The Emperor’s Beloved Ugly Girl - Chapter 31

“But you only ate one bowl?” Ah Chou furrowed her brows, a bit unhappy. “You had two bowls yesterday, clearly.”

Zhong Mingwei was too embarrassed to admit that he wasn’t actually full, he just repeated, “You eat.”

The delicately sweet red bean porridge was indeed delicious, but he felt reluctant to eat it all himself. He wanted to save some for Ah Chou. Although she insisted on going to the kitchen to eat, he doubted her sincerity. He was afraid she would sacrifice herself and not really enjoy the food.

“Oh,” Ah Chou scooped a spoonful of porridge and brought it to her mouth. As soon as she tasted it, her brows furrowed even more. She looked at him with dissatisfaction. “Isn’t this delicious? Why are you only eating so little? Could it be… even at your age, you’re still a picky eater?”

Zhong Mingwei felt a bit awkward. He cleared his throat and then said, “Lying down for a long time, I don’t really feel hungry, my stomach just feels bloated.”

“Oh, then I’ll finish the porridge and then massage your stomach for you.” Ah Chou busily ate the porridge, paying no attention to the fact that the spoon had just been in Zhong Mingwei’s mouth.

Zhong Mingwei watched her wolf down the food, her manners were far from elegant, but he found her… adorable.

Yes, adorable.

This was a term he had never thought he would use, but now, as he looked at Ah Chou, he naturally thought of this slightly affected and even awkward term.

He watched her cheeks move as she ate, her bright eyes like a greedy little squirrel. He couldn’t help but curl his lips. It seemed that this girl loved sweets.

In fact, he used to love sweets too. When he was a child, he indulged himself with sweets like horse hoof cake, layered pastry, and milk tea. Later, as he grew older and became aware of his status, he became more self-conscious about eating sweets in front of others. He usually ate them in his study, away from prying eyes. The old maid who had helped raise him doted on him the most. She would sneak sweets into his study whenever he was in there. It was an unspoken understanding that developed between them over the years. But then the old maid passed away, and so did that unspoken understanding. By that time, he was already a young man of sixteen or seventeen, and he naturally wouldn’t cultivate such childish understanding with anyone else, so he stopped eating sweets.

Later, when he got married at eighteen, during their honeymoon, he remembered passing by the kitchen on his way back to the mansion. The kitchen was bustling with activity, and he casually asked what was going on. A young servant, with a servile smile, told him that the Crown Princess was personally cooking and making soup. Intrigued, he quietly approached the kitchen. He had only taken a couple of steps when he heard Ding shi addressing the kitchen maid, “His Highness doesn’t eat sweets, so don’t brush honey on the roasted rabbit meat.”

Then his steps halted. Subsequently, without looking back, he entered his study.

He couldn’t remember what he ate that day, but he remembered a full table, from cold dishes to soups, and then to pastries, not a single one sweet.

…

“What’s wrong? Lost in thought?” Ah Chou gently massaged Zhong Mingwei’s stomach. Seeing he had been distracted, she endured her curiosity for a while before asking, “What are you thinking about? You’ve been so absentminded.”

“Nothing, just some old memories,” Zhong Mingwei said softly. He felt her small hands moving in circles on his belly, avoiding the bedsores. Feeling at ease, he couldn’t help but sigh.