Chapter 45

Seeing the courtyard blanketed in snow, Yun Pianpian nearly threw herself onto the ground to roll around in it.
But rolling on the ground seemed rather inelegant.
It didn’t suit the image of a proper little palace maid like Yun Pianpian.
So, with great restraint, she ran off to build a snowman instead.
Discarded wood lay piled in the courtyard, covered in a thick layer of pure white snow. Yun Pianpian rolled the snow into two balls and quickly assembled a small snowman, no bigger than two pickled vegetable jars. She used two stones for its eyes, two twigs for its arms, and cut half a carrot from the kitchen to serve as the snowman’s nose. She even dressed it in a straw raincoat, cloak, and hat.
Yun Pianpian’s little hands were flushed red from the cold, and the tip of her nose had turned pink as well. Yet her spirits were high, her face lit with a radiant, delighted smile. A single snowfall could bring her joy for a long time. She picked up a flexible willow branch from the courtyard and stuck it into the snow at the snowman’s feet.
The willow branch drooped to the ground like a fishing rod, angling for the fallen snow in the courtyard.
Yun Pianpian turned back to Xiao Changyuan, who stood beneath the eaves, proudly showing off the masterpiece she had worked so hard to complete.
“Husband, look! 'An old man in straw cloak and hat, fishing alone in the cold river snow!'“
A faint, excited blush tinged the young girl’s fair, delicate cheeks as her sparkling eyes turned toward him.
Xiao Changyuan’s dark, profound gaze fell upon her flushed face.
“Come here.”
Yun Pianpian obediently ran over, her legs not yet steady.
Her small hands, reddened from the cold, were enveloped in Xiao Changyuan's palms.
Yun Pianpian was taken aback, lifting her almond, shaped eyes to look at him.
“Husband?”
Her icy hands were held firmly in his grasp.
Warm, profound inner strength flowed continuously from his palms into her cold hands.
Soon, her numb fingers grew warm again.
She hadn’t expected him to notice such a small detail.
Yun Pianpian curved her eyes into a smile and looked up at him.
“Thank you, husband!”
Xiao Changyuan lowered his gaze, his deep eyes fixed intently on her rosy lips.
“How should my wife thank me?”
Yun Pianpian knew exactly what he wanted. Guiltily, she glanced around the courtyard and, seeing no villagers nearby, quickly grabbed the front of his robe, stood on her tiptoes, and planted a swift kiss on his handsome cheek. Just as she was about to run away, Xiao Changyuan’s gaze darkened. He seized her arm, lifted her into his embrace, and Yun Pianpian gasped, instinctively wrapping her arms around his neck in surprise.
Her face flushed crimson, heart racing wildly, she clung to his robe as Xiao Changyuan carried her into the house.
In the courtyard, only the lonely little snowman remained, silently fishing for snow.
It wasn’t until mid-morning that the two emerged from the room.
Yun Pianpian’s cheeks were still flushed. She fanned her face with her hands as she headed to the kitchen to prepare a meal, while Xiao Changyuan followed leisurely behind her. His cool, handsome face wore a faint smile, his phoenix eyes slightly narrowed, as if in a pleasant mood.
After they finished eating, Yun Pianpian poured the leftover porridge into a small bowl but hesitated, standing still.
Whether she kept the puppy or not, Xiao Changyuan would punish her either way.
She had no idea what he was really thinking.
“Husband, may I keep the dog?”
Yun Pianpian tugged gently at the hem of his robe, her voice soft and pleading.
Xiao Changyuan lowered his gaze to her small hand clutching his clothes.
“You may.”
Yun Pianpian’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
Xiao Changyuan replied, “Really.”
Overjoyed, she asked, “Why did you change your mind so suddenly?”
Xiao Changyuan lifted his eyes and said calmly, “I didn’t want you to keep it because its origins are unclear, it might have harmed you. But that day, when you secretly built it a shelter behind my back, it never once stepped into the courtyard. It hasn’t stolen any of the chickens you keep here, either. It must have been trained by someone before, which is why it’s so well, behaved…”
Xiao Changyuan despised all animals. The reason he allowed his wife to keep the dog was also because it gave him an excuse to punish her, this lessened his aversion toward the creature, making him more tolerant of it.
Yun Pianpian was stunned. She hadn’t realized he had observed so carefully. All she could think about was how pitiful the puppy was and how much it needed her help. It never crossed her mind whether it had been trained before or if it had stolen any of her chickens…
She didn’t even know exactly how many chickens they had.
Hearing Xiao Changyuan’s permission, Yun Pianpian’s heart bloomed with joy.
“I knew it, my husband is the best to me!”
She ran over, stood on her tiptoes, and planted a kiss on his handsome cheek.
But she soon regretted it, because rewards were never a one, time affair, they came in an endless, continuous stream.
Xiao Changyuan once again gazed at Yun Pianpian with deep, intense eyes, scooped her up by the waist, and carried her into the house.
It was only half an hour later that he finally let her leave the room.
Yun Pianpian covered her burning cheeks.
She swore to herself that she would never again so carelessly ignite the flame.
Because lately, the great tyrant had become like a thousand, year, old dried firewood possessed by a demon.
A single spark was enough to set him ablaze, and every time he burned, it lasted for what felt like an eternity.
Yun Pianpian washed her face and finally managed to cool down the heat on her skin.
It was already quite late.
She hurried to the kitchen, added some minced meat to the congee in the bowl, reheated it on the stove, and let it cool for a while before scooping it out of the pot and carrying it outside the fence. The puppy, hearing the commotion, seemed almost disbelieving, slowly emerging from the bedding. Its watery black eyes gazed at her pitifully, and it let out a soft, whimpering sound from its throat, like a little beast crying.
