Chapter 27: Garlic White Meat (Part 2)
Died not quite normally?
There were many kinds of "not quite normal," and Jing Yi felt that the "not quite normal" he had in mind was likely not the same as what Leng Yue meant by "not quite normal."
Jing Yi weighed his words carefully and tentatively asked, "Was it that he looked not quite normal, felt not quite normal, smelled not quite normal, or tasted... the usual kinds of not quite normal?"
Although he had promptly swallowed back the words "tasted not quite normal," Leng Yue still looked deeply disgusted. She frowned and spat the mouthful of water she had just taken back into the cup.
"Stop guessing..." Leng Yue wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, furrowed her brows as she placed the cup back on the tea tray, her expression indescribably unpleasant. "I'm going to Qin Hehuan's place to take a look, then heading to An Wang's residence. I directly moved the coffin to the Ministry of Justice—I expect the Capital Prefecture will give me a hard time again... You don't need to concern yourself with this matter, and don't inquire about it." After saying this, Leng Yue added with extra seriousness, "Absolutely do not inquire."
"Rest assured, my lady."
Leng Yue walked a few steps toward the door, then turned back. She wrapped her arms around Jing Yi's neck, gently stood on her toes, and quickly kissed his still faintly smiling lips, then swiftly said, "For that cup of hot water... your reward."
Before Jing Yi could process what happened, Leng Yue had already vanished.
When Leng Yue left, she was indeed quite at ease. But when she returned for dinner that evening, as soon as a plate of Garlic White Meat was served, Jing Yi's face abruptly turned pale with a greenish tint. Leng Yue began to faintly sense an ominous premonition.
After Ji Qiu led the serving maids away, Leng Yue ate while watching Jing Yi beside her silently shoveling plain rice into his mouth. After watching for a while, with Jing Yi continuing to eat only plain rice, the ominous feeling in Leng Yue's heart grew stronger.
"Did you go inquire about Xiao Yunde's matter?"
Jing Yi lifted his head from his bowl of rice and shook it innocently. "No, I didn't."
"Oh..." Leng Yue's expression remained unchanged as she picked up a slice from the plate of Garlic White Meat, rinsed it twice in her teacup to wash off the green cilantro flakes and bright red sauce, leaving only a pale piece of pork belly. Dripping wet, she placed it into Jing Yi's rice bowl. "Eat this."
Jing Yi's face instantly turned another shade greener. "My lady..."
Leng Yue shot him a glare. "Eat."
Jing Yi picked up the slice of meat, brought it to his mouth, opened his mouth, opened it again, opened it once more...
Leng Yue watched him coolly as he kept opening his mouth without actually putting the meat in, and asked again, "Did you go inquire about Xiao Yunde's matter?"
Jing Yi obediently replied, "Yes..."
"Do you know how he died?"
"Not the specifics, but I heard people say he was pale and clean, somewhat like..." Jing Yi looked at the white piece of pork belly clamped between his chopsticks, his stomach churning, and couldn't continue.
"Enough," Leng Yue rolled her eyes. "Stop eating."Jing Yi exhaled a long breath like a prisoner acquitted in court, returning the thoroughly blanched meat slice to his plate. He dipped it repeatedly in the sauce until the entire piece lost its stark whiteness before leaving it safely on the plate. Burying his head, he shoveled two mouthfuls of rice, eating so hastily he choked and sprayed grains everywhere.
"Cough, cough..."
"Such poor composure..." Leng Yue set down her bowl and chopsticks, patting his back in mild exasperation. "I told you not to pry! Do you think I'd harm you?"
Jing Yi coughed until tears welled, squeezing out words between gasps. "I'm afraid others might harm you..."
Leng Yue's patting hand paused. "Who would harm me?"
"You said the Jing Zhaoyin's office would give you trouble..."
Leng Yue froze momentarily. Given her special position, being caught between different government offices was commonplace. She'd mentioned it casually without any intent to complain, yet he'd taken it to heart.
Suddenly she recalled something. "The Jing Zhaoyin visited Prince An this morning - he entered limping, drenched in sweat, panting like he'd collapse any moment. Even after sitting down, his hands and feet kept trembling. Was that your doing?"
Jing Yi nodded with immense satisfaction.
Leng Yue felt that ominous premonition growing stronger again.
"What exactly did you do to him?"
Jing Yi took two sips of tea, answering calmly. "He's a proper third-rank court official, almost as old as the Old Master. As both his junior and subordinate, how could I be disrespectful?"
Leng Yue quietly sighed in relief, but before she could fully relax, Jing Yi continued even more nonchalantly, "I just removed the wheels from his carriage at the Jing Zhaoyin's office after you left."
"..."
"Then dismantled his sedan chair's canopy."
"..."
"Also trimmed his horse's tail."
"..."
"Finally buried his official boots in his family's rice jar."
"..."
"According to the Ministry of Rites' regulations, he had no choice but to run to Prince An's residence. I estimated that by the time he arrived, you'd already finished discussing everything with His Highness. This round goes to my lady."
