In ancient times, she gave birth to seven daughters and was divorced by her husband's family.

So the next day, the King of Loulan sent an envoy with a hundred beautiful maids, a hundred chests of precious jewels, and a hundred magnificent Akhal-Teke horses to the Bai sisters' residence to formally propose marriage.

Looking at the betrothal gifts that almost filled the entire courtyard, Bai Siyue felt dizzy.

She pulled Bai Liuyue aside and asked in a low voice, "What exactly did you do to that King of Loulan?"

Bai Liuyue was holding a string of crystal-clear luminous pearls, looking puzzled: "I didn't do anything."

"I just ate two extra plates of grilled meat at the banquet yesterday."

"By the way, Fourth Sister, look at this bead, doesn't it look like a big piece of rock candy?"

Bai Siyue: "......"

She clutched her chest, feeling like she was about to have a heart attack.

Seeing that her younger sister didn't like it, she asked her several times to confirm that she really didn't like it, and then she personally stepped forward and politely refused the Loulan envoy.

The reason given was that the younger sister was too young to understand matters of love, and that marriage should be decided by the elders in the family.

The matter is not over yet.

During a trip, their caravan encountered a group of fierce bandits.

Just as the guards were locked in a fierce battle, a black figure descended from the sky.

He was a cold and aloof swordsman, whose swordsmanship was as fast as lightning and whose attacks were extremely ruthless.

He killed the bandit leader with a few swift strokes, scaring the crowd away.

Afterwards, the knight-errant turned to leave, too lazy to say another word.

"and many more!"

Bai Liuyue jumped off the carriage, ran to him, took out a piece of osmanthus cake wrapped in oil paper from her bosom, and handed it to him.

"Hero, you must be hungry after fighting so hard! Here, have some to replenish your energy!"

The swordsman froze.

He had been wandering the martial world for many years, and the people he encountered were either those who respected him or those who wanted to kill him.

This is the first time someone's first reaction after witnessing him commit murder was to worry that he would go hungry...

He looked down at the sweet-smelling osmanthus cake, then at Bai Liuyue's clear, unblemished eyes. After a long silence, he finally accepted it.

He didn't eat it, but simply put it in his pocket, and then disappeared from everyone's sight without saying a word.

From that day on, Bai Siyue noticed that there was always a faint shadowy figure following them not far from their convoy, eliminating all potential troubles for them.

If all of the above can be explained by coincidence or the unique aesthetic of the people of the Western Regions.

So, the appearance of the martial arts alliance leader... proves that June Zun Du is a heartthrob!

Xiao Jue, the current leader of the martial arts alliance, is a legendary figure.

It is said that he is over twenty years old, but has a handsome face and unfathomable martial arts skills.

He came to the Western Regions to investigate a long-standing case, and by chance, he met the Bai sisters several times.

He didn't give her any gold or silver, nor did he propose marriage. He simply sat with her side by side in a poplar forest one evening as the sun was setting.

He asked her, "Young lady, I see many people like you and are fascinated by you."

"But you seem indifferent to them all."

What is truly the most important thing to you?

Bai Liuyue tilted her head, thought about it seriously for a moment, then took out a piece of beef jerky from her pocket, and said while munching on it, "I think the most important thing is whether the next meal will taste good."

Xiao Jue was stunned.

Looking at her incredibly serious expression, he suddenly burst into laughter.

The laughter was filled with relief and appreciation.

He had seen too many people driven by desire and ambition, but he had never seen such a clear and pure soul.

In her world, there is no power, no romantic entanglements, only the simplest and most genuine happiness.

"How about the next meal? I'll have a good one!"

Xiao Jue stood up and bowed to her solemnly, "Young lady, you have enlightened me."

Thank you.

After saying that, he drifted away and never appeared again.

Although the martial arts alliance leader left gracefully, the others did not give up.

Farhad's gourmet deliveries never stopped, the Loulan King's envoys came to inquire every few days, and that aloof swordsman became their caravan's unwavering unofficial bodyguard.

Bai Siyue felt like she was going crazy.

That night, she finally cornered Bai Liuyue in her room.

"Bai Liuyue, I'm asking you, Fahad, the King of Loulan, and that man in black, what exactly do you think of them?"

