Wei Li's face and ears turned even redder. He turned his head away and fiddled with his fingers, refusing to look at her.
The two of them had a fight. He was a proud man, so how could he back down? He said he came because it was her birthday, which would make him seem spineless and like he was begging for reconciliation.
At the time, he didn't know whether he should like Zhao Xiheng, so naturally he couldn't back down.
June 1st was the day Zhao Xiheng appeared in the cave with a whip in hand and brought him out. From that day on, Wei Li truly had life and lived in the world as a human being.
On November 30th, Zhao Xiheng's birthday, he clearly said that he hated Zhao Xiheng and hated her to the bone, but he still silently collected all the information about her.
His face flushed, and Zhao Xiheng knew she had guessed right. She feigned anger and said, "Why did you only bring a little wine for my birthday? Don't you care about me?"
"Shut up, I'm lucky I even remembered it." Wei Li was furious and covered Zhao Xiheng's mouth. "No, who said it was for your birthday? Don't flatter yourself."
"Then how did you know my birthday?" Zhao Xiheng pulled his hand off his mouth and pressed on relentlessly.
"I know, I know. Why are you asking so many questions?" Wei Li was restless and stood up. He quickly walked out as if he were avoiding something. "I have something to do. I'll go take care of it first."
Zhao Xiheng watched his retreating figure, which looked like he was fleeing in panic, and burst out laughing.
She seemed to remember something, touching her still flat stomach. This little one had arrived on her birthday.
Young people in the Great Zhou Dynasty do not celebrate birthdays. Generally, only the elderly over sixty years old celebrate them in a grand manner every year. Therefore, Zhao Xiheng was not angry that Wei Li only brought her wine.
Wei Li encountered a group of maids on the way. They were laughing and joking as they headed towards the kitchen. When they saw Wei Li, they quickly stopped smiling.
"What are you laughing at? Is it that funny? Go sweep the floor, all of you!" He was full of annoyance and stormed off.
The kneeling maids looked at each other, wondering what had gotten into their lord this time. They had clearly been living in harmony with their wives for the past few months, like a pair of celestial beings, and had even cultivated their moral character.
In April, officials would pay their respects and report on their duties. By late March, prefects from various regions had already begun to arrive with their families. Those who had their year-end reports rejected and had their salaries reduced were particularly anxious, fearing that arriving late would anger Wei Li.
The six prefects from the newly acquired former Youzhou prefecture also arrived early. After all, compared to the other prefects of Pingzhou, they were outsiders who had not yet figured out the new master's temperament and had no affection for him. It was only right that they were cautious and try to please him.
With so many people, it's inevitable that there will be noise, especially for someone like Wei Li who hates disturbances. He's been quite irritable these past few days.
After dinner, the commotion in the west courtyard was so loud it almost overturned the pot. When it reached the east courtyard, you could still hear faint sounds like the buzzing of mosquitoes.
Wei Li was still furious. He kicked a chair and pointed at a maid, "Damn it, go! Tell the West Courtyard to tell them to behave themselves! Don't make a sound! It's driving me crazy every day. If they make another sound, they're all out!"
The maid left trembling with fear.
Zhao Xiheng fixed her gaze on the stool at his feet, then her gaze slowly returned to his face.
Wei Li followed her gaze to the stool.
...
The stool belonged to Zhao Xiheng's dressing table, and he had kicked it over.
He quickly bent down and righted the stool, muttering to himself as if shifting the blame, "Oh, how did it fall over? Luckily I managed to pick it up."
Zhao Xiheng's complexion hadn't improved yet. He coughed lightly twice and wiped the dust off the stool with his sleeve, even though there wasn't any dust on it.
Then she leaned over and changed the subject with Zhao Xiheng, "Why is it so chaotic? Are they crazy? They brought so many people with them, don't you think it's noisy? Just kick them all out, so they don't interfere with your pregnancy."
"Kick them out to sleep on the streets?" Although Zhao Xiheng also felt that they had brought too many family members, she couldn't just say that their family was large and harmonious.
"Sleep on the street, so be it. It's not like I'm the one sleeping there." Wei Li loosened his belt and casually tossed his outer garment aside with a swift and elegant movement.
Zhao Xiheng spoke to him, which meant she didn't mind him kicking the stool over. He stood on the heated kang, wearing a snow-white undergarment, opened his arms, and said to Zhao Xiheng, "Come on, give me a hug."
"No hug!" How childish! How old are you, still wanting kisses and hugs? "You haven't showered."
Wei Li subconsciously sniffed himself, and there was no odor at all. Then he leaned closer and said, "I don't smell bad, smell me."
"No." Zhao Xiheng rolled into the blankets, covering her face so she couldn't see him.
As Wei Li walked towards the indoor hot spring next door, he threatened Zhao Xiheng, "Zhao Xiheng, you just wait and see. I'll beat you up when I get out. You still dare to complain about me now."
Zhao Xiheng poked her head out from under the fluffy, soft blankets. "I'm just waiting. What can you do to me?"