"..."
As Jing Yi's words faded, Leng Yue was silently fuming when he suddenly wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into his embrace. She nearly jumped in shock.
"...What are you doing!"
Jing Yi flashed an innocent smile, looking at his blushing, stiff wife seated on his lap. "Do I get a reward?"
"I'll reward you with your uncle!"
Jing Yi corrected, "Our uncle."
Leng Yue choked on her breath, nearly passing out. "No reward from any uncle! Let go of me!"
Jing Yi pouted sulkily, holding tight. "Then you lied to me this morning."
"What did I lie about!"
"When you kissed me this morning, you said it was a reward for that cup of hot water. Even pouring hot water gets a reward - after all my efforts this morning, shouldn't I get one too?"
"There is..." Leng Yue felt like going mad. Taking a deep breath, she had a sudden inspiration. "The Turtle Grandson reward goes to you. Go play with it."
Jing Yi didn't loosen his grip in the slightest, blinking his innocent fox-like eyes. "It was already mine. That doesn't count."
"I bought that turtle! Why is it yours!"Jing Yi looked at his wife whose cheeks had suddenly flushed an even deeper shade of red, smiling with immense satisfaction. "When you were buying that turtle, weren't you competing with a young gentleman? When you couldn't outbid him, you pulled him aside and pleaded softly, saying you wanted to buy it for your husband. You told him your husband's cat had died, and the pond of koi he raised had all perished too. You were afraid he'd take it too hard, so you wanted to give him something hard to kill..."
Before Jing Yi could finish, Leng Yue's face burned as if about to emit smoke.
Good heavens...
No wonder he'd been acting so shamelessly tonight...
She had whispered those words privately to that person—how did he know!
Leng Yue put on a stern face and cut him off, "If you keep spouting nonsense, I'll slap you!"
"You also told him you've been with your husband for over ten years and had never seen him so heartbroken. It pained you terribly..."
Leng Yue desperately wished she could find a crack in the ground to hide in. If she couldn't fit her whole body, at least she could bury her face...
Unfortunately, there was no crack wide enough, and her face wasn't small enough. She could only grab Jing Yi by the collar and yell as loud as she could, "Have you grown tired of living?!"
"That gentleman was a junior official who just started at the Court of Judicial Review. He told everyone during lunch today, saying he envied your husband to death..."
Leng Yue's hand trembled, nearly choking Jing Yi.
An official from the Court of Judicial Review, and he told everyone...
At the time, she thought he was just a wealthy, delicate young master. When she couldn't outbid him, she negotiated politely. The gentleman was stubborn, insisting she provide a proper reason before yielding. In her anxiety, she spoke a few heartfelt words—who could have known...
Leng Yue was grateful she'd had the foresight not to reveal her identity...
Jing Yi paused here. Thinking it was finally over, Leng Yue relievedly released his collar. But instead, Jing Yi held her tighter, his smile deepening as if joy had seeped into his bones, his words brimming with uninhibited delight. "I didn't know you've been with me for over ten years already."
"...Shut up!"
"You were so heartbroken, yet you didn't tell me."
"...Are you done?!"
"What if you make yourself sick with worry?"
"...Don't make me get rough with you!"
"Are you full?"
Leng Yue was thrown off by this sudden question, her forehead darkening. "No... Let go, I'm going to eat."
Jing Yi released her—but only one hand. Slipping his other arm behind her knees, he scooped her up horizontally and stood, lowering his head to plant a deep kiss on her lips before she could protest. "Let me treat you to something nice."
"...!"
By the time Leng Yue remembered her own name again, dawn was nearly breaking.
It was the first time Leng Yue felt as if every bone in her body had been disassembled, like she'd been fighting someone for three days and three nights. Though thoroughly defeated, there was an indescribable pleasure in it.
Isn't this just madness...
The person she'd been "fighting" was right before her, his jade-smooth skin glistening with fine sweat, the whole person glowing with vitality. Aside from lacking the scent of earth, he still resembled a freshly washed white radish.
This morning in the backyard, she'd only seen half of him—now she was seeing the whole thing.
The whole thing...
Looked even more appetizing than half.As she thought this, Leng Yue's stomach rumbled once.
One rumble wasn't enough—it continued gurgling several more times in succession.
Leng Yue closed her eyes in resignation and lay still. After all, she had already lost all dignity she'd ever have in this lifetime today—what was a little more shame?
The whole white radish gently rubbed against her flat belly. "Still not full?"
Without opening her eyes, Leng Yue replied weakly, "Get lost..."
"Then let's try something else to eat."
Leng Yue lay there fatalistically, not moving.
Since entering the room, she had heard this line over ten times. At first, she didn't understand what this so-called "eating" meant, but now it was seared into her memory.
Just as Leng Yue prepared to endure another round of "eating" with him, Jing Yi merely leaned down to taste her damp forehead, then covered her with the quilt, threw on his robe, and left the bed.
Leng Yue was taken aback. She opened her eyes, but he was already gone.
If heaven wants rain, and that wants to do that... so be it...
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