Song Yinghuai entered the dining hall and, as expected, saw Caiyu.
She had lost weight. Her once delicate face now looked overly fragile. Her slender body had become thinner, as if a gust of wind could blow her down.
When Caiyu saw him coming in, she still smiled as usual and said softly, "Your Highness is here."
She stepped forward to take off Song Yinghuai's cloak.
Song Yinghuai noticed that she still walked with a bit of difficulty, but at least it wasn't as hard as that day. After sleeping for three days and using the excellent ointment given by Master Guangzhi, it seemed to have worked.
Looking at Caiyu's outstretched hands, there was a thin layer of bandage wrapped from the palm to the back of the hand. The light - green burn ointment was faintly visible through the bandage, but the swelling had disappeared, and it seemed to be much better.
Song Yinghuai withdrew his gaze and said coldly, "Why are you here?"
Caiyu concealed the coldness in her eyes and replied with a smile, "I heard that the dishes made by Suier and the others didn't suit Your Highness's taste, so I came to teach them how to make a few small dishes. Your Highness, please have a look and see if you like them."
Song Yinghuai looked over.
Caiyu said, "This dish is called Buddhist Cloth Bag Dish. The bag is made of jade tofu, and the filling is made of mushrooms. "
"This one is called Monks' Treasure Delicacy. The main ingredients are vegetarian meat and Termitomyces albuminosus, stir - fried with green pepper shreds."
"This soup is called Yam Fish Soup. The soup base is made of sea laver, and the yam is made into the shape of small fish."
"And these are the crispy fritters made of fine flour paste mixed with scallions and coriander and then fried."
As Song Yinghuai watched her introduce the dishes attentively, he suddenly remembered the day when she deliberately made a table of "tonic" foods. His eyes darkened.
Compared with today's exquisite dishes made from ordinary ingredients, he actually missed that strange "diet therapy" that day.
However...
His eyes fell on Caiyu's hands again, and a glimmer of relief flashed in his eyes.
This girl had just recovered from a serious illness and was covered in wounds. She had been quite well - behaved.
Otherwise, with his body that hadn't been stimulated for a long time, if she entangled him again, he might make her hands cramp again.
After Caiyu finished speaking and saw that Song Yinghuai didn't respond, she stopped talking and just silently served him food.
One stood and the other sat. One ate and the other served. It seemed that the distance between them was getting farther and farther.
Until Song Yinghuai finished eating slowly, Caiyu didn't say a word. It seemed that they were silently competing to see who would speak first and admit defeat.
After Caiyu finished cleaning up and quickly filled her stomach, she found that Song Yinghuai had left. Only Suier said,
"Your Highness has returned to the bedroom. Sister Caiyu, are you going back to the side hall to serve?"
Caiyu nodded without hesitation, "Yes, I'm going back to the side hall."
Caiyu thought to herself, He has condescended to hint that I come to cook and serve him. This is already a rare sign of weakness. If I'm so ungrateful and throw a tantrum, isn't that just asking for trouble?
Suier and the others actually showed expressions of relief.
In the past, everyone was thinking about how to make Song Yinghuai notice them. But since they saw Caiyu come back from the brink of death, they no longer had such evil thoughts.
After all, compared with a man's good looks, life was more important.
They only had one insignificant life, and they couldn't afford to be tossed around by those noble ladies.
In the deep winter in Yanjing, it got dark early. Candles had been lit in the bedroom.
The bright candlelight shone through the window lattice. The bonsai of the ever - green pine on the desk was illuminated clearly, with its branches and leaves distinct. The ink - like shadows were spread on the ground, and the green leaves were hazy, showing a quiet and elegant atmosphere.
The candlelight shone on the man's handsome profile. His eyebrows and eyes were really like a painting, and his bearing was elegant.
Caiyu sighed secretly. It was a pity that it was all an illusion.
This man had no heart at all. What he practiced was not saving all sentient beings, but killing the Buddha.
Sensing someone entering the bedroom, Song Yinghuai didn't even raise his head and just ordered, "Make the bed."
It was as if he had long expected that the person would come back. Caiyu gritted her teeth in anger and wanted to take a bite out of him.
