MFMH C108

Chapter 108 — Extra

Shen Yanbei felt that something was off with his husband lately.

During confinement, Gu Changfeng had always waited for him to return home before having dinner. Yet in the past few days, when Shen Yanbei came back, Gu Changfeng would say he had already eaten and urged him to eat quickly.

How could his husband possibly eat without waiting for him?

When something unusual happens, there must be a reason!

Shen Yanbei frowned in thought, determined to get to the bottom of what was going on with Gu Changfeng.

But worse was still to come beyond just having to eat alone.

“I’ve finished my month of confinement now, I’m fine. I can take care of the two of them. If the children don’t sleep with me, I’m afraid they’ll grow distant… I—I want to sleep with them.” Gu Changfeng looked at him, forcing calm, and said, “You still have to attend court in the morning. If the children cry at night, they’ll disturb your rest. Why don’t we sleep separately for a while?”

Shen Yanbei froze in place, unable to believe his own ears.

In modern times, he had heard that some women, after giving birth, shifted all their attention to their children, prioritizing them above everything else, neglecting their husbands, and even refusing intimacy…

He had never thought that one day he would face the same situation himself!

Seeing the disbelief and hurt in Shen Yanbei’s eyes, Gu Changfeng felt guilty. Pressing his lips together, he said, “It’s only for a short while, maybe a month…”

Yes, just one month! He would definitely train his muscles back by then! Gathering his resolve, Gu Changfeng clenched his fists.

Shen Yanbei stared at him blankly for a long while before he could digest the news. Like an abandoned little wife, he clung to Gu Changfeng with a pitiful face. “To sleep on a lonely pillow… are you really so heartless as to let me sleep alone?”

Gu Changfeng opened his mouth but said nothing.

When he had made the decision, he had been equally saddened. He did not want to sleep apart from Shen Yanbei, not one bit. But…

“Changfeng…” Shen Yanbei rested his head on his shoulder, hugging him tightly. “How can you be so cruel?”

The words sounded mournful, but where Gu Changfeng could not see, the corners of Shen Yanbei’s lips curled into a sly, dangerous smile.

Gu Changfeng felt even guiltier. “Yanbei, I—”

Suddenly, Shen Yanbei’s grin widened. Grabbing his shoulders, he pushed him backward with force.

Gu Changfeng: “!!!”

Pressing him down, Shen Yanbei looked at the stunned man from above, gently stroking his face with meaningful amusement. “Didn’t we agree before? Whoever makes a mistake moves on their own.”

Gu Changfeng’s eyes widened, his face flushing red, and he quickly averted his gaze in panic. “I—I didn’t do anything wrong…”

Shen Yanbei narrowed his eyes and chuckled softly. “And now you’ve made another mistake.”

Gu Changfeng’s heart jumped. He clamped his lips shut and said nothing.

Seeing him refuse to admit, Shen Yanbei nuzzled his cheek affectionately. “You want to sleep with the little ones? Besides crying, they also need feeding at night.”

“Are you going to nurse them?” Shen Yanbei’s voice drew out, laughter in his tone and dripping with innuendo. “Do you have milk?”

Gu Changfeng froze completely, crimson rising from his neck to his face.

Shen Yanbei kissed down from his neck to his collarbone. “Why not nurse me first? I’m starving!” During the last two or three months of pregnancy, he had abstained for fear of hurting the children, and confinement had added another month. He had gone without for four months! Now, with his freshly bathed, fragrant husband lying beneath him, his eyes all but burned green.

Feeling the hard heat pressing against his thigh, Gu Changfeng burned with shame. His mind still remembered that soul-piercing ecstasy, and his body betrayed him with its response. But when Shen Yanbei’s kisses reached his chest and a hand slid beneath his robes, Gu Changfeng panicked and grabbed his hand to stop him.

Shen Yanbei didn’t mind. He let him hold his hand still, while his mouth nipped gently at his chest.

Face flushed scarlet, Gu Changfeng gritted his teeth. “Yanbei, I… I don’t want this!”

Shen Yanbei lifted his head, gaze teasing. “Your mouth says no, but your body is very honest.”

With one hand he grasped the spirited Little Changfeng, giving it a squeeze.

“Boom!” The blush exploded across Gu Changfeng’s face.

As he soothed the restless little Changfeng, he also comforted the flustered big Changfeng, brushing aside his hair with tenderness. “What are you so worried about?”

The youth’s eyes were warm, brimming with concern. Under that gaze, all of Gu Changfeng’s fears melted away.

Guiding Shen Yanbei’s hand to his flabby belly, Gu Changfeng’s eyes grew wet. “It’s ugly.”

Shen Yanbei froze, wanting to lift the robes, but Gu Changfeng stopped him. “Don’t look. It really is ugly.”

Shen Yanbei frowned. Aside from the day of delivery when he had helped clean him, afterward Gu Changfeng had always washed himself. Because intimacy had been off limits, Shen Yanbei had contented himself with only holding him to sleep. He had overlooked this.

“So you’re upset over this?”

“I’ve gained a lot of weight,” Gu Changfeng whispered. If it were only himself, ugly or not didn’t matter, but now he feared frightening Shen Yanbei.

