novelToo Few Servants (3)
| ← Ch.314 | Ch.316 → |
Even in the capital, the only one who got to eat green vegetables in the middle of winter was the imperial family. Those were specially grown in the fields near the imperial-owned hot springs. Even so, the fields were so small that the harvest produced from them was overwhelmingly precious. Only the Emperor, Empress, and Empress Dowager could have any. There were no shares left, not even for the princes and princesses.
Some time ago, one of the noble madams of the capital, Madam Guo, had been feeling unwell, so the imperial palace had sent a few kilograms of green vegetables as a show of favour. Even though those bunches of spinach had already been beginning to wilt, Madam Guo had flaunted the fact within her social circles for quite some time.
He Sanlang was about to change his request when Chu Lian nodded and replied with a resounding, "Okay."
This time, it was He Changdi's turn to lose his calm."Did you hear what I said correctly?"
Chu Lian found it strange. Her ears were working just fine and were actually pretty sensitive. Of course she heard him right. She and He Sanlang always spoke in Mandarin to each other, and they weren't using any dialects, either. How could she have misunderstood him? Furthermore, she didn't think that wanting to eat vegetables in the winter was an outrageous request. In the modern world, eating fresh, green vegetables at this time of year was pretty normal, wasn't it?
"You said vegetables just now, right? Did I hear wrongly?"
He Changdi was stunned. After a moment, he gulped and said, "You... have some?"
Chu Lian nodded and made a 'mm' sound in agreement. She had known about the lack of resources in the north before coming here, so she had gotten Senior Servants Gui and Zhong to lead a group of maidservants to dry plenty of vegetables. She had brought all sorts of them with her. Dried vegetables were not only easy to keep, they didn't take up much space, either. They were also extremely convenient to prepare. All she had to do was to place them in warm water and wait for them to soften. Although they couldn't compare to fresh vegetables in taste, the amount of nutrients in them was about the same.
Since they were already in the north, she couldn't be too picky about not having fresh ingredients.
When He Sanlang heard Chu Lian's affirmative 'mm', saliva began to pool in his mouth without his control. It couldn't be helped. He hadn't eaten any vegetables in months. Due to the lack of vitamins in his diet, he had even grown a few ulcers in his mouth.
Since the two of them had common topics to talk about, the atmosphere wasn't as awkward.
Chu Lian noted his wretched appearance and made a suggestion."Since you're only leaving after lunch, why don't I get Wenlan to boil some water so you can take a bath?"
Since the day she had inadvertently overheard Mo Chenggui's words, she had specially gone to look for Huang Zhijian to learn more about what it was like in the army.
She was told that it was common for the soldiers to go without bathing for up to a month in the winter, even the officers. When she looked at He Changdi's appearance, she had brought up this suggestion with purely kind intentions.
However, in He Sanlang's ears, it sounded like something else. The words of praise that Chu Lian had given Tang Yan resounded in his mind.
What, did this wicked woman think he was dirty? He Sanlang gritted his molars and harrumphed in his heart. As dirty as he might be, he was still her husband! She had no other choice!
If Chu Lian were to find out about his twisted line of thought, she would surely start to curse at him.
She was just offering him a bath out of the kindness of her heart. Wasn't he too good at leaping to conclusions?
When He Sanlang thought back to those young, fit guards by Tang Yan's side, the right hand he had placed on the table unconsciously curled into a fist. That Tang Yan! He had abandoned his duties to bring a group of flowery-looking guards over to show off in front of Chu Lian! Hmph, let's see who gets the last laugh when I report this to Prince Jin!
Chu Lian called for Wenlan and instructed her to start boiling some water. He Sanlang didn't say a word, but he abruptly remembered that Chu Lian had only brought two female maidservants to attend to her on this trip. The rest of the people in this courtyard were all men. Thinking back to how that wicked woman liked to admire handsome men, as well as how Tang Yan and his guards had been decked out in their finest, He Changdi immediately felt as if he had swallowed some flies.
Wenlan was about to turn and leave after receiving Chu Lian's instructions, when He Changdi added on another order in a dark tone."Bring some middle-aged female servants back tomorrow. It looks like there aren't enough servants here."
| ← Ch. 314 | Ch. 316 → |