After The Soft And Cute Beauty Marries The Wolf King - Chapter 4

 

Ateus led them to a small house and stopped in front of it. He turned around, tail wagging, and tentatively leaned towards Xie Zhiqing’s direction.

 

Xie Zhiqing restrained the urge to escape and said stiffly, “Is this the place? Ahaha, I thought you all lived in those little bags.”

 

Ateus gestured, “It’s that kind of bag, where a whole family lives inside, a bag…”

 

Lang Sa smiled and patted his head, saying, “There are those too, but they’re rare. Mostly semi-lycanthropes who can’t fully transform live there. As for us fully evolved ones, we live in these small houses for convenience.”

 

He pointed at the small house in front of them and pulled Xie Zhiqing inside, saying, “I don’t know how it turned out, my parents helped with the construction, they said they referred to the living habits of your An Yu, take a look.”

 

Before they could push the door open, the door of the room opened.

 

A little girl came out from inside.

 

“Heard Ateus’ voice inside, it really is big brother back!” The girl ran over to Xie Zhiqing with joy on her face. With bright almond-shaped eyes, she circled around Xie Zhiqing. Holding his face, she said, “Brother-in-law is so handsome! No wonder big brother couldn’t forget you for so long—oh my goodness!”

 

Before she could finish her words, Lang Sa slapped her on the forehead, “Why so much nonsense?!”

 

He pinched the girl’s cheeks, pulling her away, then introduced her to Xie Zhiqing, “Lang Xiao Xiao, my sister.”

 

Lang Xiao Xiao was a chatterbox, talking non-stop from the first meeting.

 

“Brother-in-law, you’re here! We’ve been waiting for you for so long!”

 

“Was the journey tough? Is the climate here drier than in the Central Plains? Can you adapt?”

 

“Is my big brother really fierce? Did he bully you? He…”

 

“Lang Xiao Xiao!” Lang Sa’s temples throbbed, he grabbed her braid and pulled her away, “Get lost!”

 

Lang Xiao Xiao kept complaining, “Hair, my hair! You’ve pulled out my hair!”

 

Lang Sa paid no attention. He rudely pushed Lang Xiao Xiao away and hooked his arm with Xie Zhiqing’s, entering the small room, leaving his sister outside to pretend to cry.

 

“So, you also have a sister.” Xie Zhiqing pressed his lips together and smiled, “I have a sister too!”

 

Lang Sa said, “I’ve heard about it, I remember his name is—”

 

“Xie Zhiyue.” Xie Zhiqing smiled shyly, “It means ‘clear moonlight and gentle wind’.”

 

 

 

As they talked, the two of them had already entered the small house.

 

I can see that they’ve put in a lot of effort to decorate it. Both the variety of tools and their arrangement reflect Xie Zhiqing’s habits.

 

“The grassland climate is dry, and it gets colder in winter. To keep warm, we’ve added some insulation layers, imitating your ‘warm chamber’. We’ve also prepared a heater and a handwarmer. However, burning the fire will make it dry, so if you find it uncomfortable later on, we can figure something out,” Lang Sa explained.

 

Xie Zhiqing nodded and felt a bit embarrassed, “I really didn’t expect you all to prepare so much… Oh, this handwarmer!”

 

Excitedly, Xie Zhiqing ran over to a nearby table and picked up a hexagonal blue handwarmer to examine closely.

 

“This handwarmer is very similar to the one I used in the palace!” Xie Zhiqing exclaimed, “Oh! The one I had before was octagonal. Apart from that, it’s almost exactly the same!”

 

He returned to Lang Sa’s side, asking, “Where did you get this from?”

 

Lang Sa tilted his face up slightly, a hint of a smile evident in his fair cheeks and the corners of his eyes.

 

Without giving it away, Lang Sa averted his gaze, tapping the handwarmer with his knuckles and said vaguely, “I happened to come across it and thought the design suited you, so I got it. I didn’t expect it to be so coincidental.”

