TAMW CH33

Zhou Xiao washed his hands in the bathroom and wrung out the towel.

“Second Uncle, what was it like for Ruan Yuqing in our family back in the day?” Zhou Xiao asked. “I know very little. By the time I returned, he had already coaxed my father into an unrecognizable state.”

Zhou Yulin couldn’t help but nod, sighing heavily. “Ah, you came back late. There are many things you don’t understand.”

“Indeed,” Zhou Xiao smiled faintly.

He truly didn’t understand Yuqing well enough. Aside from knowing that the old man had picked Yuqing up off the streets, everything else he knew about Yuqing’s childhood came from the mouths of various section chiefs and bosses. When Yuqing first arrived at the Zhou family, the First Wife hadn’t even died yet.

In Zhou Yulin’s mouth, Yuqing was a man with the heart of a viper.

“First Sister-in-Law should have been ruthless enough to kill him back then, otherwise how could it be his turn to be so rampant now? Ah-Xiao, look at our Zhou family—how many people are even left? I’m afraid your eldest sister is having a hard time over at the Li family too…”

“It’s all Ruan Yuqing. An unpresentable thing like him tore our Zhou family to pieces. Once your railway is finished, buy Qingming Bank right back and revive the great legacy of our Zhou family.”

Zhou Xiao couldn’t help but nod. “Alright.”

“Is Yuqing’s character truly that despicable?”

“You don’t know. When he first arrived at the Zhou family, it wasn’t long before Big Brother gave him several shops to manage. If it wasn’t because he used to serve people in the Ruan family, how could he have completely completely bewitched Big Brother? Fortunately, you are ambitious and know what’s important…”

“Big Brother was truly addled, how could he let you marry a man? Pah, how shameful it is to speak of it! He didn’t consider your reputation for a second…”

Zhou Yulin urged him to finish building the railway quickly, so he could go home, hand Yuqing a letter of divorce, and kick him out of the Zhou family.

Zhou Xiao suppressed a laugh.

What he studied in France wasn’t port trade, and he already had bank management affairs in Shencheng. If he divorced Yuqing, who would manage the Zhou family’s properties?

“Second Uncle will manage it for you,” Zhou Yulin patted his shoulder. “We are the true family…”

After all that talk, wasn’t it just because Yuqing held the Zhou family fortune and Zhou Yulin couldn’t touch it, so he wanted Zhou Xiao to play the villain?

What a joke.

In Zhou Yulin’s mouth, Yuqing was a filthy piece of trash steeped in the scheming methods of deep mansions since childhood, with ruthless wrists.

Zhou Xiao didn’t think so at all. Yuqing was the softest-hearted of all. How could a wife carrying a child in his belly be a ruthless bad seed?

Zhou Yulin then claimed Yuqing had served countless people, ridden by a thousand men, just as lowly as his mother.

Zhou Xiao still fundamentally disagreed. Yuqing was clearly a pure little wife who blushed just from having his chest licked. Although three years older than him, he was incredibly innocent. Their wedding night had been the first time for both of them. That was what made them a true match, a union made in heaven…

Yuqing came to the Zhou family at eighteen. At that time, the First Wife was still alive. She was still jealous that her husband’s gaze wasn’t on her, even bringing back a young boy, but she was no longer young and lacked the energy to fight. She could only pin various charges on Yuqing’s head from time to time. Today, disrespecting elders—punished. Tomorrow, miscalculating the ledger meant he was a thief—punished. The ancestral hall and cushions that Zhou Xiao had knelt on, Yuqing had knelt on too.

In their eyes, Yuqing wasn’t clean, his mind was venomous, and he was the kind of commodity who couldn’t survive without a man.

Zhou Xiao listened with feigned bewilderment, looking at Zhou Yulin with a very unfamiliar gaze. “Second Uncle, I didn’t realize you and I were so estranged.”

“What? How could we, uncle and nephew, be estranged?” Zhou Yulin asked with a laugh.

