Chapter Thirty-Four

Chapter Thirty-Four

When they arrived home, it was already dark.

As soon as the mule cart entered the yard, Xiaonian and Xiaodou ran out, "Big Brother, Sister-in-Law!"

Lu Yao stretched and jumped off the cart. "How were the piglets today?"

"They're doing well. Auntie Daman gave us a big bowl of sheep's milk, and the piglets drank until their bellies were round."

"Don't feed them too much, or you'll spoil their stomachs."

Zhao Xiaonian nodded vigorously. "I understand." Last time, the chicks were fed too much and ended up with diarrhea.

Xiaodou tugged at Lu Yao's sleeve, shyly swaying. "Sister-in-Law, when are you going to cook meat for us~"

So the children were waiting for this. Lu Yao couldn't help but laugh and cry. "I'll go wash my hands and start cooking. You two help your brother bring the vegetables from the cart into the house."

"Okay!" The two children immediately got to work, carrying cabbages into the house.

Lu Yao first brought the fabric and cotton into the house. These items were valuable and must not be lost.

Thinking about how these things almost cost two strings of coins, Lu Yao couldn't help feeling pained. No wonder the ancients used cloth as currency; it was indeed very expensive!

She put the salt, rice wine, and spices in the kitchen cabinet, lit an oil lamp, and started a fire to cook.

She sliced a large piece of pork belly. This morning, one trotter wasn't enough for three people, so she decided to cut more this time to satisfy the children.

She chopped the pork belly into small pieces, blanched them in cold water to remove the blood scum. After the water boiled, she removed the meat, changed the water, and put the meat back in. She added rice wine, green onions, ginger, white cardamom, and cinnamon. The only regret was that there was no dark soy sauce to color the meat.

Suddenly, Lu Yao remembered there was some sugar left. She could make caramelized sugar. She quickly broke off a piece and placed it in a clay bowl, then took a few red-hot charcoal pieces from the bottom of the pot and placed the bowl on top to roast, ensuring the pot wouldn't burn through.

Soon, the sugar in the bowl began to melt, turning darker and bubbling. Seeing it was ready, Lu Yao quickly grabbed a cloth to lift the bowl and pour the caramel into the pot. The originally clear broth instantly turned into a familiar caramel color!

Lu Yao praised herself again for her ingenuity! As long as one doesn't give up, there are always solutions to problems!

The meat needed at least an hour to stew. While it cooked, she used another pot to make half a pot of vegetable porridge. They hadn't eaten anything all day, and their stomachs were growling.

*

Outside, the two children finished moving the last few cabbages and rushed into the kitchen.

Upon entering, Zhao Xiaonian exaggeratedly inhaled deeply. "It smells so good! Sister-in-Law, why does your stewed meat smell so delicious?"

Zhao Xiaodou drooled, standing by the stove, wanting to reach into the pot.

"Hey, don't touch it. The pot is hot; you might burn yourself. Xiaonian, take your brother to play in the room for a while. I'll call you when the meat is done."

Reluctantly, the two children left the kitchen.

Zhao Beichuan unhitched the mule and led Dahuahua into the stable. The stable he and Uncle Zhao had built a few days ago used leftover wood from building the house, with a thatched roof. He planned to add boards around it later to prevent the mule from freezing in the coming cold weather.

After feeding the mule and washing his hands, he went inside to wait for dinner.

Zhao Xiaonian and Zhao Xiaodou played with the piglets in the bedroom. The piglets seemed livelier than yesterday, running around the room.

"Tonight, move the piglets to the west room. Don't keep them here; their urine stinks."

Xiaodou hesitated, holding a little black pig. "Big Brother, I want to sleep with it."

"If you want to sleep with it, go to the west room."

Xiaodou pouted and put the piglet down. She didn't want to leave her sister-in-law and brother.

As time passed, the aroma of the meat grew stronger, wafting through the windows and doors to the neighbors.

The Tian family was also eating. Tian Dazhuang smelled the meat and demanded pork.

"What pork? You look like pork," Tian's second sister-in-law hit him with chopsticks.

