The Daily Life Of Mei Furen Doting On Her Husband - Chapter 64

Hearing Wu Zhen’s words, Liu Taizhen asked, “What’s wrong?”

Wu Zhen responded confidently, “I’m married, and I haven’t seen my husband for several days. Someone outside is spreading rumors that are upsetting him, so I need to go and comfort him.” 

“Minister Cui asked for several days’ leave, claiming to have a serious illness, but I saw him on Pingkang Street last night. How could something have happened to him overnight, and now he’s even refusing visitors? Could it be…” The clerk who spoke hesitated, but everyone understood the unspoken implication. For a moment, their faces displayed a subtle mix of pity and contempt.

Mei Zhuyu, however, paid no attention to the daily gossip and rumors. He simply packed up his things and left the office, ready to head home.

But when he saw the person waiting at the gate of the government office, his cold expression transformed into unconcealable joy. Though his demeanor remained unchanged, the sudden brightness in his calm eyes revealed his shift in mood.

Wu Zhen was not dressed in men’s clothing but instead wore a snow-blue double-breasted skirt, with large calamus flowers embroidered on the hem. A yellow belt cinched her waist, and a round white jade pendant rested upon it. She stood there with a gentle and graceful demeanor, exuding natural charm, like the brilliance of a pearl and the fragrance of an orchid.

Amidst curious glances, she walked towards Mei Zhuyu and extended her hand to him. Mei Zhuyu stepped forward and took her hand.

Wu Zhen: “My dear, come with me to a place.”

Mei Zhuyu: “Okay.”

Feeling the shifting gazes of the surrounding officials, Wu Zhen smiled, leaned in closer to Mei Zhuyu, and whispered, “We are going to a brothel.”

Mei Zhuyu: “…Okay.”

Wu Zhen smiled and led him away. The two walked side by side, so close that their robes and skirts occasionally tangled together. Wu Zhen deliberately spoke softly, and Mei Zhuyu, with one hand behind his back and the other held by Wu Zhen, lowered his head to converse with her, his voice much gentler than when speaking to others. Their quiet conversation hinted at a special intimacy.

The officials of the Ministry of Justice, who had never seen the two of them together, began to doubt the rumors that Mei Zhuyu and Wu Zhen were not getting along. Judging by what they saw, there was no discord at all; they were simply affectionate and loving.

After leaving the Ministry of Justice, Wu Zhen squeezed the generous man’s big hand, pulled his fingertips, and asked, “I’ve heard some bad rumors these days. Have you been bullied? Has anyone come to cause trouble for you?”

Mei Zhuyu didn’t know why she asked that. In fact, no one had ever bullied him since he was a child. Seeing Mei Zhuyu shake his head and say no, Wu Zhen touched her husband’s hand lovingly. “You have such a good temper, and you didn’t say anything even when someone bullied you.”

Mei Zhuyu: “……?” But there really wasn’t.

Wu Zhen didn’t know what he was thinking. She glanced at him again and said in a gentle, soothing tone, “It’s okay. This won’t happen again in the future.”

She then changed the subject. “We won a good place in the Dragon Boat Race the other day, and you deserve the credit. Cui Jiu and the others said they would like to invite you to a party. I’ve been a little busy these days and haven’t been home. Today happens to be free, so we made an appointment for today. You don’t have to go to work tomorrow, so you can stay out later in the evening.”

Mei Zhuyu hummed and looked at her intently. When Wu Zhen tilted her head and noticed he was staring at her, she smiled and said, “You didn’t even blink. I haven’t seen you for a few days. Do you miss me that much?”

Mei Zhuyu was a little embarrassed and had to look away, but after a while, he looked from the bird in the sky to the tree on the ground, and finally back to Wu Zhen. Wu Zhen was used to being stared at, so she didn’t say much and just let him look at her generously, occasionally returning a smile, very indulgent.

The first time Mei Zhuyu entered a brothel in his life, he was brought in by his wife. She was indeed very familiar with that place. After arriving at Pingkang Street, two servants who were waiting in front of the gate came forward respectfully and enthusiastically led them to a house. The house was surrounded by flowers and trees, a canal had been dug, and a platform floating on the water had been built. On the platform was a large hexagonal pavilion that could accommodate dozens of people. There were six red-painted stone pillars on the six corners, arched with an eight-treasure roof, and two-foot-long large lamps were hung under the raised eaves. Bamboo curtains and gauze were draped between the red pillars. In the darkening sky, several lights were dimly reflected on the water through the gauze curtains, and the waves were rippling.

Small cushions and screens were placed in the pavilion, and some people were already sitting there. They were all familiar faces: Cui Jiumei, Master Zhao, and a lady named Sun. Seeing Wu Zhen and the other two arrive, they all waved and said, “Finally, you’re here. Come and sit down.”

Mei Zhuyu wanted to greet them one by one, but Wu Zhen didn’t let him. She pulled him to a seat and said, “Why be so polite? Just order whatever you want.”

After she finished talking to Mei Zhuyu, she picked up a small hammer and knocked on a golden bell on the small table. After the clang, someone quickly walked into the pavilion. 

Wu Zhen said, “Bring my lord a bowl of silver dragon soup with fine snow noodles. Remember, it should be made by Madam Ma herself. Also, two kinds of honey fairy soup and jade dew balls. I remember that you can cook ten flower soup on the 15th, so bring one too.”

The servant noted it, nodded, and quickly ran off again. Wu Zhen said to Mei Zhuyu, “Let’s eat something simple first. Madam Ma here has several specialties. I think they are good. I don’t know if you will like them. If you do, let’s come back next time and order a table.”

Although it was a brothel, it must be said that it was different from what Mei Zhuyu had imagined. The scenery was pleasant and soothing, and there were no beautiful women to accompany them. There were only a few of them, each doing their own things comfortably.

Over there, Mei Si greeted him and then was busy drawing something on the table behind the screen; Cui Jiu was tuning a zither, plucking the strings from time to time; Master Zhao was fiddling with a box of wine chips, muttering something; Sun Niangzi was sitting in front of the incense burner, with many small and large boxes and bottles around her, and occasionally she would pick up some powder and put it into the incense burner; there were people leaning against the pillars drinking, and two people were playing chess with lights on. In short, everyone was enjoying themselves.

Wu Zhen was cutting the melon with a small dagger. She used the knife well and easily peeled the white-skinned melon. She cut the melon into pieces and placed them on the plate, and finally pushed them in front of Mei Zhuyu.

“Do you want to eat it just like this, or mix it with honey later?”

“Okay.”