Chapter 18: Adorable

Pei Yang was about the same height as Ji Yun, and wearing boots while standing up straight, he was just a finger’s width taller than Bao Ning.

He mimicked Bao Ning’s low tone: “Where are you going?”

Only then did Bao Ning notice his hair—under the sunlight, it was vividly red, almost glowing. She was stunned.

Pei Yang followed her gaze, brushed the hair from his forehead, raised his eyebrows, and asked, “Does it look good?”

Bao Ning sincerely praised, “It looks great.”

Pei Yang looked satisfied. He looked down and adjusted the hem of his robe, then recalled their earlier topic: “What do you need a carriage for?”

Bao Ning frowned, pulled Pei Yang to the side away from the doorway, and repeated the story of how Concubine Ming and Gongsun Zhu were connected.

“I don’t know if it’ll help, but I still want to give it a try. Your brother’s leg…”

She hadn’t finished speaking when her hand suddenly burned with heat. Bao Ning looked up in surprise—and saw that Pei Yang was crying.

She panicked. She hadn’t done anything wrong, had she? Why was he suddenly crying?

Pei Yang choked up as he grabbed her hand: “Sister-in-law, I really didn’t expect you to be this considerate, to treat my brother so well. He has a bad temper, and his health isn’t great, but he’s a good person. Sister-in-law, I’m truly touched. I have nothing to repay you with—let me sing you a song!”

Bao Ning was terrified. She thought Pei Yang had lost his mind or eaten something bad—he was acting completely abnormal.

“Your Highness, please let me go, okay?” Bao Ning anxiously tried to pull her hand back. “I don’t really want to hear a song right now. I’m hungry, I want to eat. Are you hungry too? Let’s stop tugging—come eat something. I’ll make you something delicious.”

She babbled trying to soothe him, but Pei Yang’s teary-eyed face made Bao Ning feel completely at a loss.

What was with this younger brother? Why did he cry so easily?

She had never seen a boy cry like this before. Ji Yun never cried—he liked to boast and was very stubborn. When exposed, he’d rather hit someone than cry. Pei Yuan even more so—he was solitary and proud, too proud to cry even if he was in agony.

Pei Yang completely broke Bao Ning’s understanding of boys.

And she didn’t know how to comfort him.

After thinking for a bit, Bao Ning hurried back into the house and returned with a box of golden honey dates, handing it to Pei Yang: “Eat some candy, don’t cry.”

Pei Yang took one, popped it into his mouth, chewed, and sighed: “So sweet.”

“If you like them, they’re all yours. I made them myself—there’s plenty more where that came from,” Bao Ning took the opportunity to say. “About the carriage…”

Pei Yang replied, “That’s nothing. It’s just one carriage. If you want eight hundred, there’d be eight hundred.” He waved a hand. “It’s yours.”

This little brother really was extravagant. Extravagant in a strangely adorable way…

At noon, Pei Yang stayed for a meal. He’d brought a lot of ingredients, and Bao Ning reheated and stir-fried them, making a table full of dishes.

Previously, she and Pei Yuan always ate at separate tables. She thought it would be the same this time too, and left a portion for herself, planning to eat slowly in the west wing. But Pei Yuan called her over.

Pei Yuan said, “There’s a guest visiting. It’s improper for the host not to join the table.”

Bao Ning hadn’t thought much about it before—she was a bit slow, didn’t fuss over things, and never considered whether where she ate mattered. But after Pei Yuan said that, she realized—he was standing up for her, making sure Pei Yang wouldn’t look down on her.

Looking at it another way, Pei Yuan now regarded her as family.

That realization made Bao Ning happy the entire day.

The brothers hadn’t seen each other in a long time, and Pei Yuan and Pei Yang drank a little together, chatting casually. Bao Ning couldn’t understand their conversation and was getting sleepy, so after a while, she returned to her room and went to sleep.

When she woke up, Pei Yuan was sitting beside her, patting her face. It was already dark outside.

She had still felt a bit dizzy in the morning, but after sleeping all afternoon, she was mostly recovered.

The room was unlit, and Pei Yuan’s tall figure loomed in the darkness like a wall.

He bent a finger and flicked her forehead. His voice was a bit hoarse: “Wake up. You’ve slept so much during the day—how are you going to sleep at night?”

