Chapter 59: Xiqiu (Part 5)

For several consecutive days, Si Jin noticed something peculiar about Xiao Rong.

He always woke up in a foul mood, his face dark as if someone owed him money.

At night, he disappeared multiple times without a trace.

When Si Jin woke up groggily, she initially thought it was just a dream. But after it happened repeatedly, she realized he genuinely left their bed every midnight, though she didn’t know where he went.

At first, Si Jin assumed it was because they hadn’t consummated their marriage.

After their first day here, Si Jin hadn’t made any advances due to physical discomfort, and Xiao Rong had remained obediently silent about it.

But it was merely a minor ailment, and Si Jin gradually recovered after resting.

Yet Xiao Rong not only showed no initiative, but even when Si Jin attempted to seduce him one night, he stopped her before anything could begin. Grabbing her wrists and holding her as if exhausted, he simply said, “Sleep.”

Si Jin was utterly perplexed. Given Xiao Rong’s usual behavior, describing him as “thirsty” wouldn’t be an exaggeration—so what act was he putting on now?

But when she asked him directly, he only gave her a stiff “It’s nothing” as an excuse.

Could it not be about their intimacy?

“How much longer?”

In the side room, the grim-faced man practically squeezed the words through clenched teeth, his displeasure evident.

Doctor Liu, bowing before him, broke out in a cold sweat, wishing he could kneel while speaking.

But the moment he had knelt earlier, Xiao Rong coldly ordered him to stand.

Doctor Liu was inwardly frustrated—since when was kneeling not allowed?

Now, faced with such a question, his legs trembled uncontrollably.

Keeping his head lowered, Doctor Liu forced himself to reply, “My lord, the entire treatment lasts one month. It’s only been… seven days so far.”

Meaning, not even halfway through.

Xiao Rong’s expression darkened further, his gaze sharp enough to cut something down.

“M-my lord, my lord…”

Doctor Liu swallowed the words “Spare me, my lord” and instead said, “My lord, you could forgo this treatment. Then there would be no need for abstinence, and everything could proceed as before—”

“No.” Xiao Rong cut him off. “Stick to this treatment. Can the dosage be increased?”

Doctor Liu didn’t dare say that increasing the dosage wouldn’t shorten the abstinence period from one month to half.

He especially didn’t dare mention that although the prescription contained nourishing herbs, it wasn’t meant to enhance virility. It had only been seven days of abstinence—was it really that unbearable? This level of thirst was excessive.

Xiao Rong suddenly shot a cold glare at Doctor Liu.

The doctor shuddered, fearing he had spoken his thoughts aloud.

“Dismissed.”

At Xiao Rong’s command, Doctor Liu didn’t hesitate for a second. Bowing, he turned and fled without delay.

The room fell silent. Xiao Rong, his face still dark, raised a hand to massage his temples.

He found it strange too.

The physical restlessness was unmistakable. If it was due to abstinence, that might explain it, but the lack of control was something even he found unbelievable.

It had only been seven days.

Even at his most desire-driven moments in the past, he had never felt this impatient.

Was it because the longer they were together, the less resistance he had toward her?

Xiao Rong lowered his gaze. The mere thought of Si Jin seemed to lift the corners of his lips.

But before a smile could form, he tightened his mouth, his expression darkening once more.

So, what was the reason?

He glanced downward.

It was happening again…

Xiao Rong remained silent for a moment without reaching any resolution, so he simply grabbed the hem of his robe and stood up, striding toward the outside of the room. There was nothing unusual about his demeanor, but his steps were so swift they seemed to generate wind.

It didn’t take long for him to return to the main chamber.

As soon as he entered, he headed straight for the wardrobe behind the screen.

Standing before the cabinet, he deftly opened the drawer that belonged to Si Jin, where her intimate garments were stored.

A lotus-pink maiden’s undergarment caught his eye, stinging him until his eyes grew hot in an instant.

