The Foolish General's Mute Spouse - Chapter 55

55: I’m the One Who Doesn’t Want To

He stood by the table, hands behind his back, craning his neck to watch him paint, occasionally letting out exclamations of amazement.

This made Fu Yu’an feel somewhat embarrassed.

He looked up with a helpless smile, about to exchange compliments, when he suddenly noticed faint bruises on the exposed part of his neck.

Fu Yu’an didn’t react at first and reached out to poke them, asking, “How did you get these?”

Xia Xiu stiffened, covering his neck as he shot him a reproachful look.

Fu Yu’an: “???”

“Oh… I think I get it now.” He quickly lowered his head. “Young people, show some restraint!”

Neither of them was particularly proper when it came to painting or writing, so Xia Xiu didn’t bother hiding it once exposed. He continued chatting openly.

“Ugh! He was leaving yesterday, so we got a little carried away… I’ve told him so many times not to leave marks, but he never listens!”

Fu Yu’an said, “Next time he leaves marks, make him sleep in a separate room! If that doesn’t work, come stay at the general’s residence!”

“How could I do that? If I came, what would General Qi do? Wouldn’t he be left—all alone in an empty room?!”

Not far away, General Qi sneezed loudly.

Strange, he thought. Did I really catch his cold?

“Whether he’s alone or not doesn’t matter much. It’s not like we do anything but chat under the covers anyway.” Fu Yu’an muttered under his breath.

Xia Xiu had sharp ears and gasped in shock, his mouth hanging open wide enough to fit an egg. “What?! You mean you two still haven’t…?”

Fu Yu’an nodded.

He whispered, “I’m the one who doesn’t want to.”

“Oh—” Xia Xiu wore an expression of sudden understanding. “Don’t worry, I don’t think it’s because General Qi is… incapable!”

“Then why don’t you want to? Aren’t you two in love? Don’t tell me you still haven’t confessed your feelings to each other?”

“What confession? It’s just… I don’t know why, but I feel somewhat averse to that kind of intimacy. Kissing and hugging are fine, but the moment his hands start wandering, I instinctively want to hit him.”

Now Xia Xiu was stumped too.

What kind of problem was it to want to hit someone the moment things got intimate?

“You’re just not deeply in love yet!” He smacked his fist into his palm, then leaned in to whisper something in his ear.

Fu Yu’an’s ears immediately turned red, and he shook his head blankly. “Even if sometimes… well, like you said, most of the time I just don’t have… those kinds of worldly desires.”

“This is really tricky…” Xia Xiu was utterly baffled by these two. “But if you don’t want to, then don’t! He can’t force you. If you…”

He glanced around cautiously and lowered his voice. “If you still want to leave, in my opinion, you might as well give in. That way, even if you never see each other again, at least you’ll have something to remember.”

“If we’re never seeing each other again, why would I need memories?” Fu Yu’an disagreed, feeling their perspectives were somewhat misaligned.

Xia Xiu knew when to agree to disagree, so he didn’t press further. He simply advised him to think it over carefully, leaving it at that.

No conversation lasts long without shared views. Fu Yu’an had never liked arguing, so he just nodded and didn’t dwell on it.

The two tacitly changed the subject. Fu Yu’an was painting scenes from the collaborative story they were working on, so Xia Xiu steered the discussion there.

This time, they hit it off splendidly. Just as they were deep in conversation, a maid suddenly came in to announce that the elder sister-in-law had arrived.

Fu Yu’an was surprised, wondering if she hadn’t gone to the prison or if she had already returned.

Tan Zhiqi walked in, supporting her waist, her belly visibly swollen.

His elder brother wasn’t with her—likely due to his limited mobility.

Since she already knew he wasn’t actually mute, Fu Yu’an didn’t pretend in front of her. He introduced her and Xia Xiu to each other.

Qi Ren also emerged from the storeroom and was startled to see her. “Sister-in-law? Weren’t you supposed to go this morning? Are you back already?”

“It’s windy outside—let’s talk inside!” Fu Yu’an walked over and took Qi Ren’s arm, smiling.

