Chapter 21
The moon was bright and the stars were sparse, and magpies were flying south. Ye Jia had been busy all day, and now he had a hasty dinner and was ready to rest. Yu had locked the courtyard door early and dragged Rui Jie'er back to the house. In ancient times, there was no other entertainment, and the family was poor, not even a book to pass the time. Ye Jia stood dryly by the window of the east room, meeting Zhou Jingchen's eyes as he sat upright on the bed.
The wick of the kerosene lamp on the wooden table crackled, and the light swayed slightly in the wind.
Although she and Zhou Jingchen had been together day and night for three months and should have known each other very well, to be honest, no matter how they were during the day, sleeping together at night was still a little awkward.
But Yu was the elder, the head of the family. Furthermore, Ye Jia and Zhou Jingchen were a legitimate couple, arranged by their parents, so they should live together. Yu's reasonable arrangement at this point left her with no reason to refuse.
The oil lamp stretched the figure into a long, slender figure, its dim light casting a shadow on Zhou Jingchen's face. The man sitting upright beside the bed was too handsome to be real. Ye Jia busied herself around the room and found that Yu had carefully packed away her belongings. Her clothes were within easy reach, her shoes neatly arranged. Yu had even moved her cash box into the east room, without even an excuse.
Ye Jia glanced at the silent Zhou Jingchen and made small talk: "...Does my husband usually sleep inside or outside at night?"
There was no other way. They were in the same room and neither of them spoke, so Ye Jia had to be the first to break the awkward silence.
"Look at you." The man at the edge of the bed had his crow-like eyelashes drooped, obscuring the expression in his eyes. His voice was clear and calm, as if he was completely unaffected. "If you want to sleep on the inside, I'll sleep on the outside."
His calm tone cooled Ye Jia's inexplicably embarrassed mood like a bucket of cold water.
...That's true. She had forgotten Zhou Jingchen wasn't interested in her. Although it wasn't mentioned in the book, from what Yu had said, he had a childhood sweetheart in Yanjing. She spent a long while daydreaming alone, feeling a bit self-indulgent.
Ye Jia scratched his cheek awkwardly and simply suppressed his messy thoughts.
When the weather gets hot, Ye Jia takes a bath every night. This was a habit from her past life; a hot bath would help her sleep. She had just washed up briefly outside, and she would have to shower again later.
Seeing that it was still early and she had nothing else to do, she took out the money she had earned these days and counted it.
Before, I was so busy with business that I only had a rough idea of the amount. Today, I went to the Ye family and spent some money. Tomorrow, when I start doing business again, I need to know exactly how much I have. Ye Jia opened the box, and inside was a pile of silver coins of various sizes. Previously, she felt that the extra copper coins took up too much space, so a few days ago, Ye Jia simply exchanged them for silver coins. She put the two and a half taels of silver she took out today into the box, and the total amount of silver coins was about thirty-four taels.
In addition, there were also several copper coins scattered around.
After deducting the cost of materials and other daily expenses, Ye Jia hadn't expected to have so much left. Money can cure all diseases and forget worries. As he counted the money, Ye Jia forgot everything else.
She was so happy counting that she didn't notice that the person sitting on the edge of the bed was looking at her gently.
Zhou Jingchen's eyes were dark and brooding, half-bright and half-dark in the dim light. The young woman lazily leaned against the table, her head slightly raised. Her skin, exposed beneath her clothes, was as white as jade. She had a dome-shaped nose, delicate eyes, and a beautiful figure. Normally, Zhou Jingchen would have remained restrained and polite. But now, for some reason, his gaze drifted down her slender neck to her graceful figure.
Spring and summer shirts were thin, and even with two layers, they couldn't hide the girl's beautiful and voluptuous figure. The cross-breasted collar seemed a little loose, folded up by Ye Jia's counting of money, and the delicate collarbone could be vaguely seen underneath...
His thick eyelashes trembled, and Zhou Jingchen lowered his eyes in restraint.
After counting it twice, Ye Jia found thirty-seven taels, six qian, and twenty-six copper coins. Only then did she lock the box with satisfaction. She looked up and saw the man beside the bed with his eyes downcast, lost in thought. Then Ye Jia remembered something: "Husband, where did you get the money for the medicine today?"
