Yunxi rubbed her sleepy eyes and looked at the soft bed beneath her. Where was she?
Just then, the door opened, and Nangong An came back carrying a food box.
He looked at Yunxi, who had clearly slept well. Her complexion was rosy, fair with a healthy glow, making him want to kiss her.
Thinking so, he did exactly that.
He set the food box down, walked to the bed, bent over, and kissed the little woman who was still sitting there in a daze.
“Mmm… Nangong An, what are you doing? I’m so hungry… hey… let go of me,” Yunxi said. She was already groggy, and now she felt even more confused.
Nangong An licked the corner of his lips with lingering satisfaction. Only now did he realize that women were truly sweet.
No wonder the men in the army camps liked to make crude jokes—so that was why.
Nangong An directly lifted Yunxi from the bed and carried her to the table, setting her down.
Then he opened the food box and carefully took out the dishes one by one.
There was roast chicken, Dongpo pork, a whole steamed fish, a plate of green vegetables, a tray of desserts, and finally, a white jade–like stewing bowl, which he placed in front of Yunxi.
Looking at the table full of delicious food, Yunxi’s mouth instantly watered. But she was also worried—after eating all this, how were they supposed to digest it? After all, this place enforced a night curfew, and people weren’t allowed to wander the streets at night.
“Nangong An, eating this well so late at night—how are we supposed to digest it?”
Even as she spoke, she picked up a chicken leg and stuffed it into her mouth.
Seeing her bold and unrestrained way of eating, Nangong An didn’t feel disgusted at all. Instead, he liked it very much. He never liked delicate, overly affected women anyway.
Then he looked at Yunxi with a mischievous grin and said, “Don’t worry, Xi’er. We’ll do some exercise later, and it’ll digest.”
Yunxi, chewing on the chicken leg, asked indistinctly, “Exercise? What kind of exercise can we do late at night?”
Then she reacted and understood. After having tasted meat, this man’s mind really did wander all the time.
Seeing her finish one chicken leg and grab another, Nangong An quickly reminded her, “Xi’er, drink this bird’s nest soup while it’s hot.”
Looking at the bird’s nest, Yunxi suddenly raised her head and looked at Nangong An. This stuff wasn’t cheap at all. Just who exactly was he?
Thinking so, she asked him directly, “Nangong An, what do you do to be this rich? This one bowl of bird’s nest must be worth several taels of silver, right?”
Nangong An knew that sooner or later she would find out about his identity. Besides, there was nothing shameful about it.
“Xi’er, I am General Nangong of the Great Xia Kingdom. My salary isn’t much, but my mother was born into a merchant family. She owns countless shops throughout Great Xia. The inn we’re staying at now is one of her properties.”
“You’re a rich second-generation heir?” What kind of incredible luck did she have—to fall off a cliff and still pick up a rich heir? Did that mean she could walk sideways from now on without any worries?
“A rich second-generation heir? What does that mean?” Nangong An was once again stunned by her novel choice of words.
She had gotten too excited and let it slip again.
Yunxi thought for a moment and organized her words before saying, “I didn’t expect you to be a young master from a wealthy family. Then why did you still go to the army and suffer so much?”
Nangong An scratched the back of his head and said a little embarrassedly, “I was very mischievous as a child. My mother was afraid I’d grow up to be useless, so when I was about ten, she sent me to my father, who was a general in the army.”
“Later, I gradually grew to like life in the military. After repeatedly earning merits, the Emperor conferred me the title of general and stationed me in the northern frontier.”
Stationed in the northern frontier—that was basically present-day Xinjiang. She had heard that when it was cold there, temperatures could drop to minus ten degrees or lower. Could her slender body handle that?
No, she needed to eat more and put on more flesh to keep warm.
“Xi’er, I’m stationed in the northern frontier all year round. Are you still willing to follow me?” Nangong An looked at the silent woman, feeling very uneasy. He was afraid she would suddenly say, “I’m not going.”
Yunxi swallowed the chicken in her mouth and said, “What, are you planning not to take responsibility after having your fill? I clearly remember someone saying this morning that I’d be the only woman in his life. How come not even a day has passed and you’re already going back on your word? Or do you have a childhood sweetheart in the northern frontier?”
Listening to Yunxi rattle on, Nangong An pulled her into his arms and kissed her directly.
Not want her? Impossible. In this lifetime, she shouldn’t even think about leaving him—no chance at all.
At that moment, a voice sounded outside the door. “Master, I’ve finished what you instructed me to do.”
Leiting waited for a while with no response and spoke again, “Master, you—”
Before he could finish, the door opened.
Leiting saw Nangong An’s dark expression and scratched his head. He didn’t think he had offended his master—so why was his master so angry?
Nangong An’s cold voice rang out, “Hand it over. Then go train extra in the back courtyard.”
Hearing that tone, cold sweat broke out on Leiting’s back. It felt like he was seeing that devilish master who trained them day and night all over again.
Leiting immediately turned around. He wished he could leave this place at once—his master was terrifying. Could it be that his master was… unsatisfied?
Meanwhile, Nangong An held the item in his hand, smiling so broadly that his grin almost reached his neck.
Yunxi looked at him, puzzled. He had just been cold enough to freeze his subordinate, yet he changed in the blink of an eye. Men really were—
Truly unpredictable, like needles at the bottom of the sea.
Nangong An walked to the table and sat down, then spread out the item in his hands for Yunxi to see. “Xi’er, take a look. What is this?”
Yunxi lowered her head and saw it—a marriage certificate. A marriage certificate between her and Nangong An.
Wait, she hadn’t told him her birth date or eight characters. How did he know them?
And why would he suddenly get a marriage certificate?
Seeing the confusion on Yunxi’s face, Nangong An was afraid she might get angry, so he hurriedly explained, “Xi’er, I’m sorry. I had them handle this without your consent. Please don’t be angry.”
After thinking for a moment, he continued, “We’re heading north, and when entering cities or passing checkpoints, we need travel permits or household registration. You said yours was missing, so I thought that if we got married, your registration could be placed under my household. That way, it’ll be convenient no matter where we go.”
As he spoke, he carefully watched Yunxi’s expression. Seeing that she wasn’t angry, he went on, “Since we’ve already shared a bed, I want to give you a rightful and proper status. Once the marriage certificate is written, you’ll be the legitimate Madam Nangong.”
Yunxi knew that Nangong An had done all this for her sake. No proposal, no betrothal gifts, nothing at all—and just like that, she was married in ancient times.
Did this count as a naked marriage?
Sigh. With a pitiful expression, she said, “Fine, no wedding is one thing, but not even a proposal? And no betrothal gifts either. Nangong An, I think you don’t really love me. You’re just saying it.”
Nangong An pulled her into his arms. “Xi’er, your husband doesn’t just love you with words. I love you in my heart, and even more with my body. Can’t you feel it?”
“Xi’er, although I can’t give you a wedding right now, when we return to the northern frontier, I’ll give you a grand wedding then, alright? How could my Xi’er not have betrothal gifts? She deserves the very best.”
As he finished speaking, he somehow produced a small chest.
Yunxi took the chest and slowly opened it. Inside were house deeds, land deeds, and a thick stack of silver notes.
This guy really was a rich second-generation heir—an entire box full of deeds and silver notes. He was truly rich, unbelievably so.
“Xi’er, this is all my property. From now on, I hand it all over to you. These are the transfer documents. In the future, you may freely manage and use everything.”