DKGWW Chapter 11
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Girls around the age of twelve or thirteen tend to grow quickly. Rong Jiahui, who had always complained about being short and chubby at twelve, had finally started to grow taller. In just a few months, the thirteen-year-old version of her was already completely different from before—she was finally beginning to take on the appearance of a young lady.
Unfortunately, as she gazed resentfully at Zhongli Luo sitting beside her at the table, she realized that while she was growing taller, he had never stopped growing either. Though she was growing fast, she was still much shorter than him.
Could it be because he ate so much? She watched as Zhongli Luo reached for his second bowl of rice and thought to herself.
She was tempted to get another bowl as well, but after glancing at her still-round waistline, she decided against it. She was really afraid of turning into a ball.
Watching Zhongli Luo devour his food, she bit her chopsticks and asked resentfully, "You eat so much every day. How come you never gain weight?"
Zhongli Luo's hand froze mid-motion, and he looked at her with a troubled expression. "I've been wondering about that too. Jiahui, do you think I'm too skinny? No matter how much I eat, I only seem to grow taller, not gain any weight."
As soon as he finished speaking, a loud "smack" echoed through the room. Rong Jiahui's chopsticks had somehow ended up slapping against the table. Seeing Zhongli Luo startled, she quickly forced a smile and explained, "That was an accident. Just an accident."
Taking the clean chopsticks handed to her by a servant, she found that she no longer had any appetite.
This guy was great in every way—except for this one infuriating aspect. Why was it that every time she ate a little extra, she would gain weight, and once she gained it, it was nearly impossible to lose? She touched her round chin and thought, feeling wronged.
But for now, she put those thoughts aside—she had something important to say. Tugging at Zhongli Luo’s sleeve while he was still eating, she whispered, "Come with me to the Shangyuan Festival!"
T/N: Shangyuan or Lantern Festival is a Chinese traditional festival celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first month in the lunisolar Chinese calendar, during the full moon.
During the Lantern Festival, there was no curfew, and the streets were indeed bustling with people. However, it was also a place where all sorts of people mixed together, which made parents extremely worried. They never allowed her to go, and she herself was scared by the stories they made up. By the time she finally grew up and became braver, she ended up getting married. As a married woman, why would she still get involved in such festivities?
Seeing her eager expression, Zhongli Luo nodded and said, "Alright."
Rong Jiahui, delighted by her agreement, hurried off to coax her parents. Although Zhongli Luo looked thin, she inexplicably gave elders a sense of reassurance, which was why Rong Jiahui insisted on bringing her along.
As expected, after merely instructing them not to wander off and to take enough attendants, Rong Chen and Yu Shi gave their approval.
However, when the night of the Lantern Festival arrived, Rong Jiahui looked at a certain little toddler and couldn't help but feel frustrated. Why did her parents insist on them bringing Rong Jiaze along? But then again, just being able to come out and have fun was already nice. Bringing a child along wasn’t too big of a deal!
The streets during the Lantern Festival were exactly as Rong Jiahui had imagined—lively and crowded. All kinds of lanterns adorned the streets and alleys, creating a dazzling display of lights. The streets were filled with various performances such as acrobatics and riddle games, making for a truly spectacular night.
As soon as they got off the carriage, Rong Jiahui eagerly looked around like a child, her eyes filled with uncontainable curiosity. Seeing the myriad of lanterns, she wished she could take them all home. After carefully selecting a few, she bought three lanterns, giving one each to Zhongli Luo and Rong Jiaze. Then, she pulled them along, wandering aimlessly through the festivities. Their attendants followed closely behind, afraid of losing them in the crowd.
Rong Jiahui and Rong Jiaze were undoubtedly true siblings, for they couldn't resist stopping whenever they saw street food. At first, they sat down to eat properly, but realizing that no one knew them here, they eventually abandoned all pretense and simply ate while walking.
However, when Rong Jiahui noticed Zhongli Luo’s empty hands, she suddenly thought—how could they eat to their heart's content while letting Zhongli Luo go hungry? So, she raised a paper bag and offered, "Chestnut crisps—do you want one?"
"This..."
Seeing her hesitation, Rong Jiahui pulled out a piece and waved it in front of her. "Here, it's sweet."
With the chestnut crisp already near her lips, Zhongli Luo had no choice but to carefully avoid touching Rong Jiahui’s fingers as she took a bite. She was immensely grateful that it was nighttime; even with the bright lanterns, her face wouldn’t betray the blush creeping up her cheeks.
These chestnut crisps were indeed very sweet.
Rong Jiaze watched from the side, full of grievance and jealousy. He tugged at his sister’s sleeve and whined, "I want to eat too!"
Rong Jiahui rolled her eyes at him and said, "Isn't the one in your hand the same as mine?"
Rong Jiaze wrinkled his nose in thought, then reluctantly glanced at his own bag of snacks. After a moment of hesitation, he suddenly stuffed the entire bag into Zhongli Luo’s arms and grinned foolishly at Rong Jiahui.
Seeing this, Rong Jiahui patted his head and praised, "My little brother has finally grown up and learned how to share. How sweet!"
After saying that, she took out another chestnut crisp. Rong Jiaze immediately opened his mouth, eager to receive it—only for Rong Jiahui to flip her hand and pop it into her own mouth instead.