A clear voice suddenly sounded, and Zhou Jingchen's eyelashes trembled and he raised his eyes.
Ye Jia narrowed her eyes slightly: "Don't you have no money?"
With one hand supporting her chin, her slender fingers tapped the lid of the box, making a humming sound. The meaning of this question was particularly obvious. Zhou Jingchen looked at her with her chin raised and a proud look on her face, and for some reason he felt like laughing.
After a moment's hesitation, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver ingot. Judging by its size, it must have weighed at least twenty taels. Ye Jia glared at him, and Zhou Jingchen slowly stood up and walked over.
Ye Jia had long known that he was tall. His gaze locked onto her, he approached with a rather intimidating air. Ye Jia watched him, her nerves silently tensing, her posture unchanged, her gaze fixed on him stiffly. Then he sat down beside her and placed the deposit in front of her. "I pawned some of my belongings to buy a few books, pens, inkstones, and paper, and this is what's left."
Ye Jia was a little surprised: "What did you do to be worth so much money?"
"A piece of jade ornament that is of no use."
She was just mumbling casually, but Zhou Jingchen actually answered her.
Ye Jia looked at the pile of silver that was pushed to her side, raised her head and looked at him again, then asked with a twitch of her lips, "...for me?"
"Yeah." Zhou Jingchen's eyes were a faint light, and his gaze on her was like ripples. His voice was as clear as the sound of jade colliding, neither fast nor slow, yet inexplicably unsettling. He said, "You are the head of the family, so it is only right that you take the money."
"..." Ye Jia looked at him warily.
"What's wrong?" Zhou Jingchen tilted his head slightly to look at her.
"……without."
Seeing that his look was calm and didn't seem to be joking, Ye Jia tentatively placed his hand on the silver pile, staring at his face while doing so.
The look of wanting yet being suspicious made Zhou Jingchen unable to hold back a chuckle.
Ye Jia got angry when he saw him smile. He grabbed the silver pile, opened the box and threw it in. He then said confidently: "Your food, clothing, housing, transportation, and medical expenses are all paid for by me. It's only right that I pay for them!"
Zhou Jingchen nodded calmly: "Well, it's only natural for me to give it to you."
Ye Jia: “…”
...Forget it, never mind. She won't embezzle the money if I give it to her, so what's the big deal?
It was already time for the delay. Ye Jia looked up at the sky, it was already pitch dark. She turned her head and looked around the room, and finally hid the box under the bed. After all, besides her, Zhou Jingchen was the only one in the room. The money was needed for the family's business, so if it was lost, they would look for him. Seeing her fearless look, Zhou Jingchen couldn't help but smile.
After Ye Jia hid the box, she lifted the curtain and went to the kitchen to get some hot water.
Yu knew her nightly bathing habit, and there was still hot water on the stove. Zhou Jingchen brought a bucket of water into the house and laid out his brush, inkstone, and paper. He was currently writing and drawing at the table, one hand on his sleeve and the other holding a brush.
He stopped writing when he saw her come in. He was always perceptive and immediately packed up his things and walked out.
Ye Jia showered quickly, mainly because she washed every day to keep her body clean. After a while, she quickly put away the basin and bucket in the room. When she returned from pouring the water, Zhou Jingchen was sitting at the table in the main room, still painting.
He looked calm when he painted, and the noble temperament engraved in his bones was revealed in every move he made.
Ye Jia leaned over and took a closer look. The shape of the map bore a resemblance to the Beiting Protectorate's map. While Great Yan wasn't part of any particular dynasty in ancient history, the continental map was still roughly the same. A thought struck her. She knew Zhou Jingchen wouldn't be content to spend his entire life in such a bitter cold land; he'd return to Yanjing sooner or later. Drawing this map must have been a premeditated plan. Ye Jia's interest immediately faded.
After putting the bucket in the back kitchen, she took a towel from the shelf to wipe her wet hair, then returned to the east room with her hair loose.
Zhou Jingchen came in later. He held a kerosene lamp in his hand, his delicate features shimmering in the light. He was a meticulous cleanser, showering every two or three days. He must have washed in the kitchen; his temples were damp, and his body still shone with moisture.
