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

Mu Nanzhao was silent for a moment, then said, "That makes sense."

"It concerns the lives and fortunes of too many people, and we certainly cannot let my actions delay military operations."

Gu Xixi nodded, a hopeful smile spreading across her face. "Yes, yes! That's it! The sooner you figure it out, the sooner you can go back!"

Mu Nanzhao looked up and a smile appeared on his face. "So don't worry, I've allowed enough time and I'll definitely be able to return to the army on schedule."

Gu Xixi's breath hitched. "You!"

Not satisfied with that, Mu Nanzhao deliberately misinterpreted the situation, saying, "Thank you for your concern, Boss Gu, but I understand."

Gu Xixi was furious. "Fine, whatever."

She let out another heavy laugh, glancing at him. "You said you'd be following me these next couple of days?"

"But you deserted your post during the campaign. Do you dare let people know that you're not in the army, but instead appearing in Huachidu Village, which is so far away?"

Mu Nanzhao's eyes turned slightly cold, but a smile still lingered on his lips. "Threatening me?"

Gu Xixi said, "So you're just too scared?"

She paused, then explained, "If you were to show yourself, you wouldn't have to let the stone stand in the open and pretend to be something you're not, while you hide in the shadows and throw stones."

Mu Nanzhao raised an eyebrow slightly. This time, he did not avoid the question and actually answered truthfully, "That's right. I concealed my whereabouts all the way because I didn't want anyone to know."

"If someone with ulterior motives discovers that I am here, it will be detrimental to the stability of the front line and the safety of the village."

Gu Xixi said angrily, "You knew all these disadvantages, yet you still..."

Mu Nanzhao gazed at him calmly, "Because I am confident that the possibility of my whereabouts being leaked is extremely low. Even if things unfortunately get out of control, I have a backup plan to ensure my safety."

Gu Xixi suddenly remembered what He Jinglan had said: Mu Nanzhao always strives for meticulousness in his work. He is very patient, like a spider carefully weaving a large web.

Once he has truly succeeded, he deliberately lets the prey in, and the prey will find it difficult to escape.

Knowing that continuing to argue would not yield any results, Gu Xixi relented and said, "Alright, I'm going to eat. It's just two days, whatever you want."

"As for your promise to follow me, I hope you can keep your word."

If he can't go out and have his face seen, let's see how he can follow him.

Gu Xixi left with a mocking smile and walked away with light steps.

That night, Mu Nanzhao returned to the west room. The furnishings were unchanged, except for the bed...

He casually picked up a few cat hairs between his fingers, his handsome face tensing. "Stone, what is this?"

Stone came over carrying the pillow that Aunt Zhang had just given him. "It's cat hair. It's probably because it's summer. Little Flower has been shedding a lot lately."

Knowing that her husband is a clean person, the little one put down the pillow, bent down, and patted the bed a few times.

The oil lamp illuminated the scene, and the soft cat fur floated in the air, dancing in the wind.

Mu Nanzhao felt a wave of dizziness and quickly raised his sleeve to cover his mouth and nose.

"You let Xiaohua sleep in my bed?"

It was because he touched Xiaohua in Stone Village that he discovered he had an addiction.

It only flares up when in contact with cats; the eyes turn red, and the skin develops hives that are hot and itchy.

Shi Tou said matter-of-factly, “This is my bed now. Sister Xi Xi said that you are only staying temporarily this time, so she asked me to bear with it and share a bed with you for the time being.”

Before he could finish speaking, Mu Nanzhao started sneezing.

He sneezed repeatedly as he fled...

Shi Tou took Xiao Hua to play in Gu Xixi's room.

Hearing his description of Mu Nanzhao's allergic reaction, Gu Xixi and He Jinglan burst into laughter, pounding the bed.

He Jinglan wiped away tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes, "He had never kept any pets before, and I guess he didn't even know he had this defect."

After laughing enough, Gu Xixi said, "But let's keep it a secret for him, lest he be taken down by someone throwing a handful of cat hair at him on the battlefield."

The two burst into laughter again.

In the west room, Mu Nanzhao sat at the table, faintly hearing laughter coming from the courtyard.

Just now, I saw Shi Tou running away with Xiao Hua in his arms. His cheerful little steps clearly indicated that he was going to announce it to the whole family.

Mu Nanzhao ground his back teeth expressionlessly.

It seems that since he left the village school, Master Liu has been assigning too little homework every day.

As Aunt Zhang laid out the newly changed bedding, she said worriedly, "Xiao Mu, your health is too weak. You're always sick. This is the first time I've ever heard of someone who can't touch a cat."

"Tomorrow I'll ask Old Man Jiang to prescribe a health-strengthening formula for you. If you don't take good care of yourself while you're young, you might have trouble conceiving in a couple of years."

When Mu Nanzhao heard the word "weak body", he initially just laughed it off.

By the end, he almost coughed up his lungs.

Before leaving, Aunt Zhang glanced at it, shook her head, and sighed, "Oh dear, how can things go on like this?"

Mu Nanzhao coughed, clutching his chest, and looked up in despair as Aunt Zhang left.

He's fully recovered!

He's not sickly!

The next morning, Gu Xixi didn't go out; she stayed home to prepare what she would say at the local temple that afternoon.

Mu Nanzhao stayed put and did his job as usual, helping to chop wood and carry water.

He Jinglan pushed open the door and entered the room. "Xixi, I have already instructed someone to notify the main people in charge of the Gu family in the area, as you said. They have promised to convey the message to each of them. Everyone who can come this afternoon will definitely be here."

Gu Xixi nodded. "Thank you."

"It's so hot today, so I made honeysuckle and jujube soup. Have a bowl before you go to the village school."

The first two classes this morning are taught by Mr. Liu, so He Jinglan can go a little later.

He Jinglan went outside and saw Mu Nanzhao chopping wood.

After explaining things last night, the whole family knows they are childhood friends, and Gu Xixi also took responsibility for keeping it a secret.

The two no longer needed to pretend they weren't familiar with each other.

He Jinglan walked over and looked at the pile of firewood on the ground. "You must be exhausted. Are you hot? Are you thirsty?"

"Did you know that Xixi made honeysuckle and jujube soup? Didn't you?"

He Jinglan grinned smugly, hands on her hips, "Xixi was worried I'd get heatstroke, so she told me to have a bowl of sweet soup before going to the village school."

When have you ever received this treatment?

Crack! Another piece of wood split open.

Mu Nanzhao didn't even look up, continuing to chop wood with a cold expression. "Oh."

He Jinglan made a face and mimicked his tone, "Oh."

She fluttered away like a butterfly, saying cheerfully, "I understand you, you're just jealous."

"But since we've known each other for so many years, I'll just serve you a bowl and put it on the small table. Remember to drink it yourself later."

Crack! Crack! Crack-crack! The sound of chopping wood grew louder and more frequent.

In the afternoon, at the Land God Temple in Huachidu Village.

When Gu Xixi and the others entered, the large courtyard of the Earth God Temple was already crowded with people.

The Gu family relatives also arrived. As Gu Xixi had suggested, each family selected one person as a representative to avoid too many people, making it chaotic and difficult to stand or hear clearly.

Old Qian was already waiting at the front.

Gu Xixi walked over and subconsciously looked into the crowd first.

Then she found it funny herself.

What are you thinking? There are people watching here, how could Mu Nanzhao possibly come here?

I didn't see him when I went out; he must be sleeping inside.