The Emperor’s Beloved Ugly Girl

33. One More Spoon

Translator: Iris Guo

“You still want milk tea?” A’Chou looked at Zhong Mingwei’s smile and felt sorry for him somehow. He was already in his thirties, and he suffered such a disastrous decline. No one cared for or spoiled him anymore, and he only got her in this barren place.

“No,” Zhong Mingwei shook his head, compressed his lips, and said in embarrassment, “I just want more red bean porridge.”

“Ah?” A’Chou stunned. Apparently, she didn’t expect that.

“Didn’t you say that there is more than half a pot left?” Zhong Mingwei rarely looked so shy, “I want more.”

“Okay…” said A’Chou. She got out of bed and went to the kitchen with the empty bowl listlessly.

Soon, A’Chou came back, and also looked a little embarrassed. She sat on the edge of the bed, gently stirring the red bean porridge: “Just… Just now when I was in the kitchen, I… I couldn’t help it and… I ate more than half a bowl of porridge. There is not much left.”

Zhong Mingwei looked at the half bowl of red bean porridge and his lips suddenly compressed. He was angry, but he held it back when seeing A’Chou lowing her head. After a while, his lips relaxed little by little. He looked at her slightly red eyes and said softly: “Let’s eat together from now on, so that we can enjoy the food together.”

“Okay.”

A’Chou’s voice got a little hoarse. She dared not talk more but hastened to put the spoon in front of Zhong Mingwei’s mouth. She was relived after seeing him eating.

“You eat,” said Zhong Mingwei, “The porridge tastes better when it’s warm.”

“Really?” A’Chou believed him and took a spoonful hurriedly. As soon as Zhong Mingwei smiled, she knew that she had been fooled because she never let him eat hot food. She thought herself extremely stupid and tried to swallow the porridge under his gaze.

“Is it good?” asked Zhong Mingwei with a smile.

A’Chou ignored him and immediately put the spoon in his mouth. The porridge was not hot at all, so his mouth wouldn’t be burnt.

“More,” Zhong Mingwei swallowed the porridge and looked at A’Chou. “You obviously have a sweet tooth, so eat more.”

“How on earth could you know?” A’Chou muttered, but still ate a spoonful, and then fed Zhong Mingwei a spoonful. “Don’t you have a sweet tooth too?”

“Come on! There’s no way! I am a big man.”

“Huh? One more spoon!”

…

In NingGuta in May, it was dim dusk. Zhong Mingwei and A’Chou ate the porridge  in turns and shared the little sweetness like children on a big wooden bed in the empty and shabby room.

Day: The fifth day of the fifth lunar month, the 32nd year of Jiasheng Reign

Location: The Cining Palace, the Capital

Since Zhong Mingwei was deposed, the Empress Dowager Xu had been ill and unable to leave her chamber. As a dutiful son, the Emperor Zhong Zhiheng would go visit her in the Cining Palace as soon as he got free time. However, she would feel worse when seeing him, so he barely went to see her then. Today was the Dragon Boat Festival, and according to the tradition, the Emperor must greet the Empress Dowager.