The words of stern refusal were already on the tip of his tongue: I know I'm handsome and exceptional, but this is highly inappropriate! Men and women should maintain propriety, and furthermore, I'm a man with a fulang
Yet before he could utter a single word, the woman simply turned and left. Fang Zichen was left utterly dumbfounded.
Could you show me some respect??!
Where are your manners?
Zhao Ger, seeing his expression, turned away and laughed softly.
Fang Zichen: "......Don't laugh!"
"It's not that," Zhao Ger said, struggling to contain his laughter. "That woman is coming back."
The embarrassed look on Fang Zichen's face vanished instantly. He pressed his tongue against the roof of his mouth and smirked knowingly. "I see," he said. "She's playing hard to get. She's quite skilled at this game."
He strode forward to intercept her, his voice taking on a confident tone. "Is there still......" something else?
The woman walked straight past him, didn't even glance at him, picked up the handkerchief she had left behind on the table, and hurried away again in a rush.
Fang Zichen: "......"
Zhao Ger could no longer hold back and burst out laughing with a "pfft."
He had really overthought it.
After going through this episode, if this woman's mental state wasn't strong, she might be left with a thick psychological shadow from now on.
Fang Zichen shot Zhao Ger a look of clear grievance. Then, holding Guaizai, he went and sat down in a corner.
Guaizai stood on his father's thighs, wrapped his arms around his neck, and whispered, "Father, Daddy was angry just now!"
Playing along, Fang Zichen also lowered his voice and asked, "Yes, why was he so angry?"
"Guaizai doesn't know!" Guaizai shook his head and said: "Guaizai very scared."
He was both scared and worried.
"Good boy," Fang Zichen said, stroking Guaizai's soft cheek. "It's wise to be afraid. When the mother tiger bares her fangs, your father gets scared too. Next time your Daddy gets angry, you come find me immediately. I'll protect you."
Guaizai now understood exactly what a 'mother tiger' was.
A few days prior, he had been on his way back from visiting his friend Liuliu. As he crossed the village threshing ground, he overheard several men complaining about the 'mother tigers' in their own families. The moment he returned home, he had asked Fang Zichen what mother tiger meant.
At that time, Zhao Ger was napping in the bedroom. Fang Zichen scooped up Guaizai and tiptoed quietly inside. He crept to the bedside, then pointed at the sleeping Zhao Ger and whispered, "Son, look carefully. This is a 'mother tiger'."
He then carefully, gently pried open Zhao Ger's mouth as if demonstrating a product. "See these?" he said softly. "These are the mother tiger's fangs."
Next, he pointed to Zhao Ger's hand. "And this is her front claw. It's extremely sharp. One swipe from this, and at best, it can knock your teeth loose. At worst, it can give you a concussion. So you must always be obedient. When the mother tiger loses her temper, it is absolutely terrify... ing."
Zhao Ger had woken up at some point. Suddenly, meeting Zhao Ger's icy cold gaze, Fang Zichen choked up completely.
Having developed the habit at the Ma family, Zhao Ger's sleep was always very light. He had woken up when Fang Zichen entered the room, but seeing him tiptoeing like a thief, even shushing Guaizai, he wanted to see what trick he was playing, so he didn't make a sound.
Now, he was so angry he almost coughed up blood.
How could he possibly behave like this? Was this any way for a decent person to act?
Zhao Ger's smile was sinister as he gritted his teeth and asked, with feigned innocence, "Husband, what were you just explaining?"
Fang Zichen immediately wiped the smile from his face and became subdued. "It was... it was nothing!" he stammered.
That day, Zhao Ger chased him with a wooden stick, beating him. For the entire afternoon, he exhausted all his sweet talk, bowed and begged for mercy before Zhao Ger let him off.
Guaizai, having witnessed the entire process, nodded solemnly. "Guaizai understands now!"
Zhao Ger realized that if he continued to laugh, Fang Zichen would likely die of humiliation. He cleared his throat, walked over, and sat down across from him. Only then did he begin to properly survey their surroundings.
"Husband, whose shop is this?"
"I rented it." Fang Zichen said.
"Ah?" Zhao Ger said: "You asked me for silver last night, was it to use for renting this shop?"
