CH 124

Chapter 124 Mother

Qu Chenzhou raised his hand to knock on the door several times, but hesitated and withdrew his fingers.

Bai Shiyan, who was following behind him, lost patience, opened the door and pushed him inside, shouting, “Mother, Chenzhou is here.”

Qu Chenzhou stumbled a few steps as he was pushed and stood by the door.

The windows and doors were closed, and the room was filled with a strange milky scent that was hard to describe as either pleasant or unpleasant, but it had a kind of bewitching attraction to him.

He sniffed carefully, the scent was like an inseparable bond between mother and child. Surrounded by this fragrance, he felt as if he was curled up in a warm embrace.

It was quiet all around, but he felt as if someone was humming softly, coaxing him to sleep.

It was a scenario that had appeared countless times in his dreams.

He thought he had already forgotten and stopped longing for it, but the desire in his bones could not deceive himself.

He knew best why he risked everything to protect Madam Bai – that was the luxurious tenderness he once thought he could not have.

The person behind the gauze curtain did not hear his footsteps and greeted him, “Chenzhou, come in.”

Qu Chenzhou lifted the curtain and went in, and the scent in the inner room was even stronger, a mixture of milky and gamey smells with a hint of stuffiness.

“Madam…” he stammered, avoiding eye contact and ready to flee at any moment, “Are you tired? You should rest, I’ll come back another day…”

“What nonsense are you talking about?” Madam Bai’s spirit seemed good, and she beckoned him over from her soft pillow.

When he sat down on the low stool by the bed, his face turned red, unclear from heat or nervousness.

The wet nurse hadn’t taken away the little master, who was sleeping soundly in the cradle by the bed.

A few days ago, when he came, the doctor said that Madam Bai still needed to rest, so they were not allowed to come in. This was his first time seeing the newborn baby.

His eyes and cheeks were puffy, there were several small red dots on the sides of his nose, his mouth was high and pouting, and several transparent milk pads were sticking to his lips, like water blisters that would burst if touched.

He looked like a little monster just pulled out of the water.

Seeing him staring intently, Madam Bai smiled and asked, “Is the child handsome?”

“… ” After an awkward moment, Qu Chenzhou couldn’t avoid answering, so he coughed lightly and said in a low voice, “Not handsome.”

Indeed, he was not handsome, he was wrinkled and ugly.

Madam Bai laughed so hard that she almost cried, “It seems that you are the only one brave enough to tell the truth. The rest of them all said it was cute and even said it looked like me. How does it look like me? And what’s so cute about it?”

Qu Chenzhou couldn’t help but lower his gaze, but his eyes couldn’t leave the baby. He could only stammer, “I’m sorry…”

“Do you want to touch it?”

Of course, he wanted to touch it. He had washed his hands clean before coming in, but now he didn’t dare.

“Touch it, it’s very soft,” Madam Bai encouraged him as she held the baby’s little hand.

“Madam, I…” Qu Chenzhou’s face turned pale, his hands clenched his clothes, and it seemed like an insurmountable chasm laid before him.

Madam Bai looked at him, still holding the soft little hand, waiting for him to reach out and touch it.

He bit his lip tightly, and his voice choked out, tears rolling down his cheeks.

“Madam, I was born unlucky. Not only my neighbors but also my family members have died. I was enslaved at the age of three and my status is low. My hands…”

He didn’t want to scare Madam Bai, and under her gaze, he didn’t want to reveal his filthy self.

“My hands are not clean…”

“They…they don’t want to see me, they say I’m a monster…”

“I’ll just take a look…”

Before he could finish his choked-up words, Madam Bai took his hand and placed it on the wrinkled little hand. Qu Chenzhou reflexively wanted to pull his hand back, but under the spasm, his curled fingers grabbed the entire little hand. It was soft like a cloud and delicate like a pool of water. He couldn’t even tell if he was holding anything in his hand. For a moment, he froze, unwilling to let go.

“Is it soft?” Madam Bai asked him.

“It’s soft.” Huge joy filled Qu Chenzhou’s chest, and he quickly nodded, “Very soft, and…a little fragrant.”

“Little Chenzhou was like this when he was born, also fragrant and soft.”

Qu Chenzhou’s eyes reddened, and the tears that had just stopped started rolling again. He pursed his lips, not knowing what to say.

