RVW-46.1

Ah Nan was once again woken up by her family’s fierce Wang ye.

She was still half-awake because her sleep was too deep. It still felt like she was in the illusion of time, still in the past life. It was as if she was still that ordinary girl in that steel and concrete jungle, peacefully studying, peacefully growing up, peacefully graduating and looking for work. When she had free time, she would go take a walk, watch movies, and play games with her friends, or go hunting for delicious street food and snacks, or maybe go to karaoke or ice skate, and when they see a handsome man or beautiful woman in the streets they would talk about them in envy and admiration from afar….. After working, she would go home everyday and face her mother’s nagging ‘When will you get married? Look at your cousin, she is the same age as you but has already had two children and can now live leisurely….” and so on. Then there’s also her father solemnly saying ‘When you have gotten a boyfriend, bring him home for us to see. If his character isn’t good, there’s no need to marry……” and such.

Those very ordinary and mediocre lives of hers were also really happy. She hadn’t had the brash and flamboyant character of a modern person nor a prosperous family or identity, but she had been free and leisurely, can be said to be good and honest, not selfish, and would willingly help others when she could…..

The haze in her eyes gradually cleared, and in front of her eyes was a man with a very beautiful face, but his expression was solemn and serious as he was thinking. And yet his actions didn’t reflect the slightest bit of solemnity or seriousness.

Ah Nan turned her head to release the hand that was pinching her face, and then opened her mouth and bit it, not letting go.

“Open your mouth! Are you a cat?!”

Chu Baning snorted a little. Those delicate white teeth still biting his hand, it wasn’t that it hurted, just that the moist, soft, and slippery mouth slid over his sensitive skin, kind of tingly and numb.

It took Ah Nan quite some time before realizing who exactly she was biting, making her immediately release her bite out of fear. Her expression terrified as she looked at him.

Chu Baning really couldn’t bear seeing such an expression on her face, so with his slightly cold face, he once again pinched her cheek.

Ah Nan didn’t know what happened to him today, but her face had been repeatedly pinched by a certain someone, it was quite an indescribable bewilderment.

It wasn’t painful, just a little bit aggrieved. But maybe it was because she had just woken up and had yet to adapt to the light, her eyes hurt a little and thus tears started to come out. It was purely a physiological reaction though, nothing else.

“Wang ye……” Ah Nan cried out softly.

Chu Baning, seeing a layer of hazy  tears in her eyes, lifted his robes and sat up on the bed, then picked her up into his embrace along with the blanket. After hesitating a little, he put his fingertips on her face and said in a low voice, “Why are you crying? Ben wang had yet to settle the accounts with you but you cried first.”

“Chen qie isn’t crying…..” Ah Nan said with her voice slightly muffled, lowering her head.

She was just dreaming about those things in her previous life, then slept for too long and her eyes ached a little. It was really just a physiological reaction, she didn’t really cry. Even if Wang ye wanted to bully her, she also wouldn’t really cry…..

Chu Baning lifted her face, his deep and abyssal-like eyes directly meeting her eyes.

Chu Baning’s eyes were actually very standard eyes among men here. His eyes were almond-shaped to be exact, the width of his eyes were beautifully proportionate, similar to the width of phoenix eyes¹You know phoenix eyes, the ones with outer corners kinda incline upwards and seem “sharp”, here Chu Baning’s eyes are wide but the outer corners aren’t sharp. with rounded outer corners. Not too big nor small, just at the right size. But the depth of those eyes were just too deep and heavy, like a deep bottomless abyss. His gaze was so cold it was hard for others to meet his gaze.

Ah Nan’s body has been petrified by his gaze.

Chu Baning wasn’t one who could comfort others, usually he just straightforwardly took action, so he also didn’t console the someone who was currently weak in spirit. He just lowered his head and used his lips to give her kisses on her eyes, and with more kisses he gave the gentler they became.

Ah Nan’s heart was quickly softened into a gooey mess, she faced Chu Baning and gave him a very sweet and soft smile, very pleasing and charming. Ah Nan then recalled his words just now about wanting to settle accounts with her and decided to defend herself first, “Wang ye, Chen qie didn’t come here without cause or reason. Chen qie was just obeying Mu hou’s order. And this, there is Mu hou’s decree here. Mu hou told Chen qie to come here and serve you……” Ah Nan said as she groped under her pillow on the head of the bed and took out the imperial decree with the Empress Dowager stamp on it that she stuffed there before sleeping. She then handed it to Chu Baning smilingly.

Chu Baning’s lips twitched, speechless. Who out there would ever stuff the Empress Dowager’s Imperial Decree under the pillow? Clearly it was prepared well, prepared to be grabbed and block him. Chu Baning’s eyes squinted, did she really think just this one imperial edict could exempt her from the sin?

Chu Baning perfunctorily looked at the imperial decree, and then under Ah Nan’s anxious gaze, he casually threw the edict to the small table in front of the bed. Ah Nan cried out, wanting to pick it back, only for Chu Baning to hug her, not letting her move.

Ah Nan thought secretly, even if you want to vent your fury to your Mu hou, there’s no need to vent your anger on the decree! Wang ye, this is too childish ah!

