Chapter 147: Teaching her husband a lesson and avenging her previous humiliation...
Zong Suyi was so frightened that he stood frozen in place, his face even paler than before, tears welling up in his eyes but he dared not let them fall. He tentatively and cautiously lunged forward, "Don't be so fierce to me..." His shoulders trembled slightly uncontrollably.
The front of Zhang Ting's clothes was being tightly gripped, creating wrinkles, as if afraid that if he didn't hold on tight enough, she would abandon him.
Her face remained cold as she stared at the dry, smooth stone wall above her, lost in thought. Suddenly, she raised her hand and grasped Zong Suyi's.
He thought he had won his lover's affection, and a warm yellow light seemed to ignite in his heart. A gentle warmth and joy slowly spread through him, and his eyes trembled as he stared intently at her.
Inside the cave, it was so quiet that you could hear his tense heartbeat.
After a long silence, Zhang Ting lowered her head and looked into his eyes. There was no tenderness in his gaze as Zong Suyi had expected, only an innate indifference, like a snow-capped mountain that never melts, cold and distant, and no one could truly touch her heart.
The chill seeped into his bones, and he couldn't stop shivering. His heart skipped a beat, and he felt an overwhelming sense of fear.
He could only stare in horror as she coldly and indifferently pried his hands apart bit by bit. Zong Suyi shook his head, tears streaming down his face, and said, "No, no, my wife, I will never dare to do it again..." The pried hands grabbed back again, even more firmly and tightly, with such force that even his knuckles turned white.
“My lady, I will never do it again. I will tell you immediately if anything is on my mind. I will never scold you again, never be jealous again, and never be willful again…” He looked at her with his eyes full of tears, like a drowning person clinging to a piece of driftwood. “You can’t abandon me. You are all I have left.”
Zhang Ting's hand landed on his hand again, knowing that she had to teach Zong Suyi a profound lesson this time so that he would truly remember and not dare to make the same mistake again. But she closed her eyes heavily, her gaze falling on his face, which was full of hope and pleading.
I couldn't help but soften my heart.
He parted his dry lips and said, "Don't keep things bottled up inside. You're my husband, we're family, so of course I'll always stand by your side without a doubt. What do I care if other people are beautiful or ugly, tall or short?"
She took out a handkerchief to wipe his tears. On it was a chubby little chick that Zong Suyi had embroidered before. It was clumsy and round, and it even looked a bit like him now. Zhang Ting couldn't help but smile. She unfolded the handkerchief and shook it. The chubby little chick spread its wings and flew in her hand.
She looked at him and asked, "How is your needlework practice going, my lord?"
Zong Suyi's eyes, which had been brimming with tears, immediately broke into a smile upon hearing this, the tears in her eyes trembling as she laughed. "You always make fun of me with this." His eyes were as bright as the moon, and he opened his arms to hug her tightly.
The tense atmosphere dissipated, and the scene suddenly became relaxed and joyful.
His eyes were swollen from crying, so he could only squint and look up at her.
"Zhang Ting, I feel insane with hatred whenever I think about someone else around you. If I can't control my jealousy in the future, will you still love me?" Her nose was red, and she looked quite pitiful.
Zong Suyi's eyes were swollen like walnuts, and she barely managed to hold back her laughter. She stroked his hair with one hand and said, "You're jealous because you care too much. I'm overjoyed, so how could I possibly feel unhappy?"
Zong Suyi smiled happily, like a pure and innocent sunflower, and then asked, "Do you love me?"
She paused almost imperceptibly, then turned and pinched the tip of his nose, half-coaxing, half-deceiving, half-saying, "If you're always good, I'll love you."
"Then I'll always be good, and you have to always love me," he said in a muffled voice, burying his head in her neck.
Zhang Ting shook her head helplessly, "He's about to become a father and he's still so childish."
He waited a long time for her to respond, and dejectedly slumped his head, but dared not do anything more.
The two had been arguing for a long time, and she had important matters to attend to and could not delay any longer. "I have prepared the blueprints and formulas for the brick and tile kilns. I need to go down the mountain to explain things to the people there. Winter will be here in a few months, and this cannot be delayed."
Zong Suyi, mindful of his duty to behave, said very sensibly, "My lady, you can go now. Don't worry about me at home."
