Chapter 101 The End of Acting
Zong Zheng Xiao advised, "You just ate. It's easy to have food stagnation if you go to sleep like this. I'll rub your stomach for you so you can digest it before you go to rest. Is that okay?"
"Yeah." Rong Yin was too lazy to argue with him. She leaned lazily into his arms, emptying her mind and letting his warm big hands massage her abdomen.
Since that day, Rong Yin never left the bedroom again, nor did she see anyone except Zong Zheng Xiao.
Food and other things were handed over by Zong Zhengxiao and the palace maids outside. Rong Yin spent most of his time lying in bed, chained up and unable to go anywhere.
Zong Zhengxiao would read to him, play stupid games with him, and chat with him.
Most of the time, as long as Rong Yin's body allowed, Zong Zheng Xiao would cling to him and make love. The stage before became their place of performance, and most of the pearl curtains were torn off when Rong Yin was aroused.
Rong Yin's legs temporarily lost the ability to walk, so as long as he left the bed, Zong Zheng Xiao would hold him in his arms, and it was useless for Rong Yin to refuse.
Since the beginning of the show, Zong Zhengxiao has carried out the overbearing and authoritarian character to the extreme.
Because he always over-expended his energy, Rong Yin often slept day and night. It was common for him to lie down in the afternoon and wake up the next morning.
Zong Zhengxiao was so stupid as not to tell him the date, so he had no idea how long he had been acting with him.
After another joyful moment, Zong Zhengxiao asked the palace maid to bring some hot water. Rong Yin was thirsty, and seeing that Zong Zhengxiao had not returned yet, she got out of bed with shaking legs.
Fortunately, the chain was long enough to reach the table beside the bed. Although the tea had become cold, Rong Yin didn't mind as long as it could quench her thirst.
When Zong Zhengxiao came back, the scene he saw was Rong Yin standing by the table with a long chain on his body, drinking cup after cup of tea.
He was completely naked, with only his waist-length hair covering his back. Looking down, the juice from his plump peaches flowed down his slender thighs and dripped onto the cold floor.
Zong Zhengxiao swallowed subconsciously, walked over and picked up Rong Yin from behind, scaring her so much that she almost spilled the tea in her cup.
"What?" Rong Yin looked at him puzzledly.
"Why did you get out of bed without waiting for me to come back?" Zong Zhengxiao stared at Rong Yin's rosy lips.
"It's obvious that I'm thirsty." Rong Yin touched Zong Zhengxiao's chin with the hand around his neck, swinging her legs leisurely, "Don't be unhappy, I will definitely let you hold me next time, okay?"
Zong Zhengxiao took the empty teacup from Rong Yin and put it back on the table, then carried him to the bed.
Rong Yin was a little confused, "Don't you want to take a shower?"
"Wash later." As if afraid that Rong Yin would refuse, Zong Zheng Xiao directly blocked his lips.
The chain rang for a while, and when it stopped, Zong Zhengxiao could only order hot water again.
Rong Yin only ate half a bowl of rice that night. Zong Zhengxiao wanted to coax him to eat more, but Rong Yin pulled his hand and pressed it on his belly, saying fiercely, "I'm already full. It's your fault."
Zong Zhengxiao was embarrassed for once, so he pecked Rong Yin on the face and said, "I won't do this again in the future."
Rong Yin: “…”
Haha, the credibility of this sentence is no different from that of a cow flying to the sky.
At night, the two of them lay together. Rong Yin sat up, looked at Zong Zhengxiao seriously, and asked, "Tell me the truth, how many days have you kept me locked up?"
Zong Zhengxiao tried to get away with it: "It hasn't been that many days."
"You don't want to tell me, right? Then I won't act with you from now on. I'm going out." Rong Yin said precisely.
As he was about to stand up, Zong Zhengxiao quickly hugged him and said pitifully, "You agreed to act with me, Ayin, how could you change your mind at the last minute?"
Rong Yin said, "I see you are acting and taking it seriously. I am willing to take the initiative to act with you, but you can't hide it from me, otherwise I will feel that my sincerity has been betrayed."
