After The Soft And Cute Beauty Marries The Wolf King - Chapter 8

 

 

 

Xie Zhiqing fell into a drowsy sleep, and when he opened his eyes again, it was already daylight.

 

He rubbed his eyes and looked at the ground—

 

Lang Sa was still asleep.

 

Xie Zhiqing belatedly recalled the faint kiss from last night before sleep.

 

“…” He turned over to face away from Lang Sa, his fingers twisting the blanket.

 

After a whole night had passed, the lip imprint on his forehead suddenly began to feel warm.

 

 

 

 

He counted the days since he had arrived on the grassland, excluding the few days on the road. It had been almost half a month. Other than the cold weather, he hadn’t found anything else difficult to adapt to. Even the meals were prepared according to his preferences.

 

He hadn’t paid much attention before, but now he realized that this was probably Lang Sa’s arrangement.

 

Lang Sa… was treating him well.

 

He had thought that this marriage was simply for the stability and peace of Anyu. The various rumors about Lang Sa had almost scared him half to death.

 

 

 

 

But now, it seemed that Lang Sa was treating him sincerely; their marriage…

 

Should be sincere as well.

 

Xie Zhiqing scratched his face, got up from the bed, and dressed.

 

Since they were already married, he should do something for Lang Sa!

 

Starting from today, starting from now.

 

He quietly tidied up Fufu’s rabbit nest, then opened the door and went to the adjacent kitchen to find something to eat—there was a small kitchen behind the house, dedicated to Xie Zhiqing’s use.

 

 

 

 

He brought some pastries back to the room. To his surprise, by the time he took those few steps, Lang Sa was already awake.

 

Lang Sa was clad in a thin robe, squatting barefoot in front of Fufu, watching it eat.

 

Hearing the door, Lang Sa turned around and asked, “What do you want for breakfast?”

 

Xie Zhiqing pointed to the pastries on the small plate, happily saying, “They seem to be scented with jasmine green tea. Come and try.”

 

Lang Sa straightened his clothes, yawned, and said, “I’m coming.”

 

After spending these days together, Fufu had grown bolder and no longer resisted or avoided Lang Sa. However, it still remained greatly fearful of Ateus.

 

 

 

 

Ateus felt quite frustrated about this but had no way to change the situation. It could only sit in a corner, dejectedly watching the new addition to the family from a distance.

 

*

 

After breakfast, Lang Sa still looked half-asleep.

 

Yawning, he said, “There’s one thing I truly admire your father, the Emperor, for.”

 

Xie Zhiqing blinked. “Morning court?”

 

“Yes, morning court.” Lang Sa yawned endlessly. “It’s been exhausting.”

 

Xie Zhiqing had heard about the habits of the Wolf Clan.

 

 

 

 

Recently, Lang Sa had been returning home very late at night, which wasn’t entirely his fault. The entire Wolf Clan was mostly active from noon onward.

 

Today, Lang Sa had woken up early in the morning, which was quite unusual.

 

As expected, after breakfast, Lang Sa left the house and didn’t return until evening.

 

“Xiao Qing’er, change into warmer clothes. I’ll take you somewhere,” Lang Sa said excitedly, “Clothes that can block the wind.”

 

Xie Zhiqing quickly put on a jade green furry vest and wore the felt hat that Old Wolf King had given him a few days ago. He was now covered head to toe in fur, soft and warm.

 

 

 

 

Lang Sa helped him fasten the buttons of the vest, then fetched one of his own cloaks for Xie Zhiqing to put on.

 

The cloak looked overly large on Xie Zhiqing, and the hood covered his eyes. After a bit of fumbling, they managed to adjust the angle of the hood to fit properly.

 

Lang Sa then dashed back to the room and returned with a hand warmer for Xie Zhiqing to carry.

 

Nighttime on the grassland was even colder than daytime, and Xie Zhiqing couldn’t bring himself to say “Don’t go through so much trouble.” He touched the intricate patterns on the exterior of the hand warmer, glanced at the tall figure in front of him, and felt a profound warmth in his heart.

 

*

 

 

 

 

Lang Sa led him to the edge of a cliff.

