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

Aunt Zhang lingered at the door of her house. As soon as she saw Gu Xixi, she rushed over and nervously lowered her voice.

"Xixi! It looks like a thief has broken into our house!"

Gu Xixi was taken aback. "A thief?"

She's been waiting to catch the thief, but in broad daylight? Who in the village is so brazen?

Aunt Zhang nodded. "This morning, right after you left, your master was called away to make a house call. Xiao An also went out; he said he was going to the county town to see what kind of saplings were available for sale at this time of year."

"So there's no one else in the family besides me."

“But I just went out to empty the dirty water and heard a noise coming from the west room as soon as I entered the yard.”

“You just told me that day that Xiao Chen has been pardoned by the court and is able to go back to his hometown to visit his parents. He won’t be back for at least half a year.”

"I knew it must be bandits who broke in, and I couldn't handle them by myself, so I quickly retreated."

Gu Xixi pondered for a moment and said, "You did the right thing. There's no need to risk your life by confronting them head-on."

Aunt Zhang said, "No one has come out yet, so I'll stay here and keep watch. Go find someone to help catch the thief!"

"No need," Gu Xixi said with surprising calmness.

She looked up and around, seemingly looking at something.

Then her eyes turned cold, she rolled up her sleeves, and walked towards her front door. "In broad daylight, good will prevail over evil. I'll deal with this little thief myself!"

Aunt Zhang exclaimed in alarm, "Hey! Don't go! It's dangerous!"

However, Gu Xixi walked quickly and her back was resolute, so Aunt Zhang had no choice but to follow her into the courtyard.

Gu Xixi picked up the hoe leaning against the door and headed straight for the west room.

Aunt Zhang slapped her thigh with a mournful face, thinking to herself, "Good heavens, this isn't catching a thief, this is clearly a fight to the death!"

She picked up a shovel and chased after them.

Even if it's a matter of risking one's life, she should be the one to stand in front of Xixi!

The door to the west room wasn't locked, so Gu Xixi kicked it open with a bang and started hitting the figure that flashed inside with her stick.

"I told you not to steal!"

"You're not learning good habits! Breaking into an empty house in broad daylight!"

One curse and you get a beating.

The person who was hit was caught off guard and took three blows. He suddenly raised his hand and grabbed the handle of the hoe.

"Gu Xixi! Open your eyes and tell me what's going on!!"

The man's voice was filled with gritted teeth.

Aunt Zhang dropped her shovel on the ground. "Little Chen?!"

Gu Xixi also put down the hoe, as if her eyesight had just returned. "Oh, I thought a thief had broken into the house. A weak woman like me had no choice but to strike first. I didn't see it was you. I'm so sorry."

This apology clearly didn't sound very sincere.

Aunt Zhang was a little embarrassed. "So it's Xiao Chen who's back."

“I heard from Xixi that you went back to your hometown to visit your parents.”

"Why didn't you stay longer after coming home so often? Why are you back so soon?"

"I'm going back to my hometown to visit my father and mother?" Mu Nanzhao ground his back teeth and turned to look at Gu Xixi.

"I see."

Aunt Zhang felt sorry for her future son-in-law and went over to take a closer look.

It was clear that Gu Xixi had used all her strength when she swung the hoe, and Mu Nanzhao had a bruised mark on his forehead from the blow.

"Xiao Chen, is your injury... alright?"

Aunt Zhang herself felt that she didn't have much confidence in saying that, so she could only laugh awkwardly and try to make amends:

"Xixi didn't do it on purpose, don't blame her, blame me. I didn't see clearly and made a big fuss!"

Mu Nanzhao smiled, "It's nothing, just a little bruise. It'll fade away in a few days."

"Thank goodness it was me, not a thief. I'm glad you're all safe and sound."

Aunt Zhang was very pleased. "You must be hungry when you get back. Let me get you something to eat."

Mu Nanzhao smiled and agreed, "Okay, I was just missing Auntie's cooking."

Aunt Zhang was in a great mood and went out like a gust of wind.

Gu Xixi followed closely behind, but was blocked by Mu Nanzhao's outstretched arm.

Actually, he also has injuries that are not visible to the naked eye.

I was hit on the back of my neck and back, and they still sting.

Seeing that she couldn't avoid him, Gu Xixi simply looked up at him and asked, "Is there something you need?"

Mu Nanzhao was taken aback when he saw her expression.

Why isn't she afraid anymore?

At this moment, the insincere smile that she used to have was gone from her eyes.

All that's left is a kind of calm madness that's not afraid of anything, even if the sky were to fall...

Mu Nanzhao composed himself and asked, "Why did you say that to Aunt Zhang?"

"May I ask, what hometown am I going back to, what parents am I visiting?"

Mu Nanzhao's parents died early, so after entering officialdom, he left the Mu family home and lived separately in his own residence.

Therefore, when he was in distress and on the run, the Mu family, relying on their status as a prominent clan, was not implicated and was able to survive.

Gu Xixi said, "Knowing I'm lying, what's the point of asking?"

Mu Nanzhao choked, then lost his temper. "Then why did you say I hadn't come back for almost half a year?"

Gu Xixi raised her chin and looked directly at him. "I've met Teacher Liu. Oh, he must have told you too. Why don't you know the answer yourself?"

The two looked at each other, and the only sound in the room was their soft breathing.

Gu Xixi said sarcastically, "Do I have to explain myself clearly? Fine then."

"With the war against Beili over and your important mission imminent, the fact that you've already made arrangements here clearly shows you don't intend to come back."

She noticed a slight change in Mu Nanzhao's eyes, realizing she had guessed correctly, and her sarcasm deepened.

"Shouldn't I be asking you why you suddenly came back?"

"Your time is precious these days, you don't need to waste your time just to get two pieces of clothing, do you?"

Mu Nanzhao stared intently at Gu Xixi, his face slightly pale, as if he were extremely angry.

After a moment of stalemate, he gritted his teeth and said, "If I said it was for you, you would just find it laughable."

Gu Xixi chuckled softly, even laughing so hard she almost fell over.

Then, looking at Mu Nanzhao's ashen face, he said, "You are a born power-hungry minister. This kind of persona, who loves beauty more than power, is not suitable for you."

"Besides, I'm not some stunning beauty that could topple kingdoms."

Gu Xixi no longer harbors the same fear as before.

Since her fate and future are still inevitably influenced by Mu Nanzhao, once she realizes this, what else is there for her to fear?

Everyone dies eventually, whether it's early or late, so who cares about the outcome? It's just a matter of dealing with whatever comes our way.

Looking at Gu Xixi's bright smile, Mu Nanzhao felt utterly miserable.

Not long ago, he was unhappy because she was afraid of him.

But now that she's no longer afraid, he feels the distance between them growing ever wider.

"Gu Xixi, sometimes I really want to cut open your heart and see if you have one."

Gu Xixi stepped forward, "Then why don't you give it a try?"

"However, you won't do that. It's not worth interfering with your important matters just to catch a glimpse of my heart."

After saying that, she smiled and walked past Mu Nanzhao to leave.

"Xixi! I'm back! Look what I bought for you!"

An Qinghe's voice came running into the courtyard from a distance.

Mu Nanzhao's eyes suddenly sharpened, shooting towards Gu Xixi like a blade.

"No wonder they were in such a hurry to get rid of me, it turns out the new people have already moved in."