Madam Bai touched his head, “I really want to see what you looked like when you were a child. Chenzhou is such a good child, you must have been very beautiful, cute, and sensible when you were young. If you were born in our family, that would have been great.”

“Thank you for your kindness…” Qu Chenzhou lowered his head, afraid of losing control, “I…”

In fact, he was not fragrant or soft when he was young. Du Quan said that he was smelly and hard, not likable, and had accumulated countless scars over the years. He knew he smelled bad.

“But it’s not too late now,” Madam Bai smiled at him, wiping away the tears rolling down his cheeks, “I lost a child after Shilei once. “

Qu Chenzhou was in a daze and didn’t hear clearly, softly responding, “Madam, please accept my condolences.”

“So, Shiqing is my fourth son,” Madam Bai raised her face and asked softly, “You’re one year younger than Shilei, if you are ranked as the third son, would you feel aggrieved?”

“…” Qu Chenzhou’s eyes were confused and he didn’t react for a moment, “What?”

“Shining and Zhongming told me everything,” Madam Bai pulled him up and sat down by the bed.

Qu Chenzhou knew that this matter must be explained to Madam Bai, otherwise, no matter who it was, there would be knots in their hearts. It wouldn’t matter if she bore the resentment, but it would be a big mistake to involve the two families.

“Zhongming also told me about the two of you,” Madam Bai noticed that he was stiff all over, and smiled lightly, “I was short-sighted before and couldn’t see clearly. I was also worried that after Zhongming got married, you would have nowhere to go, so I asked him to send you here.”

“But Zhongming couldn’t bear to part with you. He stuttered before, but then changed his mind. I was still wondering what was going on, and this little guy confessed to me yesterday that he wants to marry you.”

Qu Chenzhou lowered his head, choked up in his throat, “Madam, we can’t…”

“I understand this child Zhongming. If he says he’ll do it, he will do it,” Madam Bai squeezed his hand, “Our Liu family’s children, once they’ve decided on something, they won’t easily give up. You just need to be patient and wait for him.”

“Zhongming and Shiyan both said that you have a proud personality. They were afraid that mentioning this matter will offend you, so they didn’t dare to say it. I took it upon myself since there’s no one else here. If you don’t want to, just pretend you didn’t hear anything.”

“Everyone has important matters to attend to outside. I won’t stop you from doing anything, but in the Bai family, do you want to acknowledge me or not?”

The words rang in his ears, and Qu Chenzhou couldn’t possibly have not understood them, but it felt like they were floating in the clouds, and he didn’t dare to believe it. He was afraid that if he moved, he would fall from the clouds and end up with nothing.

He trembled all over, as if he could slide off the bed at any moment.

Madam Bai hugged him and pressed his head against her shoulder, whispering, “I talked to Shining before, but unfortunately, there was no child from the Bai and Liu families who could be together in your generation. Even the marriage with Shiyan was arranged for a girl from the Liu family’s branch. But now, it’s just right.”

“I talked to Shining, and when the time comes, you will leave from the Bai residence, and you will definitely not be mistreated.”

“In the future, if you are willing to be with Zhongming, that would be the best. If you are not willing, the Bai family is still a place for you to stay.”

“Chenzhou, do you… want to call me mother?”

Her shoulder was soaked with warmth.

Qu Chenzhou trembled like a pile of dry leaves in the autumn wind. The fingers behind Madam Bai’s back stiffened, slowly stretched out, and finally clenched.

Madam Bai touched his hair and whispered, “Call me mother.”

He had practiced and pondered over that word many times in his heart, afraid that he would forget how to say it when he returned home.

He thought he would never have a chance in this lifetime. He thought he didn’t need anyone else after being with Zhongming.

“Mother…”

Tears poured down his face, and he cried bitterly, pouring out all the grievances he had been holding in.

“Mother…”

He once had nothing, but now the heavens have compensated him with everything.

In front of him was a gentle and kind mother, with his yet-to-open-eyes little brother in the cradle.

Outside the house were his father and brothers, as well as his beloved who will bring him happiness and take him home to live for the rest of his life.

Qu Chenzhou stood on the steps with his eyes red. Everyone he cared about was there, including the person below with open arms, and the intoxicating spring breeze made him feel like he had everything he had ever dreamed of.

He couldn’t lose it again.

Suddenly, he ran a few steps and leaped forward, throwing himself at the person below.

Liu Zhongming was knocked back a few steps before steadying himself. Pretending to be angry, he scolded, “You crazy kid, what are you doing?”

