Food and you are number one
Liu Linye carried Qi Ru to the north. Qi Ru patted his back and said, "Liu Linye! Let go of this princess!"
After hearing this, Liu Linye gently put her down and said, "Princess, we have reached a safe area. Now we just need to wait for His Majesty."
Qi Ru angrily pointed at him and said, "Liu Linye! Why didn't you listen when I told you to put me down in the capital?!"
Liu Linye said in a serious tone, "This subordinate is deaf."
...
Qi Ru was speechless and said, "If you're deaf, go get it treated! It's been like this for so many years!"
Of course, Liu Linye wasn't really deaf; it's just that he mostly didn't do what Qi Ru had told him to do since he was a child, or he did the opposite of what she had told him to do.
After hearing this, Liu Linye deliberately put his hand to his ear and said, "Princess, what did you say? I can't hear you!"
Qi Ru was speechless at this, and said, "Liu Linye! If you don't speak properly, I'll never talk to you again!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Linye immediately held up a finger and said with a smile, "Princess, would you like to try the food here? I've heard that the whole roasted lamb here is especially delicious."
Qi Ru's eyes lit up more when she heard about the delicious food, but she tried not to make it too obvious.
She deliberately crossed her arms in front of her chest and said, "Since that's the case, this princess will mercifully forgive you."
Liu Linye smiled and pulled Qi Ru along, saying, "This subordinate thanks Your Highness for your magnanimity."
Qi Ru looked at him and suddenly said, "Liu Linye, how long has it been since we last saw each other? Why don't you say anything else?"
Liu Linye ignored her and continued walking while smiling, "What does the princess want to hear?"
Qi Ru sighed and said, "I thought you would miss me? But at least you'd be reluctant to let me go, right?"
Liu Linye paused, then asked, "What does the princess think?"
Qi Ru thought for a moment and said, "Without you, I don't know who to eat with. My elder sister doesn't really like these things. In short, it's too boring."
Upon hearing this, Liu Linye was somewhat displeased and asked, "Then why did the princess go to the frontier in the first place?"
Qi Ru replied without hesitation, "Because my elder sister is going, and there are delicacies from the frontier that I haven't tried before. In addition, my elder brother has so many things to do and can't take care of us for the time being, so we can only do our best to help."
Liu Linye stopped and turned to look at her, saying, "Then, in the princess's eyes, what kind of person am I?"
Upon hearing this, Qi Ru thought for a moment and said, "I didn't expect you to ask that, but..."
“You are like delicious food, or perhaps even better,” she said with a genuine smile.
In Qi Ru's eyes, food is the most important thing. If you were to rank them, food would definitely be number one, followed by family.
Liu Linye looked at Qi Ru in front of him, paused for a moment, and then smiled, "Your Highness is too kind to me, but..."
"Your subordinate is very pleased."
Qi Ru said, "Then let's go eat roast whole lamb first?"
Liu Linye said helplessly, "The princess still cares more about the food."
Qi Ru pulled him away, saying, "Didn't I already say that you are the same as, or perhaps even more than, delicious food? Why do you still think like that?"
Liu Linye explained, "Because the princess was only talking about food, and she didn't mention any subordinates."
Qi Ru said, "Really? Then I'll talk to you more about it later. But could you please stop calling me 'Princess'? We can't call you that in public."
Liu Linye smiled and said, "Alright, Shu'er."
Qi Ru was taken aback for a moment after hearing this, and said, "So you know my childhood name."
Liu Linye smiled and said, "I know everything about you."
Before long, the two arrived at a lamb stall that sold whole roasted lambs, a place that specialized in selling mutton and the like.
The whole lamb on the fire stand was plump and tender, with a visibly crispy skin that made one's mouth water.
Liu Linye handed the money to the shopkeeper and said, "Shopkeeper, give me a whole roasted lamb."
The shopkeeper quickly accepted and replied, "Alright!"
Qi and Ru sat to the side and waited. After a while, the innkeeper brought out the whole roasted lamb and said, "Please enjoy."
Qi Ru asked doubtfully, "There's nothing else here but a knife. How am I supposed to eat this? With my hands?"