Ye Jia put the towel back on the rack, kicked off his shoes rudely and rolled to the inside.
She liked to sleep against the wall, a habit that made her feel safer. The walls of this mud house were all made of clay, so if she slept against the wall, she would get covered in dust, but Ye Jia couldn't change her habit.
There was only a thin quilt on the bed. Ye Jia glanced at the person standing in front of the bed with a lantern, grabbed the quilt, wrapped himself in it and prepared to sleep.
She lay there stiff, no sound behind her. The only sound was the croaking of frogs in the bushes. Ye Jia closed her eyes, then, after a long moment of restraint, opened them. She turned over and met the gaze of the man standing by the window with a lantern.
"What's wrong?" Ye Jiamu said with a serious face, "Why are you standing here watching me if you're not sleeping?"
On the bed, the woman's black hair was spread out, covering the entire bed. She lay on her side, frowning at him, her eyes gleaming like stars. Zhou Jingchen lowered his eyes, curling his lips, wanting to say something, but ultimately saying nothing. He nodded, clattered the lamp onto the wooden stool at the head of the bed, then slowly untied his belt and took off his coat. Then, under Ye Jia's glare, he methodically climbed into bed.
Ye Jia: “…”
Ye Jia frowned for some reason. This person hadn't done anything, yet she felt a strange sense of oppression.
The man exuded a pleasant, refreshing scent of grass and trees. His subtle masculine aura set Ye Jia on edge. While not to the point of hair standing on end, she felt intimidated. Zhou Jingchen lay on the outside, his back to her. Ye Jia squinted her eyes and stared at his back for a long moment before silently closing them.
Zhou Jingchen lay at the same end as her, the shadow of the lamplight casting a shadow over him, completely enveloping Ye Jia. After waiting for a moment, he suddenly turned over. The wooden bed in the east room wasn't very large, and when Ye Jia lay on it, it felt just right. But once Zhou Jingchen got on, it instantly felt cramped. Only when he noticed Ye Jia's eyelashes trembling did he finally feel a little relieved.
It was quiet and peaceful, with only the sound of frogs croaking in the bushes.
For a long moment, Ye Jia forced herself to close her eyes, but in reality, she pricked up her ears to listen for movement behind her. She felt Zhou Jingchen stir, a rustling sound, and then the light dimmed, plunging the room into darkness. The man behind her lay down again, his gentle, steady breathing mingling with the clear, masculine scent. Ye Jia silently chanted the Great Compassion Mantra...
Then, I just fell asleep.
The window was half-open, letting a gentle breeze in. The sweet scent of the woman on the bed filled his nose.
There's a saying about a woman as beautiful as a gentle fragrance, and that perfectly captures the situation at hand. In the darkness, the man lying on his side slowly opened his eyes. Moonlight streamed through the window, making his eyes appear surprisingly bright. Zhou Jingchen's gaze unconsciously drifted to the curvaceous woman before him. They were so close, so close that it unnerved him.
After a moment, he let out a breath, turned over and fell asleep.
Early in the morning, Ye Jia stretched lazily with his eyes closed and sat up. When he opened his eyes, he realized that he had changed his bed last night.
She rubbed her head, and there was no one beside her. She touched the quilt, and it was cold. Ye Jia raised an eyebrow and slowly put on her clothes and came out. It was almost May, and the days were getting earlier and earlier. Ye Jia took a deep breath and heard the sound of knocking in the yard. Curious, she followed the sound around to the back of the house and saw Zhou Jingchen, dressed in plain clothes, chopping wood in the backyard.
I don't know when he got up. He was wearing only a thin summer shirt, revealing his long, slender arms, and his back was damp with sweat. There was firewood scattered on the ground, so it looked like he had been chopping wood long ago.
Ye Jia went over to gather the scattered firewood and stacked it aside. Turning her head, she saw a patch of green. In just a few days, the chives had grown considerably. Ye Jia squatted over to measure them, and they looked ready to eat. Delighted, she immediately decided to make chive and egg pancakes for breakfast.
Just make it to try the taste.
