Chapter 87 Good fortune seems to have arrived on the same day…

Good fortune seemed to arrive on the same day.

While sorting through the seeds sent by Mi Tu, Feng Mian recognized two types of tubers she had seen in her dreams among a pile of exotic flower seeds—potatoes and sweet potatoes.

She immediately realized that if she seized the opportunity to successfully cultivate the seeds now, she could harvest a crop in three or four months, just in time to store them as food before the harsh winter frost. This would not only help her survive the winter better, but also allow her to promote these two seeds with tangible food.

She once again resorted to her all-purpose excuse of "seeing in ancient books," but her tone carried an unquestionable decisiveness. She ordered Cheng Xu and the others to start sowing immediately and planned to write to Mi Tu again to ask for more seeds, so that each household could plant one or two acres of land.

After all the arrangements were made and he had inspected all the plants cultivated in the manor, the sun had already quietly set. Feng Mian bid farewell to the officials and happily walked out of the manor.

As she lifted her skirt and stepped out the door, she saw a handsome figure, as slender as a bamboo, leaning against a pillar in the corridor outside the door.

Baili Xunzhou was still wearing the outfit she had personally chosen for him that morning, except that he now wore a thin black cloak. The cloak hung casually at an angle, the ends reaching his boots, being lifted and then fallen again by the evening breeze, adding a touch of dashing and unrestrained style.

He had clearly already caught the sound of her joyful footsteps approaching from afar. The instant she looked over, his gaze met hers precisely. First, his eyes curved into a smile, softening his sharp brows, and his icy aura vanished instantly. Then, he straightened up, took two steps forward, and deftly untied the cloak around his neck with one hand.

A large, dark cloak unfurled, carrying his warm breath, and without warning, it covered Feng Mian's head, wrapping him up completely.

His cloak was so big that it completely covered Feng Mian.

Feng Mian struggled, puzzled, and asked, "It's not cold today, why are you wearing a cloak?"

"It might rain later, and it'll get chilly once the wind picks up." His voice was gentle, and his soft whisper sounded like a loving murmur in your ear. "Sweetie, let me tie it on."

With such gentle coaxing, Feng Mian's cheeks flushed instantly. She clasped her hands neatly in front of her, letting him tie the ribbon around her neck with his slender fingers.

As he loosened the cloak's ties, his cool knuckles gently hooked Feng Mian's chin. "Would you like to go back by carriage, or on horseback?"

Baili Xunzhou's eyes sparkled with anticipation; he clearly hoped she would say she wanted to ride back on horseback, so he could ride with her and openly embrace her in the street.

“I think…” A sly glint flashed in Feng Mian’s eyes as she deliberately drew out her words, watching Baili Xunzhou’s eyes widen with anticipation as she spoke, before she simply said, “Let’s go back!”

Both options were rejected. Baili Xunzhou paused for a moment before realizing that the two of them hadn't yet strolled around Yunzhong County together. The corners of his lips, which had been slightly pursed due to disappointed expectations, instantly lifted again. His hand, hanging by his side, reached out slightly and quietly, with a hint of probing and full of anticipation.

The next moment, a soft, warm hand, much smaller than his, naturally entered his palm and intertwined with his fingers.

A smile spread across Baili Xunzhou's face. He gripped Feng Mian's hand tightly, then led her onto the streets of Yunzhong County.

The sky was bathed in warm glow, the streetlights were just coming on, and crowds thronged the long street.

When passersby saw the two, some greeted them cheerfully, while others, afraid of disturbing their enjoyment, only gave them a friendly look before going about their own business.

Feng Mian glanced at the steaming wonton stall on her left, then at the colorful mask stall on her right; her eyes were practically overwhelmed. She loved watching these ordinary yet lively scenes of everyday life.

Fortunately, Baili Xunzhou was by her side, protecting her from getting distracted by the excitement on the street and going astray or bumping into people.

"Mommy, when can we eat candied hawthorns?" A child passing by was being held in his father's arms, peeking out and whining to his mother in a disgruntled manner.

The mother comforted her, "It'll be soon, soon. In a few months, when the weather cools down, we'll be able to eat candied hawthorns."

Some memories suddenly resurfaced. Feng Mian gently tugged at Baili Xunzhou's hand and looked up at him. "Speaking of which, back at the trade market, you rode your horse so far to give me that candied hawthorn... Your Highness, please tell me honestly, were you already secretly in love with me back then?"

She was excited, feeling that she had uncovered a secret of Baili Xunzhou.

A barely perceptible blush rose to her ears, but Baili Xunzhou did not look away. He met her probing gaze with composure and nodded: "Yes. I liked her back then, but I don't think I realized it much."

I did many things on instinct, and now that I think about it, Yao Zhiyuan's description of him as a stone was truly not unjust.

"Climbing through a woman's bedroom window in the dead of night, who taught you that?" Feng Mian asked sarcastically.

“We did have a proper wedding ceremony…” Baili Xunzhou muttered softly, then took the initiative, looking at her intently: “And you? When did you start liking me?”

"Me..." Feng Mian was stumped by his question, her eyelashes trembled slightly, and she really began to think seriously.

Baili Xunzhou readily admitted it, and then asked, "What made you like me?"

As she was still pondering, she heard Baili Xunzhou beside her remind her in a low voice, "After leaving Wolf Bone Ridge, you said that you liked me a little after seeing me that night. You were just lying to me, weren't you?"

