Chapter 30 Believe me, outside the storm rages, in the small cave...
Outside, a fierce storm raged, but inside the small cave, a scene of alluring spring unfolded.
Just as Shen Yunrong was about to reach her breaking point, Zhao Linzhang stopped, suppressing his urge to explode: "Be good, this place is too simple. Let's wait until we get married!"
He has already hurt her once; he cannot hurt her again.
Shen Yunrong was already infatuated, but when she saw him suddenly stop and mention marriage, she regained some composure and sat up to ask him a question.
"You want to marry me, a country woman?"
"Whether you are a village woman or a noblewoman, all I know is you, my woman, and the mother of my children!"
The sound of rain gradually subsided. Shen Yunrong nestled in Zhao Linzhang's arms, feeling a sense of calm after surviving a disaster, as well as the satisfaction of finally having a strong chest to lean on after so many years.
Footsteps approached, and Zhao Linzhang, quick as a flash, pulled down Shen Yunrong's clothes from the withered branch and covered her with them, shouting sharply, "Who is it?"
“Your Highness, it’s your subordinates!” It was Liu Hu and Xiao Zheng’s voices.
Shen Yunrong put on her clothes before Zhao Linzhang let them in.
"Your Highness, please forgive us for being late!" Liu Hu and Xiao Zheng were about to kneel down to beg for forgiveness.
Zhao Linzhang waved his hand, took off his own clothes and put them on as he said, "The mountain rain is too heavy. It's not your fault. Go back first!"
It was getting dark, and the night on the mountain was damp and cold. Not to mention Shen Yunrong, even these grown men would find it unbearable.
After extinguishing the open flame at the cave entrance, Zhao Linzhang naturally took Shen Yunrong's hand. The mountain path after the rain was all muddy.
Zhao Linzhang bent down: "I'll carry you on my back!"
Behind her were Liu Hu and Xiao Zheng. Shen Yunrong shook her head in embarrassment, saying, "I can walk by myself. Don't let people see you and laugh at you!"
"What's so funny about me carrying my own wife on my back? Get on!"
She couldn't resist him; the way he called her "wife" made her so embarrassed she didn't know where to put her face. She refused, afraid he would say something shocking next.
Shen Yunrong had no choice but to awkwardly climb onto his broad back, placing her hands lightly on his shoulders.
"Hold on tight!" Zhao Linzhang deliberately jerked her around, startling her so much that she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"That's right!"
Shen Yunrong rested her chin on his shoulder, too shy to look up.
The air was filled with the scent of pine resin emanating from his body, just like the smell on her body—the smell of the dried twig that Zhao Linzhang had dragged along and then roasted.
Zhao Linzhang carried her on his back as if walking on flat ground. Her discomfort slowly turned into worry: "I'm too heavy. Let me down. I can walk by myself!"
“You’re still too heavy. In two years, Si Liang will surpass you. You need to eat more when you go back, or a gust of wind could blow you away!” Zhao Linzhang weighed you in his hand; you were still too thin.
"If it weren't for me that day, would you have treated other girls the same way?" Perhaps the comfort of carrying her on her back was too reassuring, prompting her to ask a question that had been buried deep in her heart.
"If it weren't for you, I'm afraid I would be dead. Who else would dare to approach a dying man!" Zhao Linzhang was tense all over. The soft touch on his back was too obvious, and it was hard for him not to be distracted.
That's the truth. Back then, any young woman would be scared away if she saw a living dead person like that. Only she was brave enough to go and investigate.
"I'm nothing special, so why do you like me?" Shen Yunrong didn't understand why someone of Zhao Linzhang's status would have so many beautiful women throwing themselves at him, and she herself wasn't a stunning beauty.
"Thousands of stars cannot compare to even a fraction of your beauty. This world is so dull, but thankfully I have you! Just one glance at you makes the world seem beautiful!" Zhao Linzhang knew why she dared not accept his feelings, and Liu Hu and Xiao Zheng behind him heard these two sentences clearly.
"How could you say that so loudly?" Shen Yunrong said, blushing, and reached out to cover his mouth: "Keep your voice down!"
Zhao Linzhang gently kissed that soft palm: "I only regret hurting you when we met. From now on, no one can hurt you, including me!"
I know what you're afraid of. Trust me, none of this matters. I have a way to marry you properly! Just be my wife and the mother of our children; leave everything else to me!
Shen Yunrong felt an itch in her heart, just like in her palms. She felt her eyes stinging. For so long, she had dreamed of having a shoulder to lean on, even if it was just temporarily.
She rested her head on his shoulder and could clearly feel his firm yet warm heartbeat.
"I believe you!" Shen Yunrong looked sweetly at his profile and couldn't help but give him a light kiss on the cheek.
The man, who had been walking steadily, stumbled. He steadied himself in time and looked back at the little woman behind him with a meaningful gaze.
Shen Yunrong was so embarrassed that she buried her head in his neck and dared not look up, otherwise she would have seen the smile in Zhao Linzhang's eyes.
By the time they reached the foot of the mountain, it was already dark. After getting into the carriage, Shen Yunrong saw that Zhao Linzhang was covered in sweat and tenderly wiped his sweat with her sleeve. When they were sheltering from the rain, her handkerchief had already fallen off.
"From now on, you can leave these things to the servants; you don't need to do them yourself." Zhao Linzhang thought to himself that he still had to teach her these things.
"Have I caused you any trouble?" Shen Yunrong felt very bad seeing that he and the guards were covered in mud and water. If she hadn't insisted on going up the mountain to collect herbs, they wouldn't have had to come looking for her in the rain.
