After the King of Xiang came to Chen's house, the Chen house resumed its mourning life with the door closed and only servants occasionally coming in and out.
Without the threat of Chen Jizong who might retaliate against Siyitang, Chen Jingzong felt at ease to continue climbing over the wall to go hunting.
In autumn, there are more game in the mountains, including bright red and round mountain dates, which have large kernels and little meat but are sweet and sour, and plump and shiny chestnuts. After removing the hard shells, dry them, and stir-fry them in a pot with sugar. They are soft and sweet, or you can stew them with pheasants for delicious meat and fresh soup.
In his previous life, Huayang had a poor appetite. Even though he was trapped in Siyi Hall every day and rarely moved, he was still thin.
Now, after being secretly fed various game by Chen Jingzong for several months, when the weather got colder, Chaoyun took out a set of plain white brocade mourning clothes that was cut and sewn according to her body size in the spring. After Huayang put it on, she felt that her arms and the lapels were very restrictive.
With a frown on her face, Huayang walked to the half-person-high peep show she had brought from the capital.
Her upper body was reflected in the mirror, which showed every detail.
Snow-white neck and slightly pink cheeks.
"You are so white..."
Chen Jingzong's seemingly serious but actually teasing voice rang in his ears again. Huayang deliberately did not think about the relationship between her whiteness and his lust. She just approached the mirror, raised her hand to touch her face, then touched her chin, and asked Chaoyun unhappily: "Am I much fatter than before I got married?"
She was not a thin beauty, but rather a plump one. The royal relatives and wives all praised her for being as graceful and elegant as a peony, and Huayang also liked herself that way.
But plumpness is a kind of beauty, and fat is another body shape.
It was all because of this mourning period. She couldn't wear too much jewelry or colorful dresses. She didn't even have the mood to admire herself in the mirror.
Chao Yun wanted to cheer the princess up, but seeing her chest becoming more and more obvious from being stretched by her clothes and almost popping out, Chao Yun knew that the princess would not believe him even if he lied, so he could only whisper, "It seems that she has gained a little weight, but only a little. If I hadn't taken out the autumn clothes, I wouldn't have noticed. And it's really just a little bit. You can wear it with a simple modification."
Huayang pursed his lips and deliberately retracted his jaw. He was relieved that he hadn't gained a double chin, but he also secretly decided to make a change.
At dusk, Chen Jingzong came back. In the afternoon he went to another town and brought back a big pork elbow.
Over at Fucuitang, ever since Luo Yuyan gave birth to a daughter, she has never come here to get meat. Moreover, Erlang and Sanlang had already been freed from mourning in advance and could eat meat dishes. Sun even deliberately added more portions, as this was a secret way for her daughters-in-law to eat well and nourish their bodies.
Chen Jingzong sent the pork elbow to the kitchen and told Chao Yuehong to braise it while he went to fetch water for a bath.
He washed quickly, put on his clothes and came out, only to see Chaoyun walking in from outside with a smile on his face and a shuttlecock made of pheasant feathers in his hand.
"The prince consort."
Seeing him, Chaoyun hurriedly saluted.
Chen Jingzong: "Did you do it yourself?"
Chaoyun nodded. The pheasants that the prince consort brought back in the past all had particularly colorful tail feathers. Chaoyue, who was in charge of slaughtering the chickens, collected the most beautiful ones. He had saved up a lot of them, which came in handy.
Chen Jingzong guessed and asked, "Princess, do you want to play?"
Chaoyun still nodded.
Chen Jingzong said nothing more and sat in a chair drinking tea.
Not long after Chaoyun went in with the shuttlecock, Huayang came out. Without even looking at Chen Jingzong, he took the shuttlecock and went to the yard to kick it.
Chen Jingzong stopped her and said, "Just play in the main hall. If you play outside, what if the shuttlecock flies high and is seen by the people in the main house? What if the old man no longer treats you as a filial daughter-in-law?"
If she didn't take the old man seriously like she did him, it wouldn't matter where she kicked him. The problem was the way she looked at the old man...
When Huayang turned around, he happened to meet the sarcasm on his face.
In fact, you don’t even need to look at his face, his reminder just now was sarcastic.
