Chapter 81◇
◎It's okay, not heavy◎
Feng Ran's arched eyebrows furrowed in several lines. After pondering for a long time, she said uncertainly, "I've been having dreams a lot lately. In my dreams, you're still a little child, holding me and babbling on and on all day long."
After saying that, she probably found it funny and joked, "Maybe you held me too tightly at night, and I couldn't breathe, which is why I couldn't even keep up with you in my dreams."
"Cough cough cough." Fang Yuan coughed several times, his face turning red.
Realizing that his presence might be hindering the young couple's private conversation, Fang Yuan tactfully led Huang Que to sit on the carriage shaft. Fortunately, the shaft was spacious, and with the driver, the three of them weren't crowded.
After everyone had left, Duan Jingchuan smiled and said, "Madam, have you forgotten something? For example, how do you usually sleep?"
Feng Ran blinked, determined to play dumb, "What are you saying, husband? I was asleep, how would I know how I slept?"
Seeing Feng Ran's eyes darting around, Duan Jingchuan couldn't help but press further, "Oh? Then Madam must remember where she wakes up every day."
Feng Ran wasn't so self-righteous about this. Enraged, she yelled, "It's you who's making noise! I'm going to sleep on you, what can you do about it!"
Indeed, Duan Jingchuan originally dreamed of having a soft, warm woman in his arms, and that he would cherish her every day. But in reality, he only held her for three days. Later, she openly and legitimately lay on top of him to sleep, always trying to hold something in her hands, and even used her strength to suppress his resistance.
So, if there really is someone who is so overwhelmed that they can't breathe, that person must be him.
What can we do to the lady? We can't do anything. He can eat more meat, and the lady will sleep more comfortably.
He could argue, but he wouldn't admit it. "Madam, you're just being unreasonable. Where did I argue?" Duan Jingchuan recalled that he always had a gentle and refined image in front of his wife. Why would she think he was arguing?
Feng Ran loudly proclaimed, "I remember now! When you were five or six years old, you kept saying you wanted to be a hero, to be the best in the world, and you even showed me your magnificent battle robes. Then, I don't know what happened, you hugged me and cried for two whole days! You even cried your eyes out!"
The vague image in Feng Ran's mind suddenly took on a face. That face was a younger version of Duan Jingchuan. She couldn't possibly be mistaken about those eyes; their beauty was simply unforgettable.
"Five or six years old?" Duan Jingchuan was speechless. When had he ever held a little girl and cried when he was a child? Absolutely impossible.
Seeing that Duan Jingchuan didn't believe her, Feng Ran thought about the scene again and suddenly her eyes lit up. "It was at the Mo Academy, you can't deny it! You cried so hard and even ordered people to smash my things!"
He smashed her things? Duan Jingchuan's eyebrows twitched, long-dormant memories flooding back. The Mo Academy was located on the site of the Marquis of Dingbei's residence, his former home. How could a young girl from outside the manor freely enter? The only possibility was...
Duan Jingchuan remembered. He cried terribly during the days when his mother abandoned him and blamed him. Every day he would hug a strange little stone stool, and when he was tired he would sit on it to rest. Could it be?!
His pupils dilated instantly, and it took him a while to find his voice, "So, Madam... that little strange stone..." He then shut his mouth again, and only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Che Yuan and the others seemed not to have heard what they were saying.
He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the shock in them was no longer visible. His long, cool fingers touched Feng Ran's lips, signaling her to stop talking.
"Xiong Qi, let's stop and rest. I'll take my wife for a ride." There are too many people around now, and he can't let anyone know Feng Ran's secret. This place is open, so it's better to go somewhere further away.
Xiong Qi assumed that the young master didn't like sitting in the carriage for long periods of time. Seeing that there was no cover around and it was far from the mountains and forests, he figured there would be no danger, so he prepared a horse for Duan Jingchuan.
Feng Ran, having just been silenced, now understood that some things weren't the time to be frank. Hearing that Duan Jingchuan wanted a horse, she said, "Husband, I can't ride a horse." From what she knew, her husband couldn't either. What did he want? To bring the horse over?
Duan Jingchuan smiled leisurely, and Xiong Qi quickly led the horse over. The horse was jet black and full of spirit.
"Give the order to have the carriages rest where they are and prepare an afternoon meal. We'll set off again after we've eaten."
Xiong Qi accepted the order and dismounted. Duan Jingchuan mounted his horse with unrestrained and elegant movements, his moon-white cloak billowing high in the wind.
Feng Ran, with her limited knowledge, recalled a phrase: "A young man in fine clothes, riding a spirited horse."
The young man reached out his hand to her, his straight nose and upturned lips giving him a clean and gentle smile. Feng Ran couldn't help but take his hand, and with a little help, she was completely nestled in Duan Jingchuan's arms.
"Giddy up!" A dark-skinned steed galloped across the vast grassland, its long mane flying and its red and white cloak fluttering in the wind.
The intoxicating sunlight softened the sharp edges of everything, and Duan Jingchuan had long dreamed of galloping away with Feng Ran on horseback.
He couldn't ride a horse. The day Feng Ran was left behind, he hated himself for being so useless. So he practiced diligently in silence, and today he finally fulfilled his small wish.
Feng Ran wasn't afraid at all, even though it was her first time riding a horse. She had complete faith that her husband would protect her. She stretched out her limbs to welcome the spring breeze and basked in the freedom of the world. She looked up at her husband's captivating face, which was still breathtaking even from a deathly angle. The slightly sharp smile on his lips made her heart flutter like a deer.
Overwhelmed by her beauty, she forgot about the galloping horse, forgot that she was in the wilderness, and forgot that dozens of eyes were watching them from afar. She tilted her head back, placed her hands on Duan Jingchuan's increasingly muscular arms, and gently bit his chin. She wanted to bite his Adam's apple, but the position was difficult, so Feng Ran could only stare blankly at the small downy hairs on his Adam's apple with regret.
