Mingyu snuggled up to Sima Hong's chest, listening to his strong heartbeat, her tears wet the front of Sima Hong's lapel, "You're a bastard!" Mingyu cursed through gritted teeth.
Sima Hong coaxed her in a gentle voice, "Yes, I am a bastard, don't hold it against me." Hearing Mingyu's nasal voice, he quickly loosened his arms around Mingyu and sighed helplessly, "Why are you crying again? I've already apologized. Why are you so wronged?" He raised his hand to wipe away Mingyu's tears. He hadn't touched his wife for a few days, and he felt itchy in his heart. He couldn't help but put his face against Mingyu's cheek affectionately.
He hadn't shaved during the days when he and Mingyu were at odds, and the rough stubble pricked Mingyu's face. Mingyu pushed Sima Hong's face away and said in disgust, "Get out of the way, it's hurting you!"
"Okay, okay." Sima Hong smiled and said, "I'll shave when I get home. Don't be angry with me. It's all my fault."
Despite his gentle apology, Mingyu cried even harder. Her tears flowed like water, as if she wanted to vent all the grievances she had endured over the past few days. No one knew how desperate she had been during those days. She thought that their relationship would come to an end not long after they got married.
"Don't cry." Sima Hong said softly, "We are in the ancestral temple. If the ancestors hear it, they might think I bullied you. Besides, crying too much will also affect the child. What if the child becomes a crybaby in the future?"
The last sentence worked. Mingyu's heart trembled, she touched her belly, and slowly stopped crying.
However, at this moment, the old monk who was preparing to give a lecture to Mingyu in the Zen room waited for his wife for a long time but she didn't come, so he went to the front hall to find Mingyu, and happened to see Mingyu sobbing in Sima Hong's arms.
The old abbot was almost seventy years old. He was extremely embarrassed when he saw this. He turned around hurriedly, clasped his hands together, and said, "Amitabha, I am sorry, sorry! I didn't mean to see this."
Even though Sima Hong was thick-skinned, he was still a little embarrassed and sighed quickly, "Master, it's like this. Madam Gang remembered how good her grandmother was to her and she couldn't help herself. I hope you can forgive me."
The old abbot quickly praised Mingyu for her sincerity and filial piety, saying that she was a model of a filial daughter-in-law. He was supported by the Sima family, so naturally he did his best to praise his master.
Mingyu's face turned red due to the flattery of the old abbot. She couldn't help but glare at Sima Hong who was sniggering beside her. He was really good at talking nonsense.
"Madam, are you still free to listen to my lecture today?" asked the abbot.
Mingyu shook her head and smiled, "Not today, let's do it another day. I have something else to do, so I'll go back first." She liked listening to the abbot's lectures because the old abbot was well-read and only picked out interesting Buddhist stories to tell her. In this era of extremely scarce entertainment, listening to the abbot's stories was one of her few pastimes. She thought privately that the old abbot must have treated her like a child.
After Sima Hong carefully helped Mingyu out of the ancestral temple, Mrs. Liu and the coachman who were waiting for Mingyu in the carriage outside breathed a sigh of relief at the same time. When their masters were quarreling, they, the servants, were also worried. Now the young couple have finally reconciled, which is cause for celebration.
The carriage was covered with thick mattresses and quilts, as well as a small charcoal stove for heating. Sima Hong was tall and strong, and wanted to sit with Mingyu but couldn't squeeze in. He had to get out of the carriage unhappily and ride ahead on his horse.
When the group arrived at the gate of the marquis' mansion, they saw Baihao waiting there. Seeing Sima Hong and the others coming back, Baihao hurriedly went up to them and whispered a few words to Sima Hong. Mingyu was sitting in the car and couldn't hear what they said. She only saw Sima Hong's expression remained unchanged, and he smiled faintly and nodded. Then Baihao left, and the group continued to enter the mansion.
Sima Hong was now determined to make it up to his wife. After getting off the horse, he rushed to the carriage first, squeezed out Sister Liu who was trying to help Mingyu get off the carriage, and carried Mingyu off the carriage. Being watched by so many people, Mingyu blushed. As soon as she got off the carriage, she pushed Sima Hong and asked him to put her down so that she could walk by herself.
Although he was reluctant to let go of his wife and child, Sima Hong didn't dare to offend his wife at this critical moment. He immediately put Mingyu down and reminded her with great concern, "Walk slowly, don't bump the child."
Mingyu resisted the urge to slap him, lowered her head and walked into the house silently, sitting on a chair to catch her breath. The maid had already prepared the meal, and Sister Liu came in and asked if they wanted to set the table now. Mingyu nodded quickly. She had some snacks and hot tea in the carriage. She was not hungry, but she felt that she was pregnant and still needed to eat to ensure a full nutritional balance.
