Chapter 198 Exhausted, I miss you so much.
Zhang Ting picked up the baby with one hand and pinched her chubby cheeks.
"Adults have two opinions: the bad kids dig in the ground during the day and move bricks at night, and are only given one meal a day; while the good kids learn to write and play freely during the day, have all kinds of rare toys, and can sleep well at night. So, are you a good kid or a bad kid?"
Tun Tun paused in her resistance, then said without hesitation, "You're a good boy! You want to live a good life."
Zhang Ting looked at her with exceptionally gentle eyes and guided her, "Then what should a good boy do when he sees his mother?"
Tun Tun pouted, looked at her, then at her father beside her, and reluctantly called out, "Mom..."
Zhang Ting added, "Too soft, I can't hear you."
Tun Tun puffed out her cheeks, leaned close to her ear, and roared, "Mom! You're my mom!"
Zhang Ting nearly went deaf. She reached out and rubbed her ears, then gave the piglet a smack on the bottom. "You little rascal."
Instead of crying after being hit, Tun Tun giggled and her eyes turned into crescent moons with laughter.
Zong Suyi stood beside them, gazing at the mother and daughter with utmost tenderness.
He felt sorry for his wife's long journey and exhaustion, so he tugged at her sleeve and said softly, "Stop teasing her. She's a little rascal. Hurry up and go to the bathhouse. I'll have someone bring you some water so you can rest soon."
Zhang Ting: "Okay." She was about to hand the child to him, but stopped herself at the last second, turning around and putting the baby on the ground instead. The little pig was sloppy, but its father was still clean.
"Go ahead, I'll have someone bring you clothes." He held the little monkey's head down, preventing her from rushing towards her mother.
Only after Zhang Ting's figure disappeared around the corner did Zong Suyi turn her gaze away, straighten the little head under her, and half-squat down in front of her, instructing, "Mommy works hard outside to earn money for food, clothes, and toys for Little Pig, and has also saved many children like Little Pig. Now that you're finally back, Little Pig, please don't play with Mommy for a while, okay?"
Tun Tun is naughty, but she's not completely clueless. She nodded emphatically: "If the baby doesn't look for its mother, the mother will go to sleep."
Tun Tun added, "Kid, sleep soundly with Daddy."
Zong Suyi said, "Little Pig can't sleep with Dad anymore. Your mother is very tired and works very hard. Dad has to go and take care of your mother."
"!!" Does that mean she has no parents left?
Tun Tun was unhappy and turned her head to the side, hugging her forearm which resembled lotus roots.
Zong Suyi coaxed her, "Daddy has taken care of Little Pig for so long, but Mommy has worked so hard and has no one to take care of her when she comes back. How pitiful! Can Tun Tun bear to let Mommy be so lonely?"
Tun Tun is a good child. She felt very guilty thinking about how her mother worked like a slave to earn money for her toys, and how she wouldn't let her father take care of her.
She held up her short finger and said in a childish voice, "One day." Dad wanted to tell his child a bedtime story, and the child generously lent her mother twelve hours.
Zong Suyi shook his head and bargained, "The little pig's mother won't recover for five days."
Tun Tun scrunched up her furrowed brows like two caterpillars, made a laborious hand gesture, and bargained: "Three days, no more than that."
Zong Suyi readily agreed, "Okay. Little pig, you'll sleep by yourself tonight. If you need anything, ask your sister Jin Suo. Dad's going to take care of your mother." He immediately got up and left without looking back.
Two tuantu's fluffy head stood up, and it scratched its head with its little hands. Something feels off...
Tun Tun imitated the old scholar next door, standing with his hands behind his back and muttering, "Never mind, never mind." The son was filial, giving his father to his mother for three days.
The bathroom was steamy, and the water vapor condensed on the hair, giving it a damp feel.
After traveling thousands of miles for over a month, I finally got a refreshing bath.
Zhang Ting didn't dare to hold the older one too tightly, then the younger one, afraid that they would smell her odor, which would be too embarrassing.