“It’s not trouble. If you spread the word about buying these herbs and let the villagers collect them, wouldn’t they have more options?” Zhao Linzhang said, and Shen Yunrong immediately understood. She had always been afraid of causing trouble for others, but that was precisely why she was causing them more trouble.
"Yes, you're right!"
Zhao Linzhang knew that these things couldn't be rushed. She hadn't ordered anyone to do anything, so he would teach her slowly in the future.
Seeing her lowered face, I couldn't help but pull her onto my lap: "You'll get it eventually. Now it's my turn to return the favor!"
"What kind of gift?" Shen Yunrong looked at him with confusion, completely unaware.
He held the back of her head and kissed her without room for argument, aggressively prying open her teeth and taking her deep inside.
Shen Yunrong struggled but couldn't break free, and only then did she understand what a return gift was—a return of the kiss she had just given him on the mountain.
Only when Liu Hu's voice rang out did Zhao Linzhang reluctantly release her.
Shen Yunrong's limbs went weak, her moist, red lips were bright red, and she looked at him with a dazed gaze. Zhao Linzhang couldn't help but lightly peck at her lips, as if he were savoring a delicacy.
Zhao Linzhang couldn't wait to return to the capital to hold their wedding ceremony; the feeling of only being able to experience it superficially was too unbearable.
Coming to her senses, Shen Yunrong pushed him away: "We're here!"
After changing into clean clothes, Zhao Linzhang held his daughter, while Shen Yunrong went to deliver the boiled herbs to her mother.
Hearing her voice, Chen's mother struggled to get up: "You child, you don't even look at the sky before you go up the mountain!"
"Mother, don't move. I didn't know it would rain so hard!" Shen Yunrong touched the bowl, which was still a little hot, and then helped her mother massage her legs.
"When the prince returned, he didn't see you. Upon hearing that you had gone up the mountain, he rushed out without even entering the gate." Madam Shen heard this from Xiao Qiu. She felt gratified that there was a man in the world who valued her daughter.
Sometimes, love cannot be faked.
"Yes, thanks to Your Highness!" Biting her still slightly swollen lips, Shen Yunrong didn't know how to be honest with her mother.
"Mother is old and paralyzed, but not blind or deaf. I know how the Prince has treated you these days."
Shen Yunrong was taken aback by her mother's words and was momentarily unsure whether her mother wanted her to give up or meant something else. She looked at her with trembling lips.
"Mother, drink your medicine first." Shen Yunrong picked up the bowl, afraid that her mother would say something to stop her from having unrealistic dreams.
“Listen to your mother first. I’ve thought it through. No matter how you marry on your own, you’ll still encounter people who bully you. Why not go with the prince? If he can give you a title for the sake of the child, you’ll have Nini in your life. As long as you don’t compete for a man’s heart, you won’t have to worry about food and drink, and you won’t be bullied.” Mother Shen held her daughter’s hand, wanting to teach her all the experience she had gained in her life.
"Mother, I know, let's drink the medicine first!" Shen Yunrong looked at her mother's hands, which were dry and withered like old tree bark. She didn't know when her mother had aged so much.
The mother swallowed the medicine in one gulp, a testament to her daughter's filial piety.
“Mother, I’ve thought it through. A woman has to get married eventually. You’ll suffer no matter who you marry. It’s better to find someone who can protect you. A title can’t put food on the table.” Mother Chen said with tears in her eyes. She promised her daughter and father that no matter how poor or miserable they were, she would not let her daughter become a concubine and disgrace the family of scholars.
But now, all she wants is for her daughter to live a good life, to be loved and cared for, and not to be bullied.
Shen Yunrong stayed with her mother, and even after her mother fell asleep, her mother's voice kept echoing in her mind: "Don't fall in love!"
But it seems she really has fallen for him.
He came out in a daze and saw Zhao Linzhang's tall figure holding his daughter, who was sleeping soundly in his arms. He was still holding her as he paced around the small courtyard.
Zhao Linzhang turned around and saw her leaning against the arched doorway. He whispered, "Ruoyu is asleep. What should we do?"
Originally, he didn't know how to put the child on the bed, but Shen Yunrong was amused by his nervous and helpless expression. She stepped forward and took her daughter, saying, "Let me do it!"
She placed her daughter on her little bed, and before she could even turn around, she was enveloped in a warm embrace.
"You asked me today why I fell in love with you?" Zhao Linzhang couldn't help but gently kiss her temple.
"I only know that seeing you every day brings me peace of mind." Zhao Linzhang hugged her, smelling her familiar scent. He had always been tongue-tied and didn't know how to say sweet words.
"Me too!" Shen Yunrong let herself lean against that broad chest again.
Liu Hu, who was waiting outside, couldn't wait any longer and mustered his courage to urge, "Your Highness, we have to get up now. The princess of the Hu Kingdom is still waiting!"
For some reason, upon hearing this, Shen Yunrong's heart skipped a beat. How could there be a princess from the Hu Kingdom waiting for Zhao Linzhang?
"This Hu Kingdom is truly absurd, sending a woman to impersonate their prince in our country. How can our great nation stoop to her level?" Zhao Linzhang said, his head aching at the mention of this foreign princess.
They are known for their fierce nature and their fondness for taking any man to their tent for a night of passion. Zhao Linzhang knew that the Hu Kingdom princess had expressed her feelings for him many times, but he was not worthy of such affections.
"The princess of the Hu Kingdom?"
"Yes, we'll get married once they return!" Zhao Linzhang couldn't bear to part with the warm, soft beauty in his arms, and he held her tightly.
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