Rong Yin's words were a bit serious, so Zong Zheng Xiao stopped playing coquettishly and immediately sat up straight and confessed, "From the second day after the dance to today, it's been seven days. I didn't lie."
"That's it." Rong Yin sat back down and raised his chin proudly. "Bad Zong Zhengxiao, don't even think about bullying me."
Zong Zhengxiao said with a guilty tone: "Ayin, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hide this from you."
Rong Yin held his face in her hands and said calmly, "I understand your majesty's thoughts. Just like I can't eat too much ice cream, but sometimes I can't control my mouth when I'm too greedy. At this time, your majesty will come out to stop me. The situation is the same now. We understand and care about each other. It's no big deal if we make a small mistake occasionally."
"Ayin, you are so nice." Zong Zhengxiao walked over and kissed Rongyin.
Rong Yin hugged his neck and kissed him back, "Let's continue performing for three more days, and then we can resume our normal lives, okay?"
Zong Zhengxiao nodded and asked expectantly, "Ayin, are you still willing to act with me in the future?"
"Of course I am willing. After all, we will be together for many, many years. We can always find free time like these days."
"Yes, there will be."
During the remaining three days, Zong Zhengxiao wished he could shrink Rong Yin into a small pendant and carry it with him all the time. Even when he went to ask the palace maids to bring him water and food, he would return as quickly as possible, as if if he was a second slower, Rong Yin would disappear from his sight.
On the third night, the two opened the window. It was a cloudless day outside, with the moon hanging in the sky and stars shining. It seemed that tomorrow would be a good day.
But it started to rain lightly in the house, dripping wet Zong Zhengxiao and Rong Yin, and then rolling down to the ground.
The corners of Rong Yin's eyes were red, and she leaned on the windowsill with her hands. She bit her lower lip tightly, trying her best to restrain herself from making any sound.
Zong Zheng Xiao's strength was so great that he seemed to want to knock Rong Yin apart. There was only one night left, and he wished that time would stay at this second forever, the night sky would not disappear, and the sun would not rise again.
But he eventually had to face reality.
After the cool breeze, the window was closed again. Rong Yin sensed Zong Zheng Xiao's reluctance, and not only did she let him do whatever he wanted, she also cooperated and acted as the superior, allowing Zong Zheng Xiao's hobby to be fully satisfied.
It was already afternoon when Rong Yin walked out of the bedroom the next day. After eating, he ran a few laps outside, gradually pulling his mind out of that little world.
Si Xi and the others seemed to be unaware of what had happened in the past ten days. At least they did not show any knowledge in front of Rong Yin. It could be seen that they respected their two masters very much and cared about their own jobs.
The red gauze dress was so torn that it could not be worn anymore, so Rong Yin threw it away. However, Zong Zheng Xiao kept the two chains, saying that they were kept as a souvenir and might be useful in the future.
Rong Yin's mouth twitched when he understood what Zong Zheng Xiao meant, but he did not try to stop him.
The days passed quickly and it was autumn in the blink of an eye. The crops were about to be harvested and it was time for them to go back.
After a few more days of rushing, they returned to the palace and stepped into the Silver Shark Garden. A familiar smell hit their faces and Rong Yin breathed a long sigh of relief.
As the saying goes, there is no place like home. You feel most comfortable at home.
But before Rong Yin could have a good meal and take a good sleep with her handsome husband, two pieces of bad news popped up, making him see stars.
The first bad news: When autumn came, the hot pot restaurant reopened, but Cui and Chen also opened a hot pot restaurant near Rong Yin Hot Pot Restaurant and started a price war with Rong Yin.
The second bad news: Xiao Ai is pregnant, but no one knows who the father of the child is.
Rong Yin could still bear the first bad news, after all, it was not the first time that his business had been robbed. But the second bad news made Rong Yin's eyes go dark.
"How come you're pregnant?" Rong Yin stroked Xiao Ai's bulging belly, his pupils trembled and his face turned pale.
He said that Zong Zhengxiao and he had originally planned to take Xiao Ai to the palace to escape the summer heat, but Xiao Ai refused to get on the carriage. Rong Yin thought that Xiao Ai didn't like traveling far, so he just let her go.