Most of her body was submerged in the water, her arms casually draped over the edge of the wooden tub, her eyes closed, her flawless white face flushed red from the steam.
But speaking of which, why hasn't the servant who brings clean clothes arrived yet? Are the servants in this manor so slow in their work?
Zhang Ting waited and waited, wanting to call for help but too embarrassed to do so, so she washed herself again.
She's a prefectural governor, after all; she can't just go out naked, can she?
Zhang Ting vowed to punish this lazy servant severely later!
She endured it, leaning against the tub, and comforted herself: just think of it as soaking in a slightly cool artificial hot spring.
"Creakâ" The heavy wooden door was pushed open by a fair and slender hand. The person who came in was dressed in a simple black gauze robe, so light that it seemed as if he could float away at any moment. He appeared in a blurry silhouette.
Zhang Ting: Speak of the devil and he appears; well, he's lucky.
"Just leave it there, you can go now."
As soon as she finished speaking, she tried to get up and go out to get dressed, but she could still see a figure standing there on the other side of the screen. She was surprised that this servant was so bold as to disobey his master's orders.
Zhang Ting's expression turned cold. "Can't you understand?"
Not only that, the audacious servant didn't even answer her question, and walked over on his own.
Zhang Ting looked a little pale and sat back down in the bathtub. There's a difference between voluntarily being seen and passively being spied on.
What a disgrace! She's done so many terrible things that have ruined her parents, yet she backed down in front of a young man. Is it because she's not thick-skinned enough?
The person spoke as they walked, their voice carrying a sly curve, "What if I insist on staying?" They rounded the screen, and a slender, tall figure peeked out, winking at her.
Zhang Ting's face relaxed, and she leaned against the tub. "Xiao Yi, it's you." A moment later, she sat up straight. "If you hadn't come, your wife would have frozen to death."
Zong Suyi brought over the plate, placed it on the shelf beside him, and glanced back at her reproachfully, "Don't talk nonsense. You're freezing in this heat." He wanted her to wash herself more thoroughly.
Zhang Ting propped her chin on her hand, watching him busy himself. "Didn't Tun Tun bother you?"
Zong Suyi: "I sent her to play with Jin Suo."
Zhang Ting nodded, "Luckily, the child has a playmate, otherwise we parents would be exhausted." The little one has been full of energy since he was a child, anyone who has raised him knows that.
He straightened his clothes, turned his back to her, and said, "You said the water was cold, why aren't you getting up?"
Zhang Ting chuckled, "What? Does my husband intend to change my clothes himself?"
"Is that not allowed?" He turned around, clutching his belt, and looked her up and down, laughing, "What part of Lord Zhang's body haven't I seen before? Are you shy?"
Zhang Ting snorted and immediately stood up from the bathtub, calmly walking to him. "Please, my lord." She wouldn't back down, she'd see who had the last laugh.
Zong Suyi resisted the urge to look away, "You really think I'm afraid of you?" But she bit her lip, her face flushed with embarrassment.
The scene before him was so visually striking that Zong Suyi had to go through all the most exciting things in his life before he managed to restrain himself from fleeing. Inwardly, he cursed her: Shameless, seducing people!
He took a towel to wipe the water droplets off Zhang Ting's body, unfolded his inner garment and draped it over her body, carefully tying each tie for her. His movements were meticulous, but his face and neck were flushed red, faintly radiating heat.
Helpless, Zhang Ting pressed down on his hand, interrupting his actions. "My lord, let me do it." She shook her head and coldly refused, "You've already skipped it. I'm exhausted from the journey and really need to rest."
She pulled her outer robe over her shoulders, yawned, and walked out.
Someone tugged at the hem of her clothes, Zhang Ting sighed, and then ruthlessly pulled her away.
But it couldn't be pulled open.
Pull it again.
It can't be pulled.
