After Marrying the Disabled Prince (BG) - Chapter 10: Sweetie

When Bao Ning brought the porridge over, Pei Yuan was already sleeping like a log. Forced to wake up and drink the porridge, he looked completely disgruntled.

Annoyed, Bao Ning secretly pinched his arm.

After feeding him the porridge, she wiped his face, hands, and feet, then changed the medicine on the wound on his leg. Only then did she return to her own room.

The little puppy was curled up under the blanket, tilting its head and waiting for her. Bao Ning smiled, reached out, and ruffled its head.

After such a busy half-night, Bao Ning found herself unable to fall asleep. Her mind kept drifting back to Pei Yuan’s leg injury.

From the very beginning, she had found it strange. How had Pei Yuan ended up in such a state? It probably wasn’t a disease. If it were, his leg wouldn’t hurt if it were paralyzed. His leg bore many knife wounds, but they alone shouldn’t have caused his entire right leg to lose mobility. Knife wounds hurt, but they wouldn’t render a whole limb immobile.

Bao Ning thought and thought but couldn’t figure it out.

Deep down, she harbored a bit of hope. What if Pei Yuan’s leg could recover some day?

Since childhood, she had learned some medical skills from Concubine Ming in the residence. Concubine Ming’s father used to run a clinic, treating precisely such conditions.

Some elderly people, as they aged, suffered from strokes and became partially paralyzed, unable to hold things or walk. Concubine Ming had said that many such conditions could be corrected. With internal herbal medicine, external poultices, frequent massages, and helping them walk regularly, some mild cases could recover 70-80%, and even severe cases could regain 20-30%.

Pei Yuan was still so young and had a strong constitution. If he persists with treatment, there should be some results.

But he would never agree to it. Bao Ning could already imagine his reaction. If she approached him and suggested treating his leg the same way they treated stroke patients, he would definitely get angry, put on a sour face, and might even scold her and chase her out.

That man’s temper was truly unpredictable, as fickle as June weather. He might be smiling at you one moment and turning hostile the next.

Bao Ning didn’t dare to risk upsetting him like that.

Besides, prescribing medicine requires diagnosing the root cause. Since Pei Yuan refused to talk about how his leg ended up like this, there was no way to determine the right treatment.

Bao Ning sighed, deciding to wait a little longer. Once her relationship with Pei Yuan grew closer, she could think of a way to persuade him. For now, the priority was to ensure proper nutrition, change his medicine daily, and let his wounds heal first.

And most importantly, get him to quit drinking!

The little puppy, unaware of what Bao Ning was thinking, grew restless and started nibbling on her fingers.

It was licking. Its two little paws clung to Bao Ning’s wrist tightly, and its little mouth wrapped around her finger, its raspy tongue sending tingling sensations up her arm.

“Have I not given you a name yet?” Bao Ning scratched its chin, thinking for a moment. “Since you love licking people so much, let’s call you Sweetie.”

The puppy blinked its eyes at her, and Bao Ning kissed its little head, smiling as she asked, “Sweetie, do you like this name?”

The puppy blinked at her again.

Bao Ning felt her heart melting. She cupped its little head and gave it a gentle rub, then tucked it into her arms, blew out the candle, and said, “Sleep.”

….

The next day, Bao Ning was woken by pain. Her neck and wrist were burning hot, and when she opened her eyes, she saw her wrist was bruised and purple.

It was from yesterday when Pei Yuan had gripped her.

Her heart sank, and she quickly went to find a mirror. Her neck wasn’t as bad as her wrist, just slightly red, but because her skin was fair, it still looked alarming at first glance.

Bao Ning applied a layer of powder over her neck and tied a scarf to cover it. That managed to conceal it well enough.

But there was no solution for her wrist. She could only pull her sleeve down as far as possible to hide the bruise.

That man really… doesn’t know how to control himself.

Bao Ning resolved to keep her distance from Pei Yuan in the future. She thought to herself, no matter whether he was awake or asleep, she’d stay three steps away to avoid provoking him again.

Even with ointment applied, her wrist still hurt. It might have injured the tendons, leaving her unable to do much with it.

Breakfast was kept simple: spinach meatball soup made from the leftover meatballs from the previous day. It was easy, convenient, soft, and refreshing—delicious.

She also made a few scallion oil rolls, which paired perfectly and tasted heavenly.

While the soup was simmering, the items purchased the previous day were delivered.

Two brand-new pearwood furniture sets, several bolts of fabric, various vegetable seeds, grains, oil, dried pork legs, and, most importantly, a brood of chicks.

