Wen Mingyu’s dream of becoming an imperial teacher had just begun when it was shortly dashed.
He couldn’t afford to be a teacher anymore. Not anymore.
He shook his head in defeat. That one and only student was taught to handle, insisting on showing filial piety and repaying kindness to the teacher, leaving only Wen Mingyu, who felt like he couldn’t afford it.
It was clear that he was messing around from the start, having Mu Zhan pour tea and water just for fun. Reviewing assignments was enough, but Mu Zhan insisted on personally serving him and going above and beyond with great care. While serving him, he would repeatedly address him as “Teacher” and ask things like,How did I do, is my work satisfactory, where do I need to make improvements or corrections…
Wen Mingyu was so exasperated and felt like he was about to develop a phobia with the word “teacher.” When he heard the word teacher in the future, it would make his scalp tingle and his imagination run wild.
After the lessons, Mu Zhan even massaged him, saying softly that the teacher must be exhausted. Wen Mingyu gave him a glare, but the rich, fruity scent mixed with the heady scent of wine surrounding them also made him a little faint. After glaring, he buried his head like an ostrich in his arms.
Wen Mingyu complained in a muffled voice, his face buried in the crook of his arms, “I will expel you, you ungrateful student, from my sect…”
Mu Zhan seemed not to hear it clearly. Leaning closer, he asked in a respectful tone, “What did the teacher say?”
Wen Mingyu didn’t believe for a second that he hadn’t heard him. It was obviously intentional. So, he ignored him.
Mu Zhan let out a low chuckle, “Let me apply some medicine to the teacher first.”
Wen Mingyu stiffened, then exploded in an instant. However, he saw Mu Zhan half kneeling on the bedside. He just rolled up Wen Mingyu’s pant leg and folded it up, exposing a slender and well-proportioned calf. Snow-white, seemingly carved out of ice, except that this snow blossomed with red plums.
Only then did Wen Mingyu realize that he had several further bruises on his knees, tiny clusters of bruises that wouldn’t have been severe, except that he had porcelain skin, and the contrast made it appear somewhat frightening. It just looked painful.
Wen Mingyu had been so oblivious that he hadn’t even noticed the bruises until Mu Zhan brought them up. This alone showed that they didn’t hurt unless touched. When his fingers pressed against the bruise, only then would pain be felt. It was evident that he must have bumped into something unknowingly. Wen Mingyu’s body was easily bruised from light contact, and occasionally he would notice a bruise on himself without remembering when or where he got it.
Mu Zhan held a small, finely made medicine box with a dragon design carved on the lid. He dipped a small amount of the ointment on the pad of his finger, then applied it evenly and gently to Wen Mingyu’s knee. A faint medicinal scent wafted into the air.
The bruise didn’t hurt as long as it wasn’t touched, but smearing the ointment seemed to trigger the discomfort. Wen Mingyu felt it wasn’t worth the discomfort and tried to draw his leg back. “No need to apply medicine. It’ll go away on its own eventually.”
Saying that, he retreated like a prey trying to break free from a hunter’s grasp. He braced himself up on the soft mattress and scuffed his way backwards toward the inner side of the bed and tried to roll himself up the quilt to sleep.
But just as he was about to pull his pant leg down, Mu Zhan caught hold of his ankle and effortlessly pulled him back again, reducing the distance he had just fled to zero.
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Wen Mingyu groaned every now and then, saying it hurt. Mu Zhan would then ease the force of his touch. But after a few times, his movements had become so light that they hardly weighed more than a feather brushing against Wen Mingyu’s skin. Even then, he would still groan and insist it still hurt.
Mu Zhan raised his eyes, the corners of his lips curling into a slight arc as he looked at him amusedly.
Wen Mingyu avoided his gaze but soon turned back, looking directly at him. In a small voice, he said stubbornly, “It reallydoeshurt, ah.”
Mu Zhan’s eyes curved slightly as he smiled. “I didn’t control my strength well.”
His voice, however, carried a hint of mirth, obviously knowing that Wen Mingyu was acting, yet he willingly played along without complaint.
In the end, the knees were covered in medicine, leaving a cooling sensation that was actually quite soothing.
Since rolling down the pant leg would easily remove the medicine on his knee, Wen Mingyu kept it that way, sitting with his legs bent. He lazily leaned against the edge of the bed, his bare feet stepping on the soft mattress, his instep slightly curved, tensing out a beautiful arc, like a kind of art-like beauty.
Mu Zhan’s dark eyes fell on it, and after looking for a long time, he couldn’t move his gaze away.
Wen Mingu, on the other hand, was so absorbed in his thoughts that he failed to notice Mu Zhan’s slightly perverted gaze.
He was still hung up on what his colleagues had mentioned during their most recent conversation. They had planned on going out together to try the notoriously stinky tofu, which was supposed to be so delicious that it could mesmerize people.
Wen Mingyu couldn’t resist telling Mu Zhan about it as he too wanted to give it a try.
