Mianmian was perceptive enough to realize she had overstepped—perhaps she shouldn't have privately instructed the small kitchen to reduce Huai Zhi's portions.
Mianmian said, "Young Master, I felt that the young mistress was eating a bit too much. After she ate, she was uncomfortably full all afternoon. She's probably frugal by nature and couldn't bear to waste food, so she forced herself to finish everything. I took it upon myself to have the kitchen reduce her portions."
Force herself to eat?
Huai Zhi was reckless with herself, stingy and petty.
That was just like her.
He wanted her to put on some flesh quickly, but eating too much truly harmed the body. To lose sight of the goal for a minor matter, to stop eating for fear of choking—that wouldn't do.
He said, "Then do as you've arranged. Keep an eye on her—just make sure she eats her fill, but don't let her force herself."
With that said, Cui Jingci had already headed toward the main hall.
Mianmian had initially thought this marriage was utterly absurd—she couldn't understand how Cui Jingci had taken a liking to some young woman from an embroidery workshop. But now, seeing this, he was concerned about whether she'd eaten? It seemed he truly cared.
Jiang Li had stopped in the outer courtyard and didn't follow Cui Jingci further—there were other maidservants attending inside.
Mianmian asked Jiang Li, "Brother Jiang, judging by this, when the young master married the young mistress, could it be that he genuinely liked her?"
But from what she remembered, Huai Zhi had only come here a few times. And the young master fell for her just like that? Could it be love at first sight, then affection upon second meeting, and then he simply had to marry Huai Zhi?
Oh, thinking of it that way, it made sense. But Mianmian recalled what Huai Zhi had looked like before marrying in—she was completely like a village woman. At most, she had a somewhat delicate appearance. How could that inspire love at first sight?
"They hadn't even met more than a few times—how could there be any talk of affection?" Jiang Li wore a profoundly inscrutable expression. He said, "You wouldn't understand. The young master has his own arrangements."
The young master had his own pressing need to produce an heir, and Huai Zhi happened to be suitable.
But who had given him this task? Don't ask—if you do, the answer is simply that the young master has his own plans.
Cui Jingci strode into the room and saw Huai Zhi holding an embroidery basket, seemingly doing needlework.
She had her head lowered, not even noticing he had returned.
It wasn't until Cui Jingci called out to her—Huai Zhi had been lost in thought, her hands mechanically working on the embroidery—that she was startled by the sudden sound of his voice. The needle slipped and pricked her fingertip.
A drop of blood the size of a bean quickly welled up.
Cui Jingci frowned, as if annoyed by her clumsiness. He grabbed her hand to look at it and asked, "What were you thinking about?"
Huai Zhi felt a little embarrassed that Cui Jingci was concerned about her, and she put her fingertip into her mouth.
Earlier, when she had first started doing embroidery, she'd pricked her hands countless times. Later, after bleeding so much, her needlework had only improved. Huai Zhi was used to it—being pricked didn't hurt—but she was rarely cared for like this, and it stirred a faintly bittersweet feeling in her heart.
Her round eyes curved into a smile as she said cheerfully, "It's nothing."
"How could it be nothing?" Cui Jingci pulled her finger over, frowned as he examined it—the fingertip still carried a trace of her saliva, glistening faintly.
Huai Zhi felt her hands were rough, and having him stare at them like this made her embarrassed. She quickly pulled her hand back.
Seeing her reaction, Cui Jingci didn't press further. He looked at her and asked, "Did you go to Lianxin Courtyard today?"
While Cui Jingci was looking at Huai Zhi, she was also looking at him. She still found it strange—his health was poor, yet he sat in the yamen all day. Wasn't he tired? He was already ill, so why did he insist on going to the yamen?
These thoughts churned in her mind, but her mouth answered his question: "Just asked a few questions."
Cui Jingci said, "Mianmian said you were bullied."
"Ah?"
Huai Zhi hadn't expected Mianmian to relay those words to Cui Jingci. She had heard plenty of unpleasant remarks growing up, and by now she had gradually learned not to take them to heart. So whatever those three women had been muttering about in the morning, she had already forgotten.
But she also knew that Mianmian had told Cui Jingci those things for her own good. She couldn't very well say "no, nothing happened"—that would only get Mianmian into trouble.
Huai Zhi said, "They did say some things, but I didn't really understand them."
Cui Jingci nearly forgot—Huai Zhi couldn't even read. If people insulted her, she might as well think they were singing her songs or telling her jokes.
It seemed fools really could have fool's luck.
Since that was the case, Cui Jingci saw no need to press further. She hadn't suffered any grievance, so why should he rush to defend her? He noticed she was doing needlework and raised an eyebrow. "Why are you doing these things? If you need anything, just tell the servants. Here, you don't need to lift a finger."
He thought Huai Zhi's poverty habit had flared up again, and she was fiddling with all sorts of unnecessary things.
