Hua Yan knew her taste was a bit peculiar. It wasn’t her fault, after all, she grew up in their sect, eating all sorts of strange things. If she didn’t think Lu Chengsha would dislike it, she might have recommended he try some.
But now, it was clear that he didn’t even want to touch the porridge she had personally made.
When Hua Yan drank the porridge, he quietly turned his face away.
She wanted to laugh but was too embarrassed to do so. The porridge’s taste might seem strange and hard to swallow to the average person, but she had grown accustomed to it and found it intriguingly flavorful. Hua Yan always felt that if she kissed Lu Chengsha after drinking it, he might just lose it.
Seeing that she had almost finished her porridge, Lu Chengsha cautiously turned his head back and asked, “Do you want it fried?”
Hua Yan was tempted but worried about troubling him too much. “If you really can’t handle it, you don’t have to…”
Lu Chengsha took a deep breath and said, “It’s fine. I’ll fry it…” Then he resolutely went back into the kitchen.
However, Hua Yan’s appetite changed daily. She didn’t realize that being pregnant would make her cravings so erratic. What she wanted to eat yesterday, she didn’t want today, and her tastes jumped randomly among sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy, sometimes in the middle of the night.
Wanting to eat something in the middle of the night wasn’t always necessary, but with Lu Chengsha by her side, he would ask what was wrong whenever he heard any noise.
Hua Yan couldn’t help but tell him.
Lu Chengsha would promptly get up, dress, and go out to buy it for her. If he couldn’t find it, he’d make it himself. In a short period, Lu Chengsha’s culinary skills improved significantly, especially his knife skills.
Even Hua Yan, who wanted to eat finely shredded vinegar potatoes in the middle of the night, was amazed by the potato shreds as thin as hair in the dish.
Could swordsmanship and kitchen knife skills really be interchangeable?
Some people saw the stern, black-clad man cooking for his wife several times and couldn’t help but talk. Half of them were surprised that such a man could do something like this, while the other half felt that a gentleman should stay away from the kitchen, and it was improper for him to cook daily for his wife.
However, Lu Chengsha himself had no reaction.
He was completely a beginner, relying on learning as he went along, afraid he wasn’t doing well enough or knew too little. He even secretly troubled the doctor again, and though it was a bother, it was done with the manner of an assassin, frightening the old doctor so much that his legs trembled. The doctor hurriedly pulled a medical book from his sleeve, expressionlessly stating that he was there to consult about unclear points in the book.
Lu Chengsha had many doubts. If it weren’t inconvenient, he would have liked to see how others took care of pregnant women.
Another issue was that since she became pregnant, she had become exceptionally clingy.
Even Hua Yan herself gradually realized that although she always enjoyed being with Lu Chengsha before, it wasn’t to the extent of needing to be with him every moment. She could find joy in her own company. However, since her lower abdomen began to show a subtle bulge, combined with her recent loss of appetite, poor sleep yet excessive drowsiness, she became inexplicably anxious and unsettled. She grew easily sentimental at night, feeling uneasy if she couldn’t see Lu Chengsha, which led to her mind wandering into various worries.
For instance, she wondered if he found her troublesome and difficult to serve now that she was pregnant.
Or if he was avoiding her when he left her sight.
Or if he wanted to leave and never come back.
Despite some of these thoughts being rather absurd, Hua Yan couldn’t control her brain.
In short, she often felt like starting an argument.
And she had plenty of justified reasons from the past.
Crossing her arms, Hua Yan said, “Are you planning to run away again?”
Lu Chengsha was slightly taken aback, “I’ll be back in a moment.”
Hua Yan said, “I don’t believe you! Why don’t you take me with you… You used to avoid me every day! What were you thinking back then? Did you really think I could only like you…” She started to grumble incessantly.
Lu Chengsha really couldn’t refute her and had to stay with her.
As he kept her company, they would end up kissing, and after kissing, he couldn’t touch her any further. But she would lean against him, nuzzling her head against his neck and shoulder, her scent wafting up, making his body tense and hot. Lu Chengsha, with his beloved in his arms, dared only to hold her, not daring to touch her more.
