Chapter 73
"The pulse is weak, not strong, but compared to last year’s diagnosis, it has actually improved somewhat."
Huang Yinsheng withdrew his hand and looked at Ji Taoyu: "The pulse doesn’t seem problematic. Where do you feel unwell?"
Ji Taoyu straightened up: "I’m not uncomfortable. I just wanted Grandfather to examine me about... having a child."
Huang Yinsheng’s hand paused slightly. He glanced at Ji Taoyu, then at Huo Shu, who sat beside him with a furrowed brow.
"Did the two of you argue over the child?"
Ji Taoyu felt a little embarrassed and lowered his voice: "We didn’t argue. I just had this question."
Huang Yinsheng saw this and figured they had already made up.
That was just as well—it saved the elders from having to mediate.
"Since you’re asking, and both of you are here, I might as well speak plainly."
Huang Yinsheng said slowly: "Your body isn’t fundamentally different from others when it comes to bearing a child. However, your constitution is weak. The ten months of pregnancy would be harder on you, and childbirth would be far more dangerous than for most."
Hearing his grandfather’s diagnosis, Ji Taoyu wilted a little.
"What should we do, then?"
"Naturally, you must focus on nourishment and strengthening your body. If not for this, why do you think your parents would have allowed you to travel to the Northern Frontier?"
Huang Yinsheng pinched Ji Taoyu’s cheek: "But the trip wasn’t wasted. You’ve tanned a little, and your physique is visibly better than before."
Ji Taoyu stared at Huang Yinsheng: "Father and Mother already knew?"
Huang Yinsheng nodded.
Ji Taoyu suddenly understood—no wonder, after all these months of marriage, his family had never once mentioned children.
Turns out, he was the only one in the family who hadn’t known his own condition.
"Don’t lose heart. I’ll prescribe some nourishing medicine for you. Don’t be so lazy from now on—spend less time cooped up indoors, and you’ll improve."
Huang Yinsheng patted Ji Taoyu’s head: "You’re still young. There’s no rush."
Then he turned to Huo Shu with an apologetic look: "This is hard on you."
Huo Shu answered decisively, without hesitation:
"As long as he’s unharmed, I don’t find it hard."
After listening to Huang Yinsheng’s advice, the knot in their hearts loosened.
The rain outside hadn’t stopped. After lunch, the two returned to their room.
Ji Taoyu had barely slept last night and had come to town early in the morning. If not for the weight on his mind, he would’ve been exhausted long ago.
Now that the misunderstanding was resolved and Huang Yinsheng had spoken plainly—children were possible, but his body needed careful conditioning—the tension in him eased somewhat.
Ji Taoyu lay sideways on the bed, lazily rubbing his stomach: "If only the food in my belly could turn into a child. Then we wouldn’t have to worry."
Huo Shu sat beside him and pulled off Ji Taoyu’s shoes: "Rest for a while."
Ji Taoyu hastily grabbed Huo Shu’s hand: "You sleep too."
He was afraid that if he fell asleep, Huo Shu would sneak back home without him.
When he was little, during busy farming seasons, his parents would send him to his grandfather’s. After a happy lunch, his mother would tuck him in and say: We’ll go home when you wake up.
He’d obediently sleep, only to wake to a blazing sunset—his parents long gone. His grandfather would say it was too late, so he’d have to stay the night.
Though years had passed and he could now stay at his grandfather’s without issue, he clung to Huo Shu, afraid he’d leave him behind like his parents had.
"Alright."
Huo Shu didn’t refuse and lay down beside him.
Ji Taoyu nestled against Huo Shu’s chest without reservation.
As Huo Shu moved to wrap an arm around him, Ji Taoyu suddenly remembered something.
Propping himself up on an elbow, he pulled Huo Shu’s arm toward him and rolled up his sleeve.
On the veined, sun-darkened forearm lay two neat rows of teeth marks. The broken skin was faintly red against the bronze flesh.
"Let me get medicine for you!"
Heart aching, Ji Taoyu tried to get up, but Huo Shu hooked an arm around his waist and pulled him back.
"It’s fine."
"If we don’t treat it, it’ll scar."
"I already have plenty of scars. One more doesn’t matter. Besides, none of them holds meaning like this one."
Hearing this, Ji Taoyu’s expression softened.
He pressed his lips gently to Huo Shu’s arm: "I won’t bite you again."
"But I want to bite you."
Huo Shu suddenly pulled him closer, locking Ji Taoyu firmly against his chest. Even with the full weight of the other on top of him, Huo Shu felt no strain—only that this person was truly soft.
His entire body was soft—not just his skin, but yielding in every way.
Huo Shu studied the face mere inches from his own—the translucent pallor revealing delicate veins, lips that had colored slightly after their meal but remained too pale.
"Then you can bite me back once."
Huo Shu lay flat, his clothes clinging enough to outline his bulging chest muscles.
Ji Taoyu pressed a palm against them, feeling the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.
Even relaxed, the muscles were firm yet yielding. Following the overlap of Huo Shu’s collar, he slipped a hand inside.
Huo Shu glanced down at the wandering hand and let him misbehave for a while before asking: "Have you touched enough?"
Ji Taoyu didn’t answer, too absorbed in the rough, sun-warmed skin under his palm, the heat seeping into him like touching a desert—
Harsh and blazing.
Then, without warning, Huo Shu gripped his shoulder and pulled him closer. Before he could react, Huo Shu yanked open his collar and buried his face against Ji Taoyu’s neck, trailing downward.
Ji Taoyu let out a muffled sound.
Thank you for the Update!!!
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