Chapter 28 TGBW

 FlamingoBees 

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The General's Buddhist Wife 

 Chapter 28: 

Bath・ Garlic Egg

This evening, Chu Wei Leng ate very little.

Of course, this "little" is relative to his usual appetite. Even though he ate less, it was still more than what Lou Jian Jia ate.

He had two steamed buns and a bowl of soup.

Not long after dinner, they each went back to their rooms to rest.

Usually at this time, after returning to her room, Lou Jian Jia would take a bath.

However, when she returned to the room, Lou Jian Jia realized that she no longer had the room to herself; she had to figure out how to bathe.

Though she had divided the room into two parts, it wasn't separated by walls, just a curtain.

The room was dim, and the light from the oil lamp couldn't reach far. She believed that even though Chu Wei Leng had excellent eyesight, he wouldn't be able to see.

While he might not see, considering Chu Wei Leng's hearing, he would certainly hear clearly.

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A curtain wasn't the same as a wall, and she felt embarrassed to bathe like this.

After much thought, Lou Jian Jia glanced at the adjacent storage room and went to tidy up a bit.

Although the storage room was a bit messy, it was still a completely separate room, and being outside, it was much better than the cramped bedroom.

After tidying up a space, Lou Jian Jia took a quick shower and returned to the room.

When she returned, Chu Wei Leng was still awake, leaning back in the chair with his eyes closed, lost in thought.

Lou Jian Jia could tell that Chu Wei Leng had something on his mind tonight.

However, after glancing at him, she walked towards the bed.

She was well aware that her relationship with Chu Wei Leng was simply living together under the same roof.

There was nothing else.

She wasn't interested in his affairs, nor did she want to know.

She knew that they were destined to part ways, and getting to know each other more would only complicate things later.

With these thoughts in mind, Lou Jian Jia tidied up the bedding, then climbed into bed.

She naturally took the inner side of the bed, leaving the outer side for Chu Wei Leng. Moreover, she positioned herself close to the edge, taking only about a quarter of the space. She left about three-quarters of the bed for Chu Wei Leng.

After lying down, she pulled the thin blanket from the side and closed her eyes.

Chu Wei Leng seemed to be waiting for her just now. After a moment, he also came over.

He sat at the edge of the bed and began to take off his shoes.

Lou Jian Jia kept her eyes closed but remained attentive to Chu Wei Leng's movements.

For one reason: she just wanted to know if Chu Wei Leng would go to take a bath.

If he didn't go, then what should she do?

She heard him come over and sensed him sitting on the edge of the bed.

Then, a familiar yet unpleasant smell filled the air...

To endure, or not to endure?

Just as Chu Wei Leng's feet were about to touch the bed, Lou Jian Jia suddenly sat up from the bed and looked at him.

Though Chu Wei Leng didn't understand Lou Jian Jia's intention, he instinctively stopped his movement.

© translations belonging to  flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com. If you read this somewhere else instead of flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com then the translations has been posted WITHOUT permission of translator.

Lou Jian Jia's gaze fixed on Chu Wei Leng's feet.

Chu Wei Leng followed her gaze.

Though they had only been together for less than two days, Chu Wei Leng immediately understood the meaning behind Lou Jian Jia's eyes.

Was she disgusted by his dirty feet?

Sure enough, the next moment, Lou Jian Jia uttered a word: "Wash..."

This single word successfully snapped Chu Wei Leng out of his thoughts about those futile matters.

Women were truly too troublesome.

Chu Wei Leng sighed inwardly once again.

Without waiting for Lou Jian Jia to finish, Chu Wei Leng spoke in a deep voice, "Got it, I'll go wash my feet right away."

"No, what I meant was..."

Chu Wei Leng raised his gaze to Lou Jian Jia, asking, "Hmm?"

Wasn't she asking him to wash his feet?

Actually, he had just bathed during the day, so it didn't really matter whether he washed them again now.

While he pondered, Lou Jian Jia continued, "Take a bath."

"A bath?" Chu Wei Leng found this term rather odd.

Lou Jian Jia realized her mistake and calmly corrected herself, "I meant bathing, as in taking a shower."