Xiao Rong brazenly swallowed, his hand reaching out but not taking the topmost piece. Instead, he delved deeper inside.

He was skilled and purposeful.

When his hand emerged from the drawer, his fingers were hooked around a goose-yellow undergarment.

This was his favorite one lately.

She suited these bright colors so well—the goose-yellow undergarment against her fair skin would envelop her entire being in a soft, luminous glow.

As soon as the undergarment left the drawer, Xiao Rong clenched it tightly in his palm.

The breathing in the room grew heavy, each breath seeming to scream his unbearable impatience.

But he was practicing abstinence.

This was quite contradictory.

Did abstinence mean refraining from sexual intercourse, or did it also forbid self-indulgence?

If he held back like this for too long, wouldn’t it eventually spill out on its own?

Perhaps those who prescribed such medical advice had never imagined that someone would struggle to endure even a mere month, let alone a mere seven days as it was now.

Xiao Rong was deeply agitated, yet at this moment, he was also burning with desire.

He lowered his head and raised his hand, gradually burying his face in the undergarment, taking a deep breath.

So fragrant.

The unbearable surprise swiftly painted a strange flush at the corners of his eyes.

His fingers, clutching the undergarment, tightened until his knuckles turned white, and the veins on the back of his hand bulged.

But with his face buried in that fragrance, he couldn’t stop, like an addict.

Unable to resist, he extended the tip of his tongue, and the saliva in his mouth soon soaked a damp mark into the undergarment.

That restlessness burned like fire at the core of his heart, filling his entire chest, then spreading throughout his body.

He had no idea how much time had passed before he finally lifted his face from the undergarment.

His eyes were moist, his face flushed with a deep blush.

Yet he still felt unsatisfied.

Of course, it was impossible to be satisfied.

Smelling her scent only made the desires he was suppressing surge even more fiercely.

Xiao Rong lowered his gaze slightly, his expression dark and unreadable as it swept over the drawer full of undergarments for a moment.

He hesitated almost not at all, even though, for him at this moment, it was akin to self-inflicted torture.

But he still bent down.

The breathing in the room was heavy and distinct.

Until the undergarment was returned, and the drawer was neatly rearranged.

As if no one had ever intruded upon this space, it was finally gently closed.

Elsewhere.

Doctor Liu had just sat down and hadn’t even had a sip of hot tea yet.

Si Jin politely knocked on the door.

Lan Xin’s voice followed, “Doctor Liu, the mistress is here to see you.”

Doctor Liu was so startled he nearly overturned his teacup.

He hurriedly stood up and rushed to the door to greet her.

Si Jin had come for no other reason than matters concerning Xiao Rong.

Since she couldn’t get any answers from Xiao Rong himself, she had to start with Doctor Liu.

After all, from the very beginning—whether it was switching her memory-loss medicine for the pregnancy prevention and spirit-calming soup, or later changing it to Xiao Rong taking the contraceptive medicine—Doctor Liu had been involved.

Saying he was “involved” might not be entirely accurate; Doctor Liu was mostly coerced by Xiao Rong.

But in the end, Doctor Liu had still participated.

After Si Jin entered the room, Doctor Liu didn’t dare lift his head.

Naturally, he didn’t dare offer her the untouched cup of hot tea, instead quietly moving it to the side.

Si Jin knew from his expression that she had found the right person.

He must know the reason behind Xiao Rong’s recent peculiar behavior.

Without beating around the bush, she sized up Doctor Liu briefly before getting straight to the point: “Doctor Liu, tell me what Chongyun has been scheming behind my back lately?”

Meanwhile, with the three members of the Si family…

It was Si Chengyuan who had initially provided the prescription.

Under his son’s bewildered gaze, he steeled himself and wrote down the aphrodisiac recipe he knew, after which Si Ming took the prescription and set about handling the matter.

Cheng Yi was responsible for gathering information.

After several days, however, the news she received was that the young couple showed no signs of activity.

