Heroic Wife Reborn

The owner of Big Bowl Restaurant was left standing blankly outside after seeing Jing Mo enter his establishment. He had some trouble accepting the fact that Zhuri’s eldest imperial prince was really here to eat. By the time Yu Xiaoxiao and Gu Xinglang came, then the thick-faced Zuo You who invited himself inside, the owner was all but dumb. Happiness had come too quickly for him to process it.

Yu Xiaoxiao gave a start at the sight of Zuo You. Who was this clean-shaven youth standing before her?

Wang momo, who had been brought along for the meal, glanced at Zuo You and his three retainers before asking in a low voice, “Who’s that handsome man?”

Zuo You touched his smooth chin before calling out, “Your Royal Highness?”

Recognizing the voice, Yu Xiaoxiao cried, “Left-Right,1 you shaved your beard?”

Zuo You sat openly at her table and declared, “I shaved it.”

Yu Xiaoxiao looked at Zuo You’s beardless face and remarked, “Weren’t you going to grapple to death with my family’s Little Gu?”

Zuo You glanced at Gu Xinglang, whose face had turned cold, before replying, “Princess, when it comes to him, we each go our own ways.”

Gu Xinglang lowered his head to drink his tea. It was much better than the jasmine they had here last time and made from fresh tea leaves.

Jing Mo asked without missing a beat, “I am inviting the princess and Royal Son-in-Law to a banquet here. Why has Grand Marshal Zuo come as well?”

Zuo You said, “As it so happens, I’m here to eat too. Since we all know each other, we might as well eat together.”

“Princess?” Jing Mo looked to Yu Xiaoxiao for her input.

As long as she wasn’t the one paying for the meal, Yu Xiaoxiao didn’t care how many people came to eat. She nodded and said, “You’re paying, so what you say counts.”

It was such a blunt, straightforward statement that Eldest Prince Jing had trouble following up with one of his own.

Zuo You glanced at Gu Xinglang drinking tea nad said, “Gu Xinglang, how’s your foot injury?”

Gu Xinglang looked up at him and said, “It’s fine. Many thanks to Grand Marshal Zuo for your consideration.”

“I don’t care about you,” Zuo You retorted.

Gu Xinglang’s lips thinned before lightly setting down his teacup. Yu Xiaoxiao tsk’d and said, “If you don’t care, then why did you ask about his injuries as soon as you saw him?”

Zuo You’s smile was enough to give Jing Mo and Gu Xinglang the urge to beat him up. “I’m thinking of you, Your Royal Highness, ah,” he said in what he thought to be an affection-filled voice.

“You,” Gu Xinglang was angry. He wouldn’t be a man if he could endure something like this!

Jing Mo poured a cup of tea and placed it soundly in front of Zuo You. “I’m the host today, so I ask Grand Marshal Zuo to show discretion in speech.”

Wang momo was still standing behind Yu Xiaoxiao and saw something off about the three men arguing at the table. She pointed discreetly at the tall, broad-shouldered Zuo You with the dashing face as she bent down to Yu Xiaoxiao and murmured by her ear, “Princess, who’s that man?”

“Zuo You, White Tiger’s Grand Marshal,” Yu Xiaoxiao whispered back. “The start of Little Gu’s misery.”

Wang momo’s eyes widened like a goldfish. “What does that mean?”

“Little Gu entered the prisons after he fought a bout with him,” Yu Xiaoxiao explained. “Fellow’s taken a fancy to Little Gu now, so he’s play-fighting ‘never gonna give you up.’”

Wang momo instantly understood as her gaze on Zuo You changed. How unexpectedly unpleasant! This man is trying to get Royal Son-in-Law’s attention by harassing him on purpose! What nonsense! Wang momo grew furious. Was he trying to force their princess onto a dead end? How long has it been since we’ve finished that business with the Qing Yu, that seductress? Now there’s a male vixen too?

After tossing her bombshell at Wang momo, Yu Xiaoxiao happily began to eat the hors d’oeuvres brought to the table. Wang momo concentrated her gaze on Gu Xinglang and felt vexed the longer she stared at his face. Supposedly, fair and tender faces like his were only to be seen from a distance and never touched. But if her princess had found a more common-looking, docile, and dependable Royal Son-in-Law, they wouldn’t run into so many seducers in the first place.

