Chapter 71

 Pei Yuan stood there without moving, and Bao Ning laughed, "What are you afraid of? I'm not going to poke you."

Pei Yuan slowly sat down. Bao Ning went to the small kitchen to fetch some hot water and placed it at Pei Yuan's feet, "Take off your boots and wash up properly."

She sat back by the bed and continued sewing the clothes from last night, her face bowed, and the candlelight cast long shadows of her eyelashes.

Pei Yuan sneaked a glance at her, thinking how beautiful she looked like this, yet also feeling the atmosphere in the room was a bit strange.

"Are you hungry?" Bao Ning glanced at him. "What do you want to eat tonight? We're by the lake, the fish are very fresh. How about fish?"

Pei Yuan put his feet into the hot water. The temperature was just right, a bit scalding, and the wounds stung when they touched the water. He sighed comfortably, "Fish sounds good."

Bao Ning asked, "Do you want it steamed, sweet and sour, or pan-fried?"

Pei Yuan rolled up his trouser legs, soaking his entire calf, and squinted his eyes, "I want soup, crucian carp stewed with tofu, the broth white and thick, with steamed buns."

"Oh." Bao Ning bit off the thread, tied a knot, and searched for another color of thread, threading the needle, "I don't feel like eating, so you cook what you want."

Pei Yuan felt stifled. He thought to himself, women are really hard to deal with. She had been waiting for him to say that.

Pei Yuan lost the mood to soak his feet comfortably. He quickly washed them with soap, rinsed them clean, dried them with a towel, and hurried to Bao Ning's side, asking softly, "Are you angry?"

Bao Ning put the needle back into the needle board, turned her head, and pinched his ear lightly, "You're so grown up, why bicker with kids? And fighting, does winning make you proud? If you're going to fight, do it outside. Why smash things in the house and break so many of my vases? Aren't I allowed to be angry?"

"You are, you are." Pei Yuan rubbed his head against her, coaxing softly, "It was my fault. He's your younger brother. What can't I endure? Next time, I'll let him have his way."

Bao Ning asked, "Let him have his way how?"

"If he wants to curse, let him curse. I'll listen, applaud him, and even hire someone to write an ode for him. I'll praise him, saying his words are like lotus flowers, and even cursing, he's as charming as his sister, making people want to kiss him twice." Pei Yuan got more and more off track, holding Bao Ning's face and giving her a hard kiss on the cheek, "You're so sweet."

Bao Ning wasn't really angry. They had quarreled enough before, and she knew his annoying temper. Now, little squabbles couldn't make her angry. But seeing Pei Yuan being sticky and sweet-talking, she felt he was a sweet talker. Back then, she must have been blind to think he was high and mighty and hard to approach. He's a complete rogue.

Pei Yuan saw the corners of her lips curl up and smiled too, kissing her cheek dimple, "Another sweet one, a kiss on the lips."

Bao Ning snorted twice, waving the needle to threaten him, "If you keep acting up, I'll really poke you."

Pei Yuan stopped. He sat cross-legged, and Bao Ning beckoned him with her finger, "Your foot."

Pei Yuan extended one foot, and Bao Ning placed a clean cloth on her lap before putting his foot on it.

Pei Yuan saw her actions and made a sound, "Hiss, are you saying I'm not clean?"

Bao Ning glanced at him, "Don't you know yourself if you're clean or not? It's very good that I'm helping you pick them, not minding you."

"Why do you look down on me so much!" Pei Yuan was very dissatisfied, pulling Bao Ning's calf into his arms, grabbing her ankle, and biting her ankle, then turned his head and said, "It stinks."

"What's wrong with you!" Bao Ning retracted her leg, picked up a pillow beside her, and hit him, annoyed, "Do it yourself, I'm not helping you anymore!"

"Alright, alright, I was wrong." Seeing her cheeks flushed with anger, Pei Yuan quickly apologized, holding her foot in his arms, "You're so sweet, let me warm you up, don't let my darling get cold."

Bao Ning widened her eyes, "Aren't you done yet!"

Pei Yuan said repeatedly, "I am, I am." He released Bao Ning's ankle, gently placing it back to its original position, tidying her trouser legs, "Is this okay now?"