Thinking of this, Ye Jia hurried to fetch some water to wash and get ready.
She changed into comfortable clothes, went to the kitchen, grabbed a knife, and, carrying a basin, cut a handful of chives and placed them in the basin. The newly grown chives were tender and green, and the aroma was very fragrant. Ye Jia carefully picked the chives clean, washed them several times, and placed them on the cutting board. She turned around and got a few eggs. There was no need to be stingy when eating at home, so it didn't matter if she put in more eggs.
Having slept well at night, Ye Jia was very hungry. He beat the eggs while kneading the dough.
Chive omelet pancakes are easy to make. Fry the eggs and set aside to cool. Chop the chives and eggs into small pieces. Toss the two together, drizzle with sesame oil, and mix well. Season with salt before filling. Chive omelet pancakes only need one seasoning; nothing else is needed to make them delicious. Fried chive dumplings are also quite good. Thinking about it, Ye Jia made a few more.
The frying pan sizzled, and Rui Jie'er rushed in at the smell: "Aunt, what delicious food are you cooking? It smells so good!"
The little girl could speak very fluently now, and of course, this was the sentence she said most fluently. She said it almost every day. She was no taller than Ye Jia's thigh, but she would follow him wherever he went, following him around like a little tail.
Ye Jia laughed and said, "Go, go and wait aside. I'll give you the first one to eat later."
The child held his little face and giggled, then stood aside obediently.
Yu Shi, now free from early morning business, had just washed and washed. Following the aroma, she headed to the kitchen to see Ye Jia making pancakes. Her eyes first darted into the wok, then to Ye Jia's neck. Ye Jia was wearing thin clothing, her collar low. Seeing her neck was completely white, with no red marks at all, Yu Shi was immediately disappointed.
She looked a few more times, but still nothing. She couldn't help but wonder, they both slept in the same room last night, how come there was no trace of anything?
Yu was a refined person. Any anxious thoughts she had she kept to herself, never bringing them up in front of Ye Jia. She stood by the pot for a long time, then thought about it and went out to ask her son. She searched the house, inside and out, until she found her son, hunched over by the well, washing up. She wondered what he'd been up to so early in the morning; his face was covered in sweat, his hair damp.
At this moment, the morning light was shining on his back. His stature and build... didn't look like he was incompetent.
She was very shy and felt uncomfortable, so she just stamped her feet and went back to the kitchen.
Taking the cloth from wiping his cheek, Zhou Jingchen glanced at his mother's angry back, his eyes flickering slightly, becoming gloomy. He poured the water and brought the basin into the house, then went back inside to change his clothes.
When people arrived at the kitchen, several women in the family had already started eating.
A delicate aroma filled the air. The eldest and three daughters, each with a pancake, sat in the kitchen to eat. The smoky aroma of the stove enveloped the three of them, inexplicably filling them with a sense of well-being. Honestly, the chive and egg pancakes were truly delicious. The semi-boiled dough allowed the pancakes to be pan-fried to golden brown on both sides. The dough was sizzling, the filling generously packed inside, and the pancakes, fried well, were juicy. One bite was so hot it made me grimace, yet I couldn't bring myself to spit.
"Mom, does this chive egg pancake taste okay?" Ye Jia asked while eating.
Yu no longer had the habit of not talking while eating or sleeping, and nodded repeatedly: "It's much more delicious than radish cakes."
Yu had a small appetite, and usually one pancake would fill a whole meal. But this pancake was especially to her liking, so delicious and fragrant that it was addictive. She even ate two and still wasn't satisfied.
The child next to him ate one and looked at Ye Jia eagerly, but Ye Jia stopped him: "Child, you can only eat one."
Rui Jie'er, with her belly bulging, wanted to say she was grown up, but Ye Jia coldly refused. Noticing someone around, Ye Jia looked up at Zhou Jingchen standing by the door. She took a bite of the cake and asked casually, "Husband, would you like some?"
Zhou Jingchen: “…”
...Of course it’s eating.
The chive egg pancake has won widespread recognition.
Even Zhou Jingchen, who wasn't a big eater, ate four. He politely devoured four pancakes the size of four bowls. After finishing, he took a handkerchief and slowly wiped his mouth. He then asked Ye Jia how much each one would cost.