Shen Yanbei laughed in exasperation and bit his lips in punishment. “So what? Even if you’re ugly and fat, you’re mine!”

Gu Changfeng winced, sucking in a sharp breath.

Without allowing protest, Shen Yanbei pulled away his hand and lifted the robe. Then he froze.

Before him lay loose, sagging skin, like a balloon deflated, like fruit shriveled with age. The surface had lost its elasticity and sheen, crinkled and no longer firm or smooth. Worse, from carrying twins, the belly had been stretched to its limit, leaving behind hideous white scars like centipedes crawling across the skin.

Shen Yanbei’s throat tightened, eyes stinging. He could hardly speak.

At last, hoarsely, he asked, “This is why you wanted to sleep apart?”

Seeing the pain and guilt in his eyes, Gu Changfeng quickly said, “It does look frightening, but give me one month to train, I’ll restore my body to what it was!”

He had been worrying himself sick, and yet now he was trying to comfort him instead…

Shen Yanbei hugged him fiercely, took a deep breath to steady himself, and said, “Then what are we waiting for? Training starts now!”

Before Gu Changfeng could even ask what kind of training, his lips were sealed.

Eager and relentless, Shen Yanbei launched his attack, dragging Gu Changfeng into a whirlpool of desire.

After months without, both were overwhelmed with excitement.

Kneading the fleshiest parts of his body, Shen Yanbei worked hard above him, panting into his ear, “Making love is a very effective way to slim down. Do it more often, and you’ll lose weight fast!”

What kind of nonsense was this? Gu Changfeng blushed to his ears, his whole body red.

But Shen Yanbei never said things in vain. Gu Changfeng knew it well. In the days that followed, not only did they not sleep apart, Shen Yanbei seemed intent on pressing him down every single night.

The twins, now over a month old, were beginning to grow, but they were either sleeping or nursing most of the time. With the wet nurses’ attentive care, Shen Yanbei and Gu Changfeng had no worries. Their nights were increasingly lively.

Shen Yanbei had even brought out essential oils, massaging Gu Changfeng’s abdomen every night. More often than not, the massages ended with them tangled together, and Gu Changfeng finally understood what his words meant.

The promise that whoever erred would “move by themselves” had left him in debt; now, every bit was being collected. Each time left him drenched in sweat, his legs weak and trembling.

Half a month later, Gu Changfeng could clearly feel his flesh firming, even the loose skin on his belly drawing taut.

Of course, this wasn’t solely from nightly exercise.

While Shen Yanbei attended court by day, Gu Changfeng watched over the children and resumed the martial training he had set aside for nearly a year. Moreover, Shen Yanbei had prepared a dietary plan, and the kitchen followed it strictly for his meals.

With balanced diet and consistent training, the results were remarkable.

But still feeling it was not enough, Gu Changfeng increased his regimen.

When Su Qingze had once been plump with a belly full of soft flesh, Shen Yanbei had arranged a series of exercises that quickly slimmed him down. Inspired, Gu Changfeng adopted the same, adding push-ups and sit-ups to his practice alongside boxing and weapon drills.

One evening, Shen Yanbei came home to see the man shirtless, doing push-ups. Sweat beaded across his bronzed skin, dripping down his chiseled features. Muscles flexed powerfully with every movement, exuding raw strength. The sheer surge of masculine energy nearly took Shen Yanbei’s breath away.

“W-wife…” Shen Yanbei’s eyes glazed as he croaked, already thinking he needed to eat something nourishing in the coming days — his kidneys might not hold out.

As the New Year approached, the Duke of Zhen’s mansion was brimming with festivity.

Last year, Gu Changfeng had been absent, and the doors had remained shut. This year, with the whole family of four together, new winter clothes were made for all the servants, with holiday stipends distributed. Everyone was thrilled.

The twins were now over three months old. Their necks had grown sturdy; when hearing sounds, they turned their little heads curiously. When teased, their mouths opened wide in toothless laughter, utterly endearing.

Beyond official duties, Shen Yanbei now looked forward daily to finishing early and returning home. Warm nights with his husband and children were the greatest joy.

This winter, Shen Yanbei felt utterly fulfilled.

After receiving a reward of one hundred thousand taels of grain from the emperor for his agricultural contributions, Shen Yanbei decided the sovereign wasn’t such a bad employer after all. Out of gratitude — and perhaps because of his envy — he devised greenhouses to provide the emperor with fresh vegetables even in the bitter cold. It was also his way of offering the emperor a pot of hotpot greens to warm himself.

With the greenhouses established, the Tongfu Restaurant’s business soared again.

In the freezing winter, only at Tongfu could one eat steaming hotpot, only there could one taste the greens praised even by the emperor.

Many came for the food, but more came for gossip about the Duke and his consort.

The two had taken the twins out twice, drawing envious stares. Now, everyone in the capital envied Gu Changfeng. Upon learning the meaning behind “Tongfu,” many flocked there to try and bask in his good fortune.

Resting his head on Gu Changfeng’s lap, teasing the twins with a stuffed tiger, Shen Yanbei chuckled softly. His husband’s fortune and blessings were his alone. No one else could touch them.

The greatest luck of my life was meeting you. The greatest blessing is holding your hand until our hair turns white.