29. Food expenses have quadrupled.

◎I'm better than you at this.◎

The next morning, Feng Ran successfully slept in late. Since she started helping the little socially anxious girl with her training, this was the first time she had slept past noon.

Upon seeing that Feng Ran had woken up, Xiu'er immediately stepped forward to help Feng Ran get up and change her clothes.

When Feng Ran saw that it was already broad daylight, she exclaimed in horror, "Oh no! I didn't get up today. Did my husband go to the training ground by himself?"

Xiuer paused, then shook her head.

Feng Ran wrinkled her nose and complained, "My husband can be lazy too. Does he think he won't be more conscious of his actions if I don't go to him?"

Cough cough.

Xiuer couldn't hide the laughter in her chest and coughed lightly twice.

Feng Ran asked with her eyes: Have you caught a cold?

Xiuer pursed her lips, hesitated for a long time, and asked, "Princess Consort, do you remember what happened last night?"

"Last night?" Feng Ran was very puzzled. "What could possibly happen to me in a day? I just eat and sleep, sleep and eat."

But he also recalled it quite obediently.

Yesterday, she went to the Duke of Lu's mansion to celebrate the old lady's birthday, but the old lady barely glanced at her and she was even scolded by her mother. She couldn't be bothered to look at the coachman's face, so she chose to walk back to the Marquis of Dingbei's mansion.

What happened next? Feng Ran's memory was a bit hazy, but she managed to piece together a few scenes from her recollections.

"Oh, right," Feng Ran's eyes lit up as she looked at Xiu'er with a smug look.

Xiuer asked tentatively, "Princess Consort, do you remember now?"

Feng Ran nodded repeatedly, "I remember now, the sweet fermented rice dumplings are delicious, are there any left today?"

Xiuer's enthusiasm was completely crushed, and her voice trembled slightly, "Besides sweet fermented rice balls, can you think of anything else?"

Feng Ran, annoyed that Xiu'er was too slow, took a strand of her own hair from Xiu'er's hand and hastily tied it into a bun. While busy with her hair, she didn't forget to answer Xiu'er's question: "Could it be that I was too tired yesterday? I should have gone to sleep after eating the fermented rice wine. Did you take me back to my room?"

Xiuer followed silently behind Feng Ran, unaware of the complex emotions etched on Xiuer's face.

Xiuer sighed silently, "Princess Consort, it was the Prince who carried you back to your room." After saying that, she didn't forget to secretly observe Feng Ran's expression, trying to find a trace of shyness or joy on that little face that only knew about food.

As expected, Feng Ran only managed to notice one word: "Hug?"

Xiuer blushed slightly, recalling the passion between the Crown Prince and his wife yesterday. She nodded affirmatively, then added a soft "yes" when she realized the Crown Prince's wife couldn't see her.

Feng Ran turned around abruptly, her voice rising eight octaves in disbelief, "You actually carried him back? He's so strong now!"

Xiuer's heart was pounding with excitement, but now that excitement is gone.

He replied weakly, "Young Master is a man after all; he still has the strength to carry someone."

Feng Ran said with certainty, "It's impossible. I could never have carried him before. With his long arms and legs, he was just a decoration. It seems that my training method is correct. I'm going to ask for a reward and make him prepare sweet rice dumplings for me again."

Xiuer really wanted to say, "Princess Consort, you'll probably never get to eat sweet fermented rice dumplings again," but she thought about it and didn't say anything.

Duan Jingchuan got up very early again today, but he soon found that his tailbone was still aching, and now that he had a bruise on his face, it was really not good for him to go to the training ground to exercise.

Unlike his usual habit of holding a book and savoring it slowly, Duan Jingchuan was now staring blankly at the corner of his mouth, his starry eyes filled with a hint of sweetness and a touch of resentment.

This morning he received a letter from Chunyu Zhu, in which he wrote that yesterday Feng Ran had a verbal battle with a group of gossipy women at the Duke of Lu's mansion, and her eloquence made all the young ladies feel ashamed.

Whenever he thought of Feng Ran's words, his heart burned with passion.

To his surprise, the lady did not treat him differently, and genuinely believed that he was no different. Or rather, the lady accepted all his differences without any discomfort.

In his entire life, his wife was the first person to unconditionally approve of him, and the first person to dare to speak up for him against all odds.

For the past nineteen years, his mother often spoke coldly to him because of his strange illness, and his father hesitated to speak for fear of hurting his feelings, never mentioning his name in public.

If it weren't for the imperial decree requesting the conferment of the title of heir apparent, the people of the capital would probably have forgotten that the Marquis of Dingbei's mansion even had a person named Duan Jingchuan.

What merit did he possess to deserve such a wonderful wife? This is the greatest reward Heaven could bestow upon him. However, recalling yesterday's scene, Duan Jingchuan's lips twitched. He wondered what his wife had taken him for, hugging and sitting on him like that. It didn't seem like a human being at all. Could it be that his wife was keeping some kind of pet in her boudoir?

