Little turtle.
No, to be precise, it's a little golden tortoise.
I don't know if it's because the egg was very big and it stayed inside for too long, but this little golden turtle was already the size of Lang Xuan's palm when it hatched.
After it lazily emerged from its egg, it lay motionless on the bed sheet.
Lang Xuan was worried that something might have happened to it, so she gently touched its shell with her fingertip.
The little golden tortoise showed no reaction.
Lang Xuan thought for a moment, then tentatively touched its head with her fingertips.
"Be careful," Linlin stopped her, "Turtles bite."
Lang Xuan's big eyes were filled with admiration.
Yuwen Duo knows everything!
Linlin chuckled as she watched her stare blankly at her, "Thanks to Yanran, she's raised all sorts of people."
"Were you bitten?" Lang Xuan asked him, looking up at him.
Linlin nodded and held out her index finger, "Bite here."
Lang Xuan peered over for a closer look, but didn't see any scars on his fingers. She only noticed the slightly raised knuckle of his index finger, which was a result of holding a pen for a long time.
He's really working so hard.
Lang Xuan subconsciously reached out and touched the raised area on his knuckles.
We should share more of his burden in the future, so he doesn't have to work so hard all by himself.
Linlin watched her actions with a smile, without saying a word.
Lang Xuan quickly withdrew her hand out of embarrassment and said, "Then I'll go find something to tease it. Why isn't it moving?"
"Lazy," Linlin said.
Lang Xuan stood up from the footstool, and Linlin instinctively reached out to help her.
"It's okay, my leg isn't numb."
Lang Xuan regretted saying those words as soon as they were spoken.
Why is she being so stubborn?
Her legs were clearly a tiny bit numb!
I was frustrated to miss a handshake opportunity.
She walked to her desk, took a new wolf-hair brush, soaked the nib in water to soften it, then squeezed out the water and gently touched the little golden tortoise's head.
The little golden tortoise finally stirred lazily, prompting Lang Xuan to exclaim in delight, "It's alive! It's really alive! Your Highness, do you know what kind of tortoise this is?"
Linlin shook her head. "I've never seen it before, not even in a book."
This time, I'm going to disappoint her.
Unexpectedly, Lang Xuan frowned and said, "If you haven't heard of it, then it definitely doesn't exist. It must be that this turtle stayed in the egg for too long and became a rotten turtle, which is why you don't recognize it."
Little Golden Turtle: So your man can't be wrong, and I'm the one who's wrong?
Linlin couldn't help but chuckle.
How can his little darling be so lovable?
"From now on, we'll call it Xiao Huai." Lang Xuan ran the tip of her pen across the little golden tortoise's neck, tickling it so much that the tortoise shrank back into its shell.
"Why are you shrinking back? You don't want to?! You have to Xiao Huai, even if you don't want to, because I hatched you!"
Linlin:"..."
"Oh no, what will the little golden turtle eat?" Lang Xuan was at a loss.
"Minced meat, insects, dried shrimp, and dried small fish are all fine." Linlin knew this.
Lang Xuan wanted to give him a thumbs up.
Sure enough, there was nothing Yuwen Duo didn't know.
If so, then there must be something wrong with the matter itself.
After settling the little golden tortoise in, the two of them went to sleep.
Now, the two of them are sleeping in the same bed, but with separate blankets.
Lang Xuan thought that they would be officially married the day they lost a blanket.
But she wasn't in a hurry.
Thanks to her tireless efforts, things are now looking pretty good between the two of them, and she can keep waiting!
Same bed, same dream.
Linlin thought to herself, "The little snail has finally emerged from its shell. A bright future is not far away."
This year has been rather long.
Next year, she will be fifteen.
Yanran soon heard about the little golden turtle and came over to see what was going on.
"Sister-in-law, did it really hatch from that egg?" she asked skeptically.
"Yes," Lang Xuan said, gesturing for her to sit down.
Yanran waved her hand to indicate she wouldn't sit, looking at the little golden tortoise with great interest. "I've never seen this breed before! Are you sure you didn't get my brother to cheat on you?"
"Cheat? How do you cheat?" the innocent Lang Xuan asked, puzzled.
"So you actually stole the egg and ate it, then just found a random little golden beetle and pretended it hatched from the egg?"
"Of course not," Lang Xuan said earnestly, "How could you think of the Prince like that! The Prince is an honest man!"
"So you're not being honest?" Yanran said with a grin.
Lang Xuan said with a serious face, "I really saw the little golden turtle hatch with my own eyes!"
"Hehe, I believe you, sister-in-law, I was just kidding."
"It's alright if you're joking with me, but the Prince has never lied to you. If he heard you say that, he'd definitely be hurt."
Yanran looked at the serious-looking Lang Xuan and for a moment didn't know what to say.
Forget it, I'll just play with the little golden tortoise instead.
"Sister-in-law, could you lend me your little golden tortoise for a couple of days? I've raised tortoises before, it won't die."
"That won't do." Lang Xuan was reluctant and refused directly, but then she thought it might be hurtful, so she could only make up an excuse, "The Prince will miss Xiao Huai when he comes back and doesn't see it."
She had watched over this little golden turtle hatch from the very beginning, and she felt an emotional connection to it, just like its mother; she couldn't bear to part with it.
Yanran didn't mind and smiled, "I didn't expect my brother to like it! Then I'll just come and see Xiao Huai every day."
Anyway, her popularity will fade quickly, since she has plenty of other pets and wouldn't envy this unique little golden tortoise that she's never seen before!
Lang Xuan then inquired about Yanran's condition.
"It's nothing," Yanran scratched her head. "She can eat, drink, and sleep well. Last night she even kicked Cui Xiaoqiu a long way."
Lang Xuan: "... Why?"
"I fell asleep, and he was lying on the edge of the bed. I didn't know, and then, because I'm a restless sleeper, he..."
Lang Xuan silently sympathized with Cui Xiaoqiu.
Although Yanran didn't manage to borrow the little golden turtle, it didn't stop her from liking it, nor did it stop her from telling Ren Yingying and Qu Hua.
So later, they all came to see the little golden turtle in groups.
"It looks like it's made of pure gold." Ren Yingying touched Xiao Huai's shell curiously.
"It will still be lit at night," Lang Xuan said.
She was shocked when she first discovered it, but in the past few days, she has gotten used to it and can even tell others about it as a joke.
"What a wonderful treasure, it's just a pity we won't be able to play with it for more than a few days," Ren Yingying said with a hint of regret.
"You won't be able to play for more than a few days?" Lang Xuan was startled. "Princess Consort, where are you going?"
"Back to the capital!" Ren Yingying said. "Before it gets cold, I plan to take Jingjing back to the capital. Dog Meat hasn't been feeling well lately, so let's leave Liaodong."
Although Qu Nian didn't tell Ren Yingying the truth, she could sense that Dog Meat seemed to be in a bad state ever since they arrived in Liaodong.
Dog Meat had long been part of her family, so Ren Yingying decided to leave as soon as possible.
"But, but," Lang Xuan stammered, "Does the Crown Prince agree?"
She knew that she needed to find an important treasure.
Qu Nian seemed quite anxious about this as well.
"Why doesn't Qu Nian agree?" Ren Yingying asked, looking puzzled.