Ji Yun had paid generously, so the delivery workers were particularly friendly, helping Bao Ning carry everything into the courtyard and even chatting with her.

“Young madam, this place you’re living in is so simple and rustic. When the young gentleman and I delivered the items here yesterday, I thought I must’ve heard wrong.”

Hearing herself called “young madam,” Bao Ning froze for a moment, not realizing he was referring to her.

Another worker chimed in, “What do you know? Nowadays, wealthy folks prefer tranquil places like this. It’s called returning to simplicity.”

Bao Ning felt a bit embarrassed.

She thanked them and sent the workers on their way. As she walked back, she was still replaying that “young madam” in her head. It felt both shy and unfamiliar.

She had been living with Pei Yuan for several days now. Bao Ning had started thinking of him as a companion, almost forgetting about the relationship between them.

In principle, Pei Yuan was her husband, and she was his wife. But their relationship was so unusual that Bao Ning thought not only had she neglected this fact, but Pei Yuan probably hadn’t considered it either.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have tried to drive her away days ago, nor would he have treated her so roughly last night.

Still, things were pretty good as they were now—peaceful and harmonious. She cooked, he ate, and as long as Pei Yuan didn’t lose his temper again, she’d be content.

Lost in thought, Bao Ning suddenly remembered she still had something cooking and rushed back.

Fortunately, the food wasn’t burnt. She added some water to the pot, stirred it a few times, and went to check on the brood of chicks she’d bought.

Ten chicks, five ducklings, and two goslings.

They were still tiny, no larger than half a palm, their fluffy yellow feathers making them look like little balls. Their flock instincts were strong—they were divided into three groups, each huddled together, fast asleep.

A few were more energetic, awake, and peering around with their beady black eyes. From time to time, they chirped softly, their calls delicate and sweet, like “cheep—.”

Bao Ning imagined how lively it would be in a month when these little ones grew up and ran around the courtyard, laying eggs. It would be wonderful.

The chicks were kept in a large basket placed on the warm bed. Inside the basket, there was dry straw and bits of cotton, making it very soft.

Sweetie was lying by the edge of the basket, chewing on the wood while staring at the fluffy little yellow balls inside.

Perhaps it was a dog’s nature, but Bao Ning felt its gaze was rather unkind, with a hint of menace.

She was about to start cooking and couldn’t stay to watch over it. Uneasy, she warned, “Sweetie, you’d better behave and not bite them, understand?”

The puppy ignored her. Bao Ning frowned. Torn between the urgency of her chores and her concern for potential mischief, she decided to move Sweetie to the far end of the heated brick bed, away from the basket. She placed a quilt between them as a barrier before feeling assured enough to leave.

By then, the dough had risen. Bao Ning rolled it out, spread oil over it, sprinkled spices and chopped scallions, then rolled it into a log. She sliced it into sections and used chopsticks to press and twist each piece, shaping perfect flower rolls.

Engrossed in her task, she didn’t pay attention to the other end of the bed until she heard a cacophony of distressed cries. Alarmed, she turned her head to see Sweetie, somehow having made its way back to the basket. It now sat amidst the baby animals, like a little tyrant. Its jaws were clamped on a gosling’s neck, shaking its head back and forth as though it were a toy.

“What are you doing?” Bao Ning’s heart leaped into her throat. Ignoring the flour on her hands, she rushed over and rescued the little gosling.

Sweetie, still with only a few teeth, hadn’t injured the gosling, but it was clearly terrified, trembling in a corner. Furious, Bao Ning smacked Sweetie on its bottom a few times. The puppy, however, appeared entirely unapologetic, tilting its head as if to say, “What did I do wrong?”. It looked at her with a righteous demeanor.

For a moment, Bao Ning was struck by how much Sweetie resembled Pei Yuan from the previous night.

“Do you think I can’t deal with you?” Bao Ning pinched its ears. “Let’s see how tough you are when I take you to someone who can put you in your place! Let’s see who’s fiercer!”

In the east wing, Pei Yuan was still asleep.

Quietly, Bao Ning placed Sweetie by his pillow and nudged the puppy’s bottom.

Sweetie, being clever and obedient, crawled up onto Pei Yuan’s face. Its soft fur brushed against his cheek, and its little rear end wiggled.

Pei Yuan felt an itch on his face as if something was there. He reached out to pull it off, but whatever it was clung stubbornly to him and wouldn’t budge.

Annoyed, Pei Yuan opened his eyes, only to come face-to-face with a puppy sticking out its tongue, seemingly about to nibble on his nose.

Startled, his hand jerked back. “What the hell is this?!”