Bao Ning hugged the blanket and rolled around a bit, rubbing her eyes as she sat up: “What time is it?”

“No idea,” Pei Yuan paused, then reached out to wipe her cheek with a frown. “Drooled all over your face. Disgusting.”

Bao Ning quickly dodged and wiped her face with the back of her hand—only to realize it was dry.

She whispered, “Liar.” Pei Yuan chuckled softly, saying nothing.

Bao Ning walked past him and went to feel around for a candle: “Why didn’t you light a lamp when you came in? It’s so dark.”

Pei Yuan replied lazily, “I came to sleep. Why would I need a light?”

Bao Ning’s hand trembled. She looked up in surprise: “What did you come here for?”

Pei Yuan had trained in martial arts since childhood, and his senses were sharp—he could clearly see her expression even in the dark.

Bao Ning wasn’t so capable. She couldn’t see Pei Yuan’s face, just a dark shadow. Her heart raced. She scooted back and pulled the blanket over herself, asking again, “What are you here for?”

“You’ve changed,” Pei Yuan reached out and scratched her chin. “You didn’t used to talk like this. You used to be respectful and polite. When you addressed me, you used the formal ‘您’

¹ “您” (nín) is the polite or respectful form of “你” (nǐ), meaning you.

It’s used when addressing someone in a formal, respectful, or deferential way—similar to saying “you” in English but with the politeness level of “Sir/Madam” implied.

.”

Bao Ning bit her lip and played along, replying, “Fourth Prince, may I ask what brings you here?”

Her mind was a complete mess—she just wanted him to leave quickly.

The night made her feel especially unsafe. Pei Yuan was like a mountain looming before her, and all she could smell was his scent—cool yet intense, mingled with the faint aroma of wine and something uniquely his. It was hard to describe.

Bao Ning held her breath and tried not to smell it.

Pei Yuan said, “Weren’t you going back to your family?”

Bao Ning nodded.

“Pei Yang said he’s going to escort you,” Pei Yuan chuckled. “You’ve got some skills, managing to win over even that brat.”

Bao Ning was surprised. She hadn’t thought Pei Yang was difficult to get along with.

Seeing her confusion, Pei Yuan slowly explained, “That kid is like a dog—likes to mark his territory. In his mind, you’re either family or an enemy. You’re impressive to have earned his trust right away. When I won him over back then, I had to put in a lot of effort. You haven’t seen how crazy he gets sometimes—tsk…”

Bao Ning thought silently to herself, These two brothers are really alike—both like dogs and both go crazy. How does Pei Yuan have the nerve to criticize others? Has he forgotten how he treated me before?

“What are you pouting for? Think I can’t see?” Pei Yuan stopped mid-sentence when he noticed her expression. Dissatisfied, he pressed at the corners of her lips, and when his fingers touched the little dimple at her cheek, he got mischievous and gave it a hard pinch.

Bao Ning let out a startled cry and almost bit his finger.

“Were you born in the Year of the Dog?” Pei Yuan hissed and leaned back. “Keep your voice down! Pei Yang’s sleeping in the next room. If you shout like that, people will get the wrong idea.”

Bao Ning jumped, quickly covered her mouth, and whispered, “Why hasn’t the Fifth Prince left yet? Won’t people from the palace come looking for him?”

“He sneaked out. If he left, would you know how to drive the carriage? No one knows he’s here—it’s fine,”

Pei Yuan answered both her questions in two sentences, then stood up and reached for his cane.

He seemed a bit tired, rubbing his temple. “Alright, I’ll stop teasing you. Just came to let you know—I’ll go back with you tomorrow. Get up early and dress nicely, so people don’t think I’ve been mistreating you.”

Bao Ning was pleasantly surprised. Just yesterday when she mentioned it, he was unwilling. Now he’d suddenly changed his mind?

“The day of your return visit, I didn’t accompany you—and you didn’t get to go either. I owe you that,” Pei Yuan leaned down and ruffled her hair. “I’ll make it up to you tomorrow.”

Support Sansukini on Ko-fi

Thanks for visiting. If you like this story, then I’m shamelessly asking you to visit NovelUpdates and give a 5⭐ review. (人❛ᴗ❛)♪тнайк　чоц♪(❛ᴗ❛*人)

You can also check out my other translations Here