Chapter 60 - Spirit Seed
Xiao Feifei gradually regained her sanity since she had the demonic qi in her body absorbed by that peach core whistle; she no longer looked demented but became depressed and sad.
She understood that she was no longer the high and mighty County Princess of Jiao Yang; she was nothing without the shelter of her mother and uncle and her father and elder brother's superficial care. At this time, the person who helped and saved her was her husband, Ouyang Zhong, who she didn't like and wasn't familiar with. She knew that, being a weak woman, she could only cling to a man if she wanted to survive in this chaotic world. Therefore, whether she liked it or not, Ouyang Zhong was the straw that saved her life, and she had to hold on to it no matter what she said.
Therefore, the county princess, who never touched the spring water, followed the old steward to learn how to make fire and cook, wanting to make good meals for her husband, Ouyang Zhong, to eat. But cooking is not easy; she either burned the fire to make herself a face of ash or was splashed with sparks and burned her hands. The old steward was heartbroken and hurriedly begged the princess not to trample on herself so much and to let the slave girls below do the hard work. But Xiao Feifei knows Ouyang Zhong does not love her, but another love, although she does not care about love or not, as long as she can let Ouyang Zhong protect her, take care of her, and even give her the possibility of the future to regain the wealth and glory, now these hard work what is it? She must capture Ouyang Zhong's heart and person to get everything she wants.
While Ouyang Zhong was busy dealing with all kinds of city affairs, Xiao Feifei concentrated on learning cooking skills. Although she was a county princess, she was somewhat intelligent and wise and knew how to make a bowl of Changchun noodles in just a few days. She wept joyfully when she tasted the food she made with her hands. This was the first time she had ever exchanged her labor for food when she grew up. Rarely her sorrowful face for many days finally unfolded at this moment.
Coinciding with Ouyang Zhong's return from outside, the old steward excitedly opened the extra horse harnessed by the emperor's side to hurry to the kitchen. Xiao Feifei smiled with a heavenly smile before handing over the handmade Yangchun noodles with both hands and saying, "Husband, this is the first dish that concubine has learned after the old steward in these days, so please savor it, Husband."
Ouyang Zhong saw that Xiao Fei Fei's state had improved, and a stone in his heart fell to the ground. Although they did not have conjugal love, they were under the same roof, and her family had all left her, so naturally, they had to care more or less. Ouyang Zhong naturally needs to improve at refuting the face of the lady, who is hurriedly promising to accept the bowl and chopsticks to taste up.
"Not to mention, it's perfect! I've been running outside and hungry for a long time; thank you for Madam's noodles." Ouyang Zhong politely greeted him. For him, whether the food was good or not was not necessary; filling his stomach and hurrying to continue to be busy was what mattered.
However, Ouyang Zhong has a sentence really from the heart: he is starving, these days he has a variety of complicated matters pressuring him not to care about eating and drinking, his mouth is on fire in a hurry up several blisters, the soles of his feet running around are also grinding blisters, he is busy ah! He was swamped. At the same time, eating the heart calculates how to germinate the few seeds to solve the whole city ration. He gulped a bowl of noodles into his mouth and almost ate the bowl together, devouring the appearance of which still had the reserved gentleman of the noble son of the world.
The old steward at the side was very wise, not only counting all the efforts and hard work that the princess had made recently to learn how to cook but also hurrying up to give the second bowl to the princess, making a wink for the princess to hand it over to the prince consort. Ouyang Zhong had something on his mind and didn't pay too much attention to listening but kept responding to indicate that he knew. When Xiao Feifei handed over the second bowl of noodles, she did not refuse and obediently finished it.
Before Ouyang Zhong left, he once again thanked Xiao Feifei. Xiao Feifei was secretly happy in her heart; it seemed that to catch a man, you have to see his stomach is accurate, and then asked: ''Husband can like the food that concubine made, concubine is very happy. May I ask what you like to eat? I'll learn to do it again for you to eat?" Ouyang Zhong casually responded, "Oh, I grew up liking millet and lotus seed congee." Saying that he turned around and went out the door.
Xiao Feifei looked at Ouyang Zhong's departing figure and asked the old steward, "Is there any millet and lotus seeds?"
The old steward replied, "Back to the county princess. The millet is barely old now that the city's granary is at the bottom. Enslaved people can still find some out, but the old lotus seeds from the past years are all gone, and the new ones haven't grown yet, so it looks like this congee will have to be made for the extra horse harnessed by the side of the emperor's side to eat in a few more days."
Xiao Feifei contemplated momentarily, then walked out of this County Princess Mansion's side garden towards the lakeside water pavilion she had frequented. She did not ask the old steward to follow her; she just wanted to walk alone. Then, she arrived at the water pavilion to look at a lotus pool about to open. Although she was always a bit demented and crazy before, whether she was real or pretending, she wasn't losing her memory. She remembered that at that time, she hugged the begonia tree in Ouyang Zhong's house, and the begonia quickly sprouted and blossomed and failed, which was only a matter of a split second. If there wasn't something odd about the begonia tree, then it was that she had some talent that could catalyze the growth rate of flowers, plants, and trees.
