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

Hearing that Gu Xixi wanted to buy a carriage, He Jinglan happily said, "Buying a carriage is great! I'll help you choose one later."

The two walked a little further, and then the smile on He Jinglan's face suddenly disappeared.

She turned to look at Gu Xixi, "You're in such a hurry to buy a carriage, is it so you can get there faster?"

"Otherwise what?" Gu Xixi calmly retorted.

“As a farmer, if I only need to buy and transport grain and travel between the village and the county town, why should I spend this money to save face?”

"Having another horse at home increases daily expenses quite a bit."

He Jinglan then thought of another key point.

She'd been so busy these past few days that she fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow in the courtyard, so much so that she hadn't thought things through and almost missed the most terrifying crisis at hand.

Seeing that He Jinglan's expression wasn't good, Gu Xixi asked, "What's wrong? Did I scare you?"

"Actually, I have high hopes for the General and the Northwest Army, but I'm just preparing for the worst-case scenario."

"You may not really want to come with me to escape the famine."

“Not this one,” He Jinglan said in a muffled voice.

The village entrance was just ahead. He Jinglan stopped and said solemnly, "Mu Nanzhao is still alive. This must have unsettled many people, especially those who would be threatened by his existence."

"The Empress Dowager's faction, Mu Nanzhao's original political enemies, those who personally harmed him, and those who followed suit and kicked him when he was down."

"Their power and interests are intricately intertwined."

“In the near future, many people will want to, or have already begun to, get rid of him.”

In the late summer nights, under the dim light, Gu Xixi's calm expression sent chills down one's spine.

"Since Mu Nanzhao dared to stand up, he must have been confident in protecting himself."

"And since he is in the Northwest Army, the General will protect him and it is impossible for him to get into trouble."

"It's already difficult enough for those people's henchmen to infiltrate the Northwest alive, let alone kill Mu Nanzhao."

"so,"

"so……"

The two spoke almost simultaneously and looked at each other.

He Jinglan said, "So, if I were an enemy, I would target people related to him."

If a direct attack fails, why not use a roundabout approach?

In military battles, taking hostages is a common tactic.

Gu Xixi said in a cool tone, "For example, my fiancée, who is a cheap buyer, and you, the daughter of a family friend, childhood sweetheart."

He Jinglan grinned, "Not only that, my brother has also been quite restless lately, and has long been a thorn in the side of many people."

The two looked at each other, showing no pessimism or fear of a dying struggle, or even the slightest panic.

Gu Xixi took a step forward, "So I need to go home early and finish all the preparations while others are still setting up."

He Jinglan's tone was also indifferent, "Given the distance from the capital to the northwest, and with the General guarding the northwest gateway, the entire region is now under heavy guard."

"Whether they send someone or send a message, at least... we'll be safe for the next two or three days."

Gu Xixi remained silent for a while, secretly gritting her teeth several times, cursing Mu Nanzhao countless times in her heart.

Admittedly, from Mu Nanzhao's own perspective, he had his own plans for achieving great things and did not do anything wrong.

But it has always been a case of gods fighting, and mortals suffering the consequences.

If one day Gu Xixi is taken hostage and pushed onto the battlefield, won't she be innocent? What did she do to deserve this?!

Gu Xixi, however, is someone who never accepts her fate.

From her perspective, ever since she was forced to buy Mu Nanzhao for a single penny, it has been an undeserved disaster.

Despite her efforts to distance herself from Mu Nanzhao, she did not marry him as the original storyline suggests, and they never even got engaged.

However, because Mu Nanzhao lived in her house for a year, in the eyes of outsiders who didn't know the truth, it became an "intimate relationship" that was impossible to clear up!

He Jinglan counted on her fingers for a moment, then said, "In the village, including Master Liu's men and my guards,"

"Our fate may not necessarily be one of surrender."

She patted Gu Xixi on the back reassuringly, "Xixi, let's be optimistic!"

The two walked out of the courtyard while they were talking.

Gu Xixi glanced sideways at He Jinglan, "When did I say I would surrender?"

Since transmigrating into the book, her overall fate seems to be stuck within the framework of being influenced by Mu Nanzhao's life and death.

Previously, she was afraid of living a life worse than death, or dying a terrible death.

But now, her mindset has quietly changed. She has finally found some enjoyment in life here, and there are still many planned endeavors waiting to be completed.

Even if someone were to brandish a knife and say they were going to give Gu Xixi a quick death right now, she would run faster than a rabbit!

Gu Xixi took He Jinglan's hand and walked into the courtyard.

"From today onwards, you will be with me everywhere, eating and sleeping together."

"Those in power stir up trouble across the land, so my life, as a nobody, is nothing in their eyes."

"But I'm determined to fight them to the bitter end."

"As long as I live, I have to protect myself, and you."

"What kind of hostages are we! On one hand, we're being held at knifepoint by thieves, our lives hanging by a thread, while on the other hand, we're being asked to weigh our options: whether to pay the price to save us or just let us die."

Gu Xixi sneered, "Rather than that, I would rather have my life in my own hands."

He Jinglan grasped Gu Xixi's hand with emotion, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Xixi, you are truly my best sister. I am willing to live and die with you!"

Gu Xixi frowned, "What do you mean 'die'? Hurry up and spit it out!"

"We want to be rich and powerful, and live to be a hundred years old!"

The next morning, it was just dawn.

Aunt Lin and the others escorted Gu Xixi and He Jinglan to the village entrance.

He Jinglan's carriage was ready and parked there.

Thinking that once the war started, it might be hard to know when they would meet again, Aunt Lin was reluctant to part with Gu Xixi. She repeatedly urged Gu Xixi to take good care of herself and promised that she would take good care of the family village as arranged by Gu Xixi.

Gu Xixi said with a smile, "I also went to see our Pinpo Fruit Grove yesterday."

"You've taken good care of the fruit trees, there's no problem."

"As long as the summer goes smoothly, we can fertilize in the fall."

The two explanations given to General Liu were exactly the same, and Gu Xixi also gave one to Aunt Lin.

Gu Xixi said, "I discussed with General Liu that he would send someone to Huachidu Village in half a month."

“Once they receive the next planting plan, someone will come and discuss it with you in detail.”

"In addition, General Liu promised me that the required seedlings would be purchased by the military, and the families' village would receive a share."

Aunt Lin's eyes reddened slightly. Afraid that she would burst into tears if she spoke, she just kept nodding.

Gu Xixi needed to hurry on her journey, so she bid farewell to the villagers.

Because He Jinglan had given prior instructions, the He family coachman drove the carriage at full speed.

The sun had just set when the carriage arrived at Gu Xixi's house.

As the two got off the bus, they saw Mr. Liu "coincidentally" rushing over.