The shopkeeper smiled and said, "We cut it with a knife to eat it here."
Qi Ru picked up the knife, unsure where to begin, but she was also eager to eat the whole roasted lamb, which was truly agonizing.
Seeing this, Liu Linye picked up a knife, cut a small piece of mutton, handed it to Qi Ru, and said with a smile, "It seems that Shu'er really can't live without me."
Qi Ru took a bite of mutton and savored it, saying, "Yes, yes, I can't live without you."
Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper immediately replied, "I knew you two were a couple. My judgment has never been wrong."
Liu Linye remained silent, simply watching Qi Ru quietly, awaiting her answer.
Seeing this, Qi Ru swallowed the mutton, thought for a moment, and said, "Husband and wife? We're not married yet. We'll be husband and wife after we're married."
The shopkeeper asked, "I see. When will you two get married?"
Qi Ru said, "I haven't decided yet, but it should be soon, since I'm afraid someone else will take him away."
Upon hearing this, Liu Linye was completely stunned. These words were unexpected. He had only wanted to see how Qi Ru would respond, but the result left him with something he could not forget.
The shopkeeper smiled and said, "Then I wish you two a speedy marriage."
Qi Ru also smiled and said, "Okay, thank you for your blessing."
After the shopkeeper left, Qi Ru saw Liu Linye standing there in a daze, waved her hand in front of his face, and said, "Liu Linye, why aren't you saying a word? Are you scared out of your wits?"
"If you are not willing to marry me, I will not force you."
Liu Linye snapped out of his daze, gently lowered her hand, and asked, "Why did you say that? Was it true or false?"
Qi Ru asked, puzzled, "It must be true, why would I lie to you?"
Liu Linye asked, "Then... why do you think we should get married?"
Although this is a bit offensive, after all, Qi Ru is a princess, while Liu Linye is just a royal guard. If there is any reason for this, it is that Liu Linye wants to get something from Qi Ru.
Upon hearing this, Qi Ru smiled brightly and said, "Because I really like you, I want you to accompany me to eat all kinds of delicious food, and I want you to be intimate only with me."
After hearing this, Liu Linye asked, "Shu'er, do you love me?"
Qi Ru replied without hesitation, "Yes, I love you very much."
Liu Linye frowned and said, "Shu'er, do you understand love? It's different from food. I don't want you to marry me just for the sake of food."
Qi Ru propped her chin on one hand and still smiled, saying, "A day without seeing you makes me miss you mad."
"I wish to be like a star and you like the moon, shining brightly together every night."
Then she asked, "Is that enough?"
Liu Linye asked, puzzled, "What do you mean?"
Qi Ru asked, "Is that enough to prove my love?"
Yes, as a princess, how could I not understand the meaning of these sentences? The meaning is so obvious, how could I not understand?
Liu Linye said, "This..."
Before she could finish speaking, Qi Ru interrupted, "I know, this is different from food. I will miss you, I will be attracted to you, I will be happy because of you, I will want you to only look at me, only care about me, and only love me."
Liu Linye then realized that Qi Ru had long been in love with him. She could distinguish between feelings and knew what she was saying. She wouldn't just focus on the food like before.
Qi Ru smiled at him, her eyes crinkling. Liu Linye reached out and placed his hand on her neck, then slowly leaned closer and kissed her.
Qi Ru was stunned for a moment, then looked at Liu Linye. Seeing this, Liu Linye reluctantly parted his lips, slowly stepped back, and turned his head away with a blush, saying, "Well, after all, he's my fiancé. It's not a big deal to kiss him, is it?"
Qi Ru chuckled softly and said, "Liu Linye, you adapted to your new identity so quickly. I thought you were quite adept at this kind of thing."
Upon hearing this, Liu Linye immediately looked at her and retorted, "I...I only kissed you, no one else, and I haven't practiced with anyone else."
After saying this, his face turned bright red, and Qi Ru said, "I know."
After the meal, the two went to the inn to stay. The innkeeper specially arranged a room for them. Qi Ru calmly prepared to take a bath, slowly untying her belt.
