Chapter 87◇

◎After eating and drinking to my heart's content, I appease my wife◎

The guards kept watch all night, stuffing their ears with cotton wool, afraid of hearing anything they shouldn't. Early the next morning, Xiong Qi and Xiu'er stood guard at the cave entrance, worried that their masters' voices inside might be too faint for them to hear.

As the sun rose higher, faint footsteps finally came from inside. Xiong Qi couldn't help but wonder whether the person who came out was the young master or the young master's wife.

Before he could remain puzzled for long, Duan Jingchuan emerged with a look of utter satisfaction.

Why not say it's a face full of nightmares? Because the dark circles under his eyes are too heavy, and his steps are unsteady, anyone would know what happened last night.

When Xiong Qi saw Duan Jingchuan's face, his expression froze. Before he could figure out how to greet him, Duan Jingchuan calmly picked up the breakfast he had prepared, turned around and went back, though his back looked a little unsteady.

Only after Duan Jingchuan's figure disappeared from sight did Xiu'er say in a trembling voice, "Am I seeing things? The young master's lips..."

Xiong Qi then added, "And the neck..."

The two looked at each other in silence.

Duan Jingchuan's image was so shocking that the onlookers were momentarily speechless.

There was a hot spring inside the cave, so the temperature was high. Feng Ran's black hair was scattered under her body, creating a striking contrast with her snow-white fox fur.

At this moment, she was only covered by a pale yellow brocade quilt, with most of her shoulders exposed, covered with the marks he had left on them. Duan Jingchuan's ears turned red, and he said softly, "Madam, come and get up and have something to eat."

Last night's battle was fierce, and Feng Ran was already so hungry that she was dizzy, but she was feeling really unwell. Her whole body was sore and numb, and she didn't want to move at all. She lay there groaning and just wouldn't get up, but her eyes were still fixed on the hot porridge that Xiu'er had prepared for her early in the desolate wilderness.

Duan Jingchuan blushed, wrapped Feng Ran in the brocade quilt more tightly, held half of her body in his arms, and patiently fed her spoonful by spoonful.

In the past, when Feng Ran enjoyed the care of a beautiful woman, even if her hands were immobile, her mouth would never be idle. But today, she was very listless, as if her life force had been drained.

Duan Jingchuan's behavior was the complete opposite of Feng Ran's. Although Duan Jingchuan had big dark circles under his eyes and a bitten lip, he was in a very good mood, and his gentle and pleasant aura could be felt from ten miles away.

Are you looking at Feng Ran? Although her complexion is rosy and she looks like she's drunk a super nourishing soup, her droopy eyelids tell a story of her listlessness, as if her life force has been drained.

She turned her head to look at the scratch marks she had left on Duan Jingchuan's neck, and started picking a fight unreasonably, "Look how much force you used last night, it hurt so much that I started scratching people."

Feng Ran knew she was strong, and in the past, when she was with Duan Qingchuan, she would subconsciously restrain her strength. But last night, she couldn't help herself and bit and scratched him. Duan Qingchuan must be quite a handful right now.

Except for certain occasions when Duan Jingchuan was full of witty remarks, he couldn't stand being teased when he was dressed. So he kept quiet, and after eating the porridge, he helped Feng Ran get dressed, then covered her head and carried her into the car.

The onlookers had a sharper eye now. It seemed that the young master had the upper hand, although the battle was quite intense. Looking at the several red marks on the young master's wrist, it was hard for them not to imagine what had happened last night.

Even after resting for a long time, Feng Ran was still listless and weak, her voice slightly hoarse, "Where are we going next?"

Duan Jingchuan gently massaged Feng Ran's waist and said in a low voice, "Today we'll go into the city to rest and recuperate for a few days before setting off again."

Feng Ran nodded slightly. "You should lie down and get some sleep too! You were much more tired than me last night."

Duan Jingchuan covered his face with one hand to hide the shyness in his eyes. In some ways, his wife was truly frank and honest.

Before the sun had set, the carriage entered Ningcheng.

