Chapter 97 - Extra [Er Zhu VS Yu Hua]
Yu Hua had a cold and arrogant temperament. He seemed difficult to get close to, but in fact, he was very easy to coax. After all, it was thanks to this era where a man had the biggest status.
As a shuanger, Yu Hua had absolute obedience and dependence to his husband. If he wanted to have a good life with Er Zhu, he would instinctively retreat and give in.
Er Zhu and Yu Hua had been getting along for a long time, and they gradually learned the ropes. No matter how cold Yu Hua acted, as long as Er Zhu shamelessly stuck to him, Yu Hua would definitely be subdued. For the sake of Lian Zhou and to get some useful clues from the cousin through Yu Hua, Er Zhu worked very hard to please him.
Later, as they grew closer, he could no longer control his own desires.
In fact, men were just like that. Not everyone could be as amazing as Shan Yu, who suppressed his deepest instincts with absolute willpower. Er Zhu violently subdued Yu Hua on a drunken night. In the morning, after seeing the miserable state of the person in his arms and the filth and mess all over the bed, Er Zhu felt like he was going to die soon.
That day was the fifteenth day, and they had agreed to go to Yu Hua’s cousin for a reunion dinner, but he had made Yu Hua so miserable. If Yu Hua’s protective cousin knew about it, how could Er Zhu survive the night?
Er Zhu didn’t know what to do for a moment. He saw that the corners of Yu Hua’s lips were broken and his body was covered with kiss marks. He felt somewhat guilty. After thinking about it, he called the maid in.
“Go boil some water, prepare the medicine, open the windows, and tidy up the bed later.” The maids lowered their heads and agreed. Even though they had not been inside, they had heard their young master begging for mercy outside last night. Now, seeing the clothes scattered on the floor, they also understood what had happened inside the goose-yellow tent.
When Yu Hua woke up, Er Zhu had already prepared an apology. But before he could say anything, Yu Hua wrapped his arms around his waist. His freshly bathed hair was filled with a faint fragrance, and he called him in a hoarse voice, “Husband…”
Er Zhu had never seen Yu Hua so sweet and tender, so it felt a bit novel. While rubbing his waist, he stroked Yu Hua’s hair and asked him, “What’s wrong? Are you feeling uncomfortable? It was me, being reckless last night. You’re not angry, are you? Do you need me to call a doctor?”
Yu Hua shook his head, pressed his face against Er Zhu’s chest, and whispered, “I’m hungry…”
“I’ve had porridge prepared a long time ago, waiting for you to wake up.” Er Zhu quickly stood up, took the porridge from the table, and fed Yu Hua spoonful by spoonful with his own hands. Seeing Yu Hua’s starry eyes full of discomfort, he couldn’t help but chuckle, “Why are you blushing? We’re an old married couple. Why do you seem like a different person after one night? I’ve never seen you like this before. You look quite good.”
Er Zhu had almost forgotten what happened the previous night. He felt that Yu Hua was really quite gentle as a wife at that moment, so he deliberately teased him, “How did I behave last night? Wife, are you satisfied?”
Yu Hua’s face turned even redder at his words. He remembered how Er Zhu had hugged him and said “I love you” last night, which made him even more embarrassed. He hid his face in Er Zhu’s arms without saying a word.
“Our cousin will see you in this state tonight and I don’t know how he would deal with me…”
“Shall I tell my cousin that I’m not feeling well and can’t go over?”
“No!” Er Zhu, eager to see the official and get some clues from him after currying Favor with Yu Hua, hurriedly said, “We’ve already agreed to go, and if you suddenly cancel, how bad will that look?”
Yu Hua raised his eyebrows, “What do you mean, husband?”
“What I mean is…” Er Zhu kissed Yu Hua’s chin and said with a flattering smile, “Just say a few nice words in front of your cousin.”
Yu Hua nodded, thinking that Er Zhu was afraid of his cousin. Later, when he overheard a conversation between Er Zhu and Shan Yu outside the wood shop, he realized that he had been used.
At that time, Yu Hua had just discovered that he was pregnant. After thinking it over, he decided to abort the child. Children conceived through exploitation were destined not to be wanted.
“Child…” Yu Hua caressed his flat belly. Thinking of Er Zhu’s recent good behaviour, he felt like a joke and, with tears in his eyes, whispered, “Don’t blame me for being cruel. There’s nothing else I can do.”
When Er Zhu pushed the door open, Yu Hua was holding a bowl of dark medicine to drink. Er Zhu hurriedly shouted, “Yu Hua! What are you doing?”
Yu Hua looked at him coldly, raised the bowl, and was about to drink the medicine when Er Zhu rushed in and snatched it from his hands.
“Are you sick?” Er Zhu saw the dregs of medicine on Yu Hua’s face, reached out to scratch Yu Hua’s throat, and frowned. “Did you drink it? Did you? If anything happens to my son, I’ll kill you!”
Yu Hua had become completely disillusioned with Er Zhu. He pushed him away and slapped him, his red eyes cold as he said, “I won’t keep this child, and you don’t deserve him either.”
Er Zhu was furious and wanted to hit him back but restrained himself. Looking at the shattered bowl and the medicine spilled on the floor, Er Zhu yelled to the shivering maid outside the door, “What are you looking at! Go and get Shan Yu! If the child in his belly won’t survive today! Neither will he!”
Yu Hua glared at Er Zhu coldly, wondering how he could care more about the child than him. He scoffed, “The child is in my belly. Whether he stays or not is up to me. Even if you save him today, there’s tomorrow, and the day after. Let’s see how long you can keep him.”
Er Zhu’s expression darkened when he heard this. He stared at Yu Hua with a sullen face for a moment, then smiled. He took a towel to wipe Yu Hua’s face and said softly, “If you don’t want this child, I’ll bring in a concubine and let her bear one for me. Or I could simply divorce you and marry another beautiful woman. You’re a shuanger who’s already lost a child in the womb—what good man would be willing to marry you? How can you hold your head high as the young master of the Yu family?”
Yu Hua bit his lip. Though his face paled with anger, he still looked at Er Zhu stubbornly and said, “How dare you!”
“Do you think I’m afraid of your cousin?” Er Zhu leaned close to Yu Hua’s ear and whispered with a smile, “During the Lantern Festival, I snuck into your cousin’s study. What do you think I found?”
Yu Hua couldn’t hold back his tears any longer; they fell onto his clothes.
“I found a painting and several letters in your cousin’s study. Who do you think was in the painting? Who were the letters addressed to?”
Er Zhu wiped Yu Hua’s tears, his voice full of satisfaction at having caught the official’s secret, all because of Lian Zhou.
“The person in the painting is Lian Lou, the eldest son of the Lian family whose house was confiscated not long ago. What do you think the emperor would think if I told him about their relationship? What should I do? Your cousin hasn’t even married yet, why? I heard Lian Lou is a real man. So, your cousin is a cutsleeve? What if I…”
“Stop talking!” Yu Hua choked on his tears, pleading, “Please, stop.”
“You’re begging me?” Er Zhu asked mockingly. “Is this how you ask for help?”
“I…” Yu Hua closed his eyes, resigned to his fate. “I will keep this child.”
“Good.”