Golden Branch

Zheng Chi: ...

She really couldn't eat anymore.

I'm so full that I feel like the food is stuck in my throat.

Not to mention taking another bite, even opening your mouth could cause...

vomit!

Can't think about it!

Zheng Chi had already dry-heaved once. If she vomited again because of overeating... she would be ashamed and embarrassed, and she never wanted to see Lou Yu and Wang Heng again in her life.

Trying his best to hold it back, Zheng Chi forced a smile: "Thank you, cousin, but I'm really done eating!"

Of course Lou Yu knew that Zheng Chi was full.

After spending a day or two together, Lou Yu already knew how small Zheng Chi's appetite was.

It was precisely because of this understanding that Lou Yu formulated this plan.

He looked Zheng Chi up and down, a hint of worry flashed in his eyes, and he said with a slight sigh: "Achi, you are really too thin!"

"You are still young and growing up. Being so thin is bad for your health."

Lou Yu's tone was full of the concern of an elder brother. It seemed that he was not picking out Zheng Chi's shortcomings, but was concerned about her health and growth.

If Wang Mian were present, he would definitely complain silently: Oh no, he sounds like a dad.

Zheng Chi's little face was a little stiff.

Why are you saying she's lost weight again?

Little girl, beauty lies in being slender and delicate.

Is it necessary to eat it into a ball like Wang Jiu on the opposite side?

Thinking about this, Zheng Chi glanced at Wang Heng.

Then, the corners of her mouth twitched a little——

Wang Jiu, who had just put down his chopsticks, actually started eating the snacks in the small bamboo basket hanging around his waist.

Oh no, that's not the point.

The point is-

Wang Jiu, you are a lady from an aristocratic family. You are going out for a trip. You, you are surrounded by a "daughter from an aristocratic family" who is not familiar to you and comes from an equally noble family. How come you are carrying a basket of snacks with you?

Eat, eat, eat. Is there nothing else you do in your day except eating?

She eats so much that she is fat. Wang Jiu is twice as heavy as Zheng Chi. It is only because she is good-looking that she doesn't become an ugly obese monster!

Zheng Chi secretly despised and cursed him, but he also understood that he was not as good-looking as Wang Jiu.

If she were as fat as Wang Jiu, her facial features would not be able to support all the fat on her body, and she would be laughed at by everyone.

Even Cousin Lou might not—

Zheng Chi's mind was filled with messy thoughts.

She thought of Lou Yu, who advised her to continue eating, but he did not ignore Wang Heng.

There was no need to turn his head deliberately to pay attention, his eyes were always following Wang Heng. Wang Heng was eating dried meat, and Lou Yu would always find a chance to hand her a cup of tea or a warm, clean handkerchief.

Lou Yu not only didn't think there was anything wrong with Wang Heng eating non-stop, but instead looked doting on her!

Click!

Suddenly, a flash of lightning flashed through Zheng Chi's brain, splitting the fog.

She suddenly thought, could it be that all the fat on Wang Heng's body was fed by her cousin?

This cousin of the Lou family has different aesthetic tastes and temperament from ordinary people?

Everyone thinks that slender and delicate women are beautiful, but cousin Lou thinks that plump and round women are more beautiful?

God!

What kind of horrible thought is this?

Zheng Chi was almost frightened to death by his own guess.

However, she couldn't help but continue thinking about it——

If I stayed in Hedong, studied and lived with my cousin, would my cousin also keep urging me to eat like he was feeding Wang Jiu?

No! Don't!

Zheng Chi's face turned pale and he set his gaze on Wang Heng again.

Wang Heng: ...Is this person okay? What's going on in his head?

Tsk, I scared myself.

However, Wang Heng was not familiar with Zheng Chi, and she seemed to be hostile to her, so Wang Heng naturally would not "repay evil with kindness."

As long as Zheng Chi didn't speak up, Wang Heng pretended to understand nothing and knew nothing.

She ate a piece of hawthorn cake, uh, the seven-treasure soup was so delicious that she ate too much without realizing it.

Her stomach felt a little bloated, so she simply took some hawthorn cake to help digest the food.

The hawthorn cake made by Amian is delicious, sour and sweet, appetizing and aids digestion.

After eating, my hands feel a little sticky.

Wang Heng looked at her own white, chubby hands with disdain.

Before she could reach out to wipe her hands with a handkerchief, Lou Yu had already picked up a clean handkerchief very familiarly and wiped her hands carefully.

Zheng Chi, seeing this scene, felt more and more that he had found the truth——

Cousin Lou likes fat people, and he likes to feed the little girls around him until they become fat!

Zheng Chi's face was completely drained of color.

