Lin Jiayan waited for quite a while before Chahar finally returned carrying a food tray.
“Why did it take so long?”
The moment he stepped inside, she caught the rich aroma of roasted meat. The scent instantly awakened her appetite.
“I was preparing this.”
Chahar set down the tray and took out a small dipping dish. Lin Jiayan leaned closer and sniffed it.
“Salt and pepper?” she guessed.
“Mm. You can’t eat chili peppers, so I ground some Sichuan peppercorns and mixed them with salt. It should taste pretty good as a dip.”
A whole venison leg had been roasted until it was golden and glistening with juices. Its surface was crisp and crackling. Chahar sliced the meat into bite-sized pieces with his dagger, dipped one lightly in the seasoning, and held it to Lin Jiayan’s lips.
“Give it a try.”
“Delicious.”
Her cheeks puffed out as she chewed. Then she suddenly thought of something and narrowed her eyes with a smile.
“It’s a pity A Ming isn’t here. He won’t get to taste such amazing roast meat. He was still talking about that rabbit we had before.”
“He could stand to eat less,” Chahar said while continuing to slice the venison. “He’s always coming over to mooch food and drinks. He’s getting round as a ball.”
He was still annoyed that A Ming had interrupted him earlier.
“Fat? Not really. Besides, he just recovered from a serious illness. It’s only right for him to eat some good food and build up his strength.”
After finishing one piece, Lin Jiayan looked at him expectantly, waiting for the next.
Unexpectedly, Chahar set down his knife and said seriously,
“The one who should be eating more is you. You eat so little every day. When is your body ever going to recover properly?”
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to eat. She simply had no appetite. Lin Jiayan felt as though all the medicine she’d been taking had ruined her sense of taste. Everything tasted bland to her.
“But I am eating.” She poked his hand and urged him on. “I’m starving today. Hurry up and cut more.”
She claimed to be starving, but after only a few pieces she already felt uncomfortably full. Looking at the large plate of sliced venison Chahar had prepared, she found herself in a difficult spot.
“Is your stomach bothering you?”
Seeing her sitting there blankly with a hand on her abdomen, Chahar reached out, pulled her into his arms, and covered her stomach with his large hand.
Taking advantage of the situation, Lin Jiayan rested her head on his shoulder and shamelessly said,
“It’s a bit too rich. I can’t eat anymore. You finish it for me.”
“How about some soup instead? It’s made with matsutake mushrooms my sister-in-law sent over, stewed with venison. I also added mountain ginseng and goji berries.”
Hearing the ingredients, Lin Jiayan couldn’t help exclaiming,
“That’s way too nourishing. No thanks. I’m afraid I’ll get a nosebleed if I drink that.”
She paused, then added,
“You… you shouldn’t drink it either.”
If he overdid it with those tonics and lost control, that would be troublesome, she thought. He was already enduring enough as it was. Eating such potent supplements every day was practically torture.
“Hm?”
Chahar tilted his shoulder to look at her face. Seeing her hesitate and avoid his gaze, he immediately understood.
“You’re worried I won’t be able to control myself?”
Lin Jiayan hadn’t expected him to say it so openly. She was left speechless.
“You don’t trust me? You think I don’t even have that much self-control?”
“That’s not it. Stop talking.”
Her face flushed crimson as she covered his mouth with her hand.
Suddenly, Chahar extended his tongue and lightly licked her palm.
Startled as if burned, Lin Jiayan jerked her hand back.
The look of shock on her face made Chahar chuckle deeply.
His princess consort was simply too adorable. In matters like this, she was as innocent as a blank sheet of paper. A little teasing was enough to make her blush from head to toe.
“Fine, I won’t say anything. Then call me ‘big brother’ and let me hear it.”
“Big brother?”
This brat really had some nerve. Did he realize she was actually three or four years older than him?
“What’s with that expression?” Chahar asked as though it were the most natural thing in the world. “Otherwise, you can call me husband.”
“You little brat.”
Lin Jiayan ground her teeth and muttered under her breath.
“What was that?”
Chahar had heard her. He lowered his head toward her neck, pretending he was about to kiss her.
Lin Jiayan was terribly ticklish and immediately struggled to push his head away.