Now it seems that she has found a partner and doesn't want to have a long-distance relationship with him/her, so she abandoned them, the old fathers.
The eunuch in charge of taking care of Xiao Ai knelt on the ground, shaking like a sieve, and explained in a trembling voice: "Since the time when you, my master, were preparing to leave for the palace, Xiao Ai has been acting strange. After you left, she often disappeared for no reason, and reappeared on her own after a few hours. I couldn't find her every time, until a month ago, when she looked very uncomfortable, I took her to find the old teacher at the zoo, and only then did I find out that she was pregnant."
Rong Yin didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "What is going on?"
"It's all my fault. I failed to take good care of Xiao Ai. Please punish me, my lord!" As he said this, the eunuch began to kowtow.
"No, no, no, it's not your fault." Rong Yin quickly stopped the man, saying, "If you keep knocking like that, you might make him stupid."
He said, "This is the nature of animals. How can humans stop it? It's also my fault. I only saw that Xiao Ai was growing up every day and eating more and more. I forgot that she was already a big girl and had reached the age of falling in love."
Rong Yin sighed. He now felt as if his girl had been kidnapped by the yellow-haired guy. The key point was that the yellow-haired guy had run away, leaving him with no place to vent his anger.
Zong Zhengxiao noticed Rong Yin's disappointment, patted him on the back to comfort him, and then said to the eunuch: "After all, you have lost your job. Let someone else do the job of raising dogs in the future. I will deduct two months' salary from you. It's a small punishment but a big offense."
"Thank you, Your Majesty, thank you for your forgiveness!" Rejoicing that he had escaped danger, the eunuch kowtowed twice before retreating.
"My dear daughter, your father was away traveling for a few months, and you gave me such a big surprise when I came back. You are so filial!"
Rong Yin stroked the dog's head, and every word he said was heartbreaking.
Xiao Ai didn't understand the pain of the poop scooper. She licked the back of Rong Yin's hand happily a few times, and was as happy as a fool.
