Forced to be a concubine? I turned around and married the scumbag's father.

At dawn, a rooster's crow woke Gu Hua.

She sensed something was amiss, as if someone was holding her hand.

Turning my head slightly, I saw a burly figure sitting on the footstool by the bed, with most of his body slumped over the edge, his white robe stained with dried blood.

Mu Junyan!

His large hand reached under the covers and held her hand tightly.

A sudden pang of sadness shot through her, and with a trembling heart, she reached out and touched his back, only to find it ice-cold.

With just this slight movement, Mu Junyan was suddenly awakened.

Their eyes met, and tears instantly welled up.

Before Gu Hua could speak, she was pulled into someone's arms.

Gu Hua reached out and hugged his neck tightly, her voice trembling as she choked back tears as she murmured, "That's great, that's great, it's good that you're back. Are you hurt?"

She had just seen blood on him.

Mu Junyan suddenly released her, jumped back two steps, and looked helplessly at Gu Hua on the bed, his stubble-covered face flushed red.

Gu Hua was also taken aback.

She had never seen Mu Junyan like this before, like a shy young man.

"what happened to you?"

Gu Hua nervously tried to throw off the covers and get out of bed, but he rushed over and pressed the covers down on her.

"I...I'm too dirty, I'll go take a shower first. You just lie in bed and wait for me."

Before Gu Hua could react, he immediately turned and ran away.

“Hey…you…”

Gu Hua called out, and then disappeared.

Didn't shower?

Why did you sit on the edge of the bed all night last night?

Donghua and Dongqing came in with beaming smiles.

"Madam, you're awake?"

Gu Hua glared at them: "Are you my maids or the maids of the Duke's mansion?"

The question made the two women panic, and they immediately knelt on the ground with a thud: "This servant is the madam's person."

Gu Hua said helplessly, "Get up, why are you kneeling?"

The two got up, exchanged a glance, and guessed that the master had not told the lady when he returned last night, and the lady was angry.

The two men rushed forward to help her, assisting her to get out of bed, put on her shoes, and put on her coat.

"He came back last night, and you didn't even wake me up?"

Donghua quickly smiled apologetically, "If the master forbids it, we two dare not call him. Sister Zhilan was here last night too."

Dongqing nodded quickly: "Sister Zhilan also saw that the Lord has returned."

Anyway, if Madam wants to get angry, she should get angry at Sister Zhilan first.

Gu Hua was speechless: "Donghua, quickly go and call the Sun family doctor. He might be injured. Check if Dongmo came back with him. Is there anyone serving him? Dongqing, go to the kitchen and instruct them to prepare some easily digestible and nutritious breakfast, according to the master's taste."

"Hey."

The two maids nodded and ran away.

"Dongqing, you should help me wash up. I'll go to the kitchen myself."

"Hey."

Donghua took off running.

Gu Hua quickly washed up, changed into a simple ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), and went out.

Upon seeing the maid sweeping the courtyard, she asked, "Did you see where the master went?"

The maid bowed and said, "Madam, the master has gone to the old lady's courtyard."

Gu Hua was stunned for a moment, then thought about it and realized that the old lady was just as worried about Mu Junyan as she was.

She turned around and instructed, "Dongqing, go to the kitchen and add some of the breakfast I mentioned earlier. I remember yesterday I stewed a pot of lamb belly with skin on, and it was stewed until very tender. Have the kitchen make a bowl of lamb rice noodles. The master will probably crave that."

Holly happily replied, "Yes."

Gu Hua lifted her skirt and was about to run towards the old lady's courtyard when she suddenly remembered something and hurriedly grabbed the cleaning maid: "Quickly, go and have the wet nurse take the two children to the old lady."

After saying that, she lifted her skirt and hurried away.

Gu Hua rushed in and bumped into someone who had just come out.

"Be careful, did you twist your ankle?"

Mu Junyan embraced the person and asked anxiously.

Gu Hua excitedly tilted her head back, reached out and pinched his face, making him wince in pain.

