Chapter 24.1

After Prince asked the question, Qin Zheng hesitated to respond, and he didn’t push her.

They remained in that stance, one crouching and the other leaning against the tree, their eyes locked.

Blossoms from the pear tree danced in the wind, swirling around them, creating an ethereal atmosphere.

“Ah Zheng, are you done washing up? It’s time for dinner!”

When Lin Zhao came over to call them for dinner, she witnessed the scene.

Despite her prejudice against the prince, she couldn’t help but be captivated by the sight.

Qin Zheng felt immensely grateful for Lin Zhao’s timely arrival.

She smoothed out her stray hair behind her ears and quickly got up to leave. “I’m done washing up. I’ll be right there.”

As Qin Zheng almost fled from the scene, the prince watched her retreating figure, and a hint of unfathomable depth appeared in his serene eyes.

In the mountain stronghold, the people needed strength for their work, so they didn’t particularly enjoy porridge.

The servant had prepared steamed rice in bamboo steamers, perhaps for guests, as there was even braised pork belly along with a large bowl of stir-fried edamame and cold sweet potato leaves.

Last night, the men who had stood guard outside the courtyard had each been served a large basin of food.

After scooping a bowl of rice, they would ladle a generous portion of vegetables from the communal pot, piling them high.

Seeing Lin Zhao eating like this, Qin Zheng didn’t bother to be delicate.

She took a bowl and served herself rice and vegetables.

However, she had a small appetite, and among the stack of large basins next to the steamer, her bowl was only filled with a small amount of rice.

The braised pork belly was all fat, cut thickly and sparingly coated with rice flour. It looked shiny and oily, which the men from the eastern stronghold loved.

They would eat, the oil dripping from their mouths.

Qin Zheng, however, didn’t dare touch her chopsticks. She only scooped up some edamame and picked up a mouthful of cold sweet potato leaves with her chopsticks.

Seeing such a meager amount of food in her bowl, Lin Zhao frowned deeply.

She used her chopsticks to pick up two thick, shiny pieces of pork belly from the communal pot and placed them in Qin Zheng’s bowl. “Sister Zheng, why do you eat less than the cats in our village? No wonder you’re so thin. Eat more meat!”

Seeing the two shiny pieces of fat in her bowl, Qin Zheng felt her heart sink.

But looking at Lin Zhao’s sincere eyes, she couldn’t reject her kindness.

She mumbled, “That’s enough for me. If I can’t finish it, it’ll be a waste of food.”

In times of war, food was more precious than silver.

While they could still eat meat in the stronghold, there were starving refugees in the mountains below.

Otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many desperate peasants turning to banditry.

After hearing her response, Lin Zhao finally stopped adding food to her bowl.

However, the way she looked at Qin Zheng was full of pity, as if an old farmer were looking at a crop that wasn’t growing well in the field.

Qin Zheng ate her meager meal of rice and vegetables, pushing the two pieces of pork belly to the side of the bowl.

In front of Lin Zhao and so many others, she couldn’t say she didn’t like the pork belly.

And she couldn’t discard it either.

Not liking fatty meat was one thing, but for the people in the stronghold, pork belly was a precious commodity.

They had served her the best food they had.

If she said she didn’t like it, she would be rejecting their kindness, just like refusing the best food offered by a host when visiting someone else’s home, even if it didn’t suit her taste.

Qin Zheng forced herself to eat one piece, but it made her scalp numb from the grease.

Quickly, she took a large bite of the cold sweet potato leaves to suppress the oily sensation in her mouth.

As for the remaining piece, she couldn’t muster the courage to touch it again.

But since it was already in her bowl, what could she do?

To buy herself some time and prepare herself mentally to eat the second piece of fat, she almost deliberately ate her meal slowly, picking at the rice grain by grain with her chopsticks.

Lin Zhao and Xique were almost done with their second bowl of rice, but Qin Zheng’s bowl was still half full.

Seeing Qin Zheng’s pitiful expression, Lin Zhao’s eyes filled with even more sympathy.

Sister Zheng’s manner of eating was more refined than the kittens raised in their stronghold.

Xique, on the other hand, wore an expression that seemed to say, “Ah, I understand. This is how beautiful women eat.”

Under the pressure of being watched while eating, Qin Zheng couldn’t take it anymore. “I’m going out to check on my husband.”

She carried her large bowl and walked out of the kitchen.

As she wandered around the courtyard, she noticed many men squatting or standing, each with a large bowl of food.

