After The Soft And Cute Beauty Marries The Wolf King - Chapter 11

So what was it? Lang Sa never finished his sentence. Xie Zhiqing kept pressing for answers, but this person skillfully changed the topic every time.

 

Unable to get any answers, Xie Zhiqing could only ask tentatively, “Do you, do you know something? What does it mean that you know a lot about me?”

 

Lang Sa didn’t want to be too direct at this moment, but he also didn’t want to be too vague. He patted Xie Zhiqing’s waist to make him sit comfortably and half-jokingly said, “In any case, I know some things. Xiaoqing, I’ve been secretly observing you for a long time.”

 

This person intentionally made his words sound frivolous. As expected, he received a slightly annoyed look from Xie Zhiqing, which was not surprising at all.

 

Lang Sa burst into laughter and, holding the reins, said loudly, “Let’s go!”

 

On the way, Xie Zhiqing tried to speak several times but was avoided by Lang Sa. Finally, he tentatively grabbed Lang Sa’s sleeve and whispered, “I don’t know how to say it right now… I’ll tell you in the future.”

 

His tone was both embarrassed and pitiful.

 

Lang Sa lowered his head to listen carefully to what Xie Zhiqing was saying, his attentive side profile showing rare gentleness.

 

After hearing Xie Zhiqing’s words clearly, he shook his head with a smile and said, “With that pitiful expression, I thought something was wrong with you.”

 

He used one hand to pinch Xie Zhiqing’s cheek, saying, “I’ve said so much, did you even listen? Did I talk in vain?”

 

Xie Zhiqing, pinched by him, exclaimed, “Ouch! Let go, let go!”

 

Lang Sa released his hand but mischievously stole a quick kiss on his cheek.

 

“I said we’d talk when you’re ready. Don’t dwell on it.”

 

With that, Lang Sa teased Xie Zhiqing, “Look at your pitiful expression. I thought something was wrong.”

 

Xie Zhiqing was still focused on the two things that had happened: “Being pinched by Lang Sa’s face” and “Being kissed by Lang Sa.” He vaguely heard Lang Sa mutter, “I already knew it anyway.”

 

The words were not loud, and Xie Zhiqing, now concentrating on the two events of being pinched and kissed by Lang Sa, only vaguely understood.

 

He wanted to ask for clarification but was captivated by the suddenly clear scenery before them.

 

In front of them was a vast field!

 

Xie Zhiqing was surprised. “Can you find such a place in the grasslands?!”

 

“Yes, but the grasslands aren’t suitable for farming. Only a few types of vegetables can be grown,” Lang Sa replied as he patted Xie Zhiqing’s waist and said, “Dismount here. We can’t take the horses any further; they might damage the crops.”

 

It’s unclear what Lang Sa had gone through to deal with this piece of land, but he was grumbling angrily, muttering, “Growing vegetables can make you so frustrated.”

 

Amidst the strange things Lang Sa had said, Xie Zhiqing had forgotten that they had come all this way in the middle of the day for a meal. Honestly, he didn’t expect that the ingredients for this meal were still growing in the ground.

 

Xie Zhiqing: “…”

 

He looked at Lang Sa.

 

They exchanged a glance. Lang Sa gazed at the wilted vegetable leaves in the field, sighed, and said, “Maybe we should go back and have the chef make us some food.”

 

Going back was not an option since they had come all this way.

 

This place had been prepared by Xie Zhiqing for the past two months, but the wolf clan lacked experience in farming, so no one could tell if these vegetables were ready to be harvested. As they kept delaying, the vegetables ended up wilting.

 

Seeing Lang Sa holding those withered seedlings, Xie Zhiqing burst into laughter.

 

“Why are we growing vegetables here?” Xie Zhiqing laughed and followed Lang Sa, searching for edible leaves. “I think I’ve seen these types of vegetables more commonly grown in the south?”

 

As he spoke, Xie Zhiqing suddenly realized.

 

He looked around again, reached out, and plucked a cucumber. He pursed his lips and remained silent.

 

Lang Sa had been casually responding to Xie Zhiqing while focusing on finding something to eat ahead of them. When he suddenly heard no response from behind, he turned around.

