TAMW CH41

Listening to him call him a little child, Zhou Xiao felt his heart ripple with delight.

A man as large as him—one who had studied abroad all on his own, with a build broad enough that two Yuqings could barely equal him—was, of all things, being called a little child by Yuqing.

Zhou Xiao leaned halfway across the desk, burying his face in his arms with a quiet laugh. “What am I, then?”

Yuqing let out a helpless, affectionate chuckle: “A little child? Or a toddler?” His voice drew out softly, steeped in boundless warmth. “Hmm?”

Merely hearing Yuqing’s voice, Zhou Xiao’s mind conjured the image of that slender beauty with his hair spilling loose, tilting his head slightly like an expectant doe. His Yuqing was so lovely, so tender. At the thought of it, he forgot all about crying; sniffing his nose, he smiled instead. Half a sentence from his wife was enough to coax him completely.

“I am Zezhi,” he chuckled.

“What came over Zezhi, then?” Yuqing asked.

“Nothing.” Hearing Yuqing’s voice, Zhou Xiao felt all his troubles vanish into thin air. How could such a gentle, soft-spoken wife possibly be a scheming, wicked villain? Time had marched on too hurriedly, but the antiquated, rigid conventions of this land hadn’t improved much even in the Republican era—they had turned his perfectly good Third Uncle into a rotten-hearted man.

Yet Zhou Xiao found it rather timely. People always said dying allowed one to reincarnate; dying now to be reborn and raised anew would allow him to catch the proper era! Zhou Xiao figured the Republic a decade or two from now would naturally be different from today, bound to see more progressive minds returning to throw themselves into the reform. It was just a pity he couldn’t take part; he had a wife to keep company. Between revolution and progress, he was simply too tied down to join.

“In your current state, how could you be going out?” Zhou Xiao fretted.

Yuqing replied, “It’s only visible after taking off the cloak. In the winter, it’s just fine—under a heavy coat, no one can tell. It wasn’t tiring either; it was just discussing business. People gather for profit and scatter when there is none; they won’t make things too difficult for me.”

Zhou Xiao narrowed his eyes, catching the catch in his words: “Which means they did make things difficult?”

Yuqing could have resolved it himself; he didn’t consider it an insurmountable task. But since Zhou Xiao wanted to know, he figured he could teach him how to handle such situations—after all, his husband was rather lacking in social diplomacy.

“Yesterday, they staged a scene deliberately to test me. They opened their mouths wide and demanded seventy percent of the port’s profits. I suspect there’s room to negotiate downward, though I don’t know the exact conditions for that concession yet…”

If they surrendered seventy percent of the profits, the port would practically grind to a halt, and Qingming Bank would have to pour its own funds in to patch the deficit—hardly worth the candle.

“How are you so sure they’ll lower their cut and trade for other conditions?”

“Anyone who reaches the rank of general isn’t a fool. The profit from the port shouldn’t be their greatest incentive. What draws them is the port’s capacity to dock ships… I reckon they wish to bring weapons into the harbor. The Chamber of Commerce president exclusively runs land escort routes. But with the ongoing turmoil—especially the fighting in the neighboring province—bandits are everywhere. Shipping arms by land in trucks is too precarious; the risk of being ambushed is too high, and if the enemy deciphers the route, there’s even the danger of a direct strike on their stronghold.”

“I suspect he might want to use me to get acquainted with you?” Yuqing surmised. “A railway combined with a seaport would naturally be far more convenient.”

Zhou Xiao was inwardly astounded.

To think Yuqing could deduce such clear motives from just a few brief exchanges!

Yuqing’s insight, his sharp mind…

Once again, Zhou Xiao couldn’t help pitying Yuqing for being trapped in an inner courtyard. If Yuqing could step out of Baizhou to see the wider world, perhaps he would realize that he didn’t truly crave a quiet, stagnant life at all.

Yuqing’s guess hit nine out of ten marks; he simply hadn’t realized that the newly appointed officer was the third son of the Zhou family. Though he had stayed in the Zhou residence for years, Third Uncle had left home even earlier. When Yuqing had been taken in, Third Uncle hadn’t visited home in two or three years and was rarely mentioned in the household; it was only natural he didn’t know.

Zhou Xiao tapped his fingers against the desk.

Zhou Yuyang’s condition for lowering the profit margin certainly wasn’t using Yuqing to meet him. So what could his terms for a concession be…?

Zhou Xiao recalled the handkerchief in Zhou Yuyang’s hand. His gaze swept across the desk; the man had indeed taken it with him.

What he wanted… couldn’t possibly be the master of that handkerchief, could it?

