Chapter 26 (1/2): Soft Everywhere, Hot Everywhere

Yun Ran had never heard of such a strange request before.

“What do you mean… you want me not to resist your touch?”

And it was her who had to figure out how?

Wasn’t it usually the other way around—whoever had the problem, they had to find a solution?

Yun Ran was utterly baffled, and meanwhile, the food from the kitchen was served—

At this point, there was nothing else to do but eat first!

When Sima Jing saw the dishes brought to the table, she seemed like a completely different person.

Just moments ago, she had looked confused and troubled, but now her eyes sparkled as they fixed on the plain dishes in front of her.

“Your Highness, aren’t you going to eat?”

Yun Ran picked up her chopsticks but didn’t immediately reach for the food; after all, Deep Willow Hall was Sima Jing’s domain, and as a guest, she had to wait for the host to start first.

Sima Jing gave her a long, deep look.

Perhaps she was truly hungry.

“Eat.” He said softly, picking up a pair of intricately carved ivory chopsticks.

Seeing him make a move, Yun Ran no longer hesitated.

She picked up a piece of the Dry Pot Fragrant Duck— her favorite dish— and ate it with relish.

Sima Jing was used to eating alone.

For him, eating was nothing more than a necessary task to sustain life; there was no joy in it.

But the woman before him was eating happily, as if the food she held was no ordinary meal but a miraculous elixir to relieve all worries.

Was it really that delicious?

Watching her pick up a Four Joy Meatball and pop it into her mouth, Sima Jing pondered for a moment before picking up a meatball himself.

One bite revealed the filling was seventy percent lean and thirty percent fat, finely minced yet still retaining some texture.

As he chewed slowly, the savory juice mixed with the sweetness of water chestnuts and crunchy lotus root pieces, perfectly balancing the rich sauce.

The taste was indeed quite good.

After finishing the meatball, Sima Jing noticed Yun Ran reaching for the Lotus Fragrant Glutinous Rice Ribs next.

The ribs were neatly arranged on a dark green lotus leaf, each rib wrapped in a layer of glutinous rice.

Every grain had absorbed the fragrance of the lotus leaf and the meat’s aroma, plump and translucent.

A layer of dark brown sauce was drizzled over them, garnished with bits of bright green, and the rising steam was especially enticing.

Sima Jing pursed his lips and picked up a chopstickful.

Yun Ran glanced at him but said nothing, continuing to eat enthusiastically.

After this, every time she reached for a dish, Sima Jing followed suit.

By the seventh time, Yun Ran couldn’t help but frown in confusion and looked across at him.

“Why are you copying me?”

His chopsticks paused.

“Who’s copying you?”

“If you’re not, then why do you pick up whatever I pick? Don’t tell me—” Yun Ran suddenly realized something, her dark eyes widening. “You’re treating me like a poison tester?”

Sima Jing was speechless.

Such a small head, yet such a vivid imagination.

“Are these dishes only allowed to be touched by you and forbidden to me?”

He looked at her calmly.

“That would be rather unreasonable.”

Yun Ran was momentarily speechless, but seeing his indifferent expression, she muttered to herself—perhaps she was overthinking it.

Fine, she had already picked enough food; if he wanted to copy her, so be it.

Though she still didn’t understand what was so worth copying.

She shook her head and resumed eating.

Perhaps the afternoon’s taxing mental effort had drained her, because Yun Ran unknowingly ate two bowls of rice.

When she finally set down her bowl, satisfied, and even rubbed her stomach quietly, Sima Jing frowned.

“Is the food really that good?”

“It is.” Yun Ran took a sip of fragrant tea to rinse her mouth, then looked at Sima Jing, who had only eaten one bowl, the few bites of food clearly copied from her, and couldn’t help but be puzzled.

“Why did Your Highness eat so little of such delicious food?”

“I’m full.”

Yun Ran was stunned.

“With a body like yours, are you full after eating that little?”

Looking at the table, many dishes remained untouched.

She sighed, “It’s such a pity to waste food. If I had known you wouldn’t eat much, I would have told the kitchen to prepare less.”

Only then did Sima Jing notice the amount of food was less than usual.

It turned out she had specially instructed this.

“Your Highness, are you sure you won’t eat more? I prepared tonight’s dinner for two, and even someone as small as me ate two bowls. You only ate one bowl— you’ll surely be hungry tonight.”

“If I’m hungry, there are cakes.”

“Cakes can be saved for tomorrow, but rice and dishes left uneaten today will spoil by then.”

Yun Ran said, “Wasting food is never good. Every grain of rice, every vegetable is hard to grow; it takes choosing the right season, plowing, sowing, fertilizing, watering, weeding, and pest control…”

Sima Jing lifted his eyelids slightly.

“You’ve planted?”

“Of course.”

He was speechless.

“Your Highness might not know, but life in our Daoist temple is quite frugal, and the location is remote.

If we didn’t plant our own vegetables, we’d have to spend money buying from the village below the mountain, which is troublesome and expensive.

It’s much more convenient to grow our own.”

Once she mentioned a subject she was familiar with, Yun Ran couldn’t stop talking.

“I found a good plot of land not far from the temple; I managed to cultivate a good amount of Huai Yam and Taro there. Don’t underestimate these two…”

Sima Jing listened quietly.

After a long moment, he finally spoke.

Yun Ran froze for a second.

