Chapter 55. On the street.
Because the Prince Duan's residence was very close to the palace, they hadn't been able to see the bustling city on their previous visits to the palace. Now, looking through the gauze window, Daiyu couldn't take it all in with her eyes.
Seeing this, Chu Heng laughed and said, "How about we stop the carriage and walk?"
Daiyu turned her head and smiled, "Okay."
Chu Heng instructed Zhao Qing to stop the car, then helped Daiyu put on her veil. He got out of the car first, and then helped Daiyu up.
Daiyu looked around and said, "I used to dislike noise and bustle, but now I find that there's a certain charm to it."
“Perhaps her state of mind has changed.” Chu Heng stood beside her; what he didn’t like, he found interesting beside Daiyu.
As for Daiyu, his importance was gradually increasing.
Daiyu smiled and nodded: "Right... Let's go over there and see what's that?"
Chu Heng was taller than her and could see further. He followed her gaze and said, "Yes... um, I don't know what that is either."
Daiyu laughed out loud: "You've never come to the street to play before, have you?"
Chu Heng shielded Daiyu with his hand, somewhat embarrassed by the words: "I'm too lazy to go out." He then turned to Zhao Qing, "What is that thing?"
Zhao Qing smiled and replied, "Master, that's a windmill."
"A windmill?" Daiyu exclaimed in surprise. "But shouldn't windmills be used by farmers for irrigation? Why are they so small?"
Chu Heng had also seen it in the book: "There was also a windmill for grinding grain. I've seen pictures of it, but it doesn't look like this."
If it weren't for his master, Zhao Qing would have laughed at them on the spot, but now he could only suppress his laughter and explain, "Master, these are toys that children play with outside, they're different from the windmills in the book."
"Is this for kids?" Daiyu stopped and stared longingly at the brightly colored windmill, which was almost gaudy. She didn't have anything like this to play with when she was a child.
Chu Heng then said, "Zhao Qing, go and buy a few."
Daiyu's eyes immediately curved into a smile, and her whole demeanor brightened, but she still stubbornly insisted, "I don't really like them. I'm not a child anymore, why would I like such brightly colored toys?"
Chu Heng agreed: "The colors are a bit hard to look at, but they don't seem difficult to make. Let's have them make a few exquisite ones when we get back."
Daiyu immediately smiled and said, "Great!"
Zhao Qing bought the windmill and handed it to Chu Heng first. Daiyu took it from Chu Heng, and today there was a breeze, which made the windmill turn slowly.
Daiyu liked it and kept it close at hand. Even after seeing many new and interesting windmills, she still liked the original one the most, even though it wasn't particularly pretty or delicate.
Before they knew it, it was lunchtime. Daiyu suggested eating out: "That restaurant over there looks quite crowded and doing brisk business. The food must be delicious. How about we go and try it?"
Chu Heng readily agreed: "Okay."
However, Zhao Qing and the nannies who had accompanied Daiyu as part of her dowry were extremely anxious and came over to persuade their mistress: "The food outside is not clean. If Your Majesty wants to try the taste here, you can call the cook back home."
Daiyu said, "How can that be the same? Let's go and see if this restaurant is clean. If it is, then we'll eat here."
Seeing that she had made up her mind, Chu Heng walked back with her, with Zhao Qing following closely behind: "Master, please allow me to go and take a look first."
Chu Heng said, "What are you going to see? You'll only disturb the peace. My wife and I don't need you to be so careful. You don't need to serve us at mealtimes; you can go and order a table of food yourselves."
“What do you mean, Master…” Zhao Qing was about to persuade him again when Chu Heng and Daiyu quickened their pace in perfect unison.
Zhao Qing and the nannies exchanged glances and sighed. Since their master had no one to supervise him, they, as servants, had to live in constant fear.
Upon entering the restaurant, a waiter came up to greet them and invited them to a private room on the second floor. Daiyu nodded when she saw that the floor and the tables and chairs in the main hall were clean.
The private room on the second floor wasn't very spacious. Chu Heng and Daiyu sat down, asked the waiter about their restaurant's signature dishes, and ordered a few more that suited their tastes. Zhao Qing gave the waiter a tip, and he bowed and scraped as he withdrew.
Zhao Qing came over to wash the dishes, but then heard Chu Heng say again, "You all go and eat by yourselves. There's no need for my wife and me to serve you here."
Zhao Qing and the nannies exchanged glances, their faces showing reluctance. Daiyu then said, "Usually we eat first, and then you take turns eating. Today we're outside, so let's keep things simple. You can go now."
Neither master was willing to listen to advice, so the servants had no choice but to obey.
Once only the two of them were left in the private room, Daiyu said, "You're being far too cautious. You still treat us like children!"
Chu Heng deeply agreed.
While waiting for the food to be served, the two looked at the landscape paintings hanging on the walls. Chu Heng said, "It's fine if they're not antiques, but this is just too incongruous."
Daiyu said more tactfully, "Perhaps they are beginners, or perhaps the owner is reluctant to display the best dishes. After all, it's a restaurant; wouldn't it be a pity to smudge them?"
That's true.
The calligraphy and paintings were really not to their liking, so they sat back down at the table. This time they chatted for a while, and then the waiter started serving the dishes one after another.
Daiyu picked up her chopsticks first and said with a smile, "Let's not wait any longer, let's try it first."
