https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-47-Pepper-and-Lamb-Are-a-Perfect-Match/12606664/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-49-The-Chen-Family-s-Unfortunate-Turn-of-Events/12606666/
Chapter 48: Brothers Share a Bond
Chapter 48: Brothers Share a Bond
Suisui claimed that she couldn't finish her portion.
Feng Xuanrui, always one for grand gestures, originally wanted to declare: "I'll help you finish it!"
However, looking at the large bowl in front of him, he found that he couldn't bring himself to say those words.
Finally, Doctor Liu laughed and asked the shop owner for two smaller bowls, allowing the children to take food from the large bowl and eat from their own smaller ones.
They could take more after they finished what was in their bowls.
This way, the remaining noodles in the large bowl wouldn't be touched by them, and others could still eat what was left.
Feng Xuanrui didn't really mind the leftovers.
After all, there were always leftovers in the royal mansion, and no one knew how much food went uneaten there daily.
However, his sister was watching him.
Moreover, Prince Qing was still there.
Prince Qing spent most of his time leading troops and living a much harder life compared to the other princes.
As a result, he had a strong distaste for wastefulness.
Along the journey, Feng Xuanrui had picked up the habit of valuing and conserving food under the prince's influence.
With the issue of leftovers resolved, everyone's attention returned to the noodles.
Suisui put some noodles in her small bowl and then picked up two strands with her chopsticks, placing them in her mouth.
As soon as the noodles entered her mouth, the first thing she tasted was the freshness of the mutton.
The noodles had absorbed the flavor of the meat broth, and after being drenched in hot oil, the flavor had become even more intense.
The fresh and fragrant taste lingered on the lips and teeth for a moment before giving way to the chewy and slippery texture of the noodles.
The noodles, cooled after being rinsed in cold water, had a delightful chewiness to them.
Biting into them released a slight bounciness that surprised Suisui, and her dark, shiny eyes lit up with delight.
"Delicious!" Feng Xuanrui exclaimed straightforwardly after swallowing a mouthful of noodles.
Doctor Liu and the Qingshan brothers nodded in agreement.
Prince Qing didn't show much reaction; as long as it filled him up, it was fine by him.
However, wanting to appear more agreeable, he hesitated for a moment before nodding and saying, "Hmm."
On the sidelines, Doctor Liu felt like rolling his eyes.
He wanted to say: "Your Highness, if you can't give a compliment, don't force yourself."
"Why force yourself to fit in when you clearly don't belong?" he thought, but then remembered who he was dealing with—a prince—and decided to let it go.
The flavorful and tasty lamian noodles left everyone sweating from the heat.
After finishing their meal, their stomachs felt warm and full.
The heat from the food also made them feel comfortable and relaxed.
Although the sky was overcast with thick clouds, the street was bustling with activity.
The gloomy weather didn't affect the breakfast street's business, and many people were coming and going.
Many traveling merchants sat and exchanged information with others, and while they acknowledged that the cloudy weather made traveling more difficult, they didn't seem too bothered by it.
After all, a positive mindset was key to a long and happy life.
Suisui and Feng Xuanrui returned to the inn with the adults.
Due to the bad weather, Doctor Liu didn't let the children go out to play.
Fortunately, they had plenty of toys that Sun Ronglin had sent earlier, so Suisui and Feng Xuanrui could pass the time by playing with those.
Feng Xuanrui had lost all interest in the nine-linked ring puzzle.
As for the bold declaration he had made previously about solving it no matter what?
Feng Xuanrui now said: "What Feng Xialiu said yesterday has nothing to do with today's Feng Xianye."
In other words, he had no intention of keeping his word, and he wasn't going to try to understand, learn, or solve the puzzle.
Suisui had tried to learn from the bedtime storytellers before, but...
She hadn't succeeded.
Now, the little girl felt embarrassed and didn't dare bring it up, even avoiding looking at the nine-linked ring for fear that her brother would mention it and she would be unable to solve it, leading to an awkward situation between them.
In addition to the nine-linked ring, there was also the Luban lock and other similar puzzles.
While they were all intellectual toys, they presented a considerable challenge for the two young children.
Feng Xuanrui originally thought that if he changed the puzzle, he would be able to solve it.
As it turned out, none of them worked!
The siblings played from dawn to dusk.
In the end, they couldn't figure out the puzzle with the plum blossom lock.
Finally, Feng Xuanrui was so frustrated that he almost threw it away!
But then he thought about how this was his sister's gift, and even though he had felt a twinge of jealousy, he couldn't bring himself to actually throw it away.
Seeing her brother's displeased expression, Suisui pondered for a moment before gently moving closer to him and coaxing in a soft tone, "Brother, don't be angry. I'll tell you a bedtime story, okay?"
A bedtime story?
Xuanrui hadn't been able to make sense of the previous story.
But this time, he was determined to understand it!
Feng Xuanrui nodded his head, and Suisui happily cheered inside.
Then, the little girl sat down obediently and began, "Once upon a time, in a deep, dark forest, there lived a mermaid..."
Feng Xuanrui listened with confusion. "What's a mermaid? Is it a type of fish? Can you eat it?"
"Hey, wait a minute. Don't mermaids live in the water?"
"There's a pond outside our village with lots of fish in it. They taste delicious when they're cooked."
...
Suisui's thinking was still immature and often muddled.
She tended to mix things up and make wild statements.
Her stories were already quite illogical, and with Xuanrui's interruptions, she became even more confused.
For the rest of the time, Suisui told her brother a story about a mermaid who ate a poisoned apple, then flicked her tail and splashed water on a prince, only to be scooped up by Uncle Dongpo.
Feng Xuanrui: ?
Huh?
Something about this story didn't quite add up.
Xuanrui's confusion was written all over his face.
He was even more perplexed by the story and asked, "Sister, where do you hear these stories from?"
How could they be so bizarre?
Hearing her brother's question, Suisui instantly became nervous, her small mouth tightening into a thin line.
She remembered Lele's warning: Don't reveal my existence!
So, she couldn't tell him.
Xuanrui was just curious and asked on a whim.
When Suisui didn't answer, he figured that she might have heard such tales from someone in the village, or perhaps someone had been telling tall tales, and Suisui had happened to overhear them.
Suisui was scared out of her wits.
The storytime, which had barely begun, came to an abrupt end.
The two children soon washed up and went to bed.
Feng Xuanrui was carefree and fell asleep quickly.
As soon as Suisui turned over, she could hear her brother's soft snoring.
The sound soothed her, and she felt reassured.
She anxiously asked the system, "Did I almost expose us just now?"
The system didn't have high expectations of a five-year-old keeping secrets.
Its main concern was to prevent others from discovering something unusual about Suisui's body or identity and causing her harm.
If it was someone close to her, knowing about Lele might not be an issue.
However...
Could these two children really keep a secret?
The system had already given up on its optimistic outlook.
Not wanting to burden Suisui with too much pressure, it quickly comforted her in a gentle voice.
"It's alright. Your brother isn't an outsider."
To Suisui, this meant that Lele's secret could be shared with her brother.
But she wondered: What if I tell him, and he doesn't believe me?
Realizing this, Suisui felt a slight pang of disappointment.
Not wanting to see the little girl sad, the system smiled and asked, "Would you like to hear a story before you sleep?"
(End of Chapter)
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