The class difference left her with no room to refuse.
After Caiyu made the bed for Song Yinghuai, she took a deep breath. A charming look gradually appeared in her eyes. She walked slowly towards Song Yinghuai, stretched out her hands, and placed them on his waist.
Song Yinghuai's fingers holding the book curled slightly. He said coldly, "What are you doing?"
Caiyu smiled charmingly, "I'm here to help Your Highness take off his clothes. Your Highness has forgotten my duty just because I've been sick for only three or four days?"
Song Yinghuai's eyes darkened as he watched her making a ruckus on his chest as usual. His mind wavered.
However, when he saw the few circles of bandage on her hands, which inevitably affected her dexterous movements, his eyes dimmed.
He wasn't a brute. How could he bully a weak woman who had just recovered from a serious illness and was still seriously injured?
Moreover, he could clearly sense the estrangement and indifference in Caiyu's eyes.
Suddenly, Song Yinghuai grabbed Caiyu's slender wrist and tightened his fingers slightly.
Caiyu let out a soft cry and then fell into Song Yinghuai's arms on purpose.
But her more exaggerated and desperate act this time made Song Yinghuai's heart turn cold.
He sat back on the bed and threw Caiyu onto the thick bed. Her weak body felt dizzy. Then she met Song Yinghuai's cold and clear eyes looking at her.
Caiyu began to feel a little panicked. There seemed to be no emotion in Song Yinghuai's eyes at this moment. It was as if he could see through her current disguise.
After many confrontations, she immediately realized that there was no room for any ambiguity at this moment.
"Your Highness," Caiyu tried to push his hard chest. "I've messed up your bed."
Song Yinghuai looked at her for a long time. He originally wanted to ask if she was still angry about the fact that he didn't rescue her in time at the Great Enshi Temple that day.
But when he saw the ice in her eyes, he suddenly felt that this was probably the best way for them.
If Caiyu had a grudge in her heart, she wouldn't keep causing trouble in front of him, right?
This was exactly what he wanted, so why break it?
Thinking of this, he slowly let go of the hand pressing on her wrist. "Get out."
Caiyu slowly got up and left. Song Yinghuai sat back on the head of the bed, picked up a book, and didn't even raise his head.
Caiyu walked towards the side hall step by step. The door that she could easily cross now made her steps difficult, as if she was walking on muddy ground with a heavy burden.
Granny Yu's strict face appeared in front of her.
Her younger brother mentioned in his last letter that he wanted to eat Pingyao beef...
Caiyu was so smart.
She immediately realized that her younger brother was being mistreated there, so he missed his hometown.
The master did it on purpose, warning her that if she didn't succeed, her younger brother's situation would only get worse.
Caiyu's steps towards the side hall felt as heavy as a thousand jin.
Suddenly.
She turned around, walked quickly to Song Yinghuai, and a string of Vajra Bodhi Buddhist beads hung in front of his eyes.
It was like a bead curtain shaking in front of Song Yinghuai, illusory and hazy, with overlapping shadows.
Song Yinghuai put down the book in his hand. His heart skipped a beat as he watched Caiyu's smiling face again.
"One flower, one world; one leaf, one Bodhi. Twirl the Vajra with one hand, silently watch the rain outside the window. Life is so short. Cherish the one in front of you."
Caiyu said, "Your Highness, this is the Buddhist beads that I said I would make for you before. Although my craftsmanship is not good and I can only do simple polishing and no carving, I've tried my best..."
Her fingers curled slightly, as if she was shy or embarrassed. "Your Highness, if you dislike it, just throw it away."
After saying that, she put down the Buddhist beads and turned to leave, looking like a little girl in love giving a token of love to her sweetheart, as if her heart and eyes were full of him.
Facing a girl who was in love with him, an ordinary man should be touched, right?
Caiyu thought, biting her lips.
Suddenly, a big hand grabbed her and pulled her back hard. Caiyu felt dizzy and fell back onto the bed again!
Song Yinghuai propped one hand on the side of her body and slowly picked up the Buddhist beads with the other. His thin lips parted slightly:
"Put it on for me."