 

Xie Zhiqing cradled the handwarmer in his arms and caressed it joyfully. Alone on the vast grassland, even a familiar object could make him feel a sense of belonging.

 

Setting down the item in his hands, he thanked Lang Sa, “Thank you.”

 

Lang Sa replied, “No need to thank me. I should be doing these things.”

 

The grassland wind was strong, and Xie Zhiqing’s hair was messed up in just a few steps. He reached to fix it, and Lang Sa helped him by tucking a few strands that were caught in his hair accessory.

 

The strands were soft and smooth, curling around Lang Sa’s fingers.

 

Xie Zhiqing noticed this small gesture and asked, “What’s wrong?”

 

With a faint blush still on his fair cheeks and a smile lingering on his lips, Lang Sa avoided his gaze without revealing anything. He lightly knocked on the handwarmer and said, “Your hair was messy.”

 

Later, Lang Sa took him to see his original residence.

 

“In the future… we probably won’t come here often, after all…” Lang Sa hesitated in his words, “But some matters will still be handled here. If I’m not around and you need to find me, you can come here.”

 

“…,” Xie Zhiqing pursed his lips and replied.

 

They wouldn’t come here often in the future… of course not, the two of them were already married, how could they sleep apart?! Both Xie Zhiqing and Lang Sa naturally would stay in the new room they had just seen!

 

Xie Zhiqing still couldn’t accept this fact in his heart, so he awkwardly pretended not to hear and brushed it off.

 

Fortunately, Ateus appeared in time, easing the awkward atmosphere.

 

Ateus trotted over, wanting to get close to Xie Zhiqing, but his suddenly pale face frightened the wolf, and it abruptly turned and stood next to Lang Sa, rubbing its nose against his leg.

 

“Oh, right,” Lang Sa squatted down and patted Ateus’ head, saying, “You can also have it find me.”

 

Ateus wore a cold, indifferent wolf face as it looked at Xie Zhiqing, its tail behind its butt wagging rapidly.

 

Xie Zhiqing was amused by this contrast. He cautiously took a couple of steps towards Ateus, extended a trembling index finger, and tried to mimic Lang Sa by touching the wolf’s head.

 

Ateus got excited and hurried forward a few steps…

 

…which scared Xie Zhiqing away again.

 

“…,” Xie Zhiqing was speechless and trembling, “You… you…”

 

In the end, Lang Sa bent down, used his left hand to cover Ateus’ mouth, and repeatedly reassured Xie Zhiqing, “See, I’m holding it, it won’t bite.”

 

Only then did Xie Zhiqing dare to extend his hand again, gently touching the top of Ateus’ head.

 

The fur beneath his fingertips was rough and coarse, even slightly scratchy. Gaining some courage, Xie Zhiqing placed his entire palm on the wolf’s head.

 

Ateus moved a bit, lightly rubbing against his palm. Then, it lifted its front paw, attempting to nudge Xie Zhiqing’s arm with its paw pad. However, just as its sharp wolf claws were about to appear, Xie Zhiqing tensed up again.

 

Ateus looked disappointed and put its paw down.

 

Lang Sa released Ateus, patted its back, and said, “Alright, go play.”

 

Ateus obediently left, but after a few steps, it came back again.

 

“Oh, looks like my parents are here,” Lang Sa said, glancing into the distance.

 

 

*

 

After waiting for quite a while without seeing their son and his newlywed wife, the old Wolf King and the old Wolf Queen decided to personally come and check the situation.

 

The old Wolf King didn’t differ much from what Xie Zhiqing had imagined, but the old Wolf Queen took him by surprise.

 

She… was a half-lycanthrope, with a pair of pointed ears on her head.

 

Xie Zhiqing casually glanced over and wondered how those ears would feel. He wished he had touched Ateus’ ears earlier…

 

While lost in these thoughts, the old Wolf Queen chuckled softly and scolded, “Aren’t you coming over here?”

 

Lang Sa clicked his tongue and walked slowly towards them.

 

“Who said it was you?” The old Wolf Queen arched an eyebrow, “I see you every day, who wants to see you? Of course, I was asking the little prince to come!”

