Chapter 84◇
◎That night, you tied me up? ◎
Duan Jingchuan and his companion had already dismounted and were leisurely following behind. Hearing the sound of a stream ahead, they prepared to set up camp and rest again.
Ever since their last camping trip, Feng Ran has fallen in love with the feeling of sleeping outdoors. Fortunately, the group had brought enough luggage, pitched their tents, and lit a fire, so they weren't cold even though it was a chilly spring day.
Listening to the sounds of frogs and cicadas in the wild has a unique charm.
When traveling, Duan Jingchuan and his companion rarely acted like masters, nor did they need anyone to take care of them. They could have a great time on their own, which made the journey even more enjoyable for their subordinates.
Once they arrived at their campsite, the tasks were already divided: some pitched tents, some gathered firewood, and some went hunting for wild game.
At first, Xiong Qi and Xiu'er followed their two masters from a distance, but they realized that their masters didn't really need them. Their presence might even hinder their performance, so they huddled together and started whispering to each other.
"The Crown Princess is such a blessed person. Look how happy the Crown Prince is." Seeing that Duan Jingchuan was getting better day by day, Xiong Qi practically worshipped Feng Ran, praising her whenever he had the chance.
Xiuer looked proud and said, "Of course, who wouldn't like our Crown Princess?"
Xiong Qi grinned and said slyly, "You're from the Marquis's mansion, so why are you so biased?"
Xiuer rolled her eyes in annoyance. Before following Feng Ran, she was just a kitchen maid who couldn't even see her mistress. After following Feng Ran, she lived a happier life than the young ladies of ordinary families, so of course she was content.
Seeing Xiuer's smug look, Xiong Qi's lips curled into a malicious smile. "You really should have a good laugh. Look at your waist, it's twice as wide as it was a year ago." As he spoke, he didn't forget to gesture with his hand to show a barrel waist.
"Xiong Qi!" No girl likes being told she's fat, and Xiu'er was no exception. She angrily raised her hand and slapped Xiong Qi.
The slap didn't hurt at all. Xiong Qi bared his big teeth and leaned his back over, saying, "I'm scratching your itch, scratch me a couple more times."
Xiuer was furious and picked up a stone from under her feet. "Come here!"
That bowl-sized rock was no joke; it startled Xiong Qi so much that he jumped three feet high. "Oh my, my good Xiu'er, you've truly inherited the Crown Princess's skills!"
The other guards watching the two joking around burst into laughter. "Xiong Qi, I told you you're a chatterbox! Even the gentle Xiu'er wants to hit you. Xiu'er, just throw it in his face!"
Xiong Qi pointed angrily at the group of onlookers who seemed to enjoy the spectacle, "You bunch of ingrates! You used to drink so much of my wine, and now you come to laugh at me!"
A hearty and cunning laugh echoed through the wilderness. Feng Ran couldn't help but turn her head and saw the two laughing and joking. She raised an eyebrow and said, "Husband, should we hold a wedding for them?"
Duan Jingchuan looked up into the distance, a smile playing on his lips, "If Madam says it's going to be done, then it's going to be done."
Feng Ran pinched him, "What do you mean 'I'll do it whenever I want'! Shouldn't Xiong Qi be the one proposing to our Xiu'er first? So you've already gotten a wife for free, and you're thinking of letting your subordinates get one too? What kind of good thing is that?"
Feng Ran didn't care about the simplicity of her wedding and didn't even remember it. But as Duan Jingchuan spoiled her more and more, her temper grew worse and she couldn't help but bring up old grievances.
Recalling the hasty wedding and his terrible performance, Duan Jingchuan felt genuinely guilty. Ignoring the fact that they were in public, he took Feng Ran's soft hand and said gently, "How about we have a wedding ceremony again? Whatever you want, I'll give it to you this time."
Feng Ran narrowed her eyes, a playful smile flashing across them. She raised her chin, gesturing for Duan Jingchuan to lower his head, and whispered in his ear.
The handsome man's ears quickly flushed red, and Feng Ran could hear the rapid beating of his heart. Her eyes were full of lust and anticipation, and she drew a small circle on her chest with her finger, saying meaningfully, "Husband, this thumping frequency is quite nice."
