The Prime Minister’s Little Wife

Chapter 64: Secretly Holding Her Hand

“Fish balls?” He had never heard of such a dish before. But then again, which of the dishes she had made before had he ever seen?

Seeing the smile on her face and the surprises she kept bringing him, he decided not to ask further. Whatever she wanted him to do, he would do.

Xu Daniu, who was tending the fire, didn’t ask either. After all, it was the gods who had taught his sister how to make these dishes. He had never seen anything like it before, but he knew it would be delicious.

When the sour fish was ready to be served.

“Can you help me scoop the sour fish out of the pot? Then clean the pot and pour two ladles of cold water into it.”

“Mm~” Xiao Jingheng obediently followed her instructions.

Xu Zhizhi placed the fish balls one by one into the cold water to soak for a while. Once the water boiled, she added the fish balls to the pot and covered it to simmer.

After letting it simmer for a while, Xu Zhizhi lifted the lid and gently stirred the fish balls with a spatula. When the fish balls floated to the surface, she added the washed greens to the pot, brought it to a boil, and seasoned it with oil and salt before serving.

By the time Father Xu and the others arrived, the meal was ready. They had smelled the delicious aroma from afar.

The enticing scent made their mouths water, and they quickened their steps. When they entered, they saw a full fish feast. Whether it was the spicy fish head or the sour fish, these were dishes Xiao Jingheng had never tasted before, let alone the Xu family.

Father Xu, Mother Xu, and the others washed their hands and sat down to eat.

With every bite, Xiao Jingheng felt his happiness soar.

“Zhizhi, these white round balls are so tender…” Father Xu couldn’t resist eating several in a row.

His mood had also improved significantly.

“They’re so smooth, and the meat is so fresh. One bite at a time, so delicious…” Xiao Wu exclaimed excitedly.

“Zhizhi, what is this?” Mother Xu couldn’t help but ask, her curiosity getting the better of her.

Xu Zhizhi looked at her meek mother, her forehead bandaged from the injury.

Her mother was weak and submissive in front of outsiders but domineering in front of her children, venting all the anger and words she couldn’t express to others on her own family…

In short, she was a bully at home.

Xu Zhizhi knew her mother couldn’t handle today’s situation, but she held back from intervening. She couldn’t always be by her mother’s side, and for someone who was a bully at home, helping her would only be taken for granted. She wouldn’t change.

Xu Zhizhi didn’t necessarily expect her mother to become strong, but she hoped she would at least learn to stand on her own and understand reason.

The only way to stop someone from being bullied and humiliated was to let them reach a point of despair where they had no choice but to stand up for themselves.

Her mother had finally done it. Although she was still weak and had been injured, she hadn’t panicked and agreed to her son’s marriage in the chaos. That was a good thing.

Looking at her mother, who was not yet forty but already had strands of white hair at her temples, cautiously glancing at her father with fear and helplessness…

Xu Zhizhi suddenly remembered a line from a song:

“I waited for the day you slowly grew up, but perhaps my branches had already withered by then.”

The words brought tears to her eyes.

In the gentlest voice she had used since coming to this family, she said:

“Mom, these are fish balls, made from the fish in our pond. You’re injured, so eat more.”

As she spoke, she ladled a few fish balls into her mother’s bowl.

Xiao Jingheng watched the girl beside him, her gentle smile and melodious voice~

Unable to resist, he secretly reached under the table and took her hand. His palm was warm, like fire, and before she knew it, that warmth had spread to her heart…

Her hand trembled slightly, and her eyes flicked to his handsome face. She couldn’t help but think to herself:

“He’s so handsome. I’m completely captivated!”

Mother Xu, overwhelmed by the unexpected kindness, said, “Ah! Fish? How come there are no bones? The fish you made before was delicious too, but it always had bones…”

“Your son-in-law removed the bones. Isn’t he amazing?” Xu Zhizhi blurted out, her voice particularly sweet.

“Our son-in-law is amazing, and our daughter is amazing too,” Father Xu said happily, almost jumping for joy.

“Brother-in-law is amazing,” Xiao Wu chimed in, showering his brother-in-law with praise.

“Our son-in-law is amazing, and Zhizhi is amazing too,” Mother Xu said with a smile.

Mother Xu, who had been on edge for the past two days, finally felt at ease!

Having a daughter was truly a blessing! Because her daughter had served her fish balls, her husband and son were looking at her with much gentler expressions.

Xu Daniu also happily joined in with words of praise, all while stuffing his mouth with food.

When Xiao Jingheng heard the words “your son-in-law,” his heart stirred, as if riding a rollercoaster~~

His little wife had finally accepted him. The fish in his mouth tasted even sweeter, the sweetness rushing to his head~

He picked up a fish ball and placed it in her bowl: “Eat more. You’re too thin, and you’re still growing. You’ve grown so much taller since the last time I saw you…”

His deep, magnetic voice spoke slowly.

Xu Zhizhi felt her ears were about to melt! She obediently ate the fish ball he had given her.

He picked up another one and put it in his own mouth, then another for Xu Zhizhi…

After eating several in a row, she suddenly realized he was using the same chopsticks he had been eating with…

Her face flushed, and she glanced at the others, but they were all too busy devouring the fish to notice.

Xiao Jingheng noticed her little movements and found them both endearing and amusing. Did she think he didn’t know to only do this when no one was looking?

After lunch, Mother Xu rested at home.

Father Xu, Third Uncle Xu, and Xu Dazhuang worked on the carpentry needed for the house and furniture.

Xu Daniu ran errands and helped out, while Xu Zhizhi, who had previously been supervising and guiding, now had nothing to do since the roof tiles were being laid.

After lunch, she wanted to check if there was anything else that needed to be improved.

Xiao Wu wanted to follow, but Xu Zhizhi asked him to stay home and take care of their mother. The little guy, now with a task, happily stayed behind.

Xiao Jingheng naturally followed Xu Zhizhi. He didn’t know how to do any of the other work anyway.

As he looked at the innovative design of the courtyard house, the unique structure, and the lush sweet potatoes growing on the hillside—things he had never seen before…

He had investigated and found that no hunter in the villages around Qingshan Town had caught a tiger in recent years. Yet, the tiger bones his little wife had brought out that day were fresh.

She had many secrets, and so did he. That was why they were a perfect match…

As Xu Zhizhi led Xiao Jingheng around the courtyards, she asked him:

“Do you think we should dig a pond here in the middle of the courtyard to grow lotus flowers? When the lotus blooms next year, I can open the study window and see the flowers in full bloom. How delightful would that be?”

Lotus flowers had existed long before humans, around 145 million years ago.

But lotus flowers had many names: lotus, han dan, fu rong, fu qu, lian hua, wan lian, gang lian…

She knew Xiao Jingheng came from Luocheng, the largest city in the Great Sheng Dynasty. If even he didn’t know what lotus flowers were called, then what were they called in this dynasty?

As Xiao Jingheng listened to his little wife’s description, he imagined the two of them standing side by side by the window, admiring the scenery in the courtyard.

How poetic and picturesque!

“That sounds wonderful! We can build a rockery next to the lotus pond and a pavilion over there. What do you think, wife?”

(End of Chapter)