Chapter 269: Give All This to Me?
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Herlyee Translations
Hearing Second Sister-in-law Shen’s voice, Ji Zhao realized how impetuous she was.
She blinked shyly and was about to let go of Shen Yao’s waist when the man in front of her pulled her into his arms.
Shen Yao cupped her cheek and kissed her affectionately.
When the two of them were panting, Shen Yao reluctantly let go of her.
“Ah Tao, I missed you so much.”
A day apart felt like three years. It was not until he fell in love with Ah Tao that he completely understood the deeper meaning hidden in these words.
“Me too.” Ji Zhao looked up at him and smiled sweetly.
“Shen Yao, did everything go smoothly in the prefecture capital this time?’ Ji Zhao poked a delicious chicken chop and handed it to Shen Yao’s lips as she asked with concern.
“Don’t worry, Ah Tao. Everything is going well. ”
Shen Yao smiled and took out an exquisite square box the size of a palm from his sleeve and handed it to her.
“And this is?’
“Ah Tao, why don’t you open it?’
Shen Yao smiled lovingly and tapped the tip of her nose, his eyes filled with gentleness.
Ji Zhao lowered her eyes and carefully opened the box.
An exquisite pearl hairpin shone brightly under the black velvet cloth.
There were three tassels hanging from the bottom of the hairpin. What was even rarer was that there were small pearls that looked like peaches hanging from the bottom of the tassels.
“It’s so exquisite!”
“Shall I put it on for you?” Before she could answer, Shen Yao had already picked up the pearl hairpin and inserted it into her hair.
Ji Zhao impatiently approached the large vat in the courtyard. When she took a closer look, her lips curled up happily.
“This time, it’s all thanks to Offical Ji’s help that I was able to successfully obtain those ten taels of gold.” Shen Yao held Ji Zhao’s hand and returned to their room. Then, he handed the remaining eight taels of gold to Ji Zhao.
“And this is?”
“Other than the hairpin I brought for you, I also bought a silver bracelet for Mother. The rest is here.”
‘You’re giving all these to me?” Ji Zhao blinked and raised her eyebrows with a smile. “Aren’t you afraid that I’ll run away with the money?”
Shen Yao suddenly leaned closer and gently lifted her chin. Then, suddenly lowered his head to press against Ji Zhao’s forehead.
“Ah Tao, if you dare to escape, even if I have to run to the ends of the world, I will find you and imprison you by my side.”
Shen Yao looked at her seriously.
For some reason, Ji Zhao suddenly recalled what Grandmaster Wuzhi had said earlier.
To come was fate, and to go was also fate.
Did this mean that she would still leave Shen Yao’s side one day in the future?
“Ahem, I was just joking. Don’t be so nervous…” Ji Zhao looked away guiltily and accepted the remaining eight taels of gold with a smile. “I’ll take this money as your initial shares in Spring Breeze Pavilion! By the way, did you help me find out if there are any suitable shops in the prefecture?”
“Qin Minghong brought me to take a look at a few shops. Two of them should meet your requirements.” Shen Yao did not notice the guilt in Ji Zhao’s eyes. Instead, he was brought along by her and changed the topic. “But I think you should take a look yourself before you make a choice.”
“That’s true.” Ji Zhao rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “Now that the sales and reputation of the clay-pot rice and earth jar soup are quite good, I also think it’s time to open Spring Breeze Pavilion in the prefecture capital.”
“Shen Yao, can you accompany me to the prefecture capital in a few days?” Faced with her delicate and naive appearance, how could Shen Yao disagree?
Today, the Shen family’s courtyard was exceptionally lively.
There were a total of six square tables in the courtyard. The villagers of Shanghe Village sat around the tables.
The atmosphere was lively as they chatted and laughed.
A simple and honest smile appeared on Shen Dashan’s face. He said happily, “During this period of time, it’s all thanks to the help of my fellow villagers that my courtyard was repaired so quickly! Thank you, everyone!”
“Dashan, aren’t you being too polite?”
“That’s right! Isn’t the rule in Shanghe Village to help each other?’
“In mid-February, my eldest daughter-in-law also gave birth to a son for the Shen family. Coincidentally, I wanted to take this opportunity to invite the villagers to gather together! Shen Dashan said happily. “Don’t stand on ceremony today. You must eat and drink well!”
The laughter in the courtyard intensified.
Early in the afternoon, Aunt Guihua, who was close to Zhao Lanhua, shouted at the top of her lungs, “Serve the dishes!”
The person in charge of the banquet held by the Shen family today was Ji Zhao.
This dish was a big dish!
Beef tongue with sauce!
The fragrance of the cow tongue that had been braised in advance wafted into their noses.
Coupled with the secret black pepper sauce, the taste was even better.
In less than five seconds after the dish was served, it was swept away.
Right on the heels of that, garlic vermicelli prawns, cornmeal pancakes, deep-fried yellow corvina, rice flour steamed pork, Eight Treasures Duck… A total of ten dishes were served on the table.
Ten dishes represented perfection.
In the kitchen, Ji Zhao took off the apron around her waist and rubbed her sore wrists.
Shen Yao smiled and walked behind her. His hands landed on her shoulders and he gently pressed them a few times.
Hmm.
Ji Zhao could not help but let out a sigh.
“It’s so comfortable!’
Hearing her charming voice, Shen Yao trembled uncontrollably.
“What happened?’
Sensing the change in his mood, Ji Zhao subconsciously looked back and asked softly.
“I’m fine.” Shen Yao took a deep breath and barely suppressed the desire below his navel. Then, he asked gently, “You’ve made so many dishes today. Are you tired?’
“It’s indeed quite tiring.” Ji Zhao shrugged her shoulders and chuckled. “But I feel that this is quite good. After all, cooking in a big pot is very good for training one’s culinary skills!”
Shen Yao unintentionally saw the blisters on the back of her hand, and heartache flashed across his eyes.
“Does it hurt?”
“Huh?’
Following Shen Yao’s gaze, Ji Zhao realized that there were small blisters on the back of her hand.
“I must have accidentally splashed some oil when I fried the fish just now,” Ji
Zhao explained with a smile. “It’s fine. It doesn’t hurt.”
“But my heart aches.”
“Huh?” Ji Zhao subconsciously looked up at him, her eyes filled with confusion.
“Let’s go.”
“Where are we going?’
Shen Yao held her hand and returned to the room. After finding the ointment, he carefully applied it to the blister on the back of her hand.
His actions were serious and gentle.
“Shen Yao, do you care about me that much?”
“Huh?” Shen Yao’s hand paused slightly. He subconsciously looked up at Ji Zhao, who was smiling faintly, and nodded firmly.
“Ah Tao, did something happen at the Earth Temple that day?” Shen Yao let go of her hand and asked seriously, “During this period of time, when you’re free, you’ll always be in a daze. What worries me even more is that you’ve been caught up in indecision due to excessive worry. It makes me feel that you’ll leave me one day..”