Xiao Feifei saw no one around and went to the pool's edge to pick a budding lotus. However, she grabbed the flower stem; the bud opened instantly, and in just a few moments, it turned to bloom and faded. The lotus seedpods withered before she had time to pick them. Xiao Feifei was stunned by herself. She drew back her hand and hurriedly called the old steward. She chose a few lotus buds and said that she wanted to use them as decoration in her room. The old steward was naturally happy to do such a thing as long as the county princess could be satisfied; he was willing to do this kind of small thing.
When the old steward sent the flower buds to Xiao Feifei's room, Xiao Feifei tried again, grabbed a flower, and watched for the right moment; once the petals fell off and the rosette grew, she decisively put it down, and a full, ripe, fresh rosette grew in this way. Xiao Fei Fei was overjoyed. It turned out that she was helpful. She hurriedly turned the remaining few flower buds into lotus pods and called the old steward to make millet and lotus congee.
The old steward saw the situation, and although he was shocked, the advantage of being older is that it is not so easy to be shocked. These days, the emperor can appoint a man as a consort and still corrupt the whole country into this ghost. The county lords can turn the flower buds into lotus seeds; this is no longer rare.
Under the guidance of the old steward, Xiao Feifei quickly learned how to make congee, and she was a bit impatient in handing this congee over to Ouyang Zhong to eat. After thinking about it, she delivered the congee to the Military Council Hall, where Ouyang Zhong often went. The county princess, who hadn't gone out for a long time, was struck with emotion as she once again walked through the familiar streets with a usual demeanor. At one time, she did not care about these tiny streets and alleys, and as for the commoners, she had never cared about them, so using her own feet to walk to a particular place instead of traveling in a carriage and sedan chair was very new to her. Things were not always bad.
The once-wrapped and embellished noble doll was nothing more than a string puppet with hidden silk strings, and now that the strings had all been completely cut, she, the puppet, was much more accessible. After all, Xiao Fei Fei was a noblewoman by birth, so she wore a power hedge on her head to conceal her appearance and arrived at General Wei's mansion. After reporting herself as Ouyang Zhong's wife, Ouyang Zhong was surprised to come out to welcome her. How Xiao Fei Fei recovered from illness, the whole person is like a change; they never asked about the court affairs and did not care much about him. Today, I even personally ran.
Ouyang Zhong felt that it was still inconvenient to bring the women of his family into the vital place of military affairs, so he brought Xiao Feifei to the side garden and sat down, patiently inquiring: "What's wrong with you? Is there something wrong?"
Xiao Feifei made a polite bow and said softly, "Today, your husband said he likes to eat millet and lotus seed porridge, so I hurriedly learned how to make it, knowing that your husband has been working hard and that it was my concubine who didn't take care of your husband well, so I purposely served some porridge to you. Why don't you try it while it's hot?" She opened the food box, took out the insulated goblet, and handed it to Ouyang Zhong. Ouyang Zhong didn't think there could be such a day. A little touched, he opened the small cup, and the aroma of millet and fresh lotus seeds hit his face. Let Ouyang Zhong's stomach cravings awaken, but also let his and Linghu Xian's memories again play back in front of his eyes.
At that time, the weather was hot, his mouth was brutal, and bitter summer can not eat anything. Linghu Xian picked fresh lotus seeds one by one, peeled and washed, to Ouyang Zhong do millet porridge, Ouyang Zhong like sweet, Linghu Xian porridge inside the chrysanthemum ice sugar to enhance the flavor, or do an excellent job of sealing the mouth of the porridge will be chilled in the healthy water to eat when the ice is tasty, Ouyang Zhong always ate several bowls.
This porridge is not sweet but delicious; Ouyang Zhong ate it all in one breath. But, when he finished eating, he suddenly realized that something was not right; this porridge inside was fresh lotus seeds, and now it was only early summer; where did fresh lotus seeds come?
He also needed to remember that this remote courtyard was also the place where Fox Xiaxia temporarily resided. Fox Xiaxia smelled the aroma of the lotus seed porridge from afar and had long been skeptical and walked to the side of these two people without hesitation. After these few steps, fox Xiaxia's fox eyes scrutinized Xiao Feifei's back for a long time; although she was wearing a power hedge and had her back turned to fox Xiaxia, just based on that back and demeanor, fox Xiaxia decided that this was a beautiful woman. The pursuit of beauty is the instinct of the spirit fox clan.
After all, Fox Xiaxia had not been a human for a few days and was unfamiliar with some rules and etiquette. It was inappropriate for him to keep staring straight at someone's wife like this. Ouyang Zhong noticed him, looked at his furry fox head, and hurriedly coughed as a reminder.
Fox Xiaxia understood and took advantage of Xiao Feifei's turn to cover her face with her clothes, only revealing a pair of peach blossom eyes as she looked at Ouyang Zhong and Xiao Feifei, and respectfully saluted, saying: ''Surprisingly, it is the Sheriff's Lord who has arrived, so I am sorry to have missed out on welcoming you. I don't know where the lotus seeds in this porridge come from, county princess?"