Zhou Xiao stood up, walked around the edge of the bed, and sighed softly.

This hotel had five floors, and they were staying on the third. When the window was open, they could perfectly see the trams outside. Deng Yongquan had already taken the contract to the hospital to find Ruan Hongmei. The distance wasn’t far, and he had just returned. Ruan Hongmei knew about the contract, had stamped it, and they could withdraw the funds from the bank shortly.

“Mrs. Ruan said she will come pick up the Second Master in a little while,” Deng Yongquan reported, handing the exchangeable check to Zhou Xiao after coming upstairs.

Zhou Yulin was overjoyed: “Good, good, good.”

Once Zhou Xiao’s railway went through, the Ruan family could use it to transport opium all over the country. Places like the battlefield needed it the most—it worked better than anesthesia. This was a path to boundless wealth. Zhou Yulin had been waiting for this day. He had never been able to straighten his back in the Ruan family, and now that he had brought his mistress’s son home, he had to constantly watch his wife’s mood. But now, his nephew’s railway could help the Ruan family. From now on, he would be able to walk sideways in the Ruan household!

Zhou Xiao squinted, holding the check up to the light to inspect it.

Turning his head, he told Deng Yongquan to put it away safely. “Close the door.”

“Second Uncle, do you know who calls the shots in the Zhou family right now?” Zhou Xiao asked.

Zhou Yulin replied, “Ruan Yuqing, of course! That fire last time definitely had something to do with him. You saw those photos…”

Zhou Xiao, holding the wet towel, stood expressionless behind Zhou Yulin.

“Cough—” Before Zhou Yulin could finish his sentence, his vision suddenly went gray. His entire head was covered by the white towel, and immediately after, a tight grip constricted around his neck. All sound instantly vanished from his throat, leaving only a hoarse rasp.

The sleeves of Zhou Xiao’s shirt were rolled up. He had always preferred wearing black suits. Gray was mostly worn by students and looked too young, whereas black fabric immediately showed its quality, and the tailoring looked far more structured.

As his grip tightened, the veins on his forearms gradually bulged.

Standing by the door, Deng Yongquan watched this scene, frozen like a wooden chicken in terror.

Zhou Yulin’s arms clawed at Zhou Xiao, his legs kicking wildly, knocking over the wooden chair beside him.

“What are you standing there for?” Zhou Xiao frowned in displeasure.

Deng Yongquan scrambled over, righted the chair, and pinned down Zhou Yulin’s thrashing legs.

Zhou Xiao: “How could we, uncle and nephew, be so estranged.”

“Knowing full well that Yuqing is the master of the Zhou family, you still dare to slander him to my face?”

“What kind of thing are you, daring to instigate him to take a concubine for me? Second Uncle, when my father was alive, he certainly didn’t instruct you to slander Yuqing. When you go down there, apologize to him properly. It’s perfect timing—Zhou Min is dead too, so you father and son can have a nice reunion.”

“You have much more of a father-son bond with him than I ever did with Zhou Yuzhang.”

With the white towel wrapped over his head, Zhou Yulin struggled for a while before going completely still.

Zhou Xiao lifted the towel and took a look. Sure enough, he was dead as a doornail, his eyes wide open and unblinking.

“Second Uncle, look how blessed you are,” he smiled. “You even have a son waiting down below to serve you. Zhou Min surely died early just so he could serve you. What a filial child.”

Muttering to himself, he stood up and kicked the body onto the floor.

Deng Yongquan quickly let go, dropped to his knees, and heavily kowtowed twice to Zhou Yulin, thinking in his heart, ‘Second Master, have a safe journey!’

Zhou Xiao had always been eccentric. But rather than eccentric, it was more accurate to call him extremely arrogant. He firmly believed in his own principles, and if anyone tried to shake them even a fraction, they were touching a forbidden zone.

For instance, in his heart, Yuqing was his wife who was about to become a mother. How could such a sacred identity as a mother be casually slandered? This was not good; Zhou Xiao felt he really should have told his Second Uncle to be more careful next time—dying just because of a loose mouth wasn’t very worthwhile.

