Song Song’s hot pot business officially opened with a flurry of activity.
Although the winter days have passed, the spring chill has not receded completely. It was the perfect season to eat hot pot. He went in person several times to take a look. From the first day the shop opened for business, the place has been filled to the brim with customers. Plenty of people wanted to come and catch a little of his good luck. Even when it wasn’t meal time, the shop was overpopulated with people.
The public praise was overwhelming.
Song Song specifically instructed the shopkeeper to be mindful of suspicious people to avoid anyone deliberately causing trouble. Li Xiao made fun of him for his over worrying. Currently the empress didn’t have any time to make things difficult for him.
Song Song was puzzled: “Did your highness do something again?”
“Right now, she should be preoccupied with how to expose the truth of the ‘miracle.’”
After losing so much fortune and pride, the empress wouldn’t let go of this matter so easily.
The empress followed that young imperial physician’s advice and investigated. Very quickly, she figured out the truth about the origin of the ‘miracle’. She once thought that this medicine was something Song Song had asked Ji Ying to develop, or maybe it was something that Li Xiao had long planned and Song Song just happened to be his tool to obtain power. She even thought this could be a good place to drive a wedge between Song Song and Li Xiao.
However, she never would have guessed that this was entirely the Song family’s doing!
It’s one thing for the Song family to give a child bearing medicine to Song Song with their own hands and then send him to Li Xiao. But they actually stood by and watched the Qin family lose to the imperial tutor’s estate when they clearly knew about the circumstances behind Song Song’s pregnancy!
This was the same as being smacked in the face by your own family. The empress was so mad she was rolling in pain for an entire night. The next day, she went in person to the Song estate to question Song Guogong.
Song Guogong laughed bitterly in response. The Song family’s ugly news has been spreading all over these days, which was a great blow to him. In his house, the crazy was still crazy. The injured was still injured. The dead remained dead. He hasn’t gone outside for a long time.
Under the knowledge that Song Shi was killed by his own uncle’s hands, and madam Song was poisoned by the empress herself, he couldn’t make inquiries, couldn’t get revenge, and couldn’t even ask for justice.
Now the vile person who gained benefits from all his losses actually had the gall to question him about his mistakes in reverse. Where was the logic in this?
However, as he faced the empress’s cold severe eyes, he could only give a placating explanation: “That was the first time we tried the holy medicine. We couldn’t tell the results, therefore, never mentioned it in the first place. The last few days, none of us have left the estate even a single step. We really didn’t know about the gamble between the prime minister and the imperial tutor. It wasn’t a deliberate cover up. Please calm your anger, your majesty.”
“Why did you give Song Song to Li Xiao?”
This was what pissed the empress off the most.
Song Guogong couldn’t answer. It’s not like he could say that he wanted to curry favor on both sides just in case? If he admitted this thing in front of the empress, that would be equivalent to smacking her hard across the face. However, even if he didn’t say, the empress understood in her heart.
She was already mad enough her heart felt like it was about to explode, now she felt even more suffocated. After spending so much time and effort to scheme and plan, holding out until the emperor was finally about to die before her eyes, right before she was going to become the empress dowager, who would have thought. The Song family had wordlessly given Li Xiao a chance to flip everything around!
If the plans to support the crown prince failed at the last minute….
What awaited her was only death.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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Song Ge was pushed in by someone afterwards. He greeted them with a smile: “How come aunty has the time to come over today? Is it to visit mother?”
Madam Song was held back by two servant girls, but she was still reaching out with all her strength, trying to grab the empress: “I want to catch, want to catch you! You guys let me go, let me go! I want to catch big sister!”
The empress took two steps back and frowned. Other than coming here because she was mad and wanted to punish Song Guogong, she actually had a far more important question: “Where is the doctor that made the holy medicine?”
Song Ge was somewhat surprised and replied: “Aunty needs him for something?”
“A doctor with such skills might be able to treat your mother’s illness.”
