Recklessly Breaking a Delicate Branch - Chapter 7

Suddenly back to reality, Jiang Wanshu clutched the dress she was wearing and sat up abruptly, the silk quilt sticking to her body.

Her thin frame sat up, her long hands braced on the bed. Because of the frightening scream she had in the nightmare, the girl had long since been startled awake. At this moment, the haziness in Jiang Wanshu’s eyes was tinged with red, and she sat there in shock, her dark hair a mess.

A cold hand touched her back. In that instant, Jiang Wanshu felt a human presence beside her and trembled, moving away from the man.

Zhou Yan was immediately displeased when he realized Jiang Wanshu was afraid of him. He wore a cold expression, looking at the woman who had seemed a little angry with him last night.

She was shrinking tightly into a corner of the bed, her gaze towards him like he was a terrifying beast.

“What is it now?” Her stirring had shattered his sleep, and Zhou Yan’s tone was not good.

Jiang Wanshu’s eyes were filled with panic. As she recalled the dream, she noticed the sky was bright, and the man was right in front of her, forcing her to pretend. She puffed out her cheeks slightly,

“I—I just had a nightmare. It’s nothing.”

Zhou Yan saw Jiang Wanshu lowering her head, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye, and couldn’t help but sneer.

Good, very good.

No one had ever told him that having a wife meant being woken up early in the morning.

Zhou Yan saw the person still slumping on the bed, and with his sleepiness completely gone, he didn’t bother with Jiang Wanshu anymore. He turned to put on his tall boots, braced his hand on the bed, and simply got up.

Jiang Wanshu watched him leave and asked a seemingly random question, “Where are you going?”

Zhou Yan was speechless for a moment, “Going to cook breakfast for you, my little delicate flower.”

The grassland had heavy wind and sand, so people who lived there needed to be healthier than average. Therefore, the people of the grassland cared deeply about food and the time it was eaten.

The morning sets the tone for the day, and almost everyone in the grassland would eat a hearty breakfast. He never followed the common path, and even though his mealtimes were chaotic, it wouldn’t affect him.

But this little delicate flower was different; she looked weak. Even though the place they were staying now was not the grassland and there was no grassland food for sale here, he still worried that this fragile princess would faint from not eating. That’s why he condescended to get up, wash his hands, and make food for her.

By the time Jiang Wanshu came back to her senses, Zhou Yan had already left.

Jiang Wanshu’s round, big eyes stared at a window lattice opposite the bed, where tall bamboo stalks grew, full of vitality.

She gripped a corner of the quilt and secretly made up her mind.

She had to hurry. She didn’t want to experience the humiliation he inflicted on her in the dream to happen in reality.

But, but…

Jiang Wanshu furrowed her brow. Yesterday, she had only observed the outside for a while and hadn’t actually stepped into the deep forest.

Now that Zhou Yan was by her side, given his caution, it would be difficult for her to find an opportunity to explore a way out of the deep forest right under his nose.

A gust of wind blew outside the window lattice, carrying some sand and dust. Jiang Wanshu looked closely and noticed small bits of paper flying in the wind.

Paper scraps could come from a book, and suddenly, an idea flashed in Jiang Wanshu’s mind.

As a princess, she had attended private lessons in the palace. She still remembered the palace tutor was knowledgeable and had lectured them on farming matters.

He had spoken in the past about how farmers loosened the soil and how vegetable seeds were sown.

She also understood that the meals Zhou Yan had prepared for her these days rarely included vegetables, and besides, with Zhou Yan’s rough nature, he also had little love for greens.

Zhou Yan had told her that he respected her, so if she used this as an excuse to ask him to take her out, he might not become suspicious.

The more Jiang Wanshu thought about it, the better she felt this method was. Her mood couldn’t help but brighten.

About a quarter of an hour later, Zhou Yan entered the room holding a bowl of hot noodle soup.

