Chapter 70 Her affairs don't require him to be inferior...
The weather grew increasingly hot, and the sunlight, like a dense, all-pervasive golden net, enveloped the courtyard, making it hard to breathe.
The only cool spot in the courtyard was under the pomegranate tree. Jiang Shuifu rested there with Pan Tao, who was helping her mash the pomegranate petals into a paste. After adding alum, they could start dyeing her nails.
She lay on the chaise lounge under the tree, fanning the two of them to cool them down.
She was pounding the peaches with great effort, and it seemed she was about to succeed. Then, she turned and offered a suggestion with a grin:
"Miss, would you like to get your toenails painted? The pomegranate flower color is so beautiful, it would definitely look great on you!"
Jiang Shuifu thought about it and said, "Sure, I love sparkly things. They're pleasing to the eye, and what woman doesn't love beauty?"
Just as she was about to agree, the sound of a chisel rang out untimely from the side.
DingTalk!
She glanced at him impatiently, only to meet Shen Jizhao's gaze.
His eyes were cautious, with a faint smile, clearly trying to please her. His hands moved faster and faster as he swung her on the swing.
From chopping wood to assembling and fitting it together, and finally erecting the mahogany pillars, he personally handled every step with utmost seriousness, as if he were treating a beloved object.
But his movements became faster and faster, and he sweated more and more. It seemed that he was deliberately exerting so much force. If you looked closely, you could see that the roots of his ears were red.
He imagined the scene: a beautiful woman with bare feet on a white, velvety lichen, her feet small and delicate, her toenails glistening and red, alluringly so. Just thinking about that scene made him excited, and naturally, he became stronger.
If he were to ask what his wish was, he thought one of them would be to dye her nails.
He glanced furtively at the beauty who was engrossed in wrapping the fiery red juice in her hands. Wrapping wasn't enough; she was also kneading, rubbing, and picking… He swallowed hard and couldn't help but utter a sound:
"Shuifu, your nails are already very beautiful..."
No matter how beautiful she is, he feels like every day is an eternity. Besides, he doesn't want anyone else to touch her hands; he's already jealous.
Jiang Shuifu thought that she had violated his rules, after all, he couldn't stand a woman who was involved in all sorts of messy things, which was absolutely impossible in the Eastern Palace.
She gave him a disdainful look, telling him to go away and that nobody cared about him; she'd rather annoy him to death.
"Did you feed the chickens? Did you water them? You're the one who caused all this mess in the yard, you're not going to have the nerve to dump it on me, are you?"
Perhaps Shen Jizhao was afraid that the news would leak out. After all, this was a case of abducting a woman, and if it got out, the Jiang family would definitely not let it go, which would also have a great impact on his reputation. Therefore, there were no servants in the courtyard, and the only two servants were Jinqing and Pantao.
The guards also stayed in the shadows, only appearing to deliver meals at noon each day.
Therefore, whoever caused these troubles should be responsible for them; she and the Peach will not meddle in other people's business.
Hearing her call these things he had sincerely tried to please her "trouble," Shen Jizhao couldn't help but feel a little frustrated. He wiped the sawdust from his hands, dusted himself off, and then nodded obediently.
"I understand. I'm not afraid of trouble. I've already made the swing. Shui Fu, come and try the height. If it's not right, I'll change it. I'll make sure you're satisfied."
Jiang Shuifu had already finished painting one of her nails. She could have tried it on right away, but for some reason, she just wanted to be stubborn. She rolled her eyes:
"Wait a minute, can't you see I'm busy? My work is no less important than yours!"
Shen Jizhao's heart skipped a beat. She actually said such a thing. She was truly different now. She was confident and self-reliant.
She's right, her affairs are extremely important too, not just his.
If he had realized this sooner, things might not have turned out this way.
Dyeing nail polish is a very laborious and time-consuming process. By the time Jiang Shuifu's hands were completely dyed, Shen Jizhao had already fertilized the fields, and all the fruits and vegetables in the yard had been fed and nourished.
