Zhao Liangcai tilted his head to look at Qin Junyao, propping himself up with his hands on the bed, wanting to get up.
"Don't move, the medicinal powder will fall off if it's not bandaged," Qin Junyao stopped Zhao Liangcai, who was trying to get up.
Zhao Liangcai lay back down and said to Qin Junyao, "I'm a little cold."
Qin Junyao draped Zhao Liangcai's outer garment over his back and then sat back down on the stool.
The entire room was so quiet that they could hear each other's breathing. Zhao Liangcai lay on the bed, looking at the headboard, thinking about how to break the stalemate.
Gurgle.
The rumbling of his empty stomach gave Zhao Liangcai an excuse, "Miss Qin, do you have anything to eat? I haven't eaten since noon."
"No," Qin Junyao replied, fiddling with her fingers and looking down. She was a bit sleepy but her lower abdomen still hurt, which was annoying.
Zhao Liangcai thought for a moment and lowered his voice, "Ah, I'm not that hungry either." As he finished speaking, his stomach rumbled again.
Qin Junyao looked up at Zhao Liangcai without speaking. She still needed to get used to this face.
"Miss Qin, I lied just now. I'm really hungry. Can you help me find something to eat in the kitchen?" Zhao Liangcai realized he might have used the wrong strategy. He couldn't beat around the bush today.
Qin Junyao thought that going out for a walk might help her feel more energetic. Since Zhao Liangcai couldn't leave, she couldn't sleep either.
After telling Zhao Liangcai to lie down properly, she went downstairs.
The inn's kitchen was locked, so she couldn't go in. Qin Junyao had no choice but to find a corner and enter her space.
She pulled out a radish and chopped a head of cabbage from her land. These were the only vegetables available at this time of year.
After washing the radish and cabbage and cutting them into shreds, she put them in a large bowl. She then took a small bowl and put soy sauce in it. Qin Junyao placed the two bowls, one large and one small, on a tray and went upstairs again.
Zhao Liangcai didn't expect Qin Junyao to return so quickly. He raised his head, trying to see what was in the large bowl on the table.
Qin Junyao found a white cloth, tore it into strips, and helped Zhao Liangcai bandage himself. Then she sat back down on the stool by the table.
She watched Zhao Liangcai get dressed. It was truly a feast for the eyes.
Before, when she saw Zhao Liangcai with a beard, Qin Junyao always thought that encountering this person meant nothing good, or it would be about IOUs and repayment of debts.
Now, she had no such thoughts in her mind. He was just handsome, and her mood had improved significantly.
Zhao Liangcai finished dressing and sat opposite Qin Junyao. "Miss Qin, what delicious food did you get for me?"
"Vegetable sashimi."
"I've never heard of this dish before. Did Miss Qin make it? Then I must try it," Zhao Liangcai said excitedly, bringing the large bowl to himself. Seeing the shredded cabbage and radish inside, he was a bit stunned.
He tentatively asked Qin Junyao, "Eat it raw?"
Qin Junyao nodded and pointed to the small bowl, "There's soy sauce there. You can mix it in. I don't know how to cook."
After speaking, she added in her heart that she had practiced her knife skills for cutting herbs in her space, otherwise Zhao Liangcai would only get hand-torn cabbage sashimi.
Zhao Liangcai chuckled and poured the soy sauce into the large bowl, mixing it with chopsticks. "It's okay if you don't know how to cook. Grandma Ma cooks very well, and my grilling skills are also good."
After saying that, he picked up a large mouthful of vegetables and put it in his mouth. The cabbage was sweet, and the radish was slightly spicy, with the addition of salty soy sauce, it tasted good.
The key was that this dish was that special dish again.
Today, Zhao Liangcai had gone to scout the mansion where Shao Yong, the defending general of the Northwest Great Camp, received various people in the city.
His purpose was to gather information, so he didn't linger too long. The headache wasn't severe, but this vegetable sashimi still made his mind clearer and more comfortable.
The information Qian Duo had given him was confirmed: Shao Yong had indeed defected to the Third Prince, Prince Jing, and intended to rebel.
By controlling the northwest city, he indirectly controlled the salt routes.
If it weren't for Zhao Liangcai, under the guise of Boss Zhao, having smoothed over several connections and sent the mute girl to Shao Yong's side, his shipment of salt wouldn't have been able to leave the northwest city.
Shao Yong's ambition was not just to control the northwest city, but also the salt lake.
The most troublesome person at the salt lake was Zhao Liangcai himself.
Qin Junyao pretended not to hear Zhao Liangcai talking about Grandma Ma's good cooking. She watched the food in the large bowl disappear quickly, thinking that this person was easy to feed.
"Phew~ Delicious," Zhao Liangcai said with emotion as he put the last shred of radish from the bowl into his mouth.
If he could eat a bowl of vegetables like this every day, and listen to Qin Junyao play the zither, his life would be too wonderful.
The food was finished. Zhao Liangcai pushed the bowl aside and suddenly said to Qin Junyao, "When we return to the village, I'll teach you martial arts. You can't always use a cleaver when you're out; it's easy for someone to snatch it and use it against you."
Seeing Qin Junyao's increasingly bright eyes, he continued, "I'll teach you to use a dagger. It's easy to carry and can be used by surprise."
Qin Junyao was tempted. She gripped the edge of the table with both hands. "Are you serious? What do you want?"
Zhao Liangcai rubbed his forehead. "Miss Qin, our first meeting was unpleasant and full of misunderstandings. I apologize for that here, but I am sincerely asking for your hand in marriage."
"Can't you believe that I genuinely want to teach you martial arts? I'll feel more at ease if you have the ability to protect yourself."
"Heh," Qin Junyao seemed to hear a joke. "You sincerely want to marry me?"
"Look at your appearance, your official position, and then look at me. You want to marry me? What do you like about me? Do you like that I'm uglier and poorer than you?"
"I..." Zhao Liangcai suddenly choked at this point. He couldn't tell Qin Junyao that he wanted to eat the vegetables in her hands to alleviate his headache and listen to her zither music to help him sleep.
At this moment, he remembered what Suozi had told him. He didn't truly like Qin Junyao. If it weren't for those things, would he still want to marry her?
"You can't say it, can you? You are a general, and I am a peasant girl. We should never have intersected. Helping you this time is repayment for saving me. The rest is the debt of five hundred taels."
"I'll return the silver to you, and you give me the IOU, if you teach me martial arts."
"No," Zhao Liangcai interrupted Qin Junyao and stood up. "What you're saying is all wrong."
"I do like you."
"If I want to eat this vegetable sashimi, I can pay you for it. If I want to listen to you play the zither, I can pay or even threaten you into playing for me."
"If I forcibly take you as a concubine, your family won't be able to refuse." Sudannovel.com
"But," Zhao Liangcai said, bracing his hands on the table in front of Qin Junyao, his eyes looking directly into the woman's eyes, "I still want to marry you as my wife."
Qin Junyao stood up and moved away from Zhao Liangcai, clenching her fists. She was very confused. "Are you sick? Your cousin is more beautiful and virtuous than me. I can't cook or do needlework. Why you?"
"Then why do you care so much about Qian Duo? You said you liked Qian Duo, but it's impossible for you two. Why don't you want to marry me? What's wrong with me?"
This time, it was Qin Junyao's turn to be speechless. When did she like Qian Duo?
Furthermore, there was nothing wrong with Zhao Liangcai. In fact, he was too good now, so good that she had to admit the huge gap between them.
During her days in the northwest city, she had thoroughly understood the rules here and recognized her own position.