Travel to the mountains and make a fortune in silence

Mu Qin recalled the storybooks she usually read, which often described how wealthy families would dig secret passages or hidden rooms in their homes to deal with emergencies.

I didn't expect Brother Shang's family to have one too. It seems that what's written in the storybooks isn't all false.

How to do?How to do?

Brother Shang kindly saved her, but she discovered his secret.

Will Brother Shang think she did it on purpose?

And what if he kills me to silence me after I've discovered his secret?

Her legs felt like they were nailed to the ground, unable to move. She was frozen in place, her mind a jumbled mess, all of it tangled together.

Upon hearing the commotion, Shang Congwen quickly ran over from the next room.

He opened the door and immediately saw Mu Qin standing at the entrance of the secret passage.

Shang Congwen walked over, picked up the book that had fallen to the ground, and casually placed it on the desk.

Seeing Mu Qin still standing there dumbfounded, he asked softly, "Would you like to go in and take a look?"

"No...no...Brother Shang, I...I...I didn't mean to."

Mu Qin's voice trembled, and she spoke haltingly and incoherently.

Tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to spill over at any moment.

"I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to, sob sob..." Mu Qin saw that Shang Congwen was just looking at her silently, without saying a word, and her heart became more and more flustered.

She thought Shang Congwen was angry, which frightened her so much that she trembled all over, tears rolled down her cheeks, and she sobbed.

"Don't cry, I'm not angry." Shang Congwen looked at the helpless, tearful little girl in front of him.

He finally couldn't resist and gently pulled Muqin into his arms, tenderly stroking her hair and softly comforting her.

Mu Qin was completely absorbed in her fear and worry and did not hear Shang Congwen's words of comfort.

Various terrifying thoughts kept flashing through her mind.

"Waaah... Brother Shang, I've discovered your secret. Will you kill me?" Mu Qin's sobs grew louder and louder, and her body trembled slightly.

Upon hearing Mu Qin's words, Shang Congwen couldn't help but chuckle.

He gently cupped Muqin's small face in his hands, looking at her tear-streaked face with eyes full of doting affection and helplessness.

"Fool, how could you think that? Why would I kill you to silence you?"

What kind of thought process does this little girl have? How could she think that I would harm her? Does she look like the kind of person who would kill someone to silence them?

It seems I need to smile more when I'm with her in the future, and I absolutely can't let her think of me as a bad person.

"Brother Shang, you, you really won't kill me?" Mu Qin still seemed a little incredulous.

Looking at the young girl in front of him who didn't believe him, Shang Congwen couldn't help but feel amused, but more than that, he felt heartache: "Qin'er, not only will I not kill you, I will also protect you well and will never let you get hurt in any way."

Shang Congwen stared intently at Mu Qin's face, the sincere emotions in his eyes making Mu Qin somewhat at a loss.

"Brother Shang?" Mu Qin was filled with doubt. Why was Brother Shang suddenly calling her Qin'er? And what did he mean by what he said? Could it be that he had also taken a liking to her?

Thinking of this, Mu Qin's face flushed red instantly. She lowered her head, not daring to look into Shang Congwen's eyes again.

But he clearly has so many concubines in his household, how could he possibly genuinely like her? Perhaps he just wants to take her as a concubine as well.

No, absolutely not! How could I become a concubine? That would bring shame to my elder brothers. Forget it, I'll just become a nun!

Shang Congwen took a deep breath and mustered his courage to say, "Qin'er, I...I love you. Will you...will you marry me?"

His voice trembled slightly; this was the first time in his twenty-five years of life that he had confessed his feelings to a young girl.

Shang Congwen is always decisive and efficient in his work; he is not the kind of person who drags things out.

However, during this time, he had not been able to confess his feelings to the Mu family. The reasons for this were twofold: firstly, his reputation was well-known, and secondly, he was much older than Mu Qin and was afraid that the Mu family would reject him, thus affecting the relationship between the two families. That's why he kept putting it off.

What happened today made Shang Congwen realize that this might be an excellent opportunity.

The chances of success in proposing marriage to the Mu family now will be greatly increased.

Upon hearing Shang Congwen's words, Mu Qin felt an indescribable sense of loss welling up inside her.

She thought to herself: Just as I thought, Brother Shang must want me to be his concubine to dispel the rumors that have been circulating about me today.

Thinking of this, Mu Qin's resolve grew stronger. She raised her head, looked at Shang Congwen, and said resolutely, "Brother Shang, thank you for your kindness, but I will not become a concubine."

Upon hearing this, Shang Congwen realized that the young girl had misunderstood him, so he quickly explained, "Silly girl, who said you would be a concubine? I want to marry you in a grand and dignified manner, making you my legal wife."

Upon hearing this, Mu Qin was stunned. Her eyes widened as she stared at Shang Congwen in disbelief. Her lips parted slightly as if she wanted to say something, but she found that she couldn't utter a single word.

Shang Congwen stared at Mu Qin's cherry-like, alluring lips, which opened and closed, but she never uttered a single word.

Finally, unable to suppress his inner impulse, he leaned down and gently kissed Mu Qin's lips.

The little girl had never experienced anything like this before. With all her might, she pushed Shang Congwen away.

"Brother Shang, how...how could you..." Mu Qin blushed deeply, so embarrassed she wished she could disappear into the ground.

Shang Congwen actually kissed himself!

This was so embarrassing; her heart was pounding like a deer's.

Despite feeling shy and embarrassed, Muqin found a sweet feeling welling up deep inside her.

Shang Congwen said he loved her and wanted to marry her as his wife, which made her feel both scared and happy.

"Qin'er, I'm just asking you, are you willing to marry me, not as a concubine, but as my wife?" Shang Congwen gently cupped Mu Qin's rosy cheeks, bringing their eyes together.

Muqin's heart pounded even harder, and she was overjoyed. She so wanted to say yes to him and tell him, "Of course I'm willing!"

But then I thought, what good would it do if I agreed? Since ancient times, marriages have always been arranged by parents and matchmakers. Would my parents agree? Would my brothers and sisters-in-law agree?

Mu Qin hesitated, but ultimately did not agree directly. Instead, she asked, "Will my older brother and the others agree?"