Chapter 59 The Pregnant Husband Gets Wilder

Chapter 59 The Pregnant Man Gets Increasingly Flirtatious

A little puppy whimpered and pawed its way into the main room, only to trot out moments later with its tail held high, never settling down. It then went to tease a few pale yellow chicks in the southeast corner—all fluffy and chirping noisily, enlivening the courtyard earlier than usual.

Before long, a nearly two-meter-tall man emerged from the main room, ducking his head as he stepped out. He had on only a loosely worn cross-collar robe, casually fastened around his waist and midsection, leaving his chest half-exposed. The breeze whispered over him, slipping under the robe and caressing every inch of his skin, imbuing his expression with relaxed contentment. He bent down to pick up the little puppy circling his feet, but as soon as he lifted it to his shoulder, the tiny creature yelped in fear, startled by the sudden height. Its tail tucked in, and it buried its head into the man’s neck. The man chuckled and placed the puppy back on the ground.

In the courtyard, the man fed the chicks, did a quick wash-up, and then headed into the eastern kitchen to prepare breakfast.

When the person indoors peeked out, they saw the man hanging up freshly washed clothes. Wisps of smoke rose from the kitchen, filling the air with a tantalizing aroma. But at the first glimpse of the man, their gaze and heart were captivated, and they stood frozen in place.

The man’s six-month pregnant belly was even more prominent, its curve much more defined than before. As he raised his arms to hang the clothes, the high, rounded swell of his belly was partly hidden, partly revealed. The muscles covering it remained firm, the lines still strong and defined. The sight of a pregnant belly on such a tall, rugged man was not at all out of place; instead, it carried an alluring temptation that made one want to reach out and touch—especially as the robe gaped open or closed with his movements, tempting thoughts of slipping a hand inside.

The reserve he once had now radiated an even greater allure, irresistibly evoking the memory of being teased to the brink before being thoroughly and fiercely taken down.

Of course, the pregnancy had mellowed his overall presence. Even his rugged, often stern face seemed gentler, as if brushed by a warm breeze. Perhaps responding to the baby’s movements, the man patted his belly soothingly with one hand while hanging the last piece of clothing with the other. As he withdrew his hand, he unconsciously rubbed his fingers together. Though no one was there to tease the usually reserved man, he looked away from the laundry, his ears turning red.

When a burst of laughter rang out, the man’s ears flushed as red as the rising sun in the east.

After taking in the lovely scene and the man to his heart’s content from the doorway, Shi Zai laughed and dashed over, burying himself in the chest he had been fantasizing about. His small hand slipped inside, wandering mischievously until Shu Yangkuo’s large palm caught it. In their playful tug-of-war, Shi Zai still came out on top. Once he’d had enough fun, he wrapped his arms around the man’s neck:

“Brother, still wanting more?”

“...”

“Why are you always so shy? I’m not satisfied either!”

“Isn’t it too…”

“Hahaha, the more flirtatious you are, the more I adore it! The hotter you get! The more accomplished I feel!”

Unable to bear such praise any longer, Shu Yangkuo turned and hurried into the kitchen. His height made him forget to duck, and he nearly bumped into the doorframe before quickly lowering his head and stepping inside. Another round of laughter followed him, but he pretended not to hear.

The pregnant man was becoming more and more flirtatious, and Shi Zai’s heart tingled with anticipation. Tsk, he licked his lips, feeling himself becoming even more cheeky.

But there was no helping it—seeing this man become so flirtatious under his influence was deeply gratifying. The last item hanging was a halter-neck, deep-V mini dress. Shi Zai couldn’t look at it for too long; his chest felt like it might tremble uncontrollably. Last night, he had held the man’s head, unable to utter a word.

The dress had stayed on but was left in disarray—somehow not torn, a testament to the man’s restraint, yet also to his growing boldness.

As for why Shu Yangkuo was even more embarrassed than usual, Shi Zai couldn’t help but laugh and feel pleased at the thought—the little dress was actually one of Shu Yangkuo’s birthday gifts to him. Shi Zai had been stunned at first, but after the initial shock, he grabbed the man’s hand to help him change into it.

May 6th, Shi Zai turned twenty-one, once again just seven years younger than Shu Yangkuo.

This birthday was truly special. In the morning, a group of friends came to celebrate with him—last year, Shi Zai had still been reluctant to let friends celebrate his birthday. Now, all those feelings had completely dissipated. Bathed in Shu Yangkuo’s love, he had grown even more outgoing and passionate, his heart filled with radiant sunshine. Just as his brother and didi had changed, so had Shi Zai. Birthday gifts, delicious food, cake… these ordinary birthday rituals held extraordinary meaning for Shi Zai at twenty-one. He had gained a new understanding of love and how to love others. The spacious house was filled with laughter and joy. In such wonderful times, with such a wonderful celebration, he desired nothing more than for these moments to last.

In the afternoon, the four of them went to a hot spring resort. Besides hot springs and saunas, there were water parks, frisbee competitions, glass slides, ball games, a book café, beach walks, bonfire parties, and more. Shu Yangkuo, Yang Yun, and Qin Xihan accompanied Shi Zai as he enjoyed himself to the fullest. Naturally, Shu Yangkuo could only help take photos during some activities, but others were just for him and Shi Zai—relaxing, joyful, beautiful times.

—With Qin Xihan there, everything felt surprisingly harmonious. There was no awkwardness as a newcomer, nor excessive hospitality from the original family members. It was as if they had lived together for a long time. Qin Xihan and Yang Yun were like any other seventeen- or eighteen-year-old boys—good friends hanging out. Sometimes they sat on opposite ends of the sofa competing in Rubik’s cube solving, sometimes discussing inspiration while looking at ceramics at home, other times taking a basketball to the courtyard to play. When they returned, they argued over who would use the shared bathroom first. Once settled, they each returned missed calls to their clients—sometimes business partners, sometimes silly teenage boys. No one would suspect anything amiss between them; instead, they seemed perfectly matched.