Xiao Feifei looked at this strange person before her, feeling somewhat familiar yet unable to recall where she had seen him. Hearing the other party ask about the fresh lotus seeds, she knew she couldn't hide it anymore, so she told him. I can have this kind of rare magic, which is also very unexpected. I request that my husband and this gentleman not see her strangely as a demon to catch.
Fox Xiaxia certainly does not feel strange; a little supernormal capabilities can also be considered a demon. Do you think it's that easy to be a demon? Besides, what's wrong with demons eating your family's grain and your wine?
Ouyang Zhong comforted, "It's fine; don't worry too much about such things. But ... there is!" Ouyang Zhong hurriedly returned to the council chamber, picked up the small packet of spirit seeds, and returned. Confusing everyone, they watched wide-eyed as General Ouyang ran around the courtyard. When Ouyang Zhong panted and handed the seeds to Xiao Feifei and Fox Xiaxia's eyes, Fox Xiaxia was instantly enlightened.
Previously, a few of them had tried many ways but couldn't make the spirit seed, like a stone, take root and germinate. With this skill of Xiao Feifei, there was no chance they could change the spirit seed's growth rate. So Fox Xiaxia found a big jar, put some soil and half a jar of water. Ouyang Zhong put a seed in Xiao Feifei's hand. The seed produced changes, germination, and rooting. Xiao Feifei followed the arrangement to throw the seed into the tank. With only an incense stick time, the seed quickly blossomed and branched and leaves, a tiny seed whole of a large tank of rhododendrons, and there is the momentum of continued growth.
Fox Xiaxia hurriedly ran to the nearby small lake holding a large tank and threw it in. The wild lake is full of weeds and reeds. Usually, there are only some wild ducks and waterfowl and nothing else special. After the water tank fell into the lake, in a few moments, the lake was full of purple diamonds. Nearby, people tried to pick some rhombus, tasted a surprisingly sweet and delicious mouthful, and felt satiety.
Ouyang Zhong and Xiao Feifei also rushed to the lake and saw its surface, which was a breathtakingly beautiful lavender color. The people who ate the rhombus felt delicious and complete, which made Ouyang Zhong overjoyed. The most challenging ration problem has been solved; the entire vertical city, with nearly a million people, no longer needs to worry about starvation.
Ouyang Zhong excitedly shook Xiao Feifei's hand and said, "Thanks to Madam's skill, the people of Zongcheng are saved!"
Xiao Feifei and Ouyang Zhong had never been close before, and the warmth that passed between her fingers at this moment made Xiao Feifei's entire body sweat hairs follow her from head to toe; her body felt like it was electrified, and the roots of her ears felt hot and rolling. She grew up in the County Princess's residence and the inner courtyard of the Imperial Palace and is not an innocent little girl who has never seen the world, whether it is her own monarch's uncle's desolation or her own mother's own secretly raised a few male favorites face, she is clear about those things that men and women love. She doesn't feel anything different, but she does never have any teeth. In her opinion, no man is worthy of her favor in this world. But at this moment, looking at Ouyang Zhong, I am so happy, but I also express heartfelt thanks to her; there is a strange sentiment in her heart germination.
Xiao Fei Fei thought to herself: perhaps this person could be taken as her lifesaver and a true lover to whom she could commit her life.
"Cough cough ... What are you guys doing?"
A pleasant male voice shocked her from the top of Xiao Feifei's head. Hurry subconsciously spread away from Ouyang Zhong's hand. She put the power hedge worn on her head to organize, saluted as if escaping, and hurriedly left.
Running halfway, she suddenly felt wrong, and then a bit of hindsight to look back to that tall masked man, the heart of the slander: who is this person? Why is he so nosy? What am I running for? Ouyang Zhong and I are a severe couple who have worshipped heaven and earth. How come it seems like I'm cheating on my husband with my husband now?... Then Xiao Feifei angrily stomped her foot, glared at Fox Xiaxia, turned around, and left in a huff.
Ouyang Zhong didn't take this to heart, still immersed in the joy of finally solving a big problem. Fox Xiaxia placed her arm on Ouyang Zhong's shoulder and deliberately pressed hard. Ouyang Zhong cried out in pain and scolded him angrily. Fox Xiaxia's fox eyes contemptuously glanced at him and leisurely said: ''You human beings are a watery woman. Initially, you swore that you were deeply in love with my sister and that the marriage with Princess Joyful Sun was just a fake couple with a sacred order. I almost believed in your bullshit! I'm telling you, Ouyang Zhong, don't think you can change your mind just because my sister is gone; if you dare, I won't be as merciful as my sister; I won't spare you!"
Ouyang Zhong was confused and said, "I don't know what you are talking about. How could I be so indecisive? I only have Fox Xiao Xian in my heart. No matter how many lifetimes, whether she is called Fox Xiao Xian or Linghu Xian or whether she is no longer there, the person I recognize will not change. Besides, what time is it now? How could I have any other mind?"
"You better remember what you said today!"