Sima Hong also followed in. He had come out of the office early in the morning and hadn't had a sip of hot tea until now, which made him hungry and thirsty. He picked up the teapot on the table as soon as he entered the house and poured out a cup of water, but found it was cold. It was already November and the water was icy cold, so he naturally couldn't drink it. Sima Hong was slightly unhappy, but he also knew that the rule set by Mingyu was that except for Sister Liu who could enter their room to clean the house with her permission, no one else was allowed to enter. Today, Sister Liu followed Mingyu to the ancestral temple, so naturally no one came in to add hot tea.
"Is there anyone outside?" Sima Hong shouted, "How are you serving me? I've been back for so long and you didn't even bring me a cup of hot water?"
The maid waiting outside immediately replied in a panic, "My Lord, calm down. The tea has been prepared and will be served to you right away."
Mingyu rolled her eyes, looked at Sima Hong who was annoyed because he couldn't drink tea, and said with a smile: "Husband, I'll make you a pot of tea, you can taste my cooking skills."
Sima Hong had accumulated many years of experience, and whenever Mingyu used honorifics for him, it was not a good thing. However, seeing Mingyu's dark eyes blinking cunningly, her fair face flushed with an intoxicating blush, and two dimples at the corners of her mouth, she looked soft and playful. He hadn't seen Mingyu smile like this for a long time. Sima Hong's heart softened, and he said, "Okay, go ahead, let the maids do the work, don't do it yourself."
Mingyu nodded with a smile and went out. After a while, she brought a cup of hot tea with Sister Liu. Sima Hong took the teacup, opened the lid and took a look. He couldn't drink it. Not only did the tea smell strange, but the color of the tea was also blue. The tea leaves inside seemed to be cut into small pieces, and it was hard to tell what they were originally.
"What kind of tea is this?" Sima Hong looked up and asked with a smile.
Mingyu smiled and said, "The last time I went to the ancestral temple, the abbot told me the tea recipe. This tea is called Blue Phoenix Laixiang, and it is best consumed in winter when the weather is dry."
Sima Hong raised his eyebrows, "Why haven't I heard of this kind of tea?"
"This is the first time I've heard of it. It's said to be a folk remedy. Lan Feng Lai Xiang picks it in October. I asked someone to buy some for backup when I come back." Mingyu said with a smile.
Sima Hong nodded and said with a smile, "My wife is really thoughtful." Then he blew on the steaming tea, slowly drank it up one mouthful after another, and smiled at Mingyu, "Anything else? I'm very thirsty."
"No, no more." Mingyu stuttered a little. She didn't expect Sima Hong to drink up the cup of tea without even frowning. She turned around and shouted outside, "Sister Liu, bring another pot of Junshan Yinzhen."
Sima Hong still smiled at her, pulled her to sit beside him, and seeing that her hands were a little cold, he wrapped his hands around Mingyu's to warm them up, and said, "Why aren't your hands warm at all? You haven't worn enough clothes, right? There are a lot of people selling mountain products these days, all of which are new leathers that have just come down this year. Let's pick out some good ones and make you a fur coat."
Mingyu blushed and shook her head. "I don't like wearing fur coats, but I'll buy some fur and make two coats for you and mother. Mother will be home soon. It's not colder in the capital than here. She must not have prepared thick clothes. You're running around outside, so it's cold too. I... I'll just stay at home and not go anywhere, so I don't need a fur coat."
In fact, as a modern person and an out-and-out animal protectionist, Mingyu feels extremely pressured to wear the skin of other creatures, and she cannot overcome this hurdle.
Sima Hong thought Mingyu was a beauty lover and thought the fur coat was bulky and ugly, so he didn't force her. He just smiled and said, "Okay, let's make a few first. The craftsmen here are very skilled and the fur coats and cloaks they make are very beautiful. You can take a look at them when the time comes, maybe you will want one."
At this time, food and tea were served one after another. Sima Hong drank three cups of tea in a row. The hot tea made him sweat profusely. After drinking it, he started to eat with chopsticks.
Seeing Mingyu not moving his chopsticks, Sima Hong smiled and said, "Aren't you hungry? Why don't you move your chopsticks? Eat a little, and we'll have a good meal in the evening."
“That…” Mingyu could no longer sit still. For the first time in her life, she felt that she had gone too far. Her face flushed as she said, “That tea, it’s not some folk remedy the abbot told me about. I… I was just kidding you. It’s actually isatis root.” Isatis root is also called Polygonum indigo. In addition to being used as a traditional Chinese medicine these days, its main use is to make blue dye. Mingyu didn’t add sugar to the isatis root tea that Sima Hong made. It was bitter and astringent. No one knew how he drank it without changing his expression.
"I know." Sima Hong nodded and said, "Actually, I did try to trick you. I've seen this tea before. In the past, when the seasons changed, military doctors would boil several large buckets of it, add some sugar, and give each person a bowl to drink."
Mingyu couldn't sit still anymore, rubbing her fingers together and muttering, "You still drink even though you know that?"
Sima Hong laughed, put down his chopsticks and hugged Mingyu, "You are still angry with me, as long as you calm down, I will drink a bowl of wine. Besides, you coaxed me and I coaxed you, we are even, okay?"