 

As Xie Zhiqing took a few steps toward the cliff, he hesitated. He grabbed onto Lang Sa’s sleeve and asked softly, “Is there no path ahead?”

 

Lang Sa merely smiled, refusing to answer. Sensing Xie Zhiqing’s fear, he held onto him tightly as if he could feel his apprehension.

 

Xie Zhiqing struggled but couldn’t break free. He had no choice but to continue following behind. After walking for five or six more steps, he peeked out from behind Lang Sa—

 

There was a tree vine as thick as an arm hanging beyond the edge of the cliff.

 

 

 

 

Xie Zhiqing couldn’t bear to look anymore and nervously asked, “What is this?”

 

Lang Sa held him protectively and led him to the edge of the cliff. He whispered in his ear, “This is my secret hideout, no one else has been here.”

 

Pointing to the tree vine, he continued, “This place looks like a steep cliff, but beneath it is a hidden cave. I discovered it by accident when I was a child, and I spent many years cleaning it up. Now, that cave is quite spacious. I was planning to tidy it up today, and I just wanted to show it to you, but who knew—”

 

Lang Sa’s tone became mysterious, “During the day, I caught two pigeons. I’ll roast them for you!”

 

“Really!” Xie Zhiqing’s eyes lit up.

 

 

 

 

The grassland was dry, and Xie Zhiqing didn’t dare eat anything too oily or salty, fearing it would cause excessive internal heat. He had been eating plain food for the past half month, and now he was craving something more flavorful.

 

Lang Sa patted his head and said, “Get on my back, and I’ll carry you down.”

 

The cliff looked dangerous and steep, but in Lang Sa’s hands, it was only a matter of moments to descend.

 

He instructed Xie Zhiqing to hold on tightly, and with one hand supporting the small of his back and the other holding onto the tree vine, they easily slid down the edge of the cliff.

 

Finally, with a strong push of his right foot, they landed steadily on the ground.

 

 

 

 

Xie Zhiqing felt like he hadn’t even fully seen the view below the cliff when he was already carried into the cave by Lang Sa.

 

True to Lang Sa’s words, the cave held an entirely different world inside.

 

Xie Zhiqing hopped down and took a few steps, excitedly exclaiming, “It’s so spacious!”

 

This little cave was probably about the same size as their small house.

 

“Yes, I carved it out bit by bit,” Lang Sa’s voice carried a hint of pride, “It was much smaller at the beginning.”

 

 

 

 

He then gestured towards two small cushions placed nearby, saying, “Go and sit over there. I’ll roast the pigeons for you.”

 

“Great!” Xie Zhiqing cheered.

 

The two pigeons Lang Sa had caught were already prepared, clean

 

without a trace of blood. Lang Sa set up a makeshift roasting rack and soon had a fire going.

 

Xie Zhiqing could smell the aroma and eagerly moved closer.

 

He wasn’t sure what seasoning Lang Sa used for the pigeons, but as soon as they were placed over the fire, a fragrant scent wafted out.

 

 

 

 

Xie Zhiqing poked Lang Sa’s shoulder and asked, “Did you wake up so early just to do this?”

 

Lang Sa nodded. “I had to prepare them in advance for marinating.”

 

Xie Zhiqing, not accustomed to these processes, looked at the roasting pigeons becoming crispy and aromatic and held an increasing respect for Lang Sa.

 

“You’re really skillful!” Xie Zhiqing sincerely remarked.

 

Lang Sa turned to look at him.

 

 

 

 

Xie Zhiqing’s fair cheeks were lit by the firelight. He gazed at the flames, and his eyes reflected the flickering firelight like clusters of small flames.

 

Lang Sa thought about putting his hand on Xie Zhiqing’s hair, but he was worried about it not being clean and staining his dark hair.

 

In the end, Lang Sa didn’t say anything. He simply leaned back on his hands, smiling as he watched.

 

The small cave fell into silence, with only the occasional sound of crackling from the pile of firewood.

 

Xie Zhiqing found it novel and picked up a small stick to poke at the firewood. He found it amusing, but was often startled by the sparks that hadn’t been fully extinguished. Sometimes he’d lean in to poke, and other times he’d retreat with an “Ah!” sound.

