Zhao Jiaqi felt a little better after hearing this, but she firmly believed what he had said earlier, and this latter remark was just to fool her.
Forget it. The sky is big, and eating is the most important thing. Since she had already lost face, what was the point of keeping it? Eat!
She sat back in her original position, her gaze shifting from the meat. Let's eat some vegetables; it's good for the body. As a result, a whole pot of braised tofu with scallions went into her stomach.
Although the four dishes were small in portion, the combined amount of food was not little. After Zhao Jiaqi was full, the remaining food was all packed away by Fan Zehao's stomach.
Seeing him eat like this, Zhao Jiaqi even began to doubt herself. Had she not been feeding him all these years of marriage?
This wasn't just a hungry person; it was clearly a bottomless pit!
"Um, husband, it's good that you're full. Eating too much at night is hard to digest, and you'll feel uncomfortable!"
Conversely, he didn't feel that way and comforted her instead: "Wife, don't worry, I know what I'm doing. I've been traveling all day and am so hungry my chest is sticking to my back. This amount of food is just right for me!"
Just as he said, he even drank the soup from the pork stew. In the end, he only let out a satisfied burp.
After dinner, they simply washed up and lay in bed, chatting casually. No matter what she asked, he answered truthfully.
When discussing whether they had truly loved each other, Fan Zehao turned his head to meet her almond-shaped eyes. He longed to reach out and touch her smooth cheek, but he dared not, fearing she would be annoyed with him!
Fan Zehao pondered for a long time, thinking deeply. It seemed they rarely discussed love or the lack thereof.
What they had was genuine care for each other, considering the other's feelings. He thought, this must be love!
After a long pause, Fan Zehao gave her an answer: "You know your own personality. If you didn't love me, would you have had children with me?"
He even tried his best to get pregnant with a third child, but it ended in an accidental miscarriage. He dared not say this, as his wife had forgotten this unpleasant incident, and he didn't want to bring up anything that would upset her.
The person lying on the inside of the bed reflected after hearing this.
That night, Zhao Jiaqi tried to change the situation. She was also slowly accepting it. She took the initiative to reach out, held his hand, and slowly drifted into dreamland.
This was also the first time Fan Zehao felt the warmth she gave him, which came from the bottom of her heart. He was overjoyed and slept with a grin on his face!
The next day.
Fan Zehao woke up early. He opened the window and saw a vast expanse of white. He briefly scanned the ground. The snow that had fallen overnight was more than two feet deep. At this moment, only occasional people were walking outside; not a single carriage could be seen!
Snowfall isn't cold; melting snow is. The wind blew into the room, making it chilly. The person on the bed shivered, pulled her arm back under the covers, and then opened her eyes. Seeing that the room was bright, she realized it was daytime!
Zhao Jiaqi lay on the bed, watching him put charcoal into the brazier. She tilted her head and asked, "Is it still snowing outside?"
Hearing the movement, Fan Zehao looked over and smiled, "It's stopped, but the snow outside is too deep. We'll have to stay here for another day or two before returning!"
This meant she didn't have to get up early. She rolled over, covered her head with the blanket, and continued to sleep. What else was there to do on a day like this but sleep!
She hadn't eaten breakfast and had slept until almost noon. Fan Zehao was bored and woke the person in bed, nudging her repeatedly: "Wife, if you don't get up soon, your husband will starve to death!"
The groggy person managed to open a slit of her eyes and asked vaguely, "Then you eat!"
Didn't he want to order food? The main problem was that his pockets were emptier than his face, and they hadn't renewed the room rental. He had gone to order, but the innkeeper said they would only serve food and drinks after the room fee for the day was paid.
With a wronged look, Zhao Jiaqi lost her train of thought for a moment. After a while, she realized that things couldn't be done without money!
She now had forty-five taels of silver notes and three taels of loose silver in her purse, plus the more than fifty-three taels of silver he had given her yesterday. She was now considered a small rich woman in the village!
She reached for her purse on the bed and took out two taels of silver: "Go ahead and tell the innkeeper that if they serve food like last night, we'll find another place to stay this afternoon!"
Fan Zehao didn't understand his wife's words for a moment, but thinking about the dishes served yesterday, he guessed. Spending a lot of money but getting little in return clearly meant someone was pocketing undeserved profits.
So, when he went downstairs to pay, he repeated what his wife had instructed. The innkeeper didn't get angry. He took the one tael of silver and smiled, "This is what your wife asked, right?"
Fan Zehao frowned: "How did you know!"
These words were indeed exactly what his wife had said, but could the innkeeper hear their conversation through three floors?
Did he have super hearing?
The innkeeper chuckled and patted his shoulder: "Young man, I know, I understand. It's tough being a live-in son-in-law. When your wife's father dies and her mother passes away, you can take charge!"
Live-in son-in-law?
No father, dead mother?
Take charge!
What was all this? Fan Zehao was confused. However, he understood "live-in son-in-law." So, the old man thought he was living off his wife!
Immediately, his brows furrowed: "Innkeeper, my sons and daughters all have my surname. I am not a live-in son-in-law; I married a wife. I am not living off someone!"
Seeing his anger, the innkeeper realized he had spoken out of turn and touched upon someone's sore spot. He deliberately emphasized that he had married a wife, not become an live-in son-in-law.
Didn't the old saying go that people are most vocal about what they lack the most? Looking at his demeanor, wasn't this a perfect interpretation of the old saying!
"Yes, yes, you're right. I'll have the waiter bring the dishes up shortly, along with a pot of hot wine!"
The innkeeper didn't want to talk to this kind of person. Such a man was truly a disgrace to all men!
As Fan Zehao went upstairs, he deliberately looked back at the innkeeper's inscrutable smiling face. Did he not understand that he wasn't a live-in son-in-law?
This wouldn't do; it was a disgrace to men. He had to go down and have a good talk with the innkeeper!
Seeing the person turn back, the innkeeper's mouth immediately started talking about live-in sons-in-law. He insisted on arguing with him. At this point, the innkeeper's head was covered in sweat. He sincerely wished he could slap himself.
Why speak too much? He had encountered someone who was rather foolish and very particular.
When the waiter brought the dishes, food, and wine upstairs, the innkeeper quickly found an excuse: "The food is ready. If you're not hungry, your wife must be hungry too!"
When his wife was mentioned, Fan Zehao immediately calmed down: "Yes, my wife didn't eat breakfast. She has a delicate stomach. I'll go and make sure she eats!"
After he went upstairs, the innkeeper pouted. He said he wasn't an live-in son-in-law, but as soon as his wife was mentioned, he was as scared as a mouse seeing a cat. He was good-looking and kind-hearted, but his mouth was truly stubborn!