“No, no, no! It tickles!”
“Then are you going to call me that or not?”
“I… I’ll call you A-Su instead.”
Neither “big brother” nor “little brother” felt appropriate, and she couldn’t bring herself to call him “husband.” Giving him a nickname seemed much more natural and affectionate.
“A-Su?”
Chahar raised an eyebrow. No one had ever called him that before.
“That’s right. Your name is so long. From now on I’ll call you A-Su, just like A Ming.”
Although he had somehow been demoted a generation in seniority, Chahar wasn’t upset in the slightest. On the contrary, he felt that anything she called him sounded pleasant.
The next day, Lin Jiayan sat at the table with her head propped on one hand, dozing off.
The two of them had spent half the night fooling around. As a result, Chahar had ended up taking two cold baths in the middle of the night, and neither of them had slept well.
Chahar left early in the morning, so Lin Jiayan got up as well.
She still hadn’t finished organizing the medical prescriptions she’d been compiling. Supporting herself with effort, she picked up her brush. Yet her mind was completely blank, and after a long while she hadn’t written a single character.
“Princess, if you’re tired, why don’t you go back to sleep?” Lianxin said while grinding ink beside her. Seeing Lin Jiayan’s eyelids drooping, she couldn’t help but advise her.
“No. If I sleep too much during the day, I won’t be able to sleep tonight.”
Lin Jiayan yawned and rubbed her eyes.
“You don’t need to worry about me. Go get some rest yourself.”
Ever since Chahar had brought Lin Jiayan here, he had personally taken care of all her daily needs. He wouldn’t even allow Lianxin to keep watch at night anymore. Sometimes Lianxin genuinely felt superfluous.
“Princess, the Prince Consort isn’t here. Please let me attend to you. At least let me pour you some tea or massage your legs.”
Although Lin Jiayan didn’t feel she needed anyone waiting on her, she couldn’t bear to refuse again and simply let her have her way.
“Mother!”
The sound of A Ming’s pattering footsteps stopped at the doorway. A cautious little head peeked around the doorframe.
“Second Uncle isn’t here, right?”
“No, he went out early this morning.”
Lin Jiayan beckoned him over.
“Come here. Why are you so afraid of him?”
“Second Uncle is really fierce. He won’t let me eat candy or cheese. Whenever he glares at me, I get scared.”
A Ming pouted as he complained.
“You should eat fewer snacks. You’re still growing. Eating proper meals is more important than anything else.”
Seeing A Ming slump over the table with a dejected expression, Lin Jiayan thought about it.
The child was still young. Being greedy for treats was perfectly normal. There weren’t many snacks available on the grasslands anyway. If he occasionally had some pastries or sweets, eating a few extra bites wouldn’t hurt.
“Lianxin, go bring over that box of hibiscus cakes the Taiji brought back earlier.”
Those were snacks Chahar had specially bought for Lin Jiayan at the border market after noticing her poor appetite. He wanted her to have something to nibble on whenever she didn’t feel like eating.
The moment A Ming heard there were hibiscus cakes, he practically sprang upright.
He knew there would always be delicious food at Mother’s place.
“Thank you, Mother!”
Lin Jiayan watched him eat until his face was covered in crumbs and used a handkerchief to wipe him clean.
Children really were wonderful. Give them something tasty, and they’d be happy all day.
“Mother, if I eat all of these, Second Uncle won’t beat me, right?”
A Ming felt a little uncertain, but he simply couldn’t let go of the pastries in his hands.
“He won’t. Just don’t eat so much that you get indigestion and end up with a stomachache.”
Lin Jiayan tapped the tip of his nose and smiled.
As she watched him eat with complete satisfaction, an idea suddenly occurred to her.
“A Ming, do you ever read storybooks?”
“Storybooks?”
“I mean things like opera scripts, folk tales, and popular novels. Find some for me to help pass the time. If you do, I’ll give you more hibiscus cakes next time, alright?”
She could read novels when she had nothing to do and, at the same time, learn Mongolian. The more she thought about it, the more brilliant the idea seemed.
“Hmm… I think we have some at home. I’ll go look for them.”
A Ming was a boy of action. No sooner had he spoken than he dashed away like a gust of wind.