The First Maid

Under the blazing sun, Maid Ji is hard at work planting vegetables.

Maid Ji turns over the soil. “My lord, could we stop growing celery and plant something else?”

The prince glances at her. “What would you like to eat?”

Maid Ji excitedly counts on her fingers. “Eggplant, tomatoes, maybe bird's eye chilies.”

The prince's brush pauses. He orders his steward, “Zhaoqing, go see what you can buy, as long as it's not anything she just mentioned.”

Hearing this, Maid Ji nearly hurls her hoe. “My lord, actually, I don't like eating any of the things I just mentioned.”

She says it with a grave expression, utterly sincere.

The prince smiles, his beauty enough to topple a city. “Good. I don't like those things either.”

P.S. This is a lighthearted story, though a little angst, and even a lot of angst, may show up from time to time. The main couple is one-on-one.