Marry First, Love Later With The White Cat Princess - Chapter 46

Nothing major happened today. After the willow catkins swirl like clouds. Liu Fenyun finished checking the pulses of five commoners, she went to Elder Sangjia Cuxiao’s home to fetch some medicinal seeds, planning to return to the Holy Maiden Hall before dusk.

Hearing her sigh and complain about having to learn the ritual dance soon, Sangjia Cuxiao burst into hearty laughter. “What’s the big deal! Every Witch Doctor must learn it. It’s even part of the advancement assessment. Just learn it!”

Liu Fenyun forced a bitter smile. “But I’m a man… If I can’t dance gracefully, wouldn’t I embarrass the Holy Maiden?”

“Which Witch Doctor hasn’t been a man?” Sangjia Cuxiao slapped the table. “Doing the ritual dance isn’t about beauty. You just need sincerity. And don’t forget, every summer the Holy Maiden Hall gathers all the believers to dance the ritual dance that’s the highlight of the festival! You as the Witch Doctor only need to dance with sincerity.”

Liu Fenyun opened her mouth, wanting to ask what exactly counted as “sincere,” but before she could, Sangjia Cuxiao knocked her on the head with his pipe and barked, “Use that little brain for something else don’t drill yourself into a corner about this!”

Rubbing the spot where she was hit, Liu Fenyun sighed inwardly, finished her tea, and left with the seeds.

After she mentally prepared herself for dance practice and returned to the Holy Maiden Hall, she was greeted by a fruit platter carried by Lianyi.

Bright red cherries like carnelian filled the white porcelain dish, their skins beaded with water droplets extremely fresh. Lianyi, holding the plate, was for once wearing a bright red gauze dress. The sheer fabric draped over her brown hair, making Liu Fenyun momentarily recall their wedding day.

It had been a long time since Liu Fenyun had eaten such fresh cherries. She swallowed unconsciously but before she could reply, the cat gently twitched her ears and smiled sweetly. “Husband, should I feed you the cherries?”

The word “yes” had barely left Liu Fenyun’s mouth when she noticed the maids around them retreating while stifling laughter. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

What are they all thinking about that kind of cherry eating??

When it came to romance, the Di people were very open. Liu Fenyun had heard plenty of secrets before apparently several former Holy Maidens and Witch Doctors didn’t even avoid their attendants when doing that, completely unabashed.

But she herself was reserved by nature, especially about affection. Lianyi picked up on her awkwardness and simply pulled her into the bedchamber. She picked up a cherry, held it lightly between her lips, and looked up at her with hopeful eyes.

Liu Fenyun thought very seriously for two seconds. Then she bent down and, while taking the cherry, lightly brushed past Lianyi’s soft lips.

The moment the cherry entered her mouth, a faint hint of scented balm touched her tongue. Her chewing paused.

Why is the cat wearing lip color today???

Was today some special occasion?

“Tasted it?” Lianyi fluttered her lashes when she noticed her pause.

“Your High Yiyi, do you mean the lip balm?” Liu Fenyun asked cautiously.

Her curious gaze only made Lianyi smile more brilliantly. “Yes! The book says it makes it easier to entice human men.”

Liu Fenyun: “…”

Please stop calling me “husband” and then treating me as if I’m actually a man!!

“But I’m not a man, so this doesn’t work on me.” Liu Fenyun stroked her silky hair and said with solemn sincerity, “Just your smile alone is enough to entice me.”

As the words left her mouth, even she felt embarrassed.

To avoid making herself even more awkward, she spat out the pit, then picked up a cherry, copied Lianyi, and held it between her lips before lowering her head in invitation.

But Lianyi didn’t rush to eat it. She first took a handkerchief and carefully wiped off her lip balm. Only then did she cup Liu Fenyun’s face and part her lips.

Liu Fenyun felt a soft little tongue lightly graze her lips, jolting her entire body, and then slowly and unhurriedly it curled around the cherry and took it away.

Lianyi had originally wanted to kiss her while holding the cherry, but her technique wasn’t good yet before she could kiss deeply, she ended up swallowing the cherry whole.

Startled, Liu Fenyun hurried to check her. When she confirmed Lianyi hadn’t choked, she let out a small breath of relief.

But Lianyi, nervous, tugged at her sleeve and covered her throat. “I still feel something in my throat. Did it get stuck?”

“No, no….. that’s normal. It should feel similar to when you swallowed those pills before.” Liu Fenyun soothed her for quite a while before suddenly remembering something. She couldn’t help but add, “From now on, don’t eat cherries like that. And don’t use cherries to feed cats.”

“Cats can’t eat cherries?” Lianyi blinked, confused.

“They absolutely cannot!” Liu Fenyun said sternly. “It’s fine for demon beasts, but ordinary cats will get poisoned. Severe cases can even go into shock!”

Lianyi’s ears immediately flattened like airplane wings. “What about grapes?”

“Also no!”

Deflated, Lianyi tossed a cherry into her own mouth and mumbled while chewing, “Then I’ll just eat them myself…”

She had no idea why A-Yun suddenly became so agitated she would never feed fruit to other cats.

She also didn’t know that Liu Fenyun herself felt confused she’d never even seen a real cat get poisoned by fruit before her transmigration…

In that odd atmosphere, the two finished half the plate. Then Lianyi went to a small chest near the wardrobe, rummaged inside the ice compartment, and pulled out a large box.