"Otherwise?" Fang Zichen sat down next to him: "I originally wanted to give you a surprise. I didn't expect you to find out first. So, how is it? Does it look satisfactory?"
Initially, Zhao Ger had felt too self-conscious to look around, believing the shop belonged to someone else. But upon learning that Fang Zichen had rented it for their family, he could no longer contain his excitement. He immediately stood up and began a thorough inspection, carefully examining every part of the interior.
He had originally thought about renting a place too. His concern wasn't his own hardship, but rather Fang Zichen's well-being. He worried that when winter arrived with its bitter cold, rain, and snow, his husband—a man who found it profoundly difficult to get out of bed each morning—would have a terribly hard time.
He didn't expect Fang Zichen to have found one first.
This shop was very much to his liking.
He had originally thought that if Fang Zichen lived in town, he and their son would definitely have to follow.
He had grown accustomed to having someone hold him while sleeping. If Fang Zichen wasn't there, not to mention their son missing him, he himself wouldn't be used to it either.
But if they came to live in town at night, the business might be affected, and he was reluctant to lose that income. Now, with the shop at the front and their living quarters directly behind it, resolved his dilemma perfectly and left him feeling thoroughly pleased.
"How much is the rent?"
"Two taels of silver." Fang Zichen said.
It was originally a bit over two taels, but the other party gave Boss Fang face and rounded down the odd amount.
On West Street, for such a large shop, this price was considered cheap.
On the way back to Zuixiao Restaurant, Zhao Ger told Fang Zichen that the woman he found was actually a secret prostitute.
Zhao Ger explained that any woman seen loitering outside in Anping Alley was there for one purpose: to discreetly solicit clients as a secret prostitute.
Zhao Ger asked with a smile: "You didn't know?"
Fang Zichen: "......"
Fang Zichen's face turned bright red.
He was a pure, innocent young man, how would he know that?
If he had known, would he have dared to go?
Suddenly, everything made sense to Fang Zichen. No wonder the woman's conversation had seemed so strange and suggestive—their intentions had been completely different.
He had been about to ask Zhao Ger what had brought him to the shop, but now he understood perfectly.
"You were afraid I went looking for them?"
Zhao Ger's mouth moved, but before he could say anything, he heard Fang Zichen say, somewhat angrily: "Really, we've been together for almost half a year, we're an old married couple already. Don't you know what kind of person I am by now? I'm so pure, so reliable, and so excellent, a top-notch good match picked from ten thousand. I, in my youthful ignorance, have already hanged myself on your crooked-neck tree, and you still suspiciously suspect ghosts all day long."
Zhao Ger: "......"
Fang Zichen accused him: "Are you worthy of me?"
Zhao Ger: "......"
"At night, just dealing with you is taxing enough. Where would I have the energy to find someone else?"
Zhao Ger: "......"
Zhao Ger felt this statement was very off, making it sound like he liked that kind of thing very much.
"This action of yours has hurt my young, tender heart."
Zhao Ger took a calming breath: "Then, will an apology do?"
"Is an apology enough? Can an apology make up for my......"
"Are you finished or not?" Zhao Ger halted his steps and glared at him: "Do you want to eat fists?"
Fang Zichen: "......"
This life is impossible to live.
He didn't dare say anything more. Holding Guaizai, he silently followed him. Seeing an old man selling tanghulu, he even scampered over and bought two sticks.
"Don't be angry!" He pinched Guaizai's butt, giving him a look. Guaizai understood and immediately said: "Daddy, don't be angry with Father, okay? Guaizai give you kiss, kiss make better."
Zhao Ger let him kiss him, took the tanghulu, and Fang Zichen breathed a sigh of relief.
Although Fang Zichen felt wronged, he knew that trying to reason with his husband was as futile as arguing with a beast.
The outcome was always a losing proposition:
If he won the argument, he was worse than a beast.
If he lost, he wasn't even as capable as a beast.
And if it was a tie, then he was exactly the same as a beast.
Ultimately, no matter the result of talking back to Zhao Ger, the certain outcome was that he would end up getting a beating.
In the end, he was a good man. What was so wrong with letting his fulang have the final word? He asked himself, what did it really matter?
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