Repeatedly broken branches

The place Xie Huai was referring to was just a small rural town. It was located near the mountains, and the people in the town relied on the mountains for their livelihood, and everyone was always busy.

That said, having been in Chaoyang for so long, she had never left the city. She never imagined that there was such a peaceful and leisurely place hidden outside the city.

However, their attire was completely out of place here. They looked like pampered young masters and ladies from the city, a stark contrast to the coarse clothes of the town's residents.

In order to fit in and become more down-to-earth, Xie Huai went to a clothing shop that looked decent and bought two sets of coarse linen clothes.

After changing their clothes, the two carefully examined each other. Even though Xie Huai was wearing coarse cloth clothes, it could not hide his handsome face, and his fair skin was incongruous with the coarse cloth.

Xiao Mu didn't want to change her clothes. She thought Xie Huai had just brought her here to take a look, but after getting off the carriage, Xie Huai told the coachman to go back by himself.

She watched the driver drive away, her expression turning cold. "How are we going to get back?"

"With money, are you afraid you can't go back?"

Xiao Mu's expression softened considerably. Suddenly, she seemed to remember something and stared wide-eyed at Xie Huai. "I only brought money with me to buy clothes... and that money was just a random amount, just enough to buy clothes! I don't have any other money!"

Xie Huai asked in astonishment, "You only took one tael of silver with you when you went out?"

"Yes!" Xiao Mu panicked immediately. "If it weren't for you, we would still have an ounce of silver left, but you insisted on buying those clothes! Now I don't even have an ounce of silver left."

A mist clouded over Xie Huai's deep eyes. "What can one tael of silver do? Why did you only bring one tael? I'm curious, is it because you're broke or what?"

Xiao Mu gritted her teeth and said, "I never need to carry money when I go out. But you, why don't you carry money when you go out? Do you want me, a woman, to pay for everything for you? How can you be so stingy?"

Xie Huai was speechless. He dared not tell her that he had left his money pouch on the carriage, and now the carriage... had probably already traveled several miles.

They had come out to breathe some fresh country air, but they never expected that they wouldn't be able to get back tonight. The two of them immediately lost their enthusiasm from the journey.

Xiao Mu was extremely anxious. If Yu Yanjing knew that he had stayed out all night and was with Xie Huai, he would probably be furious.

He never wanted Xiao Mu and Xie Huai to get too close...

"Then... can we walk back now?" Xiao Mu's tone was slightly hesitant.

Xie Huai laughed out loud, "Are you joking, Your Majesty? We're over a hundred miles outside the city now. It'll probably be the next day by the time we get back!"

Xiao Mu felt as if struck by lightning. She roared at Xie Huai, "It's all your fault! What are we going to do now? We haven't had lunch, we don't have dinner, and what's worse, we don't even have a place to stay! What is your purpose in bringing me here? You wouldn't happen to be an undercover agent sent by Bai Jiaoyu to torture me, would you?"

“It’s really not…” Xie Huai’s eyelashes drooped slightly as if he was thinking. “Why don’t we… keep going forward and see if there’s any way?”

This is the only option right now. We can't just stop in the street and argue with him; that's impractical.

The further you go, the fewer people you see, because most of the residents live in the town. Further ahead are mountain gullies, mostly farmland, where you can occasionally see farmers bending over and working in the fields.

"I'm so thirsty..." Xiao Mu was so thirsty that her mouth was dry and her steps became difficult. At this moment, she wished she had a glass of chilled plum juice.

These damn cotton clothes are so absorbent; walking in them under the blazing sun feels like being in a giant sauna, making it hard to breathe.

"Let's take a break!" Xie Huai pulled her to the shade of a huge sycamore tree, whose branches and leaves formed a giant umbrella, creating an extremely shady spot.

"I want to drink water!"

Xie Huai wiped the sweat from his forehead, rolled up the sleeves of his cloth robe, stood up, shielded his eyes from the sunlight, and looked into the distance. At the end of the fields not far away, there was a house that looked much more luxurious than the other dwellings, like a small mansion, with blue bricks and tiles on the outside.