 

Xie Zhiqing stood a few steps away, looking a bit awkward, with his hands nervously clasped together.

 

Lang Sa chuckled, “I had them grown for you, afraid you wouldn’t be accustomed to our food.”

 

He waved at Xie Zhiqing, sounding a bit anxious, “Hurry up, let’s search together! We haven’t eaten anything since noon.”

 

A few words brought a smile back to Xie Zhiqing’s face. He smiled, with his eyes crinkling and a cute dimple forming on his cheek.

 

“Coming, coming!” Xie Zhiqing jogged a couple of steps to catch up with Lang Sa.

 

As they spent more time together, Xie Zhiqing’s courage had grown, and he playfully bumped his shoulder against Lang Sa. He teased, “Grumpy! We have nothing to eat because you didn’t grow the vegetables properly!”

 

Lang Sa was speechless and could only tap Xie Zhiqing’s head with his index finger.

 

*

 

In the end, they couldn’t find many edible vegetables, and there was another problem—how to cook these vegetables.

 

Lang Sa looked at Xie Zhiqing, and Xie Zhiqing blinked back at him.

 

Both their faces seemed to say, “Why don’t you figure something out?”

 

No one had a solution, so they washed the edible vegetables and cooked them in a large pot.

 

Xie Zhiqing chuckled while eating, saying, “What a predicament, Your Royal Highness, the Wolf King.”

 

Lang Sa also laughed, “I was always worried they weren’t ripe yet! I’ll know better next time.”

 

He playfully tapped Xie Zhiqing’s nose and said, “Next time, I won’t let you witness any more jokes. You’ve been secretly laughing at me in your heart, but don’t think I don’t know!”

 

Still feeling hungry, Lang Sa later went to catch two chickens and returned to roast them, managing to turn this lunch into a late dinner.

 

“…What kind of person does this kind of work? I’ll never farm again,” Lang Sa said, sitting on the ground, his hands supporting him.

 

Xie Zhiqing couldn’t help but laugh heartily.

 

Lang Sa felt a bit awkward sitting on the ground and didn’t want to be like that, but there was nothing else to do. He wandered around, plucked two more cucumbers, cleaned them with his clothes, and handed them to Lang Sa.

 

Although this meal was tiring due to the lack of food, these cucumbers were grown surprisingly well. Xie Zhiqing mumbled, “These are not bad. You should try them.”

 

Lang Sa leaned closer, holding his hand, and took the remaining half of the cucumber Xie Zhiqing had.

 

Xie Zhiqing said, “…”

 

Lang Sa’s hand briefly brushed against him before pulling away, but the tingling sensation remained on Xie Zhiqing’s fingertips.

 

It started to spread, causing a strange sensation all over Xie Zhiqing’s body.

 

His earlobes, cheeks, shoulders, and even his ankles all felt slightly numb. Xie Zhiqing felt uncomfortably warm all over.

 

He rubbed his fingers and glanced at Lang Sa.

 

Lang Sa’s collar had also loosened, or rather, he always wore his clothes in this loose manner. Xie Zhiqing didn’t notice it usually, but now, when he lowered his head, he saw Lang Sa’s Adam’s apple and a small area of his solid shoulder exposed through the open collar.

 

Xie Zhiqing blinked, turned his gaze away, and even turned his body.

 

Lang Sa naturally noticed this little action.

 

He continued eating and, after a short thought, rolled his eyes and teased Xie Zhiqing, who had his back turned, with a raised voice, “I ate half of your cucumber just to annoy you. You’re too stingy, Little Qing’er.”

 

“What?!” Xie Zhiqing protested urgently, “I’m not stingy at all! I’m not, don’t talk nonsense!”

 

Lang Sa finished the cucumber in two bites, waved his hand, and said, “Alright, alright, I won’t argue with you. From now on, I’ll give them all to you and let you eat.”

 

He didn’t give Xie Zhiqing a chance to question further and instead reached out to hold his hand. Using this leverage, he got up from the ground and said, “Alright, it’s time to go home!”