“We,” Jing Mo began. He felt like he should say something despite the fact that Yu Xiaoxiao had already buried her head to eat.

“Roasted chestnuts!”2

From downstairs, the shouts of a peddler floated up through the windows. Yu Xiaoxiao looked up and asked Gu Xinglang, “Is that tasty?”

“Roasted chestnuts?” Gu Xinglang asked.

The peddler downstairs continued to sell his wares. “If it’s not tasty, it’s free, oh~”

“I’ll treat you guys to chestnuts,” Yu Xiaoxiao rose to her feet and walked towards the window.

Gu Xinglang said hastily, “Princess, have the servants buy it.” But by the time he finished his sentence, Yu Xiaoxiao had already swung herself over and out the window to the peddler below.

Wang momo coughed towards Xiao Zhuang and Xiao Wei, who were sitting at a separate table. Your master’s already jumped off the building, so why are you two still sitting around?

“Royal Son-in-Law, we’ll go guard the princess,” Xiao Wei was a smart youth as he rose to his feet, dragged the confused Xiao Zhuang after him, and leaped out the window with them both.

Gu Xinglang said, “Momo, did Xiao Zhuang and Xiao Wei bring any money? You should go down and check on the princess.”

Wang momo shook her head. What could ever happen to her princess? Even without money, she could steal a pot full of roasted chestnuts back all the same. Right now, you’re the one in danger, Royal Son-in-Law, ah! Wang momo stood firm behind Gu Xinglang. Suppose that Grand Marshal Zuo tries something funny later on? Even if I can’t beat him in a fight, I can at least block his way and cry for help.

Zuo You only felt his heart grew timid at the sight of Wang momo’s intense stare. The fat auntie looked like she wanted to cut him to pieces, but Grand Marshal Zuo had no idea why she despised him so utterly. He placed the tea cup aside and prepared to jump out the window too.

Jing Mo saw him preparing to rise and rested his arm on the man’s shoulder. “Since you’ve come, then sit down and talk a bit. The princess has guards with her, so you don’t need to worry.”

“I don’t want to eat your meal anymore,” Zuo You said.

“Oh,” Jing Mo intoned. “Then when the princess comes back later, you can bid your farewells and leave.”

Zuo You didn’t budge from his seat.

—

Yu Xiaoxiao asked the peddler for one jin3 of chestnuts. As Xiao Wei paid for them, she and Xiao Zhuang began to eat them right on the streets.

Xiao Wei watched the old peddler wheel his cart away before telling Yu Xiaoxiao, “Princess, let’s go back upstairs.”

Yu Xiaoxiao observed the street she was standing on now. As one of Fengtian capital’s famous gourmand lanes, it was filled with not only restaurants and teahouses like a forests, but double rows of street food vendors on both sides. Its size and scope was no less inferior to the vendors at the big stone bridge. The delicious aroma of food floated in the air, making it nothing short of paradise on Earth for her!

Xiao Wei traced Yu Xiaoxiao’s gaze to the streets and didn’t see anything particularly special. He asked, “Princess, what else do you want to eat? This servant can buy it for you?”

Yu Xiaoxiao expressionlessly gulped down her drool. “Let’s stroll around.”

Xiao Wei saw that Yu Xiaoxiao was already heading south as she spoke and quickly chased after her. “Then are you not eating dinner anymore?”

“I’ll eat when I get back,” Yu Xiaoxiao had her sights on a stand selling braised chicken. Inside a large pot, the whole chicken simmered with spices as it released a tantalizing smell across her nostrils, its skin taking on a caramel hue. “Let’s have one,” Yu Xiaoxiao told Xiao Wei while pointing at the pot.

Behind Yu Xiaoxiao, Xiao Zhuang stood peeling roasted chestnuts with his head bowed. A few figures dressed in black quickly walked past him, their shoes soundless against the pavement. This detail made Xiao Zhuang stop and spare them a few more glances.

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While Xiaoxiao is calling him “Left-Right,” to Zuo You it sounds the same as his own name. This is a pun that only makes sense in Chinese as the name “Zuo You” (左佑) is a homonym for zuo you (左右), or “left right.” They’re written almost exactly alike except for an extra element in the second character.

糖炒栗子 – the Chinese variety of roasted chestnuts are stir-fried in sand with brown sugar!

斤 – approximately equal to 0.5kg or 1.1lbs.

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