But in this day and age, human lives were cheap anyway. Especially a worthless life like Second Uncle’s. Dead was dead.

He washed his hands and, seeing Deng Yongquan still kowtowing to Zhou Yulin, said with disgust, “Are you done yet?”

Deng Yongquan’s eyes were red. “The Second Master used to hold me when I was little…”

Zhou Xiao: “…”

The two of them directly bundled Zhou Yulin into the bedding, closed his eyes, and staged it to look as if he were sleeping.

Then, they took the check to the bank to cash it, cutting it incredibly close to closing time. Eight thousand US dollars was no small sum. After some coordination, the bank counted out the banknotes.

By the time they walked out of the bank carrying the money, Ruan Hongmei had already arrived at the small hotel from the hospital. Confirming that she had entered the room, Zhou Xiao left Deng Yongquan behind and drove himself back to the Zhou residence.

Barring any surprises, Zhou Yulin’s death would be in tomorrow’s papers, and his wife would be taken to the police station on suspicion of murdering her husband. Even if the Ruan family had connections in the police force, if the matter became public knowledge, the police wouldn’t be able to protect her forcefully.

The newspapers, for example, could write: ‘Zhou Yulin brings mistress’s son home; wife harbors resentment and is caught murdering husband in hotel.’ After all, when Ruan Hongmei entered the room, Zhou Yulin’s body had barely gone cold. The husband and wife had been at odds for a long time; news like this was what people wanted to read.

Zhou Xiao felt comfortable in his heart. He didn’t know where this comfort came from, only feeling simply that no one in the world was allowed to slander his wife. Yuqing marrying him was to repay the old man’s life-saving grace from back then. His wife had suffered a lot; he couldn’t let Yuqing be insulted while being with him. Yuqing marrying him meant he was meant to enjoy blessings. Yuqing must have money, and Yuqing must have a good reputation. Even if Yuqing didn’t care about it himself, he had to fight for it for his wife—that was what a proper husband did.

He, Zhou Xiao, was no coward like Zhou Yuzhang, afraid of this and that.

As soon as he returned home, Butler Deng opened the door to welcome him. Ever since the pawnshops were sold, the Zhou residence rarely opened its doors to guests.

Carrying several packages of pastries, Zhou Xiao entered the mansion happily. “Where is the Madam?”

Butler Deng took the pastries from his hands and ordered someone to plate them in the small kitchen. “The Madam is in the backyard teasing Xiaoxiao.”

“Who?” Zhou Xiao’s face changed instantly. “What person?”

Butler Deng said, “It’s the German dog the Old Master used to keep, the one he gave to the Madam. It’s named Xiaoxiao. It’s been locked up all these days…”

Zhou Xiao asked, “Which Xiao?”

“The Xiao in Xiaokou Changkai (always smiling/laughing), not the Xiao in your name (howling/whistling).” Butler Deng, afraid he might overthink it, hurriedly explained. “Back then, the Madam said the Old Master never smiled, so he named the dog Xiaoxiao (Smile) to bring some joy to the everyday.”

Oh.

The dog that bowed heaven and earth with Yuqing at the wedding. Zhou Xiao had some impression of it.

Butler Deng mentioned that Yuqing originally doted on this dog very much. When the Old Master was alive, the two of them often fed the dog together. Over the past six months of his pregnancy, out of fear that the large dog might accidentally bump into him, it had been left in Zhao Fu’s care to roam the backyard. Today, it ran out during feeding time, and since Yuqing hadn’t seen Xiaoxiao in a long time, he let it out to play for a bit.

Zhou Xiao: “No need to announce me. I’ll go find him myself.”

Butler Deng bowed: “Yes.”

Entering the Zhou family compound from the main gate, the front was the main courtyard, with side courtyards on the left and right. Behind the side courtyards were the servants’ quarters, and only by bypassing the main courtyard could one reach the backyard.