“Let’s go take a look over there!” Xie Huai said, pointing to the house.

Xiao Mu looked at the spot he was pointing to, which wasn't far away. She stood up, leaning against the tree trunk, and followed Xie Huai, walking with difficulty.

As soon as they arrived outside the house, they heard a commotion in the courtyard, as if some kind of event was taking place. Xiao Mu and Xie Huai squeezed into the crowd.

In the center of the platform stood a middle-aged man dressed in slightly expensive clothes. He scanned the people in front of him with a scrutinizing gaze, like a machine, filtering out those who were not up to standard. He pulled the unsuitable people out of the crowd and dragged them to his left, while pulling the people he was satisfied with to his right... Until his gaze fell on Xie Huai, his eyes suddenly lit up. How could he not know that there was such a handsome man in the town, with skin as white as snow.

"What's your name?" he asked in a discerning tone.

Xie Huai was completely bewildered, his eyes filled with astonishment. "Me?"

The man said in an annoyed tone, "If it's not you, then who is it? What's your name?"

"Um... Thank you... Thank you Qing."

The man nodded in satisfaction, pulled Xie Huai to his right, and said, "You can stay now."

Xie Huai's mind was buzzing; he had no idea what he was doing or what he was supposed to do!

The man looked towards Xiao Mu's location. Xiao Mu slightly raised her eyes, and her beautiful almond-shaped eyes met his gaze. The man was immediately dumbfounded and extremely surprised. What good luck he had today! First, he met a handsome man, and now a fairy has appeared. Come to think of it, he had never seen such a beautiful girl before.

"What's your name?" He asked Xiao Mu in a kind tone.

Xie Huai glanced at him sideways, thinking, "What a snobbish guy. Does he say one thing to one person and another to another?"

“Xiao Mu… Xie Xiao Mu, I’m his sister!” Xiao Mu said, pointing to Xie Huai standing to the right of the man.

The man's pupils dilated slightly. So they were siblings. No wonder they both had such good looks. If they were siblings, then it made sense.

As expected, Xiao Mu was also chosen. She stood behind Xie Huai, leaned close to his ear, and whispered, "What's going on?"

"It's like they're picking people."

She stiffened. Of course she knew this was a selection process, and asking was pointless.

That man must be the owner of this house, because apart from him, most of the people here look like ordinary people, but he is wearing silk, and he has an arrogant and disdainful attitude.

Six people were selected in total: three men and three women. Apart from Xie Huai, the other two men were burly men with broad shoulders and thick waists, each one being roughly equivalent to two of him.

Besides Xiao Mu, the other two women were fairly decent-looking, but they seemed to be hostile towards Xiao Mu, their eyes like knives, as if they were tearing flesh from her skin. The two women knew each other, so on the way to their destination, they chatted idly, leaving Xiao Mu far behind.

Upon arriving at our destination, we found ourselves in a desolate wasteland. For miles around the playground, the land was completely dry, with no moisture whatsoever.

The man handed each of them a hoe and warned them fiercely, "You can't slack off, or I'll deduct an hour's wages!"

Xiao Mu straightened up. So, they were making such a big fuss about selecting people just to recruit laborers to hoe the land and clear wasteland? Then why did they have to look for good-looking ones...? That makes sense, most of the women have this kind of figure. As for the men, apart from Xie Huai, the other two look very strong. So, are they just here to make up the numbers?

Xie Huai suddenly looked up, and he and Xiao Mu looked at each other. Xie Huai winked at each other for a while, which made Xiao Mu look confused.

What's wrong? Did that guy get sand in his eye?

She stared blankly at Xie Huai for a while. Xie Huai thought she understood, so he suddenly dropped the hoe, bent down, and ran towards a path, but was pulled back by the man.

"If you want to run, first see if my guards will allow it!" The man's gaze fell on the four burly men standing by the roadside.

Four burly men stood there like four mountains, lined up horizontally, completely blocking the road.

