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

In the afternoon, Gu Xixi used broken pots and wooden boxes from the farm, filled them with fine sand, and began to cultivate seedlings.

The seeds had already been soaked at home, and almost every one of them sprouted. They just need to be shallowly buried in moist sand and left to grow into seedlings.

He Jinglan leaned on the table, looking intently. "The seeds Mu Nanzhao gave us have a pretty high survival rate, right?"

"Hmm," Gu Xixi said as she worked, "They're all good seeds."

She muttered to herself, "It's a miracle I wasn't scammed when buying seeds, even though I'm a complete novice."

He Jinglan chuckled, "Are you praising him, or praising him for doing a good job this time?"

Gu Xixi stared intently at the sand. "Is there a difference?"

A muffled thud came from afar, followed by two somewhat indistinct screams.

Gu Xixi and He Jinglan both turned to look at the window.

He calmly turned back and continued facing the table.

This is the third time such a commotion has occurred since lunchtime.

From time to time, assassins would break into the manor, but each time it was only one or two people, probably just testing the waters and not a formal attack.

With guards and traps blocking the way, no assassin has been able to get close to the house yet.

He Jinglan rested her chin on her hands, smiling as she looked at Gu Xixi, "I remember him proposing to you."

"If, and I mean if, we join in, and we manage to survive this ordeal safely, would you consider his proposal?"

He Jinglan approached with great interest, saying, "If you get married and move to the capital, we can see each other every day and never be apart."

Gu Xixi thought about it seriously, "Although I also want to see you often, the price to pay for this marriage is too high."

She shook her head. "No."

He Jinglan tried to entice her, saying, "There are many fields around the capital, and my family owns several estates."

"Even if you go to the capital, it won't affect farming. It will even make it easier for us to do business and make money together!"

Gu Xixi looked at He Jinglan and said, "I can do all of these things without marrying Mu Nanzhao."

He Jinglan was frustrated, "All I did was rack my brains to bring you two together."

Gu Xixi patted her with a smile, "Don't worry, I'll definitely go to the capital to see it when I have the chance."

"As the host, you'll have to treat me well."

Hearing this, He Jinglan became happy again, "Of course! We'll eat our way through Beijing and have our fun. There are no elders in my family to keep you from being restricted, so you can stay at my house for as long as you like!"

Gu Xixi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

We've finally managed to steer the conversation away from the topic.

After nightfall, the number of assassins breaking into the manor increased significantly, with more in number and frequency.

Old Li knocked on the door using a pre-arranged code.

He brought in the food, his expression clearly not as relaxed as during the day.

He Jinglan asked, "Uncle Li, what's the situation outside?"

Old Li said, "Five people broke in as soon as it got dark."

"The brothers at the front gate took down three with crossbows, and injured one with a nail board. The injured man and the other two continued to break in."

"In order to prevent them from getting over here, the brothers worked together to attack and have already taken them down."

He Jinglan asked worriedly, "How are our people? Are any injured?"

Old Li said, "No one is hurt, Miss, don't worry."

He paused, then said solemnly, "Tonight is definitely not going to be peaceful. Visibility is limited in the darkness, so to avoid us failing to provide adequate protection, Miss and Boss Gu should try to stay home as much as possible."

Gu Xixi and He Jinglan nodded in agreement.

He Jinglan pondered, "If we leave it like this tonight, won't tomorrow be even more uneasy?"

"Pass on my order: if you can stop them, then stop them; if you really can't, then loosen your grip. There's no need to keep the thieves at a distance just to protect me."

"Anyway, these two rooms have the most traps and mechanisms around them. With the help of these traps and mechanisms, we can at least hold out a little longer and avoid unnecessary losses."

Old Li was taken aback, glanced at He Jinglan, and then bowed and replied, "Yes."

By dawn, the first night had passed without incident.

The second day was surprisingly peaceful; not even a single intruder appeared to explore the area.

Gu Xixi and the others all felt that something was wrong.

Although no one was released alive yesterday, the assassins outside have probably already observed that the manor is not well-guarded.

So everyone made preparations early, and by evening everyone had eaten and drunk their fill.

What we're about to face is sure to be a fierce battle.

Sure enough, when the moon was high in the sky, the front and back gates of the manor were attacked simultaneously.

A powerful crossbow was placed on each side. Although long-range attacks were very effective for defense, they were no match for the enemy's superior numbers.

Soon, some escaped the net and entered the farm, rushing straight towards the cottage.

There were no lamps lit inside, and two women sat facing each other.

As the noise outside grew closer, the two stood up, took hands, and walked outside...

Daylight broke, and the ground was a mess.

The assassin's body has disappeared, and the guards are working quickly to reset the traps.

Old Li wiped his sweat and said, "They were really crazy last night, three groups of people came non-stop!"

"Thanks to Boss Gu's poison and trap techniques, only one of our brothers suffered minor injuries."

"Otherwise, even if we managed to get through last night, we probably won't make it to nightfall on the third day."

The secret guards who had previously worked on the mechanism stuffed the poison prepared by Gu Xixi into the bronze pot and hid it in a concealed high place. The bronze pot also contained a catapult mechanism.

Once the assassin walks within ten steps of the cabin, a mechanism will be triggered, causing the poison powder to spray directly onto his face.

Because Gu Xixi had said that the dosage of the medicine was limited and should be used sparingly.

Such effective mechanisms can only be used in the most critical positions.

But now the poison is gone.

He Jinglan's expression was somewhat heavy.

Old Li, however, rallied his spirits, clasped his hands in a fist and said, “Miss, do not be afraid. We are ordered to protect you. No matter what happens today, we will do our utmost to escort Boss Gu and Miss away.”

After saying that, Old Li went back to work with everyone.

They had been working without sleep for two whole days, and their eyes were bloodshot.

That is the mission of the secret guards.

But He Jinglan couldn't bear to see them die for her.

She stamped her foot anxiously and cried out, "Heavenly spirits and earthly spirits, please bless our reinforcements to arrive as soon as possible!"

Night fell again, and the farm was pitch black, without a single light.

Gu Xixi and He Jinglan squatted on the side of the small house.

Old Li told them to hide here tonight.

Fifteen acres away, the faint sounds of clashing swords could be heard.

As the two listened intently, suddenly, bang! A loud noise shook their hearts.

He Jinglan grabbed Gu Xixi's hand, her palm already covered in cold sweat.

"Could it be that they've sent a large number of people and have already stormed in?"

Gu Xixi patted her comfortingly, but her eyes remained fixed on the front.

The sounds of fighting were still in the distance and did not advance in this direction.

However, Gu Xixi narrowed her eyes and suddenly saw a figure emerge from the darkness, running towards them.