Harem Daily Life

With their distinguished guests arriving, the feast that the Hua family had prepared for the Zhou family today seemed a bit lacking in class, so Hua's mother hurriedly arranged for the kitchen to add a few more hearty dishes.

The elders sat in the front hall drinking tea and chatting, while Hua Yurong accompanied He Jin'an to stroll in the garden. The servants followed at a distance, not disturbing the two.

Hua Yurong stood under the plum tree, too embarrassed to say anything. Her awkward expression made her look like a shy kitten in He Jin'an's eyes.

"I heard that you manage the Hua family's businesses? You don't look very old. Do the people below you listen to you?" He Jin'an asked, trying to ease her tension.

Hua Yurong glanced at him briefly before quickly lowering her head again. She nodded, her face flushed. "I'm sixteen this year. My birthday is in May, so I'll be seventeen after my birthday. I took over the reins from my father when I was fourteen, working in various shops. The shopkeepers and clerks have all watched me grow up. They know that my father has no sons, only two daughters. As the eldest sister, unless I marry into the family, I should be the one to take over the family business. So they've long since accepted me as the young master and haven't dared to make things difficult for me."

He Jin'an gave a soft "hmm" and asked, "Do you like doing business?" Since she was going to be the future Princess Consort of Jin, He Jin'an should go to great lengths to find out the princess's preferences. He Jin'an would not miss any opportunity to learn about the princess.

Hua Yurong nodded again: "I like it." After saying that, she seemed worried that the person opposite her would look down on her as a common merchant with a strong smell of money, so she explained: "I don't like money, I just like the process of earning money through my own abilities."

A pair of big, round eyes, like a cat's, looked eagerly at He Jin'an. He Jin'an chuckled and said, "Who wouldn't like money? I like it too. Loving money isn't a bad thing. But the process of earning money is indeed more fulfilling. My mother also likes doing business and loves gold and silver. Only with money can one have confidence."

Hua Yurong tilted her head and asked in confusion, "Does Her Majesty the Empress also like money?" In the eyes of these common people, imperial power was inviolable, and the Empress was an image of being high above and untouched by worldly affairs. Suddenly hearing Prince Jin mention that the Empress shared the same hobby as her, Hua Yurong's uneasy heart was slightly relieved.

He Jin'an thought her tilting her head made her look more like a kitten, and his smile became even more indulgent: "Would you like to meet my mother? Discuss ways to make money with her?"

Hua Yurong's eyes shifted from surprise to excitement to shyness in just a few breaths, her expression incredibly vivid.

Finally, she shook her head: "It's not proper, so... let's wait until the formalities reach that stage before discussing it." It's too early to go see the other person's parents right after the marriage proposal.

Seeing how polite she was, He Jin'an felt even more admiration for her.

"You are quite well-mannered, so I won't force you. I'll take you to meet her when the opportunity arises; I'm sure the Empress Dowager will like you."

Hua Yue Rong's cheeks flushed, and she said softly, "Besides money, what else does Her Majesty the Empress like? I... I want to prepare in advance."

As they were talking, a butterfly flew over and landed on Hua Yurong's shoulder. Her eyes widened, and she froze, looking utterly adorable. He Jin'an looked at her and couldn't help but reach out to shoo the butterfly away, but accidentally touched her shoulder.

Looking from afar, Yin Jiu saw that his prince was already putting his arm around someone's shoulder and trying to put his arm around them on their second meeting, so he quickly turned his back to him silently.

The butterfly flew away, and He Jin'an's ears turned slightly red as he gently withdrew his hand. Hua Yurong's face flushed even more, and she lowered her head even further. He Jin'an coughed lightly to cover his embarrassment.

“My mother also loves good food,” He Jin’an said. “She enjoys cooking and is very good at it. She often cooks for us.”

Hua Yurong bit her lip, silently made a mental note, and vowed to start practicing her cooking skills diligently from this day forward, determined never to be a kitchen novice again.

"Then I wonder what Your Majesty, the Prince, and the other princes and princesses like? I'd like to prepare them all at once." Hua Yurong was going all out, deciding to ask them all at once.

He Jin'an chuckled. Hua Yurong, not understanding why, pouted and looked at him.

"Ahem, you don't need to be so nervous, and you don't need to worry that they won't like you. You are my future queen, and they will definitely like you," He Jin'an comforted him.

Just then, an untimely voice came from afar: "Sister, why are you standing in this courtyard with the Prince? It's chilly; what if the Prince catches a cold?"

Hua Ruyan gracefully walked over, carrying a hand warmer in her arms.

"Your Highness, there is a flower hall over there. Why don't you go and sit down? There are all kinds of flowers that I have carefully planted. They bloom beautifully even in the cold weather." Hua Ruyan said softly, while looking at He Jin'an with affection in her eyes.

He's so handsome, the more I look at him, the more I see him! How could a man be so good-looking? He must have been carefully selected by the royal family. The empresses in the palace must be very beautiful, and His Majesty must be very handsome, otherwise they couldn't have given birth to such a handsome Prince Jin!

Hua Ruyan was infatuated and couldn't take her eyes off He Jin'an's face.

Hua Yurong stepped forward, blocking He Jin'an and Hua Ruyan: "Hua Ruyan, your fiancé is over there, who are you going crazy at?"

She was furious. She didn't even dare to look at the prince so openly, yet Hua Ruyan had stared at him so many times. She wished she could gouge out Hua Ruyan's eyes.

Not far away, Zhou Chen watched for a long time before finally mustering the courage to walk over.

"Your Highness." After greeting her, Zhou Chen grabbed Hua Ruyan and said, "What are you doing here? I've been looking for you everywhere. Grandmother wants to talk to you."

Zhou Chen had just heard Hua Ruyan's sweet, coquettish voice, and he was so jealous that he was practically radiating sourness.

Hua Yurong was too lazy to talk to Zhou Chen, so she turned around and grabbed He Jin'an's arm: "The air in this courtyard is not good, I'll take you to the front to feed the fish."

He Jin'an felt a small hand pulling him firmly on his arm. He smiled and followed at a leisurely pace.

"Hey, don't go." Hua Ruyan took a step forward, wanting to follow, but was stopped by Zhou Chen: "Hua Ruyan, you'd better explain to me properly why you tried to seduce Prince Jin just now?"

Hua Ruyan's eyes darted around, and she turned to Zhou Chen with a smile, taking his arm: "Where did I say that? That's just how I always talk, Brother Chen, don't you know that?"

Zhou Chen was speechless, thinking, "I knew it, that's why I could see it so clearly. Are you trying to seduce her?"

Hua Yurong, still fuming, dragged He Jin'an along a path to the pond. She picked up the fish food placed by the pond and dumped it all into the water, attracting a group of plump koi to swim over and snatch the food.

He Jin'an looked at her and said with amusement, "They're so fat because Yue Rong feeds them like this, right?"

Hearing her call her name, Hua Yuerong's ears turned bright red with embarrassment.