The Hand of Confession – Chapter 346

Volume 10: Days of Cultivating in the Republic of China

Tonify the Kidney¹

Happy Daily Life

Shen Maomao swore she wasn’t lusting after Lou Jingmo’s body; she just wanted to test how sturdy the sofa was.

She pounced on Lou Jingmo, tackling her right onto the sofa, and said with a blush, “Shall we begin, then?”

Lou Jingmo said, “Then aren’t you going to get up?”

Shen Maomao’s face was a mess of question marks. “??? Why would I get up?”

Lou Jingmo said, “If you don’t get up, how am I supposed to grab the controller and play my game?”

“??? Your idea of a good time is playing video games?”

“What else?” Lou Jingmo asked innocently.

Shen Maomao ground her teeth in frustration, but before she could get two grinds in, she saw Lou Jingmo’s face break into a smile that was not quite a smile². She instantly realized Lou Jingmo was just deliberately teasing her. So, she simply lowered her head and bit Lou Jingmo on the chin, leaving a clear row of small teeth marks.

Lou Jingmo sucked in a sharp breath of cold air, frowning as she wrapped her arms around her. “Are you born in the year of the dog?³”

Shen Maomao snorted coldly, propping her arms on either side of Lou Jingmo’s head. Looking down at her, she said, “It seems I was overthinking things. In that case, Lou-jie, you go find your controller. Shall we play a game together?”

As she spoke, she pushed off with her hands to get up, but her back suddenly hit a hand that pressed her right back into the embrace. Then, Lou Jingmo’s cool voice drifted past her ear, the moist breath drilling directly into her ear canal. “I’ve suddenly decided games aren’t fun anymore.” With a deadpan expression, she spoke the most shameful words. “Right now, I’d rather play with you.”

Immediately after, a wet, warm sensation touched her ear, like tiny ants crawling over her skin, bringing an unbearable itch. Lou Jingmo had taken her earlobe into her mouth and was sucking on it. A fire lit up on Shen Maomao’s face. She buried her head in the crook of Lou Jingmo’s neck and gave up resisting. The scent of Lou Jingmo filled her with every breath, and her mind automatically began playing scenes of being done this way and that.

Lou Jingmo always had a wonderfully pleasant fragrance about her. It had nothing to do with alcohol, yet it made Shen Maomao feel inexplicably drunk.

…

Lou Jingmo always felt she ought to be a high-level player⁴.

The grand strategy of this round was almost entirely under her control. The initial battlefield was on the mountaintop, but since maneuvering there was inconvenient, she took the lead and descended the mountain to engage on the plains. The two sides faced off and began to slaughter one another. Before long, Shen Maomao was so thoroughly routed by her assault until not a single piece of her armor remained⁵. Furious, she threw her arms wide and engaged in direct hand-to-hand combat.

Lou Jingmo was fearless. The two of them tangled together—you give me a punch, I give you a palm, a constant back-and-forth, and wasn’t it a joy?⁶

Shen Maomao had studied judo, and her body was very soft, slippery and hard to grasp like a snake. The moment she found an opening, she would coil tightly around Lou Jingmo, leaving her a bit breathless.

Fortunately, however, Lou Jingmo was one notch above⁷. She broke free from her shackles with ease, then twisted her into all sorts of beautiful poses.

Shen Maomao could no longer struggle. In the end, she chose to give up resisting, allowing Lou Jingmo to conquer the high ground and advance toward the core.

Sunlight streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows; it was the hottest time of day. The battle simultaneously entered a white-hot stage, and sweat soaked the sofa. By the end, Shen Maomao had been thoroughly put in her place by Lou Jingmo. She directly bowed her head and declared herself a vassal⁸, unable to muster a shred of resistance as the victorious Lou Jingmo twisted her into various humiliating positions.

“This one’s really impossible! My old back!” Shen Maomao cried out with difficulty.

Lou Jingmo’s lips curved, looking just like the big bad wolf tricking the little white rabbit. “Be good, you can do it… See? Didn’t you just do it?”

Shen Maomao said through gritted teeth, “I think you’re trying to kill me so you can get a new wife…”

Lou Jingmo whispered softly in her ear, as if chanting an ancient spell, “So good… How could I bear to kill you? I can’t even dote on you enough.”

Shen Maomao: “…” I’d have to be a fool to believe your ghost talk!!⁹

But the defeated have no right to speak. Shen Maomao felt like she was just a ball of dough, which was why Lou Jingmo could knead her back and forth, shaping her into all kinds of forms.

When it was all over, she looked as if she had just been fished out of the water, on the verge of collapse.

Lou Jingmo covered her with a small blanket, then turned to clean up the battlefield.

Shen Maomao was drowsy but didn’t want to sleep, so she watched her tidy up through half-lidded eyes. “Am I kidney deficient¹⁰ or something? Why am I so tired? I was clearly the one just lying here and enjoying it, right?”

Lou Jingmo couldn’t help but laugh. “We just did it yesterday, and again today. It’d be a miracle if you weren’t kidney deficient.”

Shen Maomao: “!!”

Oh, right. She’d forgotten. She had spent six days in the game, so mentally she was ready to lust after Lou Jingmo’s body, but her physical body was still where it had been, unable to keep up with her mind’s progress.

Shen Maomao sighed. “I think we need to open up new sources and reduce the outflow¹¹. Let’s be abstinent for a few days so I can recover.”

Lou Jingmo brought over a new sofa cover and moved Shen Maomao to another couch. As she worked, she said, “Weren’t you the one who seduced me?”

“I seduced you?!” Shen Maomao’s voice shot up. “Don’t go getting a bargain and still playing cute!¹²”

Lou Jingmo suppressed a laugh. “Fine, I’ll shut up. If you’re tired, go upstairs and sleep for a bit. I’ll call you down for dinner later.”

