At just about this time, the kitchen helper came over to set the dinner table. The man then led her to her seat by her hand.
The two of them did not continue with their lovey-dovey act. After all, there would be more than enough time for that at night, right?
As the servants served the dishes, the man could detect a strong, spicy smell that aroused his appetite straight away.
He saw the bright, ruddy layer of oil floating on top of the pot and asked curiously, "What is that?"
She followed the direction of his gaze at a distance and replied with a smile, "This dish is called Prosperous Blood Pot. There's duck's blood, yellow bean sprouts, ham, pork, squids, black fungus, yellow daylily, and cow's intestines. It's similar to a hodgepodge."
"I didn't know there was such a dish," he replied with indifference. His brows furrowed slightly as he observed the layer of flaming red oil floating in the pot.
It was a custom for the people here to pick a nice name for bizarre dishes; hence, he was not bothered when the lady spouted the dish name. It was just a name, anyway.
What caused him to frown was the thick layer of chili oil he saw. He was particular with his dietary intake.
She enjoyed this dish although she was not sure about him. However, after seeing his scowl, she reckoned that it did not appeal to him.
Therefore, she pointed to the rest of the dishes on the table and said, "The rest of the dishes are light-favored and not spicy, unlike the Prosperous Blood Pot. Let me scoop a bowl of broth for you to warm your tummy first."
After saying that, she prepared a bowl of broth with winter melon and duck meat wrapped in lotus leaf.
"Alright." He took the bowl of soup that she had prepared for him. "You should eat too. Don't be bothered with me."
"Understood," she replied and tucked in readily.
Diving into the spicy pot of chili, she finished one bowl after another relentlessly. The spiciness caused her cheeks to flush and her lips, which were already crimson red, to turn even brighter and redder. She looked tantalizing.
The man was tempted to take a bite off of her. Looking at her hearty appetite, he decided to scoop a bowl of chili broth as well in spite of his strict dietary preference.
Unfortunately, the first mouthful he took was the cabbage and bean sprout, and the spiciness immediately stung his eyes and numbed his tongue.
She laughed and said, "My Lord, you have to take the meat or the duck's blood from this pot first. The chili oil tends to cling to the vegetables, making it spicier. It's better to pick items that are not too spicy to start with."
"You should have told me earlier, then." He told her off indignantly and continued with the food in his bowl.
The first mouthful was spicy and numbing, but as he continued to chew on the thoroughly-flavored vegetables, he began to appreciate the pungent taste of mala chili.
He had not enjoyed feasting on animal intestines in the past as he considered these dirty and bloody. However, after taking a bite of the big intestines, he realized that it was delicious, and the flavor was just right.
The woman was speechless after witnessing him eating from the hot pot. He gave such a look of disgust earlier that she thought that he would not be eating it.
Standing at one side, Su Peicheng was equally amazed by the sight of his master devouring the cooked intestines.
He could remember very well how much his lord had hated chitterlings. There was one particular winter day in which the kitchen prepared chitlins in broth. The man had not touched it at all and had just stared at the dish with total disgust on his face.
It was enough for him to order the kitchen never to serve such dishes again.
Right now, the man was sent into a state of panic again. Had he been wrong all this time?
Compared to Su Peicheng's uneasiness, the couple had a good time eating, with tiny beads of perspiration hanging on their faces.
At the end of the meal, the man took out his hankie to wipe the corner of his lips. He had not had such a happy meal for a while.
The Prosperous Blood Pot overturned his past impression of animal viscera. So ingredients like these can be made into such delicious food! It looked like he hadn't enjoyed what he ate in the past merely because it was not tasty.
He could not help chuckling to himself when he realized that those complex dishes could not be compared to this simple hodgepodge.
Su Peicheng had been too careful and single-minded in the past.
It might be because the eunuch was trying to protect his position as the chief eunuch and, thus, no food would ever turn up in front of him again as long as he displayed any signs of displeasure.
As for the first lady, she used to follow a strict dietary practice and would not consume spicy food like this. This was indeed a rare occasion where he had got to enjoy a hearty meal for once.
As Ruoyin cleaned her lips gracefully, she was vividly aware that she was covered in perspiration. Oh, well, there goes my bath earlier.
She looked up to see him perspiring hard as well. It might be time to help him with his bath now except for the fact that they had just finished with a heavy meal and it was hardly appropriate to suggest that. As she was debating on what to do next, she heard the man speak.
He ordered the servants to prepare the tub and then turned to her. "Let's practice calligraphy today. I remember you used to enjoy writing the sutra scriptures. Why have you stopped now?"
"Don't tease me anymore, my Lord. I'm still young and thus not ready for sutra reading yet. Let's wait until I'm older and wiser before I start practicing the scriptures." The former Fujin wanted to earn brownie points before her husband and mother-in-law and that had prompted her to write the scriptures every day.
But it did not mean that the more you wrote, the better you were as a human being. It would depend on how much you could perceive from the teachings.
If one were to copy the scriptures and yet, at the same time, orchestrate treachery in her own backyard, then the efforts that went into writing the sutra would have been futile.
As for her, she did not think that she had reached the stage of perceiving the profound wisdom in the sutra yet. Hence, she would rather stay true to herself instead of putting up a facade.
He was slightly taken aback by her reply. He quietly said to her, "Then why don't you keep me company as I practice my calligraphy? You can practice your strokes with me if you like."
She agreed and told Nanny Liu to prepare the materials. Inwardly, she could not help praising the man for making full use of his hours. In doing this, not a moment would be wasted as they took a break after dinner.
Soon, the man was practicing his calligraphy as the woman watched by the side. Occasionally, she would join him, too.
His wrist that held the brush was firm and strong, and the strokes were eager and smooth.
Truth be told, she greatly admired a man like him.
He was especially captivating when he looked so serious as he drew his strokes. His demeanor was more stern than "the man who applied the screen protector for her mobile under the
Wait a minute… This doesn't sound like an appropriate description, does it? That man who was under the bridge wasn't as good-looking as Lord Fourth here!
How about changing the analogy? Lord Fourth here is more suave than a handsome CEO in a meeting.
His expression was focused and mysterious, and there was an aura of confidence and tyranny that exuded from within that mesmerized her.
After they'd been practicing for about 30 minutes or so, Nanny Liu came to inform them that the bath was ready.
She asked timidly, "My Lord, the water is ready. Do you want to bathe now?"
He hummed a soft affirmative, finished up the last character with a powerful stroke, put down the brush, and opened his arms for her to help him out of his attire.
Qiao Feng deftly packed up the brushes and manuscript papers, cleaned up the table, and left the room.
Before long, there were just the two of them. She served him the peppermint water for rinsing his mouth before she followed suit.
He was suddenly struck by the beauty of the room. The stalks of fresh Rainbow Pink in the two jade vases decorated the place tastefully, giving off a light refreshing scent at the same time.
He entered the bathtub after removing his clothes.
The tub was made from cedarwood. It came with intricate wood markings and retained heat well.
The tub was spacious and could easily fit the two of them!