Chu Heng chuckled: "Okay."
I'm used to waiting for the food to be laid out before I start cooking at home. If I wait any longer, the good food will probably get cold.
However, they still couldn't break the rule of not talking while eating or sleeping, so it wasn't until they put down their chopsticks that Daiyu commented, "It's not as refined as the food at home, but it has its own unique flavor."
“That’s good. Next time we’ll try other places.” Chu Heng said with great interest.
Daiyu agreed.
After Zhao Qing and the others finished eating, Chu Heng ordered them to pay the bill and give the waiters and cooks a tip before the group left the restaurant.
People tend to feel tired after a good meal, and Daiyu yawned as soon as she left the restaurant. Chu Heng asked with concern, "Go home first, and come out again tomorrow?"
Before Daiyu could answer, she yawned again. This time, Chu Heng didn't wait for her to speak and told Zhao Qing to order the carriage to come over.
"Alright, I'll come again tomorrow," Daiyu conceded.
Seeing her reluctant expression, Chu Heng couldn't help but laugh and say, "Don't worry, you can't move this place."
Daiyu was a little embarrassed: "Don't talk too much."
Chu Heng helped her into the car and smiled as he agreed, "Okay, okay, come on, let's go back and rest first."
However, as soon as Daiyu returned home and changed her clothes, she was about to lie down on the chaise lounge when a maid said, "Your Highness, while you and the Prince were away, the old lady from the Jia family sent someone to invite you over. She said there is something urgent and you should go as soon as possible."
Daiyu was taken aback, then slowly sat down, holding onto the soft pillow beside her: "Did you say what important matter it is?"
The maid shook her head: "No, she only said it a few times, that the old lady begs you to come as soon as possible."
Daiyu said, "Send someone to tell me that I am currently unavailable."
The maidservant curtsied and said, "Yes, I will send someone to do it right away."
Chu Heng sat down beside her and asked softly, "Should I ask Zhao Qing to investigate?"
Daiyu thought for a moment. The old lady was not someone who would easily bow her head. Although she did not come to visit in person, her taking the initiative to invite her was tantamount to bowing her head. There must be something she had to do.
To avoid getting herself into trouble, Daiyu nodded, "Mm."
"No matter what it is, it's alright." Chu Heng gently stroked Daiyu's hand and spoke softly, "I just had someone make a windmill. What color do you like?"
“It’s summer, and both turquoise and turquoise are very nice,” Daiyu said. Then, thinking of the windmill she had just brought back, she asked, “Where is my windmill?”
Upon hearing this, Granny Zhou brought it in from outside and asked with a smile, "Where would the Princess like to put it?"
Daiyu thought for a moment: "It's windy outside. We'll put it under the eaves, but we'll keep an eye on it so as not to startle the parrots and thrushes."
"Yes." Granny Zhou agreed and went outside to find a spot to put the windmill down. The afternoon breeze blew by, and it slowly started to turn.
Daiyu looked out from under the window inside the room, a slight smile on her face.
Chu Heng looked at her and slowly smiled.
Nothing happened that night, but unexpectedly, after breakfast the next day, Grandmother Jia sent someone to deliver an invitation, saying she wanted to visit in person.
Zhao Qing's side hadn't acted so quickly yet. Daiyu held Grandmother Jia's visiting card in her hand, her brows furrowed. What could be so important that it made the old lady so humble?
Chu Heng grasped her hand: "Let's meet him. We'll know what's going on so we can figure out a solution."
No matter what she said, Chu Heng knew that Daiyu's heart was too soft. Given the bond they had formed over the years, she couldn't possibly turn a blind eye if the old lady's life was truly in danger.
Although the possibility is very small, she is, after all, the wife of a first-rank duke. Even if the Jia family's children and grandchildren are incompetent and the emperor wants to punish them, he will still grant the old lady a favor.
Since she was going to visit in person, Daiyu knew she had to see the old lady.
Daiyu said, "I'll see him myself. Don't come with me."
Chu Heng did not respond: "Okay, but if anything happens, you must have someone call me. Also, if anything happens, don't hide it from me, okay?"
Daiyu pursed her lips.
Chu Heng quickly added, "You said that we are husband and wife, and we should not only share wealth and honor, but also share hardships."
Thinking of what she had said that day, Daiyu deliberately said, "You said you only wanted to share wealth and honor with me."
Chu Heng gently rubbed her hand: "I'm afraid you'll suffer if you follow me, and I'm even more afraid you'll suffer injustice behind my back."
Daiyu felt a surge of warmth in her heart and grasped his hand in return: "I know, but I have stood by you through thick and thin, and you must remember that in the future."
Seeing Daiyu like this, Chu Heng felt much more at ease and nodded earnestly: "I promise you."
"Is your word truly as good as gold?" Daiyu asked, still somewhat uneasy.
Chu Heng firmly replied, "A promise is a promise."
"If you don't trust me, how about I give you a written agreement?" Chu Heng added immediately.
Daiyu thought about it seriously for a moment and said, "It's not impossible."
Chu Heng was taken aback at first, then relented, "As you wish..."
To put Daiyu at ease, he wrote a mere written agreement.
Unexpectedly, Daiyu stopped him again: "There's no need to write it, I believe you."
Chu Heng looked at her helplessly yet with immense affection, and Daiyu smiled gently, "So you're the only one allowed to joke with me?"
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