Chapter 73 I Want to Go Home with the Prince

Xie Guanlan has a nice voice.

Like petals shattering on a blade, the reflections of the cold blade are so fascinating that one ignores the danger of the blade itself.

Wen Xingluo tightened the umbrella handle.

After a while, she broke the sesame candy, ate half of it herself, and handed the other half to Xie Guanlan.

"Your Highness, you must take me away alive." She looked at Xie Guanlan, trying her best to make her obscure voice sound calm and normal. "I want to go home with your Highness."

Xie Guanlan paused and took the sesame candy silently.

Sesame candy is very fragrant and can sustain life in the wilderness.

Who would believe me if I said I didn’t like it?

Under Wen Xingluo's gaze, he slowly ate half of the sesame candy.

The girl was very satisfied and gave him a sweet smile.

It reminded him of the Dragon Boat Festival when she smiled at Chen Yu on the observation deck.

Does she smile like that at everyone?

The rain that blew in from under the umbrella wet her hair, sticking to her fair cheeks. A messy strand of black hair slid down her ear bone, along her slender and elegant neck line, and meandered along the edge of her collarbone.

The damp dark blue hair made the skin on the girl's neck look as white as snow, like solidified fat.

This made Xie Guanlan vaguely recall the sound of water last night.

She recalled how the towel wiped the back of her neck bit by bit in the hot and humid air.

I remember the fragrance mixed with warmth in the musty air.

Wen Xingluo walked into the house holding an umbrella.

Xie Guanlan stood where he was, lowered his eyes and sniffed the scent on his palm.

It has the sweet aroma of sesame candy.

But it is not.

…

At dusk, Xie Guanlan finally built a simple raft.

However, it was too dark at night and it was raining heavily in the wilderness, making it inconvenient to go out, so the two of them stayed in a deserted village for another night.

On the second day, Xie Guanlan said, "The raft is simple and cannot withstand the wind and waves. Let's wait until the rain subsides before setting off."

Wen Xingluo nodded.

She was not idle. She washed and dried the clothes, shoes and socks that the two borrowed, folded them neatly, and put them back into the original boxes.

Xie Guanlan leaned against the door with his arms folded, watching her busy in and out.

After a while, he asked, "Are you feeling wronged?"

Because of him, he was forced to live in a deserted village with little food and clothing.

Wen Xingluo shook his head, "It's not the prince's fault."

He toiled day and night on paperwork, leading the guards and civilians to build dams in an attempt to save more people from the flood.

However, some officials interfered and damaged the dam for personal grudges, causing a flood.

The fault for being stranded here lies with Governor Du, not Xie Guanlan.

Xie Guanlan was a little surprised by her answer.

The girl worked very efficiently and cleaned the house spotlessly, as if the two of them had never lived there before.

Xie Guanlan said, "I used to think you were a delicate little girl."

When she first entered the mansion, although I was wary and repulsive to her, it was undeniable that she was cute and adorable, with round eyes and a round face, like an unripe apple.

She would happily wear the gold bracelet given by her grandmother, but would hide in the carriage and cry quietly because she didn't do well on the exam.

Which parents wouldn't like a little daughter like her?

You should treat her like a treasure.

Instead of doing all the housework skillfully in a dusty house like now.

Wen Xingluo put the broom back to its original place.

She raised her hand to tuck a strand of hair that fell from her forehead, her eyes shrouded in the shadow of her childhood, "Not everyone has the right to be spoiled."

The room fell silent.

As if he thought of something, Xie Guanlan laughed softly, but there were two traces of gloom between his eyebrows.

He looked outside and said, "The rain has stopped, let's go."

They must seize this rare period of sunny weather and return to Chengdu as soon as possible.

There was a distance between the house and the water's edge, and the ground was covered with muddy mud.

Wen Xingluo's embroidered shoes were washed away by the water, and the cloth shoes in the house did not fit her feet, so she only wore a pair of snow-white silk stockings that she wore when she came.

She didn't want to dirty her stockings.