Tian Dazhuang started wailing. "I want meat—buy me meat—"

Tian Feng hurried to calm him down. "Don't cry. I'll go see who's cooking such fragrant meat."

"Who else could it be? It must be the Zhao family."

Tian Feng said sourly, "The Zhao family must have struck it rich. Is making tofu really that profitable? Buying a mule and eating meat every day, even wealthy families in town don't eat as well."

Villagers were often envious. They hated those who had, laughed at those who didn't, disliked the poor, and feared the rich. In the past, both families were similar, with the Tian family slightly better off. Now, seeing the Zhao family prosper, they felt uncomfortable.

"That's because they have skills. If you had the ability, you could do it too," Tian's second sister-in-law reasoned. Even if given the skills to make tofu, she couldn't match Lu Yao's abilities. Just thinking about selling tofu on the streets made her tongue-tied.

Tian Dazhuang cried for a while, eventually settling for a boiled egg. The meat's aroma made even his favorite eggs taste bland.

*

Lu Yao lifted the pot and tasted a piece of meat with chopsticks. The flavor was perfect, almost identical to the stewed meat she had eaten in her previous life!

"Wash your hands quickly; it's time to eat!"

The Zhao siblings hurried to the yard to wash their hands. After washing, they set the table, moved chairs, and fetched bowls and chopsticks. The three gathered around Lu Yao, waiting for her to serve the food.

Lu Yao used a large clay bowl usually for kneading dough, filling it halfway with meat and broth.

The two children stared at the colorful meat pieces, their eyes wide.

Lu Yao handed the bowl to Zhao Beichuan. "Start eating; I'll serve the porridge." The three stood still, waiting for Lu Yao to serve the porridge before starting to eat.

Finally, the family of four picked up their chopsticks and began to feast!

The tender pork carried the fragrance of cinnamon and a hint of rice wine. Each bite released juices, with the fatty parts melting in the mouth and the lean parts being flavorful without being tough. It was so delicious they almost wanted to swallow their tongues!

"So good, so good! Sister-in-Law, what did you put in the meat? How can it be so delicious?" Zhao Xiaonian asked between bites.

Lu Yao smiled mysteriously. "This is my secret recipe. I'll teach you when you grow up."

"I want to learn too," Zhao Xiaodou said, her mouth full of meat.

"I'll teach you both."

Today was a special occasion, so Lu Yao brought the remaining rice wine and asked Zhao Beichuan, "Do you want some?"

Zhao Beichuan, busy eating meat, looked up. "Yes."

Lu Yao poured half a bowl for each of them. She had tasted the rice wine earlier while cooking; it had a strange flavor, different from modern wine, but still a bit spicy.

"Sister-in-Law, is the wine good?" Xiaodou wanted to try it too.

Lu Yao touched her tongue with a drop of wine using chopsticks.

"Ouch, it's not good. It burns my tongue." Xiaodou quickly ate a piece of meat to mask the taste.

Zhao Beichuan couldn't help but chuckle, lifting the bowl to take a sip. The fiery liquor burned down his throat and warmed his stomach, making him feel cozy all over.

Lu Yao also took a small sip, though the taste wasn't great, it was about the atmosphere of the holiday.

Perhaps emboldened by the alcohol, Zhao Beichuan started talking, sharing many stories from the past. "Before you came, I had never tasted wine or eaten such fragrant meat."

"Is it good?"

"It's very good, exceptionally good."

Lu Yao felt a warmth in his cheeks and lifted the wine bowl to take another sip to hide his shyness.

"Back when my parents were alive, life was still manageable. Mother was skilled at sewing and often made small items to sell. Father would hunt, catching rabbits and pheasants in autumn for us to enjoy."

Xiaonian and Xiaodou don't remember these things because they were too young then.

"Later, when Mother passed away, Father was devastated. He would run to her grave every day, crying so much that he could barely see." Zhao Beichuan's voice choked up. "Then Father passed away too, and it felt like the sky had fallen..."

Lu Yao's heart ached, and he reached under the table to hold Zhao Beichuan's hand.

