The Slender Waist-Chapter 319 - 224 Pure Love War God

Feng Jingteng left the Zhu River crossing and headed back to Bingzhou overnight.

In fact, his attendants could tell he wanted to stay in Xinzhou and had hoped that Feng Yun and Pei Jue would ask him to stay.

However, this couple had no intention of entertaining their father. Both of them wore darker expressions than the other, dealing with the matter formally. They waited for Feng Jingteng to sign his name and stamp the inspection document before arranging for someone to escort him away.

Upon returning to Chunpei Academy, Feng Yun wanted to call for Ge Guang to listen once more to the conversation between Jiang Da and Daman in detail. However, Pei Jue stayed behind and showed no sign of leaving.

She had no choice but to order the kitchen to prepare a late-night meal.

But Pei Jue was being audacious.

"It’s been a long time since I’ve tasted something cooked by Lady Yun."

Feng Yun glanced at him, "When have you ever tasted my cooking?"

Pei Jue, "I’ve had the honor of tasting duck soup thanks to General Wen. I had the soup, but I don’t know the taste of the duck meat."

Without him mentioning it, Feng Yun would have forgotten about the incident.

As soon as it was mentioned, she remembered how in her last life she had painstakingly prepared his clothes and meals, only to be met with a cold face, stifling her frustrations...

Of course, it was the same in this life; his expression had never been pleasant...

It seemed like he never knew how to smile.

In Feng Yun’s memory, there was no recollection of Pei Jue smiling.

Her tone was indifferent, "We have a kitchen maid, why should I bother? Did you marry a wife just to serve you food and clothing?"

Pei Jue said, "How could the kitchen maid’s cooking be more delicious than the wife’s?"

Again, he drew her into his embrace, nuzzled her nose gently, "You needn’t do it often. Just occasionally, for a special treat, alright?"

This tender affection turned Feng Yun’s old face red.

In her heart, she always felt that she and Pei Jue were not any proper couple, even though they held a shoddy wedding ceremony in Bingzhou, which wasn’t much different from a casual relationship. And Pei Jue’s thoughts probably were the same as hers; he had never expressed otherwise.

But such gentle coaxing, tender as a grown-up snapping turtle, was hard to refuse.

She agreed with an expressionless face, "If I cook, the General will have to help me with the fire."

The so-called gentlemen keep their distance from the kitchen, and men of scholarly rank would not easily agree, even with a knife to their throats. Pei Jue did not hesitate for a second, "All right."

Feng Yun was stunned.

She was just making excuses to pressure him.

Was this man always so unhesitant?

Pei Jue called Zuo Zhong over to give instructions, leaving only Xiaoman and Daman to help Feng Yun prepare the ingredients, and sent the rest out of the kitchen.

Seeing his rigorous preparations, Feng Yun couldn’t help but snort.

"So you’re still afraid of being seen? If the General values his reputation, why did you agree?"

Pei Jue glanced at her, his face expressionless.

"Not for the sake of reputation, but for fear of damaging the morale of the troops."

The Great General making fire in the kitchen—once the news gets out, won’t the soldiers laugh themselves to death?

Thinking about that scene, Feng Yun burst out laughing.

Initially, she wasn’t too eager, but once she got to the stove and directed Daman and Xiaoman with the ingredients, her mood inexplicably brightened.

She had always been someone who enjoyed keeping busy, had natural hand skills, and loved preparing food.

After wrapping her hair with a cloth and putting on an apron, she started to get busy.

Life in Xinzhou was quickly recovering after the war, and they were considered part of the upper class. The Chunpei Academy had enough to eat, including meat, but the meals were not lavish and the same few items rotated daily. In truth, Feng Yun had grown a bit tired of the repetition.

She was determined to broaden General Pei’s culinary horizons and satisfy her own stomach, thinking up some new ideas. She found some tea leaves left by Wen Xingsu and boiled a few tea eggs. She also took the pickled radishes Xiaoman scooped out and cooked a duck soup completely different from the last time...

Duck meat was a common food among the commoners at that time; it was normal to stew it into soup.

But she was the first to cook soup this way.

As soon as the water in the pot began to boil and the aroma wafted out, it was almost unbearable.

Pei Jue sat in front of the stove, his face illuminated by the bright flames, his sharp features cast in a warm glow, his eyes hooked onto Feng Yun without shifting for a long time.

"Does it smell good?" Feng Yun noticed his gaze and couldn’t help but swallow.

"It does," Pei Jue answered.

"I’m almost crying from the craving too," Feng Yun said enthusiastically, "It needs to simmer for a bit longer before the meat is thoroughly flavored."

Seeing that Pei Jue did not respond, she asked Xiaoman to find a bowl and scooped half a bowl of the boiling soup from the pot, handing it to him.

"This should satisfy the craving a bit," she said.

Pei Jue: ...

Actually, he wasn’t that eager.

Or perhaps it wasn’t just a bowl of soup he craved.

He tasted it and his eyes brightened slightly. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"Lady Yun has great culinary skills."

"Delicious, isn’t it?" No chef dislikes praise from their diners, and Feng Yun felt somewhat happy about it.

She was too lazy to cook too much, left the dumplings aside for later use, and sent Daman and Xiaoman away. While waiting for the soup to cook, she went to sit beside the stove next to Pei Jue.

In the stove, flames licked the bottom of the pot, casting their faces in a warm, red glow.

Warming oneself by the fire in winter was a different kind of pleasure.

