Chapter 11: Changgui's Obsession

"No need!" Zeng Xiaofan patted his chest confidently.
"Don’t worry, you don’t have to concern yourselves with money—just leave it to me!"
Bai Qingyao wanted to persuade him further, but, afraid of discouraging Zeng Xiaofan, she held her tongue, simply smiling and saying,
"Alright, we’ll just take things one step at a time~"
"I’ll go shower first. Those scoundrels got me all dirty just now..."
As Bai Qingyao spoke, she bent down to dust off her trousers, and in that moment, her collar fell forward.
Zeng Xiaofan glanced over unintentionally, and his whole body stiffened. He quickly turned his head away.
"Ahem... well... uh..."
"I’ll go boil some water for you..."
With his face flushed, Zeng Xiaofan darted into the kitchen as if escaping.
Bai Qingyao frowned delicately. "What’s gotten into this child?"
"Why is his face so red? Why is he so flustered?"
Xiao Changgui hadn’t noticed what Zeng Xiaofan had seen, and merely smiled with satisfaction.
"This child, I guess he’s just overjoyed that his eyesight’s recovered!"
"Ah! It’s lucky we had Xiaofan here today..."
Bai Qingyao nodded in heartfelt agreement.
"Isn’t that the truth? Xiaofan really is our family’s lucky star—steady and hardworking..."
Xiao Changgui nodded, then sighed deeply.
"That’s why there really needs to be a man in the house..."
Bai Qingyao’s brows drew together as she looked up at Xiao Changgui.
"What do you mean by that?"
Xiao Changgui gave a bitter smile and shook his head. "Nothing... just talking..."
"If only we had a son of our own..."
"In the countryside, a family without a male heir is bullied everywhere..."
Bai Qingyao shot him a look and snorted coldly.
"So you’re blaming me?"
"If you want a son, you could try having one with me~"
Xiao Changgui’s face turned red at her words, and he smiled bashfully.
"Wife... you know you’re making things hard for me... You know my situation..."
"From the day you married me, I was already no longer a man..."
"If we hadn’t quietly adopted Lulu, we wouldn’t even have a daughter, let alone a son."

When Xiao Changgui brought up these painful memories, his eyes filled with sorrow.
"It’s my fault for not being a real man... for not fulfilling my responsibilities as a husband..."
"I can’t even give you basic marital happiness—it’s all on me..."
"People who don’t know say I’m lucky to have such a stunning wife as you."
"But who would have thought that, even now, you’re still untouched..."
Ashamed, Xiao Changgui lowered his head. "Qingyao, I’ve let you down..."
Hearing this, Bai Qingyao sighed softly, but soon spoke with relief.
"Changgui, don’t dwell on this."
"Back then, when I fell into the river, you jumped in to save me and lost your manhood to the rocks..."
"If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be here, so I have no regrets marrying you."
"No conjugal life is no conjugal life, and it doesn’t matter if we have no children of our own—I can accept that."
"But you really must stop gambling. You have to break that habit, alright?"
Xiao Changgui was moved and nodded solemnly.
"Qingyao, I promise you, I’ll never gamble again!"
"Good, that’s what I want to hear..." Bai Qingyao nodded.
"As for having a son..."
"Let’s not force it. Now that Xiaofan is living with us, I already consider him our own child."
Xiao Changgui, however, remained unconvinced and shook his head.
"It’s easy to say, but a real son is still a real son—it’s different..."
"No matter how good Xiaofan is to us now, it’s just because he’s a good person."
"If his parents or grandfather come back one day, he’ll return to his own family. Besides, he’ll get married and have his own children..."
"In the end, we’re not his real kin..."
Bai Qingyao felt a pang of unhappiness at his words. "So what do you suggest?"
"You can’t have children, and I can’t have a son by myself, can I?"
"You asked me to try on all those silly outfits to see if they’d stimulate you into recovery..."
"I’ve tried them on for you several times, but you’re still... not able to..."
"What do you expect me to do..."
"Ahem... Qingyao, don’t get upset, I’m not blaming you..."
"I just got sentimental seeing how good Xiaofan is..."
Suddenly, Xiao Changgui had a flash of inspiration.
"Right, I’ve heard about in vitro fertilization these days."
"Maybe that could help us..."

"Don’t even think about it," Bai Qingyao cut him off.
"In vitro fertilization costs hundreds of thousands. Where would we get that kind of money?"
"Lulu’s in college and needs money, and when she graduates and looks for a job she’ll need more."
"On top of that, you’re still in debt from gambling—how can we afford IVF?"
"Even if we could, you... you don’t have the equipment anymore, so we’d have to use another man’s..."
Xiao Changgui heaved another heavy sigh.
"You’re right..."
"Ah..."
The couple both sighed, falling into silence.
At that moment, Zeng Xiaofan emerged from the kitchen, and the couple quickly dropped the topic.
"Auntie, the water’s ready. I’ll carry it to the shower room for you—be sure to wash while it’s still hot~"
Saying this, Zeng Xiaofan fetched two large iron buckets, filled them, and carried them out toward the bathroom.
Bai Qingyao watched his sturdy back and the toned, agile waist of a young man, and couldn’t help but feel a ripple in her heart.
Beside her, Xiao Changgui noticed the change in Bai Qingyao’s gaze. Following her eyes, he too saw the vigorous, hormonal youth that was Zeng Xiaofan...
Suddenly, inspiration struck Xiao Changgui, and a bold idea formed in his mind...
"Aunt Yao, come wash up, what are you standing there for?"
"The water will get cold..." Zeng Xiaofan called from the shower room.
"Oh! Coming!" Bai Qingyao’s cheeks grew warm as she hurried to the shower.
Xiao Changgui chuckled awkwardly. "Alright, you wash up, I’ll go pick some greens from the vegetable garden!"
"A meal isn’t complete without something green—green is the healthiest!"
With a thoughtful glance, Xiao Changgui headed out, leaving only Zeng Xiaofan and Bai Qingyao in the house.
After preparing the bathwater for Bai Qingyao, Zeng Xiaofan returned to his own room, intending to meditate.
But he had barely sat down on his bed when Bai Qingyao’s voice rang out again:
"Changgui~~"
"Auntie, what is it? Uncle Changgui just went out," Zeng Xiaofan called back.
Bai Qingyao hesitated, her voice bashful.
"Then... Xiaofan, can you bring me some clothes?"
"I left in a hurry and forgot them. I’ve already taken off my trousers, so it’s not convenient to go out and get them myself..."