Chapter 291: Chapter 291: Mr. Lu Washes the Bedsheet
Lu Zhan’s eyelid twitched, and the tips of his ears grew hot. He forced himself to remain calm and said, "It’s nothing. I’m going to the hunting ground tomorrow, so I was just packing a few changes of clothes in advance."
Hearing this, Lady Wei didn’t suspect a thing. Instead, she reminded him, "The hunting ground is in a remote area. It’s mountainous and far away, so it’ll be colder. Remember to pack more clothes."
"I know." Lu Zhan nodded, then changed the subject. "By the way, Mother, while I’m away from the Capital City, you should bring my cousin back to live in our mansion."
The moment she heard this, Lady Wei immediately thought of the Crown Prince. She couldn’t help but say worriedly, "I heard that the Crown Prince isn’t required to attend the autumn hunt this time; he’s staying behind to oversee the state. It makes me uneasy. Do you think the Crown Prince might..."
"Don’t worry, Mother. The Crown Prince will have his hands full. He won’t have the mind for anything else," Lu Zhan reassured her.
Seeing her son’s confidence, as if he already had a plan, Lady Wei finally relaxed. "I’ll go pick Wan’er up tomorrow morning and bring her here to stay."
"Mm."
As soon as his mother left, Lu Zhan breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly untied the bundle, took out the bedsheet from inside, and carried it to the washroom.
Lady Wei remembered something she needed to tell her son. When she returned, she heard the sound of clothes being scrubbed in the washroom. Greatly intrigued, she couldn’t resist walking over to see what was going on.
The result was the sight of her son—usually so distinguished and aloof—with his sleeves rolled up, squatting on the ground, scrubbing a bedsheet.
Lady Wei: "..."
She was so stunned that she stood frozen on the spot, her mouth agape.
Lu Zhan seemed to sense something and turned his head, only to see his mother standing there, staring at him in astonishment. A flicker of discomfort crossed his handsome face.
"Mother," he called out, bracing himself. He stood up, blocking the view of the bedsheet in the wooden basin behind him.
Lady Wei snapped back to her senses and looked at him with a complicated expression.
"Well... you’ll be able to marry Wan’er soon enough. For now, you should... endure it a little longer," Lady Wei advised euphemistically, thinking she understood the situation.
’My son must have seen how beautiful Wan’er looked in her wedding gown today. He came home and let his imagination run wild, and then he used his hand... Ahem!’
Lady Wei cut off her own improper thoughts.
Lu Zhan: "..."
Seeing that his mother had clearly misunderstood something, he felt a bit awkward but had no intention of explaining.
’Although my cousin was raised by Mother and they’re as close as mother and daughter, we haven’t gone through the wedding ceremony yet. If Mother found out that I’ve already been with my cousin, she would surely feel uncomfortable around Mother in the future.’
’It wouldn’t matter if I were scolded or beaten, but I can’t let my cousin suffer the slightest grievance.’
Therefore, even though his mother had misunderstood, he had no intention of defending himself.
But then another matter came to mind, and a worry took hold.
’Even though I didn’t finish inside my cousin, there’s no guarantee there wasn’t a slip-up. If she got pregnant because of this and people found out, it would definitely lead to vicious gossip about her.’
After all, their wedding was still more than half a month away.
’Being discovered pregnant only half a month after the wedding would be a disaster.’
At this thought, he grew agitated.
Looking at his mother, he opened his mouth as if to ask something, but ultimately decided against it.
Seeing her son’s silence, Lady Wei became even more certain of her assumption.
She cleared her throat and reminded him, "Ah Zhan, your wedding with Wan’er is only a little over half a month away. Don’t forget, you must come back early. Don’t be late."
"I know. I won’t be late," Lu Zhan nodded in agreement.
Only then did Lady Wei feel at ease.
After she left, Lu Zhan sighed in relief. ’Thank goodness Mother didn’t get a clear look at the color of the bedsheet. Otherwise, what my cousin and I did this afternoon would have been exposed.’