She wanted to find a quiet place to eat alone, but at the entrance, she ran into the prince, who also had a large bowl.

His bowl of food was probably served by the men in the stronghold, with the majority of it occupied by the braised pork belly.

When their eyes met, Qin Zheng no longer felt uncomfortable, only a sense of shared understanding.

The prince, who had grown up with a golden spoon in his mouth and was used to delicacies, probably found it difficult to stomach the greasy meat as well.

Wang Biao stood next to him, seemingly saying something.

When he saw that the prince didn’t respond, he also looked in Qin Zheng’s direction.

After nodding and greeting Qin Zheng, he tactfully walked away with his bowl. “I’ll go get some more rice from the kitchen.”

Qin Zheng approached, carrying her bowl that was larger than her face, and glanced at the prince’s bowl.

She said with a tone of camaraderie, “Your bowl also has so much meat…”

The prince, noticing the furrowed brows on her face, glanced at the thick piece of pork belly stuck to the edge of her bowl and asked, “Don’t like it?”

Qin Zheng’s pretty face was contorted with worry, and she retorted, “Do you like it?”

The prince didn’t answer.

Instead, he directly picked up the piece of braised pork belly from Qin Zheng’s bowl with his chopsticks.

Just then, Lin Zhao came out of the kitchen and witnessed the scene.

Her determined brows furrowed deeply.

Lin Zhao’s fists clenched, feeling the urge to rush over and stand up for Qin Zheng.

It was outrageous and despicable!

But seeing Qin Zheng’s affectionate gaze towards the prince even after he took the meat, Lin Zhao was frustrated but refrained from intervening at that moment.

She decided to talk to Qin Zheng later.

Qin Zheng had no idea that Lin Zhao had imagined so much while watching them. When she saw the prince taking the meat from her bowl, her brain froze for a moment.

She hesitated before asking uncertainly, “Um… do you want it?”

The prince lowered his head to take a scoop of rice and replied, “It replenishes strength and wards off hunger. It’s good.”

Long ago, he had stopped caring whether food was tasty or not.

As long as it could quickly restore his strength, he would eat it.

He had even swallowed raw meat from fallen warhorses on the battlefield.

Scooping rice might seem like a rude gesture, not fitting for a prince, but through his elegant facade, Qin Zheng seemed to catch a glimpse of a heroic warrior.

Qin Zheng stared at the prince in a daze for a moment.

Seeing her staring at him, the prince paused, put down his chopsticks, and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Qin Zheng quickly shook her head and focused on eating her own food.

By the time she finished, the prince’s bowl was empty too.

Wang Biao came over again to discuss matters about going to the western stronghold with the prince.

Qin Zheng realized he couldn’t leave, so she took the opportunity to help Wang Biao take the bowls back to the kitchen.

As she walked through the courtyard, she overheard a few men squatting against the wall, eating and discussing her.

“Madam Cheng treats the Mr. Cheng so well. She even hesitates to eat her own piece of meat and specially gives it to the her husband. When I find a wife, I’ll look for someone like her!”

“Come on, you should take a good look at yourself before criticizing others. The strategist is a talented and literate person. Who would look at you with your uncouth appearance?”

The men burst into laughter.

Qin Zheng silently looked at her empty bowl.

It was a beautiful misunderstanding.

When she entered the kitchen, she realized Lin Zhao had already left. Xique was helping the kitchen matron with the dishes.

Qin Zheng asked, “Where’s Ah Zhao?”

Xique replied, “This morning, there was a red dawn, which means it’s likely going to rain heavily these two days. Miss went to discuss roofing with the stronghold leader.”

Qin Zheng was puzzled. “Roofing?”

Xique explained, “With more and more people seeking refuge in Qiyun Stronghold these past years due to the wars, there aren’t enough houses, so they’ve had to build thatched cottages.

It’s fine when it’s sunny, but when it rains, water comes in through the roof. With a strong wind, the whole thatched roof can be blown away.”

The kitchen matron chimed in, “That’s right.

Some of the older houses in the stronghold are also in bad shape, with loose tiles. When it rains, they leak just like the thatched cottages.”

Qin Zheng frowned. “How many households need their roofs reinforced? Is there enough time?”

The kitchen matron sighed, “Almost every household has some problems with their houses.

For minor issues, they’ll patch them up themselves and endure until the rain stops.

But for households like Kang Pozi’s, whose son died outside and they have no men at home, and their thatched cottage leaks badly,

how can an old woman like her do the work alone? It’s because of the kindness of the stronghold leader and Miss Lin that they take care of the families of fallen brothers in the stronghold.”