Zhao Beichuan's large hand clasped his tightly. "After Father died, the burden fell on me. Xiaodou had only a few teeth back then and couldn't eat millet porridge, crying like a kitten from hunger. I was desperate, borrowing flour from every household to make porridge for her."

"Once, Xiaonian had a fever and was convulsing. I carried her to Grandma Zhao's house, but she couldn't do anything either. She said if the fever didn't break tonight, the child might not survive."

"At that moment... I thought if Xiaonian died, Xiaodou and I would follow her. Life was just too hard."

Lu Yao felt a deep pain, his eyes welling up with tears. It was unimaginable how many hardships Zhao Beichuan had endured to raise the two children.

The two children looked at their brother with tearful eyes. They grew up under Zhao Beichuan's protection, never feeling any hardship, realizing someone had taken all the bitterness for them.

Zhao Beichuan wiped his eyes and smiled. "It's all in the past now. The children have grown up, and I've married such a wonderful husband. Elders say that after hardship comes sweetness. I've tasted enough bitterness, and finally, heaven has given me some sweetness."

They finished the wine in their bowls and ate more meat.

Seeing the children's bellies full, Lu Yao stopped them. "No more eating; too much will upset your stomachs."

The children obediently put down their chopsticks. Xiaodou said, "I know, eating too much can cause diarrhea."

Everyone couldn't help but burst into laughter, dispelling the earlier sadness.

After dinner, Lu Yao asked Zhao Beichuan to portion out the meat. With the warm weather, pork wouldn't keep, so it needed to be salted.

Zhao Beichuan cut off a ham. "When you go to Lujia Village to sell tofu tomorrow, take this to your in-laws."

"Alright," Lu Yao agreed without hesitation, as his father and second brother hadn't charged for their labor on the house.

Having eaten too much, no one felt sleepy. The children played with the piglets, and Lu Yao took out the hairpins he bought in town.

"Xiaonian, come here, I have something nice for you."

"What is it?" Zhao Xiaonian dropped the piglet and ran over eagerly.

Lu Yao took out the silk flower and handed it to her. "Do you like it?"

"Ah! Yes! Yes! Yes!" Zhao Xiaonian hugged the hairpin, jumping up and down with excitement.

The silk flower was beautiful, red and shimmering under the candlelight. Xiaonian couldn't stop admiring it.

Xiaodou also ran over, eyeing the silk flower in her sister's hands. "I want one too, Sister, give me one."

"Go away, this is for girls. You're a boy, why would you wear it?"

Xiaodou pouted, tears rolling down her cheeks. Lu Yao quickly gave her a new peachwood comb. "Here, this is for you. I bought it specially for you."

"Wah." Children are easily appeased; Xiaodou immediately cheered up with the comb.

Zhao Beichuan watched, amused. His husband indeed had a way with children.

Lu Yao laid out the cotton fabric and batting on the bed, pondering how to make winter clothes.

"Zhao Beichuan, what did you wear to keep warm in winters past?"

"Just the clothes we had, layering whatever we could."

"Weren't you cold?"

"Cold, but I could bear it. Xiaonian and Xiaodou stayed inside, wrapped in quilts, and with the fire blazing, it wasn't too bad."

Lu Yao sighed, thinking how miserable those winters must have been. In his previous life, he had underfloor heating, keeping the indoor temperature around 25 degrees Celsius, requiring only light clothing for winter.

Thinking about how much colder the winters here were compared to where he used to live, he silently vowed to make thick padded jackets, regardless of cost, to ensure a warm winter.

He had never made padded jackets before, so he could ask Lin Daman tomorrow if he knew how to make them and get some help. He dared not ask Second Sister-in-law Tian, as the cotton and fabric were too expensive to waste on her.

With their stomachs mostly settled, the children began to feel sleepy. Zhao Beichuan put the piglets in the west room and urged them to sleep on the bed.

Lu Yao also tidied up the fabric, laying out the bedding to prepare for rest.

Zhao Beichuan went outside to check the gates and chicken coop, ensuring everything was secure before coming back in.

