The Eldest Princess is Always Feigning Poverty and Weakness - Chapter 15

On the third day, the sun was glorious.

The rainy days had finally come to an end. Sunlight streamed through the window paper, chasing away the dampness and lifting Wen Ningzhou’s spirits.

She rose early to sweep the small courtyard, tidying it up until it was neat and organized. Then came the usual routine: cooking, brewing medicine, and feeding the chickens, geese, and chicks. Finally, she boiled some sugar syrup and drew a sugar man.

She intended to use it to coax a beautiful girl who hated taking medicine.

Qi Luyao’s injuries were mostly healed, but she couldn’t help it—she subjectively felt quite weak. She convinced herself she couldn’t leave yet and had to stay here to fully recover.

The simple bedroom, the hard wooden bed, the pungent charcoal brazier, and the girl who always wore a smile…

All of it made her reluctant to depart.

Carved beams, jade-like food, and a noble status combined, they couldn’t match the sweetness of a single bowl of sugar water from Wen Ningzhou, which could fill her heart with genuine satisfaction.

She felt like a lone traveler wandering through a wasteland, arriving from afar with a starving belly, finally finding a campfire and a steaming hot meal. Her heart and eyes were filled to the brim.

Wen Ningzhou had originally thought the patient could move about, intending to take her out to soak up some sun. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite time yet; as soon as Qi Luyao’s feet touched the ground, she sat back down in pain.

Putting herself in the other’s shoes, Wen Ningzhou felt that if she were forced to stay immobile in bed for three or four days, she would probably be bored enough to count the whorls of her fingerprints.

She planned to finish her chores, then move the chair outside and carry Qi Luyao out for some fresh air.

After a busy morning without much rest, having finished her various tasks, Wen Ningzhou sat in the front yard to bask in the sun for a while.

The sunlight felt warm on her face, making her feel lazy down to her bones. She squinted her eyes, savoring the warmth of the winter sun.

One shouldn’t keep good fortune to oneself. Wen Ningzhou turned toward the bedroom and called out, “Miss!”

“The sun outside is doing a great job!” Wen Ningzhou shouted. “It feels so comfortable.”

The adobe walls weren’t soundproof, and Wen Ningzhou heard a response from inside. “Mm, you enjoy it.”

Wen Ningzhou replied, “Alright then, I’ll play for a bit and then come in to keep you company.”

Some live in high towers, some in deep ditches; some bask in the sun to get their calcium, while others lie in bed with injuries.

How tragic.

Wen Ningzhou couldn’t sit still anymore. She stood up to return to the room, hearing Qi Luyao say, “No need to accompany me, you go have your fun.”

“Am I that kind of person?” Wen Ningzhou walked into the bedroom, boasting, “How could I be happy on my own while leaving you here to be bored?”

Wen Ningzhou pulled back the covers on the bed. “I’m going to air out our quilts. Who knows what the weather will be like tomorrow? Airing them out gets rid of the dampness and makes them more comfortable to sleep under tonight.”

She carried the quilts outside. The handmade, thick quilts were quite heavy in her arms, blocking her view so that she had to stumble through the doorway.

Next, she took both her and Qi Luyao’s pillows and placed them on the large chair to get some sun.

She positioned the chair in the sunniest spot in the yard, propped the pillows against it, and draped a thick cloak over the back. A patient’s body temperature tends to be low and their resistance weak, so she planned to cover her up later.

She was industrious and virtuous, moving as nimbly as a forest sprite around Qi Luyao.

Lying in bed, Qi Luyao watched Wen Ningzhou go back and forth. Her conscience began to prick her, so she decided she couldn’t just lie there anymore.

She gripped the bedframe and slowly sat up. The wound no longer felt like a searing burn as it had days before, but it still hurt quite a lot to move.

Part of the reason Qi Luyao had sat back down this morning was an impulsive whim; hearing Wen Ningzhou speak as if she wanted to clear all ties made her childishly want to delay her recovery. The other part was that it genuinely still hurt.

After all, she was flesh and blood, a mere mortal; how could a hole in one’s body heal instantly?

She lowered one leg first, then slowly moved until her other foot touched the floor. Having not moved for several days, Qi Luyao’s legs felt unaccustomed to the floor, her footing slightly unsteady.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Wen Ningzhou let out a string of exclamations and trotted to the bedside to support her. “Why are you standing up?”

“I’ll carry you,” Wen Ningzhou leaned over to pick her up. “I can carry you, don’t worry.”

Wen Ningzhou had been taking care of Qi Luyao these past few days. Even though her strength and height were much less than the other girl’s, she had managed to carry her back on her back and lift her to change her clothes.

Wen Ningzhou’s arms were already supporting Qi Luyao’s waist, her head right under Qi Luyao’s hand.

At home, Wen Ningzhou was very casual. Her hair was tied up in a high ponytail with a simple strip of cloth, not pinned into any formal style.

Qi Luyao hesitated, but eventually, she couldn’t help herself. She performed a frivolous act entirely uncharacteristic of her personality: she reached out and ruffled Wen Ningzhou’s hair.

The hair was soft and smooth. This sudden head-pat interrupted Wen Ningzhou’s attempt to lift her, and she looked up in daze. “Hmm? What’s wrong?”

The corners of Qi Luyao’s lips curled up involuntarily. She raised a hand to touch the bridge of her nose, hiding her smile. “Nothing.”

She felt a bit self-conscious. “I just wanted to pat you.”

Wen Ningzhou gave a sweet, docile smile. “Then go ahead and pat.”

The girl looked so delicate and fragile that one instinctively wanted to protect her and spoil her. In reality, she was surprisingly strong.

“I can walk out myself,” Qi Luyao said. “No need to carry me. Will you just support me?”