Hua Yang glared at him, but did not leave. He ordered Chen Jingzong, "Move the table away first."
Chen Jingzong was a dishonest person, but he was not stingy when asked to do things. He grabbed one side of the dining table with both hands and carried it to the side easily.
The space in the middle of the main room became bigger. Huayang stretched her arms and legs, lifted the hem of her complicated skirt with one hand, and started kicking shuttlecock.
She wanted to increase her activity to lose weight, so she focused on the kick.
Chen Jingzong stood on one side with his arms folded across his chest. At first, he was watching the shuttlecock flying up and down. As he watched, his eyes fell on Huayang's rosy face and then moved down.
Huayang hadn't played shuttlecock for a long time, and she didn't control it very well. The shuttlecock flew everywhere, and her figure also turned around in all directions.
Turning to Chen Jingzong again, the tall and slender Prince Consort was really hard to ignore. Huayang took a distracted look and saw that Chen Jingzong's eyes were fixed on her...
Two balls of fire flew towards his face. Huayang grabbed the shuttlecock and threw it at him in anger!
Chen Jingzong caught the shuttlecock, watched her walk quickly towards the inner room, and smiled.
"Put it away, it's time to eat." He threw the shuttlecock to Chao Yun, who had no idea what was going on.
Chaoyun actually knew that the princess must have neglected to practice and her kicking skills were not good enough, and the prince consort was laughing at her, which made the princess angry!
She went to wipe the shuttlecock, and Chen Jingzong moved the dining table back to its original place. Thinking that the pork elbow would not be cooked so quickly, Chen Jingzong went to the inner room.
Huayang sat by the window and glanced at him. She picked up the script on the table and lowered her eyes expressionlessly.
His expression was arrogant, with only a hint of blush remaining on his cheeks.
"I thought only girls from ordinary families liked to play this, but it turns out that the princess is also an expert at it, her graceful figure dancing like a flying snow swallow."
Chen Jingzong sat opposite her and complimented her.
Huayang gritted his teeth.
Snow swallows flying is a nice phrase, but when it comes out of Chen Jingzong's mouth, it seems to have other meanings.
We still have to play shuttlecock in the future, but Chen Jingzong must not be allowed to watch.
"Why did you suddenly think of playing shuttlecock?" Chen Jingzong asked again.
Of course Huayang wouldn't tell him the reason.
After reading a few lines, Huayang noticed that Chen Jingzong was too quiet. He wondered if his eyes were not honest again, so he looked up.
Chen Jingzong leaned his head back against the chair with his eyes closed, as if he was taking a nap.
The Chen family has many literati, but he is handsome to the point of being almost fierce. Only when he closes his eyes does his sharpness hide, revealing a bit of the gentleness that all men in the Chen family have.
"tired?"
Huayang asked. After all, he had been out all day, and if he was tired, she would urge the kitchen to serve dinner as soon as possible.
Chen Jingzong shook his head: "No, I'm thinking about something."
Huayang: "What are you thinking about?"
Chen Jingzong opened his eyes and looked at her.
The moment their eyes met, Hua Yang became alert and glared at him, saying, "If you dare to talk nonsense again, you will sleep down there tonight."
This also proves that what he was thinking about just now was indeed not a serious matter!
Huayang picked up the book and went outside.
It gradually darkened outside the window.
Dinner was ready. Chaoyue brought out a covered plate like a thief and told her masters to wait until she left before opening it.
The other dishes were also served, and Chaoyun and Chaoyue left together, closing the door behind them.
Chen Jingzong opened the lid, revealing a plate of bright red roasted pork elbows, exuding an enticing aroma.
Huayang: …
Chen Jingzong picked up the chopsticks and saw that the elbow was cooked till soft and tender. He picked up a piece without much effort.
"This piece is the best. I'll give it to you." Chen Jingzong said, trying to pass the meat to her side.
Huayang immediately covered the mouth of the bowl with his hand and said calmly, "It's the same stuff over and over again. I'm tired of it. I just want to eat vegetarian food recently."
Chen Jingzong was stunned.
Huayang picked up the chopsticks and picked up another vegetarian dish.
"Really?" Chen Jingzong raised his chopsticks.
Huayang remained indifferent.
