After marrying the fierce god, her handsome young husband was pampered to the extreme.

Shen Qingheng stared at the jade buckle for a long time, tears streaming down her face before she could speak.

A young servant boy standing nearby said worriedly, "Young master..."

Shen Qingheng wiped away her tears. "It's nothing, you may leave."

He sat alone by the window, silent for a long time, before angrily throwing the jade clasp away and muttering, "Who cares about your things?"

"Why throw it away?"

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Shen Qingheng burst into tears once again.

He turned his head away, suppressing his vulnerability so that the person who came would not see it.

"What are you doing here?" Shen Qingheng suppressed her sadness, trying her best to appear nonchalant.

Lin Yunyuan picked up the jade buckle, wanting to get closer, but couldn't find any reason to do so.

Fifteen years have passed, and the young man by the window seems to have been blessed by time; his skin is still delicate, smooth, and fair.

Every smile and frown of his is full of charm, and you can't tell at all that he's a thirty-year-old man.

Lin Yunyuan stood under the eaves outside the window, only a few steps away from the person he longed for day and night, yet it felt as if they were separated by countless mountains and rivers.

He asked softly, "Qingheng, how have you been lately?"

Shen Qingheng scoffed, "What does it matter to you whether I'm doing well or not?"

Lin Yunyuan felt a bitter taste in his throat and his heart was being torn apart.

He wanted to say something, "Qingheng..."

"You should leave," Shen Qingheng said, unwilling to say more, "lest people see me and think I'm a wanton woman who sleeps with anyone."

Lin Yunyuan sighed and left, leaving behind the jade clasp. "Since I gave it to you, it's yours now."

He said, "Qingheng, I'm leaving."

Shen Qingheng didn't look at him.

After he left, Shen Qingheng's tears flowed down like beads from a broken string.

He stared intently at the small jade buckle on the windowsill, his lips trembling, "Lin Yunyuan, I hate you so much."

Unfortunately, Lin Yunyuan didn't hear it.

-----------------

With the wedding date fast approaching, the servants in Prince Cheng's mansion were in a flurry of activity, but the groom himself was nowhere to be found.

Yin Cheng knocked on the window frame, and before Lin Nian could answer, he opened the window from the outside.

Lin Nian: "..."

Ye Qingyu was instructing her son on embroidery when she looked up and saw Prince Cheng disregarding etiquette and rushing into the courtyard of the unmarried young master.

Yin Cheng's smile froze instantly.

Oh no, it's my respected father-in-law!

He silently closed the window, dutifully climbed over the courtyard wall, and obediently went to the main gate to knock on the door and ask to see him.

Lin Nian covered her face, while Ye Qingyu felt dizzy.

"Actually, I think about this marriage..." Ye Qingyu carefully chose her words, "...shouldn't we think about it again?"

Lin Nian said, "Your Highness... is very good."

Ye Qingyu poked her silly son's head, "You're already speaking up for her before you've even married into the family. You're bound to be completely under her thumb in the future."

Lin Nian's ears turned red and she remained silent.

Suddenly, Ye Qingyu seemed to remember something, and pulled Lin Nian's arm to lift up her sleeve.

"What's wrong?" Lin Nian was a little confused by her little daddy's actions.

Ye Qingyu breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that her little brother's virginity mark was still intact.

Lin Nian was immediately at a loss for words, "Little Daddy, what kind of thinking are you having of me!"

Ye Qingyi said earnestly, "Of course I know my own brother, but I'm worried about him."

"Daring to barge into a young man's boudoir before even getting married, as expected, none of the Yins are good people."

Lin Nian snorted, "Little Daddy said earlier that the Prince and Yin Shun are different."

"You're siding with outsiders, aren't you?" Ye Qingyu feigned anger.

"No way..." Lin Nian quickly said, "Little Daddy, I'm going out to play."

Ye Qingyu watched her son happily run off to meet his lover, shaking her head and chuckling, "He's become quite lively."

