18. Does it hurt a lot?
◎How come even Jingchuan can't compare?◎
Duan Jingchuan's cheeks flushed, but he was too embarrassed to continue dodging. He let the old Marquis Duan press his palm on his ankle. The old Marquis Duan exerted force, and Duan Jingchuan gritted his teeth.
Lord Duan chuckled, "Does it hurt? You used to stay cooped up in your room all day, and now your little wife has dragged you out. What are you going to do if your wife finds you so useless?"
Although that's what he said, he was still a bit too gentle, and he rubbed it slowly.
Duan Jingchuan looked at his father, who was squatting in front of her and massaging his ankle, his expression unreadable, and he didn't say anything in the end.
"Husband, are you there? Is it convenient for me to come in?" Before Duan Jingchuan could reply, the door was already pushed open. Feng Ran looked at the old Marquis Duan squatting on the ground and Duan Jingchuan sitting in the chair with a ruddy complexion, her gaze somewhat blank and unsure.
The two people were positioned at roughly the same angle, making it seem like they were doing something extraordinary.
Lord Duan hadn't expected Feng Ran to barge in so recklessly. Caught off guard, he cleared his throat, stood up as if nothing had happened, and casually pulled down his sleeves behind his back, saying calmly, "Since the Crown Princess is here, I won't disturb you any longer."
Feng Ran blinked, not quite understanding the situation. However, she had important business with Duan Jingchuan, so whether the old Marquis Duan was there or not didn't matter. Therefore, she said frankly, "If Father doesn't mind me being here, it won't be a problem. I'll come and help my husband stretch. You two talk and I'll do it."
Before Duan Jingchuan could react, Feng Ran said in rapid succession, "Husband, you overdid it this morning. Your muscles must be sore now. Let me massage them for you, and I guarantee you'll be able to get up tomorrow morning."
As soon as she finished speaking, Feng Ran grabbed Duan Jingchuan's leg and pulled it up. Unlike the gentleness she showed with the old Marquis, she placed one hand on his knee and pulled his ankle up and down with force.
ah!
A bloodcurdling scream rang out. Old Marquis Duan swore to the heavens that this was the loudest scream he had ever heard Jing Chuan in his life. This Feng Ran was far too ruthless; even he hadn't used his full strength, yet she screamed so loudly. How much pain must she be in?
Feng Ran was also puzzled. Subconsciously, she thought that doing this would relax her muscles and bones, so she did it. Why did her husband react so strongly? She asked curiously, "Does it hurt a lot?"
Looking into Feng Ran's innocent eyes, Duan Jingchuan dug his fingernails into his flesh, a few beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and he said tremblingly through gritted teeth, "It's...it's alright."
Feng Ran was rather simple-minded. When Duan Jingchuan said she was fine, she genuinely believed there was no problem. In her mind, socially anxious people wouldn't lie, so she continued what she was doing, stretching her muscles relentlessly.
Old Marquis Duan watched from the side, hesitant to speak, unsure of what to say. Seeing that Duan Jingchuan was almost pinching his palm raw, Feng Ran finally stopped, stood up with a satisfied expression, clapped her hands, and said, "That's good. Husband, stretch more when you have nothing to do. I guarantee you'll be lively and energetic again tomorrow."
Duan Jingchuan didn't know if he would be alive and kicking tomorrow. He was already using all his strength to maintain a calm expression in front of Feng Ran. He was afraid that if he opened his mouth, he would cry out in pain, so he clenched his teeth tightly and didn't utter a single word.
Feng Ran was already used to Duan Jingchuan's silence and didn't care. She waved her hand and left without a trace, leaving only the old Marquis Duan and Duan Jingchuan looking at each other in bewilderment.
Duan Jingchuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief after seeing Feng Ran leave.
Old Master Duan hesitated for a moment, but finally asked, "Is the Crown Princess always like this?"
The question was phrased rather subtly, but Duan Jingchuan somehow understood. His expression became slightly complicated, and he slowly nodded. The old Marquis Duan's worry deepened, and he walked away as if floating on air.
The next day, when Feng Ran pulled him out of bed, Duan Jingchuan indeed felt his legs were lighter, unlike the unbearable soreness he had felt the night before. He silently mustered his courage, thinking to himself that he must run three laps today so that his wife would look at him in a different light.
The two arrived at the martial arts arena again, but the arena was more lively today. Duan Yuze and Duan Yuche were accompanying the old Marquis Duan in a duel. The three of them were absentmindedly practicing their swords and spears. When they saw Feng Ran and the other two, they stopped what they were doing and stared at them with six eyes.
Feng Ran wasn't intimidated, but she still subconsciously hid her socially anxious side behind her. Unfortunately, Duan Jingchuan was a head taller and had broader arms than Feng Ran, so from a distance, it looked as if Feng Ran was nestled in Duan Jingchuan's arms.
The three men, father and sons, were each lost in their own thoughts on the training ground; what they were really thinking remained a mystery.