It was an extremely traditional Chinese-style old mansion. The courtyards were connected by either carved stone archways or tiled corridors. After the sun went down, the red lanterns along the corridors were lit. When the wind blew, the shadows of people on the ground swayed, as if shifting underwater.

“Good Xiao’er,” Yuqing’s voice drifted over, laced with laughter.

Before Zhou Xiao even saw him, the corners of his mouth had already curled up.

In the past, he dreaded coming back to the Zhou residence after school. The wind in the entire Zhou family was never gentle; it was as dead and silent as a haunted house. A home that didn’t feel like a home, a mother that didn’t act like a mother. There were rules everywhere, everyone respected him as the Eldest Young Master. Rows of servants would walk past him with their heads bowed, silent like the living dead. Even when the First Wife abused him, they remained silent, no one standing up for him. So he hated rules, and he hated lifeless dog-servants.

At that time, there were over a hundred servants in the Zhou mansion alone.

Today, the Zhou family had truly withered. There weren’t many servants left, but Yuqing could call every single one by name. Even the wind blowing in seemed to turn gentle in Yuqing’s presence.

The early winter night was a bit cold.

In the backyard, Yuqing wore a silver-white long gown, leaning against a stone table. His lower abdomen was slightly swollen, the curve still so distinct beneath the fabric…

A white fox fur cloak was draped over his shoulders. His arms weren’t in the sleeves; it was simply resting on his shoulders, its length covering past his waist. One hand supported his pregnant belly, while his long hair cascaded like a waterfall down his back. Yuqing must have just woken up not long ago, as his long hair wasn’t even pinned up.

One hand stroked his swollen belly, while the other held a palm-sized rattle drum, shaking it gently. His lowered eyelashes veiled his amber eyes. Just a silhouette was enough to define a beauty.

The large dog paced back and forth around Yuqing, saliva dripping from its long tongue, its eyes fixed on the rattle drum in his hand. “Woof!”

“Shh…” Yuqing chuckled softly. “No making noise.”

“We agreed, I’ll only play with you if you’re a little more obedient, right?” Yuqing extended his hand, and the large dog immediately pressed its head into his palm, tail wagging.

Yuqing’s slender hand rested on the large dog’s head.

The dog was named Xiaoxiao, but Yuqing called it ‘Xiao’er’.

Leaning against a pillar in the corridor, Zhou Xiao closed his eyes and listened as Yuqing called out again, “Xiao’er…“

Yuqing’s voice was gentle. His tone sounded like a young scholar from ancient times traveling for the imperial exams—crisp, yet mingled with a softness born deep in his bones.

Xiao’er… (Smile)

Xiao’er… (Zhou Xiao)

His name had appeared in Yuqing’s mouth very early on.

Yuqing tossed the rattle drum out, and the large dog wagged its tail, ran far away, and brought it back. This clearly seemed like an extremely simple command and action, yet Yuqing cried out with surprised encouragement, “Good dog.”

“Good dog, so smart?” Supporting his pregnant belly, he slowly sat down on a chair.

The large dog tried to climb onto his body, but Yuqing, afraid to let it pounce, made it sit properly, then let the dog rest its snout on his thigh.

Cupping the dog’s head in both hands, Yuqing stroked from its forehead to its ears. “Such an impressive little dog, how is Xiao’er so smart?”

“These past few days, have you blamed your master for neglecting you?”

“Even if your master neglects you, you still wag your tail? Such a good dog?”

He spoke softly, his snow-white arms reaching out from the cloak, leaning over to gently embrace the dog’s neck. As he bent down, Yuqing caught sight of the tall figure leaning against the pillar in the corridor from the corner of his eye.

“Why is the little dog so obedient today?” Yuqing tilted his head, tapping the tip of the large dog’s nose with his finger. “What kind of reward do you want?”

The dog’s black nose gently nudged against Yuqing’s fingertips, as if trying very hard to sniff its master’s scent.

Zhou Xiao’s throat went dry.