Zhang Ting gave in, turned to face him, and offered a high-sounding excuse: "My lord, we are not young anymore, we should eat light meals and cultivate our character."
Zong Suyi threw herself into her arms and said softly, "I won't let you leave." He took a deep breath of her clean and fresh scent, "If my wife comes back any later, not only will Tun Tun forget you, but I... I'm afraid I'll forget your face too."
"Let me look at you more, every extra glance makes me feel so happy." He nestled deep into her arms, then couldn't resist nuzzling her gently.
Her husband was handsome and charming, and deeply devoted to her. But Zhang Ting was really tired today, and she couldn't resist his restlessness. Unexpectedly, instead of becoming discouraged, he became even more passionate.
Having no other choice, Zhang Ting had to abandon her dignity as a woman and tell the truth: "I am not strong enough today, my husband, please bear with me." After saying that, her shoulders slumped.
Zong Suyi wouldn't have it, hugging her even tighter as if afraid she'd escape, her voice barely a whisper: "Who said it has to be you? Others can come too..."
It wasn't that Zhang Ting looked down on him; it was just that, based on data from thousands of previous experiences, Zong Suyi was indeed not very capable. It wasn't that he always worked quickly but lacked quality, nor that he lacked physical strength and couldn't do many tasks. Rather, it was that he was easily stimulated by external factors. Crying once or twice was fine, but too much stimulation would cause him to break down mentally and physically, leaving him completely dependent on her.
Considering her husband's feelings, Zhang Ting said tactfully, "My lord, today is a crucial moment for testing your skills. Please bear with it. Once I've recovered, I will definitely accompany you to hone your skills and master unparalleled techniques." The last sentence was meant to appease him; it was impossible for Zong Suyi to stand up for himself one day.
Zong Suyi had spent years with her, so how could he not know what kind of person she was? He immediately became angry and snorted coldly, "Old thing, you won't listen to the soft approach, so you insist on trying the hard one, don't you?"
His eyes shone like stars as he gripped her wrist tightly, pressing closer with each step. "My skills are excellent; you have to eat today, whether you want to or not!" He shoved her onto the bed and laughed arrogantly.
Zhang Ting was thrown onto the bed. She struggled to sit up, feeling utterly helpless. She'd been away from home for eight months, leaving her husband starving. What was she supposed to do if he insisted on doing chores herself?
She sighed again and again, and finally lay flat on the couch, submitting to her will.
She even kindly reminded him, "Be careful, don't hurt yourself."
"Do you need to tell me?" Zong Suyi covered her mouth with a handkerchief, her words carrying ill intent: "Lord Zhang should be worried about yourself. Don't scream yourself hoarse later."
Zhang Tingfeng glanced at him indifferently, saying nothing, yet it seemed as if he had said everything, making Zong Suyi feel extremely humiliated. At this moment, his determination to avenge his humiliation reached its peak.
His eyes lit up, and he buried his head and began to peel away the layers of the onion, working diligently and very seriously.
...
Two hours later, the person on the bed was turned into a limp lump of mud, wrapped in tattered black gauze and curled up on the inside, with a few sections of fair skin vaguely showing. He was breathing softly, and the sound he made was hoarse and dry, just like a broken rag doll.
Zhang Ting smoothed out the last wrinkle on her sleeve and sighed, "I wonder who shouted themselves hoarse." They insisted on being strong, but then gave up halfway through and begged her for help in tears.
The person on the bed let out a weak groan, still unconvinced.
He has to be so competitive even in something like this? Zhang Ting was truly impressed.
This time, however, the spiciness and deliciousness were both balanced, and she was very satisfied with her meal. She rubbed the deliveryman's head and said, "Let's come again next time." After saying that, she got up. Zheng Er and the others had arrived by then, and she had to go out and get busy.
Her waist was tightly wrapped by two hands, and her back was pressed against a warm and thin body. As Zhang Ting was stunned, she suddenly felt a wetness running down her neck.
He said in a dry voice, "I miss you so much."
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