Zhu Junyang was flustered and hurriedly pacified the petite maiden who was going through an emotional breakdown in his arms. He softly said, “Don’t cry. Don’t cry. It’s this prince’s fault. I shouldn’t have scolded you as soon as I saw you. If you’re unhappy, hit me a few times. Don’t cry until your beautiful eyes are swelled. This prince’s heart will ache ah!”
“Waahhh~~~I miss you. I really, really miss you! I think of you when I eat. I dream of you when I sleep. When I see you now, I wonder if I’m dreaming and you will disappear again when I wake up. Waahhh…you’re so hateful. As soon as we got engaged, you left me in the capital and disappeared. Were you enthralled by the young maidens of the northwestern tribes, and thus reluctant to come back?”
At the beginning, Zhu Junyang was moved when he heard her words. His little lass finally understood, and his feelings were finally reciprocated. But he didn’t know whether he should laugh or cry when he heard the latter part of her words. She was indeed his little lass; the sentimental feelings only lasted for three seconds.
“Good, be good! Today isn’t a dream. This prince is right in front of you. In the future, this prince will take you wherever I go and never leave you by yourself. Don’t cry. Don’t cry anymore…how can those young maidens of foreign tribes be as lovable as my little lass? This prince likes you so much, so other women are the same as the men in the army in my eyes!” Zhu Junyang held Xiaocao’s face and wiped the tears on her face with his somewhat rough fingers.
Yu Xiaocao raised her head and looked at the delicate and enchanting face in front of her. There was a sense of pity in his charming phoenix eyes. His plump red lips parted slightly, producing a pleasant voice. This must be a dream. How could someone who had been in the army and out in the battlefield in the northwest for over a year become even more good-looking?
Like an open faucet, the tears in her clear, big eyes kept flowing down along her eyelashes. She sniffled her nose, lifted her own little hand, and opened her mouth to bite down on it.
Zhu Junyang acted swiftly and blocked her action with his own hand. He had a smile on his handsome face as if it wasn’t his hand that was being bitten. He even joked to lighten up the mood, “What? There’s no one to bring you ‘braised pig trotters’ when this prince isn’t in the capital? You want to eat it so much that you’re actually gnawing on your own hands. It’s no wonder that you got thinner again. Do you not eat properly when this prince isn’t around? You should be punished!”
“Waahhh~~~” Xiaocao, who had just stopped crying, started crying again. This time, her cries sounded even more sad, wailing endlessly.
“What’s wrong? I won’t punish you! I won’t punish you! How can this prince bear to hit you? Only you can hit me. If this prince makes you unhappy, I’ll be willing to let you beat and punish me!” As he spoke, he held Xiaocao’s small, tender hands and hit himself a few times.
“Waahhh…it doesn’t hurt when I bite my own hand. I’m indeed dreaming again…” Xiaocao couldn’t stop crying. As soon as Wutong saw her young miss rush towards Royal Prince Yang, she had cleared out everyone in the courtyard and quietly retreated far away. At this time, Xiaocao and Zhu Junyang were the only ones in the huge courtyard.
Upon hearing her words, Zhu Junyang didn’t know whether he should laugh or cry. He showed her the small teeth marks on the back of his hand, saying, “Silly girl, you were biting this prince, so how can you feel the pain? There’s no way that this prince will let you get hurt; even if you’re the one biting yourself!”
Yu Xiaocao stared at the teeth marks for a long time, and then stopped crying with slight embarrassment, “This time, it’s really not a dream?”
“It’s not a dream! This prince is back and I’m really standing in front of you. If you don’t believe me, then…why don’t you pinch my face?” Since Zhu Junyang was three years old, he had firmly rejected others pinching his face. He was also desperately opposed to Xiaocao pinching his face in the past. At this time, he actually offered to let Xiaocao pinch his face, which immediately caused her to feel that this situation was unreal again.
Looking at the lass’s wrinkled up face and tears welled up in her big eyes, Zhu Junyang didn’t know what to do. With a sudden thought, he bent down and stopped the young maiden’s loud cries with his warm, full lips.
Yu Xiaocao opened her eyes wide open, and clearly saw the scorching affection within his enchanting, bright phoenix eyes. His lips, which were soft and carried a pleasant scent, were tightly pressed against her lips. The sudden kiss was filled with a deep sense of longing and full of emotions. It was like a violent storm that took her by surprise.
His strong and powerful arms held her slender waist tightly as he pulled her into his embrace, leaving no gaps. Their lips made contact and their tongues instinctively entangled together. He caressed her back with his hands, and then lifted her silky hair. He gently rubbed the soft skin on the back of her neck, pulling her closer to him.
His kiss was gentle yet domineering. The fresh breath from his lips made her feel dizzy and intoxicated as if she was drinking wine. Putting aside all her reservation and worries, she wrapped her slender arms around his beautiful neck and closed her eyes in a comfortable and sweet manner. At this moment, the emptiness within her heart had been filled up, all her confusion was dispelled, and all her thoughts had turned into a breeze that gently wrapped around him.
After an unknown period of time, Xiaocao’s engrossment was interrupted by the sound of heavy breathing. The touch on her lips disappeared and she was gently pushed away, creating a distance. She pouted her lips and kissed him again. It seemed like only this close contact could calm her heart.