Si Ming said tactfully, “Xiao Jin was already feeling unwell due to acclimatization. Isn’t what we’re doing somewhat inappropriate? Chongyun should cherish Xiao Jin—how could he be thinking about such things when she’s uncomfortable…”

Cheng Yi cut him off: “What do you know? I already consulted the doctor in advance about Xiao Jin’s condition. It wasn’t serious to begin with—just one day of recuperation and she’d recover. Didn’t you see how lively she was the very next day? The issue isn’t Xiao Jin—it’s why the prescription isn’t working on Chongyun.”

Having said this, her gaze slowly shifted to Si Chengyuan.

Startled, Si Chengyuan quickly said, “Why are you looking at me? Whether my prescription works or not—surely you know? Have you forgotten that period when I took that medicine, at night…”

“Shut up.”

Si Chengyuan shrank his neck and pressed his lips together, falling silent.

Si Ming’s expression turned peculiar as he glanced between his parents’ faces, then thought of the current Xiao Rong.

He instinctively looked down.

Could it be that men are all prone to… underperformance?

Just then, Cheng Yi spoke again: “How about adding a little extra ingredient?”

Si Chengyuan: “That might not be good. That stuff is already very potent.”

“But I found out that Chongyun has been like a medicine jar these past few days. He’s been secretly drinking medicine as if it were meals, clearly very anxious about it too.”

For men, issues of inadequacy are hard to talk about. Some are born with it, some develop it with age.

Having been through it themselves, they understood.

Si Ming twitched his mouth: “Mother, you even managed to find out about this?”

Cheng Yi gave him an unperturbed look.

Since neither father nor son handled household affairs, she alone managed all internal matters. Preparing medicine required firewood and lighting fires—no matter how discreet, how could she not know?

“Anyway, Chongyun is our son-in-law. If he’s having difficulties, we can’t just stand by.”

As she spoke, Cheng Yi nudged Si Chengyuan’s shoe with her foot: “Get out that prescription you sought last year.”

Si Chengyuan was taken aback: “Th-that one? But that’s not a tonic—it’s for spring…”

With their son present, he trailed off.

Cheng Yi waved her hand: “For normal people it certainly is, but for those who… it only serves as an aid, and might not even work at that.”

Si Ming could hardly bear to listen any longer, his temple throbbing: “Enough. Father, just write it. I’ll take care of it right away.”

…

Si Jin didn’t have much trouble getting the truth from Doctor Liu.

Xiao Rong was actually abstaining to recover—no wonder he’d been so irritable lately.

But what moved Si Jin was discovering that he genuinely intended to have a child with her.

Even though his attitude had been resistant from start to finish.

His own past experiences had left him with no desire whatsoever to raise a child.

Yet Si Jin also believed that Xiao Rong’s ultimate decision wasn’t made on a mere whim.

Since he had decided to do it, he would do it well.

Xiao Rong was actually quite skilled at caring for others, even plants and animals.

If they were to have children in the future, he would undoubtedly raise them exceptionally well.

Si Jin felt a wave of tenderness in her heart.

After understanding the full context, she began making numerous plans in her mind.

Not only did she intend to ensure he would never feel neglected when children arrived—she would love him well—but she also resolved to cooperate fully with him during this period. Teasing him was naturally no longer an option.

After this month, she would reward him properly.

Thinking this way, it seemed perfect.

Si Jin steeled herself to carry out her plan with utmost determination.

That evening, she deliberately stayed away from Xiao Rong for most of the day. After bathing, she put on an especially snug nightgown, planning to return to her room, lie stiffly on the bed like a log, close her eyes, and sleep.

But the moment she opened the door, before her eyes could even adjust to the dim light—

A sudden, urgent, and rough force grabbed her and pulled her into an embrace.

Her ears were filled with Xiao Rong’s low, panting, hoarse voice.

“I’m so hot…”

“Xiao Jin, I’m so hot…”