Chapter 120

Chapter 120

Fifth Aunt's origins have now been fully revealed, and she has been formally acknowledged by her family.

But the hardships she endured in the first half of her life can never be erased, and they still stir regret and heartache in everyone who hears it. Shen Qinglan was filled with emotion as he watched, and naturally had much he wanted to talk over with Han Zhang.

The first thing he did was tug on Han Zhang's sleeve and wheedle:

"Husband, if I ever go into labor one day, you have to stay by my side in the delivery room! Swapping babies is truly impossible to guard against—even Fifth Aunt fell prey to such treachery. If those villains got their hands on our child, what would we do?"

This wasn't Shen Qinglan being paranoid.

Never mind all the past cases of baby-swapping—now that Fifth Aunt's story has gotten around, while it would make people more vigilant, it might also embolden those scheming to steal another's place to be even more cunning.

He didn't want his own child to suffer because of a moment of carelessness.

After all, not everyone was as lucky as Fifth Aunt—able to claw her way out of the mire and learn who she really was. Plenty more were ground down to death without ever knowing the truth!

Han Zhang also found this kind of thing distasteful, but seeing his husband acting all coy, he couldn't resist teasing him, and said with a smile:

"Of course I'd be willing to be with you during childbirth, but... are you really willing to let me see you all messy and disheveled during labor?"

His husband was extremely particular about his looks, always keeping up a neat, radiant image in front of him.

He even made sure his pajamas matched the bedding before going to sleep.

With such a fussy, delicate temperament, could he stand to look completely disheveled in front of him?

Thinking of the scenes of the concubines in his father's back courtyard giving birth...

Shen Qinglan did immediately scrunch up his face in distress, but in the end, he gritted his teeth and nodded: "I do! I don't dare trust anyone but you, husband. For our child's safety, I... I can take it!"

"Or... do you find me disgusting, husband? Do you also think that going into your husband's delivery room is bad luck?"

The young lad puffed up his cheeks and glared, looking like he'd make Han Zhang pay if he dared to nod.

Han Zhang let out a low laugh, opened his arms, and pulled the young man into his embrace, coaxing softly:

"There you go, talking nonsense again. How could I ever be disgusted by you? I just worry that later, when you remember losing your dignity in front of me, you'll get all embarrassed and hide under the covers, refusing to talk to me."

"When have I ever been that petty?" Shen Qinglan protested.

"No? Then who was it who ate half a plate too many of those lotus pastries last time, burped right in my face, and then got all flustered and indignant, turned it around and blamed me—accused me of laughing at him—and even locked me out of the bedroom that night?"

Han Zhang had a good memory and immediately dredged up that embarrassing history.

Shen Qinglan's face turned bright red in an instant, and he reached out and twisted Han Zhang's ear:

"You say you weren't laughing at me?! I forgot about that ages ago, but you remember it perfectly, just to call out my flaws..."

Before he could finish, Han Zhang was already yelping in pain and begging for mercy:

"Ow—ow, ow, ow! Husband, easy! Spare me, my ear's about to fall off..."

"Why are you yelling so loud! I barely used any strength—you're just faking it..." Even as he scolded him, Shen Qinglan's hand had already let go, and he hurriedly leaned in to look. "Let me see—did I really twist it red?"

But the moment his cheek got close, Han Zhang grabbed his head and stole a kiss.

"Husband, you're being improper again..."

Shen Qinglan covered his mouth, both shy and annoyed.

He was trying to discuss serious matters here, and all his husband could think about day in and day out was this sort of thing—truly shameless!

Seeing his husband's blushing face, a deep laugh rolled out of Han Zhang's chest.

He reached out, took the soft fists that were raised to pound on him, and brought them to his lips for a gentle kiss, his eyes full of tender mirth:

"What's improper about it? 'The lovely young lad is fair, the gentleman seeks her; if he cannot have her, he longs for her waking and sleeping...' Since my husband keeps locking me out of the room whenever he sulks, I might as well steal a few more kisses now, or else I fear I won't be able to sleep tonight."

With that, he lowered his head again to capture those soft lips, gently sucking at them twice.

"...I, I can't out-argue you."

Shen Qinglan's face was red, but he did not push Han Zhang away.

Only after the kiss was finished did he reach out to wrap his arms around Han Zhang's waist, pressing his burning cheek against his chest and nuzzling it, his voice carrying a hint of melancholy:

"Never mind, there's no child yet, so it's too early to talk about all that... Husband, we've been married for almost half a year now, and we've... done it quite a lot, and the old nurse has been regulating our bodies all along—why is there still no sign of anything yet?"

At his age, many young ladies and lads already had children, and he too wanted a little one connected by blood to his husband.

