Chapter 17

Because Xiao Changyuan said someone might poison them, Yun Pianpian spent several days in constant fear.
She couldn’t even enjoy her meals.
Although they had silver chopsticks to test for poison, Yun Pianpian still felt uneasy.
Some poisons cannot be detected with silver chopsticks.
Later, Yun Pianpian came up with an idea.
She could use Xiao Changyuan as a poison tester.
In other novels, it’s always the eunuchs who test the emperor’s food for poison, but in Yun Pianpian’s case, it became the emperor testing the food for the palace maid.
Yun Pianpian thought this was a brilliant idea and quickly put it into action.
Every time they ate, Yun Pianpian would let Xiao Changyuan eat first. Only after confirming that he showed no signs of poisoning would she dare to pick up her chopsticks and eat.
After all, Xiao Changyuan had the halo of a villain, these poisons couldn’t kill him.
The only one who could truly kill Xiao Changyuan was Chu Yi.
So Yun Pianpian wasn’t worried that Xiao Changyuan would die in Jiangjia Village.
Every time Yun Pianpian brought the food to the table, she would dawdle without picking up her chopsticks, just staring eagerly at Xiao Changyuan as he ate.
Over time, Xiao Changyuan realized that Yun Pianpian was using him as a poison tester.
His handsome, aloof face immediately turned frosty.
“Wife, are you using me to test for poison?”
Hearing this, Yun Pianpian immediately felt guilty and lowered her head to apologize.
“I’m sorry, I was wrong…”
Though she was good for nothing except cooking, she was exceptionally skilled at admitting her mistakes.
Xiao Changyuan’s voice was cold. “What exactly were you wrong about?”
Yun Pianpian lowered her head and said, “I shouldn’t have used you to test for poison…”
Xiao Changyuan replied, “Wrong.”
Yun Pianpian was taken aback.
She lifted her head and looked at Xiao Changyuan in confusion.
“What did I get wrong?”
Xiao Changyuan raised his deep, cold ink, black eyes and stared icily at Yun Pianpian.
“You should use me to test for poison, but you shouldn’t do it behind my back.”
Yun Pianpian froze, staring at him blankly. She didn’t quite understand what he meant.
Xiao Changyuan's gaze was profound: “You cannot do anything behind my back.”
The great tyrant truly was domineering.
But she had done far too many things behind the tyrant's back.
So hearing this, her heart grew even more uneasy.
“I'm sorry, husband.”
Xiao Changyuan asked, “Why didn't you just tell me about this directly?”
Yun Pianpian lowered her head. “I was afraid you would refuse.”
Xiao Changyuan lifted his eyes to look at her, his handsome face cool and detached, his dark eyes deep and calm as still water.
“Have I ever truly refused you?”
Yun Pianpian was momentarily stunned by his words.
She thought back carefully, though Xiao Changyuan often argued with her, he had never truly refused her.
When she asked him to sleep in his clothes, though he was suspicious, he complied.
When she smeared soot on his face, though he disliked it, he obeyed her words.
When she sent him up the mountain alone, though he complained, he went by himself.
In contrast, she had always taken advantage of his tolerance, acting domineeringly, making unreasonable demands, and bullying him while he had amnesia.
Thinking of this, Yun Pianpian suddenly felt like a terrible person.
Though she was terrible, she loved herself very much.
Xiao Changyuan's dark eyes were cold as he watched Yun Pianpian for a moment before speaking softly, “Let's eat.”
Yun Pianpian asked cautiously, “Husband, are you not angry with me anymore?”
Xiao Changyuan paused with his chopsticks. “I was never angry with you.”
Hearing this, Yun Pianpian immediately beamed. “This is what I love most about my husband, your magnanimity, your ability to let things go without holding grudges. My husband is truly the most generous, tolerant, and compassionate man I've ever met!”
Xiao Changyuan couldn't stand her sweet talk and frowned slightly.
“Be quiet and eat.”
Yun Pianpian happily dug into her meal.
In the following days, when they ate, Yun Pianpian still let Xiao Changyuan eat first. Only after seeing that he showed no signs of poisoning would she dare to pick up her bowl. Xiao Changyuan silently acted as her poison tester, his cool, handsome face betraying no emotion.