……

After returning to the Lou family fort, Zheng Chi did not continue to pester Lou Yu. He said goodbye hastily and hurried back to the guesthouse.

"Big Mother! Big Mother!"

Zheng Chi lifted up the hem of her skirt and ran quickly.

Before anyone even entered the main hall, they started shouting.

Madam Lou was sitting cross-legged, watching the maid make tea and chatting with her confidants.

"... Madam, don't worry. I see that Dalang is very caring towards our Fourteenth Lady."

"Da Lang is still a child, but he is so thoughtful and considerate that he acts like an older brother."

"Not to mention, our Fourteenth Lady is a very smart and quiet little girl. If Dalang spends more time with her, he will definitely be able to..."

The confidante came close to Madam Lou and tried her best to say things to make her happy.

Mrs. Lou narrowed her eyes slightly, but she did not become carried away by the flattery from her confidant.

She said softly, "Shisi Niang is my most beloved granddaughter, so I naturally want to give her the best."

"...I've already written a letter to Ajin and was thinking of sending someone to deliver it over in the next two days."

Mrs. Lou saw that Lou Yu acted relatively prudently and was very caring towards Zheng Chi.

She was already attracted to him, and she became even more determined about this grandson-in-law.

She decided to make this marriage.

At this moment, Zheng Chi's voice was heard outside.

Madam Lou turned her head and looked at the hourglass in the corner. "It's not even two hours yet, and Ah Chi is already back?"

Isn't it too early?

My cousin took his cousin out to play, eat, and swim in the river. It took at least half a day.

Mrs. Lou estimated that they would not be back until the evening.

It’s only the afternoon (15:00) and Achi is already back?

Mrs. Lou straightened up and leaned forward slightly, trying to see what was happening outside the door.

Zheng Chi went up the stairs with clattering steps and rushed straight into the main hall without the help of the maid.

Mrs. Lou glanced at Zheng Chi. His clothes, hair, etc. were still the same as when he went out.

There shouldn't be any accidents.

After looking at Zheng Chi, Mrs. Lou did not look away, but looked past Zheng Chi and behind her.

Lou Yu didn’t come with you?

Or did Lou Yu just send the person out of the courtyard gate?

This is against the rules.

Now that everyone has arrived at the guest house, they should come in to greet the elders and send Zheng Chi back to them in good condition. This is the only way to show complete courtesy.

"Where's Dalang? Didn't he send you off?"

Madam Lou frowned slightly. Although she had already set her sights on Lou Yu, she was still picky about him.

If Lou Yu was not well behaved, Madam Lou would not "break off the engagement", but would give him a good admonition and advice as an elder.

"My cousin took me back to the guest house. He wanted to come in and pay his respects to you, but I refused!"

Zheng Chi now simply regarded Lou Yu as a demon——

Woo woo, although he doesn’t eat people, he will force her to eat.

Woo woo woo, she doesn’t want to be like Wang Jiu, who was fed by her cousin and became a fat boy!

Mrs. Lou's brows furrowed even tighter. She looked at her granddaughter again, "Achi, what happened?"

"Lou Yu, did you do anything wrong?"

Zheng Chi hesitated, then quickly shook his head: "No!"

It’s not wrong to “persuade” her to eat.

After all, he was doing it for her own good.

Although Zheng Chi doesn't need such "good".

"He didn't act disrespectfully, so why did you act disrespectfully?"

Mrs. Lou became serious.

She does favor her granddaughter, but it's not mindless and unprincipled pampering.

Mrs. Lou never relaxed her requirements on her granddaughter's upbringing and rules.

Lou Yu was not rude, so his granddaughter who did not allow Lou Yu to observe etiquette was suspected of being rude!

Such behavior must be corrected.

"...Grandma, I don't want to stay in Hedong. I, I don't want to marry my cousin anymore!"

Seeing his mother, who always loved him, frown, Zheng Chi, who was already frightened, felt even more aggrieved.

She burst into tears, with big tears rolling down her face.

Mrs. Lou was shocked. What happened to her granddaughter?

You actually cried?

You know, among the etiquette norms she instilled in her granddaughter, there was a requirement not to cry, laugh, or make a fuss in front of others.

This is disrespectful.

My granddaughter is usually the most obedient and the most disciplined.

She has never lost her composure in public.

When she first arrived at Loujiawubao, Lou Yu "disdained" her to her face, and the granddaughter just sobbed softly.

Her loss of control that time was understandable!

What about today?

There must be a reason why Ah Chi is like this.

Mrs. Lou took Zheng Chi's hand, pulled her into her arms, and asked softly, "Abao, dear, have you been wronged? Or bullied?"