Han Zhang was indifferent about children, but seeing his husband so downcast, he could only soften his voice to comfort him:

"Lads naturally conceive more slowly than ladies; it's common to go a year or two without offspring. We've only been married a short while. An Ge'er and Brother Jiang were married before us, and they're not anxious—why should we rush?"

"Besides, once a child arrives, a host of trivial matters follow. We are both in the prime of our youth—I want to enjoy a few more years of blissful, inseparable days with you. There's no hurry in this matter..."

Once a child was born, it would take up most of his husband's attention. He truly did not want some little troublemaker disturbing their peace right now.

Unfortunately, Shen Qinglan was a true traditionalist at heart and took matters of children very seriously.

Hearing that Han Zhang genuinely had little interest in having children, Shen Qinglan grew anxious.

"Husband, how can this not be urgent! You're already twenty, and I've passed eighteen—before we know it, we'll be at the age of thirty. Continuing the family line is a matter of great importance—how can we wait?"

"Besides, look at An Ge'er—how can he and his husband not be anxious? An Ge'er is desperate for a child right now. His mother-in-law said that if there's still no child by next year, she'll arrange a concubine for his husband..."

As Shen Qinglan spoke, his eyes began to well up with tears as he launched into his act: "Husband only cares about his own pleasure and won't think of me. If I never bear a child, how harsh the gossip outside will be..."

"Wah wah... or is it that husband doesn't even want a child from me? That he thinks I'm stupid and fears the child will take after me—all height and no brains... and plans to find someone else to bear a clever one..."

The young lad sobbed and sniffled while secretly stealing glances at Han Zhang's expression.

Just moments ago he had been throwing a fiery tantrum, and now he was playing the fragile damsel—even a Sichuan opera face-changer couldn't match his husband's repertoire!

But what could Han Zhang do?

He could only surrender completely. "Alright, alright, it's my fault. I was too greedy for your beauty, husband, thinking only of my own pleasure without considering your worries. I admit my mistake—I'll change, alright?"

"Don't cry anymore, husband. Tell me what to do, and I'll listen to you..."

Even though the tears were fake, seeing his husband cry still pained his heart.

Having achieved his goal, Shen Qinglan immediately stopped crying, threw his arms around Han Zhang's neck, buried his face in the crook of his shoulder, and mumbled softly:

"You said it yourself, husband—you'll listen to me... Then tomorrow when we go back, I'll invite a physician to take a look at you. You do that to me every time... and yet there's still no news. If we don't see a doctor, I won't feel at ease."

In plain words—he suspected Han Zhang was impotent!

Han Zhang laughed in spite of himself and flipped him over, pressing him down onto the couch. "Alright, my dear, listen to yourself! I'll show you right here and now whether I can make you feel 'secure.'"

Then he waved his hand to use his Power and muffle the sounds in the room, and started pulling at his husband's clothes.

"Mmph... husband, no, Mom and Dad are in the next room!"

"It's fine, they can't hear a thing!"

"This... this bed isn't even sturdy..."

"Then let's move somewhere else..."

"Waaah... husband, you're so mean!"

Shen Qinglan's whimpers of regret and embarrassment, his scolding, and his soft panting echoed continuously through the room, filling it with a steamy, spring-like atmosphere.

The two of them went at it for half the night.

As he was about to pass out from exhaustion, the young lad huffily declared he wouldn't give his husband the time of day come morning!

But the next morning, the young lad tossed those vows right out the window, wrapping his arms around Han Zhang's neck and acting all cute. "Husband, I'm so sleepy~~ Can we sleep a little longer?"

With such a soft and clingy husband, life was pure bliss. Han Zhang figured it was only human nature that he didn't want a little rugrat!

...

Children were always a matter of fate; they didn't just appear on demand.

Though Shen Qinglan was anxious, as Han Zhang said, they were still young and had only been married for half a year—there was plenty of time.

So, he fretted for a moment, then cast the worry aside.

After all, life with just him and his husband was truly delightful; the two-person world wasn't something only Han Zhang reveled in—Shen Qinglan himself was thoroughly enjoying it.

And with the recognition banquet for Fifth Aunt coming up, thanks to Han Zhang's good connections at the Imperial Academy and Kang Zhanxun's ties, there would surely be many well-wishers attending. The Han family alone wouldn't be able to manage it all.

Since it involved various noble families, the Han family didn't know them well and couldn't arrange things properly, so Shen Qinglan's help was needed.

After several busy days, Shen Qinglan had no energy left to fret about children, only thinking that after the recognition banquet, he'd have Han Zhang take him out for a spring outing to make up for it.