Bao Ning was speechless. She realized Pei Yuan's glibness seemed to have intensified, like a rogue hooligan.

She still had to pack up things for Ji Yun to take home, wanting to finish Pei Yuan's matter early, so she didn't bicker with him anymore. She efficiently roasted the needle over the fire again, pulled his foot, picked open with two stitches, applied medicine, wrapped it with a white cloth, and handed it back to him.

"Does your leg hurt?" Bao Ning pressed his knee and glanced at the sky outside, "Luckily, it hasn't rained these past two days."

"It's alright." Pei Yuan lay back, "I'm not that fragile, I can endure it."

"This can't go on forever. If you're marching in battle in the future or encounter something important, it will be troublesome if it rains." Bao Ning put away the medicine bottles, storing them in the cabinet, "You can't keep dragging it on. You'll grow old one day."

When this topic came up, the smile on Pei Yuan's face faded slightly. He turned his face, looking at Bao Ning's expression.

Bao Ning asked, "Gongsun Zhu is dead, and he didn't have the antidote, but didn't he have a son? What's his name?"

Pei Yuan said, "No one knows, only that he's in his early twenties now. Perhaps he's not with Pei Xiao, never seen him."

Bao Ning paused, then suddenly said, "Should we use a wheelchair? Your leg is much better now, but it still needs to be taken care of. Don't keep running around, it's not beneficial. It's better to keep resting."

In Bao Ning's mind, Pei Yuan's leg was like the rice in the rice jar, the more you eat, the less there is, the more you use, the more you consume. Unless it's necessary for him to move, she truly hoped Pei Yuan could just lie in the house, taking good care of himself.

Bao Ning said it lightly, but Pei Yuan reacted strongly, "I won't sit in that, like a cripple!"

He sat up, pointing outside the window, "Ning Ning, if you really care for me, send that dog outside away. What a thing, looking like that, can't imagine how ugly it will be when it grows up. I've lived so many years, and it's the first time I've been hurt by a dog."

"It can't be sent away." Bao Ning stood up, still busy with many tasks, bustling around, sparing a moment to talk to Pei Yuan, "My brother gave it to me, I have to take good care of it. Later, I'll ask Liu Ma to buy a few more pounds of beef from town, I need to feed Jixiang beef so it grows strong and healthy."

"Eating beef..." Pei Yuan snorted coldly, "You never thought of giving me that."

Bao Ning folded clothes at the table, "I also need to make a nest for it. When it grows up, it definitely can't be kept in the house."

Bao Ning looked up, "Are you free tomorrow to give me a hand? I can't handle the nailing work alone."

"I'm not free." Pei Yuan was exasperated, "You do it yourself, I'll tear it down sooner or later!"

"That's not going to happen." Bao Ning placed the clothes on the wrapping paper and slowly tied a knot. "Don't forget, this is my estate now. Every blade of grass, tree, flower, and fruit here was bought by my brother and given to me. If you try to tear it down by force, you'll be breaking the law. Fourth Prince, you're relying on someone else's hospitality now, so you'd better be smart about it."

Bao Ning hugged the bulging package and smiled at him, "Otherwise, be careful, or I'll kick you out."

Pei Yuan had originally planned to get along well with Ji Yun, but hearing Bao Ning's words, he felt a pang of jealousy. Ever since meeting Ji Yun, Bao Ning had been talking about her brother nonstop, and all the clothes she had packed were for her brother. He, the official husband, had now become someone living under someone else's roof.

Pei Yuan stood up, his face darkening, "We'll move out tomorrow."

Bao Ning pursed her lips, "Why? I'm living well here. I'm not going anywhere."

Pei Yuan tried to reason with her, "I'm much wealthier than your brother."

Bao Ning shook her head in disbelief, dusting off her skirt, "I've heard you brag about this all day. You said a long time ago that when Wei Meng returned, you would give me the house deeds and land deeds so I could be the mistress of the household. Now that Wei Meng has been back for a while, where are the deeds? Where's the money? There's nothing."

At this point, Bao Ning remembered something and said, "I forgot to tell you that I took out my private savings and plan to buy a shop in town..."