She couldn't help but burst into laughter: "You want to pinch my husband the moment you see him?"

Gu Hua quickly relented, her eyes reddening: "It's not a dream!"

"Of course not." Mu Junyan kissed her on the head tenderly.

“I’m going to take a shower, then I’ll come and have breakfast with you and your mother.”

Gu Hua quickly grabbed him as he tried to leave: "Are you injured? Why are you covered in blood?"

"No, don't worry." Mu Junyan smiled and patted her hand.

"Wait a little longer," Gu Hua said, grabbing his sleeve. "Take one last look at the child before you go wash."

Mu Junyan's eyes lit up; he had been longing for his two children.

Soon, two wet nurses arrived carefully, carrying two children.

Mu Junyan stared in surprise at the two delicate, pink faces, his rough hands wanting to touch them but not daring to, too nervous and excited to speak.

He couldn't resist leaning down to gently kiss his two darlings, but Gu Hua stopped him with her hand.

With a stern face, she said, "You're afraid of the smell on me, but aren't you afraid of the smell on the children?"

Mu Junyan chuckled foolishly, his face flushed with embarrassment: "I'll go wash up, I'll be right there."

He glanced at the two children with reluctance, then couldn't help but wrap his arms around Gu Hua and give her a big kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you for giving me such a priceless treasure."

Gu Hua pouted and said coquettishly, "Hmm, now that I have a pair of unparalleled treasures, I'm worthless?"

Mu Junyan was stunned, and for a moment he was dumbfounded and didn't know how to coax him.

After a moment of hesitation, he finally said, "How could that be? My wife is the incomparably precious Bao Niang."

Gu Hua smiled and said, "Go take a bath quickly, the two children are waiting to be named."

Gu Hua watched his departing figure with a sweet smile, then turned and went into the room: "Bring the baby in."

"Mother." Gu Hua smiled and sat down next to the old lady, hugging her arm and acting coquettishly: "You have to teach him a lesson later. He didn't tell me he was coming back right away, which made me worry about him and couldn't sleep all night."

The old lady nodded sternly: "He needs to be taught a good lesson. He didn't tell his anxious wife when he got home, nor did he visit his worried mother. According to the military law of the Mu family army, he must be given fifty lashes."

Gu Hua sat up abruptly, her eyes wide: "Mother, fifty strokes of the military rod? Or... let's not do it. He must have been running back for ten days straight without sleep."

The old lady glanced at her and asked, "Aren't you going to punish me?"

Gu Hua pouted: "We still need to punish him, but why not just skip the beating? He might still have injuries. If we hurt him, you'll be heartbroken, won't you?"

The old lady chuckled and tapped Gu Hua's forehead.

"Me, heartbroken? You're the one who's heartbroken, aren't you? Anyway, this old woman of mine has seen life and death all the time, I'm not heartbroken."

Gu Hua blushed and rubbed against the old lady's arm, saying, "Oh dear, I don't have the old lady's strong heart. I'm just soft-hearted."

The old lady burst into laughter.

The two dolls seemed to feel joy and started babbling and dancing along.

Gu Hua quickly got up to check on her two children.

The older one is a girl with very bright eyes and strong limbs. She often pins down her younger brother next to her, making him unable to move.

Unfortunately, the younger brother was a good-natured person and quietly let his older sister's short legs rest on his lap.

The wet nurse quickly moved the young lady's legs away.

Gu Hua smiled and said, "Mother, I think the two babies' genders have been switched. The younger brother is like a girl, while the older sister is like a boy."

The old lady also came over and gently pinched the little girl's round, rosy cheeks.

"Our Mu family's first daughter in three generations is naturally the most capable. In the future, she will be the first female general of the Mu family."

Gu Hua smiled and nodded: "Then Mother, please accept her as your little apprentice."

"Of course," the old lady said cheerfully.

“How can my daughter be a female general? She will be a noble lady.”

A clear, resonant voice rang out.

Gu Hua and the old lady turned around.

Mu Junyan, dressed in black, walked in from the doorway, looking refreshed and energetic.