Zhou Xiao raked a hand through his hair in utter irritation. “I don’t care about them. I only want to finish this railway quickly so I can come back to you. Qingqing, I miss you. Has the baby been kicking? Is he well-behaved? Is your chest feeling swollen?”

Yuqing hadn’t expected him to pivot so abruptly. Since the man disliked hearing about the port, he dropped the subject. But these questions…

“Qingming is very good. He rarely fusses; in fact, he only stirs when you listen in. The morning sickness passed long ago, and the swelling isn’t like before…”

Yuqing clearly felt the questions were a bit over the line. But with no servants around, it seemed harmless enough as intimate pillow talk between husband and wife. Across a telephone wire, what could Zhou Xiao possibly do to him anyway? He would likely just be in his office all by himself, growing frantic that he couldn’t kiss him right away.

Zezhi was an impatient sort, after all.

Zhou Xiao had clearly not expected him to answer so readily. On the other end of the line, his lips parted. Unable to taste the real person, he could only roll the date pit against his tongue, mimicking the motions of sucking as he murmured, “Qingqing, don’t tease me.”

“How am I teasing you? I answer whatever you ask—does that count as teasing?”

Listening to his gentle voice, Zhou Xiao pictured his exquisite wife lightly tapping the tip of his nose with a fingertip. He wished he could bury his face entirely in his wife’s palms, inhaling deeply.

“You know how I get…” Zhou Xiao’s voice turned slightly raspy.

Yuqing gently swayed in his chair. Hearing the man’s low rumble through the receiver, his previously unmoved heart felt a strange, teasing itch. Resting his palm against his chest, he knew it would leak with just a bit of pressure. He knew this man well: three years his junior, strong-bodied, and thoroughly clingy.

In the past, Yuqing had never thought himself prone to desire; he had even believed himself cold and detached, with nothing catching his eye except the Zhou family’s fortunes. Yet hearing the man’s muffled voice across the line now… he found it rather amusing.

Teasing him from time to time genuinely lifted his own spirits. Hearing his childish pouting made Yuqing want to reach through the telephone wire and stroke his head.

Zezhi was truly endearing.

“If Qingming turns out to be as unreasonable and spoiled as you, what ever shall we do?”

“He can’t be like me,” Zhou Xiao said flatly.

“Hmm?”

“If he’s like me, wouldn’t you see my shadow in the child? That won’t do…” Zhou Xiao brought out another modern theory: “A child is never a continuation of the parents’ lives; he is an entirely new, independent life. He won’t resemble anyone else, only himself. Bloodline inheritance is just the talk of the old guard. If only we had married earlier, how would I have let you suffer the trials of pregnancy?”

Whatever the debate, he always found a way to be in the right. Yuqing was simply no match for his tongue.

After hanging up, Doctor Liu stood to the side with an awkward face. He had gone to ask Zhao Fu about what the Madam had done and whom he had met yesterday, never imagining Zhao Fu was entirely the Madam’s loyal hound—he had gone straight to the courtyard to report, even saying the Master had asked!

Hearing this, Yuqing had been amused to the point of exasperation, which was why he had taken the second call; if he didn’t coax him, Zezhi would surely throw another fit. Mindful of his youth, Yuqing naturally indulged him a little.

After hanging up, he reviewed the ledgers. A seventy percent concession on the port was out of the question; thirty percent was the absolute limit. He instructed someone to deliver another calling card to ‘General Lin’.

The servant returned, reporting that the general was away; the card was left behind, to be handled once he returned.

At home, Yuqing kept his hair loosely tied, cascading down well past his thighs.

Having finally found a moment of leisure, he returned to his bedchamber. Aside from sending fresh pastries every day, Zhou Xiao had also dispatched several large parcels this time. Zhou Xiao had written that he had commissioned them in Shanghai according to Yuqing’s measurements.

Yuqing usually had tailors cut his clothes to his figure, but during pregnancy it was inconvenient to step out, and a pregnant man might frighten people; he had simply drawn his measurements and had Zhao Fu deliver them to the tailor, or bought looser gowns so as not to constrict his belly. Baizhou was a fashionable city—being near a port, Western dresses and riding attire were popular among the youth.

Yuqing had assumed Zhou Xiao had tailored a few Western suits for him. Zhou Xiao loved suits, favoring crisp white shirts paired with black tailoring in high-thread-count fabrics, formal with a tie and casually relaxed with a few undone buttons.

Inside, however, were not suits.

They were traditional long gowns.

Two parcels in total: one contained the clothes he had worn before, washed clean and sent back; the other contained brand-new garments, each packed in a cloth bag, held up on bamboo hangers with the shoulder seams aligning perfectly.

