Chapter 82 This time, she only wanted to follow her...

Not far away, someone was performing fire-breathing. Yan Jiarou was immediately drawn to the scene and pulled Xiao Che toward it, taking the opportunity to lead him away from the stall selling some kind of diamond rings.

She doesn't want that diamond ring anymore, since it takes so long to get it and they even tried to trick Xiao Che into self-torture.

Xiao Che followed her, but before leaving, he turned back and glanced at the stall.

——

After playing like this for most of the day, Yan Jiarou's energy was finally exhausted. She went from being a lively and elusive little rabbit that was impossible to catch to a little pig that could only lean limply against his back, too lazy to move at all.

Yan Jiarou, who had been half-dead, twitched her nostrils slightly as they passed a pastry shop, as if she had smelled a familiar scent. Her eyes suddenly brightened again, and she struggled to get off Xiao Che's back: "It's lychee cake and preserved plums! I want to eat! I want to eat!"

"Are you born with a dog's nose?" Xiao Che chuckled and asked her, "Is this sweet?"

"It's just a little sweet, and a little sour too, sweet and sour, it's so delicious! Brother, put me down..."

She squirmed and twisted on his back, pleading, "Xiao Che, will you buy it for me, please..."

Xiao Che had no choice but to put her down: "Alright, then you wait for me obediently at the door. I'll go in and buy it for you. Don't wander off, okay?"

If she were allowed to go in, she would probably buy more than just these two things. Pastries always contain sugar, and she has already eaten enough sweets today.

The naive little rabbit, naturally unaware of his intentions, obediently nodded.

As Xiao Che was leaving, he didn't forget to grab his arm, stand on tiptoe, and kiss him: "Brother, this is your reward!"

"A reward?" Xiao Che raised an eyebrow: "That's all?"

He suddenly felt like teasing her, so he leaned down and whispered lazily in her ear, "Baby, it only counts if you kiss me down there..."

I thought the little rabbit would immediately turn into a red apple like before, shyly burying her face in his arms and refusing to talk to anyone anymore.

To everyone's surprise, Red Apple had changed. This time, she was willing to look up at people. A layer of moisture rose in her clear black and white eyes, showing a mix of innocence and confusion. She suppressed her shyness and said, "Isn't that my reward?"

Xiao Che choked, almost vomiting: "...What?"

Yan Jiarou's eyelashes trembled slightly, and her voice was soft: "If you kiss me down there... I'll definitely need to get the medicine, isn't that... my reward?"

Xiao Che's breathing became heavy, and the corners of his eyes turned slightly red.

He swallowed hard, finally unable to resist, and half-bitten, half-sucked her rosy earlobe, warning in a hoarse voice, "I told you, don't provoke me outside."

Yan Jiarou pouted, looking at him with anger but not daring to speak out.

What? He was the one who provoked her first!

——

After Xiao Che went inside, Yan Jiarou waited listlessly at the door. Suddenly, she heard someone call her from behind: "Little girl?"

Yan Jiarou turned around and saw a man around forty years old, dressed in a Taoist robe, holding a banner in one hand and shaking a tiger-shaped scepter in the other. He claimed to be a traveling doctor and looked somewhat like a Taoist immortal.

He smiled slightly at Yan Jiarou and asked, "My name is Daoqing. May I ask if the young man who just went in is your husband?"

Yan Jiarou didn't deny it, but only asked, "Is there something you need?"

Daoqing glanced at her, and then spoke, surprisingly asking, "Has the young lady been having too much sexual activity with her husband lately?"

"!"

Yan Jiarou's heart skipped a beat. She immediately looked around guiltily, and only breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that no one was passing by. Her face flushed slightly, and she glared at Dao Qing, saying in embarrassment and anger, "You... what nonsense are you talking about!"

"Please don't take offense, young lady. I am a doctor. My question was not to pry into your private affairs with your husband. Rather, I noticed that you seemed to have overdone it with your sexual activity, so I asked that question."

In reality, Daoqing was nothing more than a charlatan who swindled people everywhere. He only fooled people because he had a somewhat otherworldly appearance.

The reason he targeted Yan Jiarou was simply because the girl was young, innocent, and had clear eyes, so he assumed she was naive and easy to fool.

Furthermore, she was so beautiful, with dazzlingly white skin that resembled the finest cream. Such beauty and figure could only be achieved by a wealthy and noble family.

That means you're rich!

She's easy to fool and has money, so who else would you go after if not her?