Zhang Ting nodded, looking at his swollen eyes, and suddenly said, "Go boil two eggs and apply them to your eyes later." After saying that, she paused for a moment, "Wait, Xiaoyi, do you know how to... uh, boil eggs?"
How could you not know it?! How dare you underestimate him!
He was about to get angry, but remembering his persona—to be obedient and docile—his wide eyes shrank back, and he replied meekly, "Don't worry, my lady, I can still cook an egg."
Zhang Ting had doubts, but time was of the essence, so she simply instructed, "If it's inconvenient, just ask Zheng Er and the others. If that doesn't work, there are other county officials' husbands on the next mountain; ask them for help."
Who do you think you are? He puffed out his cheeks angrily, then deflated in the next instant, "Yes, I understand." Behave yourself.
Zhang Ting was satisfied and nodded as he left, taking with him the letters for his teachers, senior classmates, and friends before he left.
It has been more than four months since we parted, but it feels like more than ten years.
With the teacher far away in Kyoto, has she broken her vow of abstinence from drinking without her supervision? Senior Sister's reputation is widespread; surely matchmakers have come knocking by now? Second Senior Sister's mouth hasn't gone to poison the minds of the powerful, has it? Third Senior Sister always talks about wanting to be transferred elsewhere; I wonder if she's found the opportunity yet? How is Sister Ziju doing at the Hanlin Academy? And Fang Ting?
She was thousands of miles away, and could only wish her deceased friend peace and well-being.
...
After successfully handing over the blueprints and formula to Zhang Cunsan and his group, and offering a few words of encouragement, Zhang Ting leisurely headed towards the county government office.
Zhang Cun San held the clean, white Xuan paper, his dark, rough fingers trembling slightly.
The others swarmed forward, asking, "Third Village, what did Grandma County give me? What's written on this piece of paper?"
“You, village elder, have even had a few days of schooling? Tell us quickly.”
Zhang Cun San said in a trembling voice, "These are the recipes for making bricks and tiles, along with the blueprints. The adults gave them all to us..." They were just handed over like that. Zhang Cun San covered her face in shame. These scoundrels had done plenty of petty theft in the past; the adults were really too trusting of them.
But since the adults trust her so much, she will definitely hide these golden treasures well and never let any malicious person steal them!
The others were shocked, sharing the same thought as Zhang Cunsan.
After the initial shock, a surge of pride welled up within them. "Isn't the county government building under construction? We'll fire the bricks and tiles for you right away!"
"Yes, burn the best bricks and tiles in the world for the master! The master deserves the best!"
Everyone felt full of energy, and they all followed Zhang Cun San's instructions, some digging, some looking for stones, some carrying water... A strong sense of vitality burst forth among them.
The seeds were sown in the field, and Zhang Ting followed Lu Mingqiu, the county clerk, to inspect the situation. Most of the seedlings of bok choy and radish had already sprouted and grown tall and green. It seemed that they would be ready to eat in just one or two months. After the radishes, the buckwheat would be almost ripe and ready to eat, and then the wheat and rice would be ready for harvest...
In this way, the famine can be weathered safely.
It's a pity that potatoes and sweet potatoes didn't exist in this era. If such high-yield crops had existed, Zhang Ting would definitely have planted them extensively.
The crops in the field were growing well. Zhang Ting brushed the dirt off his palms and stood up. "Mingqiu, let's go back."
As the two walked back, several fearless children rushed out and stuffed a bag of wild fruit into Zhang Ting's hands. There were purplish-black mountain grapes, red and yellow wild hawthorns, and purplish-black mulberries.
"Hey, Teacher Zong's family, could you take this back for him to eat? I heard the baby in his belly loves sour fruit."
The little girl with her pigtails sticking straight up swallowed hard and said, "Nonsense, what little baby likes sour things? They clearly like sweet fruits. The fruits I found are very sweet!" She only secretly tasted one and wanted to save it for Teacher Zong, not wanting to eat any more.
The girl in the sleeveless jacket frowned and said seriously, "What do you know? My mother said sour fruits mean a boy and spicy fruits mean a girl. If Teacher Zong eats a lot of sour fruits, he will definitely give birth to a handsome little brother. Then we can dress him in pretty little dresses, braid his hair, and carry him around to play."
"Why not a younger brother? We can carry our younger sister around and play too."