Soft yellow, sky blue, mint green, and pale lotus—all flattering, gentle shades in understated cuts. Near the buttons were delicate embroideries the size of a fingernail, each featuring a different flower, modest and elegant.

Yuqing recalled his words: “Since you don’t like jasmine, I will send you flowers often, until you find the one you love.”

Were these different flowers on the garments his doing as well?

Though petty-minded, Zhou Xiao’s pettiness made him exceedingly meticulous. Thinking of this paradoxical compliment, Yuqing couldn’t help smiling. To think he had begun deciphering the man’s heart.

In the past, Yuqing had received gifts from many people; those courteous tokens circulating through the market were merely piled with silver. The things Zhou Xiao sent each time weren’t overly extravagant, but they suited his tastes perfectly.

He remembered Zhou Xiao’s favorite declaration: “We are a match made in heaven.”

“Ha…” Yuqing let out an involuntary chuckle.

Only after laughing for a moment did he realize what he was doing. Could the mere thought of this person bring a smile to his face? Touching his lips, he bit his fingertip, a trace of bewilderment flickering in the mature beauty’s eyes.

His hand stroked the fabric, looking down at his gently swollen belly, then across at the bronze mirror on the vanity, capturing his blurred reflection. Yuqing pressed his lips together in a smile; he understood now.

This unfamiliar yet intimate emotion was something that belonged solely between husband and wife.

Tucked inside the gowns was a letter:

[To my wife Qingqing: Away from your side, I fear you might be sorrowful. I reckon these clothes will suit you well. If you find the tailor’s craft pleasing, how about I take you to Shanghai to have more made in the future? I suspect you haven’t been to Shanghai; they have cinema there, just as amusing as the opera. I wish to take you to see it—what do you say?]

He hadn’t dismissed the opera as outdated, but called cinema just as amusing.

Calling daily and writing letters on top of it. Yuqing felt that although the man was in Shencheng, he seemed never to have left, lingering constantly by his side, pervasive and omnipresent.

After dinner that evening, he placed a call before the bank closed. It was nearly closing time; the operator rang through once with no answer, and only on the second try did someone pick up.

“The clothes are very lovely,” he praised. “The pale lotus one fits the belly just right; it doesn’t show much when worn. Did you specifically instruct the tailor? It doesn’t bind at all, and the inner pockets for the cloth pads are very convenient. Once the baby is born, Qingming can drink directly, and we won’t need these complicated pads anymore. I only hope Qingming won’t love biting like you do, sucking until the skin breaks… It only just healed today.”

Silence hung over the line for a moment; Zhou Xiao was clearly holding himself back.

He was currently discussing the fund allocations for the Liu County railway projects with several assistants. Picking up the receiver with one hand, he hadn’t expected Yuqing to say such things straight away!

“Mm,” he said. “Is there anything else?”

“If you’re busy, never mind. Otherwise, I would have loved to tell you how this outfit feels to wear.”

Feeling rather guilty, Zhou Xiao glanced at the assistants sitting across from him, tapping his pen on the desk to signal them to finish the detailed spreadsheet for his review. Turning his chair, he tucked his legs beneath the desk, wedging the receiver between his ear and shoulder. Putting on an upright, formal air, he cleared his throat: “Go on.”

Anyone watching would have thought he was negotiating a grave piece of business.

Yuqing even caught the muffled chatter of people in his office, the corners of his lips curling upward.

“The fabric is so soft, and the waist is very loose. But why are there slits along the thighs? Is this actually a qipao? When trying it on, I didn’t wear inner trousers. The side slit reaches almost to my waist; with a slight lift, my rounded belly is completely exposed. Does Zezhi like the thought of me wearing this outside…? Hmm?”

“Don’t you dare!” Zhou Xiao hissed under his breath.

Looking up, his assistants eyed him in confusion, wondering what had happened. Zhou Xiao shifted his tone, struggling for restraint: “That was a gift I had specifically sent to you. Keep it to yourself; there’s no need to display it out in the open.”

Ah, so Vice President Zhou is dealing with a client!

Yuqing chuckled into the receiver: “I thought as much… no wonder you sent two parcels.”

One parcel contained the clothes he had worn before; though he didn’t know why only a few had been returned clean, those were suitable to wear out. Among the garments Zhou Xiao had commissioned from the Shanghai tailor, some were wearable, but a few were utterly scandalous—there was even one with sheer lace across the chest!

Yuqing recalled how Zhou Xiao had struggled to suck through the thick fabric last time; had he ordered thin lace purely for that? A foreign-educated scholar was truly something else—hardly acting like a groom on his first marriage, possessing endless tricks that took Yuqing quite a while to process.