With that statement, Chu Wei Leng's expression darkened.

Hadn't he already bathed during the day? Why again?

"I bathed at noon," he clarified.

It was the first time Lou Jian Jia encountered someone who wasn't fond of cleanliness. Her expression turned a bit colder as she replied, "But you sweated again in the afternoon."

Sweating? He sweated profusely in the military camp every day, yet he didn't bathe daily.

Bathing once every ten days or half a month was already considered diligent, sometimes even skipping a month or two.

And no one in the same tent ever complained about it.

Looking at the petite and gentle-looking girl in front of him, dressed in a loose saffron robe with rosy cheeks and black hair hanging behind her, Chu Wei Leng felt powerless.

If she were a man, he could have fought with her, but she was a delicate girl.

Recalling how this girl had just helped him out at the dinner table, Chu Wei Leng sighed and put on his shoes.

Forget it.

~ Part 2 ~

He decided to just endure her.

"There's still some hot water in the pot," Luo Jian Jia reminded thoughtfully.

She was afraid Chu Wei Leng wouldn't go bathe, so she had prepared in advance.

Preparedness in affection?

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Chu Wei Leng glanced at Luo Jian Jia, pursed his lips, then headed outside.

"I tidied up the adjacent utility room, you can use it for bathing," Luo Jian Jia added.

Chu Wei Leng paused for a moment, then continued walking outside.

Chu Wei Leng smirked, feeling adequately prepared!

Hearing the rushing sound of water outside, Luo Jian Jia breathed a sigh of relief.

Whether he used the hot water from the pot or not, and wherever he bathed, as long as he did, it was fine.

Soon enough, Chu Wei Leng returned.

Luo Jian Jia felt like it had only been less than a minute.

That was... too quick, wasn't it?

When Chu Wei Leng came in, Luo Jian Jia glanced at him sideways.

Thinking she didn't believe him, Chu Wei Leng said, "I'm done bathing."

Luo Jian Jia remained silent.

"Don't believe me? Take a sniff."

As soon as Chu Wei Leng finished speaking, he saw Luo Jian Jia actually take a sniff, verifying whether he had bathed or not.

Chu Wei Leng: ...

At that moment, Chu Wei Leng had reason to believe that the Luo Jian Jia in front of him was not the same as before.

He couldn't believe that the person who once loved him so deeply, willing to live and die for him, would now treat him with such disdain.

Not detecting any odor, Luo Jian Jia lay down, turned away from Chu Wei Leng.

Chu Wei Leng chuckled softly, extinguished the lamp, and lay down on the bed.

Soon, both of them fell asleep.

© translations belonging to  flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com. If you read this somewhere else instead of flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com then the translations has been posted WITHOUT permission of translator.

However, an hour later, Luo Jian Jia woke up.

Listening to the snoring beside her, she pursed her lips.

After enduring for a while, she pulled the blanket over and covered her ears.

Well, he had already bathed today, an improvement from yesterday. She decided to endure it for today.

Perhaps having experienced yesterday, Luo Jian Jia made progress today. After listening for more than an hour, she gradually drifted back to sleep.

The next morning, Luo Jian Jia's complexion was still the same as yesterday, not very refreshed.

Madam Zhao, seeing her appearance, started to think in the wrong direction again.

After Luo Jian Jia got up, she noticed that Chu Wei Leng and Old Master Chu were already busy in the courtyard.

The tasks unfinished from yesterday were almost completed today.

"Jian Jia, come and see if this is right," Old Master Chu called out.

Luo Jian Jia quickly walked over and looked, nodding in agreement, "Yes, father, you're doing it right."

Old Master Chu smiled.

Madam Zhao added, "It's not just your father; it's all done by Wei Leng. It's rare to see you two understand each other so well, understanding each other's intentions."

Hearing this, Chu Wei Leng and Luo Jian Jia glanced at each other, then quickly averted their eyes.

Madam Zhao thought they were just shy and smiled, not saying anything further.

However, Luo Jian Jia knew that they weren't shy at all just now.

Chu Wei Leng didn't need to like her; not disliking her would suffice.

As for her, she wouldn't like a man who was destined not to be hers.