She acted like it was all for the Song family. Song Ge also adopted a similar false expression: “I thought about this as well, but unfortunately, that doctor already left the capital last year.”
“He left?”
The empress took two steps forward: “Do you know where he went?”
“Seeing aunty speak so urgently, it probably isn’t for mother right?”
The two people both understood clearly that there’s no way the empress wanted to treat madam Song. The empress didn’t continue to pretend and said: “Your grandfather is critically ill right now. He needs this doctor.”
Before the crown prince ascended the throne, prime minister Qin couldn’t fall. If the prime minister happened to lose power, then trying to make a comeback would be harder than trying to ascend to heaven.
This was why Li Xiao said that the empress didn’t have any time to cause trouble for Song Song. If she wanted to hurt someone, she had to save herself first. At the moment the most urgent priority for the empress was saving herself.
The place where Song Song’s hot pot business was chosen very well. On the upper floors of the shop, it was possible to see the snowy scenery by the river in the winter. In the spring, one can also see the frolicking wild ducks in the water.
With the hot pot shop, Song Song no longer needed to stew soup himself. He sat in the best seat inside the shop. Li Xiao sat beside him carefully boiling vegetables for him. This round table was made of metal with the middle hollow, where the stove can be placed. In front of every table was stacked with ready chopped firewood for when the customer wanted to add more to the fire. People can choose to either do it themselves or call for assistance from the waiter, which would add additional fees.
Opening the hot pot shop cost Song Song a lot of time and effort. Good thing the profit wasn’t bad. In front of Song Song was a small bowl where Li Xiao had placed vegetables that he finished cooking, however, Song Song was completely focused on his accounting book. His fingers noisily clacked on the abacus as he made his calculations. Occasionally he picked up his brush to record something new. The smiling expression at the corner of his mouth remained the entire time, clearly his earnings were a considerate amount.
The last few days, the abacus practically did not leave his hands. Sometimes in the middle of the night, he would wake up laughing, mouth mumbling incoherently, and fingers fiddling on Li Xiao’s body as if he was calculating something on the abacus.
“Song-er.” Li Xiao called him. Song Song replied with an ‘en,’ nodding his head while flipping a page in his book. Li Xiao picked up a thin piece of meat and placed it in his mouth, chewing while turning his head to watch his lover. After a while passed, he called again. “Wife.”
“En.”
The corner of Li Xiao’s mouth rose. He picked up a small piece of bamboo shoot and placed it next to Song Song’s mouth. Song Song conveniently took a bite. Li Xiao said: “Wife, how much money did you make today?”
“Today isn’t over yet. This is the account from a few days ago.”
Li Xiao nodded and took a bite of the food in Song Song’s bowl. Cold as expected. He poured the content back into the white bone soup to cook again. In any case, it was just the two of them eating today. He didn’t consider it dirty.
“Wife.” He called again. Song Song acknowledged briefly: “En, wha……”
He didn’t finish, the fingers fiddling with the abacus paused abruptly. He finally realized what Li Xiao called him and suddenly felt flushed on both cheeks. He said: “Your highness, why…. “
“Wife, today you came out to eat with this husband, but your whole heart has been focused on the account book. Can you give me an adequate explanation?”
“Don’t call me….”
“Other people’s wives treat their husbands like the sky, but you require this husband to serve you. When the food’s been cooked and placed in front of you, you won’t even eat it and leave it to chill. Would you believe it if I divorced you?”
Song Song lightly closed the account book and put aside the abacus while saying in a small voice: “What are you going to write on the divorce papers?”
“I’ll write didn’t respect his husband, didn’t love his husband, didn’t pay attention to his husband.’”
Song Song felt a bit like laughing. He picked up his chopsticks and said softly: “How about I serve your highness instead?”
He was just about to stand up, but was pressed down again by Li Xiao: “Finish eating these first.”
