Sunshine after rain
Wen Jingzhao was wearing a straw raincoat. Raindrops were dripping onto the ground, and he felt cold all over when he walked in.
"Let's make a spicy hot pot." He Yingchun couldn't open her eyes. She tilted her head and sneezed. Seeing him dressed like this, she asked, "Hey? Is it raining?"
"Yeah, it's raining quite heavily." Wen Jingzhao nodded, took off his bamboo hat, leaned it against the wall, and immediately a large circle of water was wet on the ground.
He Yingchun had never seen him wearing a straw raincoat, and it seemed a little strange to her at first glance.
He took off his raincoat, and the rain stuck to his body. He was going to go boating today, and he had specially worn green clothes of the same color as her.
At this moment, she is sticking to her body, with clear lines on her back, broad shoulders and narrow waist. The water droplets on her hair drip down her jade-colored skin, which is inexplicably tempting.
"Sir, you should only see the painting, I alone understand the essence of it." For some reason, these words popped up in Yingchun's mind.
She was distracted for a moment. The ingredients in the pot were emitting an enticing aroma. The spicy smell had not yet subsided, and the aroma was rising again. She hurriedly turned it over a few times, "Change your clothes first, we'll be eating soon!"
She served the dish out. It was quite good, with good color, aroma and taste. However, the pepper was a bit spicy. He Yingchun blinked and lifted the door curtain to let in some air.
Wen Jingzhao couldn't eat spicy food very well. His eyes turned red from choking, and he sneezed and went into the house rubbing his nose.
Originally thinking that Wen Jingzhao would not be coming back today, the spicy hot pot tasted a little stronger, so He Yingchun blanched some more vegetables, added some thinly sliced mutton, some of her spicy soup, and heated up two sweet rice dumplings.
She had eaten too many salted egg yolk rice dumplings these past two days. She pinched the flesh around her waist and realized that it was all eaten bite by bite.
Wen Jingzhao couldn't let go of her flesh, which felt soft and smooth. According to him, it would be better if she was a little fuller.
The two sat facing each other, the room feeling stuffy and damp. He Yingchun simply opened the window, letting a little rain pour in, bringing a cool breeze. She reached out to catch the rain, which fell on her palm. The moist air had a damp, gentle quality.
Wen Jingzhao brought the heated wine to the table. He didn't drink too much, but gave each person a small cup. Each person took a sip. The fruit wine was sweet, but the alcohol content was not low either. He Yingchun soon felt the heat rising, and her cheeks flushed.
"What's the urgent matter at the military camp?" He Yingchun saw that he hadn't noticed anything when he entered, and she felt uneasy. There was no such thing as a small matter in the military camp. "Is a war about to start?"
"It's almost there." Wen Jingzhao nodded, his eyes dim and unclear.
The urgent report this time was that a small group of people were invading the civilians at the border and attacking the soldiers guarding the border. This group of people were dressed in strange clothes, but based on their accents and moves, they should be military soldiers in disguise.
Emperor Sheng's decree also reached each city, recruiting soldiers from the whole country and collecting taxes at the same time. It was obvious that Emperor Sheng could no longer sit still.
The Wu State repeatedly crossed the line and played tricks on Emperor Sheng's bottom line. The arrival of Yuchi Gong was actually a signal that a war was about to come. At this moment, large-scale conscription was to be carried out, and everything was in preparation for the Northern Expedition.
He Yingchun sighed. She had already prepared herself mentally, and without saying anything else, she simply raised her glass and said, "Then I wish my husband a triumphant return."
"What did you call me?"
"Husband?" He Yingchun seldom addressed him like this. She always felt that the two of them, husband and wife, were like actors on the stage.
Wen Jingzhao raised the corner of his mouth, "Thank you very much, my lady."
See, He Yingchun thought to herself, it really does look like an opera singer. She shook her shoulders and got goose bumps.
