Chapter 61: He’s My Husband
“Does the water not taste good?” Yu Xiaoxiao picked up Gu Xinglang’s abandoned teacup and downed half its contents in one gulp. “It’s got a bit of a flowery flavor, isn’t that fine?”
The tea was jasmine, so it had a fragrant scent as well. Gu Xinglang only said, “The color of the tea is not good. Have the waiter brew a new pot.”
What the heck? Yu Xiaoxiao looked at the leftover tea in the cup. What’s tea color supposed to be? She looked disapprovingly at Gu Xinglang and said, “It’s enough if there’s clean water to drink.” In the apocalypse, countless people had given up their lives to search for a clean mouthful of water. How could the people here not cherish what they had? Apocalypse survivors would never accept something like turning up your nose at flower-scented water.
Zuo You drank his tea as well. The flavor was weaker than usual and the hue indicated that it hadn’t been brewed from fresh leaves. Still, he swallowed it all and darted a glance at Gu Xinglang, before telling Yu Xiaoxiao, “That’s right, princess. We’ve even drank human blood on the battlefield before, so a single cup of tea’s good enough. Princess, I’m not a picky man.”
“No bad, you get my kudos,” Yu Xiaoxiao said while pushing the teapot to him. “Drink some more.”
Zuo You boldly raised his head and finished off the entire pot of tea.
“Come on, even more,” Yu Xiaoxiao pushed another teapot by her side to Zuo You, before shouting out the door. “Give us a few more kettles of water!”
Gu Xinglang watched Zuo You fill his stomach with tea before he couldn’t resist asking, “Princess?”
Yu Xiaoxiao whispered in his ear, “If he drinks more now, he’ll eat less later.”
Gu Xinglang had no words to reply. Typically speaking, a princess who grew up in the palace should have grown up in luxury. Why did his royal wife feel like she’d been starved for decades?
Zuo You witnessed the intimate scene of Yu Xiaoxiao whispering in Gu Xinglang’s ear and felt unhappy. He knew he had no prospects with her, but it felt unfair that the heavens would grant a pig like Gu Xinglang such a wonderful girl.
At this point, the owner returned with a partner, both of them carrying dishes. Indeed, all of the servings were massive. Gu Xinglang tasted a mouthful of greasy eggplant and couldn’t help but think it didn’t compare to Six Dynasties Spring. They’d added too much oil. But Yu Xiaoxiao was satisfied enough just by looking at the serving sizes. What? You say the dishes were too oily? You want to know about their flavors? No matter how bad they tasted, they still couldn’t compare to hardtack biscuits.
“Delicious,” Yu Xiaoxiao praised the owner as she buried her head in the food.
The owner’s face bloomed in gratitude. “Many thanks to Your Royal Highness.”
“No need,” Yu Xiaoxiao replied, “Hurry up with the rest of the dishes.”
The owner glanced at the table and gave a start. One of the big bowls had nothing but leftover traces left. He ran out to urge the kitchens to cook faster while Zuo You stared gaping at Yu Xiaoxiao picking up food. “Do–do you not get enough to eat at the Gu Clan?” He turned to glance at the two retainers who had carried Gu Xinglang in, but their chopsticks didn’t move like Yu Xiaoxiao’s.
Gu Xinglang helped Yu Xiaoxiao remove the fish bones from the body of the crucian carp. Since there were so many of them, the work wasn’t easy, but he persevered. Every cleaned piece was placed in a small saucer of vinegar so Yu Xiaoxiao could pick it up and eat it directly.
Zuo You picked up the meat from the fish belly, dipped it in vinegar, and put it in his mouth. His teeth almost fell off from the acrid flavor. The vinegar was sour just like Gu Xinglang the husband. What’s he trying to prove, doting on his wife like that?!
Zuo You’s three retainers were in no mood to eat either, but kept stealing glances at their master’s table. They couldn’t help but think that his case for Princess Linglong was hopeless. People of the White Tiger Nation weren’t types to put on facades; just look at how Gu Xinglang was treating his wife, their master had no chance.
Xiao Wei watched at the three strong men alternated between shaking their heads and gnashing their teeth and couldn’t help but suspect that they were plotting something nefarious. Xiao Zhuang wasn’t as perceptive and simply busied himself eating, like Yu Xiaoxiao. After all, servants of the palace didn’t always get to eat food from the imperial kitchens. Although shadow guards had high salaries, they often spent days just eating meals of mantou too.
As the dishes came to the table one after the other, Yu Xiaoxiao’s pace picked up significantly after she discovered that Zuo You could eat impressive amounts as well. Her chopsticks were like sword strikes: vicious, accurate, and fast, as if she feared she’d miss a single bite.
Zuo You told Yu Xiaoxiao, “Princess, our White Tiger Nation has the tastiest cuisine in the world.”
“Really?” Yu Xiaoxiao stopped eating. Fengtian’s food is already so good, but there’s something even better?
“Grand Marshal Zuo is from White Tiger Nation,” Gu Xinglang said as he peeled Yu Xiaoxiao another shrimp with his head bowed. “So he naturally thinks their cuisine is best.”
Yu Xiaoxiao immediately understood. I see, so it’s just psychological effects.
Zuo You gave Gu Xinglang a disdainful look. “What kinds of food could a crappy little country like your Fengtian have?”
His three retainers couldn’t stand to look at their master anymore. Despite his high status, he hadn’t been able to catch a wife because he didn’t know how to fawn on on a woman. He’s taken a fancy to that girl but now he’s insulting her homeland for being poor and wretched. Is she supposed to hate you or love you after that? Normal people can figure out the answer by themselves!
Yu Xiaoxiao shrugged, then resumed her eating efforts over a fresh dish. It’s not like I wanted to come to Fengtian. Since it’s so bad, I’ll find a chance to move away, what’s the big deal?
Zuo You felt remorse as soon as he finished cursing Fengtian. But when he saw Yu Xiaoxiao swallow meat dumplings half the size of her face in only a couple of bites, he asked next, “Is the imperial palace lacking in food or the Gu Clan very poor?” If he had known Fengtian was in such abject poverty that even its own princess had to starve, then he would have asked for less tribute from Xianzong back at the study.
“I’m not in charge of accounts,” Yu Xiaoxiao, not looking up from her food.
How could someone not in charge of accounts know anything about their country’s wealth? Zuo You looked at Gu Xinglang with scorn. A cripple like him got such a good girl but can’t even let her live happily. How much more useless can you get?
His glare was like daggers in Gu Xinglang’s back. It was unpleasant to be seen as trash in another’s eyes. Yu Xiaoxiao glanced between the two and felt that Zuo You was sending the Gu Clan fellow quite the illicit look. But when she saw no ties of friendship reflected in Gu Xinglang’s gaze, she turned her body to block him from Zuo You’s sight.
“He’s my husband,” she stated.
A single thorn pierced Zuo You’s heart. That hurts!
Gu Xinglang looked up to smile at Yu Xiaoxiao.
“Mm, you should smile more in the future. Don’t be afraid, once your feet recover, we’ll go to the battlefield together,” Yu Xiaoxiao said after glancing at Zuo You. “Then you can fight just the way you used to.”
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