Zhu Junyang didn’t push away the soft young maiden in his arms. He took a deep breath and calmed his heated and restless heart. He really wanted to marry and bring the lass home right now. If this happened a few more times, he definitely wouldn’t be able to stand it.
The young maiden’s attachment to him made him feel as if a feather had brushed over his heart. He had originally thought that all his efforts and feelings were one-sided. The lass seemed like a child who still didn’t have a clear understanding of love, and she was always laughing merrily without a care in the world.
Unexpectedly, he had gained a pleasant surprise from this separation. His feelings were finally reciprocated. The appearance of the little lass clinging to him reminded him of a kitten that he used to raise. When it was seeking attention, it would grab onto his trousers tightly and look as if it wanted to be caressed and hugged.
His heart was filled with a sense of happiness. Zhu Junyang hugged the young maiden’s slender waist and gently lifted the lass up. Xiaocao cried out in surprise, and then realized that her feet were lifted off the ground. Only when her view was suddenly shifted to be looking downwards did she notice that she was being lifted up in the air like a child. She had a sturdy and strong fiancé, who always surprised her.
Her surprised cry attracted the look of Wutong, who was inwardly muttering ‘look not at what is contrary to propriety’. She looked over and just happened to see a beautiful scene. Amongst the fluttering golden gingko leaves, a tall, strong, and handsome youth lifted a beautiful, petite, and lovely young maiden in the air. With the sun shining on their bodies, they appeared to be shrouded by a circle of light. That wonderful scene was unforgettable!
Looking at the bright smile on the young miss’s face, all the gloomy mood had been swept away. Wutong suddenly felt that Royal Prince Yang was perhaps the fated person that the heavens specially arranged for Young Miss. Only when the two of them were together would they be complete!
“Why did you get thinner again? Did you not eat properly?” After putting Xiaocao down, Zhu Junyang felt her thin arms, which seemed like they would break with a little force. Thus, he asked with slight dissatisfaction.
After Yu Xiaocao was put down, she stayed in her boyfriend’s embrace as if she had no bones. She replied in a coquettish manner, “Because I miss you ah! I didn’t have any appetite, and even ‘Buddha Jumps Over the Wall’ didn’t seem appetizing anymore. No matter how good the food is, I can hardly eat without you helping me get the food!” As she spoke, she stood on her tiptoe and kissed his chin.
“Cough!” Zhu Junyang was momentarily overwhelmed by his fiancée’s sudden outspoken words of affection. He lowered his head to kiss her small, red lips, and said, “It turns out that this prince has the role of serving food. How come I never knew?”
Yu Xiaocao suddenly showed a cheeky smile, which gave Zhu Junyang an ominous premonition. Generally, this kind of smile was a precursor of the lass’s mischief. Sure enough, she shook her head and said, “As the ancients said, ‘a feast for the eyes’!”
As she said this, Xiaocao reached out her right hand and pinched his sharp chin with her index finger and thumb. She revealed a lecherous expression and said, “Looking at this exquisite, gorgeous, and devilishly-handsome face, even if there aren’t any side dishes, I can still eat two more bowls of rice!”
In this world, this bold and mischievous lass was the only one who dared to tease him about his appearance. The last person who said he was beautiful seemed to have been bedridden for half a year. After that, that person always took a detour upon seeing him.
What could he do to the little lass that he chose himself? What’s more, he had this inexplicable sense of joy in his heart over the fact that she was attracted to his appearance.
“It’s my honor to be able to serve food to the future princess consort of Royal Prince Yang. Alright, you must eat at least three bowls of rice tonight. You’re not allowed to go back on your words!” Zhu Junyang decided to come to the Yu Estate for the next few days to supervise the lass’s meals. His next goal was to ensure that the lass regained the weight that she lost. If she got any thinner, she would turn into a stick of firewood. If outsiders saw her like that, they would think that he, Royal Prince Yang, was a miser who was unwilling to feed his wife!
Three bowls of rice? Yu Xiaocao glared at him with big, round eyes and complained, “Are you trying to make me eat until I burst? Be honest! Did you get hurt? Did the medicine I give you work?”
“The medicine that you gave me played a big role! But, don’t worry, it wasn’t used on me.” Zhu Junyang briefly recounted the chaos at the borders to her. It turned out that the rebellion in the northwest wasn’t a simple invasion at the borders by foreigners. There were actually descendants of the former dynasty involved in the conflict.
He hadn’t expected that martial art experts of the former dynasty were hiding within the thousands of troops. Among them, there was the big boss who used to train with Su Ran and had always been hard to distinguish. However, unlike Su Ran who had forsaken darkness for light, this fellow had fanatical supporter of the former dynasty. He was very loyal to the former dynasty, and thus held deep hatred for Su Ran’s betrayal. Therefore, he took advantage of the chaos to attack Su Ran, who was the army supervisor.
It was originally hard to determine who had the better martial art skills between the two. But, with the addition of petty and unscrupulous tactics, Su Ran almost lost his life in that man’s hands. Fortunately, Zhu Junyang was beside him at that time. Seeing that Army Supervisor Su was injured and about to die, he didn’t hesitate to use Xiaocao’s special internal injury medicine, giving them all to him.