Wei Li's face darkened. There was nothing he could do. Zhao Xiheng was now a little princess, and he missed the soft and sweet little girl from before, who would never resist him no matter how much he pinched her.
He gritted his teeth and went inside to wash up.
A short while later, he came out, still damp from his shower, and stood under the kang (a heated brick bed), eagerly reaching out his hands, "I'm done washing, come and give me a hug."
Zhao Xiheng's face was full of resistance.
"Hug me!" Wei Li stubbornly reached out to her. "Come here, let me weigh you."
This time, without waiting for Zhao Xiheng to refuse, he took a long stride, stepped up, and pulled her down by her waist and back.
Zhao Xiheng was so frightened that she covered her stomach and cried out. When she came to her senses, she lowered her head and bit his neck hard.
Wei Li groaned in pain but still refused to let go. "If you don't let me hold you, who are you planning to hold?"
Ever since that time he woke up from his nap, he'd been a bit out of line, teasing her for almost an hour. Zhao Xiheng hadn't let him touch her for a long time, not even letting him pinch her little finger, let alone hug her.
He had no other intentions; he just wanted to hug her.
He gently patted her on the fleshy part, "Why are you so fierce?"
Zhao Xiheng blushed with shame and indignation, then took another bite from a different spot.
But my teeth ached from that bite just now, and this bite felt more like a kitten licking me, ticklish.
Wei Li suppressed his wandering thoughts, put one arm around her, and subconsciously pinched his burning earlobe.
“Zhao Xiheng, you’re too tall,” he said suddenly after looking her up and down.
Height has always been Zhao Xiheng's obsession. She used to want to grow up to Wei Li's chin, but later she found that as she grew, so did Wei Li, making this wish difficult to achieve. So she changed her mind and decided that she would grow up to Wei Li's shoulder.
"Are you kidding me?" she finally said, though her tone held a hint of expectation.
"Really." Wei Li put her down, pressed her against him, and measured her using the same method he used to measure her height last time. She had indeed grown taller; this time she was already up to Wei Li's shoulder.
Zhao Xiheng nuzzled him excitedly, thinking that if he kept growing like this, he might really reach Wei Li's chin.
Wei Li casually touched her waist, "How come you're taller but not heavier? You're pregnant, how come your waist hasn't changed?"
"How come it hasn't changed?" Zhao Xiheng hurriedly retorted, pulling his hand to her belly. "It's grown so much this month, feel it if you don't believe me." The little one is already a little over four months old, how could it not have changed?
She was so eager to explain that she missed the smug smile on Wei Li's lips.
"You haven't let me touch you for almost a month. Where am I supposed to touch you? How am I supposed to know if you've grown or not?" Wei Li said this, but his palm gently touched her lower abdomen, moving it up and down. He carefully slipped his hand under her shirt, his hot palm pressed against her lower abdomen skin.
Zhao Xiheng flinched, "It itches."
Wei Li embraced her, pressed his forehead against hers, and said gently, "I'll just touch you for a little while."
"Okay, just for a little while." Zhao Xiheng made a slight concession, after all, the little guy was his too.
"Thump"
The surroundings were silent; this sound was the snapping of a string in Wei Li's mind.
In his mind, it was no less than a landslide and a tsunami, with towering waves crashing against the sky.
Then, with a buzzing sound, he lost all consciousness, saw flashes of white light before his eyes, trembled all over, and his eyes involuntarily reddened.
After a long while, he finally found his voice, "Zhao Xiheng..."
Wei Li's voice was trembling with tears. He didn't want it to be like this, but he couldn't stop himself.
Zhao Xiheng was also stunned, not knowing what to do for a moment. She touched her lower abdomen and said, "Wei Li, it's moving."
The doctor said that the baby started moving around when he was four months old, but it wasn't very noticeable and could easily be missed if you didn't pay close attention.
This is the first time it's moving. The little one is very sensible and knows to let his parents feel it.
Wei Li and Zhao Xiheng had been eagerly anticipating the birth of this child. They knew that the little one was quietly growing inside Zhao Xiheng's belly, but this was the first time they truly felt that the little one was an active and playful life.
This feeling made the soon-to-be parents excited and anxious, almost unable to breathe.
Zhao Xiheng went to see Wei Li, only to find that his eyes were as red as a rabbit's, his eyelashes were trembling and wet with tears, and he was biting his lower lip tightly, as if he was forcing himself not to cry.
"Are you so happy you could cry?" Zhao Xiheng took his hand.
Wei Li didn't dare to speak. He was afraid that he would burst into tears if he gave in. He could only shake his head and stubbornly raise his chin to show that he would not cry.
But the real reaction doesn't lie.
Zhao Xiheng buried her face in his chest and hugged his waist. "I won't look at you, I'll just hug you."
Wei Li has no relatives, and doesn't even know who his parents are. This little one is the only person he is connected to by blood. She knows he is excited and can cry if he wants to, and she will not laugh at him.
Wei Li then hugged her back, resting his chin on her shoulder, and relaxed, tears streaming down his face. To avoid crying out loud, he bit his fist tightly.
He will work hard, and Zhao Xiheng and the child must be well.
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