Chapter 144: A Bit Ambiguous

ng master of a prominent family, being sentenced to twenty lashes was bad enough, but to be confined to the ancestral hall for a month of self-reflection and forced to copy the family rules - where wo...Changxing Houfu, Weiruixuan.

Meng Jinyao sat on the noble concubine's chair, listening to Chunliu and Ningdong reciting bizarre stories. Chunliu was responsible for reading the narration, while Ningdong read the dialogue.

Qing Qiu was shelling melon seeds for Meng Jin Yao, while Xia Zhu fanned her.

Today wasn't very hot. During the hottest few hours, we put ice in the house to cool down. After Shen time (around 5 PM), it didn't get that hot anymore, so we took the ice away. The house was still a bit cool, and just fanning ourselves was enough.

Meng Jin Yao comfortably narrowed her eyes, feeling very at ease.

When Gu Jingxi returned, he saw this scene and was slightly taken aback. He secretly thought that the little girl knew how to enjoy herself. He had never enjoyed himself like this before, being attended to by several maidservants.

"Lord"

The four maidservants saw Gu Jingxi and hurriedly bowed to him.

Meng Jinyao raised her eyes and saw a man in scarlet official robes striding towards her. She called out, "Husband, " pointing to the food box he was carrying, "What is this"

Gu Jingxi replied, "It's a gift from the Emperor. Your wife will surely like it."

Meng Jinyao was taken aback. It came in a food container, which should be an imperial meal. Everyone said that the emperor ate the best and most delicious food. To be able to present it as a reward to important officials, it must be some rare delicacy from the mountains or the sea. She had never seen what imperial meals looked like, now she could not only feast her eyes but also her stomach. Her spirits immediately lifted.

Gu Jingxi observed the subtle changes in her facial expressions, and knew she was interested.

In a moment, Gu Jingxi handed her the food box: "Madam, here you go."

Meng Jin Yao stood up and reached out to take the food box from his hand. She opened it aside, and when she saw the red oval shape, covered in a thorny 'armor', lychee, her eyes lit up with delight: "Is that lychee"

Gu Jingxi saw her radiant smile and knew that he had done the right thing by not giving the lychees to his friend. He still asked, "Madam, do you like it"

Meng Jin Yao nodded repeatedly: "Like"

She said, and opened the bottom layer of the lunch box. She found that this lunch box was specially made with only two layers, the top layer for food and the bottom layer for ice cubes. Now the ice cubes had melted into water, emitting a coolness, but the icy water didn't flow out. It could be seen that the sealing was excellent, and the surface of the lychee was also cool to the touch.

Meng Jinyao divided the lychees among her four maidservants, giving each one a single fruit. Then she instructed Ningdong to fetch some ice to keep the lychees fresh.

Four maidservants, each receiving only one lychee. This was not because she was stingy, but because there were not many lychees to begin with, just a little over a jin (a unit of weight in traditional China), a mere thirty-two in total. And these thirty-two should not be underestimated, they were all very precious.

Litchi is a prized fruit of Lingnan, thousands of miles away from the capital. Even with money, it's difficult to get your hands on one. Once picked from the tree, litchi turns color and flavor within three or four days. To preserve it and transport it from thousands of miles away in Lingnan to the capital is no easy feat. It requires day and night travel for 800 miles at express speed. Some might even spoil halfway through.

Even though the emperor had absolute power, he couldn't just have as much as he wanted. Once, an emperor tried to please a concubine by having fresh lychees served to her. It took so many horses running back and forth that countless died in the process. Therefore, those who could taste them were either wealthy or noble. Ordinary people didn't even dare to dream about it.

Litchi is so precious that there is a saying, "A thousand golds are not as valuable as a litchi belt." Litchi is rare, and countless officials and nobles vie for it.

Seeing the little girl's eyes light up at the sight of lychees, Gu Jingxi slightly curved his lips. He was still a child after all. No matter how composed he usually was, he occasionally still had a childish heart. Seeing something delicious made him unable to look away, much like a kid who couldn't resist candied gourds.

