The Emperor’s Beloved Ugly Girl

61. Their True Selves

Translator: Iris Guo

“How’s here? Better than before, I think.” said A’Chou while massaging Zhong Mingwei’s left shoulder, “A few days ago, it was as hard as a stone, and it finally softens. How do you feel? Still sore?”

“You like peanuts?” Zhong Mingwei didn’t answer but began to ask questions.

“My favorite. Fried peanuts smelled so good. They tasted even better, and I almost bit my tongue. Haha.” A’Chou’s eyes sparkled when she smiled. She continued to massage Zhong Mingwei’s shoulder and talk with a smile, “When I worked at the Imperial Washhouse, all I had were pickles and steamed buns or baked wheat cake, and peanuts were a luxury. Therefore, when I wanted something nicer, I had to find a way out. For instance, I would get a small handful of peanuts after washing ten pieces of clothes for others. Haha, I could even get scallion pancakes if lucky.”

“What else? Besides peanuts and scallion pancakes?” asked Zhong Mingwei. He liked to listen to A’Chou nagging about her warm and bitter past. Although he was going through an extremely difficult time, he found it easier to live with her company.

“Haha, too many. Actually, I ate more nice things than other maids in the Imperial Washhouse.” said A’Chou proudly with a cunning smile, “Do you know whose clothes had the most stubborn stains?”

Of course Zhong Mingwei had no idea, so he shook his head.

“The Imperial Kitchen! You really don’t know a thing.” mocked A’Chou while gently pinching Zhong Mingwei’s apex nasi.

The longer A’Chou was with Zhong Mingwei, the bolder she became. She used to kneel and beg for mercy in front of him, but now she would tease him occasionally. Moreover, they didn’t find it inappropriate but natural.

It was said that when you lived in a mountain, you would ignore how time flied. After getting used to the dull life here, both A’Chou and Zhong Mingwei had dropped their pretences. He was not a noble Crown Prince, and she was not a humble Imperial Maid. They had revealed their true selves.

“Just think! What did they have to deal with? They would get blood spattered on their clothes when touching chicken, fish, and meat, as well as bad smell and oil stains when cooking over a smoky fire. It was really difficult to do their laundry, so maids in the washhouse avoided their clothes like the plague. However, I just started there and didn’t know anything, so I took it over and didn’t finish until midnight.” A’Chou couldn’t help laughing again when thinking about her naivety: “My arms were totally numb, and I swore to God that I would never do their laundry again, but I did it after all. Do you know why?”

“A starving cat ran into a fat rat.” Zhong Mingwei also smiled while looking at A’Chou’s smiling face through a gap between his hair.

“Haha. That’s a good metaphor.” said A’Chou without embarrassment. “People in the Imperial Kitchen were really grateful when I brought their clothes over the other day, and Eunuch Xie even gave me a huge bag of peanuts!”