Bai Liuyue was happily munching on a plate of grapes when she heard this and looked up blankly: "What do you think? They're all good people."

"Fahd will find me delicious food, the luminous pearl given by the King of Loulan is very beautiful, and that black-clad swordsman is very skilled and can protect us."

That's not what I was asking!

Bai Siyue said frantically, "I mean, they all want to marry you!"

Who do you want to marry?

"marry?"

Bai Liuyue was even more confused. She swallowed the grapes in her mouth and asked very seriously, "Why do I want to marry them?"

"Just because someone is nice to me doesn't mean I should marry them! That's not right!"

"There are many people in this world who are good to me. You have to be good to me, my sisters are good to me, and my brothers-in-law are good to me. I can't marry all of you, can I? I'm only one person!"

"..."

Bai Siyue slumped weakly into the chair.

Looking at her sister, who was devoid of love and whose mind was only focused on food, she felt a profound sense of powerlessness for the first time.

She finally understood that Bai Liuyue wasn't rejecting them at all.

Because in her world, there is no such option as romantic love between men and women.

Her kindness to them was exactly the same as her kindness to a little squirrel that would bring her pine cones.

Pure, simple, and free of any impurities.

"Hey......"

Bai Siyue sighed deeply, rubbing her aching temples.

"Fourth Sister, what's wrong? Are you unhappy?"

Bai Liuyue leaned closer and handed her the plate of grapes in her hand. "Here, have a grape. This one is especially sweet; it'll make you feel better."

Looking into her younger sister's clear, innocent eyes, Bai Siyue suddenly felt that perhaps this was not so bad.

She picked up a grape and popped it into her mouth, the sweet juice bursting in her mouth.

Fine, I'll be a heartthrob if I want.

As long as this glutinous rice ball is happy, that's all that matters.

As for those men whose hearts she unintentionally broke...

Let them have their own headaches!

As the older sister, she couldn't control it anymore!

"..."

Bai Wuyue has finally finished her postpartum confinement.

Holding her infant son, she felt her strength return and her spirits improve considerably. She quickly sensed the undercurrents in the mansion from the maids' whispers and her fourth sister's increasingly haggard face.

That day, she deliberately dismissed everyone else and summoned April and June to her bedchamber.

"Fourth sister," she said, looking at the dark circles under her older sister's eyes with a mixture of heartache and amusement, "I heard that our sixth sister is quite the hot commodity in the Western Regions now?"

Upon hearing this, Bai Siyue felt as if she had found an outlet to confide in, and poured out all the bizarre experiences she had had over the past month.

Bai Wuyue was stunned, while Bai Liuyue, the other protagonist of the story, was sitting to the side, intently peeling a pomegranate, a specialty of the Great Stone Kingdom, as if all of this had nothing to do with her.

"June." After hearing this, Bai Wuyue didn't look at her frantic fourth sister, but instead turned her gaze to her single-minded younger sister.

"Hmm? Fifth Sister?" Bai Liuyue looked up, a glistening pomegranate seed still in her mouth.

“Those people are all very good, aren’t they?” Bai Wuyue’s voice was very gentle.

"Yes!" Bai Liuyue nodded vigorously, "They've all been very kind to me!"

"So, do you want to be with one of them forever?"

Bai Liuyue was stunned. She stopped eating the pomegranate, thought about it seriously for a moment, and then shook her head: "No."

"Why?" Bai Wuyue pressed.

“Because… being with them means I can’t be with my sisters every day,” Bai Liuyue said, giving the simplest reason. “Besides, getting married seems like a lot of trouble.”

Looking into her younger sister's clear eyes, Bai Wuyue understood. She suddenly realized that perhaps Liuyue wasn't incapable of love. She simply poured all her emotions into something purer: family and food. For her, those constituted her entire world, leaving no room for anything else.

She paused for a moment, then asked in an unprecedentedly serious tone, "June, have you ever thought that you might never want to get married?"

This question made Bai Siyue, who was standing to the side, hold her breath.

Bai Liuyue, however, seemed to have heard a perfectly normal question, and she nodded without hesitation: "I've thought about it!"

"So... are you prepared to never get married?" Bai Wuyue stared intently at her.