Hope flickered in Jiang Wanshu’s eyes; her gaze brightened. She quickly took the bowl of noodle soup from Zhou Yan’s hand and happily ate it.

Regarding why she so easily accepted everything Zhou Yan did for her in her behavior, Jiang Wanshu could only explain it this way:

Zhou Yan was her savior, and his intentions were fundamentally good, only that his temper was stubborn and he insisted on keeping her to be his wife.

She didn’t believe Zhou Yan was the kind of person who lacked perspective, who would resort to force if softness didn’t work. Moreover, eating his food and receiving his care wasn’t for nothing. Once she returned to the palace, she would surely ask her father and mother to reward him with ten thousand taels of silver, and then they would be even.

The bowl of noodle soup Zhou Yan had cooked for her was quite large. She was full after eating half of it. Holding the bowl with her small hands, she subtly moved closer to Zhou Yan, blinking her eyes.

Zhou Yan, being a coarse man, didn’t understand her hint, “Are your eyes twitching?”

Instantly, Jiang Wanshu drooped. Her cherry lips slightly parted, and her gaze went to the bowl in her hands, “I’m full.”

Zhou Yan followed her gaze and saw that there was still a lot of noodle soup left. He shook his head, his eyes showing displeasure, “No wonder your build is so small. Eat more.”

He deliberately cooked a larger bowl because he wanted Jiang Wanshu to properly nourish her body.

With just a little contact last night, she was out of breath after struggling for only a few moments, unlike the other grassland girls whose bodies were robust and who could ride and play all day without panting.

So, he decided on his own that he must nourish her body. Such fragility could easily lead to illness.

Jiang Wanshu was puzzled by his words and asked in confusion, “How is my build small?”

Among the noble ladies in the capital, her figure was the one that best represented the wealth and nobility of the city’s women. Both her looks and her figure were what the noble ladies in the capital desperately sought.

However, there was one thing she didn’t say out loud. Though she had been raised in deep quarters, she knew the latter part of this involved some private words for a woman, which were inappropriate to say now.

Zhou Yan disagreed with her words and pushed the bowl of noodle soup back towards Jiang Wanshu.

Zhou Yan didn’t want to discuss anything else and said casually, “Everywhere on you is small. With a figure like yours, you’d have a hard time surviving well on our grassland.”

Jiang Wanshu complained, “I’m not a person from your grassland. Why do you have to judge me by the standards of the grassland people?”

This immediately caused Zhou Yan’s dissatisfaction, but in the next second, Zhou Yan seemed to figure something out and took the bowl of noodle soup from Jiang Wanshu’s hands.

Jiang Wanshu’s beautiful eyes blinked in surprise. She hadn’t expected Zhou Yan to be so agreeable. Unfortunately, the next moment Zhou Yan spoke, Jiang Wanshu’s words became incoherent.

“That’s true. The climate of the grassland is inherently unsuitable for delicate women from the Central Plains. When we return to the grassland and pay respects to the Sky God, we can also consider living in the Central Plains for a long time.”

However, for him, who held a real position on the grassland, going back and forth to handle business on the grassland would be much busier, but when it came to Jiang Wanshu’s health, he would definitely choose the latter without hesitation.

How could Jiang Wanshu not understand what Zhou Yan was saying? It was nothing more than imagining their future life together, but she didn’t want him in her future world, nor did she want to overthink and trouble herself.

But the man in front of her was full of enthusiasm and had a rough temper, so she couldn’t say critical words. She swallowed her inner thoughts and instead shifted the focus of the conversation to the words “vegetable seeds.”

She coughed twice to clear her throat, gradually building up to her point.

Jiang Wanshu feigned a conflicted look at the leftover noodle soup in Zhou Yan’s hand. To make the effect more realistic, she blinked her eyes occasionally.

Her voice was clear. She gazed at the noodle soup, looking reluctant to discard it yet still craving more, and said, “This noodle soup is really too meaty. If there were some vegetables in it, I could definitely eat more.”

