As the number of letters attempting to arrange marriages increased, Shen Xingmian could clearly sense that Xiao Yanyue was becoming increasingly impatient and resistant to other men approaching her.

His initial resistance was somewhat tactless, which caused Shen Xingmian some trouble and made her a little irritable. She wanted to stay away from him and let him calm down.

Whether he figured it out himself or received guidance from a wise person, he suddenly stopped being assertive and became more reserved.

She no longer resisted being called "sister," but would look at her with slightly moist eyes, silently showing her grievances.

Shen Xingmian couldn't stand being here. Her heart softened instantly, and she stopped being agitated. She wanted nothing more than to hug and comfort the person.

After realizing that Shen Xingmian was more responsive to gentle persuasion than force, Xiao Yanyue became even more adept at it.

All the men who tried to get close to Shen Xingmian were driven away by his witty and sarcastic remarks.

The main problem is that the person they've gone to great lengths to please is still wholeheartedly devoted to that "younger brother," so they simply can't compete with him.

Shen Xingmian herself didn't take her coming-of-age ceremony seriously at all, but her family members attached great importance to it and tried to make a big fuss about it.

She went to her grandfather specifically to talk about this, saying that since there were two girls in the family, they shouldn't treat each other differently, because that would only strain her relationship with her sister.

Hearing her say that, Shen Zhiheng also felt that it made a lot of sense, and ordered that the matter be handled discreetly, so everyone put their minds at ease.

However, she couldn't control the gifts from outside. Boxes of gifts were being sent from various countries, even though the marriage proposal had been rejected, she didn't want to strain the relationship.

After all, in the era of cold weapons, whoever controlled the food and weapons had more say.

And now, she has both of them in her hands.

She is not only the daughter of the Shen family, but also a "goddess" that everyone wants to win over, so it is unlikely that she can be like her cousin, since the differences between them are already very large.

Fortunately, Shen Xingyan is a carefree person. She not only doesn't have any desire to compare herself with younger girls her age, but she also brings back fun things she finds when she goes out to give to her younger siblings.

She had always been very close to Shen Xingmian and protected her younger sister. This made Shen Xingmian think of a saying: "Two kinds of people can't sleep in the same bed." Of course, it was a positive saying, but she couldn't think of a way to put it.

After her coming-of-age ceremony, Shen Xingmian planned to go out for a walk. Two years had passed in the Northern Border, and she was getting restless again.

She had promised Xiao Yanyue that she would take him with her when she went out again, and this time, she planned to keep her promise.

After announcing this decision, Shen Yunting rushed to his daughter's room that very night. He first expressed his reluctance, and then asked:

"Could you bring your older brother and sister along on this trip? They're both approaching marriageable age. Although the North has brought many talented people, the choices are still not as plentiful as outside."

She wanted her two children to go out and broaden their horizons, instead of being stuck here with the adults.

The world is vast and open; they should go and see it properly before deciding how to spend the rest of their lives.

Shen Xingmian naturally agreed; she had originally intended to as well.

“Last year, when my cousin came of age, I would help her find a suitable match every time I went to the military camp, but even this year, I haven’t found many that I like.”

Sigh, there are indeed many fine young men in the army, but the thought of marrying my cousin always makes me feel like it's not enough.

Shen Yunting, both amused and exasperated, reached out and tapped her daughter's nose with her finger: "You, you don't even have a clear idea of ​​your own affairs, yet you've already learned to worry about others."

At this point, she suddenly became serious and asked, "Mianmian, what are your thoughts about Yanyue? Can you accept him as your future husband?"

Although she had accepted this son-in-law in her heart, feeling that it was unlikely that there was anyone in the world as good as him, and that no one would love her daughter more than him, she still needed to ask her child's opinion before she could feel at ease.

Shen Xingmian had been deliberately avoiding this question, and when it was suddenly asked on her face, she was momentarily stunned.

She couldn't help but recall the moments she had spent with Xiao Yanyue, and felt it would be strange if she wasn't moved, but even though she was, she felt a bit embarrassed, like an old cow eating young grass.

She blushed, a rare occurrence for her: "He's so much younger than me..."

What she meant was not just the age difference between the two bodies, but also the more than twenty years she had lived in another world.

But she also felt that age shouldn't be calculated like that.

Life in another world was so distant to her, like something from a past life, that there was no need to dwell on it and create unnecessary trouble for herself.

Shen Yunting gently tapped her on the head: "Oh dear, child, don't get so hung up on this. It's only a three-year age difference, it's not a big deal."

And look at Yanyue, she's taller than your father, she doesn't look any younger than you at all.

Putting all that aside, just considering your feelings for him, think about the possibility of him becoming your future husband. Would you be happy or resistant?

The question was so blunt that Shen Xingmian actually started thinking along those lines.

She didn't think for long before nodding and saying honestly, "I should be happy."

Shen Xingmian knows herself well. She doesn't really like the process of getting to know new people. If she'll face the awkward situation of blind dates in the future, she might as well just find someone she's already familiar with.

While this is a prerequisite, she felt that Xiao Yanyue was capable, and it was definitely not just because of this.

That lingering, affectionate gaze was so captivating that anyone but a fool would notice it, and every time she saw it, her heart would pound uncontrollably.

If she hadn't been constantly repeating "He's still young, he's still young" to herself, she might have started having all sorts of crazy thoughts.

When you are facing only your own heart, you don't need to pretend to be righteous.

She was waiting for him to grow up, and she was actually getting a little impatient.

It takes a lot of willpower to resist the urge to pounce on a perfectly good cabbage that's always right in front of you!

Moreover, her outward appearance was quite successful; no one noticed that she had any improper thoughts about Xiao Yanyue, and they all thought she was still an innocent young girl.

Really...

It makes one feel guilty.

Some people really do pretend so well that they fool everyone—to herself.

Sometimes, she was even completely brainwashed, and when she saw her beloved standing in front of her, she could treat him as just an ordinary younger brother.

Only when I wake up in the middle of the night do I suddenly realize how much I care about him.

Aside from herself, probably no one else has ever had such a twisted mentality. If Xiao Yanyue were a little younger, she might have become confused herself.

This time, she wanted to meet more people and see if, with more options, she would still firmly decide to "only take a sip."