Chapter 39
I'm afraid you won't be able to handle it after eating it.
The clouds in the sky are moving, a large white mass, moving from one side to the other at a speed visible to the naked eye.
After the white clouds moved away, the sky became bluer and more expansive, possessing a clear and magnificent beauty.
This is a unique beauty of autumn in the North, which is hard to find in the South, where autumn is always gloomy and rainy.
In cities like Qucheng, which are located in tropical monsoon climate, there are only two seasons a year: the hot season and the rainy season. There are no four seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter.
Even in Lucheng, the four seasons are not very distinct. Spring and autumn are very short. Often, you can only wear your spring clothes for a few days before it suddenly gets hot and summer arrives in the blink of an eye. It almost never snows in winter.
Cheng Jiamo had only seen snow in Lucheng when she was a child, and it was just light snow that melted as soon as it hit the ground. Later, when she returned to Lucheng to attend high school, she never saw snow in winter.
She came to Beijing to study at university, and in her first winter she saw snow. The heavy, fluffy snowflakes quickly turned the roads white.
Besides loving the snow in winter, what she loves most is actually the autumn in northern Beijing.
In autumn, the leaves in northern Beijing turn yellow, and the sky becomes bluer and more expansive.
Walking through the alleyways covered with yellow leaves, I unexpectedly came across a vendor selling candied hawthorns. I bought a skewer, bit into the red hawthorns coated in glistening sugar, and looked at the old courtyard houses. I could still vaguely see the old capital of the Six Dynasties between the mottled red doors and gray walls.
This is the capital city, a leading metropolis in the country, and a city that has witnessed the rise and fall of dynasties for hundreds of years.
Technology and history have endowed this city with a complex and profound beauty, making it beautiful in a weighty, weathered, and magnificent way.
Cheng Jiamo loves this kind of autumn, and she loves this kind of northern Beijing.
If she initially came to Jingbei because of He Qingzhao, now she has truly fallen in love with this city. No matter what happens between her and He Qingzhao in the future, she wants to stay in Jingbei, live here, put down roots, and integrate into this place.
In autumn, the grass on the farm has turned yellow. As far as the eye can see, it is a barren, desolate expanse with a sense of bleakness.
But the scene before them was anything but desolate. Smoke swirled around them, and various kinds of meat were laid out on the barbecue grill, sizzling with oil and emitting a rich aroma of grilled meat. A group of men and women were chatting and laughing.
"What are you looking at?"
Suddenly, a large hand patted Cheng Jiamo's shoulder, and then the person walked around to her front and hugged her.
Cheng Jiamo glanced to the side and saw that He Qingzhao had changed his clothes again, even the shirt underneath was different; it was black before, but now it was white.
He looks good in both black and white, but each color gives him a different vibe. Black makes him look aloof, while white makes him look refined. He looks good in either color; he's a natural clothes hanger.
Cheng Jiamo turned her head back: "I didn't see anything."
He Qingzhao leaned down and whispered in her ear: "Were you scared just now?"
Cheng Jiamo pursed her lips: "Yeah, I was scared. I might have nightmares tonight."
She wasn't exaggerating; she might really have nightmares because she already has poor sleep quality, and if something like this happens, she might wake up in a fright.
He Qingzhao: "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have scared you."
Cheng Jiamo: "It's nothing."
He Qingzhao asked her, "Do you know why?"
Cheng Jiamo asked blankly, "Why what?"
He Qingzhao bit her neck lightly, both angry and helpless: "Because you didn't cheer me on."
Instead of cheering him on, she cheered for another man. Did she want to piss him off?
Just as Cheng Jiamo was about to defend herself, Zhong Qi glanced over and said with an expression that said, "Young Master He, have you had enough of your lovey-dovey stuff? If not, go back and kiss me."
Huo Junhou joked with a smile, "Come over here and grill with us. We wouldn't dare let your wife eat what we grill, or she'd go hungry."
Zhao Yue jokingly added, "Brother Zhao, why don't you learn from Emperor Wu of Han and build a huge golden house to hide your sister-in-law inside, so that only you can see her?"