Seeing that she had finished but hadn't gotten up yet, he continued to wait and started feeding the chickens. He and Jinqing took turns feeding the little chicks running around in the yard.
Shen Jizhao, being experienced, used the same method as before: digging up the soil for the chicks to eat on their own. But Jin Qing was furious. As the Crown Prince's personal guard, he had only ever carried a sword and a knife; he had never done anything like this before.
He wouldn't eat a single chick he dug up, which made him extremely anxious. He had never done anything like this before when His Highness had given him a task.
He dared not let Shen Jizhao find out, so he could only dig and dig with all his might. He had almost dug a big hole, but the chicks still wouldn't eat. He picked up the hoe, changed direction, and continued digging.
Shen Jizhao dug with his back to him, his movements slow yet powerful, as if he always maintained an elegant and refined demeanor, a nobility ingrained in his very bones.
He dug with great enthusiasm, bending over more and more. But as he dug, he was drenched in the mud that he had scattered, and his legs, hands, and even face were covered in dust.
Jinqing behind him was still working hard, sticking his butt out with the hoe, looking like he was determined not to give up. He dug and dug, gripping the hoe lower and lower.
Suddenly, with a burst of strength, the wooden handle of his hoe pierced his lower back hard. If his lower back hadn't been well-trained, it would have been broken by the force of the blow. At the same time, he was bounced back by the solid muscles and stumbled, almost falling flat on his face.
Shen Jizhao was so angry that his face turned ashen. He turned around and stared at the culprit. Jin Qing apologized awkwardly, threw down the hoe, and smiled in a way that was more like crying.
Although Shen Jizhao didn't show it on the surface, he felt the pain inside. Just as he was about to get angry and punish him by making him do hard labor, a cheerful and mischievous laugh came.
The sound was very soft and hidden, but his keen senses allowed him to pinpoint it precisely, and he smiled.
His dark expression softened, and he looked at her with curiosity, his eyes unconsciously widening.
Only now did he realize what it meant for a person to be more beautiful than a flower. Her eyes were like autumn water, and she smiled playfully as she looked at the scene just now. With just one glance, he was completely captivated.
However, Jiang Shuifu only smiled briefly before withdrawing her favor from him.
Shen Jizhao forgot to get angry. He just waved his hand to dismiss his incompetent guard and then picked up his hoe to continue digging.
What's wrong with digging? Digging requires skill; not everyone can do it.
She enjoys watching him dig, so she can't just hand over the job to someone else.
Her smile made all the hard work he did worthwhile.
It's no wonder Shen Jizhao felt this way; they'd been reunited for so long, and he'd never seen her truly smile at him.
"Higher, not to the left, a little back, don't you have ears?"
Jiang Shuifu swung on the swing. She was very picky and was dissatisfied with almost everything he had built. He didn't argue and just changed whatever she said until she was satisfied.
She found Shen Jizhao, who didn't put on airs like a prince, boring, so she told him to step back and started swinging on her own, bending her legs back and forth, having a great time.
The swing was so high that she could see the scenery outside the yard, which was indeed desolate. He had really gone to great lengths.
Shen Jizhao was preoccupied. He waited for her for a long time before she paid him any attention. In the past, she must have waited for him in the same way.
He didn't care about her and always put her first, so how long did she wait for him?
Did he respond to her?
.
At night, after a busy day, Shen Jizhao was finally able to enjoy the company of a beautiful woman, though he could only see her but not touch her.
Jiang Shuifu picked up other storybooks to read. The direction of the storybook from that day had really angered her. The one she was reading now was called "The Emperor's Chariot ①".
It tells the story of a young emperor who pretends to be weak to outsmart others, and his love-hate relationship with the female protagonist who turns out to be his wife's sister.
The male protagonist ascended the throne at a young age, and was inevitably arrogant. In order to consolidate his throne, he not only married the prime minister's daughter as empress, but also took in three thousand beauties in the harem. Meanwhile, the court was always in turmoil. On the surface, they supported him, but behind the scenes they were all thinking about how to bring him down. The female protagonist's father was the biggest villain. He believed that his ascension to the throne was illegitimate and hated him very much.