Qin Zheng shook her head incessantly.

Qin Zheng couldn’t help but feel a heavy heart as she listened.@@novelbin@@

Even living as bandits in the mountains was so difficult.

She could only imagine the plight of the refugees fleeing from the chaos down below.

She said to Xique, “I’m free anyway, might as well join you guys to help with the roofing later.”

Xique hesitated, “But…”

Qin Zheng interrupted her, “Just tell Ah Zhao.”

Since Lin Zhao knew Qin Zheng understood construction, she might be able to help.

Lin Zhao would surely agree.

With that settled, while waiting for Lin Zhao, Qin Zheng helped in the kitchen with the dishes.

The men in the courtyard finished breakfast and took the captured men from the western stronghold to demand an explanation.

With Lin Yao injured, the prince and Wang Biao were leading.

The kitchen matron had nothing good to say about the western stronghold, remembering Lin siblings’ injuries.

She said while scrubbing the dishes with loofah, “I saw Ah Zhao’s eyes were circled with dark rings this morning. She must have been so worried about the stronghold leader last night that she couldn’t sleep.”

Xique scratched her head, “But I saw Miss sleeping soundly last night?”

The kitchen matron was surprised, “Miss slept with you last night?”

Xique nodded, “She came over in the middle of the night.”

Qin Zheng, sitting by the stove, remained silent.

She had a vague idea of why Lin Zhao had gone to Xique’s room to sleep.

Originally, she planned to go back and share a bed with Aunt Lu, but now she thought it might be better not to.

Aunt Lu was elderly, and she was restless in bed, which might disturb the old lady and make her ill.

When Lin Zhao and Lin Yao finished discussing and came over, they heard that Qin Zheng wanted to help with the roofing, and naturally agreed.

Since they would pass by Qin Zheng’s courtyard on their way to Kang Pozi’s house, Qin Zheng thought about needing an extra blanket for the chilly night and decided to ask Lin Zhao for one.

Lin Zhao, concerned about Qin Zheng feeling cold, prepared to give her the thick winter quilt from the bed.

But Qin Zheng felt it might be too much, considering she would share a bed with the prince later, so she picked a thinner one instead.

Lin Zhao was puzzled. “But this blanket is just as thick as the one you and Qin Zheng used. If you change it, it might still be cold at night.”

Qin Zheng replied, “I’ll just take it back to cover myself. This thickness is enough.”

Lin Zhao’s expression turned strange. “Covering yourself with two blankets? Wouldn’t that make you sweat in this weather? Is it because Qin Zheng’s husband is injured and feels cold?”

Qin Zheng was struggling to find a reason. But as soon as Lin Zhao said that, she quickly nodded. “My husband indeed feels a bit cold.”

Lin Zhao finally found another point to criticize the prince. “He eats so much meat but still feels weak? Pathetic!”

Qin Zheng thought to herself, This must not let the prince know.

Arriving at the western stronghold, the prince had no clue he was being manipulated again.

The group from the eastern stronghold, about forty to fifty men, stood menacingly in front of the western stronghold’s gate with several bruised and bound men from the western stronghold.

The guards at the western stronghold’s watchtower saw something amiss and didn’t dare to open the gate.

A lackey asked Wang Biao, “W-Wang… Leader, what are you doing here?”

Wang Biao kicked one of the bound men in the knee pit, making him kneel down. He sneered, “These traitors colluded with river bandits, hijacked our cargo ship from the eastern stronghold. Tell the second master and his bastard son to come out and see me!”

The lackey from the western stronghold didn’t dare to delay and immediately ran into the stronghold to report to the second leader.

Those loyal to Wu Xia slipped away quietly to inform him.

The Crown prince stood with his hands behind his back, calmly observing the men from the western stronghold standing behind the wooden fence.

The sky was overcast, and a cold wind had started blowing, indicating an imminent mountain rain.

After a while, the second mastee, accompanied by a group of men, walked towards the gate, but there was no sign of Wu Xia.

The second mastee made a gesture, and the lackey opened the gate.

Accompanied by dozens of men, the second master walked out of the stronghold.

With a face as thin as dried jujube, he looked at the dozen or so men from the western stronghold who were bound.

He asked with a stern face, “What’s going on?”

Wang Biao sneered, “At this time, the second master is still pretending to be ignorant?”

He kicked the same man again, making him kneel down. “Tell the second master what you confessed last night!”