The servants served tea and withdrew. Xia Xiu also excused himself to the study to give them privacy, and Fu Yu’an followed him there.

Qi Ren glanced at Tan Zhiqi’s belly and asked, “Sister-in-law, why didn’t you go?”

“This morning, I suddenly had sharp pains in my stomach and couldn’t move well. I wrote a letter to Mother and had the Crown Prince’s men deliver it.”

Qi Ren nodded, thinking this was truly excellent.

He didn’t go, but the items were delivered by someone else. If the Crown Prince were to act out later, it wouldn’t implicate his elder brother’s family.

But hadn’t she been crying earlier, wanting to see her mother? Why was she suddenly refusing to go now?

Qi Ren’s instincts told him there was something fishy about this, but looking at her relieved expression, it seemed she was simply satisfied with sending a letter.

He couldn’t figure it out. Tan Zhiqi was the most scheming person, making it impossible to discern her true intentions.

Qi Ren nodded and said, “If you don’t want to go, then don’t. Actually, not going is safer. Otherwise, if someone with ill intentions sees you, they’ll surely make a big deal out of it.”

Tan Zhiqi tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, patted her belly, and said, “Mhm. Thanks to you and His Highness this time. If there’s a chance, come to our place—I’ll cook for you myself!”

“Better not.” Qi Ren stood up and declined. “That belly of yours carries my elder brother’s precious heir. If anything were to happen, I can’t exactly birth one to repay you. Then we’d really have no way to explain it!”

His sister-in-law laughed a few times and said, “It’s fine. After the first three months, the pregnancy stabilizes. It’s not that fragile!”

Qi Ren gave her belly a complicated look and said, “It’s best to be cautious in all things. Don’t forget Yu’an’s birth mother—I’m not cursing you, just giving you a heads-up!”

“I know.” His sister-in-law steadied herself against the table as she stood up. “Actually, it’s strange. I met his mother once before, and she seemed healthy too. How could she just…”

“Pregnancy takes a toll on the body. Life is unpredictable.” Qi Ren sighed.

A flicker of something unreadable passed through Tan Zhiqi’s eyes, but in the end, she said nothing.

…

Xia Xiu stayed at the general’s residence for one night. The next day, Prince Qing returned and picked him up on the way home.

Fu Yanxiao was covered in dust, clearly having genuinely thrown himself into the hunt.

“Xiu’er has caused you trouble these past two days. Here’s some game—a small token of appreciation. Please accept it!” He brought quite a haul—wild boar, hare, and the like.

Since returning to the capital, Qi Ren hadn’t had any game meat. Now, his face lit up with delight, and without holding a grudge over his lover’s presence as a third wheel in the residence, he slung an arm around Fu Yanxiao’s shoulders like an old friend, insisting on keeping him for a meal.

Fu Yanxiao couldn’t tell if he was sincere or just being polite, but in the end, he didn’t stay. He quickly gathered his family and returned to his own residence.

Fu Yu’an looked at the pile of game on the ground and asked, “How should we cook it? Stew or roast?”

Qi Ren glanced over. “Roast it! Call Li Ke over—he’s good at this!”

Li Ke, hearing this, hurried over and rolled up his sleeves to get to work.

Xiao Zhu, seeing this, also set aside his tasks to lend a hand.

Fu Yu’an and Qi Ren watched the two of them, seemingly inseparable, and couldn’t help but click their tongues.

“Have you set a wedding date yet?” Qi Ren called out loudly. “Li Ke’s a good lad! You two should look into buying a house somewhere. If you don’t want to move around, staying in the capital is fine too!”

Xiao Zhu felt a headache coming on at his words and pretended not to hear.

Li Ke replied, “General, you’ve shown me great kindness. I’m willing to follow His Highness for the rest of my life!”

“Hahaha, good!” Qi Ren laughed heartily. “But you must settle down before you can focus on your career! Once matters in the capital are resolved, we’ll return to the Southern Border. We’ll arrange a house for you there—it’s much cheaper than this cramped, expensive capital!”