Chapter 380: Chapter 20: Word Games (Second Update)
Mantou wishes to sleep with his parents; though Susu feels for Hong Sheng, she is even more concerned for her son and naturally cannot refuse.
Hong Sheng has been away from home for three months, missing his wife and child very much. Even though he craves the intimacy, he can’t bring himself to say no when he sees the pitiful look in his son’s eyes.
However, Mantou is still young. He followed Susu around all day, and by eight o’clock, he was so sleepy that he dozed off in Hong Sheng’s arms.
Hong Sheng carried his son off the bed, put on his shoes, and was about to walk outside. Susu gently reproached him, "You promised him we’d all sleep together as a family, so why are you carrying him out?"
Hong Sheng grinned mischievously, "We’re not asleep yet, are we? Once we are, we’ll bring him back over."
Susu blushed and responded teasingly, "Tricking a little child, huh? You’re something else." However, she didn’t insist on keeping their son.
Last time Hong Sheng went to war, he spent nearly a year away. This time, the current Emperor has declared an edict that states he will not return until the enemy is vanquished.
It’s different from the last time Hong Sheng was involved in the Tartar internal conflict; this time, they will face greater resistance and opposition.
Beyond the Tartar’s large army, the Wala are also in the mix, stirring trouble. According to Susu’s deduction based on the original plot, this battle will take at least two years.
Although Susu trusts that Hong Sheng isn’t lustful, it’s quite cruel to deprive a man of meat for two years. So, she plans to satisfy him now, as a form of compensation.
Thus, as Hong Sheng carries their son to the East Wing, Susu has someone bring hot water to prepare for a rose bath.
Of course, it’s not like those rose petal baths from TV dramas; she adds pure rose essential oil to the tub instead.
Rose essential oil has antibacterial, antispasmodic, sterilizing, aphrodisiac, purifying, soothing, and restorative effects.
And the rose essential oil refined by Susu based on the Secret Fragrance Record is the finest of the finest, suitable for solo use or blending.
Although the affairs of war kept her from playing with these oils this year, today she uses last year’s blend!
Once Hong Sheng sends their son to the East Wing, he hurries back, noticing the closed door and hearing the sound of water inside. With a knowing smile, he went straight to the outer courtyard to wash up.
When he returns, the servants retreat, leaving only Susu sitting on the bed in the outer room, drying her hair.
Susu is already a mother, yet at just twenty-one, she possesses both the alluring charm of a mature woman and the purity and capriciousness of a young girl. Time has smoothed away her previous anxiety and restlessness, even time itself is captivated by her.
She wears a set of Soft Smoke Luo top and pants with a jade background and a pattern of hundred butterflies weaving through flowers. Due to the cool evening temperature, she also wears a small thin jacket in pine blossom green, her long hair flowing down, filling the air with an indescribable sweet fragrance.
Using a white cotton cloth, Susu gently dries her long hair. Hong Sheng enters silently, taking the towel from her hand, treating her like a porcelain doll as he lovingly dries her hair.
Silent for a moment, until Susu’s hair is eighty percent dry, Hong Sheng stops.
Susu hugs Hong Sheng’s waist, resting her head on his chest, whispering, "Hong Sheng, I want to give you another child, preferably a girl."
Hong Sheng is taken aback, feeling a mix of emotions. Ever since missing out on Susu’s pregnancy with Mantou, looking at Mantou sometimes feels unreal.
Actually, when Mantou was two, he considered having another child. But worried about Susu’s health and knowing how exhausting caring for Mantou was for her, he couldn’t bring himself to mention it.
Now right before he sets out for war, Susu brings up the idea of having another child—where could Hong Sheng agree?
After Susu gave birth, Hong Sheng secretly asked the manor’s maids and old women about Susu’s condition during her pregnancy with Mantou, learning she suffered severe edema, to the point her feet swelled so much she couldn’t wear shoes and needed help to walk. In the later stages, leg cramps and insomnia were common.
Additionally, they say Mantou was a considerate child, Susu didn’t have cravings while pregnant, otherwise who knows it would have been like.
With him about to march again, doting Mrs. Qin is at the Ningxia Guard, not nearby to help.
Susu will have to care for Mantou and manage many household affairs; if she becomes pregnant, she’ll face a tough ordeal—how could Hong Sheng bear it?
Therefore, hearing Susu’s words, Hong Sheng shakes his head repeatedly, "If you wish, once we’ve settled down, you can have as many children as you want, even ten or eight—but not now.
Susu, you can’t even imagine how I felt when I first returned home, realizing you had given us a son—astonishment outweighed joy then.
In my heart, there was fear, guilt, and even hatred toward myself for mentioning having a child with you back then."
Reflecting on those emotions momentarily arouses the urge to spank this daring woman who could topple the world on his lap.
If it weren’t for his genuine love for Susu, and Susu being a woman of decorum, if someone plotted to mislead him about Susu, planting doubts about Mantou’s kinship, their fate would be uncertain!
For regardless, anyone who comes home to find their previously not-pregnant wife has suddenly birthed a child will feel "suddenly fatherly".
Hong Sheng fears Susu will seduce him, he can’t resist, he directly carries Susu to bed, tossing a pocket filled with either fertility or contraceptive aroma pills onto the table.
"Tonight even if you call it quits, it’s useless now. I also feared you’d have plans to act first, ask later, so I’ve got a dose of contraceptive pills for men prepared."
At these words, Susu looks at Hong Sheng wide-eyed, "Why would you randomly consume that? Even medicine is harmful in excess, I still want to give Mantou a little sister!"
Hong Sheng grins, "Rest assured, we’ll fulfill that wish later. My love, the night is short in spring, let’s settle down early."
As the saying goes, "Seize the flowers while they bloom, don’t wait until there’s nothing left but empty branches."
Early the next morning, when the day barely breaks, Hong Sheng throws on his clothes, carrying Mantou from the East Wing to the main room.
Susu yawns, already awake, casts him a sidelong glance. This guy, after frolicking all night, now carrying their son over just to pretend in front of him.
Thankfully, Mantou sleeps soundly from a young age, even thunderstorms wouldn’t rouse him. Otherwise, Susu really wouldn’t know where to hide their parental shame.
Hong Sheng flashes Susu an unheard smile, unusually skipping the rain-or-shine exercises, slipping into bed to embrace Susu from behind, with their slumbering son nestled in her arms.
Looking at their son’s innocent sleeping face, both feel anything they’d sacrifice, including their lives, for him; this is perhaps a universal sentiment among all parents.
