Just as Lu Mosheng was about to answer him, a hurried female voice came from a distance.
“Brother Jiayan, wait for me!”
As soon as the words fell, a young girl with two braided pigtails came running over. She was panting heavily. After glancing at Lu Mosheng, she turned to Song Jiayan and asked, “Brother Jiayan, who is she?”
Before Song Jiayan could answer, Lu Mosheng walked straight to his side and slipped her hand into his palm. Then she turned to the girl and said, “Hello, my name is Lu Mosheng. I’m Song Jiayan’s wife.”
The girl froze.
Her name was Bai Xing.
If Lu Mosheng remembered correctly, Bai Xing was in love with Song Jiayan.
She loved him so much that she was willing to drug him and sacrifice her own chastity just to be with him.
After Lu Mosheng and Song Jiayan divorced, Bai Xing continued to cling desperately to him.
To marry Song Jiayan, Bai Xing had even threatened to hang herself. Knowing that Song Jiayan still had feelings for her, she bribed Zhao Xiuli. Under Zhao Xiuli’s scheme, Lu Mosheng ended up marrying an abusive man, while Bai Xing got her wish and married Song Jiayan.
While Lu Mosheng was lost in thought, Song Jiayan suddenly scooped her up into his arms.
Although Lu Mosheng was pregnant, carrying her seemed effortless for him.
He strode toward a small, low-roofed hut at the foot of the mountain and gently laid her on the bed.
“What brings you here?” he asked.
Lu Mosheng answered without hesitation, “I missed you.”
The hut was dim, and the expression in the man’s eyes was equally unreadable. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he let out a low hum from his throat.
Then, before Lu Mosheng could prepare herself, he leaned over her and said, “Let me listen.”
He rested his head against her belly, listening for any movement from the baby inside.
The hut was so quiet that they could hear each other breathing. Lu Mosheng was wearing a thin gauzy dress, and she could feel Song Jiayan’s warm breath seeping through the fabric, making her belly feel hot.
After their marriage, she and Song Jiayan often went long periods without seeing each other. They spent far more time apart than together.
Moreover, Song Jiayan was a man of few words. Even though he doted on her, Lu Mosheng still felt that he could do better.
Most importantly, when it came to intimacy, Song Jiayan was like a ravenous wolf who could never get enough. Every time, he left her feeling as though her entire body had been taken apart. As a result, Lu Mosheng was always a little afraid whenever they became intimate.
“The baby is still too small,” Lu Mosheng said. “In another two months, you’ll be able to see the baby move through my belly.”
Song Jiayan lifted his head and met her gaze.
He shifted into a different position, then thoughtfully tucked a pillow beneath her lower back to keep her comfortable.
However, as they moved and their skin brushed against each other, Song Jiayan’s gaze inexplicably grew darker.
His eyes settled on her face.
“You’ve lost weight,” he said.
Lu Mosheng gave a soft hum. “My appetite hasn’t been good since I got pregnant. I can’t eat very much.”
“The conditions here aren’t good. You won’t be comfortable staying here. I’ll find someone to take you home in a few days,” Song Jiayan continued.
Previously, when Zhao Xiuli had strongly opposed the idea, Song Jiayan had mentioned bringing Lu Mosheng out to live with him when he first contracted the land. But before her rebirth, Lu Mosheng had been afraid of enduring hardships with him, so she had firmly refused.
But this time…
Lu Mosheng shook her head vigorously. “I’m not planning to go back. You know how difficult it is for me to carry this child all by myself. And you know what Zhao Xiuli and your younger sister are like. Have you forgotten how they left me covered in injuries last time? And now, they’ve done it again…”
“They hurt you again? Where?”
Song Jiayan’s tone immediately turned stern. He reached out, intending to check her body for injuries.
Zhao Xiuli was not Song Jiayan’s biological mother. His own mother had died when he was very young, and Zhao Xiuli had married his father later. That was why Song Jiayan had never called her Mom.
Lu Mosheng grabbed his hand.
“They didn’t injure me this time. They just made me go out to cut pig fodder in the middle of the night. I caught a chill and developed a fever…”
Even in the dim light of the hut, Lu Mosheng could see how frightening Song Jiayan’s expression had become.
The last time, Zhao Xiuli and her sister-in-law had forced Lu Mosheng to wash the entire family’s clothes by herself. The weather had been freezing, and they had refused to let her heat any water. As a result, she had suffered frostbite all over her body and could barely get out of bed for a long time.
Back then, Song Jiayan had worn the same terrifying expression, as though he wanted to tear someone apart.
Lu Mosheng tightened her grip on his hand.
“I really don’t intend to go back. Don’t assume I can’t endure the hardships here. I’m actually very good at putting up with difficulties. Let me stay here with you, okay?”
They faced each other, standing very close.
Song Jiayan caught the faint scent of soap coming from her body, and his gaze grew increasingly intense.
He tightened his fingers around her hand, then slowly leaned closer to Lu Mosheng.