Shen Maomao whimpered, clutching the blanket and refusing to move. She even held out her arms, wanting Lou Jingmo to carry her upstairs.

Lou Jingmo slapped her on the butt. “Don’t you know how much you weigh? Go up by yourself.”

Tears welled in Shen Maomao’s eyes. “You scum woman! You pull up your pants and pretend you don’t know me!¹³”

Lou Jingmo said, “…Do you think this is the game, where you have an item and can carry me whenever you want?”

Shen Maomao let out another whimper.

A well-fed Lou Jingmo was exceptionally patient. She coaxed her, “Be good. Go upstairs and sleep, and I’ll make you something delicious this afternoon.”

Shen Maomao was tempted. She slurped up some drool and obediently went upstairs.

…

By the time she woke up, it was already afternoon. She climbed out of bed and, as if sleepwalking, followed the aroma downstairs. She saw that several dishes were already on the dining table, but Lou Jingmo was still busy in the kitchen.

A sweet feeling bloomed in Shen Maomao’s heart. She went to the table to inspect the spread, and then her face turned green.

Braised chicken with chestnuts, lamb with pickled cabbage, shrimp with chives, braised loach… Every last one of them was for tonifying the kidney.

What was this behavior? It was simply the heart of Sima Zhao—known to all passersby!¹⁴

She dazedly pulled out a chair and sat at the table, deeply suspecting that Lou Jingmo was trying to kill her, but she had no proof.

Lou Jingmo came out of the kitchen carrying a large bowl of soup, which she placed in the center of the table. “You’re awake? Go wash your hands, it’s time to eat.”

A soft-shelled turtle floated on the surface of the soup, seemingly staring at her with wide eyes.

Just looking at the table of food made Shen Maomao’s legs feel a little weak.

She turned to Lou Jingmo and said in disbelief, “You’re a monster, aren’t you?”

Lou Jingmo, still wearing an apron, looked particularly gentle and virtuous. “What are you talking about? Isn’t this all for the sake of your health??”

Shen Maomao: “…” Bullshit!!

…

In any case, after they finished that meal, the two of them had another shameless romp before going to sleep.

The next morning, they went to the orphanage to see Yaya¹⁵, just as they had previously arranged.

Shen Maomao bought some toys and school supplies, as well as two little dresses for Yaya.

Most of the children at the orphanage were timid. Seeing strangers arrive, they hid behind the playground equipment to peek at them.

Shen Maomao spotted Yaya at a glance, sitting on a chair and playing with dolls with a friend. She called out, “Yaya!”

Yaya whipped her head around, her eyes lighting up. She immediately dropped her doll and came flying over to them. She didn’t speak, but her eyes shone and her little face was flushed bright red as she looked at them shyly.

Shen Maomao shoved the things into the arms of Lou Jingmo, her designated tool-person¹⁶, and swept the little girl up in a hug. “Is Yaya happy to see her big sisters?”

Yaya nodded vigorously.

Shen Maomao gave her a kiss and set her back on the ground. “You go play with the other kids for a bit. Your big sisters need to talk to the director about something.”

Yaya nodded obediently and went back, turning her head back every three steps¹⁷.

Shen Maomao and Lou Jingmo exchanged a look and walked into the orphanage’s office building together.

Because they couldn’t adopt Yaya, the director had specifically warned them not to visit too frequently, lest it give Yaya too much hope and make her unwilling to be adopted by anyone else. So, Shen Maomao had restrained herself from visiting during this time, only keeping up with Yaya’s situation by asking the director on WeChat.

The reason they had come today was that someone wanted to adopt Yaya, and Yaya had agreed. The director had specially notified them to ask if they wanted to meet the adoptive parents.

The couple wanting to adopt Yaya was middle-aged. They had been married for several years without children, which led them to the idea of adoption.

The orphanage had already vetted their qualifications for adoption. Calling Shen Maomao and Lou Jingmo over was merely a notice given out of humanitarian consideration.

The two parties met and exchanged contact information. Then, with Shen Maomao acting as the bridge, they all took Yaya out for a meal together.

Yaya accepted her adoptive parents well. The wife’s attitude toward Yaya could be described as meticulous; throughout the meal, she took great care of her, serving her food and pouring her drinks. Under the table, Yaya’s little feet were swinging back and forth, a clear sign of her happiness.

Overall, the two sides got along well, which put Shen Maomao’s mind at ease.

After dinner, the couple drove Yaya back to the orphanage. They still had a one-month review period and couldn’t take Yaya home directly just yet.

Shen Maomao played wildly with Yaya for a few more hours before they finally left the orphanage.

On the car ride back, Lou Jingmo said to her, “Did you notice during dinner?”

“Hm?” Shen Maomao turned to her, confused.

“That couple doesn’t like you very much.”

“What does it matter to me whether they like me or not?” Shen Maomao said, unconcerned. “As long as they like Yaya, that’s all that matters.”

Lou Jingmo glanced at the orphanage receding behind the car. “My phrasing was a bit inaccurate,” she said. “To be precise: they seemed to really dislike our status as a couple.”

Shen Maomao froze for a moment, then grabbed the hand resting by Lou Jingmo’s side, lacing their fingers together. “Are they homophobic? There’s nothing I can do about that. Same-sex marriage hasn’t been legal for long, and some people are still living in the last century. We can’t control what they think, but if they treat Yaya badly, we’ll storm their house and snatch her back!”

Lou Jingmo shot her a look, then focused on the scenery outside the window.

Shen Maomao’s grip loosened, then tightened again as she couldn’t help but sigh.

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