Then, without a second thought, she turned and continued strolling through the festival. Rong Jiaze pouted in disappointment but ultimately had no choice but to snatch back his bag of snacks from Zhongli Luo, shooting her a glare in the process.
Watching the two lively siblings bicker, Zhongli Luo couldn't help but chuckle softly.
At that moment, a few wealthy young ladies, accompanied by several maidservants, happened to glance in their direction. It was their first time seeing such a handsome young man, and when they saw Zhongli Luo’s smiling face, they couldn’t help but blush. They were so flustered that they nearly ran into a lantern stall. The group of young ladies nudged and pushed each other, too shy to take a step forward.
Seeing that Zhongli Luo and the others were about to leave, one particularly bold young lady finally pushed aside her maid’s restraining hand and ran up to Zhongli Luo. She was around fourteen or fifteen years old, strikingly beautiful, her flushed face glistening with sweat. It was clear she was extremely nervous, and her entire body trembled slightly.
"Young Master..." she called out softly, her voice trembling.
Zhongli Luo looked at her in confusion, signaling with her eyes that she should speak her mind.
Encouraged by Zhongli Luo’s gaze, the girl stammered, "I... I... I..."
Seeing her struggling to get the words out, Rong Jiahui grew impatient and interjected, "Miss, if you have something to say, just say it directly."
The young girl lowered her head, hesitated for a moment, and then mustered all her courage. She took off the jade pendant from her waist and said, "I know that I am of humble appearance and unworthy of someone like you. I do not dare to hope for anything more—only that you would accept this token as a keepsake. If you do, I would die without regret."
At that moment, the girl’s maid also ran up to her, looking panicked. "Fourth Miss, you mustn’t! If word of this gets out, what will happen to your reputation?"
But the young lady was a passionate one. Stamping her foot, she retorted, "So what if I don’t want my reputation anymore?"
What a disaster caused by a beautiful face!
Rong Jiahui instantly felt a surge of irritation. She shoved the dumbfounded Zhongli Luo aside and snapped at the young girl, "Take back your worthless trinket. He is already engaged—to me, the person standing right in front of you. Do you think you can set your sights on my fiancé without asking for my opinion first?"
Hearing this, Rong Jiaze couldn’t help but exclaim, "Sis!"
Rong Jiahui turned and glared at him, signaling for him to keep his mouth shut.
The young girl was utterly mortified. From the way the three interacted, she had assumed Zhongli Luo was simply an older brother taking care of his younger siblings.
After all, while Rong Jiahui had a delicate and lovely face, her round cheeks and youthful demeanor made it difficult to imagine her in any other role.
Noticing the lingering doubt in the young lady’s gaze, Rong Jiahui grew even more irritated. Without hesitation, she grabbed Zhongli Luo’s arm and declared, "We grew up together as childhood sweethearts and have been engaged since we were young—is that so hard to believe? Honestly, from your family background and appearance, being a concubine wouldn’t be too much of a disgrace. But unfortunately for you, I have no interest in being a virtuous wife—I only want to be a fierce and dominant one. If you keep shamelessly pressing forward, don’t blame me for being rude."
Rong Jiahui's words were quite harsh. The young girl was clearly from a wealthy family and had never been spoken to in such a way before. She immediately felt utterly humiliated, covered her face, and ran off in tears.
Watching her flee, Rong Jiaze tugged at Rong Jiahui's sleeve and said, "Sis, don't you think you were a little too mean? Look, she's crying."
Rong Jiahui shot him an annoyed glare. "Oh? What, just because she's beautiful, you suddenly feel sorry for her?"
Rong Jiaze quickly shook his head. "No, no, not at all!"
Realizing she was still holding onto Zhongli Luo’s arm, Rong Jiahui hastily let go, forcing an awkward smile. "I figured you wouldn’t like being pestered like that, so I just acted on my own."
Zhongli Luo hesitated for a moment before reaching out to pat her head lightly. He said in a calm voice, "In the future, don’t say such things so carelessly."
Rong Jiahui froze. Had she done something wrong again? Well, it made sense. That girl was indeed stunning—if Zhongli Luo liked her, it wouldn’t be surprising at all. She had acted as if Zhongli Luo belonged to her, refusing to let anyone else approach him, without ever considering his own thoughts on the matter.
"I'm sorry," she murmured softly.
Her voice was quiet, but Zhongli Luo still heard her. He sighed and said in a sincere tone, "Jiahui, you don’t have to keep apologizing to me. You did help me avoid trouble. This was the first time I’ve experienced something like this, and I didn’t even know how to react—so thank you. But… you’re a young lady, and you're already engaged. If others hear you say things like that, it could damage your reputation."
Rong Jiahui was stunned. So, he was worried about her reputation?
Still munching on a chestnut pastry, Rong Jiaze nodded in agreement. "Sis, for once, I think he actually makes sense."
Rong Jiahui’s face flushed red. She smacked her chestnut pastry straight onto Rong Jiaze’s face and growled, "You little brat! Shut up!"
However, as she brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear, a thought crossed her mind—perhaps it was time to find a way to break off that engagement with the Minister of Rites’ son.
T/N: Please give support on my ko-fi page, thank you🍊🍊🍊
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