Chapter 97

"I can't even protect myself, so how am I supposed to protect you?" Luo Minghuan said, her voice so soft that it sounded like she was talking to herself. Her voice also carried hints of self-ridicule.

Hearing Luo Minghuan's self-loathing words, Jun Zishu couldn't help but pity the other party. Luo Minghuan should've been someone admired by many with her talents and beauty. Yet, here she was, trapped in the cage known as sickness, slowly rotting away.

"I'll protect you, then." Jun Zishu walked up to Luo Minghuan and looked up at the other party, an energetic expression on her face. "I'm very strong! Even Erniu can't beat me in a fight! If someone bullies you in the future, just tell me! I'll beat them back for you!"

After saying so, Jun Zishu puffed up her cheeks and swung her little fists around.

"Hah! You want to protect me? How old are you even?"

Luo Minghuan poked at Jun Zishu's cheeks with her fingers, the remaining baby fat providing those cheeks with a soft and comfortable sensation.

"I'm 17 already! I'm very, very big!" Jun Zishu said while gesturing, trying very hard to prove that she wasn't a child.

"You're still a kid," Luo Minghuan said as she poked Jun Zishu's cheeks again, her mood brightening significantly. In her opinion, the girl in front of her might be 17 years old, but she had the appearance of a 15-year-old and the heart of a 7-year-old.

"I'm not! Why are your hands so cold? Here, I'll blow on them for you."

Jun Zishu could feel that the fingers poking her cheeks were really cold. Her thoughts were further reaffirmed when she grabbed those fingers in her hands.

Afterward, Jun Zishu enveloped Luo Minghuan's hands with her own and began blowing hot air into them. Then, she began rubbing her hands against Luo Minghuan's, creating heat using friction.

Luo Minghuan was stunned. The warmth flowing into her hands gave her a foreign feeling. Though, the sight of the young girl earnestly trying to warm her hands was incredibly cute.

Compared to her sickly pale hands, the younger girl's milky white hands looked much healthier. Moreover, judging by how innocent and carefree the younger girl behaved, the girl should've been raised in a caring environment.

"Do you feel a little warmer now?"

Jun Zishu stopped her actions and looked up at Luo Minghuan seeking praise.

"Mhm."

Luo Minghuan nodded as she retracted her hands. However, when the warmth enveloping her hands disappeared, her fingers couldn't help but yearn for that warmth again.

At this time, a knock suddenly came from the door, followed by the voice of a maid.

"Second Young Miss, your medicine."

"Come in."

The maid put the medicine on the table, the black concoction filling the white porcelain bowl giving off an unbearably bitter smell.

Despite the bitter smell, Luo Minghuan picked up the bowl and drank the medicine without hesitation.

After Luo Minghuan finished the medicine, the maid took back the bowl and handed a handkerchief to Luo Minghuan. Then, the maid left the room with the empty bowl, never daring to glance at Jun Zishu even once throughout the entire time.

When the doors were closed, Jun Zishu said, "You're amazing, Husband!"

"Hm?"

Luo Minghuan raised an eyebrow, confused as to why her newly-wedded wife was looking at her with such a worshipping gaze.

"Mother fed me medicine once when I got sick in the past. I refused to drink it, but she kept on coaxing me to drink it, so I drank it. But I spat it out immediately because it was too bitter. Although I still finished it after Mother gave me a beating, Mother later gave me some honey water. It was very sweet," Jun Zishu said, her face going from frowning to smiling as she spoke.

When Luo Minghuan listened to Jun Zishu, the sight of Jun Zishu crying aggrievedly while drinking medicine appeared in her mind. She also imagined Jun Zishu's face wrinkling because of the bitter medicine, and she couldn't help but find it a little funny.

"You can drink medicine without honey water. You're so amazing!" Jun Zishu said, looking at Luo Minghuan as if she was looking at a hero. After all, a child would consider someone a hero so long as this person could accomplish something the child could not.

This little dummy… Luo Minghuan fiddled with her fingers a little as she looked at Jun Zishu. As she did not continue speaking, silence suddenly enveloped the room.

