Chapter 196 I've Never Seen You at Your Ugliest

But when she looks at her child, her gaze softens involuntarily.

From the moment she learned she was pregnant, her determination to divorce him was for his sake.

It's been a difficult journey, but we've made it through.

The child's skin is so pink and tender, it looks so new; her eyes are so dark and clear, without a speck of dust, they look so new; her little mouth is so soft, she hasn't yet tasted the joys and sorrows of this world, she looks so new...

Everything seemed to be reborn with the birth of the child.

It's raining again outside, and the pitter-patter of the rain is actually quite comforting.

Tonight, as the cicadas take their turn, she uses the lamplight to hurry and make cotton-padded clothes for her child.

Suddenly the lights flickered. Xia Chan looked up and saw the person who had come in. She silently put away her needlework and went to the next room.

Lin Shiyuan took a few steps forward and paused when he reached the beaded curtain.

A charcoal brazier was placed next to the kang (a heated brick bed) by the window, used to dry out the dampness that came in through the door.

Lin Shiyuan turned around and walked to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), where he warmed the clothes with a charcoal brazier for a while until they felt warm to the touch. Only then did he go in to see Yao Qingling.

She was already asleep, so he sat down on the stool next to her.

I just watched her quietly, without waking her.

Yao Qingling was not sleeping soundly. When she smelled the familiar metallic scent, she slowly opened her eyes.

Her voice was slightly hoarse: "Xia Chan said it was raining, why did you still come?"

"I won't feel at ease if I don't come and see you."

She gave birth all night, and he stayed up all night on the roof, listening to her screams, which tore his insides apart.

At that time, he hated Zhan Xingzhuo.

It was that bastard who tormented Yao Qingling like this. If he hadn't married her, why would she have to suffer like this?

While Yao Qingling faced near-death experiences here, that person remained oblivious, single-mindedly paving the way for Zhou Zhining.

That bastard deserves to die!

Qingling slowly sat up, and Lin Shiyuan quickly stepped forward to support her, placing a pillow behind her back.

Although the room had been fumigated with incense, a faint smell of blood still lingered.

Lin Shiyuan had smelled the most foul odors before without ever frowning, but this time, smelling this odor, he frowned.

Seeing his expression, Yao Qingling felt somewhat embarrassed and said, "But I smell terrible?"

She sweated a lot, and the maids could only wipe her down hastily with hot towels, and she was also experiencing lochia.

I've heard that many men's feelings for their wives fade after seeing this sordid side of women.

Moreover, Lin Shiyuan was no one to her.

Qingling lowered her eyes in frustration, not wanting to look at him.

Lin Shiyuan took her small hand in his, his broad, warm but rough palm rubbing against the back of her hand. Yao Qingling felt ticklish and pulled her hand away, but he grabbed it back.

The man played with it for a while before saying, "Can it smell worse than the prison?"

"Could it smell worse than the stench of rotting, charred corpses on a battlefield?"

“Yao Qingling, I am not a pampered young master from a noble family. You have seen me at my most embarrassing moment, yet you still raised your voice for me and pleaded for my life.”

"We've all been through each other's most embarrassing times. Besides, you're not at your ugliest right now either."

Yao Qingling was initially moved, but now she feels happy.

She looked up at him and asked, "When was I at my ugliest?"

Isn't she ugly now?

It was filthy and smelly, its hair was sticky, its face was frighteningly pale, and there were dark circles around its eyes.

Besides, she's overweight; if he saw her belly, he probably wouldn't have said that.

Lin Shiyuan stared at her for a moment and said, "I've never seen you at your ugliest."

He didn't say that just to please her.

He's never been one to say sweet words.

When he first saw her, he felt that she was a woman with a heroic spirit and full of vitality.

She is bright and beautiful, noble and elegant, intelligent and courageous, surpassing countless women.

He is a person who follows habits.

He saw her like that at first glance, and after meeting her so many times, he only got more and more used to it. Whether she was fat or thin, it all came down to his "getting used to seeing her".

In his eyes, Yao Qingling was just someone who hadn't washed her face.

But washing one's face and taking a bath is commonplace for those who have been holding their ground for days and nights.

Yao Qingling was pleased by his coaxing: "Really not ugly?"

The lighting was poor at night, so she deliberately brought her face close to his so he could see her clearly.

Lin Shiyuan stared at her for a while, his gaze gradually changing.

From calm and profound, it gradually heats up, as if it's about to boil.

Yao Qingling was a little scared and shrank back, but he grabbed her shoulder.

Qing Ling's eyes widened slightly as she watched the man's lips descend.

He kissed her forehead and remained motionless for a long time.

Yao Qingling froze, too afraid to move.

This was the first time they had been this close.

His lips are so hot...

Yao Qingling's heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of her throat.

She gripped the blankets tightly, then grabbed his sleeve.

Does he know what he's doing?

But……

Qingling's emotions shifted from excitement and joy to sadness and a desire to cry.

Lin Shiyuan did not look down on her.

They didn't mind her divorce, having a child, or all the trouble she caused.

They didn't mind that she was dirty and smelly.

However, it was all Zhan Xingzhuo's fault that she became like this. She was dirty, smelly, and ugly, and it was Zhan Xingzhuo who should have tolerated her.

Lin Shiyuan moved her forehead away, pulled her into his arms, and whispered, "Do you still think I find you ugly?"

Qingling pressed against his warm chest, nodding and shaking her head.

Lin Shiyuan felt her body trembling slightly. He frowned, picked her up, and saw her red eyes with tears in the corners.

She rarely cries.

The man's thick eyebrows furrowed into high peaks: "Why are you crying? Did I do something wrong?"

Should I not have kissed her?

They had no official relationship, and his actions were indeed offensive to her.

He was about to apologize when Yao Qingling shook her head: "It has nothing to do with you. I don't know why I want to cry, maybe..."

Her eyes became even redder.

Perhaps they've never truly been liked, and their emotions are running high.

Perhaps she was just too happy because she had met a man who was genuinely good to her.

Perhaps it was during her most difficult time that she met someone who truly cared for her, and she found the warmth of being cherished.

Lin Shiyuan was at a loss and could only quickly think of something happy to cheer her up.

He said, "Lin Qiao wanted to come see you, but I stopped her. I was worried that she would disturb you, and I was also worried that someone would see her."

After saying that, I realized it wasn't something to make people happy.

He remembered something and pulled a rattle drum from his sleeve: "This is for the child. It was made by Lin Qiao. It's not very nice-looking, and the painting on the drum is a bit ugly."

Then he continued to rummage through his sleeve and pulled out another ginseng root: "This is an old wild ginseng from the pharmacy; it's the best for replenishing qi."

Then he reached into his sleeve and pulled out a red agate hairpin: "This is for you too. The shop assistant said that red brings out one's vitality."

He continued to reach into his sleeve, and pulled out an ivory comb, a box of rouge, a rabbit hair headband, and a box of maltose...

Yao Qingling watched him keep rummaging around, there were many things piled up by the bed, and he was still rummaging into his sleeves.

"Pfft—" She couldn't help but laugh.