Nudged by the large dog, a low chuckle escaped Yuqing’s throat. “It tickles…”

His pitch-black hair clung to the side of his face. Even in the dead of night with poor lighting, his skin still emitted a pale, lustrous glow.

His silvery, bell-like laughter.

The swollen belly carrying a child.

And the jasmine scent that could be smelled without even getting close.

At this moment, in the entire Zhou residence, a home finally felt like a home, and a mother felt like a mother.

Zhou Xiao actually started to feel jealous of a dog.

So it turned out that as long as you were an animal, you could brazenly sit in front of Yuqing, display your genitals, and even be embraced by him. You could have your head rubbed by him, and shamelessly bury your face in his fragrant palms to sniff.

Thinking of this, Zhou Xiao felt as though he were hallucinating. He began to miss the milky scent he had tasted that morning, the tight, restricting sensation when only halfway in. The memories rushed into his mind so fast he couldn’t even stop them, and he was already reacting.

From the corner of his eye, Yuqing saw the figure in the corridor seemingly trying to hide behind the pillar again.

Is he unbuttoning his trousers?

Yuqing couldn’t help but curl his lips. This young master who had returned from studying abroad—how did he only pick up such shameless behaviors?

“Are you still not coming over? Xiao’er, how long do you want to watch?” He tilted his head, looking toward the pillar.

His lips and teeth rolled out an alluring tone. He crooked his finger, calling to him just as he had called the large dog.

He called: “Zezhi, come here.”

A wife’s command could truly make a man lose his mind.

Yuqing was truly a demon in disguise.

Zhou Xiao walked over, his tall figure drawing close. Yuqing picked up a damp cloth from the table and handed it to him, signaling for him to wipe his hands. “Where did you go?”

No one had ever kept tabs on Zhou Xiao before. Being questioned like this made him feel incredibly comfortable.

So he obediently took the cloth and lowered his head to meticulously wipe Yuqing’s hands. “I bought some pastries for you, and went to see Second Uncle.”

“That’s it?” Yuqing tilted his head, picking up the rattle drum. “A little dog who tells lies doesn’t get any toys to play with.”

Zhou Xiao asked, “If I fetch it in my mouth, will you praise me as a good dog too?”

Yuqing raised his slender brows, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “I was talking to Xiao’er, are you him?”

Zhou Xiao narrowed his eyes as well. His tall frame bent slightly, his long arm sweeping out to pull Yuqing entirely into his embrace. “You really are playing with me like a dog.”

Yuqing rubbed his nose against Zhou Xiao’s, half-joking, half-serious: “Oh?”

“Does a dog know it’s a dog for its entire life?” he asked. “If a dog knows it’s a dog, why wouldn’t it bark?”

Zhou Xiao really wanted to ask him: If I barked, would Yuqing praise me for being a good dog?

“Mmph—” Yuqing was kissed by the impatient little dog.

He pressed his hands against Zhou Xiao’s chest, reaching up to gently pinch and caress Zhou Xiao’s earlobe. “Did you cash the check?”

“Mhm.” Zhou Xiao nodded. “We’ll probably have to set off tomorrow.”

Because the section chiefs kept getting replaced, the railway matter had been delayed for quite a while. They had to hurry.

Yuqing stroked his cheek: “So you went and bought pastries for me today?”

Zhou Xiao said, “I heard that people during pregnancy have picky mouths. But I’ve never seen a woman pregnant, so I just bought a little of everything. Whatever you like to eat, I’ll buy more of it in the future.”

“Master Zhou is keeping me in his thoughts this much?” Yuqing cupped his face, stroking the back of his neck just as he had pet Xiao’er earlier.

“What else?” Zhou Xiao’s nose pressed into Yuqing’s palm, sniffing, kissing, tracing along his hand toward Yuqing’s ear. His breath was scalding hot, clearly impatient to catch the jasmine scent on Yuqing. “If I don’t treat you better, how will there ever be a place for me in your heart? Hmm?”

“Serving you these past few days, were you comfortable?” Zhou Xiao’s lips began to kiss upward from Yuqing’s neck.