Yuqing had called specifically after seeing those scandalous clothes, looking for a bit of payback by making him sweat.

He had no idea that on the other end, Zhou Xiao was gripping the telephone with vivid images flashing through his mind, trembling faintly with excitement. Because people were present, he couldn’t show it at all, and the suppression only sent his pulse racing. Just a few casual words from Yuqing were enough to drive him wild, wishing he could fly straight back to Baizhou.

This railway between Shencheng and Baizhou had to be completed immediately!

Driving took four to five hours, but a train could be much faster—one hour? Two hours? Whatever it was, as long as it beat driving. The tracks began at the Liu County mines, running north to Baizhou and south to the neighboring province.

“Focus on Baizhou first? But Vice President…”

Deng Yongquan was about to object, but looking up at Zhou Xiao’s dark, menacing scowl, he swallowed his words whole. To move northern coal south, they naturally had to prioritize the line to the neighboring province to see rapid returns. Baizhou was within the province and had its own port; its demand for coal wasn’t high. By all accounts, prioritizing Baizhou made no sense…

The man holding the purse strings was the master. Besides, for Deng Yongquan, whatever his master ordered had to be done, or his father would be the first to skin him alive.

Zhou Xiao ordered them to draw up a new proposal, dismissing the nuisances. Locking the door, he happily retrieved a scrap of cloth from his pocket—the piece carrying the richest trace of his wife’s scent.

The earlier clothes delivered by the servants had either been crumpled beyond ironing from being clutched too long, or had their scent overwhelmed by other fluids; once washed clean, Yuqing’s scent vanished, so he had to send them back for Yuqing to wear again.

With the office locked, he figured that even if he couldn’t be by his wife’s side, he could still have her reward him over the phone today. With the scented cloth draped over his face, he thought it would be even better with a bottle of milk to sip for deeper immersion.

Just as he reached for his belt, he listened for the line, only to find the other side had long since hung up.

When he dialed back, the operator merely relayed a message: “Zezhi, my husband: you can pull through any hardship on your own, can you not?”

“Sir, is there anything else you wish to relay?”

Yuqing had hung up on purpose because he was cross about the custom-made clothes.

He was cross with him…

He was actually throwing a temper at him!

For Yuqing to show a bit of petulance toward him now—didn’t that prove he was slowly falling in love with him, that he finally held a place in his heart?

Zhou Xiao collapsed against the desk, listening to the dial tone, and burst into laughter.

Outside, Deng Yongquan, who was about to knock and discuss the construction priorities once more, froze: “…”

He silently walked away.

Three days passed.

Yuqing still received no reply to his calling card.

It happened to be payday, so Yuqing accompanied Zhao Fu to the port in the car. Lately, the docks were still manned by Jiang Sui’s soldiers; no one had moved against them.

“Manager Zhao is here!”

“Payday, it’s payday!”

The moment Zhao Fu showed his face, shouts rang out, and workers crowded around the distribution table.

Sitting in the car with a hand warmer, Yuqing watched the workers outside whose faces were flushed red from the cold. He leaned forward, intending to tell Zhao Fu to arrange hot porridge for them, but Zhao Fu was mobbed by the crowd some distance away.

Just as he went to roll the window back up, a hand caught the frame: “Boss Ruan.”

Holding his hand warmer, Yuqing smiled, noticing the man was dressed in civilian Western tailoring. “Adjutant Yuan, what a coincidence.”

“Come to the port to see the sea?” he asked mildly.

“You could say that.” The man tucked one hand into his pocket, his expression carrying a faint arrogance—hardly the demeanor of a subordinate adjutant.

Yuqing reached out, his slender fingers extending past the car window.

As the sun crested the sea horizon, the light made his outstretched hand look impossibly fair, skin flush against bone—just like his name, clear and translucent like white jade. His nails were neatly trimmed, the crescents a delicate pale pink, stirring a faint, fragrant breeze as his hand swayed in the air.

As Yuqing reached out, he tilted his head toward the window, clearly having something to say.

As if under a spell, Zhou Yuyang unconsciously bent down, as though his subconscious told him Yuqing shouldn’t speak loudly, but should whisper right against one’s ear…

“What is it?” he asked.

The moment he spoke, Yuqing’s hand touched his cheek. “The weather is freezing, and the sea breeze is far from gentle; it will chomp right through your skin. In a moment, I’ll have the household servants bring two jars of face cream for Adjutant Yuan to apply.”

Zhou Yuyang sniffed; it was indeed fragrant. Did it smell like the cream?