Their silver chopsticks never turned black, proving that no one had poisoned their food.
Yun Pianpian began to wonder if Xiao Changyuan was just being overly suspicious.
Ah, a tyrant is still a tyrant, if he weren't sensitive and suspicious, how could he be called a tyrant?
Yun Pianpian quickly convinced herself and put the matter aside, becoming lively and energetic once again.
From then on, she no longer made Xiao Changyuan test the food first. As soon as the dishes were served, she would dig in, eating with more relish than anyone else.
Xiao Changyuan saw this but said nothing.
He had grown accustomed to his wife's fickle and unpredictable nature.
Though his wife was cowardly and feared death, her memory was poor.
She simply couldn't remember the fear that death had once brought her. That was why her world remained bathed in sunlight, untouched by shadows.
Xiao Changyuan sometimes envied her, even he didn't know why he envied her.
After all, he had lost all his memories.
Days passed, one after another.
Xiao Changyuan's injuries gradually healed. Wounds that would take others a month to recover from were fully healed in just over half a month for him.
Yun Pianpian marveled once again at Xiao Changyuan's resilience and incredible luck, truly worthy of a major villain with a villain's halo.
Xiao Changyuan noticed Yun Pianpian staring at him and frowned slightly.
“Why are you staring at me?”
Upon hearing this, Yun Pianpian curved her eyes and praised his beauty, “Because my husband is so handsome. Every extra glance I get feels like a blessing from the heavens.”
Xiao Changyuan stiffened slightly at her words, his fair and handsome face flushing all the way to the tips of his ears.
He awkwardly turned his face away.
“You're insane.”
With those words, Xiao Changyuan leaped into the air and used his inner strength to leave the place.
His fleeing figure made it seem as if some ferocious beast were chasing after him.
Yun Pianpian realized that Xiao Changyuan had already regained his memory of his inner strength.
Given time, he would surely recall his past.
Yun Pianpian felt that her time was running out.
After Xiao Changyuan recovered from his injuries, Yun Pianpian accompanied him into the mountains to hunt.
The mountains stretched endlessly. The hills near Jiangjia Village had already been stripped of their wild fruits by the villagers, so Yun Pianpian followed Xiao Changyuan deeper into the forest. The deeper they went, the fewer villagers had ventured there, and the more abundant the resources became.
Most people dared not venture into the deep mountains due to the dangers. The tiger from last time had likely emerged from these very depths.
In the past, Yun Pianpian would never have dared to enter the deep mountains either.
But now, with Xiao Changyuan by her side, she felt an inexplicable sense of security, emboldening her to go anywhere.
They hadn't walked far into the deep mountains when they came across a large tree laden with green fruits.
These green fruits were delicious, crisp, sweet, and juicy, with thin skin and thick flesh.
They picked every last fruit from the tree.
Carrying their bamboo baskets, they continued deeper into the forest, and before long, they found a red pine tree.
Yun Pianpian wanted to eat pine nuts, so Xiao Changyuan gathered several pinecones for her.
Delighted, she placed the pinecones into her bamboo basket and said, “We have plenty of corn at home. We can make pine nut corn.”
Xiao Changyuan glanced into the distance and murmured, “There are a few more trees up ahead.”
Yun Pianpian, feeling a bit tired from walking, replied, “You go pick them. I'm exhausted and want to sit and rest for a while.”
Xiao Changyuan didn't refuse. “Alright.”
After he left, Yun Pianpian slumped to the ground and took a few green fruits from her basket to eat.
As she snacked on the fruits, she watched Xiao Changyuan use his inner strength to climb the trees and gather pinecones.
The feeling was just like sitting at home, munching on sunflower seeds while watching a relaxing show.
No, the tyrant should be participating in a transformation program instead.
Transformation Program: The Tyrant's Reformation Plan.
And she was the one who would reform him.
Thinking of this, Yun Pianpian suddenly broke into a foolish grin.
Xiao Changyuan, worried about Yun Pianpian's safety, hadn't gone far.
When he returned from gathering pinecones, he saw his wife laughing like a fool.
Xiao Changyuan couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
A fool's joy really comes easily.