Across the long table, she met the man’s dark, still eyes, and a strange feeling rose in her heart.

Quickly, she looked away.

“No work is without fatigue, but watching the food you’ve grown and eating the vegetables you’ve planted brings a sense of accomplishment.”

“By the way, if Your Highness is interested in farming, next spring when the time comes, I can invite you to sow the seeds with me.”

Seeing the man silent, she touched her nose.

“It’s okay if you’re not interested…”

“Well, Your Highness, will you have another bowl of rice?”

Having once farmed the land herself and experienced hunger, Yun Ran truly couldn’t stand to see food wasted.

Seeing her eyes shine brightly with hope as she looked at him, Sima Jing’s long fingers twitched at the edge of the table.

After a long moment, he picked up his bowl and chopsticks again.

Yun Ran’s eyes lit up even more, but the next moment the man said,

“You shouldn’t be idle. You’d better remember the request I made earlier.

If you can’t accomplish it, don’t blame me for being ruthless.”

“…”

As if he were the merciful one.

Grumbling silently, Yun Ran watched Sima Jing fill his bowl once more.

She rested her chin on her hand, pondering his strange request.

Not resisting her touch…

Could it be that he was very resistant?

But yesterday at the homecoming ceremony, he had held her hand several times quite naturally.

Or was he forcing himself, suffering inwardly?

Yun Ran furrowed her brows in confusion.

She wasn’t a hedgehog; surely touching her wouldn’t hurt.

Not long after, Sima Jing finished his bowl.

He slowly rinsed his mouth with fragrant tea, wiped the corner of his lips with a handkerchief, then looked up.

“Any ideas?”

Yun Ran came back to herself and looked at the man honestly.

“There’s really only one way. If you’re not used to it, then just try more, and you’ll naturally get used to it.”

She called out loudly, “Please clear the table.”

The maid soon came in to collect the dishes.

Chang Chun had been standing outside the door all this time.

When he saw that the entire dinner had been finished and that His Highness had eaten two bowls of rice, he was overjoyed.

Goodness, this Princess Consort seemed so innocent and naïve but was surprisingly clever.

She could coax His Highness into eating two bowls!

He didn’t know what method she had used, but he would definitely find a chance to learn from her.

Outside, Chang Chun admired the Princess Consort sincerely.

Inside, Yun Ran took a deep breath and lifted her skirt as she walked over to Sima Jing.

As she drew closer, the delicate rosy face lowered — close enough to see the fine fuzz on her cheek.

Sima Jing’s jaw tightened; his fingers gripping the edge of the couch suddenly clenched tightly.

“What are you doing?”

“Fulfilling your request.”

Yun Ran’s clear eyes blinked.

“My third sister-in-law told me that when she and my third brother first married last year, he couldn’t eat spicy food at all.

But because she ate spicy dishes every meal, even her mouth tasted spicy.

Day after day, my third brother was able to eat spicy food.”

Although Yun Ran didn’t understand how eating spicy food could make your mouth spicy, everyone agreed her third brother could now eat spicy food.

It showed how habit could slowly change a person.

“So, Your Highness, from now on, I’ll try hugging you once a day. How about that?”

“…”

“You’re not saying anything, so I’ll take that as your agreement.”

She straightened up.

“Stand up, it’s easier to hug when you’re standing.”

Sima Jing didn’t know what spell had been cast on him.

Only when he suddenly felt the warm softness pressing against him did he realize he had actually listened to her nonsense and stood up.

Yun Ran raised both hands and “plop” embraced the tall young man before her.

It was like hugging a tall, sturdy tree.

Especially when the man’s body stiffened and even the muscles on his shoulders and back tensed, the firm feel was even more like a tree.

“Don’t be nervous…”

Yun Ran tried patting the man’s rigid back.

“If you’re really nervous, close your eyes and imagine I’m someone you’re very close to…”

Someone closest to him wouldn’t resist.

Closing her eyes, imagining she was holding Empress Zheng or her master, she felt nothing but happiness.

Her arms tightened involuntarily.

Hugs held power.

Sima Jing, stiff all over, felt the warmth pressed against him.

The person closest to him.

Who was that?

No one.

There was no one he trusted or was close to in this world anymore.

But the young woman hugging him tightly around the waist with her eyes closed was, in his five years of life, the closest person to him.

She was like a cloud — soft, sweet-smelling, and gentle.

Though small and slender, every part pressed against him was soft and warm.

His body seemed not to resist this softness.

In fact…

He even lifted his hand to hold her tighter, to hold on longer.

Just as the thought arose, she suddenly released him, ending the embrace.

Sima Jing’s gaze faltered.

Looking down, Yun Ran was just raising her face to look at him.

“Your Highness, how do you feel?”

Under the dim candlelight, the girl’s eyes were pure and free from any impurity.

Sima Jing suddenly felt embarrassed.

“Your Highness?”

Seeing his expression turn serious, Yun Ran’s heart trembled.

It shouldn’t be like this.

Just now, she had clearly felt his shoulders relax.

It should have worked.

“The books say that even without consummation between a man and woman, just hugging like this can bring pleasure.

Don’t you feel anything, Your Highness?”

Yun Ran believed what the books said without doubt; after all, it was the Daoist Health Classic, the wisdom passed down from ancestors.

Sima Jing’s Adam’s apple moved slightly.