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

Gu Xixi enjoyed the meal, and her mind kept working at the same time.

The soil and climate of this area are indeed very suitable for growing peach trees, and the peaches are sweet, juicy, and have delicate flesh.

The owner said these peaches are late-ripening peaches, pinkish-white in color, and more juicy than peaches harvested in midsummer, but unfortunately they don't keep well.

Gu Xixi had to pick two peaches that were so soft they were about to rot to get them for just one coin.

However, soft peaches are at their most delicious when they reach this stage.

With just a few easy peels of the thin outer skin, a bite reveals a mouthful of honey-like juice.

It would be great if improvements could be made to make these peaches more durable for storage.

Mu Nanzhao glanced at Gu Xixi's actions, peeled the peach, and ate it directly.

Looking back, after he left the capital, he mingled among exiled prisoners, enduring all kinds of hardships.

It's just eating a peach on the street. If he can't even do that, wouldn't Gu Xixi laugh at him?

After Gu Xixi finished eating, she noticed that Mu Nanzhao was awkwardly holding the peach pit, with his hands not knowing what to do with them.

She couldn't help but laugh. "I almost forgot you're a clean person. It must be uncomfortable to have your hands covered in peach juice, right?"

"It doesn't matter," Mu Nanzhao said coldly.

Gu Xixi noticed his discomfort but didn't point it out.

She walked ahead, found a garbage heap on the street, and threw away the peach pit.

After asking an old woman selling eggs on the street, I found a well deep in a nearby alley and washed my hands.

As Mu Nanzhao emerged from the alley, his expression noticeably relaxed.

Gu Xixi glanced at him and asked, "Are the peaches delicious?"

Mu Nanzhao said, "It's still edible."

Gu Xixi pouted and said, "Your evaluation is too far-fetched. The price for two that are about to break is one coin, which is quite expensive."

Mu Nanzhao suddenly shot him a sharp glare.

The three words, "One, Wen, Qian?", were squeezed out between his teeth.

"Gu Xixi, are you trying to say that I'm like these two broken peaches, you think even a penny is too expensive for me?!"

Gu Xixi looked at Mu Nanzhao's cold smile and belatedly realized what was happening.

Is the "one penny" meme just going to stay with us?

"How could that be!" she denied with a laugh.

"How can one penny be expensive? I got a huge bargain. Oh no, I should say it was just a coincidence."

"How can someone like you be measured by money and worldly possessions!"

Mu Nanzhao gave her a cold look, then turned and walked away.

Perhaps because he promised not to threaten her life anymore, Gu Xixi is now becoming more and more adept at making up stories in front of him.

That's absolutely infuriating!

As noon approached, Mu Nanzhao finally took action.

He first took Gu Xixi into a clothing store, and when they came out, they both looked brand new.

Mu Nanzhao was wearing a sky-blue gauze robe.

His back was straight, and his belt accentuated his broad shoulders and narrow waist.

With his already stunningly handsome face, almost every woman along the way was staring at him.

Gu Xixi wore a light blue-green ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) that reached her chest, and a matching gauze blouse with narrow sleeves.

Wearing her new clothes, she couldn't smile at all.

“You didn’t say I would pay for it before we bought it.”

Mu Nanzhao said, "It's nothing more than the cheapest gauze."

"I said I would pay it back later."

Gu Xixi turned to look at him, her anger subsided, leaving only a smile. "Okay, I'll give you a separate account book when we get home."

"This set of clothes on me, it's all on your head."

Recently, she asked Aunt Zhang to sell some grain and medicinal herbs, and finally managed to save up some money, but she spent most of it on a trip to a clothing store.

If it weren't for the fact that Mu Nanzhao would become regent and certainly wouldn't be short of money, he wouldn't have done it.

She would never buy such expensive clothes that she couldn't possibly wear in the village on a daily basis!

Mu Nanzhao neither agreed nor disagreed.

This time, he led the way, turning left and right, when suddenly they heard a child crying ahead.

Gu Xixi looked up and saw a little girl, about three or four years old, wearing a pink embroidered dress and with two buns on her head, as cute as a pink dumpling.

Seeing that no one else was around, she walked over in a few steps and asked, "Little sister, why are you here all alone?"

"What about your elders?"

When the little girl saw Gu Xixi, she stopped crying and, wiping her eyes, sobbed, "Qing'er was chasing a kite, and her nanny and Sister Cui are all...all gone."

Gu Xixi understood; the child had probably gotten lost while chasing a kite.

"Qing'er, don't be afraid. Tell me where you live, or what your surname is, and I'll take you home."

A moment later, Gu Xixi returned carrying the child.

Mu Nanzhao said, "You do suit this child's taste."

Gu Xixi gave him a strange look.

Following the clues provided by Xiao Qing'er, the two found a jewelry shop in the center of East Street.

At the shop entrance, a richly dressed woman stood anxiously, pointing at several servants and waiters:

"You can't even spot a single child? Hurry up and go find them!"

Qing'er waved her little hand, "Mother!"

The woman looked over in surprise, "Qing'er?"

She rushed over and snatched her daughter from Gu Xixi's arms. "Where have you been? Your mother was so worried!"

"If I can't find you again, I'll have to ask your uncle to send someone!"

The woman hugged and kissed her daughter repeatedly before realizing she hadn't yet thanked the person who had brought her daughter home.

“My surname is Meng, and I am the mother of this child.”

"May I ask your esteemed names and where you live? I will certainly pay you a visit another day to express my gratitude."

Gu Xixi cupped her hands in thanks, "It was nothing, Madam Meng, you flatter me."

Mu Nanzhao said, "My surname is Zhao."

"My wife and I came from Jiangnan to do business, and we do not have a fixed place to live yet."

Gu Xixi glanced at Mu Nanzhao without leaving a trace.

She felt that the incident of picking up a child was too coincidental.

Now it seems that it was all a scheme he deliberately set up?

Madam Meng, who runs a jewelry shop, immediately became interested upon hearing about doing business.

"From Jiangnan? That's a wonderful place."

"I don't know if it's tea leaves, raw silk, or..."

Mu Nanzhao answered frankly, "Pearl."

Madam Meng's eyes lit up, "Eastern pearl?"

Mu Nanzhao smiled, "Eastern pearls are rare, and those of good quality are even more hard to come by, costing a fortune."

"Most of the pearls in my house are freshwater mussels raised in lake water."

Madam Meng smiled and said, "High-quality freshwater pearls are rare even in our Northwest region."

She was interested in buying pearls and invited Mu Nanzhao and Gu Xixi to the second floor of the shop for tea and a detailed discussion.

Half an hour later.

Lady Meng personally saw the guests downstairs.

They had just had a very pleasant conversation, and Madam Meng held Gu Xixi's hand as if they were old friends who had known each other for many years.

“When I returned to my parents’ home after the divorce, I said I wanted to start my own business. Everyone told me that women shouldn’t show their faces in public. My younger brother also said that he could support me for the rest of my life.”

"I never expected that Sister Gu could understand my thoughts and wishes. She is truly a kindred spirit in my life, and I regret not meeting her sooner."

Gu Xixi also took a liking to Meng Niangzi.

This is why she felt uneasy, as if she had deceived her with a false identity.

"It is my good fortune to know Sister Meng."

Mu Nanzhao and Madam Meng agreed that he would visit again in three days.

On the way back, he noticed that Xixi was unhappy and said, "Don't worry, I have no intention of hurting her."

"I just wanted to use her as a go-between."

Gu Xixi finally couldn't hold back anymore and said, "But she was wholeheartedly doing business with you, and you lied to her!"