 

Xie Zhiqing, suddenly named, exclaimed, “!”

 

He scratched his face and walked over, standing in front of the two.

 

He carefully observed Lang Sa’s parents and hesitated over how to address them. “Father and Mother” was hard to say, and “Wolf King and Wolf Queen” felt too unfamiliar.

 

However, the old Wolf Queen didn’t give him much time to struggle.

 

She grabbed Xie Zhiqing and spun him around a few times, then said with satisfaction, “Not bad, he’s a handsome lad. Hurry up and give me a wolf grandchild.”

 

Xie Zhiqing: “…”

 

Lang Sa exploded in anger, his fury almost reaching Xie Zhiqing despite the few steps between them.

 

He angrily questioned, “What kind of words are those? Saying something like this the first time you meet someone? You’re an elder!”

 

The old Wolf Queen raised an eyebrow, immediately counterattacking, “You know nothing! These are the clever words that people from the Central Plains must say when they get married! ‘Early birth of an esteemed son,’ oh, right, ‘early birth of an esteemed son!'”

 

Lang Sa snorted and didn’t engage in the topic any further.

 

Oddly enough, he didn’t refute the idea of them having a son together.

 

*

 

Indeed, the wolf tribe’s customs were different from those in the Central Plains. Even when the Wolf King got married, they didn’t have the tradition of a wedding feast or bridal chamber antics.

 

This actually made Xie Zhiqing breathe a sigh of relief. After all, he hadn’t traveled far before, and even though they had been in a horse-drawn carriage the whole way, he still felt extremely tired. With no grand ceremony this evening, he could finally rest properly.

 

Lang Sa helped him spread out the blanket. Unlike the exquisite ones in the An Yu palace, this one was softer and lighter.

 

Lang Sa explained, “It’s very cold here. During winter, you need this type of sable fur to stay warm.”

 

After arranging Xie Zhiqing’s blanket, Lang Sa spread a layer of sable fur on the ground, apparently preparing a makeshift bed.

 

Xie Zhiqing could guess his intention, feeling both awkward and grateful.

 

No matter what, they had only known each other for a short period of time. However, since they were married, they would eventually have to share a bed.

 

Xie Zhiqing thought it wasn’t appropriate and walked over to Lang Sa, holding his hand and softly saying, “You… don’t need to do this.”

 

Lang Sa replied, “It’s still early, and we have a long future ahead. There’s no need… I’m not rushing things. You’ve just arrived on the grassland, and adapting to life here is more important than anything else. Also…”

 

“With so many recent matters, I’ve been away for more than ten days. I don’t even know how many things have piled up to be dealt with. I can’t guarantee that I’ll be back before you sleep every night. So, for these few days, we’ll sleep separately to avoid disturbing you.” Lang Sa calmly stated, “After the tiring journey, you must be exhausted too. Rest well for the next few days.”

 

Finishing his words, he lightly touched Xie Zhiqing’s ear and said, “Let’s sleep for now. I need to go out for a moment.”

 

Xie Zhiqing was puzzled, “Going out so late? It’s already dark outside.”

 

“Yes, there’s something I need to take care of,” Lang Sa said, “You sleep first, don’t wait for me.”

 

He lightly touched Xie Zhiqing’s earlobe with his fingertip and whispered, “I’m going to find a gift for you. You’ll see it when you wake up tomorrow morning.”

 

With that, he hurriedly left.

 

*

 

Xie Zhiqing was truly exhausted, but he couldn’t seem to fall into a deep sleep.

 

Not having been away from An Yu before, he wasn’t aware of it until now, but he seemed to have a thing about beds. Moreover, even though the sable fur blanket was soft and comfortable, its lightness made him feel unsettled, as if he wasn’t fully covered.

 

And… he couldn’t stop thinking about the gift Lang Sa had mentioned.

 

 

Honestly, this person, how could he keep someone in suspense like this? An irritated thought echoed in Xie Zhiqing’s mind as he drifted in and out of a half-asleep state.