As expected, Feng Ran once again gained a husband who was ripe but not yet ready to eat.
One word: craving.
Despite the excited sparks in her heart, Feng Ran succumbed to the midday sun, obediently suppressing her drool, rolling up her sleeves, and heading into the river to catch fish, hoping to catch the biggest one, since fish was her husband's favorite meat.
Seeing that Feng Ran hadn't even said hello and had casually taken off her shoes and socks before running into the river, he was so frightened that he held his breath and reached out to test the water temperature before his expression calmed down. The stream wasn't deep, and the bottom was crystal clear. Perhaps because the sunlight was too strong, the water was slightly warm.
Feng Ran quickly found an excellent spot to catch fish: a slightly deep stream where fish occasionally lined up to swim by, but they were too small for her to spot. Since she wasn't in a hurry, she bent over and waited patiently.
Having been out of the capital for several days, they were now almost in the deep mountains. They would probably have to spend the night there. Duan Jingchuan frowned and looked into the distance. He could vaguely see a few scattered houses halfway up the mountain. He secretly breathed a sigh of relief. There were many birds of prey in the mountains. Although they were escorted by soldiers, it was best not to provoke them.
As I was pondering this, I heard Feng Ran's cheerful shouts.
"Husband, is it big or not!" Feng Ran was holding a fish about two palms long. The water droplets flicked from the fish's tail reflected a rainbow-like brilliance in the sunlight. Her smiling face was half-hidden by the bowing fish, and the plump fish made her look particularly petite.
A smile unconsciously crept into Duan Jingchuan's eyes as he stretched out his hands and said in a gentle voice, "Come here."
Feng Ran splashed through the water, jogging along the way. The stones under her feet were like her close friends, never needing to provide any lubrication, steadily guiding her to the shore. Mischievously misunderstanding Duan Jingchuan's intentions, she delivered the big fish into his arms.
Duan Jingchuan didn't get to hold the soft and gentle lady. Instead, a slippery and cold fish was stuffed into his arms, soaking his clothes. He wasn't angry, and took the fish with a good temper, preparing to free one hand to hold Feng Ran's hand.
Before Duan Jingchuan could even let go, Feng Ran smiled slyly, jumped up, pressed down on the fish head, and gave her husband a sweet, passionate kiss. Seeing that he still wasn't angry and even lowered his head slightly in cooperation, she suddenly felt bored. Her husband was becoming increasingly difficult to amuse.
He reluctantly let go, completely disregarding the fish's feelings.
"Pfft~"
The giant fish swung its tail, and a jet of water shot precisely from its mouth, mixed with... green grass?
The green hair ornament on Jingchuan's headdress hung straight down from the middle of his face.
Tick-tock, tick-tock.
Fine streams of water slid down her delicate chin, landing silently, yet Feng Ran heard the sound of blades flying.
"Ah! My husband has cheated on me! Help!" After shouting, she ran away, leaving Duan Jingchuan petrified and Huang Que with a jaw that looked like it had been dislocated.
If Feng Ran hadn't yelled like that, few people would have been watching them closely, and naturally, they wouldn't have seen Duan Jingchuan's embarrassing situation. But now, they've seen everything they should and shouldn't have known.
Xiong Qi wanted to step forward to help the young master change his clothes, but Xiu'er grabbed his sleeve and asked softly, "Are you sure you want to go over there?"
What if... in the past, the enraged Crown Prince kicks him into the water? With the Crown Princess here, the Crown Prince certainly won't catch a cold. The Crown Princess cherishes the Crown Prince so much. Yes, I can't go.
Xiong Qi casually patted his butt, walked around three times to the right and twisted his waist in a serious manner, squatted down again to pluck chicken feathers, and deliberately turned his back to his two masters, muttering to himself: "Didn't hear, didn't see, never laughed."
The yellow sparrow, who had been perched on the rock, felt a pang of pity. "Brother-in-law, you're so pitiful, so cuckolded!" it cried.
Duan Jingchuan, who had been petrified, suddenly came to his senses and looked at Huang Que with a sinister gaze.