He picked up a peeled one and brought it to the little girl's mouth, teasingly saying, "Madam, just looking at it won't give you any taste. Try it first"

Meng Jinyao came to her senses and saw him smiling at her. His warm eyes were very seductive. She subconsciously opened her mouth to accept his offering and took a light bite. The lychee flesh was like condensed fat, soft and refreshing, sweet and fragrant with a hint of acidity. It was incredibly delicious, leaving one wanting more.

Looking at her half-closed eyes, a face of contentment, even a hint of nostalgia, Gu Jingxi smiled and asked: "Is it that delicious"

Meng Jin Yao nodded. "Delicious, after so many years, it's still the taste I remember."

It had been ten years since she last ate lychees. Back then, her grandfather had gotten some from a friend and hadn't eaten any himself. He brought them all back and fed them to her. At the time, she didn't know how precious lychees were; she just knew they were delicious. After her grandfather passed away, she couldn't eat them anymore until today.

Gu Jingxi saw that her eyes were misty, and she knew without asking that she must be thinking of her grandfather. The lychees she remembered were also given to her by her grandfather. She spoke softly: "Madam, if you like them, I will have lychees delivered to you every summer from now on."

Every year

Meng Jiny Yao was stunned, she looked up at him. The man was handsome as jade, his expression gentle as he looked at her, his eyes seemed to contain a hint of pity.

She looked at those gentle eyes, her heart skipped a beat. Uncomfortably, she turned away and mumbled, "Your Majesty doesn't give you these every year."

Gu Jingxi chuckled softly: “You needn’t worry about the Emperor’s gift, your husband can get lychees from Lingnan as well, it just takes a bit of effort.”

Meng Jinyao listened and was taken aback again.

As for the nobility and high officials, they also have their own ways. Everyone is waiting for the Emperor's bestowal, but it's not guaranteed that they will get to eat it. It's better to rely on themselves by spending a lot of money, manpower, and resources. Rich and noble families can certainly make it happen.

Gu Jingxi held the remaining half lychee to her lips: "Open your mouth"

Upon hearing this, Meng Jin Yao lowered her eyes to look at him, then glanced at Gu Jingxi. She hadn't reacted just now, but now she felt a little embarrassed.

The husband fed his wife, the gesture seemed a bit ambiguous, but seeing her open and honest face, it seemed like she had overthought things. She felt even more embarrassed. The lychee was right at her lips, she didn't know whether to eat it or not.

After a moment's hesitation, she finally lowered her head awkwardly and bit into the other half of the lychee. She chewed it around in her mouth randomly and realized something was wrong, biting down on the pit and getting it stuck between her teeth.

Gu Jingxi saw her staring with wide eyes, her face subtly changing, and teased, "Does Madam still like to eat lychee pits"

"Bit my tongue accidentally"

Meng Jinyao said that she looked up at him, then spat the core out, right into his palm.

At this moment, their eyes met, and the atmosphere thickened with tension.

Meng Jin Yao only then realized she had done something terrible. Lord Gu, such a wealthy and noble man, she had actually spat the leftover fruit pits into his hand She wouldn't even do that to her own maidservant, spitting the leftover pits directly into her palm. This saliva-soaked mess should have been spit into the small dish for fruit pits and peels.

Suddenly, a wave of warmth surged across her face, leaving her cheeks flushed and embarrassed. She averted her gaze, unable to meet his eyes, pretending to be completely oblivious.

Gu Jingxi was just a little surprised, not wanting to dwell on this trivial matter. But seeing the little girl blushing and looking embarrassed, avoiding his gaze, he couldn't help but tease her: "My lady seems to have treated me as a maid."e than that disobedient son."Meng Jinyao blinked and asked, "What if I'm even more rebellious than him"Gu Jingxi said with a smile, "Then I'll teach him a lesson. I can't possibly hold a grudge agains...