Xie Huai took a step back. He regretted not learning more martial arts from his master back in the Western Regions, otherwise he wouldn't be trapped here.

Xiao Mu then belatedly realized that Xie Huai's winking wasn't because he had a grain of sand in his eye, but rather a signal that he wanted to run away!

She stared at the hoe in front of her, which was almost taller than herself, and was at a loss. How was she supposed to lift it? She gritted her teeth and could only lift it a little bit. Before she could get a firm grip, the hoe fell and stuck deep into the ground. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't pull it out.

This caused the two women nearby to burst into laughter. What kind of peasant woman doesn't know how to hoe the ground? Is she just pretending to be delicate because she's pretty and has delicate skin?

Instead of sympathizing with her, they thought Xiao Mu was pretending to be weak to get the boss's attention and make him feel sorry for her.

"Tsk tsk, what a pity, she has the mind of a master but not the life of one!" one of the slightly taller women said to Xiao Mu in a sarcastic tone.

"Yeah... she thought she was a rich man's daughter, but what a pity, she still has to come out and hoe the fields to earn money," another woman said, putting down her hoe and speaking with a sharp edge.

Xie Huai threw down the hoe in his hand, strode over to them, shielded Xiao Mu behind him, and glared at them, saying, "My sister has been weak since childhood and has never done farm work. Does that make you unhappy?"

The tall woman felt even more uncomfortable seeing that Xie Huai was good-looking. She shouted loudly, "Why are you looking for work when you're so weak? You should just stay at home. Look at you, with your delicate skin and white skin like a paper doll, do you really think you're a rich lady?"

"What's it to you? Are you jealous just because you're ugly and others are better looking than you?" Xie Huai said angrily.

The woman stepped forward and grabbed Xie Huai's collar, shouting, "You say I'm ugly? Where am I ugly? I'm not like your sister pretending to be delicate!"

Xie Huai's gaze fell on the woman's hand clutching his clothes, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

Xiao Mu stepped forward. "Forget it, why bother arguing with someone like that? Let's finish this quickly and go back!" She glanced at Xie Huai with a slight pursing of her lips.

The man who had been dozing nearby was awakened by their commotion. He stood up angrily and walked over, his hawk-like eyes sweeping over the four of them. He demanded sharply, "What exactly happened?"

Xiao Mu's eyes darted around, then she suddenly clutched her chest, her brows furrowing slightly. She softly said to the man, "I'm sorry, sir. I've always been weak and don't know how to hoe the fields. These two older sisters couldn't stand it and scolded me. I'm humbly accepting their guidance. I'm so sorry to have woken you up. I'm so sorry!"

A smile spread across Xie Huai's lips. This girl is quite the actress.

The two women waved their hands, "No, no... Boss, we just..."

The man interrupted them sharply, "Nothing!" Then he looked at Xiao Mu, who had clear and obedient eyes, and continued, "I'm the boss, it's not your place to teach others. Since you two know more, you can do Xiao Mu's work. As for Xiao Mu, she's weak, she can help pull weeds... What are you looking at? Get moving! Otherwise, you won't get paid!"

The man suddenly raised his voice, startling the two women.

They quickly picked up their hoes, bent down, and began to work diligently.

Xiao Mu squatted in a shady spot, symbolically pulling out the fish that had already been completely removed from the net. This was an easy task, but her legs were a little numb.

Just as she was relaxing, a sharp pain in her abdomen almost made her collapse to the ground. The pain came in quick succession, each time feeling like being pricked with needles, accompanied by nausea and a feeling of extreme chest tightness.

This is the second time I've experienced this pain. What's wrong with me? Why am I having this abdominal pain? Could I have some kind of illness?

Fortunately, the pain subsided quickly, so Xiao Mu didn't think too much about it and continued to pull weeds.

Finally, it was lunchtime. A kind old woman brought over a pot of white rice porridge, a large bowl of stewed fatty pork with cabbage, and a basket of fluffy white steamed buns.