Seeing that Feng Ran had woken up, Duan Jingchuan took the initiative to explain, "We are not far from Ancheng. If we ride at full speed, we can arrive in three days. However, we are tired from the journey, so we can rest and replenish our rations in Ningcheng."

Previously, the eldest and second eldest sons of the orphanage sent back a message saying that Ancheng was short of food and clothing, and that if they wanted to buy things, they would have to go to other counties. Therefore, Duan Jingchuan planned to stay in Ningcheng for a while before entering Ancheng, so as to exchange information with the people in Ancheng and see how he should proceed on the rest of the way.

As early as after Feng Ran expressed interest in Ancheng, Duan Jingchuan specifically sent people to find out what the current situation in Ancheng was. The children from the orphanage who had been affected by the earthquake had also escaped and were supposed to return to the capital immediately, but when they heard that they were going to Ancheng, they volunteered to go to Ancheng in advance to make arrangements.

As for the earthquake disaster, the matter had long been handed over to the imperial court. As the saying goes, one should not concern oneself with affairs or perform duties if one is not in a position of authority. Duan Jingchuan understood this point well; too much of a good thing is bad.

Before the imperial court intervened, he could be said to have inadvertently saved the day. But if he didn't know his place after the court got involved, he would clash with the court. He wouldn't be that foolish.

Before arriving in Ningcheng, the group had already sent someone to rent a courtyard here. There were many of them, and one of the reasons they hadn't entered the city before was because staying in an inn was inconvenient. Now that they were in the city, this place was very likely to become their future base, so they didn't mind setting up a house.

The house had been cleaned in advance. When they arrived, Duan Jingchuan picked up Feng Ran and, ignoring the stares of the crowd, went straight into the room.

Xiuer and Xiong Qi looked at each other, and Xiong Qi was also wondering to himself: Is this frequency a bit too high?

Finally, Fang Yuan casually mentioned from behind the two of them, "I've heard that if a person is overworked, some ointments can relieve soreness and swelling. I wonder if there are any doctors like that in Ancheng?"

Xiong Qi's eyes lit up. Without saying a word, he took off running. Half an hour later, he returned, panting, carrying a small cloth bag, his ears still flushed suspiciously.

He shoved the small cloth bag into Xiu'er's hand, saying, "Xiu'er, go and deliver this to the Crown Princess."

Xiuer looked at the unassuming little cloth bag with a puzzled expression. "Is this a specialty of Ningcheng? Why is the packaging so plain? It doesn't look very delicious." She then tried to open the bag to replace it with a more elegant plate.

Xiongqi quickly stopped him, "If you just send it to the Crown Princess like this, how will she know how to use it?"

"Use?" Xiu'er looked puzzled. She felt the contents of the bottle with her fingertips. Her ears turned red as she realized what it might be. She immediately stuffed it back into Xiong Qi's arms. "I'm not going to deliver it. You go deliver it yourself!"

The two were making a lot of noise pushing and shoving at the door, so in the end Duan Jingchuan went out with a mysterious look, took Xiong Qi's cloth bag, and slammed the door shut.

Xiong Qi suddenly felt that the young master, who had eaten and drunk his fill, might have been assimilated by the young master's wife in some way.

It wasn't until the next day that Feng Ran recovered her energy and spirits, and she excitedly dragged Duan Jingchuan along, intending to go out for a stroll.

Because Huang Que was going to follow, Fang Yuan, Xiong Qi, and Xiu'er also followed. Since it was an unfamiliar place, their personal guards were scattered throughout the crowd. Otherwise, such a large shopping group would definitely have attracted a lot of attention.

Aside from Fang Yuan, this was the first time for the others to leave the capital.

Although Ningcheng is not as prosperous as the capital, its border location means that people dress differently from those in Beijing, giving it a unique charm.

"There are so many girls on the street! I've never seen so many women when I was in the capital." Feng Ran was dazzled by the girls coming and going as soon as she stepped out. She had never seen so many girls setting up stalls and doing business before.