He was afraid that if he touched her too much, he would lose control and want to push her onto the bed.
But if he didn’t kiss her, it would be even worse.
Hua Yan would straightforwardly ask, “You didn’t kiss me today, do you not like me as much anymore?”
Feeling wronged, Lu Chengsha would pause and then say, “I want to kiss you.”
She would then assert, “Then why don’t you kiss me!”
So he would kiss her.
Kissing until they were both dizzy with passion, yet he had to stop himself from going too far and ensure she didn’t get too emotionally agitated. Lu Chengsha had never known that dealing with a pregnant woman could be so challenging.
She also didn’t want to stay cooped up in the room all the time. When she felt a bit better, she wanted to go out for a walk.
Lu Chengsha truly couldn’t let her go out alone. Every time they went out, he was on edge, constantly worried she might bump into something, trip, or have an unpleasant encounter that would upset her.
He even started exuding a long-forgotten killing aura, making people around them keep their distance.
Hua Yan asked him, “Do you not want me to go out?”
Lu Chengsha, unable to speak the truth, had to say, “…It can be very dangerous.” Then he looked at her belly.
Since she started showing, he had become even more shameless. Not only would he look, but he would also secretly touch her belly at night, feeling his heart race and inexplicable excitement, finding it incredibly wonderful.
To this day, he still had an indescribable thrill about it, always feeling a sense of unreality.
The unreality that he had left such a significant mark on her.
There was a guilty pleasure as if he had done something bad, and a happiness as if he had done something bad.
However, Hua Yan didn’t see it that way. She felt that Lu Chengsha’s enthusiasm for her belly was almost exceeding his interest in her!
She couldn’t help but say, “You only care about the child, not about me!”
Lu Chengsha was startled, “…!”
Actually, nothing was wrong, but the more Hua Yan thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt. She sniffed and said, “You must not like me as much anymore!”
Lu Chengsha was forced to blurt out, “I do like you—”
Hua Yan asked, “How much do you like me?”
Lu Chengsha had no choice but to kiss her again. However, Hua Yan blocked him and said, “You’re just being perfunctory! You’ve been kissing me perfunctorily lately!”
If he kissed her too earnestly, it would lead to trouble.
But Lu Chengsha couldn’t explain this. He was sweating, racking his brains, and said, “How about… you… use your sword to cut me, I won’t fight back.”
This time, it was Hua Yan who was stunned.
Afterwards, when that emotional surge had passed, Hua Yan also felt that her behavior was wrong.
Lu Chengsha had been impeccable during this time, doing whatever she said, whatever she wanted to do. Even if she asked for the stars, Lu Chengsha would probably try to find a way to get them for her. She was just venting her bad pregnancy mood on Lu Chengsha.
When Hua Yan came to her senses, she felt a bit embarrassed. At night, in bed, she whispered to Lu Chengsha, “I’ve been in a bad mood lately…”
Lu Chengsha, still slightly surprised, asked, “What’s wrong?”
Hua Yan’s voice grew even smaller, “Are you angry with me?”
Lu Chengsha had no such concept, “Why would I be angry?”
Hua Yan murmured, “I often want to argue with you…”
Lu Chengsha probably understood what she meant. He felt relieved and gently patted her head, speaking in a soft tone, “It’s okay.”
Later, the old doctor had also told him that women could be emotionally sensitive and fragile during pregnancy, and he should be more understanding towards his wife. Lu Chengsha silently took this to heart.
He saw how she had been struggling these days, knowing it was because of the mark he had left. His only thoughts were feeling sorry for her and worrying that he wasn’t doing well enough, without a hint of anger.
He patted her again and said, “If you want to argue, just argue.”
Hua Yan was stunned, “Huh?”
Lu Chengsha thought for a while and hesitated, “But… I’m not very good at arguing.” He paused, “Do I need to learn this?”