Mu Zhan had never eaten it before and didn’t know what it tasted like, so he asked the imperial physicians if it was safe to be eaten. The reply was yes, it is, though best to consume moderately.
Thus, the imperial kitchen received an order to prepare stinky tofu. When the imperial chefs first heard about it, they were stunned and doubted their ears.Stinky tofu, a common food, a down-to-earth dish, in the palace? And for the emperor and empress to eat, no less?
In any case, because of the empress’s varied tastes, the imperial chefs had frequently recreated the specialties of their hometown in the palace kitchen in previous years. They were even commended and rewarded for it, which gave them a strong sense of accomplishment.
This time, an imperial chef who could prepare authentic stinky tofu rose to the challenge. Considering the empress’ body, the dish was prepared less spicy.
When the stinky tofu was brought out, even before it reached the hall, Mu Zhan, with his keen senses, caught a whiff of the smell and automatically scowled.What an awful stench.
Mu Zhan had never imagined the dish would live up to its name so sincerely and straightforwardly. Stinky tofu—stinky—smelled unbelievably pungent. The odor alone made it hard to believe it was really delicious.
Even Wen Mingyu was momentarily startled by the overbearing smell. However, recalling his colleague’s blissful face when he talked about it, he was still determined to try it. He picked up his chopsticks and was ready to pick a piece when Mu Zhan grabbed his hand and stopped him.
“Is this thing spoiled?” Mu Zhan asked doubtfully.
Zhao Dequan respectfully clarified, This is how stinky tofu is supposed to be prepared. Many people eat it this way.
The tofu was greenish-black and cut into small cubes that reeked of stench, and was as colorful as it was fragrant.
Mu Zhan couldn’t comprehend how people could enjoy this.
When Mu Zhan’s hold relaxed a bit, Wen Mingyu swiftly picked a piece of tofu cube and took a bite out of it. As expected, it was entirely different from its smell; it burst with a savory, spicy flavor and was crisp on the outside but tender on the inside. The flavor and texture unexpectedly tasted good, and even the stench, if smelled for a time, transformed into a rich and alluring aroma.
Squinting his eyes, Wen Mingyu bit into it one by one. He savored the first piece then picked up another, blowing on it lightly before preparing to eat it.
When he looked up, he accidentally locked eyes with Mu Zhan.
For some reason, from Mu Zhan’s blank stare that was subtly laced with disgust, he suddenly thought of a cute emoji.
Cat Stare.jpg
(个_个)
Like a cat worried that his owner was eating something inedible.
Wen Mingyu imagined it and couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Then, with a glint of mischief in his eyes, he picked up a piece of tofu cube and held it out to Mu Zhan, teasingly saying, “Your Majesty can try some too?”
Mu Zhan had originally been staring straight at him, but this time his lips were in a taut line, as if the stench had offended him greatly. The look on his face seemed to be on the verge of cracking.
He knew that Wen Mingyu’s tastes had changed now that he was pregnant. Many of his old favorites now triggered vomiting, and he developed a preference for heavily flavored foods, but he hadn’t anticipated it to be this serious, that he would even like something so overwhelmingly pungent.
Mu Zhan remained composed as he opened his mouth to refuse, but Wen Mingyu, who was quick and experienced, seized the moment and shoved the tofu into his mouth. After all, Wen Mingyu had already perfected his skill of stuffing Mu Zhan with desserts in the past and was very good at handling him.
Mu Zhan: “…”
His expression instantly became subtle, as though he had been fed something questionable.
Wen Mingyu laughed and said, “Your Majesty can chew it now.”
Spitting it out directly was something Mu Zhan would never do, so with a darkened expression, he started chewing the cube in his mouth. Then, his expression shifted slightly, so minuscule that it was almost imperceptible unless one was paying attention.
But Wen Mingyu was quick to pick it out. His eyebrows raised, and he smiled. “It tastes unexpectedly good, doesn’t it? If it didn’t taste good, I wouldn’t have shared it with Your Majesty.”
Mu Zhan swallowed it first before opening his mouth to flatly say, “It’s passable.”
That attitude sounded as reluctant as he could be.
Wen Mingyu didn’t hesitate to ask, “Then does Your Majesty want more?”
Mu Zhan didn’t say yes, nor did he say no.
Wen Mingyu secretly snickered. “I can’t eat too much of it. It will be a waste if I don’t finish it, so Your Majesty will help me share the burden, ah.”
This time, Mu Zhan nodded.
In the end, Wen Mingyu only ate two more pieces, with the remainder ending up in Mu Zhan’s stomach.
Wen Mingyu’s lips turned red from the spice, as if rouge had been applied. The color was naturally bright and pretty.
He enjoyed moments like this, sharing food with Mu Zhan. It was warm and simple, and it felt as if everything became more delicious.
ChiFu: Mu Zhan is a toddler at heart. >>> kidding aside. thank you for the kofi, Darius! <3