Chapter 81 "I'll deal with you when we get back."...

The temple fair not only had fun activities, but also plenty of delicious food. Yan Jiarou was like a little mouse that had fallen into a rice jar, so happy that she forgot herself and walked around from stall to stall with Xiao Che's arm.

When they reached the sugar figurine stall, they couldn't move any further. Their eyes lit up, they swallowed hard several times, and they turned to Xiao Che with hopeful eyes, waving his arm and saying, "Xiao Che, I want this..."

On one hand, she secretly regretted her decision. She hadn't brought any money with her when she went out. Otherwise, even if Xiao Che disagreed, she could have secretly bought it. Now, she had no choice but to beg him to buy it for her.

As expected, Xiao Che always kept her from having sweets: "Sugar figurines? They're probably too sweet, Yan Yan. Your teeth aren't good, you should eat less sweets. Be good, there are fresh lotus seeds for sale over there, they're quite sweet. Shall we go take a look?"

:

Not getting a satisfactory answer, Miss Yan Jiarou's temper flared up again: "No, I want to buy this first!"

She had been dissatisfied with Xiao Che in this regard for a long time. Her snowy cheeks puffed out as she looked at him resentfully: "Are you my man or my father? Why do you always meddle with me? It's so annoying!"

Constantly controlling what she eats, that's not right.

Xiao Che raised an eyebrow and slightly curled the corner of his lips: "I controlled how much milk you drank when you were a baby. How come you can't control it now that you're grown up? Yan Yan, there's no such logic in this world."

"Besides, I'm your third brother. Do you think I can't take care of you?"

Yan Jiarou didn't buy it at all, because what he said was completely unfounded!

What kind of respectable older brother is he? He's even lured his younger sister into bed.

He was breastfed when he was little, and then force-fed... force-fed... there's no brother like him in the world!

She's doing the work of a husband, but she acts like a brother. How annoying.

That's why they say siblings can't be husband and wife; besides incest, there might be another reason!

Dating my brother is such a hassle!

The stall owner was a shrewd man. Seeing the young couple arguing, he quickly mediated, saying, "Sir, my syrup is diluted with water, so it's not too sweet. Why don't you buy one for your wife? It's fine for her to have one occasionally."

Upon hearing this, Yan Jiarou's bright eyes darted around, and she repeated what the stall owner had said, but in a completely different tone, she said to Xiao Che in a soft and coquettish voice, "My lord, buy one for your wife. It's okay to eat one occasionally. Buy one, buy one, please."

She mimicked his sweet, soft voice perfectly, and he thought there was probably no one in the world more adorable than her.

Xiao Che couldn't resist in the end, his lips curling up wide as he reached out and flicked her nose: "You're such a copycat. You can't do anything normally, but you're quick at learning this. Who are you calling 'husband'? You can answer right away."

Yan Jiarou realized she had lost her temper and her tone wasn't very nice, but she didn't want to argue with Xiao Che. So she smiled and said, "I'm calling you, Xiao Che, Xiao Wenqi. You're my husband, my husband, and the person I love most!"

Xiao Che's Adam's apple bobbed as he stared at her intently, feeling his heart melt into warm water.

Well, actually, what the little princess said makes sense. It's okay to eat one occasionally. Besides, if we really don't let her have her way, there's no way to deal with her. I'm afraid we'll have to coax her for a long time when we get back. The fact that she's willing to give in and only eat one is already considered very good.

Yan Jiarou finally got her wish. Xiao Che paid the bill for her, and she happily took a string of sugar figurines and left, continuing to affectionately link arms with Xiao Che while licking the sugar figurines.

When Xiao Che turned his head to look at her, he saw her stick out a bit of her soft, bright red tongue, intently licking the sugar figurine.

Compared to when he was licking lactose before, he was much more skilled and agile. I wonder if it's the result of training with his stuff during this period.

Xiao Che felt a tightness in his throat, turned his head away, and it took him a while to regain his breathing.

But then I suddenly remembered that Yan Jiarou's strange illness was indeed bizarre; it seemed to make her aroused by him, whether through blood or... Compared to blood, the latter's reaction was more... No way, this part was deleted and it's locked now?

So much so that Yan Jiarou grew to like his things more and more over this period, and had long since abandoned any sense of shame, deleting everything without him even having to coax her.

Thanks to that strange illness, she now really enjoys eating his stuff.

I just don't know which she prefers to eat, the sugar figurine or his other thing.

What if you can only choose one?

Hmm, he might have thought of a way to help her quit sugar.

——

Yan Jiarou and Xiao Che then browsed through several more stalls, finally drawn to one belonging to a foreign tribe. The stall owner wore a jeweled hat trimmed with fur and wore foreign clothing. He had a high nose, deep-set eyes, and striking features, exuding exotic charm. He sold novelties, including couple's rings inlaid with diamonds.

It wouldn't be unusual for a ring to be common, but Xiao Che often rode and shot arrows, and he always wore a thumb ring on his thumb.

However, in the Great Wei Dynasty, rings were not very popular, and couples wearing matching rings were unheard of.

This was the first time Yan Jiarou had ever heard of rings being sold in pairs. Moreover, she had only ever seen rubies, emeralds, and cat's-eye stones; what was a diamond?

The stall owner, speaking in a not-so-standard Wei dialect, explained: "Diamonds were originally a tool for working jade. Because they are very hard, they can easily cut jade, hence this use."

He added, “Diamonds are hard and fire resistant, eternal and unchanging, which is a very good meaning. After being polished, they are dazzling and very beautiful, so our people set them into rings.”

