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

He Jinglan said righteously, "You two have been in cahoots since childhood, doing all sorts of bad things together. You must know what he's thinking!"

Faced with his younger sister's questioning, He Jinghui simply gave her a deep, inscrutable look, sighed, and walked away.

He Jinglan stood there, her heart sinking.

Judging from this reaction, has Mu Nanzhao given up? Is there really no chance?!

He Jinghui sped up after turning the corner. Once he was out of sight of his sister through the second gate, he looked back and beckoned a servant to come over.

“You servants in the front yard, lately you’ve been focusing all your attention on keeping an eye on things…”

He cleared his throat and changed his words, "Take good care of Boss An."

"The young lady and Miss Gu live in the inner quarters; they are both pampered guests. Don't let a grown man barge in and cause trouble."

The servant was an honest man, and he said respectfully, "My lord gives instructions almost every day, so we dare not be careless in the slightest. There are guards at the second gate and outside Boss An's room, and three people take turns following him closely."

"These past few days, I have not allowed any distinguished guests to cross the garden boundary."

He Jinghui nodded, "We must be considerate of him. Whatever he wants to eat or use, as long as it is available in the manor, we can give it to him."

The servant bowed his head and replied, "Yes."

In an alley near the East Market, An Qinghe, carrying large and small bags, kept complaining with a frown on his face.

However, he wasn't complaining about carrying things; rather...

"I wish I hadn't stayed at the He family's house. Are all the officials and nobles in Daye so particular about rules?"

"I'm currently staying in the front yard. The guest rooms are very large and comfortable, and the servants are very hospitable to me. But!"

"They absolutely refused to let me go inside to find you, saying things like there's a difference between men and women, and they wanted to protect my reputation."

"Sometimes when I suddenly remember something important and want to tell you right away, a group of people stop me."

“At first it was fine. When we went out for tea, as long as you came out in the morning, we could always be together during the day.”

"But these past two days you've been busy with the banquet with Jinglan in the inner courtyard, and I haven't even been able to see you!"

Gu Xixi listened patiently to An Qinghe's complaints and smiled, "You said yourself that you are very satisfied with your food, clothing, and housing."

"Perhaps wealthy families have more rules and regulations. As the saying goes, 'when in Rome, do as the Romans do.' So, we should just bear with this little bit of discomfort for now."

An Qinghe, still sulking with a sour face, said, "You don't understand! This is no small matter to me!"

Gu Xixi lowered her eyes, her gaze flickered, and then she smiled and said, "If it's really important, you can ask a servant to pass a message to the maids in the inner quarters, and I'll know."

She then used a coaxing tone, drawing out the words: "Brother An, please don't be angry anymore, okay? We went to encourage Brother Zichu. After seeing him again after several days, you should at least be happy."

An Qinghe instantly turned from anger to joy, "You've told me not to be angry, so of course I won't be angry. Besides, the old doctor also said that being angry all the time is bad for your health."

He hummed a little tune and walked forward, swinging his arms happily.

Gu Xixi watched that happy figure walk away and couldn't help but smile. This person was quite easy to coax, unlike someone else...

Thinking of this, she paused and took a deep breath.

Why am I thinking about him for no reason at all?

Jiang Mingyuan is still staying in the same guest room.

When he opened the door, he had a full beard and seemed a bit thinner, but his eyes were bright and alert.

Upon seeing who was coming from outside the door, Jiang Mingyuan smiled happily, "It's you! Come in and sit down."

An Qinghe held up his hands full of things to show him, "We didn't come to visit you or put pressure on you. We just bought some things and brought them over, thinking you might need them when you go to the exam."

Jiang Mingyuan was slightly taken aback at first, then chuckled softly.

Gu Xixi glanced sideways and whispered, "Brother An, didn't I tell you to keep a calm mind? Why did you have to bring up the pressure?"

Jiang Mingyuan laughed and said, "It's alright, it's alright. Don't be fooled by my disheveled appearance. I'm just staying indoors to study and rest, and I don't want to go out."

"The innkeepers bring me three meals a day on time. I can eat, drink, and sleep well, and nothing bothers me."

Gu Xixi sat down, smoothing her skirt. "That's good."

An Qinghe had already placed everything on the table.

Gu Xixi opened each item by hand, explaining as she did so, "I figured it would be inconvenient for you to shop alone, so I bought them for you."

"To avoid any problems with the items I brought into the examination hall, I specifically consulted Lord He."

"I think the Four Treasures of the Study are more suitable for your daily use. I only bought one ink stick as a spare."

"The brush washer must be made of porcelain, and there must also be a bowl for drinking water."

"These are candles for nighttime lighting, four pairs in total."

"This package contains curtains, which I heard are used to separate and block out light between exam seats at night."

"There was also an oilcloth rolled up inside. After all, the east is much more humid than the northwest. The candidates' beds are simple, so they can use this to put under themselves to sleep."

Gu Xixi picked up a small paper package one last time, but didn't open it.

"There are some dried ginger in here, don't forget to take them."

These ginger additions are definitely not superfluous.

The examination seats were one per person, with the front half-open to allow examiners to patrol.

In early spring, the nights are chilly, so students prepare ginger to avoid being affected by the cold during their exams the next day.

For some test takers who are not in a good mental state, drinking hot water with ginger slices can relieve nausea and dizziness when they are nervous.

While Gu Xixi was speaking, Jiang Mingyuan kept his eyes fixed on her.

Warmth flowed in his eyes, and he unconsciously smiled, as if he wanted to etch this girl into his very being.

"Thank you so much, Sister Xixi, for your trouble."

"I was planning to go shopping this afternoon, but I didn't expect..."

Jiang Mingyuan bowed with his hands clasped, "When I set off, I thought I would be a stranger in a foreign land."

"Now, with the help of Sister Xixi and Brother An, the word 'gratitude' is not enough to express my feelings."

"This kindness and loyalty will be forever remembered by Zichu."

An Qinghe laughed heartily and said generously, "Why are you being so polite? You're making me feel embarrassed by your compliments."

"The three of us have been best friends for life, and that should never change!"

Jiang Mingyuan was moved, and said with a smile and seriousness, "I will never change this in my life."

Anqing started making a big fuss, "Hey, actually all of these were bought by Xixi. But I bought one for you too."

"The food boxes ordered from the Grand Restaurant in Dongshi are specially prepared for you examinees."

"It contains dry food, such as sesame flatbread, bite-sized pastries, and sesame oil rolls, as well as meat, including secret-recipe air-dried chicken, pork jerky, and smoked meat floss made from lean lamb leg. These are all foods that won't spoil even after being stored for several days."

"I ordered delivery to your door before noon tomorrow. How does it sound? The dishes look pretty good, don't they?"

Jiang Mingyuan smiled, "Thank you, Brother An. I will eat them properly."

An Qinghe frowned in confusion, "But I just don't understand, why can we only bring meat and dry rations? Why can't we bring fruit?"

Jiang Mingyuan explained, "I was afraid the juice would contaminate the exam papers."

An Qinghe nodded and said, "What if we get thirsty?"

Jiang Mingyuan laughed: "Drinking water is provided in the examination room, didn't we buy water bowls?"

An Qinghe slapped his forehead, "I was so busy worrying about you that I forgot."

As Gu Xixi watched the two of them chatting happily, a warm feeling welled up in her heart.

When she transmigrated into the book, she never expected to gain friendships here.

After saying goodbye to Jiang Mingyuan, the two went downstairs and overheard people in the lobby discussing the case from the Jingzhao Prefecture that morning.