Anyway, when she was a child, she often played in the water after a heavy rain in midsummer. After thinking about it, she decided to wade through the mud barefoot first, wash her feet after getting on the raft, and then put on her stockings again.

Xie Guanlan stepped into the mud and didn't see the little girl behind him catch up.

When he turned around, he saw the girl holding onto the door frame, with one of her feet lifted up and reaching out to take off her stockings.

The house is dark and dilapidated.

The hem of her emerald skirt slipped down, revealing a slender ankle. Her feet were dazzlingly white, and her toenails were a tender pink like shells, as if they were carefully carved by a craftsman.

Xie Guanlan had never seen such small feet.

Not even as big as his palm.

It was completely different from the black and smelly big feet of those rough guys he saw when he was staying in the military camp.

He suddenly understood why the elders always told their daughters not to take off their shoes and socks in front of other men.

Under the eaves, Wen Xingluo was about to take off her second pair of stockings when a shadow fell in front of her.

She looked up.

Xie Guanlan frowned, "Put it on."

Wen Xingluo was reluctant, "It will get dirty."

Xie Guanlan took a deep breath and admonished, "Not wearing shoes and socks, how can you be so rude?"

Wen Xingluo was silent.

The village has become a deserted one, so why bother about whether it’s decent or not?

Was it decent that he took off his shirt in front of her two days ago?

However, the young man's eyes were gloomy, and the heavy sense of oppression was like a dark cloud pressing down on him.

She couldn't stand Xie Guanlan's stare, so she had to put her stockings back on reluctantly.

Xie Guanlan was still not satisfied.

There is a line in "The Goddess of Luo River": "Her body is as swift as a flying duck, and as elusive as a spirit. Her steps are light and graceful, and her silk stockings are covered with dust." The turquoise skirt of the girl in front of me is swaying like a flower in the wind, and the pair of exposed feet are covered with snow-white silk stockings, which makes her look even more charming.

It should be hidden in the boudoir, how can it be exposed outside.

Xie Guanlan suddenly tore off two pieces of his robe and knelt on one knee in front of Wen Xingluo, "Lift your feet."

Wen Xingluo was stunned and subconsciously raised one foot.

Xie Guanlan held her feet and placed them on his knees.

Wen Xingluo stepped on his knees, and the soles of his feet felt hot.

She curled her toes uncomfortably and looked at Xie Guanlan cautiously.

He was lowering his head and wrapping the torn piece of crimson robe around the arch of her foot.

Even through the brocade fabric, Wen Xingluo could clearly feel the thin calluses on his palms and fingertips.

Unlike the delicate and tender hands of a woman holding a pen or a needle, the young man's hands were often used to holding swords, with broad palms and fine old wounds on the knuckles. When he held the soles of her feet, they were inevitably rough and hot.

This was the first time in her life that a member of the opposite sex had touched her feet.

Wen Xingluo's breathing became slightly rapid.

The heart in my chest is beating like the heavy rain last night.

She didn't know why, but her palms were sweaty. She was panicked and scared, so she wiped them on her skirt again and again, but it just wouldn't come off...

Xie Guanlan tied a beautiful bow on the back of her foot.

He remembered that she liked bows.

She always tied a bow with a thin silk ribbon at the back of her bun.

After doing all this, a hint of satisfaction flashed across his narrow eyes.

Wen Xingluo said softly, "Once I step into the mud, I'm going to get dirty again."

Xie Guanlan seemed to have made up his mind long ago, "I'll carry you over."

He didn't like the little girl walking in the mud.

That day, the second brother brought her to the river bank. Seeing her dirty the pair of embroidered soft shoes, he felt very uncomfortable.

Without waiting for Wen Xingluo to speak, he carried her on his back and stepped into the mud.

He had a broad back and his brocade clothes still had the scent of sandalwood lingering on them.

It brings an inexplicable sense of security.

Wen Xingluo looked at him in a daze.

After a long time, she lowered her face, gently resting her cheek on his back, and her slender hands unconsciously hugged his neck.

Her voice was a little obscure, "The prince treats me like this, so I'm not afraid..."

The girl was at a loss for words as to what to say next.