The female lead grew up with him and loved to sweetly call him "brother." Outsiders said she was his childhood sweetheart, but she had no other thoughts. She was determined to marry him and be his wife, and he agreed.
But what awaited her was his elopement, his betrayal, and his coronation ceremony as empress—the empress was her sister.
Therefore, only an adversarial relationship remained between him and her. She sided with her family, and the male protagonist, whom she had not seen for a long time, forced her to enter the palace. She also secretly stole his secrets and demanded that he step down.
They engaged in open and covert attacks, going back and forth without mercy, until it came down to who was the one who made the wrong move.
She kept reading, and before she knew it, she was in the second half. Good heavens! The male lead was forcing her into a political marriage, then making her a concubine, and even in front of her sister, he was engaging in lewd and obscene flirting with her...
This is yet another story about a man pursuing his wife!
Jiang Shuifu was very displeased. She wanted to read sweet novels!
She flung the book aside and went to flip through the rest of the storybooks. To her surprise, every single one of them was a story about a man winning back his wife, and every single one ended with him successfully winning her back!
She finally realized something was wrong. Was this something Shen Jizhao bought to remind her?
He wanted to tell her to stop being so difficult and obediently come back to him, since the outcome would be the same anyway.
Shen Jizhao, who was standing to the side, had just changed into his daily bright red nightgown. Jiang Shuifu glared at him and scoffed:
"You don't have any nightgowns to wear, do you? They're all ripped like this, why aren't you throwing them away and pretending to be all sentimental? They stink every day! Don't come near me, this bed is split 30/70 between us! Also, buy me some new storybooks, I want stories where the male lead can't win over his wife, I want stories where the male lead chases his wife until he's reduced to ashes, in short, I absolutely don't like this ending, and I'll never imitate it! Give up!"
Shen Jizhao first touched his nose guiltily, it seemed that she saw through his intentions completely and clearly. He wanted to subtly instill in her the idea that they would get back together sooner or later.
There's no other way; if you want to win back your wife, you have to resort to some less-than-honorable methods.
Then he noticed what she had said earlier and carefully examined her nightgown. Where was it torn? He had clearly mended it, but it looked a bit messy and unsightly. He had been very careful with it; it was impossible for it to be torn.
Jiang Shuifu lay down, intending to sleep. The weather was getting hotter and hotter, and there was no ice chest in this secluded corner. She was already starting to sweat.
She longed to take off her undergarments before going to sleep. Lately, because of the shameless man in her bed, she had been sleeping in her undergarments. She was fine a few days ago, but these past few days she had been getting increasingly feverish, and she would feel slightly warm every night in the middle of the night.
Thinking of this, she angrily threw the storybook at him: "It's all your fault, I'm so hot!"
The man who had been hit in the chest looked back in confusion. What did her being hot have to do with hitting him?
Before he could ask her why, in order to quell her anger, she screamed:
"My nails!"
He rushed over to see what had happened, and saw that the phoenix tail grass wrapped around her ten delicate, white fingers had come loose and fallen off, and the red mud had been scraped off instantly.
Jiang Shuifu looked dejected, and her voice became even more resentful:
"All that time I spent getting my nails done has been wasted! It's all your fault!"
If she hadn't thrown the book at him, her nails wouldn't have gotten scratched!
Shen Jizhao now understood why she blamed him.
But his eyes gleamed, and without saying a word, he immediately got out of bed and disappeared for a while.
While Jiang Shuifu was still lamenting her nail polish, he returned, carrying nail polish materials, and then his voice leaped:
"I ruined it, so I'll fix it. I'll dye it for you again!"
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Author's Note: I'm apologizing again, sob sob. I'm shameless! Also, I'm promoting my pre-order ①; interested readers can check it out! [Let me see][Let me see]
Pursuing a wife is a gradual process, with the intensity increasing over time.
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