"Don't worry, no matter what happens, Big Mother will take care of it for you!"

Hearing Madam Lou gently calling her nickname, Zheng Chi could no longer hold back. She hugged Madam Lou with her backhand: "Grandma! I don't want to marry my cousin! I don't want to become fat!"

Mrs. Lou: ...What does marrying Lou Yu have to do with becoming fat?

"...My cousin thinks I'm too thin and always tells me to eat more!"

"I already said I was full and couldn't eat any more, but my cousin still tried to persuade me."

"He, he even compared Wang Jiu to me, saying that young girls should be like Wang Jiu, chubby and blessed!"

"I, I...Grandma, I don't want to be forced to eat, and I don't want to become a fat man!"

Zheng Chi was crying and venting his emotions in a somewhat confused manner.

Mrs. Lou was a little confused at first, but slowly, she understood -

Lou Yu still disliked Zheng Chi's slim figure, and when they were together in private, he always advised her to eat more.

Madam Lou: ...

She was very confused. Why was Lou Yu's aesthetic taste so strange?

Yes, the Lou family is a noble family in the North, and they are not very strict in disciplining women.

Women can ride horses, raise troops, and even take charge when the family is in crisis.

The Lou family and other noble families in the northern border would never keep women confined in a small inner house.

They are good helpers to their fathers, brothers and husbands.

For example, the lady of the Yang family, when her father and brothers rose up in rebellion, she sold her dowry and property, recruited soldiers and horses, and actively responded.

Now, she has been canonized as Princess Jincheng, commanding female soldiers, and has a great reputation and an extraordinary status.

It is impossible for such a woman to be slender and gentle.

They are brave and heroic, they are vigorous and vigorous, and they are as capable as men.

Even before she got married, Mrs. Lou was a proud and uninhibited young girl dressed in fine clothes and riding a horse.

Mrs. Lou's aesthetic taste changed after she married into the Zheng family.

Madam Lou's great-grandmother, Lu, came from a noble family in the southern border. However, her family was overthrown due to the change of dynasties, and they had no choice but to flee to the northern border.

Although she was a poor orphan, her surname was noble and her ancestors were officials, so she still married the head of the Zheng family.

After becoming the mistress of the Zheng family, Mrs. Lu had a subtle influence on the Zheng family.

Over the past few decades, even Mrs. Lou has been assimilated into the idea that women should be slender, delicate, gentle and quiet.

Zheng Chi and other young girls in the Zheng family were brought up strictly in accordance with this rule.

Mrs. Lou never thought there was anything wrong with the Zheng family's upbringing.

Until now... the granddaughter she had carefully raised was despised by her nephew from her own mother's side.

Mrs. Lou felt confused for a moment.

She couldn't tell whether she was wrong or there was something wrong with Lou Yu's brain.

"...How could I be wrong? The Zheng family's daughter's upbringing has been praised by countless people!"

"It must be Lou Yu! Humph, after all, he is the daughter of a servant, so petty and unworthy of being in a noble place!"

However, such a bastard became the head of the eldest branch of the Lou family and occupied half of the Lou family's property.

Lou Yu also had a cousin who was a founding county lord. As long as he grew up, he could easily enter the official career.

On the other hand, the only official in the Zheng family, Zheng Henian, was only a sixth-rank official!

No matter how proud Madam Lou was, she knew in her heart that if you looked closely, Zheng Chi was not worthy of Lou Yu.

Madam Lou is so "confident" only because she relies on the fact that she is Lou Yu's great-aunt and the Lou family is her maternal family!

She is confident.

Even if Lou Yu disagreed, Madam Lou would not worry, because marriage is a matter of parents' decision.

Lou Yu has no say in this marriage.

But at this moment, the one who was unwilling to get married was not Lou Yu, but Zheng Chi.

This this--

Mrs. Lou moved her lips, trying to persuade her granddaughter.

She lowered her head and met Zheng Chi's crying face.

Zheng Chi felt really wronged and really scared.

The little person's face was pale and his body was trembling slightly.

Maybe he vented too much, or maybe he ate too much, but while crying, Zheng Chi vomited with a "wow".

The filth splashed all over Mrs. Lou, who couldn't bear it and vomited.

In an instant, a strong sour and smell filled the main hall.

The maids and servants didn't care to show any disgust and started to work hard to clean up the dirt, change clothes and wash their master...it was a mess.

In the chaos, no one noticed that a little head popped out from under the corridor outside the door.

Zheng Chi's 13th daughter, who is the same age as Zheng Chi, has a more delicate appearance than Zheng Chi.

She watched quietly, recalling what she had just overheard, a thoughtful look flashed across her bright fox eyes...