Huai Zhi had simply run out of things to do and forced herself to find some occupation. She didn't need to go to work, she didn't need to meddle in the affairs of Lanchun Courtyard, and even when she tried to do some chores, Mianmian immediately stopped her.
She said, "I just noticed there are a lot of mosquitoes and bugs in summer, so I wanted to make a sachet with some insect-repelling herbs."
She noticed Cui Jingci didn't have the habit of wearing a sachet. She thought, what if there were bugs in the yamen and they bit him—that wouldn't be good.
When Cui Jingci heard her say this, he rubbed his brow and said, "Just ask the servants for one. Besides, the Cui household doesn't have that many mosquitoes."
Cui Jingci had long been accustomed to splitting one portion of time into two. Even the year or more of feigning illness hadn't given him any real respite. Before doing anything, he was more accustomed to weighing whether it was worth it. Hearing her fuss over such trifles, he naturally felt she was simply too idle with nothing better to do.
Huai Zhi didn't catch his underlying meaning and simply said, "I'm just worried there might be mosquitoes in your yamen. If you got bitten, that wouldn't be good."
Cui Jingci hadn't expected Huai Zhi to say that. Did she take him for a rag doll? How could he be so fragile?
Cui Jingci pulled out a smile, as if teasing her. "How do you know I'd get bitten?"
"Mm, I just know you'd get bitten." Huai Zhi extended her finger, pointing at his slender neck, where there was a red spot. She said, "Isn't that where you got bitten?"
She had been watching him the whole time, her two eyes darting about, and she had actually caught him red-handed.
When Cui Jingci was pointed at, he couldn't help but reach up and scratch his neck.
Fine. Huai Zhi's time wasn't important—it could be crumpled ten portions into one. She had nothing to do; she needed to pass the time.
That evening, after the two had eaten dinner together, Cui Jingci asked Huai Zhi to stand before him.
Huai Zhi didn't understand why, but she still got up and walked over to him.
Cui Jingci placed his hand on her belly. The summer clothes were thin and light, and Huai Zhi could even feel the warmth of his palm.
She was baffled and startled, instinctively trying to dodge, but he held her firmly in place. His voice was low and husky as he said, "Don't squirm."
Cui Jingci could feel that Huai Zhi's belly had clearly swelled into a small round mound.
If only there were his child inside.
So, when could he get her belly swollen?
Huai Zhi had no idea what Cui Jingci was really doing. She felt that he sometimes did very strange things that she simply couldn't understand.
Even though she didn't understand, she still didn't move.
Cui Jingci said, "It's a bit rounder now."
"I've been eating more, that's all." Huai Zhi suddenly thought—could Cui Jingci be implying that she ate too much?
Back home, when her father thought she ate too much, he would indirectly say she'd gotten fat.
But last time, it was Cui Jingci who told her to eat more. Could it be that he was just being polite?
Huai Zhi felt she'd been a bit greedy.
She also felt embarrassed—whenever she came across something delicious, her face would nearly bury itself in the bowl, and she'd stop paying attention to anything said around her.
She blushed and asked, "Am I eating too much?"
Was he starting to dislike her?
Cui Jingci smiled slightly, as if coaxing her to eat more. "Not at all, Huai Zhi. Being able to eat is a blessing."
Just like a little girl—she couldn't take a bit of teasing, so didn't she need to eat more?
Huai Zhi could hear Cui Jingci's gentle voice, but she couldn't hear the filthy thoughts in his mind.
No one had ever told her to eat more. They only ever said that suffering loss was a blessing. No one had ever said that being able to eat was a blessing. Her eyes couldn't help but redden slightly.
Seeing her about to cry, Cui Jingci's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. Why would she cry over this?
Huai Zhi, just how lowly are you, that even a single sentence like this makes your eyes well up?
Cui Jingci thought that if he kept up this act, Huai Zhi would eventually become utterly devoted to him, wanting nothing more than to stay by his side for the rest of her life. Even if one day he no longer wanted her, she would still beg him tearfully not to abandon her.
Imagining that scene, Cui Jingci couldn't help but sigh—that would truly be… so pitiful.
He had originally planned to continue with his task.
But then he saw Huai Zhi hiding away by herself, crying like a little kitten, and he gave up on the idea.
Early the next morning, Cui Jingci got up, and Huai Zhi sat up along with him.
She was genuinely curious—why did he still go to the yamen office even though he was ill?
She couldn't help but ask him.
Cui Jingci's ink-black hair cascaded down his back, his cold pale skin appearing even more translucent in the morning light. Hearing Huai Zhi's movements, he turned his head to look at her, let out a light chuckle, and teased, "If I don't go to work, what would Huai Zhi have to eat?"
Huai Zhi didn't catch the joke in Cui Jingci's words. She genuinely believed that the money for their meals came solely from Cui Jingci's work at the office. She quickly said seriously, "I can go out and work too. I can do many things, and I'm very strong."