“It’s done!” “Isn’t that how Mother is?” Bai Liuyue counted on her fingers, starting to plan her future with a matter-of-fact expression.

"Look, I have money." She pointed to her bulging purse. "My mother and sisters gave me so much money. I can use this money to open so many restaurants. One in the capital, one in Liangzhou, and one in Qingzhou! Whatever I want to eat, I can have the chef make it for me!"

"I can travel everywhere and eat all the delicious food in the world!" Her eyes sparkled with anticipation for the future.

"And I'll have lots of nieces and nephews in the future!" She looked at the baby in May's arms, then thought of her eldest, second, and third sisters' children. "Qinghan will read with me, Nian'an will draw with me, and Jingshuo will fly kites with me." "When your baby grows up, Fifth Sister, he can play with me too! I won't be lonely!"

“Most importantly,” she looked at Bai Siyue and Bai Wuyue one by one, her face full of happiness and certainty, “I still have you all!” “I have a sister, a brother, a brother-in-law, and a mother.” “You will all help me and be good to me.” “I don’t need to find another person to be good to me.”

"Therefore, I can choose not to get married."

She made her final summary, then picked up a pomegranate seed and put it in her mouth with satisfaction.

The palace was completely silent.

Bai Siyue stared blankly at her younger sister. She had never imagined that this silly little dumpling in her eyes had already planned such a clear and complete path for her life.

Bai Wuyue smiled. She reached out and gently patted Liuyue's head.

"Okay," she said softly. "Fifth sister understands. As long as you've thought it through yourself, I'll support you."

She approved of June's choice. Because she couldn't hear any bravado or escapism in her sister's words, only a heartfelt determination and longing for the future.

If that's the case, then that's enough.

They stayed in the Kingdom of Da Shi for another half month. After the little prince's 100-day celebration, April and June embarked on their journey home.

When the grand convoy returned to the capital, it was already late summer.

Inside the Marquis of Anguo's residence, Bailu had already prepared a family banquet to welcome her two daughters back from their long journey.

After the meal, Bailu kept April and June behind.

Bai Siyue gave her mother a full account of her trip to the Western Regions, especially her luck with romance in June.

Bai Lu listened quietly, her face expressionless.

She looked at Bai Liuyue, whose little daughter was looking down and secretly picking up the last lotus flower pastry from the pastry plate and stuffing it into her mouth.

"June," Bai Lu began.

"Um... Mother." Bai Liuyue mumbled incoherently, her mouth full of something.

“Your fifth sister already told me your thoughts in her letter.” Bai Lu’s tone was calm. “Mother just wants to ask you one more time: have you thought it through?”

Bai Liuyue swallowed the snack forcefully, then looked up and nodded seriously: "I've thought it through."

"No regrets?"

No regrets!

Bai Lu looked at her for a long time, then slowly nodded.

"it is good."

There is only one word.

But it represents the Marquis of Anguo's most steadfast approval of his daughter's choice.

She never believed that a woman's life had only one path: marriage. Her daughters could become anyone they wanted to be.

“In that case, starting tomorrow, you will learn from your third sister how to manage the restaurants and taverns in the manor…” Bai Lu said calmly. “If you want to open restaurants all over the world, you can’t just be a hands-off manager.”

"Really?!" Bai Liuyue's eyes widened in surprise. "Thank you, Mother!"

For her, this was simply the best job in the world.

Having resolved the matter from June, Bai Lu's gaze finally turned to her fourth daughter, who had been on edge ever since she entered the room.

She had witnessed Bai Siyue's shrewdness and competence. During this trip to the Western Regions, she had managed everything in an orderly manner, not only returning safely but also exploring more extensive routes for the Bai family's trade.

"April."

“My daughter is here.” Bai Siyue immediately stood up straight.

Bai Lu looked at her; this daughter, like San Yue, was her most capable assistant. They managed the Bai family's business to a great extent. But San Yue had already found a good man and settled down.

The fourth daughter, however, seems to have turned herself into an invincible sword. She is single-mindedly focused on her career and never mentions her marriage.

Bai Lu's eyes suddenly became deep.

"June has her own plans."

"What about you?"

"And what are your plans?"