Chapter 1162: Chapter 1149: Like (34)
The brotherly bond between the Eldest Prince of Beimo and Prince NanAn has progressed by leaps and bounds.
He and Beimo Cheng King and Princess Jing Mountain went to Daqi to rescue King Beimo, and at a banquet, he was kicked by Su Chong and had the unfortunate incident with his shoes breaking at the seams. Prince NanAn developed a great liking for the Eldest Prince of Beimo.
Now he is Zhao Xu’s brother-in-law and has been rescued by Zhao Xu twice.
Being a brother-in-law and getting beaten by a brother-in-law, such unlucky encounters just suit them perfectly.
Prince NanAn and the others already regard the Eldest Prince of Beimo as a brother.
Which of Prince NanAn’s brothers hasn’t had a stroke of bad luck? Who hasn’t been embarrassed?
Without embarrassing experiences, one simply cannot blend in with them.
A lively conversation ensued.
It felt as if they had met late in life.
Eldest Prince of Beimo was hurrying back to Beimo, but while talking cheerfully with Prince NanAn and the others, he traveled with them for two days.
After two days, the Eldest Prince of Beimo couldn’t continue at such a leisurely pace and had no choice but to say goodbye.
Prince NanAn and the others decided to travel with the Eldest Prince of Beimo.
They had come to Nanlin to deliver a congratulatory gift and were in a hurry to return and report. With three children on the journey, the carriage couldn’t go fast, making stops along the way, and they were quite impatient.
At this speed, it would likely take two months to return.
Spending three to four months delivering a gift, they feared they might not even be able to enter their homes upon return.
Therefore, Prince NanAn, Heir of Marquis Beining, and Eldest Young Master of Duke Dingguo decided to proceed ahead.
They traveled together with the Eldest Prince of Beimo for five days before parting ways.
On the day of departure, the Eldest Prince of Beimo saw Xie Jingchen holding a child and felt the itch to try holding a child himself.
And then—
Xie Jingchen handed Yuanyuan to him.
Yuanyuan’s unexpected pee completely extinguished the Eldest Prince of Beimo’s enthusiasm for marriage and having children.
The dire situation was that there wasn’t even a place to change clothes in the wilderness.
The Eldest Prince of Beimo had to ride with his soaked chest, letting the wind dry him.
His despairing appearance almost made Prince NanAn and the others fall off their horses from laughing.
Three people sped back to the Capital City.
Meanwhile, Su Jin and the others were still on the boat.
Standing at the bow, they admired the lush, verdant mountains and the vast sapphire waves, the scenery picturesque.
Xingxing was entirely focused on sitting there grilling fish.
The Hidden Guard approached her from behind, looking around to ensure no one was paying attention, and his eyes were fixed on the silver hairpin on Xingxing’s forehead.
He had asked the silver hairpin vendor to forge an identical hairpin.
But the vendor was delayed that day, and he waited over an hour to finally get it.
He took the silver hairpin and hurried to catch up with the prince and the others.
Xingxing always wore the hairpin in her hair, and although the Hidden Guard tried several times to swap it, he never succeeded.
Xingxing was very fond of that silver hairpin.
The Hidden Guard slowly approached, reaching out to take the silver hairpin from Xingxing’s hair.
The Hidden Guard was so focused on the hairpin that it became an obsession, forgetting that when he got close, he blocked the gaze from behind.
Xingxing initially paid no mind, though they had chosen the largest boat, even the largest only had so much space.
With so many people around, when isn’t there a shadow on someone else?
But as the Hidden Guard’s hand reached for her forehead, Xingxing saw it all clearly.
Seeing the hairpin about to be taken, Xingxing quickly turned to look at the Hidden Guard.
Sadly for the Hidden Guard, he was caught with the hairpin in his hand, leaving no room for denial.
Xingxing glared angrily, demanding, "Why are you taking my hairpin?!"
The Hidden Guard, "...."
The Hidden Guard was feeling a bit guilty as it was.
With Xingxing glaring at him, he truly was at a loss for words.