The look in someone's eyes can't be hidden; tenderness and affection are destined not to belong to him. He shouldn't open his mouth; he shouldn't be here; he should be in the car.
The yellow bird silently crouched down and hid itself behind a large rock.
Feng Ran ran quite a distance before realizing that her husband didn't seem angry at all. He was remarkably calm, like someone who flew a kite without moving an inch. She, on the other hand, was like a kite that was free to run wild because of the long string. As long as he held on tighter, she would obediently go back.
Her shoulders slumped. Well, she was so childish. She failed to amuse her husband again and dragged her feet back.
Approaching Duan Jingchuan, he remained silent, his head bowed, seemingly...crying?
All that could be heard was his aggrieved and suppressed voice as he whispered, "Does Madam dislike me?"
Feng Ran was furious. She ran back and saw Duan Jingchuan standing there all alone, as if he had been abandoned by the whole world. She felt extremely sorry for him.
"How could I dislike my husband? I love you too much!" Feng Ran had never coaxed anyone much before. All her experience in coaxing people came from Duan Jingchuan. She patted this and touched that with her stiff hands. Anyone who didn't know the truth would think she was groping.
Duan Jingchuan remained silent, only using his gentle eyes to accuse Feng Ran as if she had done something terribly wrong to him.
Feng Ran, whose mind wasn't particularly sharp to begin with, only saw that her husband was aggrieved. She couldn't think of why he was aggrieved or whether he should be aggrieved. At this moment, she was willing to cede territory and pay reparations.
Duan Jingchuan, with a wronged look on his face, kept saying things like, "The way Madam ran away just now looked like she was going to abandon me," "I couldn't catch up with Madam," and "I thought Madam didn't want me anymore." He completely won Feng Ran over, and she willingly did what he usually did, serving him tea and water, and even shaving fish and meat and bringing it to his mouth.
Where Feng Ran couldn't see, Duan Jingchuan's mouth kept twitching, as if his nerves were telling him he wanted to laugh, but his muscles were telling him he wanted to lower his head, and for a moment they were all curled into waves.
"Is the young master possessed by the young master's wife?" Xiong Qi could hardly believe his eyes. When had the young master ever looked aggrieved? Why did this expression look so familiar? Isn't this the expression the young master usually makes when she begs for kisses and hugs on Hupu (a Chinese online forum)?
Xiuer couldn't help but cover her face. The Crown Princess was so easy to fool, oops, so naive.
Xiong Qi and Xiu'er clenched their hands, which they wanted to gouge out their own eyes, but their eyes darted around openly.
As soon as Feng Ran turned around, Duan Jingchuan resumed his role as a pitiful husband abandoned by the whole world, with fish meat in his mouth and his hand tugging at Feng Ran's clothes, looking just like a poor little thing afraid of being disliked.
"It's my fault. I'll never leave you again, my husband. I apologize to you, okay? I'll make it up to you with whatever you want." Feng Ran started blaming herself again. Her husband already lacked a sense of security, and she must have gone too far with her cuckold joke.
Those who work with stones naturally hope that their bodies are covered in green so that they can avoid being mined by others, but husbands are different; people are very averse to being covered in green.
Having heard countless apologies, Duan Jingchuan smiled contentedly, deciding to settle for a final demand for some territory and reparations before calling it quits. His eyelashes trembled slightly; he tried to force tears like his wife, but it didn't work. He could only lower his head deeply and murmur, "That night..."
"At night? Feng Ran, grit your teeth, 'Tie me up!'"
Duan Jingchuan's shoulders trembled, and Feng Ran was so frightened that she almost lost her mind. What could she possibly promise? Just as she was racking her brains for a solution, she suddenly saw Duan Jingchuan's face, which was contorted with suppressed laughter.
"Duan Jingchuan, you cheated on me!!!" A loud female voice echoed through the mountains and forests, startling birds flying all over the mountain.
A note from the author:
Chiu Chiu: Hey female lead, you need to be more careful! You've been cheated on more than once.
Female lead: But he's so delicate and easy to pounce on!
Male lead: Don't talk nonsense, I'm just playing along with my wife's performance.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com