 

 

 

 

Lang Sa found Xie Zhiqing amusing as he played with this trivial thing. He propped his head up with his hands and lay on the ground, his line of sight fixed on Xie Zhiqing’s slightly blushing face.

 

Finally, Xie Zhiqing put the firewood out with his “torture.” He flipped around for a while but couldn’t find even a half-burnt twig that was still lit, so he gave up.

 

Having caused chaos with the firewood, Xie Zhiqing had nothing to do. He looked around the small cave instead.

 

Lang Sa noticed his wandering gaze and proactively spoke, “I discovered this place when I was eight years old. Back then, I was mischievous, running around everywhere, even daring to jump off cliffs. That’s how I found this place.”

 

 

 

 

Sitting up from the ground, Lang Sa ran his hand along the smooth wall and continued, “Whenever I had nothing to do, I would come here. When I was feeling irritated, I would also come here. In short, this is a place that only I know about.”

 

He turned to look at Xie Zhiqing and smiled slightly. “Now, I’m sharing it with you. I plan to build a small step at the entrance. If you like it, you can come here anytime. It will be more convenient.”

 

Xie Zhiqing listened and looked at the tree vine at the entrance. He smiled and said, “Okay.”

 

The fire went out, and the temperature in the cave gradually dropped. Xie Zhiqing adjusted his clothes and softly said, “Lang Sa, even though you’ve been saying I shouldn’t thank you too much, I still want to say something. Thank you very much.”

 

He looked at Lang Sa, and in the absence of the firelight, his eyes were still clear and bright. He said, “Regardless of the reason, I’ve already come here. This place is distant and unfamiliar, and other than you, I don’t know anyone else. I should feel scared or lonely, but actually, actually, I don’t feel any of that.”

 

 

 

 

He scratched his hair and continued, “Thank you for all you’ve prepared. Even though you say it’s something you should do, I’m genuinely grateful. Fortunately, you’re here; otherwise…”

 

Xie Zhiqing pursed his lips, thought and thought, and finally just smiled. “Since you don’t want me to say thank you, then I won’t say it. Lang Sa, fortunately… fortunately, it’s you.”

 

He didn’t explicitly say the following words, but he thought that Lang Sa would understand.

 

Fortunately, the person he was bound to was Lang Sa this time. No matter what the reason, fortunately, this marriage wasn’t a disaster.

 

Lang Sa indeed smiled. He looked at Xie Zhiqing, having thought that the Emperor of Anyu must have educated his child well. Xie Zhiqing was young, yet he was extremely polite. Despite being a prince, he wasn’t spoiled in the least.

 

 

 

 

Lang Sa thought this, feeling even more fond of him. He wanted to reach out and pat Xie Zhiqing’s hair, but he worried that his hands might not be clean and could dirty his glossy black hair.

 

In the end, Lang Sa didn’t say anything. He leaned on his hands, watching him with a smile.

 

Xie Zhiqing’s pure, clean smile warmed his heart. Lang Sa wanted to touch his hair, soft and fine, like a human’s.

 

Lang Sa let his hand drop, allowing the soft strand of hair to slip between his fingers.

 

Then he tilted his chin toward Xie Zhiqing, and with a lifted eyebrow, he began, “I’m a rough person, not good at saying flowery things. I don’t want to hear you say thank you because I’m not doing these things to get your gratitude. I’m doing them because…”

 

 

 

 

Lang Sa paused and gestured, then said, “I want to make you happy. I hope you’ll be happy here, just as you were in Anyu before. And—”

 

He made a complex expression, then said, “Don’t thank me, or rather, don’t thank me with words. Just be happy.”

 

Lang Sa was speaking in Chinese, so the last line could be roughly translated as “Don’t say thanks, be happy instead.”

 

Xie Zhiqing understood. A grateful smile curved his lips, and he nodded, his eyes shining with warmth.

 

 

 

 

Lang Sa smiled back. He looked at Xie Zhiqing with tender affection in his eyes, silently sharing the sentiment.

 

And in that cozy little cave, the firelight flickered, casting a gentle glow on the two figures sitting side by side.