Liu Fenyun hadn’t expected a mini ice chest in the bedchamber. “What’s this?”

The container was a cylindrical metal tin wrapped in pink gauze and tied with a pink ribbon. It felt quite heavy.

The colors were so pastel… it instantly reminded her of the trendy cakes sold at the dessert shop by her school.

“A-Yun will know once you open it,” Lianyi said, chin propped in her hands, smiling expectantly.

Liu Fenyun carefully untied the bow, lifted the gauze, and opened the tin. A rich, sweet cream scent wafted out carrying a faint aroma of tea.

She couldn’t believe her eyes.

It was a beautifully crafted matcha cream cake! Exactly like the ones from modern dessert shops!

When she looked at Lianyi in shock, the cat was already bringing over another small tin, along with forks and plates.

“I’ve been wanting to give you this surprise, but I wasn’t good at making cakes yet, so I had to wait until I got it right.” Lianyi opened the smaller tin. “The sugar decorations too.”

Inside were two pieces of sugar art made of caramelized brown sugar: one shaped like the number “2,” the other like “0” her age along with a tiny cat paw.

“In Zhuohuang culture, sticking candles in food is considered unlucky, so I switched them for sugar figures.” Lianyi placed the decorations carefully on the cake and, seeing Liu Fenyun nearly stunned speechless, beamed. “Happy birthday, A-Yun.”

Looking at the cake and the sugar art, Liu Fenyun felt the little sugar cat paw scratch her heart.

She knew Lianyi had read her memories before, but she hadn’t known the cat had remembered her birthday and even the exact kind of cake she liked.

So this was the surprise??

“A-Yun?” Lianyi called again when she stayed frozen.

Her tail proudly swished twice, celebrating how shocked Liu Fenyun was by the birthday gift.

Liu Fenyun blurted “same to you.” Realizing her mistake, she almost slapped herself. Quickly shaking her head, she thanked her with joyful excitement: “Thank you, Yiyi. I really love your birthday gift.”

Inside, she felt like a prairie dog standing upright, screaming to the sky.

How is her cat THIS sweet and thoughtful?!

She was this close to crying from being pampered by her gentle, precious cat wife!!

She wanted to hide the entire cake and sugar art in the medicine garden freezer and lock it away forever as a keepsake!

Though she didn’t say much, her face and eyes overflowed with a smile she couldn’t hide. Seeing this, Lianyi was extremely satisfied. She cut a thick slice of cake, carefully avoiding the sugar art, and handed it to her.

“Try it?” she said. “It’s not a ‘dark cuisine,’ don’t worry.”

Liu Fenyun had tasted Lianyi’s desserts before they were genuinely good so she didn’t hold back. She used the fork to take small, delicate bites.

The cake, kept chilled in the ice box, was still cold and incredibly soft. The sweetness was just right for her taste, and the matcha powder on top had been finely ground and dusted evenly.

Lianyi also cut a small slice for herself and ate it with cherries as her dinner.

Ever since A-Yun walked in, her heart had been racing. It slowed only briefly before racing again at seeing A-Yun’s smile.

Though some of her behaviors today weren’t quite to A-Yun’s liking, the book had been correct—remembering a lover’s birthday and preferences truly made them happy.

She loved watching A-Yun like this: stifling her smile on the surface, but thrilled internally.

After the birthday meal, Liu Fenyun instinctively went to store the remaining cake. She couldn’t bear to eat the sugar decorations yet she planned to refrigerate them with the cake and spend another two days just looking at them.

Lianyi found it strange and held her arm. “If you can’t finish the cake, don’t keep it. I can make you a fresh one.”

Liu Fenyun shook her head with a smile. “It’s different. Today’s cake is special.”

Lianyi’s cheeks flushed red. She softly hummed in response and helped her tidy up.

After the birthday celebration, Liu Fenyun was ready to write medical notes when Lianyi came over holding a neatly folded set of clothing.

“In the winter, I promised I’d teach A-Yun the ritual dance.” She smiled innocently, a pure and harmless expression but in Liu Fenyun’s eyes, it was the equivalent of a murder weapon. “Here, I asked the best palace tailor to make you training clothes. Try and see if they fit.”

Clearly, dance practice was unavoidable. Liu Fenyun mustered her trademark smile and accepted the clothes with inward misery.

After changing behind the screen, she looked at herself in the mirror and felt nothing but shame.

The Zhuohuang wardrobe designs weren’t included in her system’s database. She had only overheard cat demons mention that male ritual dancers traditionally wore very primitive attire: tight where it needed to be tight, revealing where it needed to reveal, all made of gauze.

Seeing herself in the outfit now… it was absolutely true.

If she had an eight pack, it would probably be visible through the fabric.

“…Let’s negotiate,” she said, covering herself and sighing helplessly. “Can you get me something more modest? If I go on stage in this, I’ll be instantly recognized as a woman…”

But Lianyi burst into laughter. It took her a long time to stop. She approached and, brushing a hand lightly over the gauze on Liu Fenyun, slowly repeated:

“Go on stage in this?”

Liu Fenyun nodded with a complicated expression.

“You’re dreaming,” Lianyi laughed again. “This is for my eyes only. How could I let anyone else see my wife’s body?”