A husband found in the village? I bought a regent for a penny!

A month has passed, and the wheat is turning golden in the height of summer.

Other women in the village who bought men, even without grand weddings, gradually began living as de facto couples.

Gu Xixi and Mu Nanzhao were the only ones who neither consummated their marriage in private nor planned to hold a public banquet.

Mu Nanzhao continued to disappear every few days.

At first, Aunt Zhang would grumble a few words, but seeing that Xixi seemed to accept it, Aunt Zhang gradually stopped urging her.

Xixi, however, instructed that "family scandals should not be aired in public," and told Aunt Zhang not to tell anyone anything about Mu Nanzhao.

Aunt Zhang agreed wholeheartedly and followed the instructions strictly.

Lately, the women in the village have been asking her all sorts of questions.

The questions were all things like, "How old is Chen Fang this year?", "He can kill an ox, he must be a great worker," and "He looks quite thin, does he have any muscles?"

Aunt Zhang would always smile and answer with one of three things: "Hmm," "Oh," or "I don't know," switching randomly between them.

Don't think she doesn't know what these people are up to!

It's all because Xiao Chen's face is too attractive. If people knew he was always out and about, who knows how many women he would attract!

Even if it was bought for a penny, it shouldn't be given away to someone else for nothing.

Aunt Zhang felt a heavy burden on her shoulders.

Xixi is always busy and never pays attention to these things; she needs to keep an eye on things for Xixi.

Whether Chen Fang stays or leaves is not the most important thing.

We absolutely cannot let her Xixi get cuckolded for nothing and become the laughingstock of the whole village.

At the same time, Gu Xixi was not at ease either.

She neither listened to nor inquired about what Mu Nanzhao did in private.

But as someone who had read the original book, she knew without guessing that Mu Nanzhao was definitely paving the way for his "big event".

And the person "Chen Fang" is already inextricably linked to Gu Xixi.

Gu Xixi had no choice but to try her best to keep Chen Fang's identity a secret.

Once someone deduces from the fragmented information that Chen Fang is Mu Nanzhao, Mu Nanzhao's enemies can then follow the clues to Huachidu Village...

Gu Xixi has been having nightmares lately, all of which involve her and Mu Nanzhao's entire family being executed.

Thus, the master and servant, each with their own thoughts, subtly maintained this stability.

The village has been busy harvesting wheat these past two days, and every household is extremely busy.

Only Gu Xixi's family became relatively quiet.

The germination rate of the millet met her expectations, and the yams planted on the ridges also sprouted long tender shoots.

The eight hired workers worked diligently and carefully, having just cleared the weeds the day before yesterday.

Following Gu Xixi's instructions, they sprayed the pesticide she had prepared and added organic fertilizer.

With nothing much to do for the time being, Gu Xixi gave the hired workers a three-day break from harvesting wheat, allowing them to go home.

With more free time, Aunt Zhang got up early and cooked a pot of mung bean soup. She added less rock sugar according to Gu Xixi's taste, and hung it in the well to cool it down. She drank it as water during the day.

As she passed by the west room, she peeked through the open door and exclaimed, "Well, it's almost midday and there's still no one here. They're getting more and more outrageous!"

Gu Xixi had just gotten up when she heard Aunt Zhang's complaint.

She smiled and said, "You don't need to worry about him. He's a grown man; he won't get lost."

Aunt Zhang was used to Xixi's attitude and asked, "You didn't eat breakfast, what do you want for lunch?"

Xixi thought for a moment, "Cold noodles, please."

"Ah! This is what we should eat when it's hot." Aunt Zhang happily agreed and turned to go out to prepare it.

Since they took back Gu Laosan's land rent, their food rations have become much more abundant.

As a result, Aunt Zhang no longer had to worry about where her next meal would come from, which greatly increased her enthusiasm for cooking.

As Xixi watched Aunt Zhang's retreating figure, the smile on her lips vanished.

Mu Nanzhao is cautious in his actions and has been staying out all night recently, but he usually returns before dawn.

Could it be that we've really run into some trouble?

The chewy hand-pulled noodles are rinsed and cooled, then served with tender gourd shreds and water celery segments, topped with red vinegar made from spices such as Sichuan peppercorns and cinnamon, sprinkled with a little salt, and enhanced with the spicy flavor of wild garlic.

Mix it all together, then lift it high with your chopsticks and slurp it up – it's refreshing, appetizing, and instantly cools you down in the summer heat.

After finishing her meal and cleaning up the dishes, Gu Xixi carried her usual burlap sack into the mountains.

The unnamed mountain behind Huachidu Village is truly a treasure trove.

Villagers obtain various mountain products according to the season.

Gu Xixi discovered many plants that she had never seen before.

She enjoys it and spends her free time digging for research materials.

There is a main path leading up the mountain, worn down by countless footsteps. To avoid getting lost in the dense forest, people usually take the main path to the middle of the mountain and then pick fruit in familiar areas nearby.

Gu Xixi glanced back and suddenly turned a corner midway.

She waded through a patch of tangled weeds and meandered through the woods.

This forest is rarely visited by people, and the ground is covered with fallen leaves accumulated over the years, making a faint rustling sound when living things pass by.

Therefore, Gu Xixi could not only hear her own footsteps.

There was another person behind her.

Gu Tiezhu hid behind a tree and watched as Gu Xixi stopped, picked a bunch of grass, and did not turn around.

He grinned and continued to tiptoe after them.

I was just worried about not finding an opportunity to catch this girl, so today I'll let him see her going into the mountains alone.

Gu Xixi seemed completely unaware, walking further and further into the secluded area.

Gu Tiezhu felt uneasy as the surrounding light dimmed and even the birdsong subsided.

But he looked at Gu Xixi's swaying waist in the distance.

Suddenly, lust arose within him.

Gu Tiezhu's original plan was simply to have a secret rendezvous with his cousin, scare her, and then use the ruin of her reputation as leverage to demand land from her.

But now...

He looked around.

There isn't even a ghost in this place; you can scream your lungs out and still not attract anyone.

If he really did have an affair with his cousin, the woman would never dare to make a fuss about it, for the sake of her reputation.

And he can still get what he wants!

Gu Tiezhu felt his plan was thorough, rubbed his hands together with a wicked grin, and quickened his pace to catch up.

I heard that Gu Xixi and that pretty boy haven't consummated their marriage yet.

A virgin, perfectly suited for his dear cousin!

Ahead, Gu Xixi was unaware of the danger.

She suddenly bent down, and just then, her whole body was blocked by a big tree.

Gu Tiezhu was afraid that the meat he was about to eat would fly away, so he rushed over, only to find that there was no one behind the tree.

"What about people?!"

In his anxiety and frustration, he suddenly heard a rustling sound coming from behind the bushes on his right.

Gu Tiezhu turned around and saw a corner of pale yellow cotton fabric peeking out from the waist-high grass.

He couldn't help but be overjoyed.

Isn't this the same outfit Gu Xixi is wearing today?

Gu Tiezhu struck a pose like an eagle catching a chick and walked over step by step.

"My dear sister, your sweetheart has come to cherish you!"

As he spoke, he spread his arms and lunged into the bushes with all his might!

"what!!!!"

The screams seemed to be falling rapidly, and in the end, they even echoed.

"Ouch!! It hurts so much! My leg!"

A pale yellow figure emerged from the outer edge of the grass.

The woman's gaze was calm. She dusted off her clothes and turned to leave, as if she hadn't heard the piercing cries for help at all...