Chapter 24

It's been several days since I came over; although every meal has some meat and fish, to be honest, Chen Wuji hasn't eaten a full meal even once.

Tonight's meal finally counts as hardcore.

Clear-water stewed muntjac bone.

Although the seasoning is scarce to the point of being scary, only salt.

But just dipping it in a little salt, this muntjac meat is so delicious that even if someone were pressing on his head and slapping his ears wildly to make him stop, Chen Wuji wouldn't loosen his grip; tender, fresh, chewy, each bite fills his mouth with smooth delight, feeling not a bit of dryness.

It's no wonder muntjac meat is expensive; it's truly worth it.

No wonder that steward‑type person, upon seeing it was muntjac meat, just glanced at its freshness, didn't even mention price, and without a word hauled away the whole load.

If he had money, Chen Wuji would also be happy to eat this, and wouldn't go for pork.

Everything fears comparison.

No wonder it's a strict selection by the Mountain Lord.

"Delicious, eat more!" Chen Wuji, amidst his busyness, found a moment to tell Huo Sanniang and Shen Youwei.

The two of them ate somewhat refinedly.

Especially Shen Youwei, she merely gnawed a bone and then stopped.

"Right, Youwei, eat a bit more—look how thin you are." Huo Sanniang also urged.

"We're family, you don't need to be so polite; you saw the bones, we still have more at home. In this weather meat won't keep, so you'd better eat more now, or in a couple days it'll go bad."

"Sister, I know a way to pickle these bones so we can eat them for a longer time." Shen Youwei said, "I naturally have a small appetite, and I'm already almost full."

"How to pickle it?" Huo Sanniang asked immediately.

"No, you eat yours; we'll pickle the leftovers and eat them later."

Shen Youwei shook her head. "We've eaten enough; pickling is simple—just about three catties of salt plus some spices. That way it'll keep for half a year without problem, and we can eat it slowly."

Huo Sanniang instantly lost interest, handed a large bone to Shen Youwei, and said, "Youwei, even if you're full, force yourself to eat a bit more—we can't afford to buy salt."

"Three catties of salt now cost 360 wen—who can afford that? As for spices, they're even more outrageous; such things aren't for ordinary folk to dare dream of, a little bit could sell for half a life."

"That... expensive?" Shen Youwei stared, silently picked up the large bone she'd just put down, "Then I'll eat more."

After a pause, she suddenly asked, "Since spices are so expensive, why don't you sell the Sichuan pepper at home? It's also a spice, right?"

"We've been selling it; if we didn't still have those few Sichuan pepper trees at home, I and Wuji couldn't have made it this far—these past two years the family has relied on that." Huo Sanniang laughed.

"However, we sell it cheap outside—twenty wen per catty, up to thirty wen when good—but it's light, so a catty takes a lot, and even several trees together don't bring in much money."

"Oh..."

Shen Youwei, from a family of bell-ringing and feasting, is very sensible; her words and deeds always consider others' feelings. To stretch the household food, she eats each meal very restrained—just enough to cover her belly and not be hungry—then stops immediately.

But in many places she still doesn't know the hardships of ordinary folk.

Even though she has experienced the utmost misery of this world.

This makes her feel somewhat uneasy inside, as if she's betraying the suffering she once endured.

After the meal, Chen Wuji lay in the courtyard to air his belly, bathed in moonlight, then went back inside to sleep.

In the next room, Huo Sanniang and Shen Youwei were bathing again.

Huo Sanniang said, Shen Youwei has gone through such upsetting things; she needs to wash several times with mugwort water to cleanse all the past unlucky matters.

Chen Wuji doesn't understand where Huo Sanniang's strange sayings come from, but he fully agrees they should wash more—it's a good habit; being washed white, tender, and fragrant is best.

But lying in bed, Chen Wuji couldn't sleep.

The sound of the fairies playing in the water next door was overly clear.

I don't know what those two are up to, but they even made some weird noises.

That sound, Chen Wuji is all too familiar with.

Usually such noises happen only when one is overexerting or overly comfortable.

"Wrong, I think I got married!" Chen Wuji's eyes snapped open, and he suddenly sprang up from bed.

"They've all called me husband; not sleeping at night is unreasonable, right?"

He seems a bit foolish; on the first day of marriage he didn't think about the bridal chamber, yet he simply crawled onto the kang and slept—his brain must have a hole.

Chen Wuji quickly jumped off the kang, slipped on his shoes, and went around to the door of the next room.

Knock knock knock.

He politely knocked on the door, "I want to wash too."

"Ah, then wait a bit; when we're done I'll help you wash!" Huo Sanniang shouted through the door.

"No, I want to wash together with you!" Chen Wuji shouted.

As a fool, if he directly shouted about the bridal chamber, it would seem somewhat mature, so he had to take a roundabout way, first using bathing as a pretext.

If she makes an excuse, he'll bring up what happened during the day.

"You little brat, why are you suddenly getting all worked up? First lie on the kang a while, you'll be fine soon." Huo Sanniang said, annoyed.

"Sister, I think the husband might want the bridal chamber..." Shen Youwei suddenly said softly.

Chen Wuji's mouth corner instantly twitched upward.

Still, Youwei is sensible.

"Oh dear, I forgot." Huo Sanniang let out a low cry.

Chen Wuji's face suddenly darkened.

She had forgotten this matter completely.

Huo Sanniang's voice again came through the door crack.

But it wasn't directed at Chen Wuji; she whispered to Shen Youwei, "But given my current condition, and your weak body, how are we to do the bridal chamber?"

"By rights, today's bridal chamber should be yours, tomorrow mine." Shen Youwei said.

"It's not about who goes first; we two probably can't enter this bridal chamber—I have heavenly catamenia, and you've become so frail, how could we bear it?" Huo Sanniang said.

「Otherwise, let's drag it out a few more days; tonight I'll go sleep at Wuji's place, first secure a foothold. 」

Shen Youwei hesitated a moment, 「Actually I should be able to hold on a bit; that kind of thing isn't that scary, even if I'm weaker, it won't cost my life. 」

「Don't act recklessly, that kind of thing depletes essence and energy; forcing yourself will later bring disaster and illness, not worth it. Rest a few days, I'll go tell Wuji; this child can be a bit stubborn sometimes, but still obedient. 」 Huo Sanniang advised.

Chen Wuji: ……