However, the ethereal young man beside her didn't seem like someone who could be easily fooled, so he only dared to show himself when he went inside to buy pastries for the young lady.

It has to be said that Daoqing is quite accurate in judging people.

As for the excuse used to fool Yan Jiarou, it was too easy to come up with—anyone with eyes could easily deduce how enthusiastic they were about sex if they had secretly witnessed the two of them being affectionate.

In the prime of youth, with inexhaustible energy, and with such a delicate beauty as her, it would be a miracle if the young man could restrain himself.

So he tried speaking up, and judging from Yan Jiarou's reaction, he was right.

The young girl was naive and thought that giving Xiao Che oral sex counted as sexual intercourse, since Xiao Che was always a vixen. If that were the case, it would be going too far.

She frowned, a worried look appearing on her pale face: "Then... what kind of impact will that have?"

Actually, she was already a little worried that she and Xiao Che were indulging in too much sex day and night.

I've heard that in the past, an emperor died young due to excessive indulgence in sex. To be honest, that's no small matter!

Seeing her nervous expression, Daoqing knew she had taken the bait. He gave her a knowing smile, stroked his beard, and said slowly, "Don't be afraid, young lady. As the saying goes, there are only oxen that die from exhaustion, not land that is over-plowed. Women usually don't need to worry about such things."

"There are only oxen that die from exhaustion, not land that is over-plowed..." Yan Jiarou blinked, puzzled, and asked, "What... does that mean?"

"This..." Dao Qing thought to himself that this little girl was naive and simple. Although she was easy to fool, it was really difficult to explain to her: "It means that sexual intercourse between men and women usually harms men, but does not harm women."

Yan Jiarou finally realized what those words meant: if things continued like this, Xiao Che would be exhausted to death, which was unacceptable!

She frowned: "Then what should we do?"

Should she stop doing that from now on? But she couldn't not get the antidote, yet she didn't want to harm Xiao Che's body.

She frowned, looking anxious, and said, "Is there any way? I can't let my husband work himself to death, but I... I..."

Daoqing was waiting for this, and immediately replied, "It's alright. The young lady looks quite young; she must have just gotten married. Newlyweds shouldn't be left alone in an empty room."

"I have a packet of medicinal powder here, made from bull penis, deer penis, and seal penis ground into powder, supplemented with angelica and meat shavings. It is a remedy based on the principle of 'like cures like,' and is extremely effective. When you get back, put it in your husband's food. I guarantee that he will be vigorous and energetic in the future, able to fight until dawn, and his body will remain strong. No matter how much he indulges, he will not feel any emptiness."

Yan Jiarou blinked, not really understanding what he meant, and tentatively asked, "So, is this a tonic?"

Dao Qing's eyes lit up upon hearing this: "Very nourishing! My lady, you should buy a pack for your husband. I guarantee it will be effective!"

Yan Jiarou was naive after all. Seeing his otherworldly appearance and the fact that he could tell at a glance that she had been having too much sex lately, as if he really had some medical skills, she didn't doubt him and nodded, saying, "Then... let's buy a pack." Anyway, it was a tonic, and it couldn't hurt to help Xiao Che improve his health.

"Alright. Ten taels of silver, cash on delivery, young lady, what do you think..."

Ten taels of silver is enough for an ordinary family to spend for two or three months. Daoqing clearly wanted to rip her off, and even thought that the young lady in front of him was delicate and beautiful and must come from a wealthy family. He was being too lenient.

Unexpectedly, the young woman in front of him parted her red lips slightly, let out an "Ah," as if she had suddenly remembered something, and said somewhat apologetically, "I...I didn't bring any money with me when I went out..."

She thought for a moment, her eyes lit up, and she thought she had come up with a great solution. She smiled sweetly and said, "Otherwise, when my husband comes out, I can have him give it to you?"

These words terrified Daoqing. He was always good at judging people and knew that while he could fool a young girl, he would definitely not be able to fool her husband. He might even get a scolding. Thinking that it would be better to make a quick getaway, he couldn't bear to give up the good talk he had just had. So he glanced at Yan Jiarou from head to toe, and when his eyes fell on the gold bracelet on her arm, his eyes lit up. He hurriedly said, "Young lady, why don't you take off the gold bracelet on your arm and give it to me? It can be used to pay for the medicine."

"Huh? Oh..." Yan Jiarou blinked in confusion. She was used to being pampered in the palace and had never really understood these material possessions. Thinking that the gold bracelet was nothing special, she immediately took it off her hand and gave it to him.