This elicited a burst of laughter.
Even though she knew it was a joke, Cheng Jiamo still blushed, feeling both shy and a little embarrassed.
In this day and age, the phrase "keeping a mistress in a golden house" is not a compliment.
She kept her lips tightly pressed together and didn't speak, her eyes lowered, concealing the emotions within them; others could only see her blushing face.
He Qingzhao walked up to Zhao Yue with a smile and unexpectedly kicked him in the back of the knee, making him kneel on the ground.
"Damn it, He Qing..."
Just as Zhao Yue was about to curse, He Qingzhao kicked him hard in the buttocks again, this time sending Zhao Yue face down, sprawling on the ground in a sorry state.
He Qingzhao remained smiling throughout, and after kicking her, he said with a smile, "If you can't speak properly, then don't speak."
Zhao Yue realized he had said the wrong thing and quickly got up to apologize to Cheng Jiamo.
"Sister-in-law, I'm sorry. I was being mean and said the wrong thing. Please don't mind."
Cheng Jiamo was only nineteen years old when a man in his twenties called her "sister-in-law," and the young girl blushed deeply.
She forced herself to remain calm and replied, "Please, please don't do that. Just call me by my name."
Zhao Yue shook his head: "I wouldn't dare, I'm afraid Brother Zhao will beat me to death."
Cheng Jiamo smiled and didn't say anything more, afraid that if she continued, He Qingzhao would get angry again.
She now had a better understanding of He Qingzhao's temperament. This man appeared to be a gentle and refined gentleman, but in reality, he was very ruthless, had a bad temper, and was extremely possessive and controlling.
If imprisonment weren't illegal, he probably would have kept her imprisoned until he lost interest.
Thinking of this, Cheng Jiamo shuddered, a chill rising in her heart.
Zhong Qi looked at He Qingzhao with a gossipy heart, then glanced at Cheng Jiamo without making a sound.
It seems that He Qingzhao is not only serious, but also deeply involved, even bringing out the worst side of him.
Under normal circumstances, He Qingzhao would not get angry. Even if he did get angry, he would do it in a veiled way and would not openly express his anger.
But today in the hunting grounds, that old bastard He Qingzhao went crazy and committed that bloody and cruel act just because Cheng Jiamo cheered for Huo Junhou.
Tsk, I don't even want to think about it, will he go even crazier later?
Zhong Qi didn't think much of it, put the grilled meat on a plate, and distributed it to the other girls present.
Cheng Jiamo's gaze swept quickly over the grilled meat in Zhong Qi's hand. Seeing the golden and glistening lamb skewers, she subconsciously swallowed.
He Qingzhao had been watching her the whole time. Noticing her gaze, he hurriedly called out to her, "Cheng Jiamo."
Cheng Jiamo turned to look at him: "What's wrong?"
He Qingzhao beckoned to her: "Come here."
Cheng Jiamo walked to his side: "What is it?"
He Qingzhao nudged her with his elbow: "It's hot, fan me."
Cheng Jiamo glanced at the tree branches swaying in the wind in the distance. There was a natural breeze, and the autumn wind was so cool. Why was she fanning herself? Was he trying to make things difficult for her?
But she didn't expose him in the end. She just found a piece of cardboard and stood next to him, fanning him.
He Qingzhao: "What do you want to eat?"
Cheng Jiamo looked at the food he had arranged on the grill. It was quite plentiful, with lamb skewers, rabbit legs, chicken wings, lobster, oysters, and other items. She liked everything.
She smiled and moved closer to him, saying, "Anything is fine with me, I like everything you bake."
He Qingzhao said in a doting tone, "Little glutton."
Cheng Jiamo pouted, and seeing that he had put in two more kidneys, she touched her nose in disgust and took a step back.
He Qingzhao noticed her movement and turned to look at her: "Don't you like it?"
Cheng Jiaming shook her head. "I don't eat this." She looked up at He Qingzhao. "You're not going to eat it, are you?"
She felt that He Qingzhao didn't look like the type of person who wanted to eat grilled kidneys.
He Qingzhao: "We eat, besides kidneys, we also eat roasted lamb penis."