The girl in the jacket shook her head mysteriously, then asked, "Have you ever eaten spicy food? Do you know what it tastes like? My mother told me that chili peppers have to be bought in the prefectural city, and they're too expensive for us." She added with great regret, "Teacher Zong can't have a little sister."
"Oh." The girl with the pigtails looked dejected and lowered her head.
These little brats are so small, but their bickering is quite cute.
Zhang Ting accepted their fruit; these were students Zong Suyi had recently taught, and she was quite grateful.
The older one waved his hand dismissively, striking a mature adult pose. "Teacher Zong gave us candy and cakes, and even taught us to study. My mother said that we should be kind and righteous, so this is what we should do." His eyes secretly glanced at Zhang Ting's arms, and he swallowed hard. Those wild fruits looked really delicious.
Zhang Ting noticed this and invited a few children to her home to play. "Go visit your teacher Zong whenever you have time. He's really looking forward to you visiting him. He always keeps some snacks at home."
Upon hearing about snacks, the children's eyes lit up, and even the older ones couldn't help but nod. "Great! Great! They love snacks the most!"
In the evening, Zhang Ting carried a bag of wild fruit back home. She secretly ate a few on the way, and they were indeed quite sweet. Not bad at all.
At this moment, Zong Suyi's eyes had returned to normal, fair and flawless, with no trace of crying.
He greeted her warmly and helped her remove her coat.
Zhang Ting asked, "Should we ask the officials' wives or Zheng Er and the others for help?"
Zong Suyi quietly shook her head and neatly hung her coat on the rack.
Zhang Ting looked at him strangely. Did he really cook it himself? It didn't feel real; it was more like he burned down the kitchen.
Zong Suyi obediently lowered his head and went to pour her water, looking every bit the dutiful husband. Of course, he wouldn't tell Zhang Ting that he had paid a piece of candy to have a child cook the egg for him.
He was so well-behaved tonight; he even gave Zhang Ting a shoulder and back massage before bed.
Zhang Ting naturally accepted it gladly, cherishing this hard-won favor, and would probably enjoy it for a day or two.
For some reason, the two of them ended up kissing, their tongues intertwined, their hair tangled, and even their feet were entangled together.
Zong Suyi had experienced a lot today, and her emotions were greatly exhausted. She was already dozing off, but this time she was awakened by her lover. She was breathing heavily, her clothes were disheveled, and her hazy eyes were covered with a thin layer of moisture.
After a short rest, they kissed again, their passion growing stronger, their desire more intense, and their love more tender.
Tonight, Zong Suyi was extremely attentive and proactive, like a diligent, hardworking, and selfless bee, like an ant carrying food back to its hive, like a candle burning itself to light up others. Even though she had a thousand and one reasons why she couldn't do it, she gritted her teeth and persevered to the end.
Tears and sweat flowed into a never-ending stream, a final song of struggle to the very end. He was also a courtesan in the dark night, his clear, spring-like voice barely audible, like a thrush whose throat had dried up. He cried and laughed, his handsome features even more captivating, like a bewitching spirit from legends, using himself as bait to lure scholars to the capital for the imperial examinations.
A damp mist filled the air as the two lay on the small couch, fully clothed.
Outside the cave on an autumn day, crickets chirped sparsely.
Zhang Ting looked satisfied, snuggling into the blanket with her eyes closed.
Exhausted from serving someone, Zong Suyi felt sore and weak all over, as if he had been run over by a carriage. He felt like a broken rag doll being played with. The hardest part was that he was just too tired and sleepy.
Supported by his unwavering belief, Zong Suyi managed to stay awake. He clutched his aching back, his eyelids drooping with sleep, but he still forced himself to stay awake and asked anxiously, "My lady, will you always love me and only love me?" His voice was dry, hoarse, and breathy.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Ting's eyes snapped open. Why was he asking such a question instead of sleeping at a time like this? Did he think she hadn't done her part this time and had neglected him? Or did he think he was powerless to help and therefore felt emboldened?
Her lips trembled slightly, as if she had been slapped hard across the face. She angrily pulled him close, her eyes flashing with a determination to avenge herself, and finally leaned down abruptly.
He stared wide-eyed in horror, trying to push her away but he couldn't muster any strength, and his voice was hoarse and he couldn't make a sound.
No! He's really not going to make it!!
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