Lin Nian ran up to Yin Cheng, panting slightly, her eyes filled with undisguised joy, "Why are you here?"

Yin Cheng helped him up, "I'll take you somewhere."

"What?" Lin Nian asked, puzzled.

Fifteen minutes later, the pampered young man, who had never overstepped any boundaries since childhood, stepped on the stone bricks and climbed onto the top of someone's wall.

Lin Nian asked with great interest, "Ah Cheng, what are we here to see?"

Yin Cheng held the little beauty's waist with one hand to prevent him from slipping and falling.

You'll find out soon enough.

After a while, a little boy with short legs carried an empty wooden bucket and placed it next to the stone mill, then ran into the kitchen to get a water ladle.

"Xing-ge'er, go and get the salt and dissolve it."

The little one with short legs answered crisply, "Okay."

A short while later, Yang Xiaohuai came out carrying a bucket of soaked soybeans and started grinding them.

Xingge put out the salt and came out carrying a plate of crispy candy.

There were only three pieces of candy in the dish, and he fed one to Yang Xiaohuai.

"If Little Daddy doesn't eat, Xing-ge'er will," Yang Xiaohuai said.

Xingge'er protested, "No, Daddy should eat, eat with Xingge'er!"

Yang Xiaohuai lowered her head and took a bite of half a piece. "The rest are all for Xing-ge'er."

Xingge'er smiled and said, "Xingge'er, eat one piece. Little Daddy is an adult, so Little Daddy has to eat two pieces."

Yang Xiaohuai's heart melted instantly. He had been imprisoned for the first half of his life, but fortunately, Xingge'er had supported him to get to where he was today.

Now that there are no more bad people bullying him and his son, he believes that as long as he works hard, life will definitely get better and better.

Seeing that Yang Xiaohuai is doing well now, Lin Nian felt relieved.

He tilted his head and leaned on Yin Cheng's shoulder, his eyes full of smiles.

Xingge raised his face and saw the two of them.

He recognized his handsome older brother, grinned, pointed towards the top of the wall, and said in a childish voice, "Little Daddy, mmm..."

Yang Xiaohuai looked back, but saw nothing.

Outside the courtyard wall, Lin Nian clutched her chest, panting, "I was so scared, I almost got discovered."

Yin Cheng tidied his hair, saying, "I'm here, what are you afraid of?"

Lin Nian said in a coquettish tone, "Mmm! Ah Cheng is the best."

"Give me a kiss."

Lin Nian gently pinched the man's arm, then rubbed it, as if afraid of hurting him. "You can't stand a day without being a little rascal, can you?"

Yin Cheng said, "What kind of hooliganism is this?"

He bent down and quickly kissed the pretty girl on the cheek, then said with satisfaction, "That's more like it."

Lin Nian quickly looked around and, seeing that no one was around, gave up struggling and let him do as he pleased.

Yin Cheng asked in surprise, "Huh, why is she being so well-behaved today?"

"You're very well-behaved every day." Lin Nian pursed her lips, hesitating several times as if she wanted to say something but then stopped.

Yin Cheng looked at his conflicted expression and said, "Just say what you want to say. Why are you beating around the bush with me?"

Lin Nian muttered something under her breath.

Yin Cheng didn't hear clearly, "What child?"

Lin Nian mustered her courage and said in a slightly louder voice, "What if we end up being boys too...?"

Yin Cheng said, "Don't even mention a little boy, even if you gave birth to a ball, I'd raise it like a pearl."

"You're the one who gave birth to a ball!" Lin Nian thought angrily. What kind of father is this, actually calling his baby a ball?

"Our Pearl will definitely take after you," Yin Cheng said. "He'll be a handsome young man."

Lin Nian asked nervously, "What if... what if there isn't even a young man? What if I can't..."

"Although my family has a throne, it has little to do with me." Yin Cheng rubbed the little beauty's head. "We'll let nature take its course regarding offspring. If we have children, we'll raise them; if not, we'll still live our lives the same way."