Hua Yan blinked, imagining what it would be like if Lu Chengsha argued, and after a moment of silence, she said, “Then… let’s just forget it!”
***
Seeing how hard it was for Lu Chengsha to take care of her alone, Hua Yan decided not to continue traveling and obediently returned to their sect.
On the way back from Qingzhou to their sect, they happened to pass by Tingjian Manor. Previously, Lu Chengsha had sent a letter informing Lu Huatian of Hua Yan’s pregnancy, and Lu Huatian had replied, saying that if they had the time, they should visit the manor.
Hua Yan, who used to dislike Tingjian Manor, was no longer afraid.
She was even a bit curious about Lu Zhenxing’s reaction to her pregnancy.
Lu Zhenxing truly didn’t know how to react. Neither Lu Chengzhao nor Lu Chengyang had married yet, and no one expected Lu Chengsha to beat them to it—let alone already have a child on the way!
Looking at the visibly pregnant girl, who was now his granddaughter-in-law, Lu Zhenxing couldn’t help but feel a mix of emotions.
Back then, he had thought that this demon girl was deceiving Lu Chengsha’s feelings and that she would never bear children for him. Who could have expected it to happen so soon? Lu Zhenxing involuntarily turned to look at the nervous black-clad young man beside him, as if fearing she might get hurt.
What had this rascal been doing every day? Had he been practicing his swordsmanship properly, or did he now forget how to hold a sword altogether?
How did he get the girl pregnant so quickly…
Then Lu Zhenxing realized that once the child was born, he would become a great-grandfather.
So, Lu Zhenxing said, “You should stay at the manor. A new courtyard has been prepared for you, and after the child is born…”
Hua Yan was shocked by his usual overbearing manner and casually said, “We’ll stay for two days and then return to our sect.”
Lu Zhenxing raised an eyebrow, “How can that ghostly place properly take care of a child?”
Hua Yan immediately pointed at Lu Chengsha and said, “He wasn’t well taken care of here either.”
Lu Chengsha: “…”
Lu Zhenxing raised his eyebrows again, but he couldn’t refute her. He tried to suppress his emotions and make himself seem like a kind elder, “That was in the past. Now that you’re here, we can’t ignore you… with the Lu family’s bloodline in your belly…”
Hua Yan smiled sweetly, “No need, thank you!”
Lu Zhenxing glanced at Lu Chengsha, hoping he would say something.
Lu Chengsha did speak up, “Grandfather, I’m sorry.”
Lu Zhenxing: “…!”
Lu Chengsha thought for a moment and added, “We are just passing by this time.” He believed his grandfather probably didn’t want to see them, “…we will try not to pass by next time.”
Lu Zhenxing: “…???”
Does this brat even know how to talk!
Upon learning that they would indeed leave in two days, Lu Zhenxing was filled with a cold, intimidating anger during the family dinner that evening. However, since the family was used to it, they didn’t take it seriously.
As the only female elder, Qin Suyu, Lu Huaitian’s wife, considerately prepared some gifts for Hua Yan and made special dishes suitable for pregnant women.
The Lu family had a tradition of not speaking during meals, so dinner was eaten in silence.
Hua Yan had little appetite, so Lu Chengsha didn’t eat much either. Lu Zhenxing, in a foul mood, only drank two cups of wine. Only Lu Chengzhao ate heartily, while Lu Chengyang frequently glanced at him, admiring his composure.
Unfortunately, Lu Chengzhao paid for it later that night.
Not far from where Hua Yan was, they could hear the usually kind and elegant Qin Suyu pulling Lu Chengzhao by the ear, saying, “Look at him! He’s younger than you! Not only is his martial arts better, but now he has a wife and a child on the way! And you? Every time I arrange a meeting with a heroine, you scare them away! Are you trying to drive me mad?”
Lu Chengzhao was stunned. For the past two years, without Lu Chengsha around, he had finally escaped the unfortunate comparisons.
But nothing good ever happens when he shows up!
Damn it, their fates were indeed incompatible!