Attacked by Feng Ran, Duan Jingchuan tightened his grip on the horse's belly, pulled hard on the reins, its mane flying in the wind, and its neighing filled the air. The horse became docile and came to a steady stop.
Duan Jingchuan skillfully turned Feng Ran around 180 degrees, and smiled lightly, "I still prefer it to last longer."
The crescent-white cloak completely covered Feng Ran. He first gently pecked her pinkish-white face, lingering until he reached a blush that he could never get enough of, inviting her inner nimbleness to dance with him.
In March, when the flowers are in full bloom, the seeds hidden deep in the dark crevices of the rocks sprout tender shoots, slowly breaking through the stone, swaying in the spring breeze and telling of their resilience. The spring wind is not always gentle; sometimes it is a fierce storm. If the tender shoots want to grow strong, they have no choice but to keep sending their roots deep into the rocks, clinging tightly to the crevices.
The stubborn rock initially resisted, not wanting its hard, monolithic structure to be destroyed by the roots. However, it could not withstand the roots' all-out effort and eventually broke open. The moisture brought by the spring breeze seeped into the crack inch by inch. The stubborn rock tasted the sweetness and took the initiative to extend an invitation to the roots, opening its arms wide.
She didn't know how much time had passed, so long that Feng Ran could feel her own wetness and her lips and tongue were tingling and numb, before Duan Jingchuan finally let her go.
Feng Ran's lips were crimson, and her heart was pounding in her chest, unable to find its rhythm. As she calmed her breathing, she blurted out, "I am Little Stone."
"It's alright, not heavy." Duan Jingchuan chuckled, lightly squeezing it in his hand. "It's quite soft."
Feng Ran pounded her chest and said defiantly, "You're rock hard."
He couldn't resist the person's actions now. He clasped his hands together and gently squeezed them, explaining, "It wasn't me who broke you."
Feng Ran knew what Duan Jingchuan was talking about, but she didn't intend to pursue it anymore. "Forget it, I won't hold it against her. She was our matchmaker, after all."
"I also want to thank her."
Feng Ran rested her head on Duan Jingchuan's shoulder and suddenly smiled mischievously, "Husband, turn around and take a look."
Duan Jingchuan's back stiffened. He knew what was behind him without even turning around. His ears were burning. He said in a low voice, "Let's go back and eat something. I'll turn you around first."
Feng Ran hugged his waist tightly. "No, you like it to last a long time, but I like it face to face. Just like this."
The lady meant only the surface meaning, nothing more. He kept telling himself not to overthink it, but the scenes from his past days and nights kept flashing through his mind, and he blushed deeply.
Since Feng Ran wouldn't cooperate, he had no way to turn around. Duan Jingchuan had no choice but to bite the bullet and head towards the camp. Well, between not being laughed at and making his wife happy, he chose to make his wife happy.
The group at the camp naturally understood each other without saying a word, pretending they hadn't seen anything and not making any noise. Some were grilling meat, while others were boiling water.
Upon arriving at the camp, Duan Jingchuan dismounted first, and seeing Feng Ran's open arms, he blushed and lifted her down.
Xiuer and Xiong Qi frequently exchanged glances.
"Your princess consort is bullying the prince again." Xiong Qi winked.
"Your young master's face turns red so easily; he might not be in good health," Xiu'er said, winking.
Watching the mime performance by the two different people, Feng Ran gave up the idea of having Xiu'er feed her and turned to find her professional zookeeper. Although the zookeeper was shy, his professionalism was still impeccable.
The only one who didn't notice the ambiguous messages between Feng Ran and Duan Jingchuan was Huang Que. At this moment, he was still immersed in his own grief. When he saw the trusting Feng Ran, he was full of grievances, "Sister, I accidentally shot a little rabbit just now."
"Can't we eat the little rabbits because they're too small?" Feng Ran was also disappointed. Some rabbits were too small, with only a few pieces of meat. She thought the sparrow was too young and had shot down a small rabbit.
The grievances that Huang Que was about to express caught in her throat, and she didn't know how to continue.
Xiuer returned at this moment and continued, "He originally wanted to hunt pheasants, but he accidentally injured a mature rabbit. The yellow sparrow was sad because he accidentally hurt the baby rabbit."
Now it was Feng Ran's turn to be confused. "You're so young, it's already amazing that you can draw a bow and arrow. It doesn't matter if you can't shoot accurately. I don't even know how to draw a bow and shoot arrows yet."
The oriole said, "What I feel sorry for is the rabbit I hurt." But he couldn't say it. He felt more and more aggrieved, and tears welled up in his eyes.
Seeing that Huang Que was about to cry, Feng Ran quickly tugged at Duan Jingchuan's sleeve, pointed at Huang Que, and held up two fingers to her face, clearly indicating that she wanted to comfort the little girl in front of her.
Duan Jingchuan smiled. His wife didn't have many fears, but the baby's crying was one of them, so he didn't try to comfort the child.
“Madam, Huang Que is not sad because he didn’t target anyone, nor is it just because of the rabbit he accidentally injured. Rather, he has developed empathy for that rabbit. Both were injured by mistake and were innocent.” There were some things that Duan Jingchuan couldn’t explain clearly, let alone say outright. He could only use metaphors to tell Feng Ran a little bit of the truth.
Fang Yuan was far away and didn't hear Duan Jingchuan's words. The only one who understood, Huang Que, looked at Duan Jingchuan in shock, his pupils filled with great unease.
A note from the author:
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, although there was no scorching sun, there was strong liquor.
May the new year be free of disasters and difficulties, and peaceful and uneventful.
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