Chapter 7

Chapter 7

In the fourth year of the Taiyuan era, my friendship with Princess Anping developed by leaps and bounds.

And then, we faced our first winter together.

Anping, who usually lacked enough food and clothing for herself, actually sewed me a thick cotton vest and a tiny hat.

Friends, have you ever seen a toad with its body stuffed into a vest and a hat stuck on its head?

Then there was the thick porridge she served twice a day. She couldn’t even get it fully cooked, yet she never forgot to save a mouthful for me.

Sigh, don’t ask me why I didn’t go into hibernation. It’s only because I couldn’t bring myself to leave this silly friend of mine behind.

She liked me far too much, making it impossible for me to be heartless enough to walk away.

So, while Xiao Lan and Little Cricket were tucked away in their warm mud burrows sleeping, I was huddled on Anping’s bed, shivering uncontrollably.

It was freezing. The charcoal supply in Fenghuan Palace was pitifully low-barely enough to heat that daily porridge, let alone light a stove to warm the room.

As for Anping, she truly was kind and sensible to a fault.

Even though Aunt Qiu’s mind was gone and her body had lost all sensation, Anping still piled all the thickest quilts onto her.

In contrast, Anping’s own blanket was icy and thin.

If she hadn’t been such a loyal friend, holding me in her arms at night without a hint of disgust to keep me warm, I definitely wouldn’t have stayed with her.

Our bed only ever started to feel a bit cozy by the time dawn broke.

This Little Frog was just so cold; my eyelids were so stiff from the frost that I could barely close them.

Several times I thought to myself, *I’m out of here, I’m going back to hibernate.*

However, every time I woke up and saw Anping’s bleary-eyed, goofy smile directed at me, my heart softened all over again.

We’d been together for nearly a year. Let’s be real-unless you truly loved someone, who would cuddle a toad in their arms and constantly kiss its head?

Regarding the matter of Anping kissing me, I was quite startled at first.

That day, I was in her arms and hadn’t even opened my eyes yet when she suddenly leaned down and gave me a peck.

Anping’s lips were so soft, like the brush of fragrant flower petals, bringing with them the scent of springtime.

I froze, my heart fluttering with delight. When I finally realized what happened, I turned red with bashfulness and nearly jumped out of my skin.

“What are you doing?! You’re terrible! How could you take advantage of a toad like that!”