However, a short moment later, the sound of a stomach rumbling broke the silence.

"Hungry?"

Luo Minghuan's eyes wandered around Jun Zishu's belly upon hearing the rumbling sound.

Meanwhile, Jun Zishu held her belly in embarrassment and said, "They didn't give me anything to eat today. Although they gave me an apple, they told me that I couldn't eat it and that I could only hold it in my hand. So, I haven't eaten anything today."

Jun Zishu exuded a sorrowful aura as she spoke. She even pulled a long face when she complained about the excessive behavior of the people who gave her food but forbade her from eating it.

"Can Yuanyaun have something to eat?" Jun Zishu asked as she looked at Luo Minghuan expectantly.

Before Luo Minghuan could answer, she heard the person in front of her start babbling again.

"Mother said that I won't have to be hungry anymore if I marry you! Mother said that I could eat and drink tasty things! But Mother also told me that I need to be good and listen to you. Otherwise, you won't let me eat if I make you angry, and you will even lock me up in a wooden shed, and there will be rats and bugs inside... But I've been good, right? So, can you let me eat something?"

Jun Zishu's eyes were bright and glossy as she spoke, giving off an extremely cute appearance.

Luo Minghuan chuckled, finding the little dummy in front of her to be quite the clown.

"Ruyun," Luo Minghuan called out loudly.

Immediately, the figure standing outside the room shook slightly before responding, "This servant is here, Young Miss. What are your orders?"

"Have the kitchen make some congee."

"Understood."

After instructing the maid on duty, Luo Minghuan looked back at Jun Zishu and said, "Rest for now. Someone will bring food to you later. Cough, cough, cough."

As soon as Luo Minghuan finished speaking, she started another coughing fit, her sickly pale face flushing.

"Are you not sleeping with me?" Jun Zishu asked, a confused expression appearing on her face when she noticed Luo Minghuan trying to leave.

"I have a cold body. You'll have difficulty sleeping if we sleep together," Luo Minghuan said, shaking her head.

"I sleep very well. My mother said that even thunder can't wake me up. Honghong also said that a bride must stay with the bridegroom."

Luo Minghuan's lips curled up slightly when she heard Jun Zishu's words. However, she did not argue with Jun Zishu, choosing to simply turn around and leave instead.

Before Luo Minghuan even took two steps, though, she suddenly felt a gust of wind blowing past her body, followed by someone warm embracing her and sticking to her back.

Having never shared such physical contact with others, Luo Minghuan froze in surprise.

"I'll go wherever you go. You have to take me with you," Jun Zishu said.

Luo Minghuan covered her mouth and let out a cough, her body trembling slightly.

Seeing this, Jun Zishu hurriedly patted Luo Minghuan's back and pleaded, "Husband, don't throw Yuanyuan away, okay? Yuanyuan will be good."

Sister, I beg of you, let's just sleep together. We're both girls, so there's really nothing to be afraid of.

Jun Zishu was doing her best to pretend to be cute and dumb. However, she felt that she was already close to her limits. At this rate, her IQ might even fall.

Luo Minghuan didn't need to lift her head to know what kind of expression the younger girl behind her was making.

It must be a nervous and pitiful expression.

The younger girl's eyes were round, just like her name[1]. When the girl looked at others, others could easily feel the sincerity in her eyes.

Luo Minghuan felt that an accident had probably occurred in her life.

Unlike her tattered body, the body currently sticking to her was healthy and filled with vigorous vitality. It was like a budding sapling stretching its body.

The younger girl also looked innocent, completely different from the lifeless hell hidden under a gorgeous shell known as the Luo Manor.

Luo Minghuan turned around, her actions resulting in the younger girl falling into her arms.

The younger girl's body was well-proportioned. It was neither too thin nor too plump, and it felt very pleasant to hold.

"Okay," Luo Minghuan subconsciously said while looking at Jun Zishu's eyes. By the time she realized what she had agreed to, though, she quickly regretted her words.

This hadn't been her original plan.

However, before Luo Minghuan could retract her words, a dazzling smile bloomed on Jun Zishu's face.