Yuqing noticed it: whenever this man was by his side, his lips unconsciously found their way onto him.

Zhou Xiao buried his entire face in Yuqing’s neck. His lips and tongue sucked at the skin, his voice muffled, carrying a hint of a spoiled whine. “I don’t want to leave.”

“Qingqing, I’m worried about you.”

“What’s wrong with me?” Yuqing asked.

Yuqing tilted his neck back for him, wrapping his arms around Zhou Xiao’s shoulders. “You are clearly younger than me, I should be the one worrying about you.”

Zhou Xiao blinked, his eye sockets actually turning a bit red. In the past, who had ever worried about him going out? In this Zhou family, the care and warm embraces he had never experienced before were entirely reclaimed through Yuqing.

Deeply infatuated, Zhou Xiao panted hoarsely, “I want to suck you…”

“I haven’t seen you all afternoon, did it hurt?”

Yuqing shook his head: “It didn’t hurt, and I won’t let you suck.”

Zhou Xiao tightened his arms, pressing Yuqing’s swollen belly flush against himself, almost begging as he buried his face in his neck and whined, “I beg you…”

“The child moved today. As the father, you should have a listen.”

Remembering what Yuqing had just said—that a little dog had to obey its master’s commands to get a reward—Zhou Xiao lifted his head from Yuqing’s shoulder. His eyes were glazed with desire, his Adam’s apple bobbing. Just as he was about to ask if they should go into the room, Yuqing said:

“Listen right here.”

The moon hung high. Zhou Xiao slowly sank to one knee, but it was difficult to press his ear to Yuqing’s belly this way. So, he dropped to both knees, pressing against the abdomen to listen carefully.

Yuqing lowered his eyes, his palm resting on the young man’s hair. Zhou Xiao’s hands gripped Yuqing’s slender waist as he listened intently.

Once, he had secretly been jealous that this young man had everything—growing up as the Eldest Young Master of the Zhou family made him jealous and hateful. But now, this Eldest Young Master was obediently kneeling before him, listening to the movements in his belly, so well-behaved it made Yuqing’s heart soften.

Fundamentally, he felt Zhou Xiao was just a child. His tall, imposing frame couldn’t hide a soul that desperately wanted to be rewarded.

“Did you hear it?” Yuqing rubbed his head.

Zhou Xiao swallowed hard. His hands slipped under Yuqing’s long gown, reaching upward as he murmured, “I heard it…”

“You really heard it?” Yuqing grabbed a handful of his short hair.

This kind of short haircut was popular among young students. Sometimes it was styled with pomade—in the trendy parlance of the time, very ‘modern’.

With his hair gripped by Yuqing, Zhou Xiao was forced to raise his head, gazing up at his wife’s beautiful face bathed in the moonlight.

“Qingqing…”

“If I tell you to listen, you listen.” Today, Yuqing was merely wearing very ordinary cloth shoes. The uppers were somewhat thin, and the soles were stitched with several layers of soft padding. “You’ve been very good too, so what kind of reward does my wife want?”

“Xiao’er is a dog. You probably wouldn’t want its kind of reward, would you?”

Saying this, Yuqing stepped on it.

Zhou Xiao instantly went rigid, sucking in a sharp breath of cold air. “I want it…”

“Qingqing, my wife, whatever you say, I want it.”

Yuqing patted his cheek: “It seems you’re even more obedient than Xiao’er.”

Zhou Xiao buried his face in Yuqing’s palm, rubbing vigorously against it. “Then, do you like it? Do you love me? Why don’t you love me yet…”

Yuqing usually smoked a pipe, but he had seen many men crush out cigarettes—it generally involved grinding the tip of their shoe, twisting down onto the cigarette butt.

Zhou Xiao’s large hands gripped Yuqing’s thighs. His lips trembled, his eyes rolling back slightly as he couldn’t help but cry out Yuqing’s name.

If Yuqing told him to bark like a dog right now, he would willingly do it.