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

Gu Xixi sat there without moving. "I apologize for the little scene just now, Lord Mu."

"With your looks, once your net worth skyrockets, how many suitors could you possibly have?"

Aunt Zhang stood up in disbelief, "And who is Lord Mu? Isn't he... isn't he Little Chen?"

It's no secret that Mu Nanzhao is Chen Fang.

Gu Xixi didn't mention it before because she felt that if she brought it up specifically, she would have to go through the trouble of explaining it clearly.

She couldn't be bothered to waste her breath on someone she might never see again.

But tonight, with Mu Nanzhao appearing in front of the whole family, Gu Xixi no longer held back in her speech.

"Chen Fang is just his alias. His surname is Mu, and his name is Mu Nanzhao."

"Auntie, all you need to know is that he comes from an extraordinary background, held a high-ranking official position, and was someone we couldn't afford to offend. In the future, we'll go our separate ways. That's enough."

The old doctor was a discerning man. He frowned and pondered, "His surname is Mu, and he comes from an distinguished family."

"The only one I know is the Mu family."

Gu Xixi said, "The person Master was referring to is his own family."

The old doctor's expression was complicated as he murmured, "I thought I would never have any connection with anyone in the imperial court in my life, but I never expected... that the young man from the Mu family would hold such a high-ranking official position..."

"I should have thought of it earlier..."

Mu Nanzhao stepped forward and said apologetically, "I was in great difficulty before, and my life was hanging by a thread. I really couldn't tell you the truth. I am truly sorry for what happened."

The old doctor had regained his composure. "Don't worry, I have no regrets about treating you."

"Later, after learning of your close ties with the Northwest Army, I also suspected that you had once held an official position."

"I just didn't expect that you had served as an official in the capital and were a member of the Mu family."

Aunt Zhang looked at Mu Nanzhao with surprise and confusion. "Have you been using a fake name to deceive us all this time?"

Knowing he was in the wrong, Mu Nanzhao lowered his head heavily and replied, "Yes."

Aunt Zhang pointed at him angrily, "Fine! Fine! I've always treated you well, like your own son-in-law. My Xixi even spent money and effort to buy you medicine to help you recover!"

"Is this how you repay us? Huh?!"

"They recovered their health, packed their bags, and left without even revealing their real names!"

Aunt Zhang became increasingly angry as she spoke, and her heart was broken, so she could no longer continue cursing.

She looked around, panting, and remembering the broom she had just used, she immediately grabbed it and started hitting Mu Nanzhao.

"You little bastard! I don't care how high your background is or how big your official position is, today I'm going to beat you up! I'll take responsibility for my actions. If you want revenge, come at me. Call the authorities to arrest me and see if I'm afraid of anything!"

Aunt Zhang would hit him and then curse him, but Mu Nanzhao stood there straight, neither dodging nor arguing.

He did make a mistake, but Aunt Zhang always treated him like family and was very kind to him.

Therefore, he willingly endured Aunt Zhang's anger.

Gu Xixi knew that Aunt Zhang was wronged, and seeing that she had hit her enough, she got up and pulled Aunt Zhang away.

"Auntie, that's enough."

Aunt Zhang felt sorry for Xixi, and her eyes welled up with tears. "Xixi, don't be afraid. At my age, I don't care if it's the Emperor of Heaven or not, I'll get revenge for you!"

Mu Nanzhao's lips curled into a bitter smile. "I'm sorry for all your concern, Auntie. Please feel free to scold or beat me."

“In front of you, I am just Xiao Chen. If I were to use my power to oppress others in this courtyard, I would truly be unworthy of being a human being.”

Aunt Zhang wiped her eyes and sneered, "You haven't done anything to wrong me. I'll just say I was blind and mistook my son-in-law for someone else!"

"The person you've wronged the most is my Xixi! When you needed to avoid trouble, you just stayed at my house. Now that you're pursuing a bright future, you just leave without a second thought, leaving Xixi with a mess!"

"You saw those people outside just now, right? You called those peach blossoms? Bah!"

Aunt Zhang spat on the ground, "They say they're here to propose marriage, but in reality, they're just taking advantage of our misfortune!"

"Everyone knows that Xixi's fiancé ran away! Although we didn't have a wedding, you lived in my house for over a year. Only we know whether you were innocent or not!"

"Ordinary people would think that Xixi should hurry up and find another man to marry before her reputation gets any worse, and even I! I was so foolish as to think that way!"

The more she talked, the more she felt sorry for Gu Xixi, and tears streamed down her face.

He Jinglan and Shi Tou hurriedly comforted Aunt Zhang.

Mu Nanzhao looked at Gu Xixi with a complicated expression, "Back then, I didn't expect it would cause so much trouble."

Gu Xixi smiled and said, "Back then, you were so eager to protect yourself that you didn't think about it, but rather you simply didn't want to."

"Even if you had the chance to do it all over again, you would probably still make the same choice, wouldn't you?"

Mu Nanzhao was speechless.

Indeed, as Gu Xixi said, at that time, Gu Xixi's life, Aunt Zhang's life, and even the life and death of the entire village were not within his consideration.

But then everything gradually spiraled out of control, and by the time he realized it, the balance in his heart had already shifted.

Gu Xixi said calmly, "I know you have your own stance. Aunt Zhang feels sorry for me, so please be understanding."

"When you lived in my house, we both benefited, and there was no question of us owing each other anything."

"Although you were occasionally implicated in some trouble later, you were able to clean up the mess for what you did. Plus, the people who stayed behind helped me deal with the bandits who broke into the village, so it was barely even."

She looked directly into Mu Nanzhao's eyes. "If you've come back to apologize, you can leave now."

He Jinglan, who had been watching anxiously, finally couldn't help but shout, "You, surnamed Mu! You've always been like this since you were little. Can't you just say what's on your mind?"

"What are you still acting all high and mighty for at a time like this!"

Aunt Zhang and Shi Tou were surprised, "You've known him since you were little?"

He Jinglan gasped, instinctively raising her hand to cover her mouth. Oh no, she'd exposed herself too.

Gu Xixi was looking at Mu Nanzhao.

His eyes were complex, yet they held a certain... determination from the moment they appeared.

Before Gu Xixi could figure out where this determination came from, she heard Mu Nanzhao say:

"I want to marry you and move into the Gu family!"

It's not about marrying into the family, but about the man marrying into the woman's family.

Aunt Zhang dropped the broom from her hand.

He Jinglan's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. She had reminded Mu Nanzhao to show sincerity and explain things properly if he wanted to apologize, but who knew he would propose immediately! He really was a man of few words, yet he made a stunning statement!

The old doctor also looked surprised.

Only Shi Tou grinned, looking at Gu Xixi and then at Mu Nanzhao, his face full of silly laughter.

Everyone turned to look at Gu Xixi.

She stood there motionless, her calmness almost unnatural.

He Jinglan moved closer and touched her. "Xixi, Xixi? Are you... scared out of your wits?"

Gu Xixi took a deep breath after calming down, feeling her ears burning for no reason and her chest pounding wildly.

She comforted herself, saying that this was the first time in both her lives that someone had proposed to her, and it was understandable that she was flustered due to her lack of experience.