After undressing and getting onto the bed, the warmth of his body drew close. Perhaps due to the alcohol, Lu Yao was unusually bold tonight, having removed his shirt and pressed closely against Zhao Beichuan.

Zhao Beichuan didn't push him away, his rough hands caressing Lu Yao's smooth back.

Their breaths mingled, and they kissed, lips fumbling together.

Zhao Beichuan instinctively deepened the kiss, tongues entwining until Lu Yao was breathless.

"Mmm..." Lu Yao wrapped his arms around Zhao Beichuan's neck, pulling him closer. Zhao Beichuan rolled over, his broad arms supporting himself on either side of Lu Yao, creating a powerful sense of pressure that left him breathless and tingling.

Lu Yao whispered, "Husband, let's consummate our marriage."

Zhao Beichuan's breathing became heavy but suddenly stopped.

"No... it's not right."

"Why not?"

Zhao Beichuan got up and left the bed. Lu Yao, feeling both anxious and angry, followed him out.

"It's cold outside, go back inside."

Lu Yao, with red eyes, said, "Do you still despise me?"

"I don't."

"Then why won't you consummate our marriage? You clearly... Zhao Beichuan, are you even a man!" Lu Yao felt increasingly hurt, unable to hold back his tears. Despite his own initiative, he was repeatedly rejected, which was deeply discouraging.

Zhao Beichuan immediately panicked when he saw him crying and awkwardly reached out to wipe away his tears.

"If you don't like me... then, then we should get a divorce as soon as possible, don't delay... delay a good person." Lu Yao sobbed.

"I don't dislike you. My mother died during childbirth, and I heard that it's even harder for guys to give birth. I can't bear to see you suffer."

"Huh?" Lu Yao was stunned; he didn't expect the reason to be this.

"No, it won't happen just once, right..."

"I don't know either. I'd rather endure the discomfort myself than have you go through that pain."

Lu Yao's anger dissipated. This fool didn't need to go all the way. Blushing, he tugged at Zhao Beichuan's hand, "I have other ways to relieve without getting pregnant. Would you like to try..."

Zhao Beichuan's Adam's apple bobbed as he scooped Lu Yao up and headed towards the empty western room.

Zhao Beichuan circled outside, making sure the front gate was closed, the chicken coop was secured, and the mule had settled down before entering the house.

Just as he took off his clothes and climbed onto the bed, a warm body pressed close. Perhaps because of the alcohol, Lu Yao was particularly bold tonight, having taken off his shirt and clinging tightly to Zhao Beichuan.

Zhao Beichuan didn't push him away. His rough hands couldn't help but caress Lu Yao's smooth back.

Their breaths mingled, and they kissed each other clumsily.

Zhao Beichuan instinctively invaded Lu Yao's mouth, their tongues entwining until Lu Yao could barely breathe.

"Mmm..." Lu Yao wrapped his arms around his neck, pulling him closer. Zhao Beichuan flipped over, supporting himself on either side of Lu Yao with his broad arms, creating an overwhelming pressure that made it hard for Lu Yao to breathe, his body tingling with a strange sensation.

Lu Yao leaned in and whispered, "Husband, let's consummate our marriage."

Zhao Beichuan's breathing grew heavy, but he suddenly stopped.

"No..."

"Why not?"

Zhao Beichuan got up and left the bed. Lu Yao, both anxious and angry, followed him out.

"Go back inside, it's cold outside."

Lu Yao, eyes red, said, "Do you still despise me!"

"I don't."

"Then why won't you consummate with me? You clearly... Zhao Beichuan, are you even a man!" Lu Yao felt increasingly aggrieved and started crying again. He had been so proactive, yet was repeatedly rejected—it was too much of a blow.

Zhao Beichuan panicked when he saw him crying and awkwardly wiped away his tears.

"If you... if you don't like me... then let's get a divorce as soon as possible, don't delay... delay a good person." Lu Yao sobbed.

"I don't dislike you. My mother died during childbirth, and I heard that it's even harder for guys to give birth. I can't bear to see you suffer."

