright? Little ancestor, stop tormenting him.”

Having composed himself, Zhou Xiao stepped in to shoulder the child’s ceaseless chattering; aching for Yuqing, he wanted him to rest and recover properly.

Yuqing was indeed growing drowsy, resting his head against Zhou Xiao’s chest, watching Qingming sit on the bed reciting what had been taught today.

“With boundless energy like this, whom did this child take after?” Zhou Xiao grumbled under his breath.

Thinking to himself that there was no driving this little ancestor away, chattering on without end.

Yuqing let out a low, muffled chuckle, reaching down to stroke his leg; Zhou Xiao’s body stiffened at once. Yuqing asked softly, “Master, what do you say?”