“Aw, woof.”
Yun Pianpian’s heart broke at the sound. “I didn’t mean to starve you. See, I’m feeding you now, aren’t I?”
The puppy, famished after a whole day without food, caught the scent of the minced meat congee and immediately buried its head in the bowl, devouring the meal ravenously. Like a whirlwind sweeping away the remnants, it quickly finished the small bowl of congee, then lifted its head, its damp eyes fixed on her.
Yun Pianpian said softly, “From now on, you’ll stay with me. My husband said I can keep you.”
The puppy didn’t understand Yun Pianpian’s words, but when she moved its dog bed into the fenced yard and invited it inside, it seemed to grasp the meaning. Limping on one leg, it joyfully ran around the yard, wagging its tail and panting happily at Yun Pianpian.
Xiao Changyuan approached, and the puppy seemed a bit afraid of him, nervously hiding behind Yun Pianpian, its fluffy tail swishing back and forth.
Yun Pianpian smiled and said to Xiao Changyuan, “It looks like 'Buling Buling' really likes you, husband, it’s been wagging its tail at you nonstop.”
Xiao Changyuan froze, his brow slightly furrowing.
“What did you call it?”
“Buling Buling.”
Xiao Changyuan frowned. “Why that name?”
It sounded rather odd.
“Because of its eyes.” Yun Pianpian reached out and patted the puppy’s head, smiling. “Look at its eyes, don’t they look like two sparkling black gemstones? So dark and shiny, even prettier than real gems.”
Halfway through her explanation, Yun Pianpian glanced up and noticed the expression on Xiao Changyuan’s handsome face. Her voice faltered slightly, and she hesitantly continued, “Husband, do you not like that name for it? What about calling it Mei Mei, Xiang Xiang, Xian Xian, or Niu Niu instead.”
Xiao Changyuan furrowed his brow and said tactfully, “Is there a more imposing name?”
He didn’t really want to remind his wife about the dog’s gender.
Yun Pianpian suddenly understood, her tyrant husband wasn’t regretting letting her keep the dog; he just disliked the name for not being imposing enough.
“Then we could call it Zhuang Zhuang, Shuo Shuo, or Niuniu. Whatever you prefer, husband…”
Xiao Changyuan said, “Let’s stick with Buling Buling…”
He absolutely did not want to call a little dog Niuniu or anything of the sort…
Yun Pianpian curved her eyes, stroking Buling Buling’s head. “See, my husband likes the name Buling Buling too…”
Xiao Changyuan: “…” I don’t like it. Don’t make things up.
Seeing that Xiao Changyuan seemed to be in a fairly good mood, Yun Pianpian pressed her luck. “Then, can I bring it into the room tonight?”
Xiao Changyuan said coldly, “No. Don’t even think about it.”
Hearing his words, Yun Pianpian had no choice but to give up on the idea.
She thought Xiao Changyuan strongly disliked Buling Buling, but that afternoon, Xiao Changyuan took a hammer and nails, knocking and hammering on some discarded wooden planks. In no time, he had built a doghouse for Buling Buling out of wood. This doghouse was far more luxurious than the one Yun Pianpian had made, sturdy enough to withstand the wind. Yun Pianpian laid bedding inside, and Buling Buling immediately burrowed in, wagging its tail happily at Xiao Changyuan.
That night, Buling Buling slept in its doghouse, closing its eyes peacefully.
In this unfamiliar, otherworldly place, it had finally found a place to call home.
It had been snowing heavily for several days in a row, blanketing the world in white. The snow in the courtyard was nearly a foot deep, making travel somewhat troublesome. Xiao Changyuan shoveled snow with an iron spade, while Yun Pianpian rolled a snowball in the yard and threw it at his back, wanting to have a snowball fight with him.
But the snowball never reached Xiao Changyuan, Buling Buling intercepted it.
Its leg injury was gradually healing, and it moved with remarkable agility.
The snowball hit Buling Buling, and it landed on the ground, wagging its tail happily at Yun Pianpian.
Thinking it wanted to play snowball fights with her, Yun Pianpian began a game of throwing snowballs.
Buling Buling dodged every single snowball with ease.
Its speed was astonishingly fast, like a flash of lightning.
Xiao Changyuan turned his head, his cool gaze thoughtful as he watched.
He bent down, rolled a snowball, and threw it at Yun Pianpian.
Seeing this, Buling Buling immediately leaped up and intercepted the snowball for Yun Pianpian. Xiao Changyuan threw another snowball, but this time not at Yun Pianpian, instead, he aimed at empty air. This time, Buling Buling did not jump.
Xiao Changyuan looked at Yun Pianpian and said calmly, “Wife, Buling wants to protect you.”
And it wanted to protect him as well.
Xiao Changyuan decided to test whether Buling Buling would protect someone it didn’t know, so he formed a snowball and threw it at a passerby.
This time, Buling Buling did not jump to catch the snowball.
It would only protect them.
The passerby who got hit happened to be Chen Fashan.
Chen Fashan often pretended to pass by to secretly observe the situation at Xiao Changyuan’s home. He never expected to be hit by a snowball from Xiao Changyuan today. Although Yun Pianpian later apologized, explaining they were having a snowball fight, Chen Fashan still broke out in a cold sweat.
Chen Fashan smiled amiably at them.
“It’s no trouble.”
Returning home, Chen Fashan said to Zhou Qiren with a gloomy expression, “Xiao Changyuan has started to suspect me.”