After a few more drinks, Wen Jingzhao suddenly said, "Yuchi Gong also brought a piece of news. The imperial concubine has regained her favor."
He Yingchun paused while peeling the rice dumplings. Imperial Concubine? Doesn't that mean...
"Yes, my aunt." The Imperial Noble Consort regained favor, and the Fourteenth Prince also returned to the court. The political situation in the imperial city seemed to have undergone new changes. The Imperial Noble Consort's maternal family, the Wen family, had fallen, and it was the emperor who issued the decree himself.
It is like a legend that a concubine who was banished to the cold palace can regain favor. Some people say that the imperial concubine is a fox demon who has bewitched Emperor Sheng again, while others say that Emperor Sheng was previously assassinated and the imperial concubine saved him, and the two resolved their misunderstanding and reconciled. There were many different opinions at the time, but everyone was a worm in Emperor Sheng's stomach, and no one knew what he was thinking.
If He Yingchun were here, she would definitely say that this was a legend, that there was a concubine who became a nun and regained favor, and that she rose to the top and even saw the emperor off.
"What about your family's case?" Has Emperor Sheng softened his stance? After all, he has a son with the Imperial Noble Consort. If he really wants to let the prince's mother's family be wronged, then this emperor is too cruel.
He Yingchun thought again, it was just like that, otherwise the Wen family wouldn't have ended up like this.
Wen Jingzhao sneered, "He won't overturn his own decision unless..."
He Yingchun was moved. "What?" He raised his head and drank the wine in the glass. His expression was cold and his tone was quiet. He said slowly, "Unless he's dead."
Fortunately, there was no one around when I said this, otherwise it would be really disrespectful.
He Yingchun knew that he was angry, so she heated up a small pot of wine and they both drank to their heart's content.
He drank a lot today and went to bed very early. He Yingchun wanted to get up early tomorrow to buy him some things so that he could live more comfortably outside.
But after sleeping for a long time in the afternoon and drinking some wine, I felt hot all over. I didn't feel sleepy at all. My mind was filled with all kinds of images, sometimes the battlefield, sometimes the kitchen.
Wen Jingzhao knew that she was worried, so he put his arm around her shoulders as she was about to turn over. Before she could speak, his hand had already touched her earlobe and was kneading it skillfully. He Yingchun shrank her neck, but she had nowhere to retreat.
He Yingchun simply put her hand on his neck, her fingertips were cold, and she reached in along his collar to tickle him. Wen Jingzhao had a ticklish spot, which she had only recently discovered. Sure enough, he dodged back, and He Yingchun smiled mischievously.
Wen Jingzhao applied pressure with his fingertips, and He Yingchun shuddered. She punched his shoulder, but he grabbed her hand and pulled her into his embrace. He Yingchun bit her lip, her toes splayed and curled uncontrollably. She reached out to grab Wen Jingzhao's shoulders, leaving several marks on his back with her nails.
The muscles on Wen Jingzhao's back were tense, and he didn't feel anything from her playful scratching like a kitten. He couldn't control the strength, and He Yingchun could only cling to his neck with a hiss. Her vision shook and began to blur.
Everything stopped. He Yingchun drank water in big gulps, her legs trembling as if she had just finished a marathon.
Calling her "husband" over and over again made her mouth dry.
Wen Jingzhao lowered his eyes and fed her water. He Yingchun touched the sweat on her neck and asked in confusion, "Why don't you even sweat?"
He Yingchun was secretly jealous of Wen Jingzhao. How could he have such good physical strength and not have to have menstruation or give birth to children? She even told Wen Jingzhao about this, and he immediately grasped the key point: Do you want a child?
Actually, He Yingchun is just okay. She likes cats and dogs. Children? She feels like she is still a child.
“It’s out.”
"Where? Where is it?" He Yingchun reached out and touched his waist. Wen Jingzhao's muscles tensed and his eyes suddenly deepened.
