"Ning'er."
"Hmm? What's up?"
"What's wrong with your face?"
Zhao Shuning's face seemed to be twitching. She wanted to laugh but had to hold it back.
The storybooks said that generally men preferred girls who were delicate and pitiable. Whenever a man saw such a girl, even if she had done something really wrong, as long as he saw her pitiful look, he would involuntarily feel sympathetic.
"Ah?"
"There's a bronze mirror over there. Ning'er, you can go and take a look."
Zhao Shuning walked over. When she saw her affected and coy look in the mirror while trying to act dignified, she almost threw up. She couldn't stand such an annoying face herself, and she wondered what expression Bu Ran had when he saw her annoying face just now. Her face twitched again.
Yan Ruyu got dressed and hugged Zhao Shuning from behind. They looked at her in the mirror together.
As Zhao Shuning was looking, she felt something was off about the person behind her. She turned around. Sure enough, Yan Ruyu was smiling. After being discovered by Zhao Shuning, he couldn't hold it back anymore and burst into soft laughter.
"Bu Ran, you..."
Yan Ruyu gently tapped Zhao Shuning's nose with his finger and said indulgently, "My little girl is so cute."
With such an indulgent tone and such an intimate gesture, even if Zhao Shuning was a fool, she could figure out that she had been tricked by Yan Ruyu. He must have been unable to stand her "ingratiating" face long ago, but he managed to hold back his laughter until now.
"Bu Ran, you tricked me!" Zhao Shuning punched at him, but Yan Ruyu easily caught her fist, held it in his hand, and then gently pulled her into his arms.
"Ning'er was so gentle before. Why are you back to your old self now?"
Zhao Shuning pouted angrily. "Don't mention it."
Yan Ruyu let go of Zhao Shuning's hand and made her face him. "Does it still hurt?"
A blush crept back onto her cheeks. Zhao Shuning nodded. Then, her stomach let out a series of embarrassing growls.
Yan Ruyu smiled gently. "Are you hungry?"
Zhao Shuning nodded again.
"Then I'll take you out for a meal. How about that?"
Zhao Shuning nodded obediently once more. Remembering her clumsy acting in front of Bu Ran earlier, she felt so ashamed that she wanted to dig a hole and hide in it. She buried her head very low.
Yan Ruyu walked closer to her. Zhao Shuning thought Yan Ruyu was going to say something to her. Just as she was about to lower her head and listen, her feet suddenly left the ground. She lost her balance, and out of inertia, she quickly wrapped her arms around Yan Ruyu's neck.
"What are you doing?"
Yan Ruyu said, "Isn't Ning'er hungry? I'm taking you out for a meal now."
"You don't have to carry me. Put me down. I have my own feet and can go eat by myself."
"Doesn't it hurt down there?"
Zhao Shuning blushed again and buried her head in his arms, not daring to look up. At this moment, Zhao Shuning was truly extremely cute.
Yan Ruyu carried her in his arms and felt completely at ease. When he carried her all the way to the main hall for the meal, passers - by on the way cast different looks at them. In the Charm Forest, their views were different from those of outsiders. So Yan Ruyu's behavior made the charming women in the Charm Forest quite envious of the girl in Yan Ruyu's arms.
"Third brother, you're up. Come and have a meal with us."
Zhao Shuning struggled to get out of Yan Ruyu's arms at this time. She didn't raise her head and quickly bowed to Feng Jin.
"Sister - in - law doesn't need to be so polite. You're third brother's woman. It should be me bowing to you."
Zhao Shuning nodded awkwardly and then sat down. Seeing Feng Jin still looking at her, to ease the awkwardness, she just casually asked, "Xiao Jin, I've always had a question bothering me. Can you answer it for me?"
"Sister - in - law, please go ahead."
Zhao Shuning said, "I heard that there are only three boys in your Feng family. Although Bu Ran ranks third among the children, he's only the second son. Why do you call him third brother? Shouldn't it be second brother?"
Feng Jin patiently listened and then said, "Sister - in - law, although there are three sons and one daughter in our Feng family, besides third brother and second brother, we also have an elder brother. He was an adopted son my mother took in many years ago."
Bu Ran continued, "At that time, he was a poisoned child. My mother took him under her wing and asked the divine doctor to cure him."
"What's his name? Is he still alive?"
Yan Ruyu shook his head. "His name was Xiao Du. He's long gone. But he called our mother mother, so our mother asked us to recognize this elder brother."
Zhao Shuning nodded. "I see."
The atmosphere seemed to have eased a lot because of her question just now. Zhao Shuning then asked, "Xiao Jin, why is the room so red? Is there a happy event coming up?"
Feng Jin looked at Yan Ruyu. The two brothers seemed to have a telepathic connection. Feng Jin said, "I prepared this for third brother and sister - in - law. Three days later, you two can get married in the Charm Forest."
Zhao Shuning let out a soft cry and quickly looked at Yan Ruyu. Yan Ruyu looked calm.
"Doesn't Ning'er want to?"
"It's not that I don't want to. Um - well, I do want to. But Bu Ran, if I'm really going to get married, I hope my parents can be there."
Yan Ruyu was stunned for a moment and then said, "I understand, Ning'er. How about we consider the wedding ceremony in the Charm Forest as the one to pay respects to my parents? It can also be an explanation for our relationship. I promise you that when we get back to the Kyushu Continent, I'll definitely hold a grand wedding for you. By then, your parents, clan members, and family will all be there."
Zhao Shuning suddenly realized that what she said just now was inappropriate. She wanted her parents and clan members to attend her wedding, but she forgot that in that plane, Bu Ran had no clan members, and Xiao Jin couldn't go to that plane. So getting married here was actually a way to officially introduce Zhao Shuning to the clan members. Feng Jin, as Bu Ran's younger brother, could also attend.
"Okay, I understand."
"Sister - in - law, if you don't want to..."
"No, no, no. I'm very willing. I'm just afraid of bothering you. Xiao Jin, I don't mean anything else. Don't think too much."
Feng Jin smiled gently. "Sister - in - law misunderstood. I won't think too much. As long as third brother is happy, even if I can't attend his wedding ceremony, I'll be happy."
At this time, Fairy You brought in the dishes with her servants. "Miss, I asked the kitchen to prepare some soft - shelled turtles and mutton for you. They're all good for promoting blood circulation and nourishing the body. You should eat more."
"Third master, I asked the kitchen to make some pig kidneys, sparrows, and sheep kidneys for you. You should also eat more."
The blush that had just faded from Zhao Shuning's face reappeared. Yan Ruyu also had a smile on his face.
Fairy You continued, "I'll prepare some walnut kernels, hickory kernels, and some eggs for you two later. You can have them after the meal."
If Zhao Shuning remembered correctly, weren't these foods for nourishing the kidneys?