“What does Qiao Mu being sick have to do with my Third Imperial Brother?” Feng Jiu’er glanced at Xiao Yingtao, then turned to look at Qiao Mu.

“By the way, has this one fallen ill? Since when? What illness?”

Feng Jiu’er surely wasn’t unaware of what Xiao Yingtao meant—she was simply pretending not to know.

“What illness could it possibly be, other than…”

“Xiao Yingtao!” Before Xiao Yingtao could finish, Qiao Mu cut her off mercilessly. “If you keep talking nonsense, I’ll tell everyone about your secret!”

Xiao Yingtao cut straight past Feng Jiu’er, meeting Qiao Mu’s gaze. “What secret do I have? Everyone already knows I like Xing Zichou.”

“If I like him, I like him—I won’t hide it or cover it up.”

“Xiao Yingtao, have you finally come to your senses?” Feng Jiu’er glanced at Xiao Yingtao, smiling faintly, then raised her eyes to look at the figure approaching not far off.

Xing Zichou had finished giving his instructions and rushed over at a gallop.

He never could have imagined that the moment he arrived, he would hear words that pleased him so much.

This was the day he had finally been waiting for—the day his little girl publicly admitted, in front of everyone, that she liked him.

In this moment, Xing Zichou had even forgotten he was hungry.

Following Feng Jiu’er’s gaze, Xiao Yingtao glanced over and immediately lowered her head in embarrassment.

“Jiu’er.” She knitted her moth-eyebrows and said softly, “Was what I just said that loud? No one could have heard it, right?”

“Don’t you know your own volume by now?” Feng Jiu’er glanced at Xiao Yingtao. “I’m afraid the only people here who didn’t hear it must be deaf.”

Xiao Yingtao pressed her lips together tightly, her head drooping lower still.

Sensing Xing Zichou’s approach, she suddenly stood up and turned to walk away quickly.

The two seated turned to glance at the one who’d left, then paid it no more mind.

With Xing Zichou around, Xiao Yingtao wouldn’t be in any danger; with Xing Zichou around, Xiao Yingtao wouldn’t be able to escape far either.

As Xiao Yingtao left, Xing Zichou’s attention stayed fixed on her, and he followed after her.

The thick smell of roasted meat here meant nothing at all to the famished Xing Zichou.

The two of them left, one after the other, and the area grew quiet.

The brothers were still gathered around the bonfire roasting meat. Jian Yi sat on a tree stump, glancing now and then at the roasted chicken in his hand, and now and then at the women seated on the blanket.

Having finished her fruit, Feng Jiu’er took out two more from the cloth sack, handing one to Qiao Mu.

Qiao Mu stuck the chicken bones she was holding into the grass and took the fruit Feng Jiu’er handed her.

She bit into it and chewed, staring blankly at the roaring fire.

After a while, Feng Jiu’er turned to look at her and said softly, “Now isn’t the time to arrange a meeting with my Third Imperial Brother.”

“But since we’ve all come to the Feng Clan, we’re bound to run into him sooner or later.”

Qiao Mu turned to stare at Feng Jiu’er, asking flatly, “Feng Jiu’er, what are you talking about?”

“You know perfectly well what I’m talking about,” Feng Jiu’er said, frowning. “I understand you, just as you understand me.”

“Who has the time to understand you?” Qiao Mu glared at Feng Jiu’er and picked up a piece of fruit for herself.

“So don’t you act like you understand me either!”

“Right,” Feng Jiu’er nodded. “You, Miss Qiao, keep your depths well hidden—how could a crude person like me ever see through you?”

“Still, Yanu has already died. Shouldn’t you be turning your attention to other men?”

“Qiao Mu.” Feng Jiu’er looked at Qiao Mu, her expression turning notably serious.

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Qiao Mu met her gaze, frowning.

Feng Jiu’er said earnestly, “I don’t want you to end up like Aunt Xue, who gave her whole life for my mother.”

“I want you to find your own happiness—happiness that truly belongs to you, like Xiao Yingtao has.”

“So sentimental!” Qiao Mu glanced at Feng Jiu’er and looked away. “And here I thought you were about to say something monumental.”

“You think I don’t want to find a man to roast chicken for me? But I’m not a man either! The ones I’m interested in just don’t return the interest—what am I supposed to do?”

“I can’t just pick anyone, can I? Am I the kind of woman who settles for whatever’s available? Without stunning good looks, how could I possibly choose someone?”

“You should know, a woman giving birth is like passing through the gates of hell—I have no interest in suffering through it all just to give birth to something as ugly as a monkey.”

Feng Jiu’er studied Qiao Mu earnestly for another moment before bursting out laughing.

“Qiao Mu, so this is what you’re afraid of—afraid your own child might be ugly, ha…”

“And here I thought Miss Qiao feared nothing under heaven or earth—turns out what you actually fear is something so specific.”

Qiao Mu looked at Feng Jiu’er, eyes narrowing. “The father of my children was stolen away by you. What more do you want from me?”

“I once thought that with my own stunning beauty combined with the Ninth Prince’s extraordinary looks, any child of ours would have been one in a million.”

“Never expected that someone I hadn’t even gotten yet would end up being claimed by you instead.”

“Sometimes I regret it too—why didn’t I leave the bandit stronghold sooner to go find the Ninth Prince? Why did I have to wait around for some wet-behind-the-ears little girl like you to grow up?”

“If I’d known you’d become the stumbling block between me and the Ninth Prince, I should have killed you back when you were still a scrawny little chick.”

“A scrawny chick? Who taught you that one? What, still not willing to admit defeat even now?” Feng Jiu’er raised an eyebrow.

“This story is meant to teach you a lesson—haven’t you learned it yet?”

“What story, what lesson? Nonsense!” Qiao Mu shrugged and took a deep breath.

“The lesson is, if you don’t make your move now, how many more wet-behind-the-ears girls are going to grow up?” Feng Jiu’er said, looking away and going back to her fruit.

“Once you’ve set your sights on someone, you should make your move—never mind whether it works out or not. At the very least you’ll have been faster than the other women, or else you’ll only end up regretting it later.”

“All right, all right, I get it, stop nagging!” Qiao Mu waved a hand. “Next time I find someone I like, I’ll drug him and drag him home, that’s that.”

“I’ll give you exactly the right medicine—not too much, not too little.”

“Good,” Feng Jiu’er said, nodding with a smile.

“Sure.” Qiao Mu took a bite of her fruit and chewed slowly. “Consider it your way of making it up to me.”

“Don’t talk nonsense!” Feng Jiu’er frowned. “The Ninth Imperial Uncle liking me isn’t something I owe you for.”

“You do owe me.” Qiao Mu glanced sideways at the one beside her.

“I do not!” Feng Jiu’er flatly refused to admit it.

“You do!” Qiao Mu said again, just as firmly.

“If you don’t make it up to me, I really might just go ahead and snatch up your Third Imperial Brother to fill the gap. He may be insufferable, an unfixable trait, but at least he’s good-looking.”

“And you say you don’t like my Third Imperial Brother?” Feng Jiu’er said, raising an eyebrow.

“Who likes him?” Qiao Mu frowned. “Even if I were to pick him, it would only be the worst option.”

“At best, he’s a decent piece of eye candy—one I could swap out anytime.”

Qiao Mu tossed away her fruit pit and lay down on the blanket.

“Don’t bother me, I’m sleepy!”

Feng Jiu’er glanced at the one now lying down, the corners of her mouth curving up slightly, and lay down as well.

“As long as you want him, I’ll help you tie him up and bring him here—why not?”