"It's in a place you can't see. Come here and I'll show you." He said slowly.
This look had become a conditioned reflex for He Yingchun. She immediately rolled up the quilt and rolled onto the new sheets, hugging the corner of the wall. "Sleep!"
Wen Jingzhao drank the remaining water, got out of bed, changed his pants, and went to the outer room to do something. He didn't come back for a long time.
Wen Jingzhao lay on his side and looked at her, "Come here, I won't mess with you anymore."
He Yingchun spread out the quilt again, and the two of them covered themselves with the quilt, touching their four legs together, and their whole bodies were warm.
No matter how much rain fell outside, the two of them hugged each other face to face and had a dreamless night.
…
After the rain, the sky was clear and the rainwater remaining in the gaps of the eaves dripped from time to time. He Yingchun looked up at the sky and inhaled slowly. It was the smell of rainwater, sweet and fresh.
I didn't expect that there would be so much rain in such a northern place like Zhuyi. It rained continuously for more than a month, and the sky finally cleared up.
"It's finally sunny, but the washed clothes won't dry." Mom complained to Lady Wang while serving noodles.
"The rain is really good this year. It hasn't rained much in previous years, and there was even drought the past two years." Lady Wang was also puzzled. "But more rain is also good. The crops will definitely grow well."
Customers who usually come here to eat noodles shook their heads and said, "The weather hasn't been great lately."
"Ah? What do you mean?"
"It looks a bit dry. Let's see. It's hard to tell."
Indeed, after several days of thunder and no rain, it was the hottest day of the year. The weather started to become dry and hot, and an egg spread on the ground would probably be cooked.
He Yingchun tilted her head to wipe the sweat off her face, picked up the noodles and rinsed them with cold water.
Put chili powder, white sesame seeds and cooking wine in a small bowl and stir evenly. Pour the hot oil in the pot into the chili powder three times. Add salt, vinegar, soy sauce, a small amount of sugar, and then add your own prepared pepper oil, freshly beaten sesame paste, chopped garlic, and chili pepper according to the customer's needs.
Add bean sprouts, cucumber shreds, carrot shreds, and chicken shreds to the noodles, pour in the prepared sauce, stir back and forth a few times, and the chicken shredded cold noodles are ready!
It tastes fresh and refreshing, and is obviously very popular in such a hot summer.
There are not only mixed cold noodles, but also mixed wontons and mixed dumplings. The method is similar, except that noodles are replaced with wontons and dumplings. The taste is actually almost the same, but the shape is different, and the taste feeling for customers is also different.
Yuchi Gong and Wen Jingzhao were eating noodles by the window. He Yingchun served each of them a glass of sour plum drink. "Thank you." Yuchi Gong was quite polite to He Yingchun, probably because she helped preserve the collection of poems.
"You're welcome. Eat slowly!"
Wen Jingzhao asked her to rest for a while, and went to the kitchen to get two bowls of cold noodles.
"That person hasn't been feeling well lately." Yuchi Gong took a mouthful of noodles and spoke vaguely.
Wen Jingzhao nodded, "Yes, I heard it was a headache?"
Yuchi Gong smiled, but there was no smile in his eyes, "It's not that simple. He can't get out of bed anymore."
"So serious?" Wen Jingzhao frowned. No wonder the beating had not started yet. There was even news of a marriage alliance to seek peace. Perhaps Emperor Sheng or someone around him had this intention.
"I just don't know if this fight can still be fought." Yuchi Gong obviously thought of this. Whether it is Wu or Sheng, a war is inevitable, sooner or later.
Wen Jingzhao was thinking about another thing. Emperor Sheng's headache was so serious, but his aunt's letter did not mention it at all. Was it because the emperor's physical condition was inconvenient to disclose, or was there some other hidden story?
Wen Qing...
Wen Jingzhao lowered her head to eat noodles, hiding the strange look in her eyes. How much had she contributed to Emperor Sheng's illness...
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