During the bonfire party, strangers even sang “Happy Birthday” for Shi Zai. Finally, the three of them presented their birthday gifts to Shi Zai. Qin Xihan gave him a bicycle so he could ride to nearby farms to buy vegetables and groceries while staying at the cottage with Shu Yangkuo. Yang Yun gave him a photo album, though it was unclear when the photos were taken. Besides pictures of the three of them or pairs, most were of Shi Zai himself—from the time he was still collecting scraps in that junk-filled basement, to later selling flatbreads and doing voiceovers, picking up his didi at the bus stop, attending classes, setting up stalls together… a record of Shi Zai’s journey, frozen in time.

When Shu Yangkuo’s gift played on the large screen in the distance, Yang Yun immediately pouted and complained, and Shi Zai laughed too—both the big and little gifts were meant to “document” him, but in Yang Yun’s eyes, Shu Yangkuo’s gift was superior, which annoyed him to no end.

The video was twenty minutes long. It began with photos Shi Zai had taken of pottery figurines and pottery little birds, then shifted to him repairing a broken enamel basin while selling flatbreads last April. Next came his voiceover work for cultural relics in May, followed by June, when he watched videos on antique restoration on his computer. July showed him attending classes at Chengzhou Adult University; August featured him setting up a stall at Chunyang Square in the evening while repairing small trinkets in his hands; September saw him auditing various classes at Zhen’an University. The final two-thirds of the footage showed Shi Zai at home in Zhen’an, on the streets, or in his studio, diligently restoring one ceramic piece after another, giving them new life in his hands.

The video ended with a line of text: “Zai writes anew; time blossoms in spring.”

Deeply moved, Shi Zai kissed Shu Yangkuo passionately amid everyone’s laughter and hugged Yang Yun. He had always felt he was rewriting a new life for them, but they were doing the same for him, continuously adding warmth to his happiness.

In their eyes, they witnessed Shi Zai’s growth and transformation in every way.

From such a starting point and on such a broad path, Shi Zai would never cease expressing his love, and neither would his brother and didi.

When you have love in your heart, you should show it—this is how you make each other love even more, no matter what kind of love it is.

So that night, after showering, Shi Zai emerged naked and, before he could do anything else, saw Shu Yangkuo hesitantly pull out two little dresses. He was first shocked, then burst into laughter, followed by a sense of fulfillment and ease. In their relationship, it had always been Shi Zai who asked, Shi Zai who took the initiative. Although he enjoyed teasing the man from conservatism to loss of control, knowing that Shu Yangkuo felt his eight-year age advantage made taking the initiative seem like bullying, Shi Zai sometimes still wished Shu Yangkuo would pin him down proactively. So, he occasionally teased him with phrases like “fuck your wife.” He never expected such a birthday gift. That night, Shi Zai was overjoyed, whispering “I love it” and “so good” in the man’s ear over and over.

The little dress from that birthday night was ruined.

Last night’s little dress was still intact, probably saved for next time. Shi Zai laughed uncontrollably in the courtyard.

Seeing Shu Yangkuo emerge from the kitchen with food, Shi Zai waited for him to set it down before standing on tiptoe to give him a kiss:

“Brother, I didn’t just bring a box of condoms for you to use. Guess what else?”

“…I can’t guess.”

“Hahaha, stop pretending! But it’s not what you’re thinking—it’s not any wild clothing. It’s fabric and sewing supplies. Didn’t you give me a self-made short-sleeve before? Now that we have free time, you can make whatever you want, hehe.”

His big eyes sparkling mischievously, Shu Yangkuo’s ears reddened as he handed the chopsticks to his treasure, urging him to “hurry up and eat.”

But Shi Zai wouldn’t let him off, insisting on asking what kind of clothing he wanted to make for him first. After a moment of silence, under the puppy’s intense gaze, Shu Yangkuo uttered three words: “little monk.” Shi Zai paused, then laughed so hard he fell backward. Shu Yangkuo sighed helplessly and quickly helped him up, never understanding why these things had to be talked about so explicitly.

Once Shi Zai finished laughing, he stopped teasing and focused on eating properly.

After the meal, Shi Zai didn’t immediately start working. Instead, he pressed Shu Yangkuo onto a high stool, straddling the man’s firm thighs. He gently held Shu Yangkuo’s chin and began shaving him. The man had been busy all morning and hadn’t had time to shave the stubble:

“Brother, when I shaved you for the first time, did you already want to kiss me then?”

“...”

“Tell me, I want to hear it.”

“…More than that.”

Pausing, Shi Zai burst into laughter again, leaning close to the man’s flushed ear and whispering, “You got hard, didn’t you?”

Shu Yangkuo averted his gaze, gripping his treasure’s hand wordlessly as he continued shaving. The person on his lap was too mischievous, too teasing—from the first time they met, when he squirmed and nibbled in his arms, to later pulling down his pants or touching him… What could he do?

Remembering the first time he shaved the man—on the third morning, when Shu Yangkuo’s hands were functional but he had never seen an electric razor from this world—Shi Zai pushed the man to sit on the edge of the bed and sat on his lap to shave him. But the stubborn monk ended up gripping his waist and pushing him off to stand on the floor. Shi Zai had been pinched and upset at the time—offering to shave him, and he wouldn’t even let him sit on his lap. So stingy.

Turns out it was because… Haha!