Before heading to the pier to sell food, Chu Wei Leng had already prepared everything.

Old Master Chu tried it and praised, "This idea is indeed good. It's easy to carry and pack up."

Madam Zhao agreed, "Yes, Jian Jia is really clever."

© translations belonging to  flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com. If you read this somewhere else instead of flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com then the translations has been posted WITHOUT permission of translator.

With that, the completed sunshade canopy, along with the tables and stools, was loaded onto the cart and pushed to the pier.

Once they arrived at the pier, Chu Wei Leng set up the large canopy right away.

Seeing the large canopy, many people gathered around.

There were already quite a few people eating here, but today there were even more.

On this pier, there was only one small canopy where they sold cold tea.

However, that canopy was extremely small, only able to accommodate two tables.

The owner was also quite strict, only allowing people to sit there for a short time and charging extra if they stayed too long.

The Memory Lane canopy was mobile and very large, with enough space for four tables inside.

People who originally didn't plan to eat here also came in to enjoy the coolness for a while.

This was an unexpected pleasure for Lou Jian Jia and the others.

Originally, Old Master Chu and Madam Zhao were a bit worried about the money spent on building the canopy, but now they felt it was worth it.

Today, they made more cold noodles and fewer egg fried rice dishes.

However, the cold noodles still sold out, and so did the egg fried rice and meal sets.

Business was indeed good.

After selling the food, Madam Zhao suggested that she rest at home for a while, while she and Old Master Chu went to town to buy more food with Chu Wei Leng.

At first, Lou Jian Jia wanted to insist on going, but upon hearing that Chu Wei Leng was also going, she agreed.

With Chu Wei Leng around, she didn't have to worry about Madam Zhao and Old Master Chu, and there would be someone to carry things.

The weather was hot and sultry today, and knowing they would soon head to town to buy more supplies, Lou Jian Jia decided on something simple to eat.

Cold noodles.

Lou Jian Jia first boiled some water, and once it boiled, she put the noodles in.

While boiling the water and cooking the noodles, she took two large cloves of garlic, smashed them to remove the skins, and placed them in a mortar. Then, she began pounding them with a pestle. She remembered how it used to take her a long time each time, leaving her arms and wrists sore.

But now, with her increased strength, it didn't take too long. In a short while, she pounded the garlic into a paste, while the noodles were still cooking.

In another pot, she boiled two eggs.

Once the boiled eggs were cooked, she scooped them out and placed them in cold water to cool.

Meanwhile, the noodles were also cooked.

Lou Jian Jia poured the cooked noodles into the previously prepared cold water to cool them down. Once the noodles had cooled, she scooped them out and put them in a bowl, adding various seasonings.

After retrieving the boiled eggs, she peeled them, mashed them in the mortar, and mixed them with the garlic paste.

Finally, she added some seasoned oil, salt, and other condiments.

After finishing these, she went to pick a few cucumbers and washed a carrot. Then, she cleaned and chopped them all into shreds on a cutting board, placing them on top of the cold noodles.

She also picked the cooked meat off the large bones and arranged it on top.

Looking at the green cucumbers and orange carrots on the cold noodles, Lou Jian Jia felt satisfied with the visual appeal.

As Old Master Chu approached to serve the food, he looked at the cucumber and carrot shreds, then glanced at Lou Jian Jia, who hadn't given him a warm steamed bun, and once again evaluated her with a term in his mind: flashy but insubstantial.

However, when he tasted the garlic egg mixture, his opinion changed.

"Garlic and eggs can actually be mixed together and taste so good," Madam Zhao praised. "Before, I thought garlic was too spicy to eat alone. But mixed with eggs, it's not as spicy and tastes delicious."

Old Master Chu also commented, "Fragrant."

Chu Wei Leng savored the flavorful garlic egg mixture and surprisingly commented, "Delicious."

Lou Jian Jia glanced at him, gaining a bit more insight into his taste preferences.

He probably enjoyed hearty and flavorful dishes.

His taste was nothing like that of people from the southern regions, who usually preferred lighter flavors.

© translations belonging to  flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com. If you read this somewhere else instead of flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com then the translations has been posted WITHOUT permission of translator.

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