The Eunuch Has A Wife - Chapter 37

Wei Ziwan’s eyelashes fluttered, and she said stubbornly, “Actually, what? And what else?”

“Huh?” Bai Zhi was stunned, and another silence followed.

The silence dragged on for a long time. Wei Ziwan turned over, facing the wall again.

Just as she thought she wouldn’t get an answer and was about to fall asleep, a sigh of resignation came from behind.

Bai Zhi whispered, “Actually, I probably don’t dislike that painting… and I don’t dislike you either.”

Wei Ziwan was puzzled: “What does that painting have to do with me? And why did you have that expression?”

The darkness blurred their vision. Bai Zhi stared at Wei Ziwan’s silhouette and said softly, “That painting is beautiful, like… you.”

Wei Ziwan’s heart skipped a beat, then raced.

What was this eunuch saying?

That painting was like her…

“Do you like this landscape painting, husband?”

“No, not at all.”

“Actually, I probably don’t dislike that painting… and I don’t dislike you either.”

“That painting is beautiful, like… you.”

Wei Ziwan closed her eyes, replaying their conversation in her mind. She slowly opened her eyes, her fingers tightening.

The moon was bright, and the stars were sparse. Outside, only the sound of the wind could be heard.

The room was so quiet that they could hear each other’s heartbeats.

“Still cold?”

Suddenly, Wei Ziwan asked softly, breaking the silence.

Bai Zhi’s breath hitched. She stared at the back of Wei Ziwan’s head, unsure whether to say she was cold or not.

She clenched her fists, her chest inexplicably warm.

After a long pause, Bai Zhi heard herself whisper, “Cold.”

Wei Ziwan didn’t respond. After a moment, she sat up, reached for Bai Zhi’s blanket, and pulled it over her own quilt, adding another layer of warmth.

Bai Zhi, hugging her arms, was stunned. Wearing only a thin undergarment, she immediately felt the chill of the winter night.

She looked at Wei Ziwan in confusion: “What are you doing?”

Wei Ziwan chuckled softly, her tone gentle: “Didn’t you say we should sleep together? Come in.” She made room in the bed.

Bai Zhi took a deep breath, pursed her lips, and stiffly climbed under the covers.

Silence returned as they adjusted the blankets and their positions.

In the process, their bodies occasionally brushed against each other, causing them to pause briefly.

Wei Ziwan’s fingers tightened, and she turned her face away, her tone distant: “And what else?”

Bai Zhi was momentarily confused, then realized Wei Ziwan was referring to their earlier unfinished conversation.

She couldn’t help but laugh softly, muttering, “Besides, we’re married by the Empress’s decree. Sleeping together isn’t a big deal.”

This woman, when did she become so inquisitive, insisting on getting to the bottom of things?

“Hmm—”

Wei Ziwan’s lips curved slightly, satisfied. She relaxed and began to drift off to sleep.

The room was silent, the sound of steady breathing faintly audible. Bai Zhi smiled silently, then closed her eyes.

The next morning, Bai Zhi woke up first and found her arm and leg pressed against Wei Ziwan’s body. Her eyes fell on Wei Ziwan’s peaceful sleeping face.

She gazed at her, from her eyes to the tip of her nose, from her lips to the hair scattered across her neck, and the glimpse of fair skin revealed by her tilted collar.

The warmth under the covers suddenly felt hotter. Bai Zhi clenched her fingers, feeling a slight sweat in her palms and a growing heat and dampness on her body.

At that moment, the sleeping figure frowned slightly, her eyelashes fluttering as if she were about to wake.

Bai Zhi snapped out of her daze, quickly slipped out of bed, dressed, and fled the room.

So, when Wei Ziwan woke up, the spot beside her was empty, only a trace of warmth remaining.

It wasn’t until noon that she saw Bai Zhi, who had been missing all morning.

Wei Ziwan’s calm expression suddenly turned serious: “Husband, from now on, please let me know where you’re going.”

Bai Zhi put down the food box she was carrying and looked at the suddenly stern woman, feeling a strange sense of agreement: “Alright.”

It felt like the kind of interaction between an ordinary married couple—letting each other know where they were going to avoid worry.

But she and Wei Ziwan…

They weren’t an ordinary couple, or even a couple at all. They were more like wife and wife—

At that moment, Wei Ziwan glanced at the food box on the table and asked, “What’s in there?”

Bai Zhi’s eyes lit up, and she opened the box eagerly: “After seeing Lou Shang Lou’s menu yesterday, I thought about what winter dishes the palace has that they don’t. I came up with something—try these radish balls and tell me what you think.”

Wei Ziwan silently picked up her chopsticks and reached for one of the evenly sized balls. The outside was crispy, and when she bit into it, the tender inside, filled with the fragrance of radish, filled her mouth.

“Radish balls aren’t uncommon, but some restaurants do sell them. However, the ones you made seem different.”