Before Duan Jingchuan could figure out what Feng Ran had done yesterday, Feng Ran had already jumped right in front of him.

Now, Feng Ran has become familiar with Jinghua Courtyard. She never reports or knocks when entering Duan Jingchuan's study, and Duan Jingchuan tacitly approves of this behavior. As a result, when Feng Ran pushes open the door, she sees Duan Jingchuan touching the bruise on the corner of his mouth with one hand, staring blankly at his right hand with a very infatuated expression.

Feng Ran was shocked. "Husband, did someone bully you? How did you get hurt like this?"

Before Duan Jingchuan could recover his infatuated expression, he suddenly heard Feng Ran's words, and the smile on his face instantly cracked, his eyelashes trembling slightly, "Doesn't Madam remember what she did last night?"

Feng Ran casually dragged a stool and sat opposite Duan Jingchuan. At this moment, the two were separated by a rosewood table.

She casually pulled out a book and tossed it on the table, then rested her head on it to shield herself from the coolness of the rosewood. Her tone was extremely annoyed. "Why are you asking me too? Xiu'er asked me this morning too. It's just that I didn't come back in the carriage yesterday. Am I really wrong?"

A breath caught in his chest, neither rising nor falling. Duan Jingchuan was not good with words to begin with, and this made him even more choked up.

Seeing Duan Jingchuan's eyes darting around, seemingly angry, Feng Ran, with an extreme survival instinct, tugged at his sleeve and shook it, cautiously asking, "Was I really wrong?"

For some reason, Duan Jingchuan grabbed the sleeve from the other person's hand and replied coldly, "That's right."

Feng Ran panicked. This was the first time she had heard Duan Jingchuan speak so coldly since she met him. She immediately straightened her back, sat on only a third of the small stool, kept her legs together, and placed her hands loosely on her lap, being extremely obedient. "Don't be angry! I will definitely take the carriage back properly next time."

Although she said she was wrong, Feng Ran was still a little aggrieved and continued to complain, "It's all because of that coachman. He spoke very rudely, and I was hungry at the time. The carriage had already left when there was food, so I had to take Xiu'er to the street to buy food, but I didn't have any money with me."

Her voice was soft and weak, and her tone was somewhat coquettish due to her deliberately gentle attitude.

The morning light shone on Feng Ran's small face, giving her a soft glow that made her look exceptionally gentle.

Duan Jingchuan rubbed his temples with his long index finger and let out a long sigh. He didn't care about it; let it go. He stood up, took a few long strides around the rosewood table, and walked to Feng Ran.

Although Duan Jingchuan was thin, he was extremely tall; if Feng Ran stood up, she would only reach his chest.

Now, Feng Ran was sitting while Duan Jingchuan was standing, the difference in their heights was even more pronounced. Looking straight ahead, Feng Ran could only see his azure blue belt.

Forced to lean back, she stretched her neck out and looked up at Duan Jingchuan with her little face.

Duan Jingchuan's slightly cold fingers landed on Feng Ran's face, gently stroking it. Feng Ran didn't understand why, but she didn't pull away.

Duan Jingchuan suppressed a certain impulse in his heart, ran his long fingers across the other person's face, then to their shoulder, and finally bent and stretched to take their hand.

"Are you hungry? Come on, your complexion hasn't improved even after all this time, you should eat more."

Feng Ran was still a little uneasy. "Are you really not angry? I can make it up to you."

Duan Jingchuan's voice was tinged with helplessness, "I'm not angry. Whether you ride in a carriage or walk is your choice, but you need to ensure your safety."

She thought she was under the sword of judgment, but when she saw that the sword wasn't meant to judge her, Feng Ran's lips immediately curled up. "Don't worry, I won't take this lying down."

Duan Jingchuan sighed repeatedly in his heart. She said she wouldn't be upset, but she was clearly wronged yesterday. He would give her an explanation for this.

The servants at Jinghua Courtyard were used to preparing food whenever they saw the Crown Princess, since she was always eating whenever she was conscious.

Since the Crown Princess married into the family, the daily food expenses have quadrupled, which shows how powerful the Crown Princess is.

Of course, Duan Jingchuan has been eating more lately. After all, it's inevitable that he'll be affected by eating with a wife who has a big appetite all day long.

"Husband, you still haven't told me what happened to your injury? Did someone bully you? I'll fight back for you." Feng Ran returned to her usual carefree self, speaking with righteous indignation, as if she would throw a punch and rush at Duan Jingchuan as soon as he uttered a name.

Duan Jingchuan paused, his lips twitching involuntarily. He sighed again, looking up at the blue sky. Although the sky was clear and cloudless, he could feel a bolt of lightning lurking in his mind, ready to strike him if he wasn't careful.

Not wanting Feng Ran to press him further, he simply made up an excuse, saying, "I bumped into it by accident."

Feng Ran tugged at Duan Jingchuan's hand and shook it, "Husband, you actually fall off the bed while you're sleeping. I'm better than you at that."