How could I possibly be confined in a cage?

Seeing Guiying's predicament, Qingru quickly pulled her out.

"Alright, as Guiying's family, we naturally have to keep a close eye on things. Guiying, you can't go easy on her."

"Exactly, give him a good test."

Guiying readily agreed, "Yes, yes, but... don't make things too difficult for him."

"Oh dear, they're already protecting each other before they're even married."

Guiying boldly declared, "That's right, that's my man!"

Old Hei was also in a good mood today, and poured two cups of tea for Guiying.

“Miss Guiying, it’s fate that we met. Today is both your happy occasion and the day I reunite with my nephew. It’s a double celebration. Come, let me offer you a cup of tea instead of wine.”

Guiying quickly presented the cup, saying, "Mr. Xin, thank you."

"Alright, everyone, please continue eating. I have a few words to say to Guiying."

Qingru then instructed someone to bring Zhuzi to the Lü family's house, and pulled Guiying into the house herself.

It's quite a story. I met Guiying because of a scam. We were first deceived by Niu Da and Niu Er and their gang. We were imprisoned in a dungeon together, and then we escaped together from the Dongyang Cotton Mill. Not to mention the past six months of getting to know and accompany each other.

In Qingru's heart, Guiying was closer than Qiushuang.

Qingru pulled Guiying back to her room and took out a box of jewelry from the cabinet.

"Guying, this is for you. I certainly won't be able to attend your wedding, so this is just a small token of my appreciation."

"No, no, no..." Guiying hurriedly refused, "Sister Qingru, I can't accept this. I'm ashamed to say that you saved my life, and I should serve you for the rest of my life, but I have selfish motives... I... I am the one who should give you gold and silver jewelry."

Qingru smiled and shook her head: "Silly girl, why would I need your repayment? I didn't do those things for you in the first place. I thought we were practically brothers in arms, so there's no point in talking about serving or not serving. Now you have someone to rely on, and you'll have your own little family in the future. You'll need money for many things. These pieces of jewelry are just for fun, they're not worth much."

"No, Sister Qingru, I really can't accept this. I already feel guilty for not being able to repay you, and I would feel uneasy taking your things."

Qingru put on a stern face and pretended to be unhappy, saying, "You can't talk about repaying me anymore. We're friends, not master and servant."

Guiying wanted to refuse, but looking at Qingru's serious face, she couldn't bring herself to say it. Besides, Qingru's word "friend" deeply moved Guiying.

Although she and Qingru hadn't known each other for long, Qingru was an extremely loyal and affectionate person. They had only met a few times, yet Qingru had risked his life to save her and provide her with shelter. To not repay such kindness was unworthy of being a human being!

But, but my cousin is also very good; he's waited for me for so long. Even my third cousin is married, and he's still single…

Guiying ultimately decided to marry her second cousin first, then bring him to the city to find a job, and then let Qingru do whatever she wanted with her.

Anyway, she won't be easily fooled now, and she can't repay Qingru's kindness, so she'll work hard to earn money and repay Qingru in the future.

Seeing that she had come to her senses, Qingru smiled and stuffed the jewelry box into Guiying's arms. "Take it carefully. This is a dowry for you. Keep it safe. It belongs only to you."

Guiying nodded, and Qingru smiled with relief.

Just then, a commotion came from outside, indicating that the pillar had been taken over.

Qingru patted Guiying's shoulder, signaling her not to show herself. "I'll give you a try first. A woman's marriage is like a second reincarnation. Even though you and your second cousin know each other well, it's hard to guarantee a peaceful life."

After Qingru finished speaking, she walked to the window, opened it a crack, and looked outside.

Zhu Zi stood in the courtyard, carrying a basket on his back. He was of medium height, thin but sturdy. He looked a little tired, but his spirits were good. He seemed a bit awkward under the scrutiny of the crowd, but he remained composed and did not flinch.

Qingru nodded; this first impression was not bad.

Zhu Zi stood in the courtyard, with several pairs of eyes watching him from both inside and outside the gate.