"It must be at least ten coins each," Yu said, genuinely thinking it tasted good. "Radish cakes are six coins each, so this one must be more expensive."
The chive and egg pancake was a novelty, rarely seen on the market. Furthermore, since she had eggs in it and used high-quality oil and flour, it naturally had to be more expensive. However, considering the purchasing power of the people in Libei Town, it would be difficult to sell it at a high price. "Ten cents is probably too much. How many people in town can afford ten cents for a pancake?"
The size of Ye Jia's pancake was made according to the amount that would not fill one up, so ten cents would probably be too much.
"Let's set the price at seven coins each. After all, the chives are home-grown, and the cost of eggs and flour isn't too expensive." Thinking of this, Ye Jia suddenly patted Zhou Jingchen's arm and said earnestly, "Husband, you have to take good care of the chives in our backyard. Whether our family business can make money in the future depends on you."
Zhou Jingchen: “…”
Just sell it when you say you will sell it. As soon as the leeks emerge, the business can be started.
Chives are much easier to prepare than radishes. Radishes need to be washed, cut, and blanched, drained, but chives only need to be chopped. Frying eggs, on the other hand, is a bit more complicated. Actually, eggs are also easy to cook; just fry them in hot oil. After breakfast, Ye Jia went to the backyard with Yu Shi and cut a large bunch of chives. Yu Shi could just wash and cut them.
Cutting leeks doesn’t require any knife skills, Yu can do it too.
As for Zhou Jingchen, Ye Jia would never let him sit idle, so she called him over to knead the dough for her.
This thing is very easy to make; two or three hundred can be made in one morning. Ye Jia thought that eggs shouldn't be left overnight, so frying them later would be fine to prepare the filling. Later, when the weather gets hotter, the pancakes left overnight might go bad, and then she'd have to get up early the next morning to make them. That day's pancakes were made that night and were finished in an hour.
It was very late at night, and I had to get up early to set up the stall tomorrow. After washing up and returning to the room, Ye Jia looked at Zhou Jingchen sitting on the bed and he was very calm. Once there is a time, there will be a second time. If he fell asleep the first time, the second time would not be a big deal.
Ye Jia took off her coat and lay down on the bed. Zhou Jingchen, on the other hand, sat by the window for a long time without getting into bed. He took a book and read quietly, waiting until the person on the bed had calmed down before putting it down and frowning. The Regent felt quite helpless at this moment. A nineteen-year-old's body was full of vigor and vitality. Sleeping next to each other like this every night was indeed a bit unbearable.
After a long time, he let out a breath and lay down on the bed resignedly.
The next day, before dawn, Ye Jia was up early to pack. Zhou Jingchen woke up almost as soon as she moved. Rubbing the bridge of his nose, he quickly changed his clothes and came out. Outside, Old Man Sun's ox cart had arrived, and he was helping to carry the pots and stoves up.
Since hiring Old Man Sun was indeed convenient, Ye Jia thought that one or two taels of silver a month was not expensive, so he simply continued to hire his car.
After loading the items onto the car, Zhou Jingchen quickly washed up, then stepped over Ye Jia, lifted the bucket of cakes, and placed them on the car. The two of them boarded the car and hurried to town. They were quite early today, arriving at the same time as the old man who was buying radish cakes. The Zhang family had probably been delayed by yesterday's incident, so they weren't around this morning. As Xishi's stall slowly lowered its stove, the small vendors who were heading to the morning market gathered around.
A regular customer who ate at Xishi Pancake Stall was waiting with a smile on his face, chatting with the couple while waiting.
The fire was lit, the frying pan was set up, and Ye Jia brushed some oil on it and began to fry some chive and egg pancakes. It had to be said that the aroma of chives was astonishing, so strong that the wind blew it everywhere. Some people who had originally wanted to eat fried radish pancakes were now staring at the delicious aroma. Many people who hadn't originally wanted to buy food were so tempted by the aroma that they eagerly came over to ask for it.
Ye Jia smiled and said, "These are the new chive and egg pancakes. They're full of ingredients and delicious. They're seven cents each. Would you like to try them?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