Xie Huai ladled her a bowl of stewed meat and a big steamed bun. Although she was very hungry, the sight of the fatty meat made her feel nauseous and disgusted. Xiao Mu finally couldn't hold back and squatted down to dry heave, but she couldn't vomit because she hadn't eaten anything that morning and her stomach was empty.

"What's wrong?" Xie Huai poured her a glass of water. "Are you getting carried away with the performance?"

Xiao Mu struggled to her feet, drank a few sips of water, and suppressed the nausea in her stomach. She looked weakly at Xie Huai and said, "No, I really don't feel well."

Xie Huai looked at the blazing sun overhead and said, "Can you still work in the fields this afternoon? Or maybe we should talk to the employer... we don't want our wages anymore, we're quitting!"

Xiao Mu stubbornly raised her head. "How can that be? What about our travel expenses back?"

Xie Huai touched the jade pendant hidden at his waist. It was an accessory he carried with him all the time. It wasn't anything rare, but it was more than enough to cover his travel expenses.

He removed his hand from the jade pendant, glanced at Xiao Mu, and asked again, "Can you really keep going?"

"Okay!" Xiao Mu gritted her teeth and nodded.

The afternoon sun was at its strongest, and Xiao Mu had a poor appetite. She only drank half a bowl of rice porridge and didn't feel hungry. It's normal to have a poor appetite in the summer. She was used to eating rich and fatty foods in the palace, so her appetite wasn't as good as before. In addition, she had been tired and worried lately, so she attributed the problem to this.

In the afternoon, it wasn't the fierce man from the morning who was watching over her; it was a middle-aged woman who looked sharp-tongued and mean, probably his wife.

The woman handed Xiao Mu a hoe, looked around, found her a sunny spot, and pointed to it, saying, "You're in charge of that spot! You're not allowed to rest until all the weeds are cleared!"

Xie Huai immediately noticed the disadvantages of the land: it was exposed to direct sunlight all afternoon. He walked up to the woman, looked at her gently, and said, "Madam, my sister is in poor health. Could I take care of this land for her?"

A fierce glint suddenly flashed in the woman's eyes, her gaze like a snake. She said sternly, "Why come if you can't do it? It's all the same here. There's no such thing as being weak! Take it or leave it. If you don't work, you can forget about your morning's wages."

At this moment, Xiao Mu just wanted to get her wages as soon as possible so she could raise enough money to go back home. She didn't want the wages she and Xie Huai had earned after working hard all morning to go to waste. So she braced herself and said to Xie Huai, "Don't worry, I can do it. You go and do your work!"

Xiao Mu took a deep breath, gripped the hoe tightly, and gritted her teeth as she worked in the field. The sun was scorching, directly overhead, making it hard for her to breathe. The sun was extremely harsh, turning her fair face red, her throat dry, and her strength gradually waning.

After an unknown amount of time, the sun finally set. The woman walked up to her and said arrogantly, "Didn't you do a good job? You don't look weak at all. You just wanted an easy job!"

Xiao Mu could tell that she was praising her, so she forced a smile, accepted the wages, and went to find Xie Huai.

The two of them worked themselves to the bone all day and only earned two taels of silver, which was just enough to cover the cost of an inn, not even enough to rent a carriage.

Xie Huai looked at Xiao Mu, whose face was pale and whose lips were bloodless. Her originally delicate face was peeling from the sun, and her hair was messy. He had never seen her look so disheveled.

"How to do?"

Xiao Mu hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice, pretending to be calm, "Then let's stay at an inn first... That's all we can do. If we can't raise the money... we won't even have a place to stay... It's getting dark now, and we can't rent a carriage at all. Fortunately, the prices here aren't high, so we can stay for a few days... But we still need to go back as soon as possible."

Xie Huai stared at her blankly, "Are you alright?"

Xiao Mu felt extremely weak and powerless, but she could still manage to hold on for a while. Once she returned to the palace, she would ask the imperial physician to examine her properly and give her some treatment, and she would probably recover.

"It's alright, I'm just tired. I'll be fine after a rest."