The Prime Minister’s Little Wife

Chapter 38: Repaying a Life-Saving Grace with One’s Body

Xu Zhizhi looked at Xiao Jingheng, who was visibly uncomfortable, and secretly laughed to herself.

“Brother Xiao, have some more. I made this braised meat yesterday.”

As she spoke, she took the basket from Sun Hao, pulled out a basin of braised meat, and placed it on the table by the bed. Then she set the basket down beside her.

The braised meat had been kept in her portable space, so it was still warm when she took it out, and its aroma filled the room.

Sun Hao stared at the thinly sliced meat in the basin, his eyes fixed on it. He pinched a piece with his fingers, slowly opened his mouth, and placed it inside.

He savored the “divine delicacy” in his mouth, his eyes narrowing into slits as he said with great satisfaction, “Amazing! So delicious!” He even made occasional “tsk tsk” sounds.

Old Physician Shangguan had been drinking plain rice porridge with Xiao Jingheng when he heard that Xu Zhizhi had arrived. He had put down his bowl and gone out, leaving half a bowl of porridge on the table. Now, he picked up his chopsticks and grabbed a piece of meat, placing it in his mouth.

He, too, made “smacking” sounds, eating one piece after another in quick succession.

Xiao Jingheng, who had been so excited to see his savior that he momentarily forgot his own ugly appearance, watched as the master and disciple devoured the food.

He also picked up his chopsticks and elegantly took a piece of meat, savoring it slowly.

He looked like a “food god” from a TV show, though his movements were no slower than the others.

In no time, they had polished off the entire basin of braised meat.

It was a great sense of accomplishment.

Sun Hao casually wiped the oil and meat from his mouth with the back of his hand and then turned to Xu Zhizhi, saying:

“Sister Village Girl, I won’t eat lunch today. Will Drunken Fragrance Pavilion have braised meat for sale tomorrow?”

If he had known the braised meat made by the “ugly village girl” was so delicious, he wouldn’t have given her such a hard time. From now on, he wouldn’t call her “ugly village girl” anymore.

Foodies are capricious. For the sake of good food, calling her “sister” was no big deal.

Xu Zhizhi looked at the young man’s expectant face and said:

“It’s probably expensive to buy it at Drunken Fragrance Pavilion. Why don’t you buy some pork, and I’ll make it for you? That way, you can enjoy it for several days.”

“Oh yeah! Why didn’t I think of that?”

“Master, I’m going to the market to buy half a pig right now!” Sun Hao said excitedly.

Old Physician Shangguan felt the same way and thought it was a great idea.

Xiao Jingheng, looking at Xu Zhizhi’s slender frame, felt that making so much meat would be too tiring for her. He said, “Buying too much at once might cause it to spoil.”

Xu Zhizhi thought this man was really thoughtful, observant, and considerate.

She wasn’t actually tired, but since he was being so considerate, she went along with it. “That’s true. Freshly made food always tastes better. I’ll talk to Manager Li and ask him to give you a discount every day.”

The master and disciple were thrilled and expressed their gratitude.

Xiaowu and Xiaohua watched in awe, thinking that these people ate even more eagerly than they did.

Only after eating his fill did Sun Hao notice the two children Xu Zhizhi had brought. Seeing the fair and clean Xiaowu, he took an immediate liking to him.

Sun Hao was not only a foodie but also a sucker for good looks.

He happily took Xiaowu’s hand and said, “Little brother, what’s your name? I’m Sun Hao.”

“Brother Sun Hao, you’re so handsome! I’m Xu Xiaowu, and this is my sister,” Xiaowu said proudly, pointing to his sister. Now that he spent every day with his sister, his courage had grown.

Sun Hao thought to himself: Wasn’t it said that the ugly village girl’s brother was skinny and dark? How did this little doll-like child come about?

Seeing that Sun Hao liked her brother, Xu Zhizhi said to him, “Sun Hao, why don’t you take my siblings around town? I’ll make duck noodle soup for lunch.”

“Really? You even have noodles?”

“I brought some with me today.”

“Great! Great! Little brother, what do you want to see? I’ll take you there.”

Xiaowu didn’t want to leave his sister, but he also wanted to see if there was anything interesting in town. He had been to town a few times, but it was always in a rush.

He was torn.

Xu Zhizhi patted his head and said, “Go ahead. I’ll stay here and cook. I’ll wait for you to come back and eat.”

After the children left, Old Physician Shangguan asked, “Zhizhi, you didn’t just come to deliver food, did you?”

“No, I’ve gathered all the medicinal ingredients you asked for.”

As she spoke, Xu Zhizhi took out the herbs the old man had requested from her basket (actually from her space).

A ginseng of exceptional quality…

Xiao Jingheng thought to himself: This must have been given by the gods. I’ve never seen such high-quality ginseng before!

Old Physician Shangguan, seeing these rare treasures, was as excited as if his long-dead mother had come back to life.

Finally, Xu Zhizhi pulled out a few tiger bones and said, “I wasn’t sure which part of the bones you needed, so I brought a few extra.”

“Zhizhi! Did you really hunt a tiger?” the old man exclaimed in surprise.

Xiao Jingheng also looked at her in disbelief.

She felt the pressure.

Was she really that fierce?

“Me? Hunt a tiger? What gave you that idea?” Xu Zhizhi asked, holding up her slender arm.

Xiao Jingheng looked at her and thought, That’s true. How could a young girl hunt a tiger?

Seeing the girl’s troubled expression, he said:

“I just thought… since the tiger bones are so fresh…”

Xu Zhizhi explained, “I asked a hunter from the neighboring village to get them for me and brought them over as soon as I could.”

With the medicinal ingredients gathered, there was nothing else for Xu Zhizhi to do. She didn’t know much about medicine anyway.

After his excitement subsided, Old Physician Shangguan said, “I’ll start preparing the medicine now. Combined with acupuncture, we can completely clear the poison. But your leg bones will still need two months of rest before you can walk.”

Xiao Jingheng was thrilled.

He had thought he would never stand again.

The poison had left him weak and in agony. He never expected to meet this girl in such a remote place.

Old Physician Shangguan went to prepare the medicine, leaving the two of them alone in the room. It was a bit awkward.

Xu Zhizhi had initially thought of picking him up as a husband, so she had treated him as one of her own.

“Brother Xiao, have you remembered where your home is?”

Xiao Jingheng didn’t know how to answer. He hadn’t actually lost his memory. He had only lied because he thought the girl wouldn’t take him in otherwise.

Should he tell her the truth now? If he did, would she still take care of him?

He could only continue the lie. “I don’t know if it’s because of the poison or the beating, but I can’t remember anything now. Do you not want to take care of me anymore?”

“That’s not what I meant. It’s Old Physician Shangguan’s people who are taking care of you. I haven’t done much.”

“You worked so hard to gather all the medicinal ingredients. Besides, if I hadn’t met you that day, I might not be in this world anymore.”

Xiao Jingheng looked at the girl. Though her face was dark, her features were delicate, unlike the roughness of typical village girls. Her long, thick eyelashes were like tiny, slightly curved fans, fluttering with a lively charm.

She was said to be 17 years old, only two years younger than him, but she only came up to his chest. So tiny.

Blushing, he said, “For saving my life, I should offer myself in return.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized what he had said. Xiao Jingheng’s eyes darkened. In his current situation, how could he even think about marrying someone? This was the first time he had ever felt this way.

(End of Chapter)