Wen Ningzhou thought about it and decided that since she hadn’t moved in so long, a little walk would be good. She carefully put an arm around Qi Luyao and supported her elbow with her other hand. “Walk slowly, we have all day.”

“Tell me if it hurts,” Wen Ningzhou warned. “The wound finally scabbed over; we can’t let it tear open.”

Qi Luyao replied, “Mm.”

The weather was indeed wonderful. Qi Luyao was momentarily dazed by the bright sunlight and raised a hand to shield her eyes.

Once her eyes adjusted, the first thing Qi Luyao did was instinctively look at Wen Ningzhou.

Seeing her in the sunlight, she could see even the tiny fine hairs on her cheeks. Beneath thick, long lashes were eyes as clear as water.

She was too clean—her entire aura possessed an otherworldly purity, like a new moon emerging from the mist or snow piling on flowering trees.

“Come, be careful, sit here,” Wen Ningzhou’s voice pulled Qi Luyao’s attention back.

Qi Luyao sat in the chair Wen Ningzhou had specially prepared, leaning against the soft pillows. Wen Ningzhou brought over a small stool for the chair so Qi Luyao could rest her legs flat, then covered them with the cloak.

“Comfortable?” Wen Ningzhou asked, crouching in front of her and looking up.

Her eyes were always sparkling. “Comfortable,” Qi Luyao answered.

Wen Ningzhou’s smile was warm, showing white teeth and curving eyes. “That’s good.” Two shallow dimples appeared on her cheeks.

The thick snow in the courtyard had mostly melted over the course of the morning. Except for the shaded areas at the base of the walls, the damp ground was visible everywhere.

Qi Luyao leaned back in the chair, lost in thought. When she wasn’t talking to Wen Ningzhou or smiling, she seemed like a different person; her expression was one of cold indifference and detachment.

She simply sat there in a relaxed pose, wearing Wen Ningzhou’s coarse cloth clothes, yet she possessed an aura that made people hesitate to overstep.

Some people are born different, with a nobility that seeps from their bones. Every movement felt unattainable, and even her cold expression couldn’t hide her extraordinary grace.

Qi Luyao was such a person. She stared blankly out the courtyard gate, her phoenix eyes squinting slightly against the sun. Her high-bridged nose had a perfectly shaped subtle curve, making her look even more aloof.

She was as beautiful as a piece of crown jade, breathtaking to behold.

Wen Ningzhou sat on the low stool to Qi Luyao’s right, her elbow resting on her knee and her hand supporting her face as she gazed at the other’s profile.

Qi Luyao looked into the distance, and Wen Ningzhou looked at her. Looking at a beautiful older sister truly brought peace to one’s body and soul.

Then, Wen Ningzhou’s mind wandered. She was getting hungry and was considering stewing an old hen with ginseng soup to nourish the patient.

She would slaughter “Xiaotong” to use as a fresh hen.

Though her mind had wandered, her posture remained the same. Qi Luyao also maintained her far-off gaze without relaxing.

Qi Luyao felt as if someone was watching her, but she didn’t turn to meet Wen Ningzhou’s eyes. Instead, she sat stiffly, trying to soften her cold facial expression.

A simple turn of the head would tell her if Wen Ningzhou was looking, but for some reason, Qi Luyao didn’t want to confirm it. She felt that even meeting her gaze had become something embarrassing.

Raise a hen for a thousand days, use her for one.

As lunchtime approached, Wen Ningzhou went to the backyard to catch Xiaotong. She sharpened her knife, prepared to slaughter the chicken and drain its blood.

Xiaotong had been raised into a quite plump hen by Wen Ningzhou. When she was caught, she scurried about, letting out a deathly squawk and flapping her useless wings for all she was worth.

Wen Ningzhou’s heart was set on the slaughter, but her courage was lacking.

She had never killed a chicken before; she only knew the general process: slit the throat, drain the blood, scald the feathers, gut it, stir-fry it, and eat it. Except for the last two steps, just thinking about doing the rest by hand made her scalp tingle—especially slitting the throat.

That was Xiaotong a living, squawking, and very edible Xiaotong.

Wen Ningzhou used both hands to grip Xiaotong’s wings and held its head so that its neck was fully exposed.

Freeing one hand, she held the kitchen knife and made a few practice passes at Xiaotong’s neck.

She looked at the struggling Xiaotong, its hard beak open in a final cackle, its wings and claws thrashing. Her blade touched its neck.

Since the weather has cleared, let’s sacrifice Xiaotong to the heavens, Wen Ningzhou steeled her heart, gritted her teeth, and made the cut.

Her face crumpled into a ball and her lips pressed into a thin line. The blade sank into Xiaotong’s neck, hitting an artery, and blood sprayed out instantly.

In pain, Xiaotong struggled even more fiercely. Blood splattered onto Wen Ningzhou’s clothes and face. Seeing the wound under her knife, Wen Ningzhou’s hand couldn’t go any further.

She actually let Xiaotong struggle free. Wen Ningzhou put down the knife, her expression more pained than an old man looking at a smartphone, as she watched her dear Xiaotong.

Blood from the wound on the chicken’s neck stained its feathers, and the little hen’s movements gradually slowed down.

Suddenly, a wave of grief washed over Wen Ningzhou.

It was embarrassing to admit she had killed a chicken, the chicken wasn’t quite dead, and she started crying.

The discomfort of seeing the blood and the wound, combined with her reluctance to lose Xiaotong, was too much. Tears welled up and finally spilled over.

Wen Ningzhou wiped away the blood and tears while scolding herself for being an idiot, all while still sobbing.

She was so damn busy!

She was going to die of anger at her own uselessness!

At first, Qi Luyao only knew she was killing a chicken, but when she realized the chicken was still squawking, she became confused.

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