Chapter 13: Can I Really Not Give Birth?

Chapter 13: Is He Really Unable to Father Children?

"Snap!"

The crisp sound startled not only Tang Qiyue but also the perpetrator, Zhan Zeye.

It had been an instinctive reaction, but he had forgotten that the person in his arms wasn't one of his fellow soldiers. It was only after the slap landed that he realized the sequence of events: the clothes of the person in his arms were already half-open, and the slap had landed squarely on Tang Qiyue’s bottom.

The sound jolted both of them into awareness, and Zhan Zeye instantly released his grip on Tang Qiyue.

Tang Qiyue rolled out of his embrace, wrapping herself tightly in the quilt, and accused him with shame and indignation: "You’ve gone too far!"

She had grown up to this age, and even her parents had never hit her like that.

Zhan Zeye knew he was in the wrong, but it would be a miracle if he were the type to apologize.

"How did I go too far? Didn't you insist on marrying me? We’re sleeping in the same quilt; it was just a touch. Aren't you overreacting?"

The more Zhan Zeye spoke, the more he convinced himself he wasn't wrong. He even reached out to pull her back into his arms.

"What? Regretting it now?"

Being pulled back into his arms, Tang Qiyue felt numb. It wasn't just her face that was burning; her entire body felt hot.

She didn't dare to struggle, fearing Zhan Zeye would take action again.

"If you hadn't touched me, would I have reacted so strongly?"

He was a soldier whose body had been trained; any unfamiliar touch would trigger a stress response.

Zhan Zeye absolutely refused to believe he was at fault; the one at fault was Tang Qiyue.

Tang Qiyue, feeling equally aggrieved, truly had no way to voice her frustration.

"I just wanted to remind you not to pull the quilt so tight; cold air is getting in through the middle!"

When sleeping alone, one could wrap the quilt around oneself, but when two people slept together, if there was a gap between them, cold air would constantly seep in. How could one sleep in such cold?

She never imagined that a simple reminder would lead to her hand moving faster than her brain, poking him first, and then leading to such an embarrassing situation.

If the lights had been on, Tang Qiyue would have wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into; she would have been too ashamed to face anyone.

Zhan Zeye finally realized he had misunderstood her, but the deed was done, and she was already in his arms. The key was that the little woman felt warm and soft, and holding her was incredibly comfortable.

He didn't want to let go.

He was a stubborn, reckless man who decided that if holding her felt good, he wouldn't let go.

"If you're afraid of the cold air, that's easy to fix. No more cold air now!"

To make himself more comfortable, Zhan Zeye adjusted his posture and even pressed Tang Qiyue’s head onto his shoulder.

"Sleep. I guarantee there won't be any more wind!"

He said it as if it were only natural, leaving Tang Qiyue feeling utterly depressed.

How was she supposed to sleep while being held like this?

The problem was that Zhan Zeye’s muscles were incredibly hard, and being held by him was uncomfortable and bruising.

"I can't sleep like this!"

Tang Qiyue had to protest, which earned her Zhan Zeye’s dissatisfaction: "Then you're still not sleepy. Shall we finish what we were supposed to do last night?"

As he spoke, he began to move. Tang Qiyue wasn't afraid of marital relations, but thinking of Zhan Zeye’s injuries, she didn't have the heart to be that cruel. She reached out to hug his waist, and her head fell against his neck.

"You're injured. If you aren't afraid of me bumping into you, then let's sleep!"

Her sudden docility left Zhan Zeye stunned.

He was indeed injured, and in an awkward spot at that. It wasn't that he couldn't sleep with his wife, but there was a high probability the stitches would burst, and he really didn't want to be nagged by the military doctor again.

He gritted his teeth and pinched the woman's cheek in his arms.

Her skin was like congealed fat, bouncy and supple; it felt great.

He just wished he could take back what he had said earlier.

Sleeping while holding a woman sounded enjoyable, but if he couldn't "eat," it was quite a torment.

Tang Qiyue had been under immense pressure from the day's events and the constant negotiations with Zhan Zeye, leaving her mentally exhausted. Now, she found that although she wasn't used to being held, she couldn't resist the warmth radiating from Zhan Zeye. She was usually someone with cold hands and feet, and the warmth made her feel incredibly sleepy.

The sound of long, steady breathing reminded Zhan Zeye that the woman in his arms had actually fallen asleep.

She had fallen asleep while being held by a stranger—how big-hearted could she be?

Zhan Zeye stared at the pitch-black ceiling, falling into a state of existential doubt.

Could it be that this woman, Tang Qiyue, really believed the words of that woman, Tang Chunlan, and thought he had become a eunuch? Was that why she dared to sleep in his arms so calmly?

Having adjusted to the darkness of the room, moonlight filtered through the window. With his excellent night vision, Zhan Zeye could naturally see the woman in his arms, her lips slightly parted. It was a good thing she slept quietly, or she might have even started snoring.

He didn't know how long he stayed awake, but Zhan Zeye finally closed his eyes and resigned himself to sleep.

The sound of the rooster crowing was too loud, forcing Zhan Zeye to open his eyes. He saw Tang Qiyue carefully trying to move out of his arms.

The feeling of frustration from the night before returned. Zhan Zeye’s lips curled up, but just as Tang Qiyue was about to fully move away, he hooked his finger around her slender waist and pulled her back into his arms.

He then bit the tip of her ear: "Didn't you sleep quite comfortably in my arms last night? Want to run away now that it's dawn?"

Tang Qiyue’s earlobe instantly flushed red; she felt like that bitten earlobe was ruined and about to catch fire.

She didn't dare move and could only beg for mercy: "I'm a new bride; I have to get up to cook today!"

Zhan Zeye wouldn't let her go: "I don't need you to cook. Let's first settle the account for you keeping me from sleeping!"

As his teeth gnawed on the cartilage of her ear, Tang Qiyue felt she was losing control of her body, struggling to keep herself from making strange sounds.

Just then, the voice of Zhan’s eldest sister-in-law rang out in the courtyard, and it seemed someone was talking at the door.

Taking advantage of Zhan Zeye’s distraction, Tang Qiyue pushed him away, scrambled out of bed, and hurriedly put on her clothes.

"I'm going to help sister-in-law cook. If you didn't sleep well, get some more rest!"

Tang Qiyue didn't even care that her clothes weren't fully adjusted before she ran off, giving Zhan Zeye no chance to grab her back.

Zhan Zeye put his hands behind his head, his eyes unfocused, trying to clear his mind and let that damn physical reaction slowly fade. Once he calmed down, he looked toward the door, listening to the voices outside, and couldn't help but sneer.

In just one night, he had actually started to think that marrying a wife wasn't bad.

That woman was poisonous.

This was a new label Zhan Zeye had given Tang Qiyue; he certainly didn't believe she had fallen for him at first sight.

By the time Zhan Zeye got up, breakfast was already made. The whole family sat at the dining table, and Zhan Chunying’s gaze kept darting back and forth between Tang Qiyue and Zhan Zeye.

"If you aren't going to eat properly, is your eye twitching?"

Zhan Zeye picked up a bowl of porridge and gave Zhan Chunying a sharp rap on the head.

Zhan Chunying covered her head, glaring at Zhan Zeye indignantly. "Little Brother, it's your eye that's twitching! I was just checking to see if you were really 'incapable.' When Eldest Brother and Sister-in-law got married, the next day, Sister-in-law had to hold onto the wall to come out and cook, but today, Little Sister-in-law is moving around quite nimbly!"

She turned to look at Mother Zhan: "Mom, is Little Brother really unable to father children anymore?"

(End of chapter)