Chapter 361 Home Management

The night passed quietly like that.

When Shang Ruyi woke up from her deep sleep, she had just opened her eyes when she felt a warm breath brush against her face. The excessive heat made her cheeks flush, even feel hot. Shang Ruyi frowned slightly, raised her eyelashes, and realized that she was still being held in Yuwen Ye's arms!

He had woken up at some point, but remained motionless, staring down at himself!

As soon as Shang Ruyi looked up, she met his gaze. His deep eyes sparkled with warmth, even a hint of a smile, as he quietly looked at her.

The moment their eyes met, a smirk appeared on his lips, and another breath of hot air brushed against Shang Ruyi's cheek.

Shang Ruyi's face immediately turned red.

However, she didn't struggle. After all, she had been fully conscious when he held her in his arms the night before, and to struggle and try to escape after a whole night would seem rather coy. She simply lowered her head, avoiding his gaze.

Yuwen Ye's gaze softened.

He said, "I'm awake."

"……Um."

"There's no food left in the dining hall."

"oh."

"I had them prepare some extra. Are you getting up now? If so, I'll have them bring it over in a bit."

"Um."

Despite saying that, after Shang Ruyi agreed, he did not get up. He remained lying on his side, looking down at the person in his arms. His gaze seemed to transform into a pair of invisible hands, gently brushing against Shang Ruyi's cheek with his breath.

Shang Ruyi felt a tingling, itchy sensation on her face.

She spoke, her voice strangely hoarse: "You, aren't you getting up?"

Yuwen Ye said, "I want to watch for a while longer."

"..."

Even though there has been some distance between them these past few days, they've been together every day and can see each other all the time. Why do they have to look at each other a little longer at this time?

Shang Ruyi couldn't help but look up at him again.

It was only when he looked up that he realized the meaning behind his words.

It seemed that the two of them had not been this close since he led troops out of the Eastern Capital last time. In fact, he seemed to understand that after a certain period, Shang Ruyi might not be willing to be this close to him again.

After all, when they first got married, they slept in separate beds even on their wedding night.

Thinking of this, Shang Ruyi finally came to her senses.

She quietly moved out of his embrace, removed the hand that had been around her waist, and slowly got up to dress and wash up. Once everything was ready, Yuwen Ye finally stood up.

The tenderness, even the hint of romance, between the two vanished completely.

After he gave the order, breakfast was indeed delivered shortly afterward.

The food was similar to what they had eaten before, except for the addition of scrambled eggs. Upon seeing this, Shang Ruyi immediately said softly, "Why is there this? Isn't it inappropriate to eat this in a temple?"

Although she wasn't a devout Buddhist, she vaguely remembered that eggs were considered meat in the Buddhist canon.

Eating meat in a temple is considered disrespectful to the gods and Buddhas.

Yuwen Ye said, "I had it delivered from outside. Moreover, I asked the abbot, and he said that in Buddhist temples in Han areas, it is generally permissible for young novices to eat eggs while they are growing, and it does not break their precepts."

"Oh, that's good."

Shang Ruyi breathed a sigh of relief and picked up her chopsticks to eat.

To be honest, they had been staying at this temple for several days, and Shang Ruyi was someone who loved rich and flavorful food, so eating only vegetarian food was really hard for her. She picked up a piece of golden and fluffy scrambled eggs with her chopsticks, and as soon as she put it in her mouth, she was immediately captivated by the aroma of the oil, and her whole body felt comfortable. She couldn't help but sigh softly.

Yuwen Ye, who was sitting opposite her, glanced at her, and a hint of a smile seemed to flash in his eyes.

After taking a few bites, Shang Ruyi noticed that he hadn't touched his chopsticks, so she said, "Hey, why aren't you eating?"

Yuwen Ye said, "You eat first."

"..."

Shang Ruyi was stunned for a moment.

He meant that he would eat the rest after she finished eating.

She thought for a moment, then put down her own bowl, picked up the plate of scrambled eggs, scooped half into her own bowl, and was about to put the rest into his bowl when Yuwen Ye immediately said, "No need, you—"

Shang Ruyi said, "If we're going to eat, we should eat together. There's no reason to leave leftovers."

"..."

"Besides, you fought with the people from Wanggangzhai yesterday. You've been eating vegetarian food all this time, and your body can't take it."

"..."

Seeing that she had arranged her meals in such a somewhat domineering manner, as if she were in charge of managing the household affairs, Yuwen Ye looked up at her for a while, a faint smile appeared on his lips, and he obediently said, "Okay."

Upon seeing his smile, Shang Ruyi's cheeks immediately flushed again.

She then realized that what she had just done was simply the way a family manages its household affairs.

She felt like she had fallen into some kind of trap, but she had done it on her own initiative, which made her feel even more aggrieved and helpless. She could only lower her head and silently take another bite of the egg.