Saying this, Jiang Wanshu lifted her head to look at Zhou Yan’s expression, attempting to see a flicker of thought in his eyes. However, as she looked up, she missed the profound look in the man’s eyes.

Zhou Yan’s gaze was sharp, and he instantly stared at her, his ink-black eyebrows slightly and imperceptibly furrowed, “Then, does Wanwan mean that next time I cook noodle soup for you, I should add more vegetables?”

He didn’t understand the meaning of Jiang Wanshu’s words, but he subconsciously thought the attitude expressed in her statement was completely different from her personality.

“Of course. But I see there are no vegetables planted near the house. I think the vegetables you’ve been stir-frying for me these two days must have been bought outside, but I’m a bit picky about my taste. The vegetables bought outside aren’t as fresh as those we grow ourselves. How about tomorrow you go out and buy some vegetable seeds so we can grow them ourselves?”

Jiang Wanshu’s eyes rolled, desperately analyzing the man’s expression.

Zhou Yan followed up, “And you know how to plant them?”

The man who had been constantly told the girl wouldn’t stay with him suddenly went against the norm, saying something that sounded like a decision to settle down with him. Zhou Yan raised an eyebrow.

“I studied in the palace before and heard my tutor mention it. Of course, I know how to plant. But I also heard the tutor say that the stage of selecting vegetable seeds is very important. It’s not just about looking at the color and smelling the scent; there’s a lot of knowledge involved. The quality of a farmer’s harvest for the whole year is greatly related to the seeds chosen when they are first put into the soil.” Jiang Wanshu explained meticulously, hoping this speech would lead her to her ultimate goal.

It was widely known that the climate and environment on the grassland were not suitable for cultivation, so few people on the grassland knew how to select planting seeds.

Zhou Yan was an extremely cautious man, and he immediately had a rough idea of what Jiang Wanshu was trying to do.

His profound eyes scrutinized the girl, and Zhou Yan’s expression darkened.

So, she was still thinking about running away.

However, there is a saying: when a person is infinitely close to the light and is then pulled back into the abyss by darkness, the painful memory for the sufferer will be all the more profound.

As a leader who had been on the grassland for years, Zhou Yan more or less understood this principle.

She was always thinking of escape. Perhaps giving her a fatal blow at this moment would make her completely abandon that idea.

Zhou Yan looked at the girl in front of him, staring at the wisps of hair lightly stirred by the breeze, and slightly narrowed his eyes, “But Wanwan, you are well-informed. Your palace tutor should also have mentioned how unfamiliar the grassland people are with farming matters.”

Zhou Yan, the “wolf,” had fallen into the trap, which made Jiang Wanshu secretly overjoyed. But to not reveal her flaw, Jiang Wanshu still pretended to ponder, scratched her head, and suddenly slapped her palm with her fist, as if having a sudden realization.

“Why don’t you take me with you? That way, we can definitely pick good vegetable seeds.” Saying this, Jiang Wanshu quietly glanced at the man again.

The girl’s expressive face amused Zhou Yan. Sure enough, his guess was correct; this little rabbit finally wanted to jump over the wall.

He took his time, playing along with her words, “Then when does Wanwan want to go?”

The matter was approved so smoothly, but Jiang Wanshu’s urgency to observe the escape route covered it up. Without saying much more, she immediately suggested, “How about tomorrow? We can make it early in the morning.”

“Of course.”

Zhou Yan agreed, watching Jiang Wanshu’s eyes curve into a smile.

Her eyes were slightly bent, and she curved her lips. That smile was like a warm sun in winter, making one feel happy.

Zhou Yan felt joy in his heart. He slightly narrowed his eyes, looking at the delicate flower in front of him, and thought in a good mood: So this delicate flower is so captivating when she smiles. Her cherry-red mouth and willow-leaf eyebrows—every frown and smile is vivid. This was the first time she had smiled so happily in front of him. He thought it would be wonderful if she could be like this in the future.

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