Chapter 180 Can I touch it?

Following the midwife's advice, Qingling comfortably washed her hair and took a bath.

The water temperature was just right, and she sat in the bathtub, feeling drowsy.

Lou Yue gently wiped Qing Ling's hair with a cloth, while Xia Chan combed Qing Ling's long hair with a fine-toothed comb over and over again.

On the rooftop, Lin Shiyuan sat gazing at the moon with an indifferent expression.

He had good hearing and could vaguely hear the sound of water flowing below.

Has he fallen asleep after all this time?

Is anyone in the clean room?

He couldn't help but glance down, his fingers sliding between the tiles.

Suddenly, I heard voices rising and falling below.

"Luckily the weather has cooled down. If I had been born in the summer, I wouldn't have been able to shower or wash my hair for a month, and I would have smelled terrible."

"The young master is so lucky. He is so considerate of his mother and even timed his arrival perfectly."

"I actually think it's better to give birth in the summer. The doctor said that new mothers shouldn't be exposed to drafts or get chilled, otherwise they'll have headaches later on, and their bones will ache when it's cloudy or rainy. It's a lifelong condition, how uncomfortable! I'd rather smell bad in the summer, at least I won't get chilled."

The sound of rushing water grew louder, and the talking stopped, presumably because Yao Qingling had finished bathing and come out.

Lin Shiyuan glanced under the eaves and saw several third-class maids going in to carry water out.

He waited a while longer.

As Nie Yun passed through the courtyard, she suddenly stopped, glanced at the rooftop, and then walked away as if she hadn't noticed anything.

Inside the room, Yao Qingling, supporting her large pregnant belly, slowly walked to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) by the window and sat down. Two maids covered her with a thin quilt, and placed a charcoal brazier underneath to dry her hair. Xia Chan took a dry cloth and gently absorbed the moisture.

Lou Yue asked, "Miss, would you like something to eat?"

Xia Chan chuckled: "Didn't you hear the midwife say that if the fetus is too big, it will be difficult to deliver? We can't let her eat anymore."

Lou Yue: "If you're hungry, you won't have the strength to give birth."

The two girls were arguing, while Lin Shiyuan on the roof frowned slightly: Why aren't they leaving yet?

After waiting for a while, two maids tiptoed out of the room.

The man leaped down.

Nie Yun stood at the door with her sword in her arms, glanced at him, and then looked straight ahead.

Ignore it, I don't ask it.

Lin Shiyuan pushed open the door and went in, thinking that it was better to arrange for his own people.

Inside, it was quiet.

Yao Qingling was asleep with her head facing outwards.

My half-dry, half-wet hair hung down along the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), and the charcoal fire nearby was so warm that I didn't feel cold at all.

The man gently sat down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), glanced at the comb on the table, picked it up, and then slowly combed a strand of her hair.

It has a slightly rough feel when damp, but once it dries completely, it becomes a smooth and silky satin.

He played with it, wrapping the hair around his finger in circles, then letting go, and the strands of hair loosened and hung down from his fingertips.

After playing for a while, she combed another section of her hair and played with it for a bit more.

I didn't get bored even after repeating it several times.

Qingling wasn't sleeping soundly; she noticed as soon as someone came in.

The footsteps were neither Lou Yue's nor Xia Chan's; they were steady and slow, and the person sat down very lightly.

But what allowed her to clearly identify the person was their scent.

There was no woman's incense, only a faint metallic smell.

This is the smell that seeps into the palm of someone who has been holding metal weapons for many years.

Qing Ling's lips curled up slightly.

She didn't open her eyes. As the man began to braid her hair strand by strand, Qingling asked, "Is it fun?"

The man held her long hair, three strands of hair weaving between his fingers. He glanced at her and asked, "Not pretending to be asleep anymore?"

Qingling opened her eyes and used her elbows to support her heavy body as she got up.

Lin Shiyuan helped her up.

Yao Qingling glanced at her tangled long hair; although the ends were undone, the top was still styled as a braid.

She picked it up and looked at it: "You know how to do hair?"

Lin Shiyuan said, "No, I only know the simple ones."

He also said, "I only combed Lin Qiao's hair."

Yao Qingling pouted, but her eyes held a hint of coquettish charm: "Who asked you that?"

He thought to himself, "He's been quick to explain this time."

She said, "Didn't you just come a few days ago? Why are you here again today?"

The man's dark eyes stared at her intently: "What do you think?"

Yao Qingling's eyes darted around slightly. Was it for that gigolo?

"You got the news so quickly?" She glanced out the window.

Ha, by putting his people in, he also benefited.

Lin Shiyuan continued to stare at her: "Is that person good-looking?"

Yao Qingling poured a cup of tea and handed it over: "It is quite beautiful."

Lin Shiyuan: "..."

He didn't even accept the tea.

Yao Qingling withdrew her hand and drank it herself.

She said, "I'll keep the person that Master He sent for me; he's useful. I'm keeping him in Tongluo Lane. Do you want to go see him?"

"Why would I look at him?" the man's voice was deep.

Yao Qingling said, "Go see how good it is. He said he could sing opera. I listened to a short clip. His voice was very good, and his movements were very flexible, with a balance of gentleness and strength. He could play both young male roles and martial male roles. Before he became a famous actor, he was noticed by Master He, who bought him from the opera troupe and gave him to me."

As the man's lips tightened more and more, she slightly curled her lips up, her eyes mischievous.

"I don't like the south wind." Lin Shiyuan said with an aloof expression, pouring himself a glass of water and sipping it without any taste.

Qingling had teased him enough, so she sat up, leaned a little closer, and told him her plans.

Lin Shiyuan raised an eyebrow, relieved, but his gaze towards her was somewhat complicated.

If he could...

His throat bobbed slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but he held back in the end.

It's not the right time yet.

He picked up a strand of her hair and twirled it between his fingers.

A deep, muffled voice rang out again: "She's about to give birth?"

Qingling nodded: "Yes, the midwife said the baby's movements are noticeably stronger and more frequent than before."

Lin Shiyuan remained silent for a while before speaking again: "May I touch it?"

Yao Qingling: "?"

She blinked.

Lin Shiyuan never made such a request. The most intimate thing the two did was for him to touch her eyebrows or her hair.

And the father of the child in her womb...

Lin Shiyuan seemed to guess what she was thinking, and his voice turned cold: "He only produced a seed, but didn't care about him."

Yao Qingling looked up, her eyes serious, and said, "Lin Shiyuan, have you thought this through? What does touching it represent?"

The man glanced at her stomach.

If he knew from the beginning and then said he didn't care, that would be disregarding the seriousness of the matter and making promises lightly.

But he had been thinking about it for months, and he had thought it through clearly enough. So when he made a promise, it was not something he would say lightly.

Do you think I haven't thought this through enough before I said it?

Yao Qingling lowered her eyelashes slightly, slowly reached out, grasped his large hand that was holding a strand of her hair, and gently moved it inwards, pressing it against her stomach.

That strand of hair was nestled between his palm and her stomach.

She held her breath slightly, feeling tense, determined, and uneasy, looking at his face and watching every expression on his face.

The man's breathing also quickened, filled with tension, trepidation, and some other emotions he couldn't quite discern.

His attention was now entirely focused on his hands.

Beneath his palm, her stomach was hard and swollen. It looked as if if he pressed any harder, he would burst her belly.

Therefore, he dared not exert any force at all; in fact, when her hand pressed down on his, he exerted force outward instead.

Suddenly, something pressed against his palm.

The man's eyes widened suddenly, staring incredulously at her stomach.

"This—" His voice was so excited it almost changed tone.