Chapter 87 Zhao Wenchang! You're so wicked!

There's no way around it; these days, girls in the north, exposed to the wind and sun, mostly have rough, dark skin.

People like Jiang Wanqiu, who came from Shanghai, had skin as smooth and radiant as a freshly peeled egg. In the eyes of these rough men, she was even more eye-catching than a celebrity in a magazine.

Zhao Wenchang frowned. The smugness he had just felt about showing off his wife's beauty was instantly replaced by a possessive, food-gathering instinct.

He stretched out his long arm and pulled the person to his side, almost carrying them through the door, using his tall frame to block the undisguised gazes.

"Waiter!" he called out to the counter, his voice deepening, "Are there any private rooms available? Please open one for us."

The clerk, who had been dozing off behind the counter, looked up at the sound and glanced at them lazily. When she saw Zhao Wenchang in his crisp military uniform with two stars on his shoulders, her attitude immediately became three times more enthusiastic: "Yes, yes, yes, there's another room upstairs! This way, comrades!"

Following the waiter up the creaking wooden stairs and into the private room, Zhao Wenchang finally released the woman from his arms.

He pushed the menu in front of Jiang Wanqiu: "Order whatever you want, don't try to save money for your man."

Jiang Wanqiu flipped through the greasy menu, and she had never seen most of the dishes before.

Seeing her hesitation, Zhao Wenchang had already made the decision for her. He asked the waiter, "Do you have any dishes for ladies?"

"Yes, yes," the waiter nodded and bowed, "but the preparation is delicate, so you'll have to wait a while."

“Okay,” Zhao Wenchang waved his hand, “Give us one of everything you have, plus a sweet and sour pork, a plate of stir-fried potatoes, green peppers, and eggplant, and two bowls of rice.”

The waiter noted down the order, quickly left, and closed the door behind him.

Only the two of them remained in the private room. Jiang Wanqiu curiously looked up, blinked, and asked, "What are 'ladies' dishes'?"

Zhao Wenchang was taken aback by her question; he really hadn't eaten it much.

He heard this from one of the cadres in the group, who said that the state-run restaurant's female dishes were exceptional, specially prepared for the families of cadres with discerning palates.

He's a grown man, he's never studied this kind of thing.

Zhao Wenchang thought for a long time before finally saying, "I really can't explain it clearly in a short time. You'll know once the dishes are served and you try them. I guarantee you'll like them."

The wait for the food was a bit boring, and the heating in the house was on full blast, making people feel lazy.

Looking at his wife's big, watery eyes that were curiously looking around the room, Zhao Wenchang felt like teasing her.

"Late Autumn, do you know that there are many superstitious and strange things in the mountains of Northeast China?"

Jiang Wanqiu's interest was piqued: "What strange thing is this?"

“Take the story of the ‘yellow weasel seeking an official title’,” Zhao Wenchang said with a serious expression, as if it were a real event. “They say that the weasel is very good at deceiving people. When it cultivates to a certain level, it can walk upright like a human, wear human clothes, and squat by the roadside to ask you, ‘Do I look like a human or a god?’ At this time, you must not say anything carelessly. If you say it looks like a human, it can achieve enlightenment; if you say it doesn’t, all its cultivation will be wasted, and it will pester your family and cause a lot of trouble.”

Jiang Wanqiu was stunned, her face turning pale. She had grown up in Shanghai and had only ever heard stories of talented men and beautiful women; she had never heard anything like this before.

Seeing her like this, Zhao Wenchang chuckled inwardly, but continued to embellish the story: "And then there's that 'big monkey,' covered in thick fur, with sharp snouts and fangs, it's really scary. After coming down from the mountain at night, it grabs any children it sees..."

"Stop talking!" Jiang Wanqiu was so frightened that she covered her ears and shrank her small body towards him.

Just then, there was a knock on the door of the private room, and a waiter came in carrying a tray.

"Comrade, your ladies' dishes are here!"

One by one, delicate little dishes were placed on the table: crystal-clear pork jelly, sweet and sticky osmanthus lotus root, and a small dish of hibiscus chicken slices. The dishes were light in color, exquisitely presented, and had a hint of sweetness, which, by sheer chance, suited the taste of Jiang Wanqiu, a southerner.

She took a bite of the candied lotus root, and her eyes lit up immediately. Her fear was greatly reduced by the delicious food.

Seeing her enjoying her meal, Zhao Wenchang kept putting food on her plate while also being cheeky, saying, "Let me tell you another story about the mountains. Those black bears, you know, they're really clever. If they want to harm someone, they'll follow you around, mimicking human walks, without making a sound. Then suddenly they'll tap you on the shoulder from behind, and when you turn around, they'll 'roar' and bite your neck off..."

Jiang Wanqiu felt a chill run down her spine upon hearing this, and instinctively shrank back, almost losing her grip on her chopsticks.

No sooner had she finished speaking than a hand suddenly landed on Jiang Wanqiu's shoulder.

"ah--!"

She let out a short scream, and like a startled rabbit, she sprang up from her chair, the chopsticks in her hand falling to the ground with a "clatter".

The waiter carrying the last dish of sweet and sour pork was also startled by her reaction. The plate in his hand wobbled, and he looked completely bewildered: "Comrade, I was just bringing you a dish..."

Jiang Wanqiu turned around and saw that it was a waiter. Her pretty face instantly turned bright red, and she wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

How embarrassing!

She sat down awkwardly, and when she looked up, she met Zhao Wenchang's eyes, which were filled with a mischievous grin. The man's shoulders were trembling, clearly trying to suppress a laugh.

"Zhao Wenchang!" After the waiter left, Jiang Wanqiu was both embarrassed and angry. She grabbed a napkin from the table and threw it at him, followed by a flurry of punches. "You're so mean! You deliberately scared me!"

"Hey, hey, hey, how was I supposed to know the waiter would come in right then!" Zhao Wenchang laughed as he dodged, easily catching her fist as it came at him. "Wife, you're such a coward, like a cat."

With a little effort, he pulled the woman, who was both ashamed and angry, into his arms and made her sit on his strong lap.

"Okay, okay, I was wrong," he said, lowering his head and breathing warmly on her earlobe as he coaxed her, "I'll buy you White Rabbit candy to make up for it when we get to the department store, okay?"

"Who wants your candy!" Jiang Wanqiu was still angry and squirmed in his arms. "I'm not a child anymore, don't try to bribe me with candy!"

"Oh?" Zhao Wenchang chuckled softly, tightening his grip on her arms. He turned his head slightly, his burning lips almost touching her cheek, exuding a captivating magnetism. "Then... what can I use to win you over?"

Before she could answer, a kiss, carrying the scent of tobacco and the heat of a man, landed on her lips, capturing them precisely.

"Um...you..." Jiang Wanqiu's mind went blank for a moment.

That despicable man actually dared to use his good looks to bribe her!

While she was pushing him away, mumbling "We're still outside," she was also being overwhelmed by his aggressive hormonal aura, which made her weak all over. As the man became more assertive and his movements gradually became more serious, she even lost the strength to lift her hand to push him away.