His tone was heavy, carrying a barely perceptible hint of grievance and accusation.

Wolf Bone Ridge? That night?

Feng Mian searched her memory and finally remembered that when they were not yet very familiar with each other, she had seen the prince lying in a tree at night instead of sleeping.

At the time, she had endless questions and doubts about Baili Xunzhou. Saying that she liked him was just a ruse. Would he really believe her?

Feng Mian blinked twice quickly, then began to think about whether she should just say that she had fallen in love with him at first sight.

Seeing that she didn't respond for a long time, how could Baili Xunzhou not know the answer? Although he had already prepared himself, he still narrowed his eyes "dangerously" when he realized that it had all been a misunderstanding. He was a little unwilling.

He's been deluding himself for a long time.

"Well, you are," he leaned closer to her, his voice low and tinged with a hint of gritted teeth, his breath brushing against her ear, "You were just lying to me, weren't you? Later, when you gave me the sachet and followed me to Yongxue Pass, that was all just to coax me, wasn't it?"

Seeing his angry and aggrieved expression, Feng Mian suddenly couldn't help but want to laugh, but felt that laughing at this moment would definitely "add fuel to the fire", so she tried to purse her lips, but her eyes were full of unconcealed laughter.

"Back then..." She paused, unable to say that everything she did was to investigate whether he had any rebellious intentions. She really couldn't explain her suspicions, and if he mistakenly thought that his uncle didn't trust him, that would be very bad.

Her eyes lit up and she spotted a stall selling crispy mountain desserts. She immediately pulled him over, gazing longingly at the crispy mountain covered in sugarcane juice and piled high with candied fruit. She gently tugged at Baili Xunzhou's sleeve and said, "Azhuo, I want to eat this."

The topic shift was extremely abrupt. Baili Xunzhou glanced at her helplessly, but ultimately didn't ask any further questions. He simply refused her request for ice cream.

"No. You're not feeling well, and neither Firefly nor Willow allows you to eat ice. Are you trying to trick me?"

Feng Mian had anticipated his response and immediately countered logically, "Then tell me, haven't I been sick for quite some time now?"

"You've already forgotten the pain as soon as the epidemic is over?"

“How can that be? It’s not that I got sick because I didn’t take care of my health.” She tiptoed, pressed his shoulder and looked him in the eye. “My stomach is fine now, eating a little less will definitely not cause any problems.”

Baili Xunzhou grasped her wrists with both hands and gently lowered her back to the ground, still refusing: "No."

Feng Mian looked up at him, then suddenly changed the subject, her tone becoming extremely serious: "Don't you think so?"

"What?" Baili Xunzhou looked at her in confusion.

"You truly are my savior. Since meeting you, so many troublesome problems have been easily solved, and even my luck has improved. Even the plague couldn't touch me, so this little Su Mountain is no problem at all!"

This blatant, obviously deceptive praise made Baili Xunzhou's lips twitch uncontrollably. The slight upward curve of his lips couldn't be suppressed no matter what he did, and he finally burst out laughing.

"You'd say anything for a sip of ice? Tell me the truth, didn't you ever privately tell Liuying and Wuliu that you thought I was your nemesis?" Although Baili Xunzhou liked hearing her praise him, he didn't believe every compliment.

Feng Mian turned her face away awkwardly. Thinking that Su Shan, who was so close to her, seemed to have no chance, the corners of her mouth drooped sadly, and her eyebrows drooped, her face saying "I'm so pitiful".

A soft sigh came from in front of her. Baili Xunzhou walked past her to the stall. "Give me... the smallest one."

Feng Mian suddenly turned her head and her eyes lit up instantly as she stared at Baili Xunzhou bringing over a bowl of palm-sized crispy mountain pastries and handing her a small wooden spoon.

"You are only allowed to taste a little."

Feng Mian took the spoon, carefully scooped out a tiny bit, about the size of her fingertip, and put it in her mouth. The cool sweetness melted on her tongue, and she squinted her eyes in satisfaction.

"May I try some?" Baili Xunzhou asked politely.

Since Baili Xunzhou had allowed her to enjoy the crispy mountain, she couldn't selfishly keep it all to herself.

Feng Mian generously handed Baili Xunzhou both the wooden spoon and the bowl of ice containing the crispy mountain. Then she watched as Baili Xunzhou took the bowl from her, turned the wooden spoon upside down to cover a little bit of ice, and then tilted his head back to lift the bowl...

Most of a bowl of ice was smashed into his mouth. Baili Xunzhou frowned from the cold, gritted his teeth and swallowed the ice. He then put on a calm expression and handed the bowl back to Gengmian.

Feng Mian stared blankly at the little bit of ice left in the bowl.

“You…” Feng Mian was stunned.

Baili Xunzhou said in a grand manner, "Since we can only eat a little, it's not good to waste the rest."

Feng Mian was initially furious, but she knew he was doing it for her own good, so she couldn't bring herself to say anything good. In the end, she burst out laughing.

"Next year, next summer my body will definitely be better, then I'll have Ah Xue vouch for me and let me eat crispy mountain freely!"

"Okay, okay, I'll definitely do it next year." Baili Xunzhou naturally hoped that her health would get better and better; he would feel guilty if she kept doing these "bad things".

The sun gently elongated their shadows, casting tender silhouettes on the bluestone path.