That night, Ji Lingchuan stayed in Song Yixuan's room.
He was there with Song Yixuan and Xiangxiang.
There was only a small bed in Song Yixuan's room. On normal days when Xiangxiang slept with him, this small bed was more than enough for the uncle - nephew pair to sleep soundly. But now, with the addition of Ji Lingchuan, a strong man over six feet tall, it seemed a bit cramped.
However, for Xiangxiang, this was a long - awaited opportunity. Since he had his "father", this was the first time he got to sleep with him!
Xiangxiang was so excited that he couldn't fall asleep at all. He pestered Ji Lingchuan to tell him stories. Although Song Yixuan was a calm - tempered boy, he was still just an eight - year - old child, extremely curious about the things on the battlefield. Being pestered by the two kids, Ji Lingchuan had no choice but to pick out some interesting stories about his military campaigns on the border.
Children are naturally in awe of heroes, and Ji Lingchuan's experiences were truly unique. Although they had lost touch with Ji Lingchuan over the years, Song Yixuan had always held great respect for this "brother - in - law".
Before meeting Ji Lingchuan in Sucheng, Song Yixuan liked to take Xiangxiang to the teahouse to listen to the storytellers talk about the battles led by the "War God of Yu State".
Although Xiangxiang didn't fully understand, after hearing so many stories, the idea of "a good man should defend his country" had taken deep root in his mind. Dahuang was his "war - horse".
Now that they could hear Ji Lingchuan tell the stories himself, the two kids were extremely excited. They listened with great interest and didn't even want to sleep.
But after all, they were still young. Before long, Xiangxiang couldn't hold on anymore and fell asleep in Ji Lingchuan's arms. As he drifted off, he murmured, "When I grow up, I'm going to ride a big horse and fight bad guys..."
Song Yixuan managed to stay awake a bit longer, but soon he also leaned against Ji Lingchuan and fell asleep.
On the small bed, three figures of different sizes were huddled together. Listening to the gentle breathing sounds of the two beside him, with his younger brother - in - law and son lying on him, Ji Lingchuan looked at the dark ceiling and then closed his eyes.
After getting used to the days filled with the glint of swords and constant vigilance in the military camp, he really enjoyed this peaceful and warm life.
Without that certain someone to bother her, Song Yihuan finally had a good night's sleep.
The next day, she woke up early. After a simple wash and dressing, she went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for the family.
Her cooking skills were learned many years ago from Rou Shi in the Ding'an Marquis Mansion. Before Rou Shi encountered misfortune, her family ran a restaurant, so she was an excellent cook.
Life for the mother - daughter pair in the Marquis Mansion was tough. Rou Shi knew that as a concubine's daughter, Song Yihuan probably wouldn't have a good marriage. So she taught her cooking skills, hoping that in the future, she would at least have a skill to rely on and could please her future husband's family.
Over the years, while living in seclusion with Xiangxiang, Qi Lei, and Song Yixuan, she often cooked for everyone. Thinking that Feng Tingyun would soon leave Yu State and return to Yanyun, she wanted to make him a meal of meat buns before he left.
She poured water, kneaded the dough, and worked it skillfully, no less proficient than the cooks in the restaurants outside.
Just as she was exerting herself, she suddenly felt someone's gaze on her. Looking back, she saw that Ji Lingchuan was standing outside the small kitchen, staring intently at her actions.
Seeing him, she remembered the embarrassing incident from the day before, and the tips of her ears turned red. Pretending to be calm, she said, "You're awake. Wait a little longer, and the buns will be ready."
She had thought that a noble prince like him wouldn't be interested in things in the kitchen. But after she said that, he stepped inside.
The kitchen in this small courtyard wasn't very big. It was just the right size for Song Yihuan alone, but with Ji Lingchuan in it, it became even more cramped.
Song Yihuan was a bit surprised. "You... don't need to come in. There's a lot of smoke and flour here. Be careful not to get your clothes dirty. Just wait outside."
But Ji Lingchuan rolled up his sleeves, moved her aside, stood in her previous position, and took over the dough.
"How should I do it?"
Shock was written all over Song Yihuan's face. "You—" Was he going to cook?
Ji Lingchuan said, "Don't underestimate me. When on military campaigns, we often have to ambush in the wild, and I often have to cook for myself. Didn't you eat the roasted rabbit I made?"
"But—" Song Yihuan thought, how could this be the same? When on a military campaign, cooking to fill one's stomach was out of necessity, but now...
"I'm not as delicate as you think," Ji Lingchuan said. "What's a prince's title? It's just a name. Without it, I'm no different from an ordinary person."
He also had jealousy and love in his heart. He could also go crazy and lose control because he couldn't have the one he loved.
Seeing that he said it so naturally, Song Yihuan completely put aside her concerns and taught him how to knead the dough.
Ji Lingchuan was a quick learner. With his greater strength than Song Yihuan, he kneaded the dough easily. Seeing that he was handling it well, Song Yihuan went to do other things.
Ji Lingchuan watched the woman he loved lower her head and prepare the filling for the buns in front of him, looking so focused. His heart felt full.
Suddenly, he had an idea. He raised his hand and smeared the flour on his hand on Song Yihuan's face. She was stunned for a moment and looked up at him. With a blank look on her face and the white flour on her beautiful face, she looked both pitiful and cute. Ji Lingchuan couldn't help but smile.
When Song Yihuan came to her senses and realized what he had done, she raised her eyebrows, put down what she was holding, grabbed a handful of flour, and threw it at him.
The two of them played around in the small kitchen for a while. When they finally came to their senses, they were both in a mess.
Ji Lingchuan wrapped his arms around her slender waist, kissed her lips for a moment, and said with a smile, "Since you won't let me back into the room, it's not too much for me to take some interest, right?"
Song Yihuan elbowed him away and mumbled, "I thought you really came to help. Turns out you had other ideas."
One by one, the buns were shaped. Song Yihuan neatly placed them in the steamer, lit the fire, and that was that.
After washing her hands, she went to Song Yixuan's room to wake up the two deeply - sleeping kids.
Song Yixuan rubbed his eyes and obediently called out, "Sister." Xiangxiang threw himself into Song Yihuan's arms and acted coquettishly for a while.
She wiped Xiangxiang's face clean and washed his hands and feet. Then she led Xiangxiang and took Song Yixuan out of the courtyard. The buns cooked quickly. In no time, the courtyard was filled with their delicious aroma. Xiangxiang took a deep breath and sighed, "It smells so good!"
Song Yihuan patted the two kids. "It's time for breakfast. Xiangxiang, go wake up your grandfather. Xuan'er, go invite your master."
Xiangxiang happily ran towards Qi Lei's room, while Song Yixuan went to Feng Tingyun's place.
Before long, Qi Lei came out holding Xiangxiang's hand, while Song Yixuan came running towards her in a panic, holding a wooden box from Feng Tingyun's room.
"Sister, Master... he's gone!"