Feng Ran greeted Lord Duan with a normal expression, while the other two brothers ignored her. Duan Jingchuan also greeted Lord Duan with a natural expression.
In front of Lord Duan, the two brothers dared not put on airs, especially Duan Yuze, who dared not show the slightest air of an elder brother. The two greeted Duan Jingchuan respectfully, "Greetings, Your Highness and Your Highness's Consort."
Duan Jingchuan was focused on how to keep going through the three laps, how many steps he should take, and what kind of movements he should use for each step. He neglected the surrounding situation, and he didn't feel uncomfortable at all despite the large number of people around.
This surprised the Duan brothers, who exchanged a glance and then walked towards Duan Jingchuan. "Princess Consort, may we join?"
Feng Ran was a little puzzled. It was just running, what was wrong with joining in? She nodded without objection and turned to the socially anxious man, saying, "Husband, let's do some warm-up exercises first." Then, the two of them went about their own business, moving their joints and stretching their legs.
Duan Yuze and his brother were puzzled. They had never seen such a strange activity before. It looked like children playing house. They secretly mocked them: "As expected, all show and no substance. They must have come to the martial arts arena to catch their father's eye. They just can't use swords and spears, so they're just trying to attract attention."
Seeing that the two brothers hadn't made a move, Feng Ran didn't say anything. She was only concerned about whether the little socially anxious boy could exercise well and didn't have time to care about others.
After about fifteen minutes of activity, the two began to run slowly, with the Duan brothers following closely behind. However, after running for a while, they realized that Feng Ran and the others were running too slowly. They looked at each other and simultaneously increased their speed, leaving Feng Ran far behind, as if they were competing with each other.
Since arriving at the training ground, Duan Jingchuan had been so focused on completing the three laps that he hadn't paid any attention to the situation outside.
He kept repeating to himself how he needed to catch his breath every few steps, completely unaware that his brothers were angry with him. Feng Ran was even more absorbed in the idea of finishing three laps and going back to catch up on sleep. The two of them ran slowly like this.
The Duan brothers, however, were different. Although they arrived at the training ground early, their daily training consisted mainly of hand skills such as wielding swords and spears, with little practice in footwork and no experience in running.
At first, driven by their pride, the two moved incredibly fast. Now, after just one lap, they were panting heavily and feeling dizzy. But knowing that Lord Duan was still watching them from the center, they dared not stop easily, for fear of displeasing their father.
The two slowed their pace until Feng Ran and the others pulled them to the same level. Only then did they realize that Duan Jingchuan and Feng Ran were breathing evenly, their faces were normal, and they showed no signs of fatigue.
The two brothers felt bitter inside, but could only grit their teeth and run slowly behind Duan Jingchuan and the others. They thought that with Duan Jingchuan's physical condition, running two laps would be the limit, and the two brothers both set two laps as their bottom line.
Unexpectedly, after two laps, Duan Jingchuan, though his face was flushed and his breathing was heavy, clearly still had the strength to continue. Feng Ran was even more formidable, remaining completely unfazed and walking as if it were an ordinary stroll.
Seeing that the two were about to run the third lap, Duan Yuze and his brother could no longer hold on. They collapsed onto the training ground, no longer caring about their appearance, panting heavily with their mouths wide open, their whole bodies covered in sweat.
Feng Ran heard the commotion behind her and took a moment to look back. Seeing that the two were just tired, she didn't pay much attention to them and instead focused her attention on the socially anxious little one.
"If you're not feeling well, stop now, we'll take it slowly."
Duan Jingchuan had learned his lesson from yesterday and remained silent during the run. When he heard Feng Ran's words, he merely shook his head almost imperceptibly and continued to maintain his pace, silently counting down the seconds. He was sure he could finish three laps.
Lord Duan, who was watching the show from the middle, leisurely walked up to the brothers Duan Yuche and Duan Yuze and kicked them with his foot.
"Get up! What kind of state are you in? You two have been training with me for years, how come you can't even compare to Jingchuan?"
The two brothers looked ashamed. They had been running against the wind and talking in hushed tones, and had unknowingly swallowed air, which was now causing them great pain. Otherwise, they wouldn't have given up so quickly.
“Father, we will get up and go for a run tomorrow morning, and we will not be as embarrassed as we were today.”
Lord Duan scoffed, "What's the point of taking this so seriously? Everyone has their own strengths. Jingchuan was forced by the Crown Princess. Practicing martial arts is for physical fitness, and running is also for physical fitness. They are different paths but lead to the same goal, so why go to the long way around?"
Seeing that Feng Ran and Duan Jingchuan had run three laps well, Old Marquis Duan breathed a sigh of relief and leisurely returned to the front hall for breakfast.
After being reprimanded by Lord Duan, the two brothers looked extremely displeased.
Duan Yuche couldn't help but say, "Eldest brother, Father is becoming more and more biased. What merit does Second brother have to occupy the position of heir? I think the most outstanding descendant of the Marquis's mansion is clearly eldest brother!"
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