Chen Jingzong ate it himself.
When Huayang had eaten half of the pork elbow, Chen Jingzong asked her again, but she still refused to eat.
Chen Jingzong was no longer polite.
Huayang was greedy, but she didn't want to get fatter.
After rinsing his mouth, Huayang told Chaoyun: "Take a lantern and follow me to the garden."
Chen Jingzong: "It's dark now."
Huayang ignored him.
Chaoyun lit the lantern, but it was snatched away by Chen Jingzong.
Huayang just wanted to exercise, so it didn't matter who accompanied him. When Chen Jingzong caught up with him, he warned him not to talk too much. It was fine if he talked nonsense in the room, but what if someone else heard it outside
Chen Jingzong held the lantern silently.
The small garden was just behind Siyi Hall. It was quiet at this moment, and there was no one else except them.
Huayang began to walk around in circles in the small garden.
When they got to the third circle, Chen Jingzong suddenly asked, "You're playing shuttlecock again, and you don't eat meat. Don't you think you've gained weight?"
Huayang deliberately said: "Nonsense, my mother said that I was born beautiful and I won't get fat no matter how much I eat."
Chen Jingzong: "Since you won't get fat, why are you doing all that?"
Huayang: …
She just wanted to test whether Chen Jingzong noticed that she had gained weight, but he did not take the opportunity to ridicule her. Instead, he lied to her with open eyes.
The way this man looked at her and the pair of hands that clung to her and refused to let go at night appeared in Huayang's mind. What else didn't Huayang understand
"I'm willing to try."
All this took Huayang half an hour to walk around the garden. His feet were sore from walking because he was wearing soft-soled embroidered shoes, which had too thin soles.
Chen Jingzong walked with her at first, and later sat on the stone bench in the middle of the garden, accompanying her with his eyes.
Huayang really couldn't walk anymore, so she went around to the intersection leading to Siyi Hall. She didn't care about Chen Jingzong and left.
Chen Jingzong picked up the lantern and chased after him.
The bathroom was ready with water. Huayang rested for a while, and then took a shower after her breathing calmed down. Although she was tired, she felt extremely satisfied. As long as she persisted in this way, she would not be afraid of not losing weight.
When she finished her shower and returned to the inner room, Chen Jingzong was already lying on the bed.
Huayang looked at the ground and found some water marks, and realized that he had washed his feet.
After turning off the lights, Huayang climbed onto the bed. Because Chen Jingzong was always restless, the two of them had always slept in separate quilts.
Huayang was tired and was about to fall asleep with his eyes closed.
Chen Jingzong's voice suddenly came from behind: "You have indeed gained 10 to 20 pounds recently, but I think you are just the right size, so you really don't need to lose weight."
Huayang only heard "seven or eight pounds"!
He is a martial artist, usually wielding swords and guns, so he can definitely judge the weight of something in his hand with a pretty good accuracy.
Some nights, Chen Jingzong would either hold her in his lap or pull her into his arms, giving him the opportunity to feel her weight.
"I don't care what you think. I want to return to my original appearance." Hua Yang said indifferently, "Next time if you see me getting fat without reminding me, and I find out, you won't be able to touch me again."
Chen Jingzong: …
It's just that she gained 20 or 30 pounds, but he made it sound so serious, as if he was watching her become terminally ill.
He really liked her current body more, but thinking that the delicate princess would rather walk for half an hour to change back, Chen Jingzong sighed, lifted the quilt, and said to her: "Come here."
Huayang frowned: "What?"
Chen Jingzong patted his chest and said, "Come on over here, let me feel how much weight you've lost after walking so long tonight."
Huayang: …
She really wanted to know the effectiveness of tonight's activities, and she had no other way to measure it except Chen Jingzong.
"You go down and hold me and walk a few steps and you will know." Huayang sat up and gave the command. If they really lay down, it would be like a sheep walking into a tiger's mouth.
Chen Jingzong stood beside the bed in his undershirt.
Huayang moved over.
Chen Jingzong held her back with one hand and lifted her knees with the other, then walked around the inner room with big strides and said seriously, "It's about one or two pounds less than the last time I held you."
Huayang: …
Why do I feel like he is fooling people
(End of this chapter)