After The Soft And Cute Beauty Marries The Wolf King - Chapter 7

 

“This trip has been quite long, and by the time I returned, the little rabbit was already asleep in its nest.

 

Xie Zhiqing cleaned the picked grass and asked Lang Sa to help find a large bowl.

 

“I don’t know where you put your things, so I have to trouble you,” Xie Zhiqing said, “I need a large bowl with an open mouth, filled with water.”

 

Lang Sa asked, “To give it water?”

 

Xie Zhiqing nodded, “Yes, so it’s better if it’s not too high, otherwise it won’t be able to reach.”

 

Lang Sa said, “Got it,” turned around in the room, and quickly found a few bowls to hand over to Xie Zhiqing.

 

After finishing the food for the rabbit, Lang Sa asked, “Have you named it yet?”

 

Xie Zhiqing said seriously, “Fugui’er, call it Fugui’er.”

 

“What?” Lang Sa almost doubted if he had misheard, “What did you say? Call it what?”

 

“Fugui’er,” Xie Zhiqing said, “We have a saying, ‘A humble name is easy to raise.'”

 

Lang Sa didn’t reply, just looked at Xie Zhiqing with his arms crossed, his expression somewhere between “say it again and I’ll throw you out” and “say it again and I begrudgingly accept.”

 

After restraining himself for a while, Xie Zhiqing finally couldn’t hold back the smile at the corner of his mouth. He suppressed a smile, chuckled a few times, and looked mischievously triumphant.

 

“Alright, alright, just kidding,” Xie Zhiqing quickly said again, “Call it Fufu, with the ‘grass’ character at the beginning.”

 

The little rabbit was still sleeping, unaware that it already had a new name when it woke up. At this moment, it was smacking its lips in its dream, unaware of what it had dreamed about.

 

Atez hid behind Xie Zhiqing, peeking out with curiosity from behind him, its golden wolf eyes fixed on Fufu.

 

*

 

After making a simple rabbit nest for Fufu, Xie Zhiqing politely thanked, “Thank you, Lang Sa.”

 

“No need to be polite, just a small effort.”

 

Xie Zhiqing pursed his lips, a shallow dimple appearing on his cheek as he said, “I mean, thank you for helping me catch the rabbit.”

 

He pulled Lang Sa to sit down—before sitting down, he carefully took the cage of Fufu away and placed it at a faraway place from Lang Sa and Atez, so Fufu wouldn’t be scared and run around if it woke up.

 

“I really like rabbits!” Xie Zhiqing said, a bit embarrassed, taking out the jade rabbit he had brought from his embrace to show Lang Sa, “Before, my two elder brothers always liked to buy rabbit-shaped things for me. But it’s a pity, I’ve never really raised a real rabbit.”

 

Xie Zhiqing rambled, “There’s nothing I can do about it. Even if I raise one, the palace maids would take care of it. I can only play with them during my free time.”

 

He used both hands to cover his face, his eyes shining, “I never thought I’d fulfill this wish here, it’s really great! Oh, right!”

 

Xie Zhiqing suddenly remembered something, “Lang Sa, where’s the writing materials? I’ve safely arrived on the grassland, so I should write a letter to my father and the others to let them know.”

 

As soon as he finished speaking, Lang Sa seemed to magically produce a small bag and laid out its contents in front of Xie Zhiqing.

 

It was the writing materials he needed.

 

Then Lang Sa went to the cabinet to get paper and a ruler for Xie Zhiqing.

 

“Make do with these, I don’t know if they suit you.” Lang Sa said, “Just like I said before, if there’s anything you’re not satisfied with, let me know. I’m not very familiar with these things, I just bought some randomly, I don’t know if they suit you.”

 

Xie Zhiqing said, “They’ll do, no need for many requirements.”

 

He thought for a moment, then added, “Lang Sa, thank you.”

 

However, Lang Sa held his wrist and said in a deep voice, “No need to be so polite with me, you don’t have to thank me all the time.”

 

He flicked Xie Zhiqing’s fingers with his hand and spoke softly, his voice barely audible, whether he was saying it to Xie Zhiqing or to himself, “You came all the way here. If even these small things can’t satisfy you, then I…”

 

Lang Sa fell silent for a moment, but in the end, he didn’t finish his sentence.

 

He let go of Xie Zhiqing’s hand, pointed to the stack of rice paper on the table, and returned to his usual tone, saying, “Start writing, should I leave for a while?”

 

Xie Zhiqing was amused, “It’s not like I’m writing something bad about you or tattling, why do you need to avoid it?”

 

He spread out the rice paper, pondered for a while, and then began to write.

 

The content of the letter was nothing more than letting them know he had safely arrived among the Wolf Clan, everything was fine, and they need not worry. He also inquired about the Second Prince’s leg and his young sister. After that, he didn’t have much else to write.

 

This was Xie Zhiqing’s first time leaving home, but he already knew that for his family back in Anyu, no news was sometimes the best news.

 

Between Anyu and the grassland lay a distance of a thousand miles. How could such a great amount of worry be endured over such a long distance?

 

*

 

In the Anyu Kingdom, six days later.