宗政逍柔聲寬慰：“待會兒我就調獸園的老師傅過來照顧它，直到它平安生産完為止，別擔心，還有我們幫忙照顧孩子呢。”
戎音笑容苦澀：“我也是在二十多歲的年紀就當上外公了，還要幫女兒帶孩子，這怕是前世的冤孽。”
宗政逍玩笑道：“狗子一胎能生好幾個，阿音你這回可以充分發揮自己的取名天賦了。”
聽出他的調侃之意，戎音撲上去就是幾拳。
看着“撕打”在一起的兩位爸爸，換作以前，小艾同學早跑過去湊熱鬧了，但它估計也知道自己現在懷着身孕不方便，不僅沒往前湊，反而往後躲了躲。
在宮裏休息了幾天，重新找了一個專業的人照顧小艾同學後，戎音才放心去巡查外面的店鋪。
綠娥回來的第二天就操持生意去了，是以戎音一到，她就将自己打聽到的消息都告訴了他。
“崔陳兩家的火鍋店，無論是店面布置還是鍋子的樣式，甚至連顧客提意見就送菜的攬客招數，基本是照抄咱們店的，還好咱們店裏的員工都靠譜，不然配方也得被他偷了去。”
“他們忒不要臉，想趁着主子你和陛下不在，就脅迫火鍋店的活計幫他們偷底料的配方，聽小猴子說，他們那堆小乞兒裏其中一個還差點被綁了，幸好主子你臨走前做了安排，有陛下的人照拂着，崔陳兩家想搞小動作，直接被打了回去。”
“如今崔陳兩家用的底料配方，是從咱們家半看半猜過去的，味道差了一大截，老客自然還會在咱們這兒吃，不過他們憑借低價，也吸引了不少客人。”
戎音喝了口冰飲，問道：“兩家的價格是一樣的？”
綠娥道：“現在是了，聽說他們兩家一開始是賽着降價，誰家價格更低，客人就去哪家，畢竟他們是撿漏咱們的顧客，人數少，只能低價競争，不過後來大概是私底下達成了共識，如今價格已經穩定了。”
戎音挑眉，“倒是不傻，沒有意氣用事。”
綠娥卻是笑了一下，說：“主子，奴婢本來也是跟你一樣的想法，覺得他們應該不會再争下去了，可你猜怎麽着？我今天聽說了一個消息，崔家人也準備開奶茶店了，而且店鋪位置就在陳家奶茶店的附近，據說也是要學陳家走低價路線呢。”
“懂了。”戎音道：“火鍋店的矛盾還沒過去呢，不然崔家那奶茶店早不開晚不開，為什麽偏偏就這幾天開。”
綠娥有些不解，“他們不是同盟嗎？為什麽突然就開始針鋒相對了？”
戎音笑道：“斷人錢財如殺人父母。”
綠娥半知半解：“原因還是因為都想做火鍋生意？”
戎音道：“不全是。”
李楚走之前狠狠算計了崔家主一番，讓崔家不得不保護李家，而李楚不在，李家這塊肥肉就那麽明晃晃地挂在那裏，餓狼窺伺，偏有崔家這條惡犬守着，陳家以及其它小世家能服氣才有鬼。
他們不敢明着反抗崔家，就借着生意問題膈應一下崔家，以表達自己的不滿。
但崔家高高在上了那麽多年，哪忍得了自己之前的小弟對自己大不敬，是以便以其人之道還治其人之身，陳家在生意上膈應崔家，崔家也以同樣的方式報複回去。
之前不跟陳家搶奶茶店生意是看在同盟的面子上，現下陳家給臉不要臉，那他們崔家也不需要再客氣了。
崔陳兩家的競争對戎音的生意影響不大，他就穩穩地坐山觀虎鬥，看兩家最後會以何種結局收場。
沒過多久，崔家奶茶店開業，低價促銷，跟陳家一樣主要賣果茶，并且一再強調自己員工有多熱情，店裏衛生有多幹淨。
這一做法，無疑是在打陳家的臉，因為陳家奶茶店之前就因為衛生問題，被搞得差點直接關門大吉。
崔家奶茶店開業後，将陳家奶茶店的生意搶走了大半，于是陳家奶茶店也開始降價，又要跟崔家打價格戰。
你以為就只有這點熱鬧？以上這些，只能說是開胃小菜。
沒過多久，陳家奶茶店發現他們自己研究出來的某個獨家果茶配方，算是他們店裏的鎮店之寶，居然出現在了崔家的奶茶店裏。
陳家奶茶店一看就知道店裏出了內鬼，崔家奶茶店的配方來歷不幹淨，于是他們就計劃設計抓出內鬼，狀告崔家收買員工偷竊配方。
前半部分完成得很順利，內鬼抓到了，也承認自己收了別人的錢賣了配方，但後半部分就不那麽理想了，因為內鬼說不知道給他錢的人是誰。
崔家做事缜密到這個份上，就是想故意惡心陳家，又讓陳家找不到證據。
陳二少爺是個急脾氣，他認定是崔家在作惡，二話不說就帶着人上門去砸了人家的店。
這下算是直接将把柄送到了人家手裏，陳二少被扭送到官府衙門，崔家不要賠償不要道歉，就要陳二少去坐牢。
最後還是陳大少和陳三少一起出面，提着禮物拜訪了崔家，這才将陳二少帶回了家。
表面上看，這件事就那麽過去了，但崔陳兩家的恩怨，其實是越積越深了。
除了生意的事，崔陳兩家在朝堂上也不是很和睦。
陳家沒有致命的把柄在崔家手上，崔家主使喚不動陳家主，便把主意打到了其餘小世家身上。
但這些小世家的人，在崔家決定保護李家時，就隐隐站到陳家那邊去了，這些日子還給陳家主上了供。
小弟遇見危險，陳家主這個老大要是坐視不理，以後誰還肯聽他的命令辦事。
于是乎，宗政逍這個世家共同的敵人還沒做什麽呢，崔陳兩家就暗暗互相針對起來了。
如今還沒涉及到嚴重的利益沖突，雙方也只是拌個嘴，以後若是真到了生死存亡的時刻，相信雙方都會拿出致命的本事。
夜晚，戎音躺在宗政逍懷裏，對他道：“我最近又炒了一份新的火鍋底料出來，味道還不錯，客人應該會喜歡。”
宗政逍道：“那是好事啊，顧客能多一種選擇，說不定還能吸引來更多的新客戶。”
戎音卻搖了搖頭，道：“但我不打算給自己的火鍋店用。”
“阿音的意思是？”宗政逍明白戎音不可能無的放矢，他應該是有了什麽計劃。
戎音唇角揚起一個邪氣的笑容，“崔家偷了陳家的配方，陳家也應該偷回去，這才叫公平。”
