Chapter 50

Dumplings and congee together, the father-in-law looked at me with a bewildered expression.

“Isn’t it strange, being born as Zhuge and not knowing the meaning of the name Sima?”

Seeing the father-in-law’s expression, I felt frustrated. As someone who respects Elder Brother Zhuge, Sima is my rival, and it’s only natural to crush any challenge he throws at me.

Because he is ‘that’ Sima.

“Father-in-law, please tell everyone that this Liu Qingyun will deign to match wits with that foolish Sima clan member!”

“Umm, are you sure you’re okay with this?”

“Of course!”

I was just about to vent my disappointment and anger, and this was perfect.

Originally, it should have been directed at the father-in-law, but thinking of Zhuge Qing from yesterday, this was...

So, as they say, ‘a sparrow for a pheasant,’ I wanted to show that chattering Sima clan member a taste of heat.

Nodding with burning eyes, I saw the father-in-law look at me in confusion, then he spoke to the guests.

“Since it’s a joyous occasion, it’s also the host’s duty to treat the guests to delicious food. Let’s show the guests my son-in-law’s culinary skills. What do you think, what dish would be good?”

The father-in-law asked the guests who had come to celebrate the wedding, and the young Sima clan member stood up, bowing and replied.

“Is Lord Zhuge well? This is Sima Jue, greeting you.”

“Oh, is Lord Zhuge well?”

“Yes, Lord Zhuge.”

The polite Sima clan member.

Of course, his insides were black.

Because he is a Sima clan member.

“So, do you have something to say?”

“Well, I heard from martial arts comrades that the new son-in-law of the Zhuge family has a talent for creating dishes based on themes, like composing poems. I had an interesting idea. What do you think?”

“So, what dish do you think would be good?”

The father-in-law told the man to speak, and he replied with a sly smile.

“In the morning, it’s common to eat dumplings and congee, right? How about making a dish that combines the two, but with the condition that the dumplings are not boiled in the congee and must still look like dumplings?”

“Combine dumplings and congee, but not boil the dumplings in the congee, and they must still look like dumplings?”

“Yes, sir. What do you think?”

The man said this with a demand like a divine question and smiled, and the father-in-law looked at me. I nodded and replied.

“It sounds very interesting.”

At my answer, the wedding guests who were having breakfast cheered.

“Oh! Will we get to taste the food of the dragon eater again?”

“Is the food of the Zhuge family’s son-in-law that amazing?”

“Ah, you people, I once served raw meat and Xishi’s milk at the birthday party of the Poison King... Do you know what Xishi’s milk is?”

“Xishi’s milk? Did the Poison King invite dancers to bare their chests at his birthday party?”

“Ah, you ignorant person, it’s not that...”

Amidst the murmurs of the people, I bowed to the crowd and said.

“Since dumplings are commonly eaten for breakfast, I will prepare the dish as Mr. Sima Jue suggested for tomorrow’s breakfast.”

After bowing and making my way through the crowd to my quarters, I heard a voice.

The father-in-law, who had quickly followed me, asked.

“Are you so confident? What are you going to make? I heard you excelled in the Tang family, but this seems a bit difficult. You must have some idea, given your immediate answer.”

He was probably curious about what had ‘clicked’ in my mind when I answered so quickly.

But there was nothing.

I’m not a genius, and I couldn’t suddenly come up with something from his ridiculous request.

“I’ll have to think about it.”

“What?”

The father-in-law was taken aback by my answer.

It’s something I can think about now, but seeing his bewildered expression, I asked.

“Why are you so surprised?”

“Didn’t you say you were confident?”

“Of course, I am. I just need to think about what to make.”

The father-in-law looked at me, puzzled.

The father-in-law began to explain.

“You’re from Shu, like Chen Shou, who wrote the Records of the Three Kingdoms. Perhaps you know...”

“Do you mean ‘the dead Zhuge retreats the living Zhongda’?”

The father-in-law’s eyes widened in surprise.

He exclaimed happily.

“Oh! You know this? You truly respect Wu Hou!”

“But why is that?”

The stories about Zhuge Liang can be summarized in a few, and the most famous one related to the Sima clan is just one.

So, it was natural for me to know, but the father-in-law was delighted by my admiration for Zhuge and explained.

“Oh, right, you might not know, but they have their reasons. We in the Zhuge family don’t think much of it, but they suffer a lot from that saying... They occasionally take it out on us. When we lose in competition, people often bring up ‘the dead Zhuge defeated the living Sima,’ which hurts their pride. If you lose, they might spread rumors again.”

I firmly replied to the father-in-law’s explanation.

“You don’t need to worry. As a member of the Zhuge family, losing to the Sima clan would be a disgrace worse than death! I will do everything in my power!”

“G, good? Haha!”

The father-in-law laughed heartily at my words.

Taking advantage of his good mood, I whispered to him.

“Father-in-law, when a general goes to battle, doesn’t the lord give him wine to boost his morale?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

The father-in-law agreed with my question.

“To win, I need a morale boost too.”

“What do you need to boost your morale? Wine? Anything? Just say it.”

The father-in-law laughed and answered, and I thought this was the right moment to ask carefully.

“Umm, ahem... When is the first night?”

The father-in-law smiled slyly and put his arm around my shoulder.