 

【…Child is safe and sound, father, please do not worry.】

 

The Emperor sighed and handed the letter to an old eunuch beside him, asking him to pass it to the people waiting eagerly to read the letter in the hall.

 

After the letter had been circulated among the people for a while, the Emperor looked at another memorial on the imperial desk.

 

When Xie Zhiqing got married, the Wolf King had promised to hand over the people who were planning to invade Anyu to them. A few days ago, those individuals had finally arrived in the capital. After a night of interrogation, their strategy to attack Anyu was detailed in this memorial.

 

The contents of that memorial were shocking.

 

Those people had already understood the customs of Anyu, a small country, and had set their sights on the country’s small population and focus on agriculture, intending to seize their farmland and food. Not only that, they had even gathered information about the royal family’s composition. They placed the key to breaking into the Anyu Imperial City on…

 

Xie Zhifeng and Xie Zhiqing.

 

Xie Zhifeng had a leg disability, and Xie Zhiqing had no martial skills. Unfortunately, these two people were extremely curious about the world outside the palace and often went

 

out for a stroll.

 

Those individuals were waiting patiently for an opportunity, waiting for these two to leave the palace again.

 

The Emperor’s fingers absentmindedly scraped over the memorial, his gaze returning to the letter from Xie Zhiqing.

 

【…The Wolf King is kind, the clan members are enthusiastic…】

 

The Emperor closed the memorial and carefully put away Xie Zhiqing’s letter, instructing the old eunuch to keep it safe.

 

He sat on the dragon throne, lost in thought.

 

It turned out that this marriage not only determined the fate of the Anyu Kingdom but also the lives of his twin children…

 

The Emperor closed his eyes, pressing his thumb against his nose bridge, repeatedly recalling the words Xie Zhiqing had written in the letter.

 

Hopefully, that Wolf King sincerely treats him.

 

*

 

Lately, these few days, Lang Sa had finally finished handling the accumulated matters of the Wolf Clan during his trip to Anyu, but he still remained busy and rarely returned before Xie Zhiqing fell asleep. Moreover, like an ordinary wolf, Lang Sa was more active during the night.

 

Although the two were in the same room, they still slept in separate beds.

 

This arrangement was far from ideal, but…

 

Even as he became more familiar with Lang Sa, Xie Zhiqing still couldn’t accept this sudden marriage.

 

Fortunately, Lang Sa had no objections to this arrangement. He continued to sleep on the ground, just like he did initially.

 

Having the leader of the clan sleep on the ground wasn’t something that sounded good, but Lang Sa mentioned that firstly, no one would know these details, and secondly, no one would bother about it.

 

He described it so casually, as if it were as trivial as drinking water or eating.

 

Over time, Xie Zhiqing stopped agonizing over whether it was polite or reasonable. Gradually, he got used to Lang Sa’s nocturnal schedule.

 

On this night, Xie Zhiqing fell asleep early as usual.

 

The grassland was indeed cold, and with his ears exposed outside the blanket, they grew chilly in no time.

 

Xie Zhiqing shifted from lying on his left side to lying on his right, alternating to warm both ears, before finally closing his eyes and settling into sleep.

 

At this moment, the door of the room creaked open.

 

“Lang Sa?” Xie Zhiqing asked in a soft voice.

 

He initially wanted to ask why Lang Sa was back so early, but he felt that his words might sound like he didn’t want Lang Sa to return, so he swallowed his words.

 

It was too cold outside, and Xie Zhiqing didn’t even want to prop himself up. He continued lying comfortably under the warm blanket, quietly awaiting Lang Sa’s response.

 

He didn’t know that his mosquito-like voice was drowned out by the sound of the door closing, and Lang Sa didn’t hear it nor did he realize that Xie Zhiqing was still awake.

 

Unaware of all this, Lang Sa assumed that just like all the previous nights, Xie Zhiqing had already fallen asleep soundly. So, just as usual, he walked over to the bedside after removing his furry gloves, and gently touched Xie Zhiqing’s ear with his warm palm.

 

In a few moments, he expressed his endearment secretly, just as he had done so many nights before, while Xie Zhiqing slumbered on, unaware.

 

“Sweet dreams, Xiao Qing’er.”

 

*

 

Long before Lang Sa approached the bedside, Xie Zhiqing instinctively closed his eyes.

 

The world in front of him turned pitch-black, and the only sensation he could still feel was the warmth from Lang Sa’s hand.

 

It wasn’t until he felt an unusual touch on his forehead that he quietly held his breath.

 

Lang Sa was… kissing him.

 

The kiss was as light as a feather.

 

Lang Sa withdrew from the bedside soon after, arranging his own bedding before lying down. It wasn’t long before only the sound of even breathing remained.

 

Listening to Lang Sa’s breath, Xie Zhiqing unknowingly fell asleep.

 

In his dream, Lang Sa’s gaze looked at him so affectionately that he found it hard to bear. Whenever he turned his head away, Lang Sa’s firm grip on his chin gently brought his gaze back. This time, Lang Sa’s kiss landed on the tip of his nose.