Xingxing reached out to snatch the hairpin back.
The Hidden Guard dodged, leaving Xingxing fuming with frustration, almost wanting to bite him out of anger.
Xingxing put her hands on her hips and glared, "If you don’t give it back, I’ll report you to the young lady!"
The Hidden Guard quickly returned the silver hairpin to Xingxing.
Xingxing swiftly took the hairpin, inspecting it closely to ensure it was fine before turning to sit down.
Once seated, she caught a whiff of something burning, turning to glare at the Hidden Guard, "It’s all your fault!"
"The fish I spent all day grilling is burnt!"
The Hidden Guard stammered, "I was just teasing you."
Xingxing handed the fish to him, "You eat it."
The Hidden Guard, "...."
What choice did he have?
Xingxing was known for being frugal with food.
There were plenty of fish in the water, but she couldn’t abide waste.
The Hidden Guard sat down and ate the fish.
Xingxing, seeing he was actually eating it, asked, "Does it taste good?"
"It needs salt," remarked the Hidden Guard.
"...."
"Then I’ll sprinkle some for you," Xingxing said, grabbing salt and sprinkling it on the fish.
"...."
The fish, which originally had no taste, now alternated between salty and bland.
The Hidden Guard was deeply frustrated.
The only consolation was that the silver hairpin had been switched, and Xingxing hadn’t noticed.
However, the Hidden Guard’s joy was short-lived because, after he finished eating, Xingxing sent him to catch fish in the water.
The Hidden Guard, "...."
After he finished catching fish, the Hidden Guard returned to change his clothes, accidentally dropping the silver hairpin on the ground without realizing it.
When the servant came to fetch his clothes for washing, they found the hairpin.
The silver hairpin had been worn by Xingxing for nearly ten days, and the servant recognized it immediately as hers.
Although it was a bit puzzling how Xingxing’s hairpin ended up in the Hidden Guard’s cabin, the servant didn’t ponder over it, thinking it instead a great chance to curry favor with the heir’s wife’s maid; how could he pass that up?
The servant had barely left with the silver hairpin before the Hidden Guard realized it was missing and returned to search for it.
Xingxing had just finished grilling a fish, the aroma intoxicating, ready to take it to Su Jin.
The servant rushed forward, holding out the hairpin, "I found your hairpin."
Xingxing was a bit puzzled.
The hairpin looked like hers.
But there was one in her hair, and it hadn’t been lost.
Xingxing reached towards her bun, and the silver hairpin was still there; she then took it down.
Now, it was the servant’s turn to be bewildered.
In his hurry to present the hairpin, he hadn’t noticed one was already in Xingxing’s hair, how could there be another?
"Two silver hairpins?" the servant asked, confused.
Xingxing shook her head, "I only have one."
"Where did this one come from?"
The servant spilled the beans about the Hidden Guard.
Xingxing furrowed her brows tightly; do men use silver hairpins too?
Even if they do, why would he take hers if he has his own?
Xingxing wanted to confront the Hidden Guard about it, but after taking two steps, she handed the fish to the servant, "Here, you can have it."
The servant was ecstatic beyond words.
Xingxing stormed off to the Hidden Guard’s cabin.
She pushed the door open to find the Hidden Guard rummaging through his things. Xingxing walked to his back and asked, "What are you looking for?"
The Hidden Guard turned to look at Xingxing, "Nothing."
Xingxing raised her hand, holding up the two hairpins, "Why do you have a hairpin identical to mine, and even stole mine?"
The Hidden Guard sighed inwardly, this maid’s luck was just too good.
After all the effort he went through, how did she find out so soon?
The Hidden Guard, looking at the two silver hairpins, couldn’t tell which one he had bought, one being a gift from Zhao Xu’s guard.
He looked at Xingxing and said, "I didn’t want you wearing a hairpin given by someone else, that’s why I bought an identical one to replace it."
Xingxing furrowed her brows tightly, "Why?"
"Because I like you," the Hidden Guard blurted out.
"...."