Ignoring the stares from everyone around them, the crazy kid hugged Liu Zhongming’s neck and kissed him fiercely.

Bai Shining was stunned for a moment before coughing and gesturing to Bai Shiyan to drive his second son away. Then, he pushed Liu Weizheng towards the back courtyard.

“Don’t worry about the young ones. Let’s go have a drink, just the two of us.”

Liu Zhongming’s face turned red, but he didn’t care what his father was thinking. The little fox in his arms was trembling, and pecking him fiercely.

“Crazy kid.”

He cursed fiercely in his breaths and lifted the person up, pressing him against the veranda pillar and regaining control.

At this moment, Liu Zhongming only knew that the wind was warm and they were together.

He only knew that the little fox had finally willingly thrown himself into his arms, not disappointing his careful feeding.

He only knew that the person in his arms was being kissed so hard that they could barely stand, slipping down the pillar but still clinging to him tightly, not wanting to let go for a second.

He only knew that he didn’t beg Aunt Bai for nothing.

But little did he know, Qu Chenzhou had finally made a decision.

“What do you want to do?” 

Bai Shiyan closed the door and turned to see his newly recognized younger brother kneeling on the ground, respectfully bowing three times to him. He couldn’t help but shudder and hurriedly reached out to help him up.

“Just tell me what you want to do, no need to be like this,” he said.

“Big brother, I have something to ask of you,” Qu Chenzhou straightened his body, but did not get up. “But I hope that big brother won’t reveal a single bit of it to Shizi.”

Bai Shiyan’s heart skipped a beat, suddenly understanding why Qu Chenzhou had chosen to talk to him alone in this secluded place.

Although they had accepted Qu Chenzhou, they still knew nothing about his identity. They didn’t ask, and didn’t want others to ask either. But to have him keep secrets from Zhongming…

He knew about Qu Chenzhou’s terrifying ability to predict the future and strategize, and he could also weigh his own worth. If Shizi wasn’t there to guide them, and if Qu Chenzhou had malicious intentions, they wouldn’t have any chance to escape.

Seeing him hesitant and not speaking, Qu Chenzhou lowered his head and looked at the ground.

“General Bai, you should also be aware of the dangers lurking in the Western Garden. There are hidden enemies all around, and it’s not enough to rely solely on Shizi.”

“I have told General Bai before that the Bai family should not just be a vassal of the Liu family. This is not to sow discord between you, but to share the burden and ensure greater security. Shizi will also have less pressure.”

Bai Shiyan had to agree with this statement.

Before heading to the West Garden, Qu Chenzhou had specifically instructed him that if it was absolutely necessary, he should stop agreeing with Liu Zhongming and instead stand on the opposite side, which would reverse the situation.

For the first time in his life, he had a quarrel with Liu Zhongming in front of many people.

Although he hadn’t told anyone, at that moment, he suddenly had a feeling that Liu Zhongming needed him, not to stand behind him, but to stand side by side with him.

“Although General Bai is concealing this from Shizi, what I want to do will not harm either of our families.”

Seeing Qu Chenzhou speaking sincerely, Bai Shiyan couldn’t help but soften his face and ask in confusion, “Liu Zhongming shouldn’t refuse you, why don’t you ask him for help? He can do more than I can.”

“This matter…Shizi cannot do it, and he cannot do it either,” Qu Chenzhou bowed again, “If this matter succeeds, we will have a seventy or eighty percent chance of victory. If it fails, Shizi will be in great danger. I beg General Bai to help me!”

Bai Shiyan pondered for a while, then sighed and helped him up.

“Don’t call me General Bai, just call me big brother.”

“I’m not as good as you. You can think so far ahead. Tell me clearly what you want me to do and what your goal is. If I understand, I’ll help you conceal it from Liu Zhongming.”

Rubbing the jade pendant on his chest slowly through his clothes, Qu Chenzhou replied, “Okay.”

He had been given a second chance in life, had received everything he had once hoped and longed for, and did not want to lose it, nor was he willing to lose it.

Before, his eyes only had Zhongming, but now, he wanted to protect more people. At any cost. 

“If one day…” His eyes reddened for a moment, and when he calmed down, he slowly spoke, “If one day, Zhongming and I have a falling out…” 

The author has something to say: Happy New Year, everyone! I declare unilaterally that this year I want to be a sweet romance writer, let’s go!”