The touch was fleeting, and the concern appeared entirely genuine. Looking across the port, the dockworkers all had coarse cloth wrapped around their faces, likely to shield against the biting sea winds.

Just as he was about to voice his thanks, Yuqing covered his mouth in mock embarrassment: “Ah.”

Yuqing let out a soft laugh: “I forgot, military men don’t use such things. The scent is too heavy and overly sweet. Since it’s inconvenient, perhaps Yuqing shouldn’t send it after all?”

Before Zhou Yuyang could speak, Yuqing’s words left him with a sudden, hollow sense of loss. Realizing the other man was deliberately teasing him to evoke that disappointment, he narrowed his eyes at Ruan Yuqing.

Yuqing retrieved a small porcelain jar from his coat with a smile: “Just teasing. Even if your superiors forbid it, you can apply it secretly before bed.”

He tossed it over, and Zhou Yuyang caught it instinctively.

“How old are you?”

“Yuqing is twenty-seven this year.”

“Eight years younger than me,” the man noted. “Quite capable, though. I hear the entire port fell into your hands, without a single speck of opium getting through. The Ruan family, which built itself on the port, is practically finished, isn’t it?”

“Adjutant Yuan is exceptionally well-informed.” Yuqing smiled, lowering his eyes.

“One naturally understands after seeing enough.”

“Then what brings you to the docks today?” Yuqing tapped his hand warmer. “Let me guess: checking how many ships can leave harbor to transport weapons for the general?”

Zhou Yuyang rested an arm against the car window, looking at Yuqing with growing appreciation. For an officer, capability was important, but knowing how to judge and use people was paramount. Ruan Yuqing was undeniably clever; in his eyes, a man who had outmaneuvered the Zhou family and toppled the Ruan family possessed true cunning and competence.

Yet this person was a peerless beauty, which easily led others to drop their guard.

“Being too clever isn’t a good thing,” Zhou Yuyang cautioned, as if issuing a warning.

Yet a different emotion surged in the depths of his eyes—admiration, and an unmistakable delight.

Would a merchant who pursued wealth truly sell himself out for profit?

Zhou Yuyang had served in the military apparatus for years and remained unmarried, having found the mistresses and wives of households dreadfully noisy since childhood; he preferred quiet. And this Ruan Yuqing had been personally groomed by his eldest brother. With that connection, if he took him under his wing to manage the port, wouldn’t it be even more seamless?

Yuqing clearly caught the guarded calculation in his eyes. Sensing the timing was ripe, he prepared to dangle Zhou Xiao as bait.

“Since you don’t wish for Yuqing to be too clever, why not point me toward a clear path, Adjutant Yuan? If we want the general to lower his cut, what conditions are required? Yuqing needs to see if selling off his entire estate would even cover the price.”

His voice rang clear and sweet, like a silver bell.

Zhou Yuyang leaned against the car window: “You can afford it.”

“Is that so…?”

His voice drifted softly, seemingly floating across the street.

A tram rattled past with a clatter, a newsboy chasing after it to hop aboard.

Once the tram cleared, the man across the street pulled his hat low to keep the wind from taking it. His trench coat billowed around him, his figure tucked almost entirely into the shadows between two buildings, his gaze locked onto the car in the distance.

Those delicate fingers reaching out… and his Third Uncle standing by the car window.

Just as I thought.

Zhou Xiao thought to himself: Yuqing truly couldn’t be left alone for a second.

There were simply too many jackals and wolves circling him! Just a few days ago, his Third Uncle had been running Yuqing down to his face, yet looking at him now, he seemed ready to drop to his knees and become Yuqing’s dog.

There was already a dog at home; did it fall to him to take the spot?

What kind of creature did he think he was?!

Zhou Xiao drew a deep breath. Beside him, Deng Yongquan stood clutching a leather case.

The young master had learned that Third Master was returning to Baizhou today and had shadowed him all the way back, only to witness this scene at the docks.

Why was every single man revolving around the Madam?

Zhou Xiao thought: Actually, this works out well.

Once Third Uncle was gone, he would be the sole remaining branch of the Zhou family. No other relatives would ever crop up. Yuqing had vowed to guard the Zhou household for a lifetime, so naturally, he would have to guard him, the only surviving heir.

It was quite convenient, really. He realized it was a blessing that Third Uncle had returned; otherwise, when he thought of this later on, he would have had to travel thousands of miles to hunt him down, which would have been a dreadful hassle. Delivering himself to his doorstep was far more accommodating.

He would have to cut out his tongue and peel off his face. Thick as a fortress wall, he was completely unworthy of Yuqing’s touch.