Although Duan Jingchuan had never been to the North, he knew more about the customs and habits of the North than most people because the Duan family army had guarded the northern border for generations.

"Madam, you may not know this, but because the weather here is cold, we eat a lot of meat. Both men and women are very healthy. Now that the girls are no longer weak, they naturally want to go out and do some work."

Feng Ran looked on with envy. "That's great, they can go out whenever they want."

Duan Jingchuan felt a chill in his heart and quickly added, "Madam is also free to go out."

Feng Ran glanced at him with amusement, "I didn't say I disliked you."

"Brother-in-law, since both men and women here can go out to do business, why do they still look so poor?" Huang Que looked at the beggars on the street with a puzzled expression.

Huang Que had seen words like "ragged clothes" and "impoverished" in books, and he had personally experienced hardship in the capital. But when he arrived in Ningcheng, he found the streets muddy, beggars everywhere, street vendors with patched clothes, and inns deserted and quiet, not like places with any business.

Duan Jingchuan always answered Huang Que's question seriously: "Because of the turmoil on the border in previous years, the people had no fixed abode. In recent years, they have gradually settled down in the vicinity. It snows here for half the year, and they can only harvest one season's worth of food, so the people's lives are a bit tight."

Seeing the pity on Huang Que's face, Feng Ran couldn't help but say, "They are very happy. Little Que, have you ever seen those people in the capital laughing so heartily? Poverty and hardship can only represent the degree of material wealth, but spiritual fulfillment can bring a person true satisfaction."

Feng Ran knew that poor days were hard to live, but as she walked through the bustling city, she could truly feel that everyone here was smiling from the bottom of their hearts.

Look at that woman selling mutton soup over there; she can stand in full view of everyone, holding a spoon, hands on her hips, pointing at her husband's nose and scolding him.

Her husband also looked very cautious, showing no sign of anger. Moreover, the people around them were already used to it and even gave a shout. Such a scene would never happen in the capital.

The capital city is bustling and prosperous; a casual stomp of one's foot can shake up an official of some rank. If one were to be insulted like this by a woman from the inner quarters of the palace in the street, the next day, memorials accusing the emperor of lax household management would likely fly to the emperor like snowflakes, and dismissal or demotion would be possible. Few women in the capital would have the confidence to act in this way.

For example, among the many women in the inner quarters of the capital, she should be considered one of the happiest.

But what can she do? Whether she's going out to a party or just strolling around town, she has to be extra careful, afraid that she might accidentally cause trouble for her husband.

Moreover, there are many restrictions on women in the capital. If a beautiful woman walks down the street and is even glanced at or praised by a passing man, her fame will spread like wildfire the next day. And this fame is not a compliment.

Huang Que nodded thoughtfully, watching as her sister bought a bowl of mutton soup from the proprietress. Her brother-in-law took out the money from his pocket and handed it over. The proprietress's husband even gave her brother-in-law a knowing smile, as if to say: Look, in both of our families, the wife is in charge.

There are many food vendors on the street, and passersby don't care much about the food. Some people push tables together and squeeze in to eat heartily. Even strangers can chat happily. Some people just stand aside, holding their bowls and gulping down their food. No matter how they eat, no one pays attention to them, and no one laughs at them.

Feng Ran was also tempted by the rich and mellow aroma of the mutton soup, so she bought a bowl on a whim.

After receiving it, she didn't drink it directly, but instead held it to Duan Jingchuan's lips. Anyone who didn't know better would think that this young lady respected her husband very much.

Duan Jingchuan raised an eyebrow. It seemed his wife had asked him to taste the food again. This wasn't the first time. He cooperated perfectly, lowered his head, took a small sip, and said, "It's acceptable."

Feng Ran then happily picked up the soup bowl and began to drink.

Duan Jingchuan didn't really like the smell of mutton, but he still bought Huang Que a bowl to try. "I don't know if you're used to it. If you're not, don't force yourself. It has a bit of a gamey smell."

"Help! Someone's hitting me!"