Daoqing concealed his elation, took the gold bracelet from Yan Jiarou, stuffed the powder into her hand, and instructed her, "Men are always taboo about this matter and cannot tolerate talk of tonics, so young lady, please remember not to tell your husband about this. Just secretly put it in his food." Then he made a hasty retreat.

In the blink of an eye, Daoqing disappeared.

Yan Jiarou blinked, wondering why he ran so fast, when a voice suddenly came from behind her: "Yan Yan".

Looking back, she saw that Xiao Che had already bought the pastries and came out of the shop, carrying the two bags of pastries she had asked for. She smiled sweetly and rushed into his arms, but she did not forget Qing's instructions. She held the packet of medicine powder tightly in her hand, not letting Xiao Che see anything amiss.

——

When Xiao Che carried Yan Jiarou back, it was already dark. The moon was high in the sky, and the frosty moonlight poured down through the gaps in the branches, quietly flowing over him.

The moonlight cast a soft glow on his features, making his handsome face appear even more striking.

Yan Jiarou has always been most afraid of the dark and rarely walks at night. Even when Tingxue is with her, she still holds her breath when she walks at night. But now, lying on Xiao Che's body, she feels exceptionally at ease.

Moreover, Xiao Che has broad shoulders and a narrow waist, making it very comfortable to lie on him.

The night breeze was cool and gently caressed my body.

A few clear chirps of insects came from not far away.

She rested her chin on Xiao Che's shoulder, turning her head to look at his handsome profile. His eyelashes were half-closed, casting a shadow on his eyelids.

Everything was so peaceful and beautiful.

She looked at him, and suddenly her heart stirred. She called out to him, "Xiao Che..."

"Um?"

"Will you carry me on your back for the rest of your life?"

Not far away, lanterns hung above the doorway, swaying gently in the night breeze and casting a dim light.

Xiao Che paused in his steps.

He chuckled almost imperceptibly: "What?"

He asked, "Have you thought it through?"

Yan Jiarou's eyes showed a hint of confusion: "...What?"

"Will you choose me, my royal sister?" Xiao Che's Adam's apple bobbed as he asked her, "After we return to the capital, will you be willing to come with me to ask Father for a marriage decree? Will you be devoted to me and be my wife?"

Yan Jiarou was taken aback by Xiao Che's sudden question and was momentarily stunned: "Xiao Che, I was the one asking you..."

"If you want to know my answer," Xiao Che said, "then tell me your answer first."

"You... I was the one who asked you first, how could you do this..."

Xiao Che chuckled softly: "Yan Yan, you can always get the answers you want from me, as long as you're willing to give me the answers I want."

Not getting the answer she expected, Yan Jiarou snorted and turned away to sulk for a while. After a while, as if she suddenly realized something, she turned to look at Xiao Che and concluded matter-of-factly, "Xiao Che, you're trying to hook me."

"Oh? You figured it out?" Xiao Che raised an eyebrow and smiled. "You're not too stupid after all."

"Although it's said that only those who are willing will take the bait, you little fat fish haven't taken the bait yet, so how can I not leave some bait?"

“Royal sister, I’m not someone to be trifled with.”

Yan Jiarou retorted defiantly, "Hmph, you're just a freebie! You've given me everything! Your blood, your essence, you've given me everything, all I'm missing is your life!"

"Also, I'm not a little fat fish, I'm not fat at all! I'm just young and have a bit of baby fat! You're not allowed to say I'm fat again, no, no, no! Xiao Wenqi, did you hear me! Honestly, why are you saying I'm fat again? You're so annoying."

Xiao Che always indulged her and wouldn't argue with her too much. Hearing this, he chuckled and said, "Whatever my Yan Yan says goes."

Yan Jiarou raised her eyebrows smugly: "Hmph, that's more like it!"

She leaned back onto Xiao Che, resting her chin on his neck, feeling the pulse of his heartbeat.

The faint scent of agarwood lingered around her nose, smelling wonderful. She could feel his warm body temperature. She turned her head slightly, her fingertips tracing his high, sculpted nose, and couldn't help but kiss him.

Another night breeze blew by, gently caressing my face like a lover's light kiss.

Yan Jiarou suddenly thought that if she married Xiao Che, she could stay with him like this forever, which didn't seem so bad.

Because she suddenly realized that, without knowing when, her feelings for Xiao Che seemed to have gradually outweighed the price she had to pay for choosing him.

Xiao Che has done so much for her; she can't live without him anymore.

She was willing to bear some criticism for him.

This time, she just wanted to follow her heart.