When he arrived, Zhu Zi had already secretly observed that even the servants in this family wore clothes made of better material than him, so it seemed that Gui Ying was living quite well.

Zhu Zi's family lived in a remote area surrounded by mountains, and even though his father was the village chief, they were still very poor. He came out to meet Gui Ying, already dressed in his best clothes.

He wore a gray-black cotton jacket and black cotton trousers; these were his best clothes, and the outer layer of his jacket wasn't even patched.

His mother specially made him wear this, saying that Guiying had seen the world and might look down on the poverty in the mountains, so she made him wear this to avoid being looked down upon.

Zhu Zi subconsciously straightened his back, welcoming everyone's scrutiny. These must be Gui Ying's family and colleagues. They were just looking at him curiously, without showing any disgust, which made him feel a little better.

Xiao Erlang wanted to rush over and recognize her, but he was held down tightly by Xiao Fuzi and was able to escape.

Qingru then opened the door to greet Zhuzi, "This must be Jiang Guiying's cousin, Niu Zhuzi, right?"

A fairy-like young lady pushed open the door and walked towards him. Zhu Zi's face flushed red instantly. "I... am."

Qingru smiled to herself. She was just as shy as Guiying.

Several fresh side dishes were placed on the stone table in the courtyard, and Qingru invited Zhuzi to sit down.

"Please sit down. I've been busy the past few days and didn't know Guiying's cousin was here. There's a happy occasion at home today, so I invited you over to join in the fun."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Zi hurriedly put down his basket and frantically took out some mountain produce and placed it on the ground.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know there was a happy occasion at your home. I came in a hurry and didn't bring anything. Please accept these dried vegetables. We're just a country family, we don't have anything fancy, it's just a small token of our appreciation."

Qingru turned her head to look and saw that the dried vegetables were hazelnuts, mushrooms and the like, and there was even a listless pheasant, which looked like they had been brought back from the old forest.

The gift may be small, but the sentiment is deep. The fact that they prepared a gift before coming to pick up Guiying shows that the person in front of them is not ignorant of manners; at the very least, they are very thoughtful.

Qingru accepted the gifts with a smile. "Thank you very much. These are very good. They are natural wild game, which is not common here."

Seeing that Qingru didn't seem to mind, Zhuzi secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thankfully he hadn't embarrassed Guiying.

Old Hei also came out and greeted Zhu Zi: "It's a small gift but a big sentiment. It seems you value Gui Ying very much, Zhu Zi."

Zhu Zi blushed and scratched his head sheepishly. "It's...it's important. Gui Ying was tricked into being sold by that son of a bitch. It was your family that rescued her and took her in. You are my benefactor. These things are nothing. There are plenty of them on the mountain."

"Haha..." Old Hei laughed heartily, probably because he hadn't seen such an honest and simple person in a long time. "Even if there are more on the mountain, it's not easy to collect them and process them into dried goods."

Zhu Zi didn't know what to say, so he just chuckled a few times.

Qingru asked, "When did you arrive?"

"Three days ago."

Three days ago, when the case was still pending, no wonder she hadn't noticed.

"Why didn't you come to visit? Where have you been staying these past few days?"

Zhu Zi said, "I went to see Gui Ying first, and she said that the master was very busy and told me to go in a few days. Then I was... I was called here."

Seeing that Zhu Zi was speaking hesitantly, she realized that she had not revealed her identity and hurriedly said, "I am Lü Qingru, the eldest daughter of Master Lü. This is our housekeeper, Mr. Xin."

Zhu Zi breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly called out, "Miss Lü, Butler Xin."

Old Hei said again, "I can tell you've had a hard time these past few days because your clothes are all wrinkled and covered in bits of grass. It's Guiying's fault for not arranging a room for you earlier, even though there are so many empty rooms in the house."

"No, no, no," Zhu Zi hurriedly explained, "Please don't blame Guiying, it was my own unwillingness. This is Guiying's master's house, not her own, how can she make the decision?"

Old Hei nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad, he knows the rules and has a good sense of propriety."