14 Spend time together

"You...look beautiful when you smile."

The two of them sat in the car. Cui Huaifeng lifted the curtain, and the scenery and sounds of the street poured into the car, filling it with hustle and bustle.

Since entering Prince Yi's palace, he had never left. While at the Zhao family, aside from caring for Zhao Qiuxin, the Zhao family also forbade him from public appearances. It had been a while since he'd been out, but only briefly.

Cui Huaifeng looked at it for a while without much interest, then lowered the curtain again.

Jiang Yan glanced sideways at Cui Huaifeng, feeling a pang of discomfort. She could see the longing in his eyes, but she couldn't let go, especially now that she wasn't sure how much he still loved her. She feared he would drift away, and even more so, she feared losing control.

Jiang Yan sat up straight with her body tense, and she unconsciously clenched her fingers.

"Where are we going later?" Cui Huaifeng asked her.

Jiang Yan loosened his fingers and smiled, "You'll know soon."

It wasn't long before they arrived at their destination. Jiang Yan got off the carriage first, then helped Cui Huaifeng down.

Opposite the carriage was a tavern. It was located in the suburbs and in a remote location, but its advantage was that the food was delicious. So before mealtime, the tavern was almost full of people.

Cui Huaifeng looked at Jiang Yan deeply and said nothing.

"Let's go upstairs first." Without waiting for the busy waiter to come over, Jiang Yan took the lead and escorted Cui Huaifeng upstairs to the private room in the small building that had been booked in advance.

The table and chairs in the private room faced the open window. The two sat down face to face before the waiter hurried over. "Sorry to have kept you waiting, sir. What would you like?"

"Stir-fried diced chicken, shredded beef with lingonberry sauce, tiger skin chili peppers, and sweet and sour spare ribs. Oh, and red date tea. Huaifeng, is there anything else you'd like to eat?"

Among the dishes ordered by Jiang Yan, the first three were Cui Huaifeng's favorites, and the rest were Jiang Yan's favorites, all of which were the restaurant's signature dishes.

"No more, that's it." Cui Huaifeng said indifferently.

"Okay, please wait a moment." The waiter took note and went downstairs.

A few years ago, Jiang Yan wanted to meet Cui Huaifeng under the pretext of inviting him to dinner to thank him for the calligraphy and paintings he had given him. Cui Huaifeng couldn't resist and recommended Jiang Yan to the pub he often visited.

It was the first time the two of them came to this tavern, and they sat in this private room. The waiter was waiting on the side, while Zhu Jin and Zheng Pu were keeping watch outside.

Cui Huaifeng glanced at Jiang Yan and said, "Six... Jiang Yan, do you want to eat anything?"

Ever since the birthday party that day, Jiang Yan had been trying to get closer to the two of them, and the first thing he did was change the way they addressed each other.

"You order, I'm not picky about food."

"Then I'd like stir-fried diced chicken, shredded beef, tiger skin chili peppers, and two bowls of rice."

"What would you two like for tea?"

"Do you have Longjing tea?" Jiang Yan asked the waiter.

"This... our shop doesn't have it. We only have ordinary green tea." The waiter smiled embarrassedly.

"Then let's have a pot."

Cui Huaifeng added, "I also want a pot of red date tea."

"Okay, please wait a moment."

As the waiter left, the two of them looked at each other, then awkwardly averted their gazes. Jiang Yan was smiling, while Cui Huaifeng was calm but a bit flustered.

Cui Huaifeng thought of something and asked her, "By the way, can you handle spicy food? The chili in this restaurant is spicier than usual."

"It's edible." Jiang Yan said confidently.

As he was talking, the waiter had already served the dishes one after another quickly.

Jiang Yan took a few pieces of each and tasted them out of disbelief. The taste was indeed good, but as he tasted them, the tip of his tongue began to sting, as if it was burning.

"It seems... it's really a bit spicy..."

Jiang Yan's eyes were wide open and he was coughing because of the spiciness. In contrast, Cui Huaifeng ate a lot without changing his expression.

Jiang Yan originally wanted to endure it, thinking of maintaining dignity in front of Cui Huaifeng, but the spiciness was really unbearable. She quickly raised the green tea at hand and drank it in one gulp. Cui Huaifeng handed over his unopened red date tea.

The red dates and sugar blend perfectly, and the sweetness spreads in the mouth. Unfortunately, it still can't withstand the pain caused by the overbearing chili pepper.

"You know what, it tastes quite good... cough cough..." Jiang Yan felt like tears were about to come out from the spiciness, and hurriedly picked up the teapot and poured a cup of red date tea to drink.