宗政逍瞬間就明白了戎音的想法，笑道：“一個餌釣兩條大魚，阿音真是個釣魚高手。”
戎音臭屁地擺手：“一般般，也就比你厲害一點。”
宗政逍笑着道：“對，我們阿音是最厲害的。”
話音未落，他就翻身把人壓在床上，呼吸變得急促，“阿音繼續厲害給我看，可好？”
戎音摟住宗政逍的脖頸，媚眼如絲，“看在你今晚嘴那麽甜的份上，滿足你。”
月上柳梢頭，今晚又是一個不眠夜。
幾天後，一位廚子找到了崔家火鍋店去，說自己手裏有一個底料配方，如果崔家火鍋店能聘用自己，他就助崔家火鍋店更上一層樓。
管理火鍋店的崔家管事在嘗過他炒制的底料煮的菜後，立即就答應了高薪聘用他，并且期待他能制作出更美味的底料。
不過在決定用他後，崔家也去調查了他的背景，發現他以前自己開了個小飯館，喜歡研究新菜式，雖然做出來的大多數新菜都很難吃，但偶爾也有幾盤滋味不錯的。
他的人際關系很幹淨，沒有跟皇室或者其它世家的人沾邊，而且喜歡研究新菜式的性格，也符合他做出新底料的事跡。
新廚子的火鍋底料一經推出，果然給崔家火鍋店招攬了大量顧客，就連戎音的火鍋店都受到了影響。
看着減少的客流量，小猴子急得都快真像猴子一樣上樹了。
他找到戎音，看見戎音還在悠哉悠哉地嗑瓜子讀話本，頓時露出了一副怒其不争的表情。
“老板，我們的客人都要被崔家搶走了，您怎麽還有心情嗑瓜子，快想想辦法呀。”
戎音把瓜子殼丢進盤子裏，不僅不見半分焦躁，還悠閑地打了個哈欠。
“又不是全都搶走了，今天不是還滿客嗎？”
小猴子氣鼓鼓道：“但人數沒有之前多了呀，崔家今天搶一點，明天再搶一點，要不了多久，我們的客人就要跑完了！”
當然這是小猴子誇張的說法，他自己也清楚情況不會嚴重到這個份上，因為崔家只有一份底料吸引客人，他們家的火鍋店可是有很多種底料可供選擇呢。
但一個客人流逝，就代表着店裏少一份收入，這世上誰會嫌錢多，他自然是巴不得每個要吃火鍋的人都往他們店裏來的。
Seeing that he was so flustered that his face turned red, Rong Yin grabbed a handful of melon seeds and stuffed them into his mouth, saying soothingly, "Don't think too much. It's impossible for our family to make all the money in the world. There are gains and losses, and now there are other people who should be worried. We can just stand aside and watch the show. After all, the Cui family's business will never be more prosperous than ours."
After hearing what he said, the little monkey thought about it and guessed, "Someone else? Boss, are you talking about the Chen family?"
"Yes, it is the Chen family." Rong Yin explained: "Little monkey, when you were still begging, you saw other beggars begging more money than you. If you felt jealous, would you envy the beggar first, or the rich and powerful families in the capital who ate and dressed extravagantly?"
The little monkey answered without hesitation: "Of course I envy the beggar, because I don't know how extravagant the rich and powerful are, but I can actually see the money in the beggar's hand."
Rong Yin asked again: "What if that beggar still has a grudge against you?"
The little monkey said, "Then this envy will turn into jealousy. Why can he have it and I don't, when we are both beggars?"
Chen family.
As soon as Chen Ershao came out of the ancestral hall after kneeling, his servant ran to find him and whispered, "Master, good news, good news!"