"In our tribe, rings have a specific meaning. They are usually worn during weddings, with each person holding one. Wearing a ring means that the two have signed a kind of contract, a lifelong commitment to one person, forever and ever, just like a diamond."

Upon hearing this, Yan Jiarou turned to look at Xiao Che with sparkling eyes and exclaimed, "What a romantic meaning..."

Xiao Che patted her head and smiled, "Want some?"

"Yes, yes! Let's buy a pair too, one for you and one for me, and we're never allowed to take them off!"

Xiao Che looked at her with tender and doting eyes, a faint smile on his lips: "Okay, I'll do whatever Yan Yan says."

But the stall owner said, "Diamonds are scarce, and all the previous stock has been sold. There are no more in stock now, so you two will have to wait for a while. Of course, we will not let you wait in vain. After the rings are finished, we can engrave words on the back for you two. You can add some tender words or beautiful wishes. Wouldn't that be better?"

"Moreover, if you two are willing to wait a while, after the diamond ring is polished, our shaman can give it a blessing. And don't doubt it, nine out of ten couples who wear a diamond ring blessed by our Qiang shaman will grow old together."

"Eight or nine out of ten?" Xiao Che raised an eyebrow. "Why not ten out of ten?"

"Well... if you want it to be perfect, it's not impossible, but you'll have to suffer a bit."

"Just me?"

"Yes, men have always been fickle and are the most prone to changing their minds. As the saying goes, true gold is not afraid of being tested by fire, so the test naturally lies with the man."

Xiao Che said calmly, "Then there's nothing to hold back. Go ahead and speak."

The stall owner said, "If a man can walk a ten-foot path of burning coals and offer his true heart as a sacrifice before the shaman's prayer, then he will surely grow old with his beloved."

Xiao Che raised an eyebrow: "Is it really that effective?"

“I swear to the Qiang tree that I am absolutely genuine and will never lie to you. Besides, this kind of prayer technique is recorded in our clan's history. If you are not afraid of the trouble, you can go to the Qiang region to check it out.”

The Qiang tree is the sacred tree of the Qiang people. Among the Qiang people, there is a consensus that a Qiang person may lie in court, but if they swear an oath to the Qiang tree, then there will be no falsehood in their words.

So it really happened?

Xiao Che originally didn't believe in such mysterious things, but after witnessing Yan Jiarou's strange illness, he realized there was nothing he couldn't believe in.

Perhaps it's true, as that kid Yan Xiao said, that the world is full of wonders, and just because you haven't seen something doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

Moreover, what this Qiang man is saying is too tempting; people are always more willing to believe what they want to believe, and he is no exception.

If what the Qiang people said is true, then...

Xiao Che chuckled softly, a slight smile playing on his lips. "That's rather interesting."

Yan Jiarou had been listening to the two of them talk casually, not paying much attention. In fact, she had lost interest in the diamond ring when she heard that they would have to wait a while to buy it.

She hates waiting and has never had much patience.

Moreover, judging from the stall owner's tone, this period of time would probably take one or two months. By then, they would have already returned to the capital. How could they afford to wait?

She originally wanted to pull Xiao Che away, but seeing that Xiao Che was still talking to the stall owner, she obediently waited for him on the side until she heard the stall owner say that Xiao Che had to walk a ten-foot path of charcoal fire. She almost thought he had gone crazy.

A path a foot long covered in burning charcoal—what's the difference between stepping on it and being scorched by fire? How painful would that be? It's ridiculous; why doesn't he walk on it himself instead of tricking Xiao Che?

How could there be such a wicked person!

She originally thought that Xiao Che was much smarter than her and would definitely not care, but judging from his tone just now, he seemed to be very interested.

Good heavens, is he insane?

In her haste, she immediately grabbed one of Xiao Che's arms and pulled him aside, whispering, "Xiao Wenqi, I think this stall owner is most likely lying..."

"Either, there's something wrong here." The little girl nodded her head very seriously: "Here..."

"Xiao Wenqi, ignore him, let's go..."

Xiao Che glanced at her and smiled, "Didn't you like that diamond ring? Now you don't want it anymore?"

"I do like it, but it's too much trouble, and it's not something I absolutely need. I like so many things, why should I limit myself to just one?"

The little girl winked mischievously and threw herself into Xiao Che's arms: "My favorite is right here! I already have it!"

He held her soft, warm body in his arms, her chest rubbing against him, her sweet scent filling his nostrils. He heard her softly call him "brother" and say she liked him...

Xiao Che's Adam's apple bobbed, he took a deep breath, and slightly increased the pressure on her shoulder. When he spoke, his voice was terribly hoarse: "There are people coming and going on the street, don't seduce me."

Yan Jiarou was taken aback, stepped back slightly, looked up at Xiao Che, her beautiful eyes filled with innocence, her expression clearly saying, "I didn't seduce you."

Xiao Che slightly curled the corners of his lips, his slender fingers tracing across her cheek.

It is white, smooth, and soft, like the finest mutton fat jade.

He wondered if it was just his imagination, but after the long journey, Xiaotu had lost weight and looked listless due to the strange illness she had been suffering from. However, in just a few days, she had recovered and even looked more plump and radiant, becoming even more beautiful and luminous.

It seems he's taking good care of the rabbit.

Not only were her cheeks fuller, but her breasts were also becoming more swollen. Of course, this could also be due to the way he had nurtured them.

Her eyes were moist, and she still looked at him with that innocent look, seducing him without realizing it—and that's precisely what's most hateful.

Its body is like a ripe peach, plump and juicy, and a gentle suck will release sweet juice, but inside it still has the heart of a child.

Xiao Che pinched her smooth, plump cheek and said in a hoarse voice, "I'll treat you when we get back."

Yan Jiarou: "Waaah."