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

Gu Xixi, disregarding her astonishment, hurriedly raised her hand to gently pat Mu Nanzhao while calling his name.

"Mu Nanzhao! Mu Nanzhao! Chen Fang? Lord Mu?"

no response.

Gu Xixi had no choice but to lay Mu Nanzhao flat. She reached out and pressed her hand against his neck to check his pulse. His heartbeat was basically normal, which was indeed not a sign of poisoning. She breathed a slight sigh of relief.

The bottom of the pit was too damp, so Gu Xixi thought for a moment and then lifted Mu Nanzhao's upper body up and let him rest his head on her lap. Then she covered his hands with her own and rubbed them repeatedly.

It promotes blood circulation, prevents limb stiffness, and also warms the body.

Because she used to frequently go out to collect materials in the wild, Gu Xixi had accumulated a lot of practical experience in basic first aid, so she wouldn't panic in this situation.

Mu Nanzhao's hands gradually warmed up, and Gu Xixi then turned to rub his knees.

After working for most of the hour, Mu Nanzhao finally stopped shivering, and Gu Xixi herself no longer felt cold.

She rested against the cave wall, looking up at a small patch of starry sky above.

Although she already knew Mu Nanzhao's real name, tonight was the first time Mu Nanzhao himself had mentioned it.

If Mu Nanzhao hadn't fainted, Gu Xixi's first reaction would have been to cover her ears, indicating that she hadn't heard anything and didn't want to hear anything at all.

When he told her, it meant he was revealing almost everything about his true identity, status, and even the reasons for his predicament.

The fact that she heard it meant that her entanglement with him had deepened.

Gu Xixi sighed to the heavens. She clearly wanted to get as far away from him as possible, but how did she end up getting deeper and deeper into his clutches?

"It's not good for someone so young to be sighing all the time," a low, husky voice teased.

Gu Xixi looked down. "Chen Fang, you're awake? Are you still cold?"

Her eyes had adjusted to the environment, and she could vaguely see that Mu Nanzhao was smiling.

"why are you laughing?"

Mu Nanzhao said, "You clearly heard it, yet you still call me Chen Fang. You're just burying your head in the sand."

Gu Xixi paused for a moment, then said coldly, "If I get used to calling you by your real name, don't regret it if I accidentally call you that in front of someone else one day."

It was Mu Nanzhao's turn to remain silent.

At Gu Laosan's house, Gu Qingye sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) with her head down.

"That won't do. I'd better go and inform Aunt Zhang."

"I said you can't go, and that means you can't go!" Gu Tiezhu roared viciously, his face contorted.

Liu looked at her son with heartache and said, "Your brother told you not to go, so just listen to him."

Gu Qingye said somewhat flusteredly, "But, it's so cold in the mountains at night, what if someone dies..."

"It would be better if he were dead!" Gu Tiezhu revealed a venomous smile. "If he's not dead, it wouldn't be bad if his arms and legs froze off!"

He turned to look at his sister, "You're not leaving the house tonight!"

Seeing Gu Tiezhu like this, Gu Qingye shrank back in fear.

Then she looked at her father, Gu Laosan, who was smoking his pipe in silence.

Despite her continued worry for Mu Nanzhao, Gu Qingye dared not plead for him.

Deep in the mountain trap, after who knows how much time had passed, Gu Xixi's neck ached from looking at the stars.

Mu Nanzhao said, "You saved me just now, and I feel much better now. Thank you."

What was supposed to be a simple thank you felt like a needle had struck a vital point, causing Gu Xixi's body to suddenly stiffen.

The phrase "You saved me" kept echoing in her mind.

On the day of the Beginning of Autumn, the male and female protagonists spend the night together in the mountains, and their bond is formed because of the life-saving grace they received.

Although the details have changed, why does the plot seem so similar to what she and Mu Nanzhao are going through?

Gu Xixi covered her face with her hands in remorse.

Last time she encountered the mad cow, she took Gu Qingye's place and became the one rescued by the hero.

Fortunately, it was just a minor scene in the book.

Seeing that Gu Qingye still showed interest in Mu Nanzhao, Gu Xixi didn't take it to heart.

But this time, it was a famous scene where Mu Nanzhao regarded Gu Qingye as his lifelong white moonlight.

Gu Xixi thought bitterly, "Will changes to the important plot lead to a variety of possible consequences?"

What if the outcome is even worse than the original book...?

Indeed, the deepest fears in the human heart come from the unknown.

Gu Xixi stared at the dark void ahead, utterly despondent, and sighed deeply.

Mu Nanzhao listened in silence for a while, then finally asked with a serious face, "Gu Xixi, I thank you, but you don't need to sigh like this."

"I'm sorry, it's none of your business." Gu Xixi said in a tone that seemed indifferent to death, "It's my own fault, don't overthink it."

She sighed deeply as she spoke; there was nothing she could do, her heart was too heavy, and she had no choice.

Mu Nanzhao became increasingly suspicious. "Are you blaming me for telling you my name and dragging you into this?"

Despite not being able to see clearly in the darkness, Gu Xixi shook her head and waved her hand weakly.

"It's already like this, it doesn't matter."

Mu Nanzhao: "..."

However, Gu Xixi hated herself for not paying attention to the road and hated her useless legs.

I have no regrets about discovering that clump of bushes.

She had never seen this type of Camellia plant before. If the hybridization was successful, the new tea variety would inherit its waterlogging and cold-resistant characteristics, which would be the key to its ultimate success.

Thinking of this, Gu Xixi felt a little comforted and her mood improved.

After we are saved tomorrow, the first thing we must do is gather a small portion of the bushes and take it with us.

Then they destroyed the lousy trap and filled in the hole!

As the moon rose above the treetops, Mr. and Mrs. Gu were about to turn off the lights.

Suddenly, there was a rapid knocking on the door, accompanied by Aunt Zhang's loud voice: "Open the door! I'm looking for Gu Qingye!"

"My Xixi went up the mountain with her, why hasn't she come home yet!"

"Stop hiding! I asked around, and Gu Qingye will be back this afternoon!!"

Then he started banging on the door again.

Then came the sound of a neighbor opening their door. "What's going on so late at night?"

"Sister Zhang, what's wrong with Xixi?"

Gu Laosan and Liu Shi looked at each other in bewilderment.

Liu asked, "What should we do if our son won't let us discipline him?"

Gu Laosan pondered for a while, "Now that Gu Xixi is the village chief's favorite, Chen Fang will be the village school teacher again."

"Let them suffer in the mountains until now, that's enough. Go open the door and tell her to get rid of them quickly, so the neighbors won't gossip."

As Liu stepped out of the room, she was startled by Gu Tiezhu standing in the middle of the courtyard.

"Tiezhu, you...you're not asleep?"

Gu Tiezhu stood there motionless, his eyes fixed on a sinister smile.

"Mother, when you go to open the door, please don't say anything. Let me talk to her."

Liu couldn't bear to go against her son's wishes, so she opened the door without saying a word and walked to the side with a long face.

Gu Tiezhu chuckled sarcastically, "Everyone's asleep late at night, why is Auntie looking for Gu Xixi at my house?"

"I guarantee she didn't sleep on my kang (heated brick bed). If you don't believe me, come inside..."

"I bother!"

With both old and new grudges, Aunt Zhang wasn't going to tolerate Gu Tiezhu, and immediately spat in his face.

"Bullshit!"

"I'm too busy to deal with you right now. Once I find Xixi, I'll tear that lousy mouth of yours off!"

Aunt Zhang pushed Gu Tiezhu aside and rushed into the yard.