She got pregnant after the swap marriage, and the scumbag's family regretted it so much they cr

“Okay!” Lu Ruyi agreed immediately.

Regarding money, she still held the same mindset she had when she was in the Lu family: she could receive twenty taels of silver a month from her mother, and spending ten taels on food and drink was nothing at all.

Moreover, she was expected to receive a large sum of money as dowry soon. However, she never anticipated that Li would break her promise, and that the dowry would be her only source of income for the rest of her life.

Lu Huan nodded and pulled Gao Yan away.

"When I receive the money, I'll have He Niang cook your share of the meals! And when the money runs out, you'll have to figure out your own food supply!"

Lu Ruyi stared at Lu Huan's back and stomped her foot angrily.

This is outrageous! This is outrageous!

She silently told herself: I must endure! After Gao Zhongbao passes the imperial examination and is appointed an official, I will make Lu Huan wish he were dead! Then, everything Lu Huan owns will be mine!

On the other side, as soon as Lu Huan entered the room, he closed the door behind him, leaving only a crack about the width of a fist, and looked at Gao Yan outside the door.

"Why are you following me? Go away again!"

Gao Yan grinned and begged for forgiveness, "Huan'er, I was really wrong. I will never be so pathetic again!"

He looked around and pointed to the pliers by the window: "If I ever do this again and it's useless, you can hit me with the pliers!"

"Stop talking so much!"

Lu Huan had only intended to tease him, so she gave him a casual glare before turning around and letting him into the house.

Gao Yan did not go into the house immediately, but went to the window first and stuffed a few pieces of bamboo charcoal that had just been made in the village into the kang (a heated brick bed).

After entering the house, he specifically mentioned this to Lu Huan: "The village has built a charcoal kiln in the bamboo forest, and the first batch of bamboo charcoal has been produced. Although it hasn't been sold yet, the villagers are very happy."

Huan'er, I have to thank you for this!

Lu Huan was taking persimmons out of the container when she heard this and paused: "Why are you thanking me?"

The two walked together to the heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed) and listened to the sound of the wind outside.

"If you hadn't reminded us, the clan chief wouldn't have paid much attention to the unusual weather. He would have just assumed it was colder than usual this year and wouldn't have made any preparations, much less thought of burning bamboo charcoal."

Lu Huan shoved a crisp persimmon into his hand and shook her head: "What does this have to do with me? I was just reminding you."

You all found your own way out, and you taught them how to make charcoal. I can't take credit for your work!

Even if the villagers are to be grateful, they should be grateful to you!

Gao Yan didn't know how to refute for a moment, so he could only put the persimmon in his mouth.

With a crisp sound, the sweet juice of the persimmon dripped into his mouth.

His eyes lit up: "Huan'er, these persimmons are so sweet! They're even better than dried persimmons!"

Lu Huan knew perfectly well. With a small mouthful of fruit in her mouth, she mumbled, "Of course. This was sent by Uncle Qin. They were all the best ones, the same quality as those sent to the Prince's Mansion!"

When the Prince's Mansion was mentioned, Gao Yan became noticeably quieter. Lu Huan had almost finished a persimmon, yet Gao Yan was still chewing it slowly and deliberately.

While he was distracted, Lu Huan secretly took out two more oranges, put one on a plate, and peeled and ate the other herself.

Lu Huan tore open the fresh, juicy peel of the orange, and instantly, a refreshing fragrance filled the air. Gao Yan's spirits lifted, and he was jolted out of his reverie.

He put the last bite of persimmon into his mouth, and then very naturally picked up the oranges from the plate.

"Huan'er, what do you think of the Prince of Yan?"

Lu Huan didn't think too much about it and objectively commented, "Since the Prince of Yan came to the North, I haven't heard of him abusing his power to bully others. Every year during the spring planting season, he would take his wife and the heir to the estate on the outskirts of Yanjing to inspect agricultural work."

Gao Yan had heard about this, but he never thought it had anything to do with him—he was too busy with spring planting every year to have time to visit any prince.

"What about the Royal Family?"

Lu Huan was somewhat surprised and turned her head to look at Gao Yan.

But at that moment he was looking down, carefully picking off the white veins from the orange one by one.

Lu Huan couldn't help but remind him, "This stuff is good for your health! What's wrong with you?"

Gao Yan had obviously never heard of such a saying before; he just didn't like to eat the wild fruits he used to pick because the veins in them were a bit bitter.

"This is a bit bitter," he still offered a few words of explanation for himself.

Lu Huan wanted to laugh, but felt more heartbroken. It seemed that what Gao Yan could pick were all bitter fruits from the north—always bitter, not to mention the veins inside.

She picked up a white vein from the fruit peel and put it in her own mouth: "I tasted it for you, it's not bitter."

Gao Yan hesitated for a moment before putting a piece of orange segment, the veins of which hadn't been properly removed, into his mouth. The sweet juice burst in his mouth instantly, and he couldn't help but widen his eyes.

These tangerines are even sweeter than persimmons, nine-tenths sweet with a hint of tartness, and most importantly, not bitter at all!

"How could that be? I picked them on the mountain. The skin was green, and they were bitter and astringent!"

Lu Huan explained to him, "This kind of orange is very common in the south, but almost never in the north. So what you encountered is definitely not an orange tree, but a trifoliate orange tree."

"I want to go to the South! To see a different kind of scenery!"

Gao Yan's words came out of his mouth, surprising not only himself but also Lu Huan.

But then a delighted smile appeared on her face: "You're not against going to the South?"

Gao Yan smiled and shook his head, then fed Lu Huan a segment of orange.

He never opposed going south. On the contrary, he used to enjoy traveling around. Maybe, around some corner, he would see a face similar to his own.

He just didn't expect that such a person was so close to him; he just hadn't had the chance to meet him yet.

Lu Huan leaned forward slightly and took the orange directly from his hand, putting it in her mouth.

Unconsciously, Gao Yan's cool fingertips quickly brushed against her lips, sending a subtle tingling sensation through her.

Not only did Lu Huan's face feel hot, but Gao Yan's fingers also felt like they were on fire.

All he could think about was: Oh my god! It's so soft and smooth!

He recalled that fleeting intimacy from that morning and regretted it so much he almost wanted to dig a hole and bury himself.

Lu Huan muttered under her breath, "You're not even eating properly, who wants you to feed them!"

The two of them, without prior arrangement, ignored Gao Yan's question, as if no one really cared.

Inside the capital city of Yanjing, at the Prince of Yan's residence.

The Prince of Yan and his wife lay in bed, the entire palace filled with the pleasant scent of oranges, but for some reason, neither of them felt sleepy.

"Zitong, I never knew that orange peel could have such a wonderful use. It smells fresher and more invigorating than ordinary spices."

"I think it's excellent too!"

Soon, the Prince of Yan remembered what his chief steward had found out in private and felt it was necessary to mention it to his princess.

"Zitong, you need to stay calm when I'm about to say something."

Xu was not particularly sleepy at first, but upon hearing the Prince of Yan's opening remarks, her mind immediately became completely clear.

Her voice was like metal striking each other, clear and powerful: "I'm old enough to remember when this dynasty was first established. What storms haven't I weathered? Your Highness, please speak freely!"

"Consort Dong, you'd better be wary of her!"