Unlimited estates for rural beauty-Chapter 630: Arriving at Loka Town (4)

Lenglei looked at her wearing the Empress’s clothes and felt that... uh, it didn’t match?

Xiao Jiazhen hung her head down to look, feeling the loose garment on her body. She tugged at the extra fabric at her chest and sheepishly smiled, "My cousin-in-law’s... uh, figure is extraordinarily good."

Xuxu lifted her gaze to take a look at her, curled her lips into a faint smile, and said, "Well, I do have curves in all the right places." She pointed at Xiao Jiazhen’s buttocks, "Look, there’s even extra material here."

Xiao Jiazhen hurriedly reached back to feel, then remembered that, since this was a skirt, no matter how large one’s bottom might be, it would be covered underneath, invisible in winter. Realizing she had been teased by her cousin-in-law, her face turned red with embarrassment. "Cousin-in-law, I can’t accept this," she said, twisting her body to sit on the soft couch.

"Oh dear, can’t accept it? So what should we do, otherwise... just go to that carriage up ahead!"

"Cousin-in-law!"

Seeing her face so red it seemed it could drip blood, Feng Xuxu stopped teasing her and said, "I’ve heard that these past few days, you and Lou Qianyu have become quite close."

Xiao Jiazhen nodded with a blush, "Yes."

"Do you... have feelings for him?" She asked tentatively, though honestly, by observing Xiao Jiazhen, she could guess that the young girl had indeed developed worldly feelings – she simply wanted to hear it from her mouth.

At that moment, Xiao Jiazhen looked up seriously into her eyes, "Cousin-in-law, actually, ever since that chance meeting years ago, Zhenzhen has... But later, I never saw him again in the Capital City. I thought we were like ships passing in the night, that he was just a passerby in Zhenzhen’s heart. But then, I unexpectedly met him again in the Imperial Palace and learned of his identity. At first, I was very hesitant. Seeing you and my cousin so much in love, I wanted to find someone I liked too, even if it was like a moth to a flame. Zhenzhen didn’t want to give up. Yesterday, he told me when he was leaving, and after pondering the entire night, I finally... finally decided to run away from home."

"You’re planning to elope?" Xuxu’s face suddenly changed color. She knew that, in ancient times, to marry was to become a wife and to run away was to become a concubine. If such a thing really took place, it would ruin Zhenzhen’s entire life.

"No... no, cousin-in-law, I just want to go to Sunset Kingdom to see. If he doesn’t have an Empress, or even if there are just a few concubines, Zhenzhen... Zhenzhen would accept that." When she heard the word ’elope,’ she explained with a frightened paleness, but when mentioning his possible concubines, her expression still showed sadness, her voice colored with a trace of grievance.

At that moment, Feng Xuxu wholly failed to understand the women of ancient times. Knowing that he had other women, yet still determined to find out for herself, how could her heart not be in pain after discovering the truth? Must she die on a crooked tree?

"Zhenzhen, with your conditions, it wouldn’t be difficult to find a well-matched suitor in Xueyan Country. Why then do you...."

"Cousin-in-law, when you were with my cousin, did you ever consider his status?"

Xuxu looked at her, her eyes shining with resolve. Feng Xuxu turned her head to look out the carriage window, recalling the moment when she had learned about Dugu Chen’s identity. She had indeed accepted him without hesitation, without any concern that he was a member of the royal family. What had driven her then? Power? Influence? Silver? Or was she mesmerized by his looks? The answer was definitely ’no.’ She could earn silver slowly over time; it was just a matter of how long it would take. His looks might have briefly charmed her, but in the modern world, she had seen many handsome men, and power and influence were not part of her plans at the time. So, the reason she accepted Dugu Chen was simple: it started with liking him and gradually transformed into love.

"Zhenzhen, no matter what the future holds, always remember, your cousin and I will always support you. Xueyan Country will always be your strong backing," she said, finally understanding her cousin’s feelings.

"Thank you... cousin-in-law," she choked up, deeply moved, tears brimming in her eyes as she leaned into her embrace, softly weeping.

Feng Xuxu silently hugged her, stroking her back firmly, gradually calming her. After some time, Xiao Jiazhen pulled away from her embrace with red eyes, looking apologetically at her, "Cousin-in-law, I’m sorry, I...."

Feng Xuxu followed her gaze to her own chest, where the fabric was now damp, and with a light smile, she shook her head, "As long as you stop crying, this doesn’t matter at all. Otherwise, someone might think I’ve been bullying you."

"Cousin-in-law... you’re really mean, making fun of Zhenzhen," she said, twisting her body and wiping away her tears with a handkerchief.

"Alright, I won’t say any more. Isn’t that okay?"

Turning her head, she saw that the carriage had traveled quite a distance. Looking ahead on the road, she saw a few places selling hot tea and meals. Going further out, the area became more desolate, hardly any peddlers in sight, only the occasional ordinary carriage or, now and then, a better one, and the rare sighting of a few fast horses speeding past.

After several days of shaky carriage travel, in the early winter snow, they finally arrived at the border of Sunset Kingdom, Loka Town.