But now, there was an even more urgent matter to attend to.
With this in mind, Lu Zhan quickly finished washing the bedsheet, hung it up to dry, and then went out.
When he returned, he was carrying a packet of medicine.
He set up a stove in his own courtyard and began brewing the medicine himself.
「Zhi Mansion.」
Zhi Wan rested until it was time for dinner before finally getting up.
Although her spirits had improved, her body was still aching terribly.
Perhaps because she had used up so much energy in the afternoon, her appetite was quite good. She ate two bowls of rice and a bowl of soup.
After she finished her meal, the servants cleared away the dishes.
She rubbed her aching lower back, planning to go back to her room to lie down for a while. But as soon as she lifted the beaded curtain, she bumped into a broad chest.
She froze upon smelling her cousin’s familiar scent.
’I never thought we would see each other again so soon.’
’I thought that after my cousin left this evening, I wouldn’t see him again for another half a month...’
Thinking about the intimate things they had done just that afternoon, Zhi Wan blushed, feeling a little awkward.
"You... why are you here again?" she asked, her voice low, soft, and trembling slightly.
Lu Zhan had also been feeling a bit awkward, but hearing his cousin’s soft, trembling voice stirred something in his heart. He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her into his embrace. Then, he leaned down and asked softly by her ear, with restraint, "Does it still hurt?"
Seeing he had noticed, Zhi Wan didn’t hide it. She gave a small nod. "Mm, it’s a bit sore, and it still hurts a little."
"I’ll rub it for you in a bit," Lu Zhan soothed in a low voice. With one arm around her waist and the other carrying a food box, he walked toward the bed.
Zhi Wan finally noticed the food box in his hand and asked curiously, "What are you carrying?"
"It’s soup," Lu Zhan said calmly. He then let go of her, placed the food box on the small table by the bed, and took the soup out from inside.
"I just finished eating, and I had soup, too. I can’t drink any more," Zhi Wan said quickly, assuming it was some kind of nourishing tonic.
Lu Zhan paused. Seeing his cousin’s furrowed brow, he cleared his throat and explained in a low voice, "This is... contraceptive soup."
Zhi Wan froze.
Looking at the dark liquid in the bowl, she suddenly understood everything, and her face instantly flushed crimson.
She bit her lip, twisted a handkerchief in her hands, and gave her cousin a conflicted glance. Finally, she couldn’t help but whisper, "It’s not... likely that I’d get pregnant."
She said the last two words in an extremely low voice.
But Lu Zhan still heard her.
A silence fell between them as they both recalled what had happened in this room that afternoon.
After a long moment, Lu Zhan was the first to recover.
He pressed his lips together, then pulled his shy cousin onto his lap and held her. "Maybe you won’t, but maybe you will," he coaxed gently. After a pause, he continued in a low voice, "To be safe, you should still drink it. Otherwise, if you do get pregnant, it will be bad for your reputation. I prepared the medicine myself, so you don’t have to worry about it harming your body."
Zhi Wan shook her head. "But I don’t want to drink it."
"Why? Are you afraid it’s bitter?" Lu Zhan asked, taking out a small dish of candied fruits from the food box. "I brought these, too."
Zhi Wan was touched by his thoughtfulness.
’Honestly, the thought of getting pregnant hadn’t even crossed my mind, but my cousin thought of it, and he was even worried my reputation would be damaged.’
Looking at the man’s handsome face, she couldn’t help but feel a wave of sweetness in her heart.
’My cousin is responsible and dependable. I wasn’t wrong about him.’
With that in mind, she touched her lower abdomen and said softly, "I’m not afraid of the medicine being bitter."
"Oh? Then why?" Lu Zhan asked, confused.
Zhi Wan gave a shy smile, rested her head in the crook of his neck, and placed his hand on her stomach. "Cousin," she whispered, "if I do get pregnant, I... I want to have the baby."