He was a sick man, yet he was still working outside—how could she just eat without doing anything?
She then remembered the monthly allowance Cui Jingci gave her—a full twenty taels a month! She said, "And, and I don't spend much money. You don't need to give me such a large allowance."
Huai Zhi had just woken up, and her collar hung loose and disheveled. Cui Jingci could see her fair, tender skin without even lowering his head. Her hair lay messily draped across her face, making her face look even smaller—no bigger than a palm.
Cui Jingci said, "If you went out and worked for a month, you couldn't even afford a single set of clothes."
After a month away, exhausting himself to the bone, he came back looking gaunt and skeletal—hadn't all that eating been for nothing? The money he earned couldn't even buy a few proper meals.
And she claimed she was strong? Then who was the one being tossed about and turned over every which way?
He didn't care whether his words wounded Huai Zhi's pride, because she had wounded his. He was a grown man—how could he possibly let a woman support him?
He said, "If you run short of money, go ask Nanny Yao for some. Don't go running around recklessly."
Huai Zhi didn't say much in response, only giving a muffled "Mm" in the end.
Her obedient demeanor made Cui Jingci sigh. He still cupped her cheek and coaxed her, saying, "I was only joking with you. Don't worry yourself over nothing—there's money."
Hearing this, she brightened again at once, completely forgetting what she had asked him in the first place. Seeing him get up, she scrambled out of bed right along with him.
Cui Jingci said, "You can sleep a little longer."
Huai Zhi said, "I can't seem to fall back asleep."
"Very well."
Cui Jingci did not go to practice his sword that day. His grandfather had summoned him.
Vice Assistant Minister Cui was having his morning meal alone. Seeing him arrive, he bade him sit down and join him.
The old man was already past sixty, and the signs of age were clearly visible—his back was somewhat hunched. He was very advanced in years, with a long white beard hanging from his chin, kept meticulously clean and tidy.
Vice Assistant Minister Cui asked, "How is the new bride? Are you satisfied with her?"
At first, when Vice Assistant Minister Cui had heard that Cui Jingci wished to marry a village woman, he had not agreed.
What sort of man was Cui Jingci? He was his most beloved young descendant. From childhood to adulthood, he had never once disappointed him—passing the provincial examination at seventeen, and taking that northern war, as difficult as it was, and still winning it.
Ah, but heaven envies the gifted, and fortune had turned unkind.
Treacherous villains had appeared at court, sowing discord between the Cui family and the young emperor. Vice Assistant Minister Cui understood the principle that tall trees catch the wind, and knew that Cui Jingci had been drawing far too much attention in recent years. To avoid any major disaster in the future, he had no choice but to have him step back for a while.
Cui Jingci feigned illness—that in itself was nothing—but it was necessary to relinquish some power. And now the power had been given away; he currently held only a nominal post as a vice director in the Ministry of War. During this period of stepping back, he had suddenly one day expressed a desire to take a wife. Vice Assistant Minister Cui thought—it made sense, after all. He was twenty-seven by now.
He asked whom he wished to marry.
Who would have thought—he said he wanted to marry a village woman.
Never mind that his illness was feigned; even if it were real, there was no need to marry someone so lowborn. It was an utter disgrace to the family name, and to himself!
But Cui Jingci had his own reasoning. He said he merely needed a child. Even if in the future, once he had a child, he wished to divorce Huai Zhi, given how timid and cowardly she was, she would absolutely never cling and make a fuss.
Moreover, the emperor, swayed by slanderous words, was now wary of him and likely feared he might form marriage alliances with other great families. At a time like this, marrying a village woman would actually serve to lower their guard.
Vice Assistant Minister Cui thought it over—and that too made sense!
Even if one day Cui Jingci divorced her, it wasn't as if he couldn't remarry. His fine eldest grandson could marry whomever he pleased. Vice Assistant Minister Cui had great confidence in him.
If one were to say that Cui Jingci was so self-assured as a person, it likely had no small connection to this grandfather of his.
He was twenty-seven this year, no longer young, and the current circumstances were unusual. In the end, the old man had agreed, and under the pretext of dispelling bad luck through marriage, he instructed his sons and daughters-in-law to arrange the wedding.
At this moment, he asked Cui Jingci, who was sitting across from him, "How is your new wife?"
Cui Jingci thought of Huai Zhi and the events of that morning. He had lied to her, saying he needed to report for duty to earn money, and she had promptly declared she could go do work herself, speaking with an air of absolute certainty, as if it were a foregone conclusion. She couldn't even take care of herself, yet she presumed to try to support someone else. And what work could she possibly do? She couldn't even read—at best, she could wash dishes or carry trays for others, or perhaps do embroidery. At worst, she could till the fields. Besides being clumsy, she was also somewhat naive and overreaching, actually believing she could support him.
He answered his grandfather, feeling his assessment was fair: "She's just so-so, I suppose."