Cheng Jiamo blushed instantly and hurriedly lowered her head.
He Qingzhao chuckled: "I'm not eating today."
Cheng Jiamo's voice was barely audible: "Whatever you want, eat whatever you want."
He Qingzhao leaned close to her ear and whispered, "I'm afraid you won't be able to handle it after you finish eating."
Cheng Jiamo pretended not to understand: "What does it have to do with me if you eat your food?"
He Qingzhao chuckled meaningfully and stopped teasing her. After all, they were outside and there were other people around. He didn't want others to see her shy and blushing face. Only he could see that look; he wouldn't feel comfortable if anyone else did.
The lunch barbecue was plentiful, featuring freshly slaughtered chickens, ducks, beef, and lamb from the farm, as well as seafood specially air-freighted in. Everyone grilled their own food. Although the heat control wasn't perfect, the flavors were still quite good because the marinades were made by professional chefs.
Cheng Jiamo only ate food grilled by He Qingzhao. She wanted to try food grilled by others, but He Qingzhao wouldn't allow it.
Looking at the roasted chicken wings covered in chili powder in Zhong Qi's hand, she felt they must taste better than those roasted by He Qingzhao, and couldn't help but take a second look.
He Qingzhao asked her with a smile, "Want to eat?"
Cheng Jiamo shook her head: "No, I was just looking."
He Qingzhao handed her two skewers of honey-flavored chicken wings: "Eat if you want."
Cheng Jiamo didn't answer, but expressed her wish: "I want to eat something with chili peppers."
He Qingzhao placed the chicken wings on the plate in front of her: "Autumn and winter are dry, and eating spicy food is bad for your health."
Cheng Jiamo: "..."
Zhong Qi finally couldn't help but burst out laughing. He quickly covered his mouth with the back of his hand, saying, "Sorry."
He Qingzhao gave him a cold look: "Even food can't shut you up?"
Zhong Qi chuckled and said, "I feel like you're not looking for a girlfriend, you're raising a daughter."
Zhao Yue, who had just been hit but had already forgotten the pain, said: "Although the words are rough but the reasoning is sound, Brother Zhong, you're being way too rough."
Cheng Jiamo couldn't eat anymore. She stood up and said, "I'm full."
After saying that, she ran away quickly without even looking back.
A burst of laughter erupted behind me.
He Qingzhao called out to her retreating figure, "You can't run right after eating, walk slowly."
The laughter grew even louder.
Cheng Jiamo didn't stop; she ran even faster.
She ran a long way in one breath, sat down on an open lawn, and started cursing He Qingzhao while grabbing at the grass.
However, her ability to curse is limited; she only repeats the same two phrases over and over, and can't even utter a single swear word.
Not long after, she heard footsteps behind her, and she knew it was He Qingzhao without even looking.
He Qingzhao sat down next to her, reached out and put his arm around her waist, pulling her into his arms.
Cheng Jiamo was afraid of being seen, so she twisted and tried to break free.
He Qingzhao tightened her grip, holding on even more.
He grabbed her waist with both hands, lifted her up, and placed her on his lap: "No one's coming."
Cheng Jiamo leaned on his shoulder and glanced around. Seeing no one was around, she looked at his face and asked, "Are you joking or serious?"
He Qingzhao: "Which aspect are you referring to?"
Cheng Jiamo turned her head away: "It's all those things you restrict me from doing, like not letting me eat food grilled by other people, not letting me laugh with other people, and not being able to laugh when someone compliments me. Are you really forbidding me from doing those things, or are you just joking?"
In fact, she knew in her heart that it was most likely true, but she asked him to confirm it completely.
He Qingzhao turned her face towards him, looking at her with deep eyes: "What do you think?"
Cheng Jiamo's heart raced under his gaze: "I'm not quite sure, but I feel like you shouldn't be this kind of person."
He Qingzhao stroked her face: "Why do you think I shouldn't?"
Cheng Jiamo frowned: "You must be a very confident person. Only a confident and outstanding man would not do such a childish thing."
He Qingzhao chuckled cryptically, "No need to provoke me, that's just who I am."
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