Yuwen Ye, like her, took a bite and nodded with a smile, saying, "This is the first time I've discovered that scrambled eggs can be so delicious."

Shang Ruyi lowered her head and remained silent for a while before saying, "It's probably because I've been eating vegetarian food for too long."

Yuwen Ye looked at her and smiled, "Probably."

"..."

For some reason, Shang Ruyi's face became even hotter.

After finally finishing their meal, looking at the clean dishes on the table, Yuwen Ye said, "Your appetite is quite good. What would you like to eat for lunch? I'll have them prepare something else, like a stewed egg for you, okay?"

Hearing this, Shang Ruyi's face flushed slightly again. But she suppressed the inappropriate flutter in her heart and shook her head, saying, "No, thank you."

"Why?"

"We've been staying here for so many days, already bothering them. Now we have to cook another meal for them, wouldn't that be even more of a hassle?"

"..."

"Besides, they're also short of food and fuel."

Not to mention the many monks in the temple, just the thought of how much Shantong'er would eat after he returned is terrifying. Before, he had the large granary of Wanggang Village to feed him, but now that he's back in this small temple, he'll probably bankrupt his master in just a few days.

Yuwen Ye still had a smile on his face, but he said seriously, "You don't need to worry about that."

Shang Ruyi looked at him: "Why?"

No sooner had she finished speaking than footsteps sounded outside the door.

Immediately, Cheng Qiao was heard saying from outside, "Second Young Master."

Upon hearing his voice, Yuwen Ye's eyes seemed to light up, and he immediately said, "Come in."

Shang Ruyi quickly turned her head and saw Cheng Qiao push open the door and walk in. He was dressed in a tight-fitting outfit, covered in dust, and looked somewhat tired, but upon seeing the two of them, he immediately straightened up and bowed respectfully. Yuwen Ye asked, "Is everything settled?"

Cheng Qiao said, "Second Young Master, rest assured, all the grain has been transported."

Yuwen Ye nodded: "You've worked hard."

Cheng Qiao immediately replied, "Second Young Master, you flatter me."

Yuwen Ye waved his hand: "Go and rest first. You don't need to worry about things here anymore."

"yes."

Cheng Qiao bowed to them again, then turned and walked out.

After he left the room, Shang Ruyi slowly turned her stiff neck to look at Yuwen Ye, her face showing undisguised surprise. Yuwen Ye calmly said to her, "The grain has been delivered. From today onwards, our share of food will naturally come from our own grain supply. You don't need to worry."

"Grain? It's been delivered?"

Shang Ruyi's mind went blank for a moment—what did he mean by that?

They stayed here, and the firewood and rice they used were paid for by the temple. This way, the monks wouldn't be taken advantage of, and it would be more convenient. But why did they suddenly bring grain over?

What is he trying to do by doing this?

Furthermore, where did the grain come from? Why was grain suddenly transported here? What is he planning to do?

Seemingly noticing the confusion on her face, Yuwen Ye calmly said, "Xingluocang, after entering Yanyue City, I immediately ordered someone to go there and transfer a batch of grain from there."

"...!"

Shang Ruyi took a deep breath.

Oh right, she almost forgot that Xingluo Granary, not far from here, is stockpiled with enough grain to feed the entire world. Yuwen Ye had previously sent troops to attack Wanggang Village, but in reality, he had captured Xingluo Granary.

So now, all the grain in that granary city belongs to him.

No wonder Shang Ruyi hadn't seen Cheng Qiao these past few days. She thought Yuwen Ye had sent him to Daxing City by detour or to do something else, but she never expected that he would be sent to Xingluo Granary to transport grain.

But--

Shang Ruyi frowned slightly again and said softly, "Even if we stayed here for a few days and ate some of the temple's food, we could have settled the accounts with silver. Why did we have to go through so much trouble to transfer more grain from Xingluo Granary?"

Isn't this just asking for trouble?

Seeing her puzzled expression, Yuwen Ye smiled faintly and said, "How much grain do you think he transported over?"

Shang Ruyi was taken aback: "How much?"

Yuwen Ye said, "Fifty carts."

"...!?"

Shang Ruyi's eyes widened in surprise.

Fifty cartloads of grain?

Wouldn't that be enough to feed the entire Yanyue City? You know, back then, when Xiao Yuansui withdrew from Xingluo Granary and schemed against Yuwen Ye, he only asked for fifty cartloads of grain.

This time, he personally brought over fifty cartloads of grain!

Therefore, this batch of grain is definitely not intended for their consumption.

The thought that he had suddenly told the abbot yesterday that he would stay a few more days without explaining to anyone, and that Cheng Qiao had delivered fifty carts of grain today, having set off several days ago, clearly indicated that this matter had been decided before he entered Yanyue City, made Shang Ruyi immediately realize something.

She asked, "What exactly do you want to do?"