Luo Minghuan felt all of her regrets and annoyance disappearing when she saw this smile. A hint of sweetness had even briefly appeared in her heart.

I guess being such an innocent person has its benefits. At least she has nothing to worry about. Luo Minghuan mentally sighed when she looked at Jun Zishu's innocent and worry-free smile.

The maid called Ruyun quickly returned with a bowl of congee and a side dish. Then, after setting the food on the table, she promptly retreated from the room again.

The congee was cooked with meat and sprinkled with chopped green onion. It looked absolutely delicious, especially for Jun Zishu, whose stomach was empty.

Immediately, Jun Zishu held up her dress and eagerly walked over to the table. Then, noticing the pearl hairpin on her head shaking wildly as she walked, she impatiently pulled out all the ornaments placed in her hair and tossed them aside, paying no heed to how much they valued.

After sitting down at the table, Jun Zishu quickly scooped up a spoonful of congee and sent it into her mouth, only to jump up from her seat after burning her tongue. However, she did not spit out the scalding congee. Instead, she fanned her mouth with her hand before struggling to swallow it.

Playing the role of a fool truly tested her acting skills.

Jun Zishu felt that playing the role of a fool truly tested one's acting skills.

This task also required one to have the courage to walk into a lion's den whilst knowing that the lion was home.

Meanwhile, Little Fairy laughed her head off when she saw Jun Zishu acting coquettish, her laughter growing even louder when she recalled her host's domineering appearance in the past.

Of course, Little Fairy did not laugh in front of Jun Zishu. Never in this lifetime would she dare to do so.

When Jun Zishu was almost done with her congee, her body suddenly stiffened. Then, she slowly turned to look at Luo Minghuan and asked, "Are you hungry? Do you want some congee? It's very tasty. It's the tastiest congee I've ever had."

Despite her offer to share, Jun Zishu's fingers remained tightly clamped around the spoon, a reluctant expression on her face.

"Go ahead and finish it," Luo Minghuan said, smiling. She felt that the little dummy was quite interesting. Even the way the little dummy ate fawned over others was interesting.

After finishing the rest of the congee, Jun Zishu wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and looked at Luo Minghuan with round eyes.

"Do you want anything else?" Luo Minghuan asked, wondering if her new wife was still hungry.

"I don't want anything else," Jun Zishu said, rubbing her belly in satisfaction. Then, she ran up to the bed and sat on it.

There was no white cloth covering the bed. There was nothing such as longans, peanuts, and jujube placed under the sheets[2]. They were two girls getting married, so there was no point wishing for them to have good fertility. If one of them really got pregnant, now that would be strange.

"Come and sleep quickly, Husband."

Jun Zishu yawned, some tears appearing in her eyes. Then, after wiping away those tears, she patted the bed and invited Luo Minghuan to join her.

Afterward, Jun Zishu started clumsily taking her clothes off. However, after failing to remove the thick clothes for some time, she started growing impatient.

"Why can't I get these clothes off?"

"Let me do it."

When Luo Minghuan saw that Jun Zishu looked like she was about to rip off her clothes, she reached out with her fingers and helped Jun Zishu unbutton the hidden buttons of her wedding dress.

After getting rid of the stuffy wedding dress, Jun Zishu happily nestled under the quilt in her undergarments. Then, she beckoned at Luo Minghuan, saying, "Come here quickly, Husband."

Luo Minghuan went to extinguish the candlelight before proceeding to undress. Then, as soon as she laid down on her bed, she felt a source of heat sticking to her body.

"Your body feels very cold as well. I'll help you warm your hands," Jun Zishu said as she pulled Luo Minghuan's hands and placed them on her chest.

The instant Luo Minghuan's hands came into contact with Jun Zishu's soft bundles, Luo Minghuan felt Jun Zishu's warmth spreading from her hands all the way to her heart.

…

TL Notes:

[1]The younger girl's eyes were round, just like her name:

Jun Zishu's name in this mission is Yuanyuan(圆圆), which means round.

[2]longans, peanuts, and jujube: These are symbols that represent fertility. People usually place these fruits under the nupital bed to bless the newly-wedded couple with good fertility.