Pei Yuan, provoked by her previous words, interrupted with a dark face, "Just wait, in a few days, I'll show you that your husband is much richer than your brother."

After speaking, he threw a cloak over his shoulders and hurried out.

Bao Ning didn't understand why he suddenly became so angry. She turned and leaned out the window, standing on tiptoe to ask, "Where are you going? Aren't you having dinner?"

Pei Yuan replied, "We'll talk when I get back!"

...

Wei Meng had just finished eating and was lying on the bed picking his teeth when Pei Yuan kicked the door open, startling him.

Pei Yuan immediately asked, "I told you to return to the capital today, why haven't you gone?"

Wei Meng tossed the toothpick onto the ground and explained, "The road is blocked. The brothers are clearing it, and it should be ready by tomorrow afternoon. I'll go back overnight."

"Go back as soon as possible!" Pei Yuan said, "Also, quickly organize all the properties under my name, and bring me the house deeds and land deeds. I need them urgently."

Wei Meng said, "That's easy. They're in my lockbox. But why the sudden interest in this?"

Pei Yuan frowned, "Don't ask."

After finishing his business, he was concerned about the situation with Bao Ning. Just as he was about to leave, he remembered the secret letter they found in Pei Xiao's study and asked, "Is someone watching the Crown Prince's residence?"

"They're being watched," Wei Meng said with a cold laugh. "That little thief is clever, didn't dare write the recipient's name on the letter, definitely something suspicious."

Pei Yuan nodded, "Let me know as soon as you find anything."

Wei Meng nodded, hesitated for a moment, then said, "Zhang Yun just came by."

Zhang Yun was Pei Yuan's deputy, stationed at the general's residence. With the road blocked, why would he come here?

Wei Meng said, "He came to deliver a message. General Qiu wants to see you. Qiu Lingjun was just released and is probably in bad shape. I guess he's afraid you have more tricks up your sleeve and is here to plead."

"I won't see him for personal matters!" Pei Yuan turned to leave, "Tell Zhang Yun to focus on leading the troops and not meddle in other affairs."

Watching Pei Yuan's retreating figure, Wei Meng clicked his tongue, thinking that Pei Yuan was truly ruthless. Birds of a feather flock together, after all, just like him.

...

The day after seeing Ji Yun off, Bao Ning planned to make a nest for Jixiang, but the wood was hard to come by. She asked Liu Ma to find someone to buy it, while she sketched out the plans.

The wood was expected to arrive in three days. Bao Ning finished preparing Pei Yuan's spare clothes and, with nothing else to do, sat under the grape trellis, coating candied fruits.

Since hawthorns weren't in season and she didn't like sour things, she made candied red dates. The filling was abundant, with red dates cut in half, stuffed with two raisins, and a walnut in between. Even without the sugar coating, they were delicious, sweet, and fragrant.

The sugar pot was set under the grapevine, with two dogs and a sheep lying nearby, basking in the sun. Bao Ning had never made this before and was pondering with Liu Ma how best to boil the syrup.

Pei Yuan swaggered over with a stack of papers in hand, waved Liu Ma away, and sat down. He held the corner of the papers between his fingers, raising an eyebrow as he tossed them in front of Bao Ning.

"Take a look."

Bao Ning laughed, "What is it?"

Pei Yuan picked up a red date and popped it in his mouth, "Something to make you stand tall as the mistress of the household."

Bao Ning nodded and went through the papers one by one, feeling secretly pleased. She wasn't greedy for money, but who doesn't love wealth? Seeing Pei Yuan's substantial assets also made her happy.

Pei Yuan had been a prince, never short of money, and loved to dabble in everything. Although most of his ventures were not particularly successful, they accumulated into a considerable fortune.

Bao Ning roughly calculated in her mind that if these properties and shops were converted into silver, it would be enough to support their family comfortably for three generations.

Pei Yuan played with a walnut, teasing the dogs, and glanced at Bao Ning's expression, feeling smug.

Suddenly, Bao Ning noticed something, slowly pulling out a sheet from the stack and reading the name aloud, "Qingluo Workshop."

Pei Yuan's face immediately changed.

Bao Ning asked, "Qingluo Workshop, what kind of shop is this?"

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