She had eaten radish balls before, but once they cooled, they lost their crispness and became dry and hard. These, however, remained unchanged even when cold.

Bai Zhi raised an eyebrow proudly: “Of course they’re different. I didn’t add a single drop of water when mixing the dough.”

Having managed the small kitchen in the cold palace for years wasn’t for nothing. Plus, she had always been interested in cooking and often paid attention to how dishes were made. Over time, she had learned to make a few decent dishes.

Seeing Bai Zhi’s proud expression, Wei Ziwan couldn’t help but smile slightly, then quickly composed herself: “It seems we’ll have to visit Lou Shang Lou again today.”

Bai Zhi nodded happily. They smiled at each other, then suddenly looked away, each silently cursing the other.

This troublesome woman…

This damn eunuch…

For some reason, they both silently complained about each other, a mix of embarrassment and annoyance that only they could understand.

After leaving Lingjue Manor, they hired a carriage and headed straight for Lou Shang Lou.

After tasting the radish balls, Manager Xi quickly made a decision: “What’s the price for this recipe?”

Bai Zhi looked at Wei Ziwan. Money matters were her domain, as per their agreement.

Wei Ziwan paused, then said calmly, “The recipe is a gift, just like last time. But there’s one condition.”

Manager Xi immediately remembered the twenty stones of soybeans they had bought last time, which were still sitting in the storeroom unused. He suddenly had a bad feeling.

“What condition? Please, speak freely.”

Wei Ziwan, observing Manager Xi’s expression, said seriously, “It’s nothing much. My husband and I have grown some radishes and would like to sell them to your restaurant. Just like last time, we’ll sell them at double the market price. What do you think?”

Manager Xi breathed a sigh of relief. Buying some radishes at double the price wasn’t a big deal, especially in winter when radishes were needed for many dishes. He wouldn’t have to worry about them going to waste.

He agreed readily: “Don’t worry, we’ll take all the radishes you’ve grown. I’ll arrange for someone—no, I’ll personally visit Lingjue Manor tomorrow to pick them up.”

Wei Ziwan paused: “Aren’t you going to ask how many radishes we’ve grown?”

Manager Xi was momentarily stunned. These two didn’t seem like the farming type. Could they have grown more than the twenty stones of soybeans from last time?

But even if it was twenty stones of radishes, that wasn’t much.

Even another twenty stones wouldn’t be a problem. Now was the time to be generous to build a long-term partnership.

He smiled and said, “Don’t worry, our restaurant needs a lot of radishes in winter. Whatever you’ve grown, we’ll take it.”

Wei Ziwan’s eyes flickered, and she smiled lightly: “Manager Xi, you’re truly generous. We’ll go back and dig up the radishes. Please bring plenty of people tomorrow, and come early.”

Otherwise, it would take a while to transport all those radishes.

Manager Xi nodded with a smile. As they were leaving, he noticed Bai Zhi’s strange expression and asked kindly, “Brother Bai, is something on your mind?”

Bai Zhi slowly shook her head, then patted Manager Xi’s shoulder with a complicated expression: “Manager Xi, make sure to bring plenty of people tomorrow.”

Manager Xi patted her shoulder in return, laughing: “Don’t worry, Brother Bai, I’ll bring plenty of people.”

Could they really have grown that many? How many could it be? A hundred stones?

Currently, the market price for radishes was five wen per jin. Double that would be ten wen per jin. One stone was twenty-five jin, so two hundred and fifty wen per stone.

Even if it was a hundred stones, that would only be twenty-five taels of silver. The branches of Lou Shang Lou in Ninglin Prefecture could easily split the cost and use them up over the winter.

These two clearly underestimated how much ingredients Lou Shang Lou went through.

Manager Xi watched them leave with a hint of emotion.

On the way back, Bai Zhi looked troubled: “Are we being a bit unfair?”

If Manager Xi saw how many radishes they had grown tomorrow, would he run away?

“Have you heard the saying, ‘Kindness doesn’t command troops, and righteousness doesn’t manage wealth?'” Wei Ziwan asked coolly.

In business, it’s all about profit. From a moral standpoint, it might seem a bit unfair, but from a profit perspective, the benefits of a new dish far outweighed the cost of the radishes from their four acres of land.

So, no one was at a loss here. In fact, it was a win-win situation.

But this damn eunuch thought she was being unfair.

Bai Zhi fell silent. Even if she hadn’t heard the saying before, she understood its meaning now.

She reflected on herself. In the end, she wasn’t cut out for managing finances. Luckily, there was Wei Ziwan.

Thinking this, Bai Zhi glanced at the woman beside her.

Wei Ziwan’s face was icy.

Bai Zhi: “…” This woman’s expression is so cold.

She felt a sudden tension and quickly rephrased her thoughts: “I think what you did earlier was absolutely right, and your reasoning was sound. From now on, I’ll leave all money matters to you. I have no objections.”