Just now the re-cooked vegetables completely turned soft and no longer tasted very good. Li Xiao gave some freshly cooked vegetables to Song Song, then took over eating all of the old vegetables himself.
Song Song took two bites while apologizing: “The shop’s profit was pretty good. I was very happy about it and neglected your highness. It was my mistake.”
“Your words sound as if this husband was resentful of you being excessively happy and got angry because of it.”
“No no.” Song Song hoaxed him: “I know your highness was angry because I wasn’t eating properly. You were worried for me.”
Li Xiao glanced at him and said: “Not forgiving you.”
“Your highness…. “
“Call me husband.”
Song Song refused.
Ever since that day, Li Xiao has been calling himself ‘this husband’, ‘this husband’ in front of him. Don’t even mention calling him wife, frequently Li Xiao asked Song Song to call him husband again. However, calling him that seems strange no matter what. Song Song always felt like there was a burden in his heart that he couldn’t let go.
He buried his head in his meal.
The pot being used was separated in the middle. One side had sweet and spicy, the other side salty. It was praised for this distinguishing feature. He no longer needed to force himself to eat spicy food for Li Xiao’s sake, therefore, he ate very quickly.
Li Xiao took his stool and scooted towards him. Song Song also wanted to move, but the man blocked one of the legs of his seat with his foot, making him unable to move: “Your highness…. “
“Call me husband and I’ll forgive you.”
Not sure why, but Song Song felt that ever since they had their deep conversation that night, Li Xiao changed to become…. very sticky.
He stuffed a piece of sweet sour radish in Li Xiao’s mouth and said: “Pay attention to your meal.”
Li Xiao suddenly reached out both hands to place them on his chair. Song Song thought he was going to kiss him again, but found himself, along with the chair, abruptly lifted into the air. The man directly moved the chair in a half circle direction, then placed it down again. Song Song instantly changed to a face to face position with Li Xiao. The man hooked his legs in slightly and Song Song was forced to move closer to him. Li Xiao placed a kiss on his mouth and said: “Listening to your words, I’m paying attention to my meal.”
And then started nibbling on his mouth. Song Song was a little exasperated but also found it funny. His heart felt like someone poured honey all over. He had no choice but to push Li Xiao and say: “Alright alright. I was wrong wuu… Really, my fau– wuu..”
Li Xiao bit his lips until they were swollen red before finally letting go. “Do you know what you did wrong?”
Song Song really wanted to correct Li Xiao so he could stop calling him wife, but knew in his heart that the more he resisted, the more the other would end up doing it. Instead he nodded, hands covering over his mouth, and eyes carrying some moisture from being kissed: “I shouldn’t have neglected your highness… in order to count money.”
Good thing he was pretty self-aware. Li Xiao finally relented and said: “I didn’t see you pay as much attention to Fuxiang restaurant like this.”
“Naturally it’s not the same.” Song Song said matter of fact: “I started this shop by myself. It’s my first business. It’s like my own son. Why wouldn’t I care?”
“… …” Li Xiao took a glance at his stomach, his face slightly darkened.
Song Song noticed his expression wasn’t right and hastily said: “It’s just a comparison.”
Song Song didn’t know why mentioning the word ‘son’ poked at Li Xiao’s unhappy point. He suddenly lifted Song Song’s chair again and put him back.
Song Song who was instantly tossed aside and returned back to face the stove:
“… …”
He didn’t know why but at the moment he felt that Li Xiao was throwing a silent tantrum, like a young wife.
He couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Li Xiao instantly shot him a look: “Looks like one baby isn’t enough. Does wife want this husband to help stuffing in another one?
“… …”
Song Song felt a hint of danger from this question and immediately stopped laughing out of fear.
Thank You for the chapter (ʃƪ ˘ ³˘)❤
Thank you for the chapter and the translation
your translation is really good, thank u for this !!
Stuffing in another one 😂. Maybe Husband would understand better if it was an army instead of a restaurant? But hey, stuff away 😄