“First, let’s talk about that after you win. And I need to continue the family line, so I can’t just let you be. Also, when a daughter-in-law comes in, there’s usually a period of three months to a year to become part of the family, so don’t rush. I understand your feelings.”

The father-in-law patted my shoulder and laughed, then disappeared somewhere.

The Zhuge family, indeed, cleverly mixing hope with torture.

Just as I was about to get angry at the father-in-law’s behavior, a sound like a drop of water falling into a clear spring in a deep forest reached my ears.

“Lord, you’re here.”

My thoughts stopped, and I reflexively replied.

“M, my lady!”

I turned around in surprise and shouted.

Then my wife from last night approached, looking surprised at my reaction.

“L, Lord?”

“Did you sleep well last night? Did you have any scary dreams? I couldn’t sleep at all. What’s going on here? Have you had breakfast? No, this isn’t right! I’ll make you some delicious food, let’s go! Where’s the kitchen?”

“W, what?!”

Zhuge Qing took a step back, startled.

***

My heart calmed, and I decided to have tea with Zhuge Qing, who had come to greet me in the morning.

We needed to get to know each other better.

We had only met once before the wedding, so we needed time to become closer.

A process to reduce the awkwardness between us, perhaps?

So, we took a short walk in the garden, sat in a pavilion, and had tea brought by the maids while chatting.

Talking with Zhuge Qing over tea felt like reading a novel whose ending I already knew.

Yet, despite knowing the ending, I didn’t find it boring or uninteresting.

“So, I caught three cranes.”

“Oh, three cranes?”

I smiled and nodded in agreement.

‘Is this her strength?’

She was a great storyteller; every story was interesting.

The cranes Zhuge Qing caught to make a crane feather fan are now protected internationally but were common then. Dying in her hands, they must have had a happy end.

As we chatted, she asked what the father-in-law and I had talked about, having seen us earlier.

“So, Lord, I saw you talking with Father from a distance. What were you discussing?”

“Well, that...”

I couldn’t say I had asked about the first night.

Desperately looking for an excuse, I remembered the dish I was to prepare the next morning and told her about it.

“Oh, that... Yes! The guests wanted to taste my cooking, so I agreed to make a dish. Mr. Sima, no, Mr. Sima suggested something interesting. Haha.”

“Interesting?”

Zhuge Qing asked with a curious smile.

“To liven up the party, we agreed to make a dish that combines dumplings and congee, but the dumplings can’t be boiled in the congee and must still look like dumplings. My lady.”

“Really? Isn’t that meant to put you in a difficult position?!”

Zhuge Qing said with a worried voice.

Her worried voice made me feel a pang of sadness.

I was about to hold her hand and tell her not to worry when an unwelcome voice interrupted.

“Qing? Jia?”

‘Sigh...’

At this point, I suspected there might be a CCTV camera somewhere.

Why do we always get interrupted just as we create a romantic atmosphere?

Turning around, I saw Tang Yingying looking at us.

“Oh, Sister! Have a cup of tea with us.”

“Is, is it okay? I was looking for Qing and heard you were here... If I knew you were with Jia, I would have come later...”

The innocent and kind Zhuge Qing, without any suspicion, invited the troublemaker Tang Yingying, who pretended to be hesitant.

Zhuge Qing then asked me.

“Lord, is it okay if Sister joins us?”

“O, of course. My lady.”

Since they were like sisters, I couldn’t say no, so I forced a smile and agreed.

As expected, the clueless Tang Yingying quickly joined us.

“Then, let’s have a cup of tea?”

The maid brought another cup, and the three of us started chatting.

“Were you discussing something important before I came?”

“Oh! Yes, Sister. Lord agreed to make a dish tomorrow morning, but Mr. Sima gave him a difficult challenge.”

“Lord is making a dish? And a challenge too?”

“Yes.”

Zhuge Qing explained the Sima clan member’s mischief to Tang Yingying, who then said with an angry face.

“It’s that Sima Jue! There’s a rumor he flirts with other clan’s young ladies because he thinks he’s handsome!”

She then drank a bit of the slightly cooled tea to calm down.

I nodded in agreement with Tang Yingying’s words.

“Well, generally, those with only good looks are clueless and lack substance...”

-Puff

Before I finished, a stream of water spurted from Tang Yingying’s cheeks, which had puffed up like dumplings, hitting my face.

Closing my eyes tightly, I took the full brunt of the water, and the two women exclaimed in surprise.

“L, Lord.”

“Jia, I’m, I’m sorry!”

I wiped my face with my sleeve and tried to control my anger.

“It’s, it’s okay. Don’t worry. My lady. Haha, ha...”

“Tang Yingying, don’t, don’t mind it. Ahem.”

I couldn’t lose my temper in front of Zhuge Qing.

I wanted to shake Tang Yingying’s cheeks, but I had to hold back.

As I wiped the tea water from her cheeks, an idea came to me.

‘Dumpling-like cheeks and a stream of water?’

“Oh!”

At my exclamation, Zhuge Qing and Tang Yingying looked at me in surprise.

“Lord, why?”

“Jia?”

I smiled at them and replied.

“I have a good idea. A way to show that annoying Sima clan member a taste of heat!”

Tea water from Tang Yingying’s cheeks was dripping from my forehead and hair.