It was rare to see Jiang Yan like this, and Cui Huaifeng couldn't help but chuckle.

There was a wind chime hanging under the eaves of the tavern, facing their room. When the wind blew, a clear and melodious sound was heard, as if knocking on Jiang Yan's heart.

Jiang Yan was stunned. Cui Huaifeng was already very handsome, and his rare smile was even more captivating.

Jiang Yan couldn't describe the throbbing in her heart. If she had to put it into words, it was like the shock and huge attraction she felt when she saw the snow lotus blooming on the snow-covered cliff.

"What's wrong?" Cui Huaifeng saw Jiang Yan was confused.

"You... look very beautiful when you smile." Jiang Yan was still savoring that smile.

Did he just laugh? Cui Huaifeng was a little unsure.

"Really, it's very, very beautiful." Jiang Yan's eyes were shining, and she was completely focused on Cui Huaifeng, even the spicy feeling on the tip of her tongue subsided a little.

Cui Huaifeng didn't know how to answer and lowered his eyes embarrassedly.

Jiang Yan drank another cup of red date tea and looked at Cui Huaifeng seriously, "I'm so happy to see a different side of you today."

Cui Huaifeng thought absentmindedly that there seemed to be too much sugar in his red date tea today. He also thought that he had actually come to understand her a little better.

————

The dishes were all served. Cui Huaifeng took a few bites and for some reason, his stomach started to feel uncomfortable and nauseous. He put his chopsticks down on the edge of the bowl, picked up the cup, and drank a few sips of red date tea, trying to suppress the sourness in his stomach.

"What's wrong?" Jiang Yan looked up and asked with concern.

"It's nothing. I don't want to eat anymore. You eat first." Cui Huaifeng felt a little strange.

Jiang Yan thought he was still angry with him and didn't ask any more questions, "Okay."

While Cui Huaifeng was drinking tea, Jiang Yan ate almost half of the dishes on the table.

Cui Huaifeng couldn't help but ask her, "When can you eat spicy food?" He remembered that before she went to war, she could not eat the spicy food in this restaurant.

Jiang Yan said casually, "After eating it many times, I can tolerate spicy food."

Cui Huaifeng paused, wondering what Jiang Yan was thinking as he sat here and ate these dishes again and again. He couldn't help but feel sad.

Jiang Yan saw his worry and patted the back of his hand gently, "Do you want to go out for a walk?"

"good."

The two of them left the pub and were about to go out when they saw several children running and playing on the side of the road. One of the little girls accidentally bumped into Cui Huaifeng's arms while running and jumping. Cui Huaifeng leaned over and held the little girl's arm.

The little girl looked up, came to her senses, and said in a baby voice, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Cui Huaifeng's tone softened a lot.

The little girl blinked her eyes and praised innocently and sincerely: "Brother, you are so handsome."

Jiang Yan squatted down and joined in the fun, "What about me?"

The little girl looked at Jiang Yan carefully and said, "Hmm...it looks good too."

Jiang Yan then asked, "Are brother and sister a good match?"

"You really are... You are an adult, stop making things difficult for a child." Cui Huaifeng said helplessly.

Just then the little girl's friend called her, and she said goodbye to them, "Goodbye, my perfect brother and sister!"

"Goodbye." Jiang Yan waved at her.

Jiang Yan stood up and looked sideways at Cui Huaifeng, "Huaifeng, if we had a daughter, she would be so smart and cute, right?"

Cui Huaifeng did not respond, which was within Jiang Yan's expectations.

Cui Huaifeng hesitated to speak, "Our daughter..."

"What? What happened to our daughter?" Jiang Yan's eyes lit up and he was extremely happy.

"nothing."

"Go ahead."

Cui Huaifeng smiled helplessly and shook his head. He knew that as soon as he opened his mouth, Jiang Yan would definitely pester him.

Jiang Yan said to himself, "As long as it's your child, he must be smart and clever."

Cui Huaifeng raised the corner of his lips slightly, "You think too early."

"Yes, yes, yes."

Jiang Yan smiled and took his hand. People were coming and going around them. Cui Huaifeng wanted to break free, but Jiang Yan still held it firmly.

Jiang Yan's eyes were like stars, "Let's go."

"Okay." Cui Huaifeng also held her hand tightly.

【Author’s words】

Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or provided me with nutrient solution between 2024-03-18 19:55:21 and 2024-03-25 19:55:07~

Thanks to the little angel who irrigated the nutrient solution: 9 bottles of Pinellia;

Thank you very much for your support. I will continue to work hard!