Feng Yun comfortably closed her eyes with both hands in front of the stove.

Pei Jue glanced sideways at her and suddenly said, "Lady Yun, help me find a servant."

Feng Yun looked back at him, a bit surprised.

"Don’t you have suitable people by your side?"

Pei Jue said, "They are all fellows who wield swords and fight in battles, none of them know how to do those miscellaneous tasks."

None of them knew how? Feng Yun thought that people like Zuo Zhong and Jiu You were all sharp-witted, and usually they took good care of him. Why would they suddenly be deemed unsuitable?

It seems General Pei is not willing to have his capable subordinates do these trivial matters.

She thought for a moment, "Okay. I’ll keep an eye out for the General."

Pei Jue hummed a response and said no more.

Feng Yun asked, "Why has the General suddenly thought of finding a servant?"

Pei Jue paused for a moment, "There are daily needs to be taken care of."

All these years, hadn’t he managed on his own?

In his previous life, she never saw a servant attending to his needs.

Has he become delicate now?

Feng Yun felt this wasn’t the real reason.

Xing Bing had brought over a dozen followers from Changmen for her, regarded as her confidants, but Ge Guang and Ge Yi were definitely not suitable. Big Brother Xing was quite astute, loyal, and diligent, but he was just too young, like a skinny chicken; standing beside Pei Jue, he looked pitiful...

"How about Qian Sanniu? What do you think of Sanniu?"

Pei Jue had only seen Qian Sanniu once.

And it was only a fleeting glance.

Feng Yun thought these inconspicuous servants wouldn’t leave any impression on General Pei.

Unexpectedly, Pei Jue nodded and said:

"He has a decent appearance, gentle and honest, and he is surely reliable in his work. Let it be him."

Feng Yun was startled.

You know this as well?

Indeed, Pei Jue didn’t trust her as much as it seemed; he was very well aware of her and the people around her.

"Alright. It’s settled then."

After saying this, she thought she shouldn’t be at a loss, after all, Sanniu was really competent. He seemed a simple man, not much of a talker, but very efficient in his work.

"Then you’ll have to pay," she said.

Pei Jue stood up, "It’s all yours."

Watching him stir the bottom of the pot with a spoon, Feng Yun sniffed and finally smelled a hint of a burnt scent.

"Oh no. My tea eggs."

The midnight snack turned out to be quite satisfying. Feng Yun found a bottle of osmanthus wine from Wen Xingsu’s cellar and filled Pei Jue’s cup. The two sat opposite each other, drinking soup and wine. They hardly spoke, yet the scene was harmonious.

Not until after the third cup did Pei Jue look at her and say:

"The envoy from Jin Country will come to Xinzhou tomorrow. I have to leave early in the morning."

Feng Yun looked up, "As it should be."

She smiled calmly, nothing like the woman who had desperately stopped her from going to Andu earlier that day.

Pei Jue’s brow furrowed slightly, "Don’t you have anything to say?"

"Not a thing," Feng Yun looked at him curiously, "What does the General want to hear me say?"

Pei Jue fell silent.

Feng Yun laughed, passing him a bowl of soup.

"Drink more. It’s delicious."

How could Pei Jue know what she had been through? The separate residence in Andu County was a nightmare of her past life; her stopping him from going was to avoid reliving old wounds. And there was also her consistent insistence to drive a wedge between them, to prevent him from getting too close to the Li family and their daughter.

But with the Jin envoy arriving in Xinzhou, the duties that Pei Jue had to fulfill were unavoidable.

The whole world was watching him; appearances had to be maintained.

Otherwise, how could he command the respect of the troops?

So, even if she didn’t let him go to Andu, she had brought Feng Jingteng to be a scapegoat.

In this way, people would only say he was entangled by the unreasonable demands of the Qi envoy, and not that he was infatuated with beauty and led astray by her.

Pei Jue didn’t spend the night at Chunpei Academy. After his bath, he grabbed Feng Yun for a moment of affection, then left.

They had only been reckless in the camp during the day, and while his emotions were soothed, his passion for her never extinguished. It wasn’t that he didn’t desire her; it was out of concern that her body couldn’t bear it. Before he left, he specifically brought "Jade Gates" and personally applied the ointment to ensure she wasn’t injured. Only then did he leave, reassured, with his guard.

He also took Qian Sanniu with him.

Jiu You eyed the new servant with some dissatisfaction.

Especially considering that Qian Sanniu would be following the General closely from now on, even more intimately than he and Zuo Zhong, he felt incredibly jealous.

"I don’t know what the General is thinking, asking the lady for such a person."

Zuo Zhong didn’t answer; instead, Jiu You huffed again.

"Does he think we’re too clumsy to serve him?"

Zuo Zhong saw that he was talking nonsense and frowned.

"The General did it to reassure the lady."

Jiu You raised his eyebrows in confusion, "What do you mean?"

Zuo Zhong lowered his voice, "The Empress Dowager has come to Xinzhou. It’s said that she and the General were once engaged. The lady might naturally become suspicious..."

Jiu You had a sudden realization.

"To prevent the lady from being suspicious, he deliberately let her send a servant to be by his side? To keep his movements and daily life entirely under the lady’s control?"

Zuo Zhong nodded.

"Other than this, there’s no other explanation."

Jiu You stood still for a moment, his eyes widening, shaking his head in disbelief.

"I never would have thought that the Great General would be such a man..."

Zuo Zhong remained silent.

Who would have thought? He certainly hadn’t.