Exile at the start? The princess is no ordinary woman.

Zhou carefully caught the lighter that the lady tossed to him, having already forgotten the surprise the fish had caused.

He carefully picked up the lighter and began to examine it. This was a valuable item; how could the lady have so casually tossed it to him?

There were some characters on it that he didn't recognize, and he didn't know what they meant. His eyes were full of wonder. He held it in his hands, reluctant to put it down, as if he were afraid of breaking it.

After observing for a while, he remembered his wife's instructions and began to start a fire, mimicking her gestures from the previous day.

But when he pressed the switch and a flame appeared with a "click," he was startled. He released his hand, and the flame went out.

How amazing! It's so amazing! It's much better than any tinderbox he's ever seen.

At that moment, he was so excited that his hand holding the lighter trembled slightly. After calming his excitement, he pressed the switch again.

Use that flame to light the thin firewood;

Gu Nanzhi, under everyone's watchful eyes, carried the two fish to Chen Qiang, put the fish down, and handed him ten taels of silver.

"Sir, could you sell me some oil and lend me your iron pot?"

When the escorts saw Gu Nanzhi coming from afar, they had basically guessed her purpose. However, the fact that she was offering money and fish made it hard to refuse.

They handed over ten taels of silver in one go. They had no idea where the woman got the money, but regardless of its origin, this was a golden opportunity for them to make a quick buck.

This woman was so well-mannered that they couldn't find a reason to do anything, which once again ignited a strange feeling in Chen Qiang's heart. Under the gazes of the other escorts, he nodded.

"Can"

Gu Nanzhi was very satisfied with this deal; it was so simple and effortless. She then swaggered back to their spot, carrying the iron pot and the cooking oil that Jie had given her, and handed the pot to Zhou Cai.

"Go and clean it thoroughly."

Zhou Cai first carefully returned the lighter to Gu Nanzhi, then carried the iron pot to the riverbank.

Gu Nanzhi didn't give the lighter to Zhou Cai just because he seemed so excited and fond of it. Dream on! She wasn't that kind. Even though it was a small lighter, it was still a limited item.

Jun Yanchen had already been settled by Cang Ling and was leaning against a big tree under the quilt, but his eyes had never left Gu Nanzhi since she returned.

Ben Cangling hesitated for a moment before giving his master the pill Gu Nanzhi had given him, but remembering the medicine his mistress had given them and their behavior throughout the day, he ultimately chose to trust her.

She gave it to Jun Yanchen, and Jun Yanchen took the pills without hesitation when he learned that they were given by Gu Nanzhi.

Now that Jun Yanchen had settled in, Cang Ling took the initiative to walk to Gu Nanzhi's side and asked, "Madam, is there anything I can do for you?"

Despite actively seeking out tasks, Cang Ling still harbored doubts about the fish she had just seen in Steward Li's hand. Was that fish really from this river?

It looks more like a fish kept in a mansion for ornamental purposes. He couldn't figure it out, so he decided to just get back to work!

Actively seeking out things to do?

Not bad, quite perceptive, a diligent person.

Gu Nanzhi was very satisfied with his performance. After thinking about it, she realized there was indeed something she needed him to do.

"Wait"

After speaking, Gu Nanzhi walked towards the guards. The guards, who had fish, were preparing to cook fish soup. When they saw Gu Nanzhi coming again, they all turned their attention to her, curious about what she was going to do this time.

This time, however, Gu Nanzhi didn't go to Chen Qiang, but instead went to Qian Laosi.

Qian Laosi appeared calm on the surface, but inwardly he wanted to curse. Why did this young lady come looking for him again? The boss was over there!

Without wasting words, Gu Nanzhi approached him and calmly said, "Lord Qian, may I borrow your knife again?"

Qian Laosi: "......"

No, so you're taking advantage of his inability to refuse, right? You're just clinging to him, borrowing pots and pans, buying oil—you don't ask him for money, but you come to him for these kinds of favors.

He desperately wanted to curse, but when he met those cold eyes, he could only suppress the urge.

"Why borrow a knife again?"

"Cut bamboo to make bowls and chopsticks"

Gu Nanzhi stated her purpose frankly, speaking lightly as if there was no problem at all;

Qian Laosi inwardly coughed up blood. Wait, when did his sword ever get used for these kinds of things?

He dared not contradict this young lady, hoping that their boss could intervene, and tilted his head to cast an inquiring glance at Chen Qiang.

However, to his surprise, Chen Qiang did not react at all. This attitude of neither agreeing nor refusing clearly put the choice back to Qian Laosi himself. He could lend it or not.

Chen Qiang had also witnessed Gu Nanzhi borrowing a knife yesterday, but he did not step forward. This woman was too calm about the exile, and he needed to observe her more.

Having nowhere else to turn for help, Qian Laosi, under Gu Nanzhi's watchful gaze, angrily handed her his sword.

He must have had the worst luck in eight lifetimes to encounter such a prisoner;

Gu Nanzhi drew her sword from the scabbard he handed her and walked back, looking as if she were about to kill someone.

"Take this, go over there and cut down a bamboo stalk, make six bamboo tubes to use as bowls, and also carve six pairs of chopsticks."

Cang Ling was a little stunned when he caught the knife. He didn't expect that the lady would ask him to do this. But he was stunned for only a moment before he picked up the knife and walked towards the few bamboo trees not far away.

Upon seeing Gu Nanzhi catch a fish in the river, regardless of what kind of fish it was, those who had received black flour cakes couldn't sit still.

He kept saying he wanted to eat fish.

Those who can shout like that are basically pampered young masters and misses at home, and they remain pampered even under these circumstances. It's just that those who are not valued in the family suffer.

This was unlike others who were favored, while all the responsibilities fell on them. Regardless of whether they were also tired from a long day, they were ordered to go to the river to catch fish.

Of course, some of them went voluntarily, which was the action of responsible people, including several sons of the Qi family.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Gu Nanzhi had no interest in knowing any of this. Taking advantage of the fact that the people who were processing the fish had not yet returned, Gu Nanzhi approached Jun Yanchen and looked him over with a somewhat complicated expression.

She still felt annoyed thinking about it. She hated owing people the most, and because of this man's meddling, she ended up being framed, as if it were all for her sake.

Damn, I want to punch someone.

"Hey, you should know you can't just use your internal energy recklessly, right? Don't you want to live?"

Jun Yanchen knew, of course, that he couldn't easily use his internal energy, but for some reason, he called out that name and had that thought in that instant.

He thought it would be such a simple matter, and that nothing unexpected would happen, but in the end, he overestimated himself and couldn't even handle this much.

Doesn't he want to live?

No, he wanted to live, but he didn't know if he could. With this body, he seemed even more uncertain, and his belief had weakened a bit.

Finding her at this time, I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing!