Zhang Shixun bared his teeth and said, "If you twist it again, this ear will be yours. You won't marry a one-eared man, will you?"
"I won't marry you, you're so bad." Ding Dusai was reluctant, so he let go.
Zhang Shixun rubbed his ears and said, "You can't find a man as handsome as me even with a lantern."
"Bah!" Ding Dusai spat, and stretched out a finger as white as a scallion to hit his face. "Wang Po is selling melons, boasting about her own products. You have no shame."
"I'm not a queen, I'm a prince."
"Tsk! The Song Dynasty won't confer titles on kings of other surnames, so stop daydreaming."
"It doesn't matter. There are no kings of different surnames now, but there will be some in the future." Zhang Shixun grabbed her hand, held it in his own, and asked with a smile, "As the mistress, have you settled them well?"
Ding Dusai glared at him and said, "How dare you say that? I'm an unmarried girl, and I became a mistress for no apparent reason. If this gets out, how will I live my life in the future?"
"It's easy! Just marry me quickly, okay?" Zhang Shixun stroked her little hand, feeling how tender and smooth it was.
"You're dreaming!" Ding Dusai pulled his hand out of his evil clutches. "I won't fall into their trap."
"How can you say you're walking into a trap? You and I are a perfect match, talented and beautiful. If you marry me, lovers will finally be together."
Zhang Shixun grabbed her hand in his palm again.
Ding Dusai let him hold her, and said leisurely, "You just said something that instantly captured the hearts of those five women. I'm worried about you now."
"You can put your heart at ease. Even if there are thousands of rivers, I will only drink from one."
After hearing this, Ding Dusai suddenly fell silent and just stared at him blankly.
Zhang Shixun gently took her into his arms and whispered, "You are that bucket of water."
Ding Dusai leaned on his chest and murmured, "Sir, I am just your bucket of water."
The two hugged each other without saying a word.
Silence is better than words here.
After a long while, Ding Dusai suddenly cried out "Ouch!", and broke free from his arms and said, "Sir, I came to call you for dinner, how could I have forgotten?"
Zhang Shixun smiled and said, "If you forget it, then forget it. It's no big deal."
Ding Dusai pulled his hand and walked towards the stairs: "Hurry up, if we take too long, they will definitely wonder what we are doing back there."
"Haha! Who cares what they think?" Zhang Shixun followed her downstairs and asked, "Who cooked the meal?"
"Mei, Lan, Qiu and Ju made this... Oh! I forgot to tell you, sir, you've found a treasure."
"Found a treasure?"
"Mei, Lan, Qiu and Ju are in the palace, and they are responsible for cooking for the imperial concubine."
I have found a treasure.
Zhang Shixun didn't want to cook.
Which man doesn’t want to eat ready-made food?
Now it’s good, someone cooks for me, and I can just sit back and eat.
After going downstairs, Ding Dusai said, "But, I think Zheng Yuanyuan is not an ordinary palace maid."
"Oh, why is it unusual?" Zhang Shixun knew that among the five people, only Zheng Yuanyuan had a name, which was unusual in itself.
"Zheng Yuanyuan is the lady-in-waiting of Empress Zheng, and also a distant relative of Empress Zheng. She hasn't arrived yet, right?"
"What?" Zhang Shixun stopped, a little surprised.
"She told me that she was driven out of the palace because she was a barren woman and was disliked by the officials."
"Oh! I see."
Ding Dusai asked with a smile: "Sir, are you a little disappointed?"
Zhang Shixun asked in return, "Whether she is a barren woman or not, what does it have to do with me?"
"Gao Yuanyuan is very beautiful, don't you feel jealous?"
"Alas! You still don't trust your own man." Zhang Shixun sighed, and deliberately emphasized the four words "his own man".
Ding Dusai pinched his arm and said angrily, "You are my man, don't be so sentimental."
Zhang Shixun winked at her mischievously, "Hehe! I'm deeply in love with you, only you."
"Hmph! Stop trying to fool me." Although Ding Dusai spoke tough, her body betrayed her and she moved closer to Zhang Shixun.
"Saisai, let me remind you, they are from the palace after all, so you should not say some things in front of them, understand?"
"Well! You don't need to remind me. I know what to say and what not to say. Don't worry."
Zhang Shixun felt very relieved. Having such a woman by his side was the greatest happiness in life.
There was a table in the middle of the main room, and it was filled with dishes.
The five women stood side by side. When they saw Zhang Shixun and the other man come in, they squatted down and saluted together.
Zhang Shixun took a quick look, frowned, and asked, "Why are there only two stools?"
Zheng Yuanyuan smiled and replied, "This is the dining table for the master and mistress of the family."
"Bring five more stools and let's eat together. We don't have so many broken rules in our house."
"Master, this is not in accordance with etiquette."
"What do you mean by unethical? In this family, I am the rule." Zhang Shixun said in an unquestionable tone, "Since you've entered this house, then you're family... No more nonsense, quickly move the stools over."
Zheng Yuanyuan and others had no choice but to move the stools.
Zhang Shixun sat down in the middle. Suddenly, he thought of something and asked Ding Duchong: "By the way, where is that kid Sangou? I haven't seen him since I came in."
Ding Dusai covered his mouth and laughed: "I don't know where he went to play. He didn't know you were coming back today."
"This kid." Zhang Shixun didn't care. After all, Sangou was still young and it was the time for him to play.
While they were talking, Zheng Yuanyuan and others brought in stools.
Zhang Shixun greeted them warmly: "Come, come, come! Sit down and have a meal together. It will be lively."
Zheng Yuanyuan and others sat down hesitantly, only daring to sit halfway.
"It must be tiring to sit like that. Sit properly." Zhang Shixun looked at it with amusement.
After everyone was seated, Zhang Shixun picked up his chopsticks and said with a smile, "From now on, you can throw away those stinky rules taught in the palace. We are from a small family and cannot compare with the palace."
"Hey! Sir, when did this three-story house become a small family?" Ding Dusai asked with a smile.
"Compared to the imperial palace, it's just a small family."
Gao Yuanyuan and others smiled without saying anything, feeling that this host was nice and easy to get along with.
Xiaoju was the youngest and had a lively personality. Seeing that the master and his mother were happy, she pointed to a dish on the table and said, "Master, this is the Taiping Biluo I made. Please try it."
"Taiping Biluo?" Zhang Shixun looked at the dish she pointed at. It looked like fried vegetable dumplings from later generations. He smiled and said, "This looks like vegetable dumplings. Taiping Biluo sounds nice. I'll try it."
Zhang Shixun picked up the Taiping Biluo and took a bite. Sure enough, it was similar to the fried vegetable dumplings of later generations. He nodded and praised, "Delicious."
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