Upon seeing this, Liu Linye immediately turned around and said, "I'm still here. Wait until I leave before you take a bath."
Qi Ru said, "Liu Linye, I'm taking a bath. You stay here in case anyone with ill intentions comes in, and also..."
"I believe you won't have any other intentions."
When traveling, Qi Ru is always more cautious.
Upon hearing this, Liu Linye could only sit outside the screen and read, but his mind was not on the book at all. Hearing the sound of water, he blushed and didn't know what to do.
After a long while, Qi Ru finally finished washing up. She got dressed and walked over to Liu Linye, smiling as she said, "I knew you were a gentleman."
Upon hearing this, Liu Linye immediately stood up, hugged Qi Ru, buried his head in her shoulder, and said, "Now, do you still think I'm a gentleman?"
Qi Ru sensed something, her face flushed red, and she said nervously, "Let...let me go."
Liu Linye blushed and said, "You...aren't you going to take responsibility?" Then he hugged her even tighter.
Qi Ru felt a little hot and said, "Not now, not after we get married."
Liu Linye was not satisfied after hearing this. He gently kissed her neck and said, "But... I want to now."
Qi Ru felt a tingling sensation all over her body, and with the last shred of her sanity, she said, "You... why don't you take care of it yourself?"
Liu Linye felt unhappy, grabbed Qi Ru's hand and reached down, saying, "Then... help me."
Qi Ru suddenly felt completely flustered and stammered, "But...I...don't...know...how."
Liu Linye smiled gently and said, "It's alright, I'll teach you."
The following night, a lantern festival was being held here, and the two of them came to join in the fun. As Qi Ru walked down the street, she saw a lantern shop that was different from the others. It only sold lanterns shaped like food, which suited Qi Ru's taste perfectly.
Qi Ru stepped forward and asked, "Uncle, how much is this persimmon lantern?"
The persimmon lantern is shaped like a persimmon, with only one persimmon on each pole, making it very beautiful, and it also has tassels hanging at the bottom.
The old man smiled and said, "Young lady, a persimmon lantern costs ten coins."
Qi Ru actually thought it was a bit cheap, but upon closer reflection, she realized that some ordinary people might think it was expensive, so why should she say anything pointless?
She said, "We want two persimmon lanterns."
The old man picked up two persimmon lanterns and handed them to the two men, saying, "Here are your lanterns. Please keep them safe. They cost twenty coins in total."
After Qi Ru took the lantern, she smiled and looked at Liu Linye. Liu Linye immediately understood and skillfully took out his money pouch from his pocket to pay.
Qi Ru carried the persimmon lantern and walked forward. The street was bustling with activity, and there were many people performing, just like during the Spring Festival.
The two then went to the riverbank, picked up the lotus lantern, and gently placed it on the water.
May our land be safe and sound, may the future be bright and promising, may our path be smooth and our prospects be promising.
Liu Linye looked at Qi Ru and smiled, "May we all get what we want and grow old together with our loved ones."
Qi Ru was taken aback for a moment upon seeing this, then slowly stood up and said, "It's time to release the lanterns."
Qi Ru arrived at the lantern shop, picked up a Kongming lantern, and said, "Liu Linye, we should write down our wishes."
Liu Linye said, "You go first."
Upon hearing this, Qi Ru picked up his pen and wrote down, "A vow to grow old together, for all eternity."
Liu Linye was stunned for a moment when he saw this. This was the wish he had just made. After he came to his senses, he slowly picked up the brush and wrote as he wrote: "I hope my wife will not regret it, and my wish will last forever."
The two then released their hands at the same time, and the Kongming lantern began to fly into the sky.
Qi Ru watched the Kongming lanterns fly up and laughed heartily, saying: "Eight boats rest at dusk amidst the surging orchids, the moon shines brightly and the stars fall in the clear sky. In early autumn, leaves fall and the river waves rise, nine dim lanterns illuminate the shore."
Upon hearing this, Liu Linye's eyes reflected Qi Ru's radiant smile and the numerous Kongming lanterns behind her, the night brightened by the many lit lanterns.
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