Chapter 9: A Heavy Taste
While Yao Zhi was making plans for her future, a shadow suddenly fell over her. Coming back to her senses, she saw a pair of dusty military boots in front of her.
Raising her gaze, she noticed that the person standing before her actually had a pair of straight, long legs, a slim waist, and broad shoulders.
As her gaze continued upward, she met a pair of bright eyes staring at her. Yao Zhi was stunned when she saw the reflection of her chubby face in the manâs deep eyes.
The moment she met the young manâs gaze, Yao Zhi felt her heart skip a beat. Such a handsome man, full of strong manâs hormones. If he were born in the modern era, he might have become a top-tier model or famous actor without a doubt!
Standing in front of his wife, Fu Chenâan was amused by her reaction. It was as if this was the first time she had ever seen him.
Looking at Yao Zhiâs parted lips and the clear admiration in her eyes, Fu Chenâanâs vanity as a man was satisfied. Reaching out, he used his sleeve to wipe the sweat from his wifeâs forehead.
"Why are you staring at me like that? Did you forget your husbandâs face after not meeting for a few weeks?" he asked with a teasing tone.
Hearing his words, Yao Zhi finally regained her composure.
She had already prepared herself to have an average-looking husband, so when she met her handsome husband, she couldnât help but thank heaven and her eighteen generations of ancestors for this blessing.
Taking a deep breath to calm down, Yao Zhi finally asked, "Have you eaten?"
This time, Fu Chenâan was surprised. During their limited meetings, most of the time, his wife had been scolding or shouting at him. This was the first time she spoke in such a gentle tone.
Unwilling to shatter the peaceful atmosphere, Fu Chenâan took a seat beside her and replied, "I havenât eaten."
"I donât know what you like, so I made several dishes," Yao Zhi said as she opened the layered bamboo basket and took out the dishes.
When Fu Chenâan saw the plump, white steamed rice, his pupils shrank for a moment. As a Squad Leader, he would receive one dan of grains and a stipend of three hundred wen every month.
The price of rice was eight wen per jin, while coarse grains were two wen per jin. Judging from the amount of food his wife brought, she must have used at least one jin of rice.
Even though he was feeling a pain in his pocket, Fu Chenâan said nothing. Then, he saw his wife open the lids of the bowls and reveal the dishes.
This time, he couldnât calm down after seeing the braised pork, egg drop soup, and vegetables with lard residue. He looked at his wife and asked, "Wife, did something good happen? Are we celebrating something?"
Hearing this question, Yao Zhi was confused and shook her head. "Nothing is going on. Why did you ask this?"
"Then why did you prepare so much meat and steamed white rice?" he asked again.
After hearing her nominal husbandâs words, Yao Zhi finally realized that people in this era only consumed meat once or twice a year. Normally, they would only eat coarse grains and vegetable dishes with little oil.
It took her a moment to reply, "There is some meat left at home, and you have been working hard in the barracks. This is the first time I have come to visit you, so I thought of making something delicious to nourish your body."
When he heard this, Fu Chenâan nodded and replied with a smile, "Wife, I eat a lot, but Iâm not picky."
Yao Zhi understood his meaning and replied, "I understand. Next time, I wonât prepare white rice."
As soon as he heard his wifeâs words, Fu Chenâanâs hand stopped for a second. He stared at her and asked, "You will come again?"
Thinking that he was embarrassed by her, Yao Zhi added, "If itâs bothering you and makes you feel embarrassed, then I wonât come again. You..."
Before she could finish her words, Fu Chenâan grabbed her hand and interrupted her. "Iâm not! I didnât!"
"Huh?"
Meeting his wifeâs bright eyes full of confusion, he explained, "It is not bothering me. You can visit me anytime. Also, I never feel embarrassed about marrying you. I only worry that you will be too tired."
Yao Zhi was stunned by his words.
âThis man... Is he really like the original owner? He has such a heavy taste?â
she thought inwardly.
Although she was full of doubts, she didnât dare voice it out. So, she only nodded, filled a bowl of rice for herself, and handed the rest to him. "Alright. Try my cooking."
Fu Chenâan nodded and started eating. With his wife continuing to add food into his bowl, he ate with relish.
Yao Zhi was amazed by how much this man could eat. While her body was chubby, she could only eat a bowl of rice and a bowl of egg soup with some side dishes. The rest of the food went into her husbandâs stomach.
While the two of them were enjoying their lunch, Xiao Wei nudged his mother and asked, "Mother, whatâs going on with that woman?"
Wang Shen slapped her sonâs arm when she heard his words and scolded, "Yao Zhi only felt angry at her husband before. Now that she has thought things through, she is no longer the same person as before."
Xiao Wei was skeptical. No matter how a woman resented her husband, would someone go to the extreme like Yao Zhi and embarrass her husband even on their wedding day?
"Mother, are you sure she only resented Brother Fu before? From what my wife told me, she seemed as if she hated him to the bone."
Wang Shenâs face darkened at his words. "Your wife is foolish and petty minded. She was always prejudiced against others. You, as her husband, should guide her, and not believe all her words."