“Wang ye~”

Ah Nan simply put away her dignity and embarrassment and directly acted coquettishly. She really didn’t want to be spanked again. She has always been relatively timid and afraid to make others angry, especially Chu Baning. His usual aura and expression has always been too intimidating and solemn, making her unable to even muster the courage nor thought to provoke him. Ah Nan really couldn’t understand a thing, why was Chu Baning so angry with her? She was also really helpless alright, she was only following the decree ah. Since the Emperor and Empress Dowager both allowed her to Tongcheng, so why was it that her family’s Wang ye wasn’t happy and pleased after seeing her when they are newly weds who got separated for quite a long time? Instead he kept blowing cold air her way.

Chu Baning’s eyes flickered with smiles but chose to say nothing. He wanted to see what she was going to do.

Ah Nan, like a little kitten, rubbed herself on Chu Baning for a long time, still in his embrace, but she didn’t see any reactions on this great lord. Her expression couldn’t help but turn depressed. After all, her courage really wasn’t that big, she didn’t dare take a step further, so she just nestled in his arms and didn’t make a sound, just like that.

Chu Baning: …….Really have no perseverance!

At this moment, the door was knocked from outside, Ru Cui’s voice followed, “Wang ye, dinner is ready.”

Chu Baning put Ah Nan back down on the bed, fixed his clothes, then sat on the side with a solemn expression. Only then he let the maids come in.

The maids were bringing piping hot food, then arranged them properly before saluting Ah Nan and Chu Baning, and quietly left under Ru Cui’s lead. 

Ah Nan was also hungry after sleeping all day. And although she didn’t have much strength, at least it was still much better than this morning. When she smelled the tantalizing aroma of food, she was immediately salivating.

Shortly after, Ah Nan, dressed like a round rolling great panda, was lifted and carried swiftly by Chu Baning to the table. A bowl of lotus seed and lily petals²Both lotus seed and lilies can be said to be medicinal ingredients in traditional chinese medicine. congee was served in front of her, there were also various appetizing side dishes on the side. The lotus seed and lily petals congee was cooked well, it was just that Ah Nan felt it was tasteless when she drank it, and now she kind of wanted to eat something with stronger taste. She looked over at the rich dishes on the table and felt her saliva almost flowing down. Ah Nan couldn’t help but stealthily glance at Chu Baning.

Chu Baning’s dining habits were very much in line with the standard mannerisms of the Imperial Family, ‘no speech during meals nor contact before sleeping’, fully focused on one’s own doing³RAW: 食不言寝不语，目不斜视, refers to ‘one shouldn’t talk when eating to avoid indigestion problems, and also shouldn’t communicate with others before sleep to sleep more peacefully’, ‘not glancing sideways aka one should be focused solely on what they are doing’.

Chu Baning’s ignored Ah Nan’s longing gaze and ate unhurriedly. He clipped a chopstick of golden roasted pigeon meat and brought it to his mouth, chewing on the crunchy and crispy meat. The onlooking Ah Nan almost swallowed her saliva hard in frustration.

Ah Nan inwardly overturned the table: Who dared to say to her that the food in the borders were lacking?! Who?!?! Look at the food on her family’s Wang ye’s table! There are meats and veggies, there are so many tasty meat and vegetarian dishes and its combination⁴荤素搭配 here refers to combination (can be of several dishes arranged together or a dish consisting of the 荤 and 素) of strong smelling/tasting ingredients (like meat, fish, or strong smelling veggies like garlic) (荤) and vegetarian dish (素), rich and abundant ah~~ She really wants to eat them oh.

But the doctor said her stomach was currently weak and thus shouldn’t eat anything too greasy, so just drink the plain and light congee!

And thus, that poisonous congee——entered Ah Nan’s stomach in two big bowls. Under Chu Baning’s watchful eyes, Ah Nan didn’t even dare leave a grain of rice, filling her stomach up till her stomach swelled. 

Ah Nan inwardly cried streams of tears: Wang ye, I’m not a pig, even if you stuff me up to death now I won’t immediately grow meat⁵The grow meat here used characters that implies raising animals/livestock for their meat ah!

After eating, the maids came in to collect the cups and plates, then served the two to rinse their mouths and clean their hands before then withdrawing. Ah Nan walked in the room with difficulty, feeling somewhat resentful towards Chu Baning, who had gone out after someone came to ask for him. When Ru Cui came in to tidy up the room, she was confused by Ah Nan’s grumbling sulking face, “Xiao jie, why are you supporting your stomach like that? You aren’t pregnant either.”

Ah Nan shot her a blank glance, “Can’t it be eating to the point of bursting?”

Ru Cui Oooohhh-ed and laughed, “Indeed, Wang ye sure have the means to let you eat more. Xiao jie is still cuter white and plump. Wang ye has instructed us to let Xiao jie eat more these days to grow more meat.”

Ah Nan almost stumbled and fell to the ground, she inwardly clenched her fist and roared, Isn’t the beauty standard of this era the slender beauty like Zhao Feiyan? Why do the two near her always want to make her eat more?! Do they want her to become a pig and then take her to slaughter?!

Ru Cui, seeing Ah Nan’s ugly expression, comforted, “Xiao jie, don’t think too much. You have the appearance of someone with fortune⁶富态, literally someone looking to have a lot of fortune is an euphemism for someone kinda fat/plump, fair and delicate, soft and tender really move people’s hearts. This is the one and only advantage you have, you should continue to maintain it ah!”

Ah Nan: =__= ! Dear, is this even a consolation……