The Emperor’s Beloved Ugly Girl

52. The Big Coarse Porcelain Bowl

Translator: Iris Guo

“Seriously. It’s valueless, just the most common jasmine.” smiled Chen Qingxuan.

“Good. I’ll pay you then.” A’Chou hastened to turn around and look for her wallet hidden under the belt. Then, she took the money out, put the wallet back, and handed the money to Chen Qingxuan, “Mr. Chen, you could count the money. 30 wen of silver ingots, there it is.”

Chen Qingxuan nodded: “Okay.”

A’Chou repeated: “Count it.”

Chen Qingxuan had no choice but to count the money in front of A’Chou and said: “Exactly 30 wen of silver ingots. Miss, you could set your mind at rest.”

“Why should I care? I won’t be the one making a loss.” A’Chou whispered while putting the tea jar in her bamboo basket. Then, she put the basket back on her back and said: “Mr. Chen, thank you very much for the tea. I gotta go, bye.”

“Don’t mention it, Miss. If you like the tea, you are welcome to come over again.” When Chen Qingxuan talked to A’Chou, he thought that he sounded like a waiter in the teahouse and couldn’t help smiling.

A’Chou waved to him and left.

“What are you happy about? You are grinning from ear to ear.” Chen Qingxuan’s grandmother couldn’t help asking him curiously during lunch.

“Nothing. Just an interesting person that I met.” said Chen Qingxuan. He was lost in thought and couldn’t stop smiling when recalling how A’Chou stared at the jasmine.

“A girl?” Mrs. Chen’s intuition never failed her, “What’s her name? Where’s she from?  How many people are there in her family? How many cattle do they have? Tell me!”

“Grandma!” Chen Qingxuan’s smile disappeared instantly.

…

A’Chou didn’t came back home until it was dark that day.

Zhong Mingwei had been waiting and worrying for A’Chou for half a day, and finally felt relieved when he heard the door opening. However, he was inevitably angry with her. The girl really ran wild. She had been hanging out in the market and didn’t realize she should go home until it was dark. Ah…

The door creaked open. A’Chou walked in, put a tray in front of Zhong Mingwei’s bed, and said with a smile while wiping his face with a handkerchief: “We are having something special today. I guess you never had it before.”

Zhong Mingwei was still sulky. He ignored A’Chou and closed his eyes while she was wiping his face. Then, he opened the eyes suddenly: “What’s that smell?”

“Haha, someone has a keen sense of smell!” A’Chou hastened to put down the handkerchief, took a big coarse porcelain bowl from the tray, put it in front of Zhong Mingwei, and tried to take the credit: “Look what I’ve got for you. You’ll like it.”

Zhong Mingwei looked at the bowl filled with tea. The jasmine densely floated in the bowl with a strong fragrance. He wanted to laugh and had mixed feelings. It seemed that A’Chou had nothing to do with delicacy.

“I know you people are fastidious about tea. I rummaged through the kitchen, but couldn’t find a cup. Just make do with the bowl.” A’Chou rubbed her nose in embarrassment. She put the bowl near Zhong Mingwei’s mouth and tried to please him: “The bowl is not good-looking, but the tea tastes nice. Try it.”