 

Xie Zhiqing was irritated, hopping mad, and insisted that he wasn’t stingy. However, Lang Sa was infuriatingly dismissive, responding with noncommittal “yes” and “no” as they walked back home.

 

Both of them bickered all the way back until they entered their room, not realizing that their tightly held hands had become a habit.

 

Xie Zhiqing didn’t dwell on it much, and Lang Sa was agile enough to climb cliffs with ease. A simple movement to get up from the ground didn’t require Xie Zhiqing’s assistance.

 

That night, before going to sleep, Lang Sa prepared a few more hot water bottles and placed them in Xie Zhiqing’s blanket.

 

After a tiring afternoon, Xie Zhiqing was really exhausted and felt his forehead being kissed before drifting off to sleep.

 

Late into the night, the Emperor visited the imperial harem for a short while but had no intention of staying overnight. He signaled to the eunuch who accompanied him to prepare to leave.

 

This eunuch had been with him for a long time and understood his intentions with a single glance. He respectfully whispered with a soft and gentle voice, “Your Majesty, are we going to… Second Prince’s place?”

 

The Emperor gave him a sidelong glance and replied, “Let’s go see what happened. I heard that the princess caused quite a scene at his place.”

 

“The princess is still young,” the eunuch said with a smile, “it’s just a little playful gesture with her older brother, not a big fuss.”

 

The Emperor chuckled and said, “Only you would say that!”

 

After laughing, he felt a touch of melancholy.

 

He knew why the princess had gone to the Second Prince’s place.

 

“Well, let’s go see. Don’t announce it to anyone. Ask if Zhifeng has gone to bed. If he hasn’t, I’ll go sit with him for a while.”

 

It was just a coincidence. Xie Zhiqing had been unwell and usually retired to bed early. However, tonight, due to the princess’s earlier visit, he found himself unable to sleep.

 

The Emperor didn’t require him to remain in formal attire; there were no such formalities between father and son. After changing out of his morning attire, they were just like any other father and son.

 

“So, you’re still not asleep at this hour?” the Emperor asked.

 

Xie Zhiqing sat at the bedside, with both arms resting outside the blanket, in a relaxed posture.

 

“These days, the weather has been changing, and I’ve been cooped up in the palace. My spirits have been too high, so I can’t sleep at night,” Xie Zhiqing replied with a smile.

 

The Emperor observed his son.

 

These twin sons of his looked alike but had slightly different personalities. Xie Zhiqing, as the older brother, was more composed. He knew exactly why his father had come here late at night, and he patiently waited for his father to speak.

 

The Emperor didn’t beat around the bush either. He came straight to the point and said, “Princess Xiaoyue visited you this afternoon.”

 

Xie Zhiqing smiled and said, “It wasn’t really a fuss. The princess… just missed him and came to talk to me.”

 

The Emperor nodded but remained silent for a long time.

 

When he finally spoke again, his voice was soft, as if he was afraid of disturbing something.

 

He asked, “It’s been a month. Xiaoyue should indeed be feeling restless.”

 

Xie Zhiqing said, “The princess is still young, and she might not have understood it before. Now that it’s been so long without seeing him, she’s probably starting to realize.”

 

The Emperor shook his head and sighed silently. He said, “It’s been a whole month…”

 

Princess Xiaoyue was only 12 years old.

 

The Emperor had many daughters in his later years, and he both spoiled and disciplined his youngest daughter. She respected him but also feared him.

 

His eldest son and the princess were not of the same generation; there was a more than ten-year age difference between them, and they didn’t share many common interests.

 

If you had to name someone in the palace who was closest to the princess, it would be these twin brothers.

 

Now one of them had left, and the princess was undoubtedly feeling devastated.

 

The Emperor dared not dwell on it further and quickly interrupted his own thoughts. He asked, “Did she mention anything else?”

 

Xie Zhiqing replied, “The princess wants to visit the grasslands when spring arrives. She misses Qing’er so much.”

 

“Of course, she can go,” the Emperor pondered, “but…”

 

“The princess misses him, and I miss him too,” Xie Zhiqing said softly, “I’d like to accompany her if it’s not too inconvenient.”