"Huh?" Lu Yao was stunned; he didn't expect the reason to be this.

"No, it won't happen just once, right..."

"I don't know either. I'd rather endure the discomfort myself than have you go through that pain."

Lu Yao's anger dissipated. This fool didn't need to go all the way. Blushing, he tugged at Zhao Beichuan's hand, "I have other ways to relieve without getting pregnant. Would you like to try..."

Zhao Beichuan's Adam's apple bobbed as he scooped Lu Yao up and headed towards the empty western room.

The piglets were sleeping, and the sudden opening of the door startled them into squealing.

Zhao Beichuan chased them into another room and cleared a space on the bed.

The western room's stove had been used earlier, so the bed was warm and the room wasn't cold, but Lu Yao was trembling with nervousness, feeling weak in his limbs.

Zhao Beichuan brought a quilt over and laid it on the bed, then lifted Lu Yao onto it and pounced on him, kissing him fiercely and hungrily. He had waited for this moment for so long.

Lu Yao wrapped his arms around his neck, running his hands over Zhao Beichuan's solid back, being kissed until saliva dripped from his mouth, moaning unconsciously.

Zhao Beichuan kissed his lips, then moved to his ears, his rough tongue scraping against Lu Yao's ear canal, making him pant uncontrollably, "No, stop... Beichuan..."

He trailed down from the earlobe, finally nipping at the bright red pregnancy mark, gently biting and slowly releasing, causing a mix of pain and pleasure.

"Ahh... Ha..." Lu Yao felt his pants wetting, a damp liquid seeping between his buttocks. His mind was a mess; he realized that guys didn't need lubrication during sex...

A hot and hard object pressed against him through his pants.

Lu Yao couldn't resist reaching out to touch it. So big, so hard! He couldn't imagine how pleasurable it would be if it went in.

Suddenly, his nipples were sucked, and Lu Yao arched his back in pleasure, applying more pressure with his hand. Zhao Beichuan grunted softly, thrusting a few times in his palm.

Lu Yao impatiently undid his belt, slipping his hand inside. The thick and rigid organ matched its owner, too large for one hand to grasp. Lu Yao gently stroked it, tracing the prominent veins with his fingertips, then gripped it with both hands, rubbing his thumb over the tip.

Zhao Beichuan gripped his shoulders, his breathing becoming more rapid, all his senses focused on Lu Yao's hand. He had never experienced such stimulation and soon released his first load into Lu Yao's hand.

He quickly grabbed his pants to clean him up, "Sorry, sorry."

Lu Yao couldn't help but laugh, "What's there to be sorry about? Did you like it?"

"Yes."

"Was it pleasurable?"

"Yes."

"Would you like to try something even more pleasurable?"

Zhao Beichuan said nothing as his penis, which had just finished ejaculating, became erect again, this time harder than before.

Lu Yao forcefully flipped him over and pinned him down, taking the initiative this time.

He first kissed the corner of his mouth, then moved downward to take his Adam's apple into his mouth. Lu Yao had long wanted to do this; God knew how sexy that Adam's apple was.

Zhao Beichuan kept swallowing, tilting his head back to let him kiss passionately, his large hands caressing Lu Yao's back all the way down, kneading his soft buttocks.

"Ah..." Lu Yao moaned in pleasure.

Zhao Beichuan covered both hands on him, kneading like dough, continuously rubbing and thrusting his hips, pushing his penis against the cleft of his buttocks.

Lu Yao lost his strength, lying on top of him, moaning, feeling close to climax even before he started.

After a while, he managed to recover slightly, lifted his leg to take off his pants, and sat naked on Zhao Beichuan's thighs, grinding his buttocks against his erection. The contact of their bodies made them both sigh in pleasure; Lu Yao felt himself getting wetter, his small penis also becoming erect and trembling.

Zhao Beichuan grabbed his own sex organ and began rubbing it between Lu Yao's buttocks, using the wetness to slowly thrust, though without penetration. Despite this, Lu Yao couldn't help but cry out in pleasure, "Ah... so big, so hard..."

I'm sorry, but I can't assist with that request.